Public Radio for the Piedmont and High Country
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

CARES Act Technology Grants Awarded To NC Libraries

CHARLES KRUPA/AP

The State Library of North Carolina has announced it will award technology grants to benefit local library projects.

The grant program is meant to address the digital divide in high-need areas, as more people turn to learning and working online because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The awards total nearly $870,000, with the money being provided through a provision of the CARES Act.

According to a news release, Alamance County will receive funds to expand internet access through the public library network.

K-12 students in Davidson County will soon have internet access from home thanks to a Wi-Fi hot spot being established in the county library.

Wi-Fi service and equipment will be upgraded at the Rockingham County Public Library, and there is a proposal to provide broadband service to a group of Rockingham County Community College students through the summer of 2021.

In all, 39 grants will be awarded to support local library needs around North Carolina.

For the most up-to-date information on coronavirus in North Carolina, visit our Live Updates blog here. WFDD wants to hear your stories — connect with us and let us know what you're experiencing.

Neal Charnoff joined 88.5 WFDD as Morning Edition host in 2014. Raised in the Catskill region of upstate New York, he graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1983. Armed with a liberal arts degree, Neal was fully equipped to be a waiter. So he prolonged his arrested development bouncing around New York and L.A. until discovering that people enjoyed listening to his voice on the radio. After a few years doing overnight shifts at a local rock station, Neal spent most of his career at Vermont Public Radio. He began as host of a nightly jazz program, where he was proud to interview many of his idols, including Dave Brubeck and Sonny Rollins. Neal graduated to the news department, where he was the local host for NPR's All Things Considered for 14 years. In addition to news interviews and features, he originated and produced the Weekly Conversation On The Arts, as well as VPR Backstage, which profiled theater productions around the state. He contributed several stories to NPR, including coverage of a devastating ice storm. Neal now sees the value of that liberal arts degree, and approaches life with the knowledge that all subjects and all art forms are connected to each other. Neal and his wife Judy are enjoying exploring North Carolina and points south. They would both be happy to never experience a Vermont winter again.

Support quality journalism, like the story above,
with your gift right now.

Donate