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Forsyth Falls Behind Guilford In Federal COVID-19 Relief Funding; Bill Aims To Change That

The Winston-Salem skyline. WFDD/FILE PHOTO

Forsyth County is getting substantially less in federal COVID-19 relief funds than other metro counties in the state. New legislation could help alleviate the disparity, but it faces an uphill climb.

The CARES program guidelines dictate that the federal government limits direct aid to counties with at least 500,000 residents.

The Winston-Salem Journal reports that while Guilford County will be allotted close to $94 million, Forsyth will receive $6.4 million. 

House Bill 1144 aims to strengthen federal aid for Winston-Salem with a request for $30 million from CARES funding state legislators are currently holding in reserve.

Forsyth Democratic representatives Derwin Montgomery and Evelyn Terry introduced the bill. Montgomery says the Forsyth CARES funding is not enough to cover the needs of Winston-Salem and the rest of the county. 

Republican Representative Donny Lambeth says the bill is a “nice political gesture,” but that it has no chance of passing in its current form.

Lambeth agrees that there is “no logic” to Winston-Salem getting less in relief funds than cities in more populated counties. He suggested the congressional delegation allocate available federal funds directly to the city. 

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.

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