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Smith Reynolds Airport Awarded Over $4M in CARES Act Funding

The funding will go towards making repairs at Smith Reynolds Airport, as well as creating jobs. Photo courtesy of Smith Reynolds Airport.

Winston-Salem's Smith Reynolds Airport will receive over $4 million in funding meant to enhance the facility and spur job growth.  

The federal government has awarded $4.45 million to Forsyth County to repair structural damage the airport suffered during Hurricane Michael in 2018. The funding is also meant to offset economic adversity caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The CARES Act grant comes from the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration (EDA). The EDA money will be matched with $1.6 million in local investment.

Governor Roy Cooper released a statement saying the funding “will go a long way in creating jobs, speeding up economic recovery, and supporting Forsyth County's airport.”

According to a Department of Commerce news release, the grant is expected to create 200 jobs, retain another 100 positions, and generate $2.5 million in private investment.

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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