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State Awards Nearly $27M In COVID-19 Relief To Rural Communities

Gov. Roy Cooper, left, speaks with Misty Drake, Chief Operating Officer at Piedmont Health Senior Care, a federally qualified health center where PACE patients (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) and underserved populations can receive the COVID-19 vaccine, Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021 in Pittsboro, N.C. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

Rural North Carolina communities have been awarded $26.8 million in COVID-19 relief aid. 

Governor Roy Cooper announced that 34 municipal and county governments will receive grants to assist in economic recovery and public health needs.

The federal funds are aimed at helping residents avoid evictions and utility shutoffs.

The grants will also help to strengthen broadband for public facilities, rehabilitate buildings, and provide financial relief to small businesses.

State Commerce Secretary Machelle Sanders said in a news release, "Supporting North Carolina's smaller communities and businesses is critical for our state's economic recovery.”

Triad communities slated to receive funding include Rockingham County, Reidsville, Jonesville, and Asheboro. Grant money is also being directed to Watauga County in the High Country.

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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