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Halloween Edition
From the Council Office of Steve Rao
October 29, 2020
Alerts!
Positive Covid 19 Case at MAFC
Positive Covid 19 Case at Morrisville Aquatics and Fitness Center.  (See Last Section in this newsletter)

The facility is open now.
Happy Halloween!
Wishing everyone a Safe Halloween.  

No Trick or Treating does not mean we cannot have safe, Halloween fun!
Important Updates
Governor Cooper asks us to be wary of religious and social gatherings.
Covid 19 Case Linked to Dan Forest Rally in Yancy County.
Covid 19 Cases at Wake County Schools:
Panther Creek High School Athlete Tests Positive for Covid 19.  

Forest Pine Elementary reports first Covid 19 Case.
Ivanka Trump visits Charlotte.
Election 6 days away. 
Featured Stories
Oct 29th 7 pm - FEATURED CANDIDATE and FIRESIDE CHAT
with NC Attorney General Josh Stein
I am pleased to support my very good friend, Josh Stein, for Attorney General to serve in a second term. 

In his first term, Josh has led on protecting our clean water and environment, protecting our Seniors and Consumers against scams, continues to fight the Opioid Epidemic, uphold the Affordable Care Act for our State, and always stands up for the citizens of North Carolina on very important issues, every day on the job.  
He has stood up to big companies, and President Trump, to protect all of us every day on the job and I am grateful for his graceful, smart, and dynamic leadership style.  

Please Join me on Thursday, October 29 at 7 pm for an engaging Fireside Chat with Attorney General Stein as we talk about his achievements and plans for the next term!  

This will be broadcast live on Radio Mirchi (99.9FMHD4, 101.9 FM and 1490 AM) and also streamed live on https://www.facebook.com/steve.s.rao.  

Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett
The Impact on America and NC?
On Monday, Amy Coney Barrett Sworn into the United States Supreme Court. Republicans push through a rushed nomination a week before election.   

This recent appointment will have a profound impact on the elections, health care, abortion, and voting rights now and well into the future.   

This appointment will also have an impact on all of these issues, in North Carolina.  

Affordable Care Act Case will be heard Nov 10th.   

We will be able to discuss this newest addition to the Supreme Court in our Fireside Chat this evening with Attorney General Josh Stein.
Andrew Yang Visits NC Virtually
I was honored to interview former Democratic Presidential Candidate, Andrew Yang on Radio Mirchi and he visited us on Facebook for a few minutes.   

Enjoy his remarks here:
Conversation with Rep. Joe John
Thanks to everyone who came out our Facebook Live Chat with Joe John on the new Conservative Court and its impact on the elections, North Carolina and the role of judges and courts.

View the Conversation here:
Fireside Chat with Dale Folwell
Thanks for coming out to the Fireside Chat with NC Treasurer Dale Folwell.

View the Fireside Chat here:
Fireside Chat with Dick Sears
Thanks for coming out to the VIRTUAL FIRESIDE CHAT ON BULLYING WITH MAYOR DICK SEARS

View the Fireside Chat here:
Upcoming Events
Oct 30th, 7:30pm - FIRST IN FLIGHT BIDEN HARRIS GOTV EVENT
The Nepalese and Asian American community have enjoyed soaring to the greatest of heights on our Remarkable American Journey.  

Please join Morrisville Council Member Steve Rao, Nepalese community leaders, other North Carolina officials with Special Guest Rep. Harry Bhandari, Maryland House of Delegates for an Oct 30 GOTV rally for Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and all Democrats in North Carolina so we can take the state Blue! We will be organizing our precincts, and doing phone banking training as well with the Biden AAPI team!

We will always be First in Flight as a Community, as a State and Nation! Streamed Live on https://www.facebook.com/steve.s.rao and broadcast live on Radio Mirchi (99.9FMHD4, 101.9 FM and 1490 AM)

Other News
You can still VOTE! Saturday is the LAST DAY!
Early Voting runs to Oct. 31.   Please visit www.wakegov.com to find our Polling Location.  Monday- Friday 8 am to 7:30 pm, Saturday from 8 am to 1 pm and Sunday from 1 pm to 6 pm.   Masks not required at Polling Places.   


YOU CAN MAIL IN YOUR VOTE:
Please request your Absentee Ballot at https://www.ncsbe.gov/.   Absentee Ballots must be requested by Oct 27th and received by Board of Election by Nov 5 to be counted.  (6800 Absentee Ballots from Black Voters are Incomplete)   

North Carolina can accept absentee ballots that are postmarked Nov. 3, Election Day, until Nov. 12, a federal appeals court decided Tuesday in a 12-3 majority ruling
ABSENTEE BALLOTS CAN BE COUNTED UNTIL 9 DAYS AFTER ELECTION IN NC
The Supreme Court will allow absentee ballots in North Carolina to be received and counted up to nine days after Election Day.

The justices, by a 5-3 vote Wednesday, refused to disturb a decision by the State Board of Elections to lengthen the period from three to nine days because of the coronavirus pandemic, pushing back the deadline to Nov. 12. The board’s decision was part of a legal settlement with a union-affiliated group.

Republicans had asked the high court to step in.

Under the Supreme Court’s order, mailed ballots postmarked on or before Election Day must be received by 5 p.m. on Nov. 12 in order to be counted
SPRING REGISTRATION WAKE COUNTY VIRTUAL ACADEMY 
The Wake County Public Schools System on Monday released the registration windows for the WCPSS Virtual Academy for the spring semester of the 2020-21 school year.
+ The window for middle and high school registration will be Oct. 21st - Nov 4th.
+ The window for elementary schools will be Dec. 2-9.
+ For More Information, please visit https://www.wcpss.net/Page/46163.  

The district also announced that all high school arts activities will begin on Monday, Oct. 19, with the following two exceptions: high school bands and orchestras will not be allowed to play brass or woodwinds and high school choral groups will not be allowed to sing. Those exceptions will also be in place for all K-12 in-person instruction, once it begins. Percussion and stringed instruments will be allowed to rehearse.

Groups can, however, meet and participate in team-building activities, SEL activities or other music-related activities that do not involve singing or playing instrument
UNC Health Donates K 95 Masks to Wake County Schools
At the last Wake County Board of Education meeting Chris Heagarty announced the generous donation of 42,000 K95 masks to the Wake County Public School system by UNC Health. These non-medical grade masks provide better protection than many standard face coverings and are highly rated for improved fit, something many teachers and staff have asked for.
 
When COVID began and UNC Health put out a call to the community for help – the community responded generously with donations and support. With more teachers and students headed back to the classroom, UNC Health is able to donate some of their non-medical grade mask inventory to local school systems.
 
UNC Health believes the health and safety of all across our community is of utmost importance. With COVID and flu season upon us, we encourage everyone to continue to follow the 3W’s: Wear your mask, Wait six feet apart and Wash your hands!

It takes many partnerships to cultivate a healthy community, and we are grateful to UNC Health for their community leadership.  

A special thanks to my good friends, Gary Park, COO, UNC Health, Steve Burris, President, UNC Triangle Region, and the entire management team at UNC Health for this wonderful gesture to our School System.  
GOVERNOR COOPER SIGNS ASSISTING NORTH CAROLINIANS AT RISK OF EVICTION
Governor Cooper signed a new executive order expanding the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's federal eviction moratorium.

Under the executive order, all North Carolinians--not just those in federally subsidized housing--will be protected from eviction proceedings until the order expires.

About 300,000 to 400,000 North Carolina households are currently unable to pay rent and 240,000 eviction filings would be expected to be submitted by January 2021.
NC HOPE Program: Assistance for Rent and Utilities 
North Carolinians can also seek help from the NC HOPE program, which can provide owed rent and utilities for up to six months. Cooper said more than 23,000 North Carolinians have applied for the program in two weeks.

You can apply for NC HOPE by calling 211 or visiting nc211.org/hope
COVID 19 CASE at MORRISVILLE AQUATICS CENTER
On Monday afternoon, the Morrisville Aquatics & Fitness Center's staff was made aware that a patron of our facility had tested positive for COVID-19. This individual attended a group fitness class in the aerobic room on Thursday, October 22, at 6 p.m., and on Saturday, October 24, at 11 a.m. 

This person's visits to the facility were limited to the aerobic room, and during each visit, they followed MAFC's health and safety protocols as required. 

Once MAFC staff and the Town were notified of this, efforts were made to contact the Wake County Health Department, then proceeded to complete additional health and safety measures as directed by them. We also provided them with all necessary information for contact tracing. Next, our risk management team reached out to all patrons of the yoga classes in question to personally inform them of the matter.

Out of an abundance of caution, the Town made the decision to close the facility for the remainder of the day on Monday. 

Though MAFC staff had been closing our facility twice daily for sanitization, they took the rest of the day to perform another robust sanitization to ensure the wellbeing of our patrons upon our reopening, which occurred on Tuesday, October 27, at 6 a.m.

We are open at MAFC now. Come out and enjoy our new facility!
My Weekly Update:
Featured Updates
Remdesivir approved by FDA as Covid 19 Treatment

Covid 19 Drive Thru Testing and Sunnybrook Parking Deck and Wake Forest.
Stimulus Deal continues to be delayed
Stimulus Deal continues to be delayed. No Deal in Sight Yet.

  • For latest Covid 19 information, please dial 2-1-1 or 888- 892-1162.  
  • Get Updates by texting COVIDNC at 898211.    
  • For unemployment insurance, please visit NC Dept of Employment Security at https://des.nc.gov/.    
  • Apply for Wake Forward program at https://covid19.wakegov.com/wakeforward/. 
North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services reported 2,253 new COVID-19 cases, the second day in a row the state recorded a daily case increase of more than 2,000.

The increase in cases was accompanied by a decrease in the number of additional tests completed. Yesterday, North Carolina reported 20,990 more completed tests, a decline from the past six days of testing.

As of Monday, 6.9% of tests are positive. The metric has been hovering between 6 and 7% for several days, though it briefly dropped to 5.9% last Wednesday.

Currently, 1,193 people are hospitalized with COVID-19 with 97% of hospitals reporting. In the last 24 hours, 294 suspected COVID-19 patients were admitted to hospitals statewide.
CASES:
2,153 New Cases
+ N.C. = 266,136 Cases (Deaths = 4,245)    
+ 6.9 %Positive Rate + Wake County = 21,400 Cases (Deaths = 270)
+ US = 8.93 million Cases/228K deaths 
+Worldwide = 44.5 million/1.17 million deaths
Tests (NC):
+ Completed Tests: 3,912,599  
+ 1,193 Hospitalizations. 
Office Hours
Council Member Rao holds office hours on Friday from 12:00-1:00 PM by appointment only at 100 Town Hall Drive in Morrisville. 

For more information or to schedule a time to speak with Council Member Rao, please email SRao@TownofMorrisville.org and copy Town Clerk Eric Smith, esmith@townofmorrisville.org, 463-6150.
Council Member Steve Rao
Town of Morrisville
Dedicated to transforming Morrisville into an ideal place to work and raise a family!
Learn more at: SteveRao.com