• Johnston, Sampson and Wayne Counties are all under an Excessive Heat Warning, effective until 9 p.m. tonight, and the rest of our region is under a Heat Advisory until 8 p.m. this evening. Be sure to drink plenty of fluids, stay hydrated, and check up on elderly relatives or neighbors!

• North Carolina reached 100,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases today, reporting an additional 1,268 additional cases for a total of 101,046 statewide. More than 1.42 million tests have been completed, and hospitalizations have declined for the fourth consecutive day. 1,086 individuals are currently hospitalized due to COVID-19 and 1,634 individuals have died in North Carolina due to the virus.

• As we begin a new week, here is a snapshot of the virus in the counties that make up the 7^th District:
• Bladen County: 487 cases, 5 deaths
• Brunswick County: 947 cases, 11 deaths
• Columbus County: 710 cases, 39 deaths
• Duplin County: 1,768 cases, 35 deaths
• Johnston County: 2,406 cases, 38 deaths
• New Hanover County: 1,792 cases, 11 deaths
• Pender County: 484 cases, 2 deaths
• Sampson County: 1,305 cases, 8 deaths
• Wayne County: 2,103 cases, 28 deaths
• You can always find the most up-to-date statistics on the virus at the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ website here.

• An estimated 78,707 individuals are presumed to have recovered from the virus statewide.

• Columbus County Schools is asking parents to fill out a survey to choose between 100% remote learning or some in-person instruction for the fall semester. Responses are needed by July 22, and parents can fill out the survey here.

• The Environmental Protection Agency has an informative article on COVID-19 and how it travels through indoor air. View it here.

• Here’s an article from the CDC about when it is necessary to wear gloves. For the general public, the CDC says wearing gloves is not necessary in most situations, like running errands. CDC recommends wearing gloves when you are cleaning or caring for someone who is sick.

• The Pender County Board of Education will hold a special meeting at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow (Tuesday) to address school re-entry for the 2020-2021 school year. Members of the public can watch a live stream of the meeting here.  For those that do not have internet access, the meeting will be streamed to the public at the Burgaw Middle School gym, as well.

• We got some good news for our region last week as the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved a bipartisan ports and water resources bill that includes authorization for continued federal participation in beach renourishment project in Wrightsville, Carolina and Kure Beaches. More information about that here.

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