 BURLINGTON, NC- On June 26th , Governor Cooper’s Executive Order 147 went into place, requiring all North Carolinians to wear face coverings in public when social distancing is not possible to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
To ensure Burlington residents have access to a reusable cloth face covering, the City of Burlington coordinated to purchase locally made masks for distribution in Burlington, keeping our supply chain tight and our money local. Distribution events have been scheduled in various locations throughout Burlington for convenient drive-thru pick-up. Mask Distribution Events:
 COVID-19 is exposing the digital divide in North Carolina and its consequences for all of us. Students and adults who don’t have access to the internet, don’t have a computer or laptop or don’t know how to use them – for education, work, health, or connection – are at an impossible disadvantage.
Digital Inclusion – creating opportunities for everyone to access and be able to use affordable internet and devices – is more important than ever. What is BAND-NC? In response to this immediate need, the Institute for Emerging Issues at NC State (IEI) in partnership with the Broadband Infrastructure Office at the NC Department of Information Technology, and with principal support from the John M. Belk Endowment¹, is addressing the digital divide across NC through a new program called “Building a New Digital Economy” (BAND-NC). BAND-NC will provide rapid-response community innovation mini-grants to communities across the state. This fall, grantees will be invited to join technical assistance workshops to build county-wide digital inclusion plans. A second round of funding to support the implementation of these plans will be available in Spring 2021. The ultimate goal of the program is to make North Carolina the first state in the nation where every county has a digital inclusion plan in place. ¹ Additional support comes from the Roanoke Electric Cooperative and North Carolina Electric Cooperatives.
Free recordings from the UNC School of Government faculty in partnership with Community Food Strategies of NC and the Center for Environmental Farming Systems at NCSU to offer four lunch-and-learn "Office Hours" sessions. Each session features local practitioners using strategies to help communities deal with food insecurities and supply chain disruptions during COVID-19. A local resiliency strategy is featured in each recording, with an open period for questions from participants. Topics and featured local practitioners are: School Nutrition Programs (May 27) – Efforts to continue prepared food distributions during school closures for children who qualify for free and reduced price school nutrition programs. Discussion Leaders: Maureen Berner (SOG faculty); Linden Thayer, Food Insight Group, Durham
Community Gardens and Farms (June 3) - Working with local farmers to source and distribute food supplies and provide weekend family meals to supplement school nutrition programs. Discussion Leaders: Carl Vierling, Greater High Point Food Alliance; Chester Williams, “A Better Chance, A Better Community”, Halifax County; Kelly Owensby, Transplanting Traditions, Orange County. Leveraging Underutilized Infrastructure to Improve Food Access & Supply (June 10) - Using vacant buildings, open spaces, and closed restaurants with refrigerated storage to provide sites for food distribution and safe supply. Discussion Leaders: Eric Henry, TS Designs, Burlington; Heidi Norwick, Alamance United Way; Doug Calaway, Your Local Greens, Burlington. Food Business Innovation in the Time of COVID-19 (June 17) - Keeping food-related businesses in business. Discussion leaders: Gabriel Cummings, Working Landscapes, Warrenton; Emily McCormick and Ron Judkins, Co-owners, “On Main Southern Eatery”, Warrenton.  By: Devin Steele from eTextile Communications
Fairystone Fabrics, a Burlington, N.C., textile manufacturer specializing in warp knitting, warping and sueding, has produced technical fabrics for automotive, filtration and some niche markets such as medical for many years. The company, which produces laminated fabric for several different levels of PPE gowns, has ramped up production in the medical field from six to eight tricot machines to 56 in nine weeks, according to company President Jim Bryan. “We were given specifications by our customer and developed a number of samples until we found the best alternative,” Bryan said. “It is actually a fabric we made a number of years ago with slight modifications.” The fabric has some unique features from a manufacturing perspective, and requires retrofitting machines with auxiliary equipment, he pointed out. Some it had in-house, some it imported from Europe and some it made from spare parts or used local machine shops, he added. “We believe in continuous improvement,” Bryan said. “The fabric we make today is made on modern machines that are different than the ones we had 20 years ago. They require technical skills and knowledge to make the important adjustments for an efficient and first-quality product. Yarn is becoming a constraint.” Read more below and see the orignial posting here: https://www.etextilecommunications.com/062520-fairystone-fabrics-ppe |
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