North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper announced Wednesday that schools are strongly recommended to require face masks for most students and teachers as COVID-19 metrics continue to rise across the state. Cooper stopped short of mandating masks, with Dr. Mandy Cohen explaining low vaccination rates among eligible teens being a reason for wanting masks in schools. STORY: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/vaccine/north-carolina-school-mask-guidance-roy-cooper-recommendation-unvaccinated/275-7f86c7c3-00ed-4823-8738-5a642c78efdc

As vaccination rates sag in the Carolinas, health leaders are increasing their efforts to get more people the shot but it won't be easy. Social media posts loaded with misinformation have convinced many people the vaccines aren't safe and should be avoided. Richard DeVayne has an update on what leaders are doing to educate people on what's real and why the vaccines are safe. 

Plus, have you noticed a haze in the air? It's actually smoke from wildfires all the way across the country on the West Coast. Ben Thompson explains how the smoke got here and Larry Sprinkle tells us about an air quality alert that could have some people gasping for breath this afternoon. STORY: https://www.wcnc.com/article/weather/wildfire-smoke-making-it-hazy-in-the-carolinas/275-c658508f-1990-4ac8-8169-5a8084e3db97

Watch Wake Up Charlotte each weekday morning from 4:30 to 7 a.m. on WCNC Charlotte, and as always join the conversation on social media using #WakeUpCLT!

Parents, you could finally get an idea of what your child's school year will look like. New guidance for masks inside North Carolina schools could be coming as Governor Cooper is set to speak Wednesday afternoon.

As the highly contagious Delta variant takes hold in the U.S., now making up 83% of all cases—concern is growing how it will impact the upcoming school year.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/vaccine/new-guidance-for-masks-in-north-carolina-schools-could-come-wednesday/275-7f86c7c3-00ed-4823-8738-5a642c78efdc

Health officials say the best defense against COVID-19 is to get vaccinated.

"This is now a disease of the unvaccinated and what can happen is it can spill over into some of the vaccinated for people who maybe have immune system problems and we know sometimes the vaccines aren't perfect," Dr. David Priest of Novant Hospital said. 

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/vaccinated-people-still-getting-covid-19/275-5fc33a75-a6b1-42d1-82aa-ad73dce32938

Watch Wake Up Charlotte each weekday morning from 4:30 to 7 a.m. on WCNC Charlotte, and as always, join the conversation on social media using #WakeUpCLT!  

As the delta variant sweeps the country and moves in the Carolinas, the American Academy of Pediatrics is recommending masks for all students and staff over the age of two as they prepare to head back to class.  

Current CDC guidance for schools states masks should be worn indoors by people age two and older who are not fully vaccinated.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/vaccine/conflicting-guidance-about-masks-in-schools/275-d08decf5-415a-4f37-a046-0e44b2443a7b

UNC Charlotte confirmed on July 19 a COVID-19 cluster at the university. 

According to an alert posted to the university's website, the cluster was detected through its Niner Health Check, testing and contact tracing protocols. 

The cluster involves five students living both on and off-campus. 

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/unc-charlotte-cluster-covid/275-a24c2b7f-b70f-4157-9e2d-2d1ed8a3b5e1

https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/unc-charlotte-cluster-covid/275-a24c2b7f-b70f-4157-9e2d-2d1ed8a3b5e1

Mecklenburg County Health officials confirmed Friday that the highly contagious delta variant of COVID-19 has been detected in Mecklenburg County.

Deputy Health Director Dr. Raynard Washington made the announcement during a news conference in Uptown Charlotte Friday afternoon. He said the delta variant was discovered through genomic sequencing from an outbreak at a homeless shelter a few weeks ago. The majority of those cases were confirmed to be delta. 

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/mecklenburg-county-coronavirus-covid-19-cases-rising-vaccinations/275-1049bf4d-5b8d-4d18-a491-fb175d31a5f6

 Soon some animals in North Carolina will be getting their own vaccine. The North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro plans to vaccine some of its residents within the next few weeks.

"Just as I'm trying to protect myself and my family, these animals are part of my family and I want to protect them as well," Dr. Jb Minter, the director of animal health at the North Carolina Zoo, said.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/north-carolina-zoo-vaccinate-animals-covid-19/275-ef7c0288-ffb6-4c7d-a55d-0d8c5accd468

American tennis star Coco Gauff will not be participating in the Olympic Games in Tokyo, after testing positive for COVID-19, the 17-year-old confirmed on social media Sunday.

"I am so disappointed to share the news that I have tested positive for COVID and won't be able to play in the Olympic Games in Tokyo," Gauff said in an image shared on Twitter and Instagram. She goes on to add, "I want to wish Team USA best of luck and a safe games for every Olympian and the entire Olympic family."

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/sports/olympics/coco-gauff-tokyo-olympics-covid/507-3b6cd081-81c4-4caa-b581-50fa95184be5

North Carolina is in the midst of an uptick in the numbers of COVID-19 cases in the state.

After months of declines, Dr. Mandy Cohen, the state secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, said that twice this week, overall cases have reached over 1,000 a day.

These numbers are the highest numbers in more than two months and are possibly the result of all the travel and Fourth of July weekend get-a-ways.

State metrics do not explicitly say if those new positive cases were among vaccinated or unvaccinated people, but nationally the director of the National Institutes of Health said unvaccinated people make up 99% of the new COVID-19 cases.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/north-carolina-surge-covid-covid19-cases-white-house-vaccine-masks/275-6a7daec4-d229-4dc6-9ebe-def777de68d8

Forecast: Hot and humid with a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly in the afternoon and evening. The rain/storm chance will be around 40%. Winds will be southwesterly five to ten mph. Temperatures overnight will drop into the low 70s.

The child tax credit had always been an empty gesture to millions of parents like Tamika Daniel.

That changes Thursday when the first payment of $1,000 hits Daniel’s bank account — and dollars start flowing to the pockets of more than 35 million families around the country. Daniel, a 35-year-old mother of four, didn’t even know the tax credit existed until President Joe Biden expanded it for one year as part of the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package that passed in March.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/nation-world/child-tax-credit-payments-begin/507-cbea6271-de87-4791-9215-d8afaff052cc

In just the last three weeks, South Carolina has seen a sharp increase of cases and hospitalizations of 58%.

"Our current situation is tipping in the wrong direction. We can't let the virus and its variants grow stronger. Getting vaccinated is how we win," Dr. Brannon Traxler of SCDHEC said. "Unvaccinated people are fueling the pandemic, especially unvaccinated young people." 

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/unvaccinated-people-in-sc-are-seen-as-the-prime-reason-for-the-spread-of-covid-19/275-5efdaa73-d02c-4ec1-89e1-057f92ad5667

The Union County Board of Education voted Tuesday evening on whether masks will be required in schools this upcoming year.

After a 9-0 vote, it was determined that masks will be optional for Union County Schools students inside the classroom and on buses.

North Carolina required everyone 5 years of age and older to wear a mask in schools last year, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued new guidance last week that says fully vaccinated students and teachers don't need face coverings. Currently, the COVID-19 vaccine is only available for children age 12 and older. 

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/education/union-county-schools-masks-covid-spread-vaccination/275-8789feca-3439-4349-894e-ffd7f3d84bd8

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools gave an update on its summer learning courses Tuesday night as the district struggles with attendance issues. 

The district previously announced they identified roughly 65,000 students they considered to be at risk of failing before the school year ended, roughly 21,000 signed up for the camp, and less than 13,000 of them showed up for the first week of the program. 

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/education/thousands-of-at-risk-cms-students-missing-out-on-the-chance-to-catch-up/275-6680b8f2-2ad2-4a5a-a789-4377cd496885 

On Tuesday, CMS is expected to give an update on its summer learning courses as the district struggles with attendance issues.

The district created Camp CMS to help students who need help catching up after a year of limited, or no class for some, due to COVID-19. 

More than 32,000 students registered, with 21,000 of them considered at risk who are in need of extra help or had failed a core class last year. 

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/education/thousands-of-at-risk-cms-students-missing-out-on-the-chance-to-catch-up/275-6680b8f2-2ad2-4a5a-a789-4377cd496885

After months of declining COVID-19 cases, North Carolina is starting to see a resurgence in the virus. With the highly contagious delta variant circulating in the country and growing its presence, including in the Carolinas, and the Fourth of July holiday bringing more people together, health officials had said it would be likely the state would see a bump in the metrics.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-numbers/nc-north-carolina-covid-19-metrics-numbers-cases-hospitalizations/275-512257c1-eba6-49f0-b9c6-06a1a7873d62

Watch Wake Up Charlotte each weekday morning from 4:30 to 7 a.m. on WCNC Charlotte, and as always, join the conversation on social media using #WakeUpCLT!

The CDC issued guidelines saying schools can reopen at capacity this fall, and vaccinated students and teachers don’t have to wear masks. 

CDC guidelines are recommendations for local governments. Ultimately, state and school leaders at the local level will have to build a plan based on regional COVID-19 data. 

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/health/docter-urges-parents-caution-cdc-eases-mask-mandates-students/275-63504a11-678b-4958-b37c-842d32a0d380

President Joe Biden will host New York City's Democratic mayoral candidate and other city and law enforcement leaders from around the country to talk about reducing crime.

Eric Adams, Brooklyn borough president and the likely next mayor of New York, plus Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser and San Jose, California, Mayor Sam Liccardo are expected to attend the meeting Monday, according to two people familiar with the plans. They were not authorized to speak publicly about the meeting and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/nation-world/biden-crime-city-leaders/507-d4a777e7-626c-4c7d-b066-c1f5e3219b59

Watch Wake Up Charlotte each weekday morning from 4:30 to 7 a.m. on WCNC Charlotte, and as always, join the conversation on social media using #WakeUpCLT!

More than two weeks after a video of a controversial arrest of two brothers in Rock Hill went viral - and prompted nightly protests - the Rock Hill Police Department announced one of the police officers involved was fired and criminally charged for his conduct.

During a lengthy news conference Thursday hosted by the York County Solicitor's Office, county and city officials showed multiple video perspectives of the June 23 encounter at a gas station that led to the arrest of Ricky and Travis Price. The presentation included the previously seen Facebook video and gas station surveillance video -- plus two police officer body camera videos not previously seen publicly.

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/rock-hill-ricky-price-arrest-viral-video-bodycam-footage/275-6447dda4-7864-4603-a039-99c100d5a95a

The King's Kitchen is making a long-awaited return on July 9, opening for dinner service for the first time in more than a year.

The Uptown restaurant at the corner of West Trade and Church streets is known for its service in helping to support and offer resources like job training for those experiencing homelessness.

"We meet the people on the streets where they are and we let them know that we are here, we are a resource" The King's Kitchen assistant general manager Joseph Kirkland said. "We love them and we care for them and we want to help them achieve their goals.”

READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/life/food/kings-kitchen-reopens-july-9/275-a2a78897-b79d-47c8-860f-2e9d5cf5c4d6

Watch Wake Up Charlotte each weekday morning from 4:30 to 7 a.m. on WCNC Charlotte, and as always, join the conversation on social media using #WakeUpCLT!