Join Brighton McConnell every Tuesday afternoon for Chatham County Roundup, a recurring series that shines the spotlight on Chatham County through engaging discussions and interviews with locals, newsmakers, officials and more.
Lars Dolder of the Chatham News + Record joined this week’s edition of Chatham County Roundup on 97.9 The Hill to share details on several recent stories he’s covering.
As COVID-19 vaccination efforts continue across the state, the Chatham County government has found success with hosting mass vaccination clinics for people eligible in Phase 2. The latest on February 1 saw more than 200 people receive their first doses.
Dolder said while this is a great start, there are still many people who are struggling to make appointments or get access to vaccine doses — especially elderly residents in Phase 2.
“That demographic sometimes has challenges navigating technology and the internet,” he said. “We’ve been hearing from folks, and county officials have as well, who are saying they want their vaccines but they just don’t know how to get on the list. And beside that, the issue is compounded by the sheer volume of interested people.”
Additionally, Dolder shared details from his reporting on recent updates to the North Chatham Park Way plans that have upset some North Woods community members and to the county’s status of jury trials.
“Not many folks have thought about what’s going on in the court system, but it’s been really severely impacted by the pandemic,” the reporter explained. “Local districts have the autonomy to decide how they will operate. For Chatham County, resident Superior Court Judge Allen Baddour is responsible for those decisions and he has kept the court running the way they were under [the state’s previous chief justice.]”
Listen below for the full conversation, and tune in weekly for conversations about Chatham County happenings, people, news and more.
Photo courtesy of the Chatham County Public Health Department.
