Afternoon Observer: March 5
Happy Friday, Charlotte. Kristen here, celebrating a pretty significant milestone for the state of North Carolina — over 1 million people in NC have been vaccinated against COVID-19. To be exact, as of Thursday, 1,028,728 North Carolinians have received second doses, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. Are you one of them? Let me know how your experience was.
Let’s talk about today’s headlines:
1. As nursing homes close COVID units, Charlotte sees glimpse of future recovery
If you look at Mecklenburg’s public health data, you’ll see that, for the first time, the majority of people dying from coronavirus in the county aren’t nursing home or long-term care residents. There’s “quite a bit of natural immunity” in nursing homes due to emergency use of Pfizer and Moderna shots around the holidays, said Dr. David Weber, an epidemiology professor at the UNC Gillings School of Public Health.
One facility, Clear Creek Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, is seeing these improvements firsthand. 75 beds are reserved for coronavirus patients at the facility, and as of this week, only seven are still occupied, said medical director Dr. William Long. Ravaged by hundreds of new infections as recently as January, the center’s cases have now diminished. “It has dropped like a rock,” Long told the Observer Thursday. “Today, I have none — zero.”
Learn more about the positive trend and what the factors of this success could be with the Observer’s Alison Kuznitz.
2. Bidding adieu to Mr. K’s
It’s the end of a South End era. Charlotte’s iconic restaurant Mr. K’s Soft Ice Cream is officially closing, as the Observer’s Catherine Muccigrosso reports.. A local institution for over half a century, the spot was known for its hamburgers and soft-serve ice cream.
Owner George Dizes last month told the Observer that the 1,400-square-foot South Boulevard restaurant was for sale, and he told CharlotteFive today that he finally sold the building. It’s thought that the new owner will turn the space into a pizza place.
“Moving forward, what will remain (are) the good memories. I want to thank all our customers and all our friends, relatives and everyone who supported us” over the past half century, Dizes said.
3. Man linked to Biden threats to plead guilty to NC child porn charges
Alexander Treisman may be going to prison for quite a while, but based on a new court document, it won’t be for threatening to kill Joe Biden.
As the Observer’s Michael Gordon reports, Treisman agreed to plead guilty to three federal child-pornography charges. That could potentially put the Seattle man behind bars for a decade or more. His 2020 threats against Biden aren’t cited in the new document.
The man is is one of two Charlotte-area suspects in recent months tied to threats against Biden. Last month, David Kyle Reeves of Gastonia was charged with threatening Biden, Secret Service agents and other federal officials in a series of phone calls.
More to try at Optimist Hall: Xiao Bao opens Monday
On Monday, March 8, Xiao Bao will open a new stall at Optimist Hall. It’s the restaurant’s second location — with the first located in downtown Charleston, S.C.
The restaurant is perhaps best known for their okonomiyaki, a sweet-savory Japanese cabbage pancake. Once it’s open, find the 564-square-foot stall next to Boxcar Betty’s and Collier Candy Company.
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