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Plenty have tried to create a new Silicon Valley, but this new NBA owner and tech founder may be succeeding

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The Utah Jazz have been winning a lot this season, but not as much as their new owner.

Just look back at three days in late January. The Jazz — which Ryan Smith bought for $1.66 billion late last year — beat the Dallas Mavericks for their 10th win in a row on Jan. 27, the same evening that Qualtrics International Inc.
XM,
+2.83%,
the software company Smith co-founded with his father Scott and brother Jared in 2002, set the price for its $1.55 billion IPO. The next day, Qualtrics shares would soar 52% in their trading debut, giving the software company a market valuation of $27.3 billion; a day later, the Jazz would win their 11th straight, putting them solidly at the top of the NBA standings.

So it’s good to be Ryan Smith. At the NBA All-Star break, the Jazz have a league-best record of 27-9. At the same time, Qualtrics is a major mover in a market estimated to be worth $60 billion, and topped Wall Street estimates for earnings and sales in its first quarterly results as a publicly traded company Tuesday.

The combination of a successful basketball team and another large, publicly traded tech company are helping to secure an even loftier goal for Smith: Making the Utah region known for something more than majestic mountains and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“His goals and objectives have never been anything but over the top,” Todd Pedersen, CEO of Vivint Smart Home Inc.
VVNT,
+0.40%,
told MarketWatch.

Qualtrics got its start in the Smith’s basement, which is near Pedersen’s home. And it’s not just Smith and Pedersen who are neighbors — their companies are right next to one another as well. And they can now watch the NBA team that Smith owns play at an arena that bears the name of Pedersen’s company, as they recently did for a nationally-televised Jazz game against the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers.

The Jazz won.

Handling double duties

Smith sits in a position occupied by few in the history of corporate America: head of a publicly traded company, and owner of an unrelated sports franchise. There is no such owner in the National Football League, Major League Baseball nor the National Hockey League, though Wayne Huizenga once owned franchises in all three while leading Blockbuster Video.

The NBA seems more willing to welcome public-company executives to its ranks, even while denying bids from Oracle Corp.’s
ORCL,
-0.10%
co-founder Larry Ellison. Another recent majority owner is Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.’s
BABA,
-1.34%
co-founder and Executive Vice Chairman Joseph Tsai, who snapped up the Brooklyn Nets for a record $2.35 billion in 2020. The reclusive Robert Pera, CEO of Ubiquiti Inc.
UI,
-0.68%,
is also owner of the Memphis Grizzlies.

Vivek Ranidive was still chief executive of Tibco Software Inc. when he led a group that bought the Sacramento Kings in 2013, and Miami Heat owner Micky Arison led Carnival Cruise Inc. for more than a decade while leading his franchise. In Pera’s first attempt to buy into the NBA, a bid for the Philadelphia 76ers, he was topped by a group that included AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc.
AMC,
+1.92%
CEO Adam Aron, who also served as CEO of the Sixers for the first two years the group owned the team.

Read more: 5 things to know as Qualtrics prepares for its IPO this week

Smith has adroitly navigated the corporate and professional sports worlds by delegating day-to-day operations at each organization.

“As executive chairman, my job during the day is running Qualtrics with [Chief Executive] Zig [Serafin]. My job with the Jazz is at night, and I leave it to the coaches, players, and executives in charge of the team,” Smith told MarketWatch. “The product is proof of their abilities.”

At Qualtrics, CEO Zig Serafin and Smith are self-described “co-builders” of a company that has grown in the four-and-a-half years since Serafin joined as chief operating officer. (Serafin, who was named CEO nine months ago, says he and Smith are “joined at the hip” in their vision.) During that time, Qualtrics has expanded employees (from 1,100 to 3,500), customers (3,000-4,000 to 13,500), and revenue (from less than $200 million annually to $763.5 million last year, the company reported Tuesday).

As the NBA’s newest owner, “One of Ryan’s leadership styles is to delegate. He lets people think big, but by doing so through smart decisions,” Jim Olson, president of the Utah Jazz, told MarketWatch.

To that end, the Jazz use Qualtrics’ data analytics technology to improve team performance on the court and off, down to traveling, sleep, and diet for players and coaching staff.

The rise of Silicon Slopes

Illustrated by Terrence Horan

Such partnerships have fueled not just the success of the Jazz and Qualtrics but the larger Salt Lake City-Provo-Orem area.

“The Jazz and Sundance [Film Festival] are the two most identifiable brands in this state, and Ryan is smartly leveraging the Jazz for global reach,” says Domo Inc.
DOMO,
+1.20%
CEO Josh James, who coined the term “Silicon Slopes” for the region and started the non-profit organization of the same name. “Ryan Smith used to be just another successful tech founder,” he said. “Now he is universally known as Ryan Smith, owner of the Jazz. This is a much larger megaphone and platform for the community.”

For example, the Jazz use Qualtrics software to collect and analyze fan data to improve their experience at home games on everything from concessions and apparel to parking and in-game entertainment. The two organizations have also teamed on 5 For The Fight, a nonprofit that invites everyone to give $5 for the fight against cancer. It is the Jazz’s official jersey patch, a rarity in the corporate-skewed NBA.

The winning ways of Smith and Qualtrics, amid a wave of freshly minted unicorns in the Salt Lake City region, underscores the rise of Silicon Slopes as one of a handful of regions in the U.S. to successfully mold itself after Silicon Valley. From the days of computer-networking pioneer Novell Inc. and word-processing maker WordPerfect Corp. in the 1980s, Utah has stood out as a tech outpost, albeit in the shadow of Silicon Valley and Seattle, but its recent string of triumphs has considerably raised its profile.

Indeed, the Provo-Orem area was deemed the best regional economy in America, according to rankings released in February by the Milken Institute.

Even COVID-19 hasn’t dampened the state’s can-do mindset.

Utah has among the most-open vaccination criteria in the nation. Starting in early March, anyone 50 and over is eligible for a jab—as well as those 16 and older with pre-existing conditions. By emphasizing “speed over perfection,” Nomi Health Inc. CEO Mark Newman says, the state has been able to send kids back to school since September, reduce the unemployment rate of 3% to a pre-pandemic level, and attain a budget surplus.

“The states that figure it out will have a long-tale of success over those states that don’t,” said Newman, whose direct healthcare company is partnering with the state of Utah and Qualtrics in bringing mass testing sites and vaccinations.

“Utah as a state has a get-it-done attitude,” says Newman, who moved to the state in 1993. “That goes back to Utah’s pioneer roots.”

James says Utah’s tech history can be divided into three phases: The first in the late 1980s and early ‘90s led by Novell and WordPerfect; a second in the late 1990s and 2000s, with internet plays Overstock Inc.
OSTK,
-2.18%,
Omniture (acquired by Adobe Systems Inc.
ADBE,
+0.69%
), Altris Corp. (bought by then-Symantec Corp.), Iomega (acquired by then-EMC Corp.), and dozens of companies that were sold for millions each; and the current one of big independent enterprise companies like Qualtrics and Domo, and consumer plays like Vivint.

“A giant crop of companies are coming behind us,” James said, mentioning such unicorns as MX Technologies Inc., Lucid Software Inc. and DivvyPay Inc. “This feels like Silicon Valley in the ‘90s. It’s a really exciting time.”

“Silicon Slopes is doing great, building off the great history of [tech pioneers] Novell and WordPerfect in the state,” Steve Case, the co-founder of AOL who now leads venture-capital firm Revolution, told MarketWatch. The latest iteration, he added, is the byproduct of the region’s focus on enterprise technology and “strong collaboration in building a community.”

Overstock CEO Jonathan Johnson credits Utah’s “rich entrepreneurial spirit” to a “business-friendly environment where constant innovation, great employment opportunities, and real technological advancement are present.”

“Utah is a mixing bowl of cultures,” says Serafin, whose previous stop was 17 years in Redmond, Wash., all of them at Microsoft Corp.
MSFT,
-0.10%.
“Utah is close to the coast, and San Francisco and Los Angeles. It’s not much different than Silicon Valley folks who moved to Nevada.”

An ‘interesting journey’

In a state increasingly bustling with unicorns, none arguably have been hotter than Qualtrics, which went public in late January.

The company’s XM tracker stands for experience management, a software category that Qualtrics coined. Qualtrics, whose software lets businesses gauge how customers use their products so those products can be improved, has about 13,000 customers from about 9,000 two years ago. The company’s sales jumped 30% in the first three quarters of 2020 to $550 million, from $413.4 million a year earlier.

Smith’s “rare and unique ability to spot markets before they exist” gave him an vision of the experience economy that has helped evolve the way enterprises think about culture, brand, products, and people,” says ServiceNow Inc.
NOW,
-1.32%
CEO Bill McDermott, who was previously CEO of SAP
SAP,
-0.10%
when it owned Qualtrics.

Read more: 5 things to know as Qualtrics prepares for its IPO this week

Smith co-founded Qualtrics with his father and brother in 2002. On the cusp of going public in 2018, Qualtrics was acquired by SAP for $8 billion, making it the largest private enterprise-software acquisition in tech history when the deal closed in early 2019.  

“It’s been an interesting journey,” Smith says. “For one-and-a-half to two years with SAP, they took our name everywhere while keeping our company independent and keeping the management team together, which is rare. It retained our culture, with an option to IPO.”

“To be in this spot as a public company, so many things had to go right,” Smith said. “It’s freakin’ incredible.”

Read original article here

World

NC coronavirus update February 28: Group 3 COVID-19 vaccine appointments open at Cape Fear Valley Health

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RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — Here are the latest updates about COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, in North Carolina.

SUNDAY

9:40 a.m.
Cape Fear Valley Health’s COVID-19 vaccination clinics are now open to frontline essential workers, including all of Group 3.

Due to high turnout of local childcare school workers combined with decreasing demand in other eligible groups, Cape Fear Valley Health is moving forward with the next phase, ahead of schedule.

“This is a very broad category that includes most workers, if they are working in-person with others or the public,” said Chris Tart, PharmD, Vice President of Professional Services at Cape Fear Valley Health. “If you’re not sure whether your job fits in this category, we encourage you to go online to www.capefearvalley.com/covid19 to schedule your vaccination and find what group you fit in.”

NCDHHS defines “frontline essential workers” as people who must be in-person at their place of work and work in one of the eight essential sectors including: education, critical manufacturing, essential goods, food and agriculture, government and community Services, health care and public health, public safety and transportation. Any frontline essential workers ages 18 and older are now eligible as part of Group 3 to receive their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine from one of Cape Fear Valley Health’s vaccination clinics, in addition to individuals in Groups 1 and 2 – healthcare and long-term care workers and anyone aged 65 and older.

7:20 a.m.
According to data from Johns Hopkins University, there have been 28,554,724 COVID-19 cases in the United States since the pandemic began.

SATURDAY
6:15 p.m.
The U.S. is getting a third vaccine to prevent COVID-19, as the Food and Drug Administration on Saturday cleared a Johnson & Johnson shot that works with just one dose instead of two.

FDA advisers sign off on Johnson & Johnson vaccine: Here’s what happens next

12:05 p.m.
North Carolina is reporting 2,643 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total to 858,548.

There have been 26 deaths due to the virus, bringing the total of deaths to 11,212.

Throughout the state, there are 1,414 patients hospitalized with COVID-19. That is 51 down from Friday,

The state’s percent positive test rate 5.4%, which is up slightly from Friday’s 4.7%.

There will be no NCDHHS COVID-19 dashboard update on Sunday, Feb. 28.

7:25 a.m.
According to Johns Hopkins University, there have been 28,486,562 COVID-19 cases throughout the United States.

Fauci warns progress in COVID fight appears to have stalled

Overnight, the House approved a $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill that was championed by President Joe Biden, the first step in providing another dose of aid to a weary nation as the measure now moves to a tense Senate.

The overall relief bill would provide $1,400 payments to individuals, extend emergency unemployment benefits through August and increase tax credits for children and federal subsidies for health insurance.

MORE: Highlights of the COVID relief bill as it heads to the Senate

FRIDAY
6:26 p.m.
The Chatham County Public Health Department began vaccinating Pre-K-12 teachers and staff and child care workers ages 45 and older against COVID-19 during a mass vaccination clinic at the Chatham County Agriculture and Conference Center in Pittsboro.

Along with 20 doses administered Thursday, the 560 doses administered Friday brought the CCPHD’s total to more than 4,000 doses of the COVID-19 since vaccinations began in early January. Well over half of the doses have been given to people 65 and older.

“We are honored to be able to continue to vaccinate healthcare workers and older adults while also serving Chatham County’s school and child care staff,” said Chatham County Public Health Director Mike Zelek. “We have all benefited from the hard work and dedication of these teachers and staff, both at the child care and PreK-12 level, and to vaccinate them against COVID-19 is the least we can do to repay them for their service.”

According to the NC Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) COVID-19 vaccination database, 14,660 Chatham County residents had received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine through Feb. 25, accounting for 19.7% of the county’s population. Additionally, 9,551 Chatham residents have received their second dose, representing 12.8% of the population. Both of these percentages are among the highest in the state.

The CCPHD is anticipating receiving 600 first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine next week in the second installment of a three-week guaranteed allocation from NCDHHS. These doses will be used at future vaccination events.

The CCPHD’s upcoming COVID vaccination event schedule includes:

  • Monday: First and second doses for Groups 1 and 2, and first doses for PreK-12 staff and child care workers
  • Friday: Second doses for individuals that received their first doses during the Feb. 5 event at Roberts Chapel Missionary Baptist Church in Goldston

5 p.m.
Many COVID-19 restrictions placed upon bars, restaurants and many other venues are now at ease for the first time in a year.

Read the loosening of restrictions here.

4:55 p.m.
The Lee County Government Health Department announced that it will expand vaccine registration to include all individuals in Group 3 of the North Carolina vaccine rollout plan beginning Monday.

People will be allowed to register but they will not receive vaccine until or after March 10.

The health department also reported that six county residents have died of COVID-19 related complications. This raises the total number of COVID-19 deaths confirmed in Lee County to 73 since the first case was reported in March.

4:32 p.m.
Orange County has a total of 7,623 cases, including 156 in the past seven days. In all, 93 COVID-19 related deaths have occurred in the county.

3:40 p.m.
The Moore County Health Department has been notified of the deaths of two Moore County residents whose deaths were determined to be related to COVID-19 infection.

The two are both men older than 75. In total, 166 deaths have been attributed to COVID-19 in Moore County.

Of the deaths, 92 are linked to outbreaks in long-term care facilities.

2:53 p.m.
The Durham County Department of Public Health has closed its online scheduling system effective immediately as the health department explores “new online options.”

Appointments already scheduled through the online booking system are not expected to be canceled, but people who have scheduled these appointments will be contacted with more information.

“With our original booking system, there were challenges in ensuring we’d have sufficient supply to meet the number of appointments scheduled,” said Health Director Rod Jenkins. “Because supply remains uncertain, and upon the recommendation of the State, we hope to move toward an online scheduling system that allows us to more easily book appointments that are in line with the vaccine supply we have been guaranteed.”

When public scheduling reopens, the health department said it expects to provide appointment options no more than two weeks in advance of the appointment date. New scheduling processes will also aim to ensure appointments are only filed by individuals who are currently eligible to be vaccinated, the department said.

“With the old online system, our team was spending time canceling appointments for individuals who were ineligible to be vaccinated or who had already received vaccinations elsewhere. Fortunately, our waitlist was in place and allowed us to fill large numbers of appointments that became available on short notice, but we are always looking for ways to make our processes faster and more efficient,” Jenkins said. “When we are able to provide a new online booking option, we will prioritize making sure our appointments are filled only by individuals who still need them and are eligible to receive them.”

Also, the department’s scheduling phone line remains closed for public use because of limited vaccine supply. A reopening date has not been determined.

Durham will continue to use its waitlist to notify people of doses that become available because of appointment cancellations, no-shows, or other last-minute vaccine availability.

2:44 p.m.
The Halifax County Health Department reports 20 new cases for a total of 4,992 positive COVID 19 cases. One additional death was reported for a total of 97.

2:25 p.m.
The Durham VA Health Care System said it just received authorization to expand which veterans are eligible for COVID-19 vaccines. This means the COVID-19 Vaccine is available for more veterans.

There are 800 first-dose appointment slots available for the VA’s Veteran Vaccination Blitz event this weekend to be held Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Veterans should call (919) 286-0411 then press “0” to speak with the operator to determine eligibility and schedule their appointments. Veterans who schedule their first-dose appointments this weekend should plan to attend their second-dose appointments on March 20 in Durham.

Veterans are required to be enrolled in the Durham VA Health Care System to be vaccinated but it is not required that you receive care through the Durham Medical Center to be vaccinated in Durham. Any eligible veteran who has transportation to Durham can schedule an appointment.

2:04 p.m.
Sampson County reports 103 new cases, more than double the previous day, for a total of 6,922 positive test results. The death toll remains at 91 countywide.

There is a drive-through vaccination clinic planned for Saturday for childcare and grade-school employees at the Sampson County Expo Center from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. This is a first-dose vaccination event. Participants are encouraged to bring their teacher IDs or another form of employee identification. Vaccines will be available as supply allows.

12:25 p.m.
Friday’s report from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services included 2,924 newly-reported COVID-19 cases. There were a total of 1,465 hospitalizations.

The daily percent positive rate was 4.7%, a slight increase from yesterday’s 4.5%.

Sadly, 11,186 deaths have been reported since the start of the pandemic.

11:16 a.m.
Wake County Public Health has confirmed an outbreak of COVID-19 at Spring Arbor of Raleigh, an assisted living and memory care facility located at 1810 New Hope Road.

This is the first outbreak at this facility.

8:18 a.m.
Cumberland County continues to offer free drive-thru COVID-19 vaccination clinics for those in Groups 1, 2 and the first sector of Group 3. An online application form now allows individuals to choose their own appointment date and time for the first dose of the vaccine.

Individuals from Group 3 who are now eligible include workers in PreK-12 schools (public, charter, private/non-public schools) and childcare settings only.

All County clinics take place at the Crown Expo Center (1960 Coliseum Drive, Fayetteville NC).
Appointments are available on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. A Standby lane (first-come, first-served in eligible groups) opens on Fridays, from 3 to 5 p.m., or as supplies last.

  • Tuesdays: 2nd dose appointment only. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. No standby lane
  • Wednesdays: 1st and 2nd doses appointment only. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. No standby lane
  • Fridays: 1st dose only. Appointments from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Standby lane from 3 to 5 p.m. for individuals eligible in Groups 1, 2, and 3 (childcare/Pre-K-12 school staff) only.

Anyone who has received their first dose at the Crown Expo Center on or before Jan. 26 should request an appointment for their second dose or use the standby lane. Individuals who received their first dose at the Crown Expo Center on or after Jan. 27 are automatically scheduled for their second dose and do not need to request an appointment.

FRIDAY MORNING HEADLINES
Some COVID-19 restrictions in North Carolina will be lifted at 5 p.m. today.

Restaurants, gyms and stores will be able to open past 10 p.m., and alcohol sales can take place up to 11 p.m.–which is two hours later than the current curfew.

Bars, movie theaters and smaller venues can operate at 30 percent capacity. Gyms, restaurants, museums, pools and outdoor amusement parks can open at 50 percent capacity. Big indoor sporting and entertainment venues–like PNC Arena and the Dean E. Smith Center–can open at 15 percent capacity.

WATCH: Gov. Cooper explains decision to lift COVID-19 restrictions

Plus, another COVID-19 vaccine could be authorized for emergency use today.

The Federal Drug Administration will have a hearing on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. If approved, the company said it could ship up to 4 million doses Monday.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is a single-dose vaccine and it does not require ultra-cold storage.

If approved, health experts said the three vaccines should account for enough doses to vaccinate 130 million adults–or about half of the US population.

THURSDAY
9:45 p.m.
Cumberland County Schools – 43% of its 8,000 full-time and part-time employees have been vaccinated. At this rate, Director Of Health Services Shirley Bolden believes every employee who wants a vaccine will get one before their March 15 in-person start date.

Durham Public Schools’ officials tell Eyewitness News 422 doses were given out to employees on Thursday.

Johnston County has vaccinated more than 2,000 of their more than 5,000 staff.

ABC11 reached out to Moore, Hoke, and Harnett County schools for numbers; we’re still awaiting a response.

Sampson County Schools has had a few dozen teachers get vaccinated with more than 500 signed up. Health care officials will hold a drive-thru vaccination clinic for this new group on Saturday morning at the Sampson County Expo Center.

5 p.m.
Wake County plans to announce updated spectator guidelines sometime next week that are in line with Governor Cooper’s ease of restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic

The update follows after calls for increased outdoor sports viewing count. As of Wednesday, one petition making rounds in the state has 45,000 signatures.

In the meantime, Wake County sports officials will continue to work on guidelines and keep attendance capped at 100 for outdoor events and 25 for indoor events.

4 p.m.

Starting this weekend, UNC will welcome back its fans with 30 percent capacity at outdoor stadiums and 15% for indoor stadiums with at least 5,000 seats.

This means, starting at 5 p.m. on Friday, a limited number of fans will be able to spectate UNC Men’s Basketball, Baseball, Women’s Lacrosse and Men’s Lacrosse games this weekend.

6 p.m.
After months of waiting, 63-year-old Perry Tharrington is one of the first public school teachers in Durham to get the COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday.

“I feel unbelievable. I feel relieved,” said Tharrington. He is a special needs teacher with the district and has a chronic health condition.

The shot makes him feel more comfortable going back into the classroom.

“A real game-changer to have the vaccine before going back live,” He said. “So if we do get COVID-19 hopefully it will not be nearly as severe or life-threatening.”

Today, the health department vaccinated Durham Public School employees who fall under Group 3. So far 1,800 DPS employees, which is at least 35 percent of its workforce have signed up.

Staff are then prioritized and given appointments based on who will be around the most people at school, which starts next month.

Yesterday in Johnston County, nearly 2,000 teachers received a shot in the arm.

It’s not clear if everyone who registered in Durham for the vaccine will get it by the time school starts. And that’s a concern for leaders at the Durham Association of Educators (DAE).

“We are the City of Medicine I just feel like if we want our teachers to be face to face with students, our bus drivers, our child nutrition workers, our custodians, all those folks then we can figure out a way to start doing this at a large scale,” said Michelle Burton with DAE.

DPS says it’s hopeful it will vaccinate all employees but it depends on supply.

In a statement, the district says: The CDC and NCDHHS say that schools may reopen with safety measures in place without full vaccinations, but we realize how reassuring the vaccine is and we are working to provide it as quickly as possible.

In Raleigh on Thursday, 310 Wake County Public School teachers received the vaccine at Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School. On Saturday, another clinic for teachers will take place at Knightdale High School. Health officials at Wake County Health Department say neighborhoods around those two schools have high rates of COVID-19 spread.

The fastest and most efficient way for Group 3 people to be vaccinated right now remains signing up on our WakeGov.com/Vaccine request form. Group three consists of frontline workers and childcare workers and educators.

In Durham, employees in daycares, other childcare centers, and schools not in the DPS system should have their principal or director email PhPlanning@dconc.gov to coordinate appointment scheduling. All Group 3 vaccination appointments are being scheduled through employers at this time.

2:35 p.m.
The first known case of the B.1.1.7 variant of COVID-19 — first identified in the UK — has been confirmed in Durham County.

The county public health department identified the case on Wednesday.

“There have been variant cases found in several other counties across the state, as well as in at least 45 states across the nation, so we did expect that eventually, we would see variant cases here as well,” said Durham County Health Director Rod Jenkins.

The Durham County Department of Public Health said the person is currently in isolation and all known close contacts have been contacted.

2 p.m.
At least 3,500 incarcerated people will be granted early release from North Carolina state prisons, according to the NC NAACP and ACLU, after a settlement was reached in NC NAACP v. Cooper, a lawsuit brought by civil rights organizations, three individual incarcerated people, and a spouse of an incarcerated person, challenging the conditions of confinement in North Carolina’s state prisons during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the terms of the settlement agreement, the state has 180 days to release 3,500 people currently in its custody.

That window begins once the trial court grants a request to stay the case during that period. The parties jointly filed the stay request Thursday.

“Today’s historic settlement is a step forward after nearly a year of advocating for the human lives of our neighbors who, in too many cases, have been treated as disposable,” said Rev. Dr. T. Anthony Spearman, president of the NC NAACP.

1:22 p.m.
The Halifax County Health Department reports 12 new cases for a total of 4,972 positive COVID 19 cases. One additional death has been added for a county total of 96 — 1.9% of cases.

1:10 p.m.
Dr. Anthony Fauci says if a novel coronavirus vaccine is available, regardless of which one, take it.

The top U.S. infectious disease expert told NBC’s “Today” show a third vaccine becoming available “is nothing but good news” and would help control the pandemic. U.S. regulators announced Wednesday that Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine offers strong protection against severe COVID-19. It’s expected to be approved soon by the FDA.

Fauci warns people not to hold off on getting the Johnson & Johnson vaccine while waiting for the slightly more effective two-dose Pfizer or Moderna shots.

He says it’s a race “between the virus and getting vaccines into people” and “the longer one waits not getting vaccinated, the better chance the virus has to get a variant or a mutation.”

Fauci says public health officials are always concerned about virus variants and stressed following public health measures of wearing masks and social distancing.

The predominant coronavirus variant in the United States is from Britain. Fauci says the vaccines distributed in the U.S. “clearly can take care of that particular strain.”

1 p.m.
NCDHHS on Thursday reported 3,351 new COVID-19 cases in the state.

1,498 people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19. 171 confirmed patients were admitted in the last 24 hours.

The percent of positive tests is at 4.5 percent.

The number is a drop from previous days, but an increase in tests was also reported in the last 24 hours, which could lead to a sharper decline in the percentage.

11,137 people have died in North Carolina from COVID-19 since last March.

835,244 people in North Carolina have received both doses of the vaccine.

12:45 p.m.
Sampson County reports 49 new cases for a total of 6,819 positive test results. One additional death was reported for a county total of 91.

There is a drive-through vaccination clinic planned Saturday for childcare and grade-school employees at the Sampson County Expo Center from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. This is a first-dose vaccination event. Participants are encouraged to bring their teacher IDs or another form of employee identification. Vaccines will be available as supply allows.

11 a.m.
Two separate teams of researchers said this week they have found a worrying new coronavirus variant in New York City and elsewhere in the Northeast that carries mutations that help it evade the body’s natural immune response — as well as the effects of monoclonal antibody treatments.

Genomics researchers have named the variant B.1.526. It appears in people affected in diverse neighborhoods of New York City, they said, and is “scattered in the Northeast.”

10:30 a.m.
There’s new evidence that connects testing positive for COVID-19 antibodies from prior infection with a significantly lower risk of becoming infected again in the future.

A study, published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine on Wednesday, found that people who tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies were at a decreased risk of coronavirus infection compared with those who tested negative for antibodies.

THURSDAY MORNING HEADLINES
High School football returns to the Triangle on Thursday night after an extended absence caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Leesville Road High School is hosting Cardinal Gibbons High School at 6:30 p.m. in the ABC11 Game of the Week.

Student-athletes and fans in the stands will be required to wear masks at all times. There will be fans in the stands, but for now, it will only be the immediate family of players on the home team.

That is a Wake County Public School System policy. However, it’s unclear if that policy will be adjusted as the season moves forward–especially in light of Gov. Roy Cooper’s decision to ease some COVID-19 restrictions starting Friday.

SEE MORE: Details behind Gov. Roy Cooper’s rollback of COVID-19 restrictions

Cooper’s decision means Caniacs will be back at PNC Arena soon. The Carolina Hurricanes will be allowed to host about 2,800 fans at home games under the new restrictions.

Team President Don Waddell said that won’t give the teams a major boost financially, but it is a significant moral victory.

“We want to prove to everybody and make sure that we do everything in a very safe manner,” Waddell said. “But more importantly, for our customers to feel like they’re being watched out for. So they feel that they can come back to the hockey game and enjoy it without having to worry about it.”

Duke University said it plans to finish the season without any spectators inside Cameron Indoor Stadium.

UNC Athletics Director Bubba Cunningham welcomed the new guidelines. He said the university is working on ways to safely bring fans back to games. He said the university would place a priority on getting family, friends, students and Rams Club members into the Dean E. Smith Center.

One of the largest crowds in North Carolina will be at Charlotte Motor Speedway during the Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day Weekend. The large outdoor venue will be allowed to fill 30 percent of the seats.

Meanwhile, the peak of the 2020-2021 flu season features a stark decrease in infections as compared to previous years.

Flu cases and hospitalizations are the lowest they’ve been in decades. Experts say mask-wearing and social distancing related to COVID-19 precautions are the main reason for the low flu numbers.

Copyright © 2021 WTVD-TV. All Rights Reserved.



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Business

New York bars, restaurants suing state over coronavirus curfew get temporary OK to stay open later: report

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Ninety bars and restaurants suing New York state over a coronavirus-related 11 p.m. closing curfew were allowed to stay open until their normal 4 a.m. closing time this weekend after a ruling Saturday night by a state Supreme Court justice.

The decision by Justice Timothy Walker, granting a preliminary injunction, took effect immediately, WIVB-TV of Buffalo reported.

Steve Cohen, an attorney with law firm Hogan-Willig, which represents the plaintiffs, said the firm’s clients were pleased with the decision. The firm had argued that the curfew was not supported by science.

CUOMO CRACKS DOWN ON BARS, GYMS, RESTAURANTS AS CORONAVIRUS CASES CLIMB AGAIN

“It’s probably the last-ditch opportunity for our clients to be able to get life breathed back into them. They were all hanging by a thread,” Cohen said, “and Judge Walker gave them a lifeline.”

“It’s probably the last-ditch opportunity for our clients to be able to get life breathed back into them. They were all hanging by a thread and Judge Walker gave them a lifeline.”

— Steve Cohen, attorney representing New York businesses

Walker’s ruling applies only to the bars and restaurants participating in the lawsuit, WIVB reported.

Earlier this month, Hogan-Willig sued Gov. Andrew Cuomo, calling for a judge to make the state comply with its December request for access to state data on transmission of the coronavirus.

CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE

Cohen said at the time that the firm wanted proof that the state’s coronavirus restrictions were justified by scientific data, WIVB reported.

Cuomo’s office responded at the time by saying it was withholding comment until it could review the lawsuit, and asserted that any claim of the administration engaging in “deception or obfuscation” was “simply incorrect.”

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World

Bars and Covid-19 safety rules don’t mix, study found

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Despite guidance from the government and efforts on the part of bar owners to implement safety measures, customers and staff alike failed to stick to even the simplest measures aimed at preventing spread — especially when customers were intoxicated, researchers found.

With some venues back in business for indoor dining in places like New York and Portland, many US business owners are working to make the experience as safe as possible — something the Scottish researchers found may not be so easy.

After a lockdown in the UK, bars in Scotland were allowed to reopen in July under new guidelines, including keeping groups of customers at least one meter, (a little over three feet), apart, keeping all customers seated and requiring staff to wear face coverings.

Niamh Fitzgerald, a professor with the University of Stirling in Scotland, and colleagues visited 29 bars to observe how these safety measures worked in actual practice.

“It was essentially about understanding, what are the risks and how successful are our bars and pubs in controlling those risks?” said Fitzgerald.

Safety measures fizzled out

The team found that staff did not consistently wear face coverings, with some lowering their masks to speak to customers — perhaps defeating the purpose.

While most facilities were able to restructure their layout to accommodate a one-meter distance between tables, many still had issues with overcrowding.

“It was very difficult for them to completely eliminate what we call ‘pinch points,’ so there were narrow areas in most of the venues, either at the entrances, or in corridors or in toilets, where it was difficult for customers to avoid coming close together,” said Fitzgerald.

One facility covered the bar counter with black and yellow tape and a warning to stay distanced, but patrons still crowded around the counter.

“None of the patrons acknowledged that the tape was there,” the researchers wrote.

Much of the risk the team observed was in the evenings, when customers were drinking. The researchers note that alcohol consumption can impact a person’s hearing, vision and judgment, making it physically more difficult for them to comply with safety measures. It can also lower inhibitions, resulting in people simply caring less about complying.

The team saw people jumping from table to table, touching each other and singing or shouting.

Some customers made new friends in unexpected places.

“Two women from different groups . . . bumped into each other outside the toilet and started screaming and hugging and jumping about together,” the team wrote. “They then entered the toilets and went into a cubicle together, they were then observed washing their hands for about two seconds when they left, despite signs being everywhere recommending a 20-second hand wash.”

The team described a heavily inebriated woman asking a handsome waiter to take a picture with her. He obliged, after which she kissed him on the cheek and thanked him.

In all but one instance, staff were unable to stop such behavior, Fitzgerald noted. “We found that mostly, they didn’t even try.”

In an industry where the customer is always right, it can be hard for staff to lay down the law when it comes to coronavirus precautions.

In interviews with business owners, many told the researchers that they are used to managing intoxicated people.

“I think that level of intervention is probably — at least in Scotland — when people are very drunk and they’re disorderly,” said Fitzgerald. “Whereas, the kind of level of drunkenness that these sorts of behaviors happen at are at a stage where people are overly friendly; they’re just having fun. It’s not the kinds of situations that staff would have previously had to intervene with.”

“There’s this kind of new expectation of behavior that neither the customers nor the staff have really adjusted to,” she added.

Mitigating risk

Fitzgerald believes that bars may be able to mitigate some level of risk by communicating clearly about expectations and trying to create an atmosphere of “self-policing” among customers. Though unlike places like grocery stores or retail shops, bars are inherently social spaces, and efforts to make them less so may result in fewer customers.

Governments can help eliminate risk by implementing mitigation measures, like curfews, Fitzgerald noted. After a large outbreak in August linked to more than 20 bars and restaurants in the Scottish city of Aberdeen, the researchers noted that Scotland tightened its guidelines. The country mandated the collection of customer information for contract tracing and banned background music in venues, to prevent people from having to shout or lean in close to hear one another.

Of course, there’s no way to eliminate risk completely.

“It’s really looking at, at this point in time, are transmission rates low enough that we can tolerate this level of risk and be confident that if there is any transmission, that we can track and trace it, and that we can deal with it without it becoming a bigger issue?” said Fitzgerald.

Many business owners know all too well that staying closed during the pandemic can be financially devastating.

“I suppose governments maybe need to think about what support is available for those premises, so they don’t feel obliged to open if they really don’t think that they can operate safely,” she added.

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Business

West Side Rag » Here are Some Restaurants and Bars That Have Reopened Indoor Dining

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Posted on February 13, 2021 at 1:55 pm by West Sider

E’s Bar is one of the restaurants that’s open for indoor dining.

Governor Cuomo let restaurants reopen indoor dining at 25% capacity on Friday, and some Upper West Side eateries have begun serving inside again.

The Lincoln Square Business Improvement District put out a list of restaurants that have reopened or plan to do so soon. Some restaurants have said that they’re delaying reopening in case Cuomo reverses course, or because opening at 25% isn’t worth the cost.

The decision has also been met with some criticism, given that some public health experts say indoor dining involves too many risks at a time when the pandemic continues to rage. “We could have offered massive financial assistance to help struggling restaurants,” wrote Councilmember Mark Levine on Twitter. “Instead we’re letting them reopen indoor dining today–at a moment when there are 4-5k cases/day in NYC, 3,700 hospitalized, and rising # of variants here. The next few weeks will be perilous.”

Here are the restaurants in Lincoln Square that are reopening:

Friday, February 12:
Atlantic Grill
Bar Boulud
Café Fiorello
The Empire Rooftop
Jean-Georges
Le Botaniste
Nougatine at Jean-Georges
Rosa Mexicano
The Smith Restaurant

Saturday, Feb 13:
Noi Due Carne

Sunday, February 14:
Per Se

Monday, Feb 15:
Le Pain Quotidien

Tuesday, Feb 16:
Masa

Wednesday, February 24:
Tartinery

In addition, here are a few more we’ve heard are open:

Banh Vitenamese Shop House

Dublin House

E’s Bar

Elea

Feel free to list more in the comments.



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US

Reynolds removes restrictions on businesses, gatherings, masks

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STEVE: GOVERNOR REYNOLDS SAYS SHE WANTS TO KNOW WHY THERE IS A VACCINE SHORTAGE IN IOWA. SHE ALSO SAID THE CURRENT VACCINATION PROCESS IS SLOWER AND HARDER THAN IT SHOULD BE. AS ANDREW REPORTS, THE GOVERNOR AND THE PUBLIC ARE GETTING FRUSTRATED. ANDREW: I WILL RANKS 47TH IN THE NATION FOR VACCINE PER PERSON. ONLY 60% OF THE VACCINES THAT DO ARRIVE ARE BEING ADMINISTERED. GOVERNOR REYNOLDS SAID IN A NEWS CONFERENCE TODAY THAT SHE UNDERSTANDS WHY I ONES ARE UPSET ABOUT THE PACE OF SCHEDULING APPOINTMENTS TO GET A SHOT. SHE SAID THE MAIN PROBLEM IS THE SUPPLY OF VACCINES COMING INTO THE STATE. SHE SAID SHE’S BEEN CALLING THE WHITE HOUSE TO TRY TO GET MORE SUPPLIES. WE ARE GOING TO ASK FOR ANOTHER CLARIFICATION AND ASKED THEM TO TAKE ANOTHER LOOK AT IT. 47 IS NOT WHERE WE SHOULD BE ON A PER CAPITA BASIS. WE WILL BE MAKING ANOTHER CALL TODAY TO SEE WHAT WE CAN FIND OUT ABOUT THE NUMBERS. ANDREW: 27

Reynolds removes restrictions on businesses, gatherings, masks

Gov. Kim Reynolds has eliminated most of her COVID-19 restrictions in the latest health proclamation. According to the Governor’s Office, the proclamation removes indoor mask requirements in public spaces, gathering limits and restrictions on businesses starting 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 7. “The proclamation strongly encourages Iowans, businesses and organizations to take reasonable public health measures consistent with guidance from the Iowa Department of Public Health,” said Pat Garrett, a spokesperson for the Governor’s Office. The proclamation states, “I strongly encourage that all businesses or other employers remain open with in-person operations take reasonable measures under the circumstances of each establishment to ensure the health of employees, patrons and members of the public, including social distancing practices, increased hygiene practices and other public health measures to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19.” This comes the same week Iowa was ranked No. 47 in the country for its vaccine distribution, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That is worse than all other states except Idaho and Missouri. Reynolds addressed this in a press conference earlier this week. “We’re averaging about 60% in getting the vaccines administered and that’s not where we need to be,” Reynolds said. “We want to do better. We know we can do better.”As of 4:30 p.m. Friday, the Iowa Department of Public Health reports a total of 143,869 first doses have been administered and 80,601 second doses have been administered. For more information about the vaccinations in Iowa, click here.

DES MOINES, Iowa —

Gov. Kim Reynolds has eliminated most of her COVID-19 restrictions in the latest health proclamation.

According to the Governor’s Office, the proclamation removes indoor mask requirements in public spaces, gathering limits and restrictions on businesses starting 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 7.

“The proclamation strongly encourages Iowans, businesses and organizations to take reasonable public health measures consistent with guidance from the Iowa Department of Public Health,” said Pat Garrett, a spokesperson for the Governor’s Office.

The proclamation states, “I strongly encourage that all businesses or other employers remain open with in-person operations take reasonable measures under the circumstances of each establishment to ensure the health of employees, patrons and members of the public, including social distancing practices, increased hygiene practices and other public health measures to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19.”

This comes the same week Iowa was ranked No. 47 in the country for its vaccine distribution, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That is worse than all other states except Idaho and Missouri. Reynolds addressed this in a press conference earlier this week.

“We’re averaging about 60% in getting the vaccines administered and that’s not where we need to be,” Reynolds said. “We want to do better. We know we can do better.”

As of 4:30 p.m. Friday, the Iowa Department of Public Health reports a total of 143,869 first doses have been administered and 80,601 second doses have been administered.

For more information about the vaccinations in Iowa, click here.

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US

Judge bars Biden from enforcing 100-day deportation ban

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HOUSTON (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday barred the U.S. government from enforcing a 100-day deportation moratorium that is a key immigration priority of President Joe Biden.

U.S. District Judge Drew Tipton issued a temporary restraining order sought by Texas, which sued on Friday against a Department of Homeland Security memo that instructed immigration agencies to pause most deportations. Tipton said the Biden administration had failed “to provide any concrete, reasonable justification for a 100-day pause on deportations.”

Tipton’s order is an early blow to the Biden administration, which has proposed far-reaching changes sought by immigration advocates, including a plan to legalize an estimated 11 million immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. Biden promised during his campaign to pause most deportations for 100 days.

The order represents a victory for Texas’ Republican leaders, who often sued to stop programs enacted by Biden’s Democratic predecessor, President Barack Obama. It also showed that just as Democratic-led states and immigration groups fought former President Donald Trump over immigration in court, often successfully, so too will Republicans with Biden in office.

David Pekoske, the acting Homeland Security secretary, signed a memo on Biden’s first day directing immigration authorities to focus on national security and public safety threats as well as anyone apprehended entering the U.S. illegally after Nov. 1. That was a reversal from Trump administration policy that made anyone in the U.S. illegally a priority for deportation.

The 100-day moratorium went into effect Friday and applied to almost anyone who entered the U.S. without authorization before November.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton argued that the moratorium violated federal law as well as an agreement Texas signed with the Department of Homeland Security late in the Trump administration. That agreement required Homeland Security to consult with Texas and other states before taking any action to “reduce, redirect, reprioritize, relax, or in any way modify immigration enforcement.”

The Biden administration argued in court filings that the agreement is unenforceable because “an outgoing administration cannot contract away that power for an incoming administration.” Paxton’s office, meanwhile, submitted a Fox News opinion article as evidence that “refusal to remove illegal aliens is directly leading to the immediate release of additional illegal aliens in Texas.”

Tipton, a Trump appointee, wrote that his order was not based on the agreement between Texas and the Trump administration, but federal law to preserve the “status quo” before the DHS moratorium.

Paxton has championed conservative and far-right causes in court, including a failed lawsuit seeking to overturn Biden’s victory over Trump, as he himself faces an FBI investigation over accusations by top former aides that he abused his office at the service of a donor.

In response to the order, Paxton tweeted “VICTORY” and described the deportation moratorium as a “seditious left-wing insurrection,” an apparent reference to the Jan. 6 insurrection in which Trump supporters stormed the Capitol. Five people died in the Capitol riots, including a Capitol Police officer.

Kate Huddleston of the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas criticized Paxton and argued his lawsuit shouldn’t be allowed to proceed.

“The administration’s pause on deportations is not only lawful but necessary to ensure that families are not separated and people are not returned to danger needlessly while the new administration reviews past actions,” Huddleston said in a statement.

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