News

As of Wednesday, April 8, all May 2 elections across the county have been postponed to the Nov. 3 general election date due to COVID-19.

April is Child Abuse Awareness Month and Graham’s Virginia’s House is taking this time to raise awareness about child abuse and show appreciation to the volunteers that help advocate and mentor children coming from difficult situations.

Graham Regional Medical Center is prepared for a surge in COVID-19 patients, changing some protocols in the Emergency Room and transforming the former women’s center and general surgery clinic into a COVID-19 center, with a rapid assessment clinic, seven inpatient rooms and an ICU unit.

Staff from GRMC aired a virtual tour via Facebook, to inform the community of their preparedness in case of a surge due to COVID-19.

In a ParentSquare message sent out Thursday morning, Graham ISD outlined the grading guidelines for at-home learning, which includes separate guidelines for the elementary schools, junior high and high school.

Sonny Cruse, GISD Superintendent, wrote about the collaboration of the staff to make sure students are receiving input from their completed assignments.

County leaders met Thursday to host a livestream keeping the community informed on updates regarding COVID-19 and to address local questions. The recovery of two local patients was announced by Dr. Pat Martin.

Joining the meeting were Graham Regional Medical Center CEO Shane Kernell, Young County Local Health Authority Dr. Martin, Graham Mayor Neal Blanton, Young County Judge John Bullock and Graham City Manager Brandon Anderson. Dr. Martin updated the group by saying the county has had four cases, with no new cases as of Thursday afternoon.

There is a shelter-in-place order in effect for Young County and Graham that began on March 31 at 11:59 p.m., each with enforceable restrictions on travel and activities.

With two orders in place, there has been discussion between the Graham Police Department and the Young County Sheriff’s Office as to enforcement of the orders. Both the city and county orders state that, if this order is not followed, there is a maximum fine of $1,000 or up to 180 days in jail.

For more than 20 years, a helping hand in the Graham community provides a family-style meal to those that need it through a program called the Friendship Meal.

Fran Edens, of First United Methodist Church in Graham, has a goal to feed as many people as they can, which includes those that need it the most.

“We want to not just feed the poor, we want to feed the lonely,” Edens said. “That is why we named it the Friendship Meal, because everyone is welcome.”

Following the city of Graham’s decision to enact a shelter-in-place order, Young County Judge John Bullock has amended his Declaration of Imminent Disaster to put into effect a shelter-in-place order for Young County beginning 12 a.m. Wednesday, April 1.

Bullock signed the amended Declaration of Imminent Disaster on Tuesday, March 31. In an email, Judge Bullock said this is an update to the already existing order.

Gov. Greg Abbott issued an Executive Order Tuesday implementing Essential Services and Activities Protocols for the state of Texas. The order includes directions to minimize non-essential gatherings and in-person contact with people who are not in the same household.

Graham ISD Superintendent Sonny Cruse updated the community Friday and over the weekend, communicating the district’s progress in dealing with closures due to COVID-19.

Cruse spoke during a Facebook Live video hosted on the district’s Facebook page Friday and sent additional information to parents after the presentation on Sunday. He said in the next week he will be making a decision to extend the April 3 closure date set by Gov. Greg Abbott.