News Roundup

This week several North Carolina news outlets jointly reported that a nurse at Caswell Correctional Center, Barbara Anne Stewart, died earlier this month after testing positive for the coronavirus.  Stewart, who fell ill in late March, had worked for the Department of Public Safety for more than 25 years according to the report.  The North Carolina Department of Labor now is investigating her death, including examining whether any violations of health and safety standards contributed to her illness.  Keep reading for more news. Testing.  Barbara Stewart’s death has caused some to raise questions about the availability of coronavirus testing for North Carolina prison staff.  The news report says that Caswell County Health Director Jennifer Eastwood, working in conjunction with Caswell Correctional Center Warden Doris Daye, had offered to conduct on-site testing for prison staff in mid-April.  Within a week, testing was approved by DPS officials but it was to be conducted off-site.  On the Monday following Stewart’s death, May 8, voluntary on-site testing for staff at Caswell Correctional was made available.  Late last week, DPS announced that Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice employees now are eligible for free coronavirus testing at certain FastMed Urgent Care locations throughout the state. Chemours.  The Fayetteville Observer reports that the U.S. government has closed an investigation into the Chemours Company, a chemical company headquartered in Delaware that operates a plant in Fayetteville, and will not pursue criminal charges against the company.  Chemours came under scrutiny in 2017 when it was discovered that it [...]