By Andrew Rice
In local news, North Carolina’s first ever Safe Haven Baby Box will be unveiled in Ashe County today. According to WBTV, the Safe Haven Baby Box will be located at the Ashe County Sheriff’s office and act as a secure place for a mother to surrender her child anonymously. The box is temperature-controlled and equipped with a silent alarm that notifies first responders. Officials arrive at the box within five minutes to give the baby medical attention and the child is then adopted within 45 days. Since the organization was founded in 2017, 21 infants have been placed in baby boxes across the country. North Carolina’s safe surrender law allows a parent to surrender a newborn up to seven days after its birth.
In state news, the US Coast guard saved two North Carolina fishermen off the coast of Hyde County. According to WXII 12, rescuers reached the fishermen just moments before their boat sank. At first, the rescuers attempted to help the fishermen pump water out of their boat before eventually throwing lines to the men as they jumped from the sinking vessel. The men are safe with no reported injuries.
In national news, cryptocurrency company BlockFi filed for bankruptcy Monday. According to NPR, BlockFi was recently bailed out by FTX before it also filed for bankruptcy. BlockFi has since halted withdrawals and asked its customers not to make any deposits. The past year has been deemed a “crypto winter” as the value of bitcoin, the most well known cryptocurrency, is down 65%. BlockFi was especially at risk of collapse due to its close ties with FTX and associated corporate entities.
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