Community mourns victim killed in UNC shooting + What you need to know about new COVID variant

Andrew Nantais
·2 min read

Hey, everyone! Drew here.

Let’s get straight to today’s news.

1. Dr. Zijie Yan, prolific, resilient and generous scientist, killed in UNC shooting

Dr. Zijie Yan was killed Aug. 28, 2023, on the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill. He’s remembered for excelling in research, cooking meals for his roommates and celebrating good experimental results with “a huge smile.”
Dr. Zijie Yan was killed Aug. 28, 2023, on the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill. He’s remembered for excelling in research, cooking meals for his roommates and celebrating good experimental results with “a huge smile.”

The academic community mourned the loss of Zijie Yan today, the physics professor slain during yesterday’s shooting at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Yan, 38, lived in Apex, N.C., and had two young children. Tomorrow at 1:02 p.m., the Bell Tower on Chapel Hill’s campus will ring in honor of Dr. Yan, Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz announced.

Teddy Rosenbluth and Josh Shaffer share more reaction to Yan’s death.

2. Natural gas source of deadly explosion that leveled NC lake house, officials confirm

The remains of a house that sustained an explosion around 11:52pm Monday night are seen on the 280 block of Barber Loop Road on Tuesday, August 22, 2023. Mooresville firefighters found one person dead in the 25-foot pile of rubble.
The remains of a house that sustained an explosion around 11:52pm Monday night are seen on the 280 block of Barber Loop Road on Tuesday, August 22, 2023. Mooresville firefighters found one person dead in the 25-foot pile of rubble.

The cause of last week’s house explosion in Mooresville was confirmed this morning.

Officials say a natural gas explosion caused the house to collapse, killing Robert M. Farley, father of Tennessee Titans cornerback Caleb Farley.

Julia Coin has more on the cause of the explosion.

3. New COVID variant is ‘something completely different.’ Here’s what you should know.

Several health agencies, including the CDC and WHO, have been monitoring BA.2.86 because of its potential to evade the immunity most Americans have built up over the last few years.
Several health agencies, including the CDC and WHO, have been monitoring BA.2.86 because of its potential to evade the immunity most Americans have built up over the last few years.

A new COVID-19 variant has threatened to disrupt the immunity most Americans have built up over the last few years.

As of last week, the variant, BA.2.86, has been confirmed in several countries and two U.S. states, Virginia and Maryland.

Teddy Rosenbluth with more on what you need to know.

4. Opinion: School pick-up lines clog roads. I’m part of the problem, but for good reason

A long line of cars await a 7:00 a.m. drop-off for the first day of school at Waxhaw Elementary School on Monday, August 28, 2023.
A long line of cars await a 7:00 a.m. drop-off for the first day of school at Waxhaw Elementary School on Monday, August 28, 2023.

School is back in session.

And with school comes early-morning traffic delays as I’m sure we’re all too familiar with. But some parents have good reason for driving their kids to school rather than sending them on the school bus.

Anna Maria Della Costa opines on why she chooses to wait in those long pick-up lines.

5. Some more stories to read

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Drew Nantais is a Senior Growth & Engagement Producer for the Charlotte Observer.
Drew Nantais is a Senior Growth & Engagement Producer for the Charlotte Observer.
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