Last week for our fall arts guide, we published an interview with Durham author Karen Tucker whose debut novel Bewilderness takes a hard look at love, loss, and opioid addiction. Tucker told writer Shelbi Polk that she carries Narcan, a prescription nasal spray, with her, as it can help bring a person out of an overdose.

“Looking forward to reading this!,” wrote Facebook commenter Heather Connors. “FYI Narcan is available at most pharmacies with no prescription in NC, most insurance and Medicaid covers it. If a person is an active IV drug user they can usually get it for free at their local harm reduction clinic. Please pick some up and have it with you at all times, you never know when you may need to save someone!”

Jasmine Gallup wrote about Raleigh’s mask mandate and how we likely won’t see it come to an end any time soon. Our readers agree, but not because the county’s COVID-19 metrics are improving.  

“Wake County is currently at 5.4% positive test rate (per NCDHHS), and the Raleigh city council said that below 5% is when the mandates should end,” wrote Facebook commenter Brian Porter. “This is with about 200K people living in cities within Wake County that don’t have a mask mandate at all. In the end this will be a political decision. Just look at Orange County (2.8%) who has the lowest positive test rate in the state. They haven’t given any metrics or an off ramp on when they will drop their own mandates.”

But what’s the point of it anyway, readers asked, if the mask mandate isn’t enforced?

“Half the city acts like we don’t have a mask mandate,” wrote Facebook commenter Nick Sovich. “The number of people that continue to ignore these mandates is both frustrating and disturbing.”

Finally, for our 15 Minutes column, writer Hannah Olson interviewed Erica Hoff, a Durham resident who is documenting her quest to trade up from a succulent plant to a Sprinter camper van. Erica hasn’t gotten her van yet; still, a reader found all of this a little bit suspicious. 

“I don’t understand what she traded for a Sprinter camper van,” wrote Facebook commenter Chris Telesca. “First off, that she started all this after working for the Buttigieg campaign is highly suspect.” 

Lol. 

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