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Amazon is valued at $1.7 trillion as a leader for revenue among companies in the world. Outside of the news of Bezos stepping aside, the company reported a year of record growth on Tuesday, including a 38 percent increase in net sales from 2019, netting the company $21 billion in income, nearly double from the year before.

A policy that took effect Jan. 1 after the DMV said that, "The license plates bearing the Confederate battle flag have the potential to offend those who view them. We have therefore concluded that display of the Confederate battle flag is inappropriate for display on specialty license plates, which remain property of the state.”

As of Friday, North Carolina was in the bottom half for vaccine distribution in the U.S. at No. 25. The efforts are a bit worse in South Carolina, who was ranked 33rd overall. West Virginia and North Dakota have set the standard in the country with 85 percent of vaccines distributed. 

The healthcare product manufacturer said that in the U.S. and seven other countries the single-dose vaccine was shown to be 66% effective against moderate and severe cases of COVID-19, and up to 85% against patients with near-death symptoms. 

WBT Radio 1100 AM and 99.3 FM made three cash donations of $85,000 each to Charlotte area charities focused on feeding local children. Moments of Hope Church matched the donations and added funds for 3 benefiting charities.

The CDC notified South Carolina health officials that a sample tested at a LabCorp facility was found to be B.1.35 positive as well, the health department said Thursday. At the same time, the state’s own public health lab “identified a separate case of the same variant,” the South Carolina Department of Health said in a statement.

“Our fourth-quarter financial results close out the most challenging year in our company’s history," chairman and CEO Doug Parker said. “However, we couldn’t be prouder of the American Airlines team and the great things they accomplished last year. Through collaboration, resourcefulness and hard work, our team did its part to keep the economy moving. The American team flew more customers than any other airline in 2020, and they did so safely and with the utmost care.

Governor Roy Cooper addressed the state this afternoon with an update on Covid-19 in our state and further actions to be taken. Some speculated that Cooper was going to announce looser restrictions, following the action of other Governors. However, Governor Cooper did not loosen any of the current NC restrictions.

“The North Carolina utilities Commission as well as the North Carolina Supreme Court has affirmed these are prudent costs and is part of producing electricity for our customers," Duke Energy spokesperson Meredith Archie told WBTV. “Duke Energy has been producing energy from coal-fired units for decades. And so a byproduct of this is coal ash."

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reports officers detected twice as many firearms per million passengers screened at airport security checkpoints nationwide in 2020 compared to 2019. TSA tells WBT Radio that 55 guns were discovered at Charlotte Douglas Airport down from 74 in 2019.