Penitentiary tours, air purifiers, agricultural fairs: News from around our 50 states

Alabama

Opelika: Two state agencies say they’ve launched an investigation after a dead cat in the city tested positive for the coronavirus. The Thompson Bishop Sparks State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Auburn detected the initial positive test, according to a release from the state. Veterinary pathologists found lesions in the cat’s nervous system that usually indicate bacterial infections, suggesting the coronavirus was not the primary cause of death. The National Veterinary Services Laboratories confirmed the positive diagnosis last week. The Alabama Department of Public Health and the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries are now partnering to investigate the case. Nationwide, fewer than 10 animal deaths are thought to have been COVID-19-related, according to the state. State Public Health Veterinarian Dr. Dee Jones said in a release that so far there seems to be no evidence of companion animals infecting people.

Alaska

Anchorage: Local public health officials said they are investigating a coronavirus outbreak from a youth hockey tournament that drew teams from around the state. More than 300 players, coaches and fans were in attendance at the Termination Dust Invitational over a three-day period the weekend before last, officials said. Teams came from nine cities across Alaska. Local health officials did not provide specific numbers as to how many people tested positive for the virus as a result of the event, but tournament organizers said they first learned of a positive case on one of the teams last Monday. They also said they knew of two teams with a positive case each. “We are barely several weeks into the fall season and there have been multiple positive cases, in several areas of the State, with players, parents and coaches,” Anna Culley, the hockey association’s coronavirus chairman, said in a Facebook post.

Arizona

Phoenix: State health officials are reporting 475 new confirmed COVID-19 cases but no additional deaths for the second consecutive day. The latest numbers Monday bring the statewide case total to 226,050 since the coronavirus pandemic began, with the death toll remaining at 5,759. On Saturday, state Department of Health Services officials reported 894 new cases. That was the largest daily increase since Sept. 17-18, when those days’ counts ballooned to 1,753 and 1,281, respectively, as the state changed its counting methodology, and each day added hundreds of past antigen test results. The number of infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick. Meanwhile, COVID-19 hospitalizations including ventilator usage and intensive care unit beds remained steady or creeped up very, very slightly.

Arkansas

Little Rock: The number of people hospitalized with the coronavirus in the state hit a record high Sunday of 576. The Arkansas Department of Health said the number of people hospitalized rose by 22. Hospitalizations from COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, reached records levels Tuesday through Friday before dropping by six Saturday. The health department on Sunday reported 613 new cases for a total of 92,833 confirmed and probable cases. With 17 more deaths, the number of confirmed and probable deaths in the state so far rose to 1,569. Gov. Asa Hutchinson told CNN on Sunday that he was concerned about the increase in hospitalizations. “Right now, we do have capacity,” Hutchinson said, adding that officials are “watching it very carefully and taking it seriously.”

California

Palm Springs: The California Department of Public Health has issued new guidelines for small, short group gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic, adding formal rules to possible gray areas. Previously, state health officials said gatherings were not permitted “unless otherwise specified” in sector-specific guidelines. But as of Friday, outdoor private gatherings that last two hours or less are allowed as long as attendees are from no more than three separate households. Still, the department is warning people that the risk of transmission of COVID-19 increases when people from different households mix. “It’s best if individuals don’t gather during the ongoing pandemic, but we recognize some people will choose to get together,” Ali Bay, CDPH deputy director of communications, said in an email. “We want to ensure they are informed on how to minimize risk, such as gathering outside only and keeping events small and short.”

Colorado

Denver: Alamosa School District is so short on educators that all it might take is the quarantine of a single class to leave many kids without a teacher, as the district is battling a significant K-12 substitute teacher shortage. Coronavirus fears have chased a large percentage of the sub pool away, Interim Superintendent Marsha Cody said. It’s a problem other districts can sympathize with as the state faces a substitute teacher shortage that also reflects a burgeoning teacher shortage. The pandemic is only making it worse. In Denver Public Schools, the largest district in Colorado, a little more than half of the teachers active in the substitute pool said they were willing to take in-person assignments this fall. Now, districts are scrambling to figure out how to cover teacher absences and where to find more subs. And they’re being forced to get creative. In one district, parents are raising their hands to sub to help prevent a shortage.

Connecticut

New Haven: Sacred Heart University and the University of Saint Joseph are the latest in the state to use the rapid saliva-based coronavirus test developed at Yale. The schools hope adding the testing method to tests already being conducted will help them identify cases earlier and prevent large outbreaks on campus. Both schools also are using the nasal swab form of testing. “Over the last few weeks as we saw upticks of positive cases on other campuses we decided to increase the percentage of students tested each week and we also wanted more rapid results,” University of Saint Joseph President Rhona Free said in a statement. “SalivaDirect was able to complete the new level of testing that we needed with quick results.” Sacred Heart spokesperson Deb Noack said the 900 saliva tests the university plans to perform each week will augment the 1,300 nasal swab tests that had already been conducted.

Delaware

Dover: A judge on Friday rejected a request by the League of Women Voters to override state election law and allow absentee and mail-in ballots received after the state-mandated deadline in November’s election to be counted. Delaware law has long required that absentee ballots be received by the time polls close at 8 p.m. on Election Day. The same deadline applies to ballots cast under a universal vote-by-mail law enacted by the General Assembly specifically for this year’s elections because of the coronavirus. The League of Women Voters, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union and a Wilmington attorney, did not argue that the deadline as applied in past elections was facially unconstitutional. They claimed instead that the new law is unconstitutional as applied to the November election because, even though it makes voting much easier, voting by mail is a burden for some people.

District of Columbia

Washington: D.C.’s coronavirus trend has increased sharply over the past week – up 84% since dropping to its lowest levels since July at the beginning of this month, WUSA-TV reports. The city is now averaging nearly 70 new cases of the coronavirus a day.

Florida

Miami: A marine magnet school in South Florida on Monday told students not to show up for in-person classes, just days after Miami-Dade schools reopened to brick-and-mortar classes, after two students reported having the coronavirus. Miami-Dade County Public Schools tweeted that physical classes at Mast Academy had been canceled and that students should report to school online. Mast is a maritime and science technology magnet high school. Schools spokeswoman Daisy Gonzalez-Diego said anyone who came into contact with the two students was being notified using contact tracing protocols. “The school has been thoroughly sanitized,” Gonzalez-Diego said. Florida on Monday reported an additional 1,533 cases, raising the state’s total since March to 736,024. Florida also reported four dozen new deaths Monday, raising the death toll in the state from COVID-19 to 15,599 cases.

Georgia

Atlanta: The state’s top judge signed an order Saturday allowing jury trials to resume in the state. When he declared a statewide judicial emergency in mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic, Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Harold Melton suspended jury trials. The order Saturday extends the emergency for an additional 30 days but lifts the suspension on jury trials, Melton announced in a news release. The new order allows the chief judge of each trial court “to resume jury trials, if that can be done safely and in accordance with a final jury trial plan,” the new order says, according to the release. “From the beginning of this emergency – and even earlier – we have been preparing for this day,” Melton said in the release. “We have put into place rigorous safety protocols for grand jury proceedings and jury trials because we understand that the public must have confidence to come and serve on juries.”

Hawaii

Kailua-Kona: A billionaire tech entrepreneur with a home on the Big Island has coordinated a donation of 1 million face masks to slow the spread of the coronavirus there. Salesforce CEO and founder Marc Benioff helped arrange the estimated $1.9 million donation to Hawaii County Civil Defense, West Hawaii Today reports. The donation was made by the University of California at San Francisco, home to the Benioff Center for Microbiome Medicine. Benioff, whose fortune was estimated last year at $6 billion, oversees a $130 billion software empire based in San Francisco. The masks are expected to be shipped in weekly installments for public distribution at COVID-19 testing sites and other venues. Mayor Harry Kim has said Benioff is a member of his COVID-19 working group. The philanthropist provided resources, staff and a working plan to make the Big Island a template for getting ahead of the pandemic, Kim said.

Idaho

Idaho Falls: A food bank in the city has announced it will remove letters from President Donald Trump located inside its federal food assistance boxes that address recipient families. Community Food Basket Director Ariel Jackson said in a post on social media that the organization would not be distributing the letter with their Farmers to Families food boxes, the Post Register reports. “It will be incredibly time consuming to remove them before giving the food to families but it is also the right thing to do,” Jackson said, arguing that they are not a political organization and that the letter is inappropriate. The letter, signed by Trump, says that citizen health is his top priority and that he has “prioritized sending nutritious food from our farmers to families in need throughout America” in response to the pandemic. The Community Food Basket receives the food boxes through the government’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program.

Illinois

Normal: Spring break will remain on the calendar for 2021 at Illinois State University. School officials announced Friday that an “overwhelming number” of faculty, staff and students who responded to a survey wanted the regular break preserved during the coronavirus pandemic. The university’s planning team had recommended canceling the spring break amid concern about travel during the break contributing to spread of the virus on campus. The Bloomington Pantagraph reports, though, that the survey responses showed concern about mental health without the mid-semester break. University spokesman Eric Jome said the school plans to increase testing following the March 6-14 spring break, focused on students who attend in-person or hybrid courses and those who work or live on campus. The majority of classes at Illinois State will be virtual this spring.

Indiana

Indianapolis: The state’s manufacturers have generally weathered the coronavirus pandemic better than other industries, even as some plants have been battered by changes in consumer spending amid the public health crisis, according to some business leaders. Because companies that make up Indiana’s key manufacturing industry are designated as essential businesses, most have remained in operation and haven’t seen nearly as many closures and layoffs as restaurants and hotels. Some Indiana manufacturing plants scaled back production and furloughed workers, but they remained open even as stay-at-home orders forced other industries to pause their operations, the Indianapolis Business Journal reports. “Generally, the manufacturing sector is doing well – not all the way back yet, but doing well as compared with other sectors,” said Brian Burton, president and CEO of the Indiana Manufacturers Association.

Iowa

Des Moines: Mayor Frank Cownie says he is worried a rally planned by President Donald Trump at the Des Moines International Airport could cause COVID-19 to spread in the city. Though the city has a mask mandate, the rally Wednesday will be held at the airport’s Iowa Air National Guard facility, which is not under city control, Cownie said. Preya Samsundar, the Republican National Committee’s spokesperson in Iowa, did not immediately know how the number of people expected to attend. The campaign encourages attendees to wear masks and socially distance, Samsundar said. They will have their temperatures checked and be given masks, with instructions to wear them, according to an announcement about the rally. But Trump has held other rallies where many of the people in attendance did not maintain social distance and, like him, did not wear masks. “We don’t want a super-spread event here in Des Moines,” Cownie said.

Kansas

Topeka: Nearly $50 million in funding for COVID-19 testing is still moving through the state’s bidding system more than three weeks after legislators approved the spending, state officials say. At the Legislative Budget Committee meeting this past week, Sen. Carolyn McGinn expressed frustration that Wichita State University, which has completed necessary paperwork and has labs ready to process tests, doesn’t have a go-ahead from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Marci Nielsen, a special advisor to Gov. Laura Kelly, told lawmakers that state regulations allow time for potential testing organizations to submit proposals for government funding. Decisions on which organizations will receive the money will not be made until later this month, The Kansas City Star and The Wichita Eagle report.

Kentucky

Frankfort: Gov. Andy Beshear said Sunday that he will quarantine after a member of his security detail who drove with his family the day before later tested positive for the coronavirus. The Democratic governor said he and his family feel fine and show no coronavirus symptoms. Beshear’s wife and their two children also will quarantine. Beshear’s family will be tested regularly for the virus, his office said. The governor and his wife, first lady Britainy Beshear, were last tested Thursday, Beshear spokeswoman Crystal Staley said. In a social media video posted Sunday, Beshear said he’s committed to “setting an example” by quarantining after receiving a call from a contact tracer to alert his family of the possible exposure. Kentucky reported 7,675 new coronavirus cases in the past week, the highest weekly total during the pandemic. That included a backlog of cases from Fayette County, officials said Sunday.

Louisiana

New Orleans: A children’s museum that was shuttered in August over slow ticket sales in the face of the coronavirus is now subbing as a school for some local students. The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate reports the Louisiana Children’s Museum closed in August as parents concerned about the coronavirus kept kids at home. But in recent weeks, the newspaper reports, students from the Langston Hughes Academy started using the museum as a school. About 60 of the school’s children from kindergarten and pre-K classes were expected to be able to have access to the facility located in City Park during the 2020-21 school year. The 56,000-square-foot building has multiple exhibits including a replica of the Mississippi River designed to give children hands-on learning experiences in a fun manner. There are also extensive outdoor spaces for children to explore. “It’s like Christmas,” Principal Carrie Bevans told the newspaper.

Maine

Fryeburg: Summer and fall in Maine are normally a time of pig races, demolition derbies and piles of fried food at the state’s agriculture fairs. This year, the coronavirus pandemic interrupted that, as all 26 fairs canceled – ranging from the Bangor State Fair, which typically attracts about 50,000 people, to the Houlton Fair, which takes place astride the Canadian border. Some of the events have tried to salvage the season with virtual versions. The Fryeburg Fair, which dates to 1851 and employs hundreds of people in western Maine, went online this month. Even the fair’s cow impersonating event, called “Moo-La-Palooza,” moved online. The Common Ground Country Fair, the state’s annual celebration of organic farming and rural living, moved online in September. The fair usually includes in-person seminars about everything from how to wield a scythe to how to raise rare breeds of sheep.

Maryland

Annapolis: Gov. Larry Hogan has announced that state officials will no longer consider plans to close a Maryland State Police helicopter base. Some Eastern Shore lawmakers were concerned one of two bases there would be vulnerable to the cut. But they rejoiced Thursday after the Republican governor’s announcement. The cuts were being made because of the coronavirus pandemic. But the reduction would have meant that state police would have to close one of the agency’s seven helicopter bases. “For more than half a century, the Maryland State Police Aviation Command has been conducting lifesaving medevac flights,” Hogan said. “Our administration is committed to making sure Maryland’s finest have all the resources they need to continue their excellent service to the state and the region.”

Massachusetts

Boston: Two casinos have been cleared by state gambling regulators to start offering roulette games again. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission on Thursday unanimously voted to allow Encore Boston Harbor in Everett and MGM Springfield to offer roulette with modifications, including a limit of three players per table divided by plexiglass shields. The state’s three casinos were closed for about four months because of the coronavirus pandemic but were allowed to reopen in July at limited capacity. Slots, blackjack and smaller poker games are now allowed, but capacity remains limited. The state’s third casino, Plainridge Park in Plainville, offers only electronic games. Casinos in nearby states have already started offering roulette safely, the commission noted. A spokesperson for Encore welcomed the decision.

Michigan

Lansing: Snow days may no longer be needed for school districts across the state because many students are learning online amid the coronavirus pandemic. Many people wonder if virtual instruction will take the place of snow days since schools are already offering classes online, MLive.com reports. Bill DiSessa, spokesman for the Michigan Department of Education, said the state’s guidance on snow days remains the same for students attending classes in person. But students learning remotely won’t be as lucky because he said the department does not expect requests for snow days for online classes. Jackson Public Schools Superintendent Jeff Beal said administrators can plan for students to finish schoolwork at home with enough notice. Sandy Maxson, superintendent of the K-12 da Vinci Institute charter school district in Jackson, said virtual school may be used if inclement weather keeps students out of class for many days.

Minnesota

Minneapolis: State health officials on Sunday reported 10 new deaths due to complications from the coronavirus, raising the total number of fatalities to 2,141 since the pandemic began. The update showed 1,450 new cases in the past day, following a record high Saturday of more than 1,500 positive tests. A total of 112,268 people have tested positive for COVID-19, including 11,551 health care workers. It was the fourth straight day the state reported more than 1,000 cases. Active cases remain at a record high of 9,956. The update shows 52 new hospitalizations, compared with 51 on Saturday. There were about 270 new cases per 100,000 people in Minnesota over the past two weeks, which ranks 17th in the country for new cases per capita, according to researchers from Johns Hopkins University. The death toll is the 25th highest in the country overall and the 31st highest per capita.

Mississippi

Jackson: Twice as many residents caught COVID-19 at the state’s for-profit nursing homes, and nearly three times more died there, an analysis of health data by the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting shows. On average, 4 in 10 residents have been confirmed positive for the coronavirus in these for-profit homes. One possible factor: 80% of Mississippi’s nursing homes had already been cited for infection-control problems before the pandemic hit. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has been investigating three nursing homes in the state, all of them for-profit, for workplace catastrophes or fatalities, including Lakeside Health & Rehabilitation Center in Quitman. One of the home’s nursing assistants, Carole Faye Doby of Stonewall, died of COVID-19 on May 15, and two residents also died of the disease.

Missouri

Jefferson City: A “database extract error” resulted in an incorrect inflation of the number of reported COVID-19 cases in the state going back over several days, health officials said Sunday. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said in a news release that it is in the process of migrating all COVID-19 testing and case data into one new consolidated system. The state launched a new version of its coronavirus dashboard Sept. 28 to integrate pandemic response across public health, economic, employment and social impact indicators. Missouri incorrectly reported Saturday on its coronavirus website more than 5,000 new COVID-19 cases, more than double the previous single-day record. The agency said Sunday that it is working urgently to resolve the issue and will update its website with the correct numbers once that is done.

Montana

Helena: Incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Steve Daines and his Democratic opponent, Gov. Steve Bullock, clashed over the response to the pandemic in the last debate of their U.S. Senate race. Bullock accused Daines of stalling on a second federal coronavirus relief package. Bullock said he would not implement stricter measures to limit the spread of the virus, despite a high infection rate in the state, because there was no federal safety net for workers and businesses. The freshman senator rejected Bullock’s view that Americans must learn to live with the virus, instead hanging the solution to the rampant spread of the virus on therapeutic drugs and vaccinations, which he promised would be distributed free of charge once approved. The governor was praised for his swift response in the spring, which included a shutdown order that helped keep the virus at bay. But as the state reopened in early summer, the case tally began to climb.

Nebraska

Omaha: The state kicked off the week by registering nearly 500 new cases of the coronavirus as Nebraska continues to see its number of cases climb, state health statistics showed. The state’s online virus tracking site showed 495 new cases of the virus were confirmed Sunday in the state, and more than 2,320 cases were confirmed Friday through Sunday. That brought the state total to 52,382 confirmed cases and 519 deaths since the pandemic began. The site also showed the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 – the disease caused by the virus – continued to grow. On Saturday, a new record of 305 people in Nebraska were hospitalized with the virus, which broke the previous day’s record of 293 on Friday and was well above the spring peak of 232 set May 27. On Sunday, the number of hospitalizations dropped by one, to 304. Even with the rise in cases, 28% of the state’s intensive care beds and 76% of ventilators are available.

Nevada

Carson City: With negotiations over another package of federal coronavirus relief dollars stuck in congressional gridlock, state and local officials are scrambling to spend their allocations before the end-of-year deadline by which all funds must be spent. Nevada lawmakers – who in July slashed hundreds of millions from state spending on health care and education – convened Friday to assess how recipients of the state’s $1.25 billion coronavirus relief fund have used their shares of the money. County officials, city managers and officials leading programs offering relief to renters and small businesses all assured lawmakers that they would have no problem spending their funds by Dec. 31, indicating little need to devise alternative plans to direct the money to pay for other pandemic-related services.

New Hampshire

Portsmouth: A person who tested positive for the coronavirus may have exposed patrons seated at the bar at a restaurant in the city, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services said. Anyone who visited the Jumpin’ Jay’s Fish Cafe and sat at the bar between Sept. 30 and Oct. 4 may have been exposed, the department said in a news release Sunday. The department said it conducted a contact investigation and notified known close contacts. It decided to notify the public, saying there may be additional people who were exposed. The restaurant had announced Oct. 7 that it was voluntarily closing temporarily as a precaution. “Please know that we have met or exceeded state and CDC guidelines in our quick and independent decision to close, test and quarantine as the safety of our staff and guests is our top priority,” the restaurant said in a statement.

New Jersey

Glen Ridge: It will be a disappointing Halloween for children who hoped to go trick-or-treating in the township after the borough council announced going door-to-door for candy won’t be allowed. In a notice on the borough website, officials said people come from all over to trick or treat in town, and a homeowner can give out more than 1,000 pieces of candy in the night, causing some streets to be extremely crowded. Statewide, Gov. Phil Murphy has said Halloween won’t be canceled this year despite coronavirus concerns, but he and the state Department of Health have offered guidelines for the holiday, such as trick-or-treaters wearing a mask that covers their mouth and nose and parties being held outdoors or online, using programs such as Zoom. “You may wish to dress as a knucklehead this Halloween, but we don’t want anyone to act like one,” Murphy said.

New Mexico

Albuquerque: Officials are confirming more COVID-19 infections at the city’s homeless shelter as cases statewide are on the rise. The city reported an additional 72 cases at the shelter Sunday, bringing the total to 93 confirmed infections since the pandemic began. Overall, state health officials have reported nearly 33,000 cases. The shelter is not taking new residents. Anyone already there who’s experiencing symptoms or has been exposed to someone with COVID-19 is being isolated and tested, officials said. Some hotels are being used to house those who test positive. The city said in a statement that it has established protocols for identifying vulnerable people such as seniors and those with chronic medical conditions that put them at risk. New Mexico has had some of the most restrictive health orders in place since the pandemic began but has been reporting near-record highs in recent days.

New York

Poughkeepsie: Two colleges north of New York City were holding classes remotely, suspending in-person activities and barring visitors Monday after detecting multiple cases of the coronavirus. Iona College in Westchester County said it was moving classes online for two weeks starting Monday after identifying 58 cases. The 4,000-student Catholic college said in an online posting that the uptick was among some athletic teams and that the virus was transmitted through a “single, isolated event.” Marist College in Poughkeepsie announced its initial lockdown Thursday after learning of coronavirus cases stemming from a weekend off-campus gathering held without masks or social distancing. The college of more than 6,000 students said it was conducting multiple rounds of targeted coronavirus testing for students and had instituted “a precautionary temporary quarantine” at its Fulton Townhouses.

North Carolina

Winston-Salem: The number of people in the state who’ve applied for unemployment benefits since the coronavirus pandemic began has hit 1.31 million. The Winston-Salem Journal reports the figure was released last week in a report from the N.C. Division of Employment Security. The agency said some people have reached the end of one unemployment benefit program and had to switch to another. For instance, they may have exhausted their 12 weeks of regular state benefits and begun a 13-week federal extended pandemic program. That means the actual number of claims is even higher because some people have had to file for more than one unemployment insurance program. Since the middle of March, people in North Carolina have filed a combined 2.49 million state and federal jobless claims. The total amount that’s been paid out is about $8.2 billion.

North Dakota

Bismarck: Many students at the state’s public and nonpublic schools will be receiving cloth masks to help slow the spread of COVID-19, state School Superintendent Kirsten Baesler said. North Dakota is receiving almost 160,000 masks, an allocation based on the number of students from low-income families. The emphasis is on first providing masks to students who come from low-income households or are at higher risk, Baesler said. Gov. Doug Burgum announced recently that students and adults in schools who have been in close contact with a person infected with COVID-19 do not have to quarantine, if both the close contact and the infected person were both wearing masks properly when they were in contact. North Dakota for several weeks has been among the leaders in the country for the number of virus cases per capita. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will help cover the costs of the masks, Baesler said.

Ohio

Cincinnati: Hitting a grim pandemic milestone, the state has surpassed 5,000 deaths from the new coronavirus, a pathogen that emerged in humans only late last year and now is a leading killer in the Buckeye State and the nation. The six deaths announced Monday afternoon pushed the state’s death toll to 5,005. Public health experts also have cautioned that any count of the coronavirus dead will be lower than the actual number of fatalities because it’s likely people have died with the virus but were not tested for it or treated for COVID-19, the illness that develops from infection of the coronavirus. Ohio ranks 13th in the country in COVID-19 deaths and 24th in deaths per capita. The 5,005 Ohio deaths from COVID-19 so far are more than the combined total of the state’s military service deaths in the Vietnam War, 2,997, and the Korean War, 1,777.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City: The state on Sunday reported 766 new cases of the coronavirus and three additional deaths. The Oklahoma State Department of Health said the state’s total number of reported cases is now 99,387. The state’s death toll from COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, is 1,098. Meanwhile, Oklahoma last week reported record hospitalizations, with numbers topping 750 one day. The state releases hospitalization numbers on weekdays. Dr. Jared Taylor, the state epidemiologist, said Friday that it looks like the record hospitalizations are a trend. “While hospitalization counts are always fluid and change regularly, the numbers certainly indicate that the hospitalization counts are indicative of a trend rather than outliers,” Taylor told the Tulsa World. “This is reinforced by the consistent to slow increase we’ve seen in other parameters that we follow, including weekly case counts and even fatality rates.”

Oregon

Salem: The Oregon Health Authority on Sunday reported 337 new confirmed and presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 in the state, including the first case in Wheeler County. Wheeler County in Eastern Oregon was one of the last counties in the United States to see confirmation of the coronavirus. Its 1,300 inhabitants are spread over 1,700 square miles. The three remaining counties without a case in the contiguous U.S. are Esmeralda County in Nevada and King and Loving counties in Texas, with populations of 873, 272 and 169, respectively, according to 2019 Census Bureau data. OHA on Sunday reported 50 new cases in Marion County and five in Polk County. The state total has reached 37,262 cases. OHA announced the state’s death toll remains unchanged from Saturday, at 599.

Pennsylvania

Philadelphia: Spooky season is here, but fictional terror has been watered down by an actual scare – COVID-19. Some of the region and state’s largest attractions are operating a little differently this Halloween. Sean Kelly, senior vice president at the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, said the seasonal “Terror Behind the Walls” attraction has been modified this year. The penitentiary, the nation’s oldest prison dating back to 1821, will be offering night tours for the first time. The experience can still be described as “eerie,” according to Kelly, who said that due to the nature of the site, there’s a sense of suspense walking through Death Row in particular. Guests can listen to an audio tour narrated by actor Steve Buscemi and former inmates and guards. Other ventures, such as Field of Screams in Lancaster County, are sticking closer to tradition, tweaking their scares for the coronavirus era to keep guests safe.

Rhode Island

Providence: Gov. Gina Raimondo does not anticipate relaxing any of the state’s coronavirus restrictions until a vaccine becomes available. Rhode Island has been in Phase 3 of its economic recovery plane since June and will likely stay there for several more months, the Democratic governor told WPRI-TV on Thursday. “As much as I would love to relax these regulations, I am confident that’s not the right thing to do,” she said. She also expressed concern about rising numbers of confirmed coronavirus cases and virus-related hospitalizations, even though the state’s positivity rate remains lower than 2%. She said most of the new cases appear to be connected to small gatherings, not large public events, and urged Rhode Islanders to “try to be a little more careful.” In other news, Raimondo said the alleged plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer over her pandemic-related orders was “terrible” but said she herself feels safe.

South Carolina

Columbia: The state Department of Corrections will spend nearly $1 million on air purifiers to combat the spread of COVID-19 in its prisons. The agency told lawmakers last week about its plans to install the air ionizers into heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems at correctional facilities by December. Officials say the ionizers work by making the coronavirus particles heavier and easier to filter, thus more likely to be knocked to the ground. The Joint Bond Review Committee reviewed the proposal, estimated to cost $926,000, last Tuesday. Director Bryan Stirling told WIS-TV “internal canteen funds” would pay for the equipment. The announced upgrades come after more than 30 inmates who contracted the disease have died since the start of the outbreak. The department has confirmed more than 2,000 COVID-19 cases among inmates and 496 cases among staff members across its facilities.

South Dakota

Sioux Falls: Active coronavirus cases in the state surpassed 6,000 for the first time Monday as officials continued to struggle to contain the virus. The Department of Health reported 359 new cases Monday. That’s a downturn from recent days, but fewer tests were processed over the weekend. The new cases bring the state’s tally of people with active infections to 6,062, a new high during the pandemic. Health officials reported two more deaths, bringing the death toll to 288. October is already the deadliest month of the pandemic, with the state so far reporting 65 deaths. Hospitalizations from the virus have also surged during October. There are currently 278 people in hospitals with COVID-19. The Department of Health reports 43% of hospital beds and 28% of Intensive Care Units statewide remain open for patients.

Tennessee

Nashville: City officials are investigating a worship event outside the historic courthouse Sunday that packed together a big, largely unmasked crowd, despite rising new case counts of COVID-19 in Tennessee. Nashville Health Department spokesperson Brian Todd said “appropriate penalties” will be pursued against the organizer, saying that person didn’t submit an application to health officials or permit application to any Nashville department. Event leader Sean Feucht posted videos of the gathering on social media, calling it a protest. Feucht has been associated with similar gatherings elsewhere. “We had THREE venue changes and so much resistance BUT THE CHURCH WILL NOT BE SILENCED!” Feucht tweeted Sunday about the Nashville event. Nashville is limiting gatherings without city approval to 25 people. Approved events can occur at 30% capacity, with 500 people maximum and masks required.

Texas

Austin: The state on Sunday reported 2,262 new cases of the coronavirus as the state’s total since the pandemic began nears 800,000. The Texas Department of State Health Services said the state’s total number of cases so far is at 792,478. The state on Sunday reported 31 new deaths, bringing the death toll to 16,557. The actual number of cases in Texas is likely higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected and not feel sick. Last week Gov. Greg Abbott lifted the shutdown order on bars that has been in place since June, though he made the reopenings conditional on the approval of county leaders. New cases in Texas have dramatically fallen since summer, and the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations has leveled off since days in July when the state was reached daily counts of more than 10,000 in hospitals. On Sunday, there were about 3,600 hospitalizations.

Utah

Cedar City: Southern Utah University had the highest enrollment growth by percentage among the state’s public universities between 2019 and 2020, according to new numbers from the Utah System of Higher Education. The Fall 2020 3rd-Week Enrollments report shows SUU’s headcount rose from 11,224 in 2019 to 12,582, a 12.1% increase. David Bishop, director of public relations for Southern Utah University, called the growth “remarkable” and said SUU most likely leads both the state and the nation for enrollment growth by percentage. Overall, Utah’s public universities saw a 0.2% decrease in enrollment between 2019 and 2020, according to a press release from the Utah System of Higher Education. “I am optimistic that college enrollments across the System have held steady despite the coronavirus pandemic,” Commissioner of Higher Education Dave R. Woolstenhulme said in a press release. “These future graduates will have a positive ripple effect across the state and country as we recover from the impacts of COVID-19.”

Vermont

Montpelier: Champlain Orchards in Addison County has reopened after an outbreak of the coronavirus infected more than two dozen of its seasonal apple pickers. The orchards were back to regular hours for pick-your-own apples this past weekend. A total of 28 of the orchards’ migrant apple pickers have tested positive for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. Vermont Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine has said the virus is contained to the site and emphasized there was no known risk to the public. He also said there is no risk from eating apples or any other products that were grown or produced from the orchards. Champlain Orchards said Saturday that staff had undergone a third round of testing with no new positive cases.

Virginia

Richmond: Dominion Energy says it won’t start cutting off power to people behind on their electric bills. State regulators recently said utilities may now do so. The Virginian-Pilot reports the company said its aim is to help customers trying to cope financially during the coronavirus pandemic. The State Corporation Commission had ordered a freeze in March on disconnections. But it expired last week because the commission said a moratorium isn’t sustainable in the long term. Meanwhile, the General Assembly is considering requiring utilities to develop emergency repayment plans for bills that weren’t paid. Dominion is giving customers up to 12 months to pay down unpaid charges. No minimum payment is required. The utility said it has also expanded assistance and eligibility for its bill assistance program.

Washington

Yakima: State regulators have fined Yakima Speedway operator Doug Bettarel $2,500 after fans were allowed to attend an auto racing event earlier this month that officials say violated state coronavirus prevention rules. The state Liquor and Cannabis Board delivered the public-safety violation notice last week to Bettarel’s company B and B Speedway Promotions, the Yakima Herald-Republic reports. Yakima County does not allow gatherings of more than five people. County businesses also are prohibited from allowing customers inside their establishments without masks. Bettarel estimated about 500 people attended the Fall Classic’s preliminary races Oct. 3, and up to 2,000 people attended the final races Oct. 4. There was also a rally for a Republican gubernatorial candidate after Sunday’s events, which drew several hundred more people to the speedway.

West Virginia

Charleston: State Attorney General Patrick Morrisey has opted not to quarantine or take other precautions after attending a White House meeting last month hosted by President Donald Trump, Morrisey’s spokesman told a newspaper. Morrisey attended the Sept. 23 roundtable discussion on “Protecting Consumers from Social Media Abuses,” the Charleston Gazette-Mail reports. Nine days later, Trump was hospitalized for treatment of COVID-19. His doctors indicated he began experiencing symptoms of the disease earlier in the day. Morrisey “was not in close proximity of the president during that meeting fifteen days ago,” the Republican attorney general’s press secretary, Curtis Johnson, said in a statement. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the incubation period for COVID-19 may range from two to 14 days. That makes it possible Trump was infected when Morrisey attended the meeting.

Wisconsin

Madison: U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson said Monday that he never had any symptoms after testing positive Oct. 2 for the coronavirus, declaring that COVID-19 “is not a death sentence.” As of Monday, more than 152,000 people in Wisconsin had tested positive for the virus, with 1,474 deaths, according to the state Department of Health Services. The seven-day average of new confirmed cases reached a new record high of 2,547, up from 2,395 a week ago. Wisconsin has seen a spike in cases in recent months and has been one of the top five states in the country for new cases per capita. Johnson, a Republican, said that while there have been “so many tragedies” for those who test positive, “at the same time, COVID is not a death sentence.” Johnson said he was last tested for the virus Oct. 5 and again tested positive, but “I have never had a symptom, ever.” Johnson, who said he was shocked that he tested positive, was quarantining at his home in Oshkosh.

Wyoming

Cheyenne: Officials have opened the first national cemetery in the state, a place where veterans can be laid to rest alongside fellow service members and honored with their families for their sacrifices. The Cheyenne National Cemetery is designed to serve more than 55,000 veterans, their spouses and eligible children who live within a 75-mile radius of Cheyenne, the Wyoming Tribune Eagle reports. Previously, Wyoming was one of a handful of states that did not have its own national cemetery, and the closest place for veterans in Cheyenne to receive a military burial was Fort Logan National Cemetery, 114 miles away in Colorado. The cemetery was created as part of the Veteran Affairs National Cemetery Administration’s Rural Initiative, which aims to provide burial benefits to those in underserved areas.

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports