Drag delivery, creative hand sanitizing, boating dangers: News from around our 50 states
Alabama
Tuscaloosa: City leaders in the home of the University of Alabama are considering $400,000 in aid to help bars that were forced to shut down because of the pandemic. Bar owners in Tuscaloosa say they are being hurt by a city order that forced them to close for two weeks after students returned to town and hundreds of new coronavirus infections were confirmed. The mandate came after large crowds gathered outside some nightspots waiting to get in. So officials are considering a package that would provide as much as $400,000 in small-business relief. WIAT-TV reports the city’s finance committee approved the plan Tuesday, and the City Council could vote on the measure Sept. 15. Mayor Walt Maddox proposed spending money from the city’s pandemic relief fund to help Tuscaloosa’s approximately 30 bars.
Alaska
Anchorage: The largest school district in the state to open for in-person classes has shifted to online learning only for three schools after five new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed. The new infections emerged among three schools in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, Alaska Public Media reports. Colony middle and high schools plan distance learning until next Tuesday, while the district said an update is pending on how long Pioneer Peak Elementary will be closed to in-person classes. The schools will be cleaned, and public health officials will notify any families with children who are considered close contacts of those who tested positive for COVID-19. Another school, Wasilla’s Machetanz Elementary, has resumed in-person learning after a student tested positive. District spokeswoman Jillian Morrissey said 36 people, including staff and students, were identified as close contacts in that case and are under quarantine.
Arizona
Flagstaff: Northern Arizona University reopened for in-person classes Monday, welcoming students for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic closed the Flagstaff campus in March. The announcement came three weeks after the university began its academic year online, the Arizona Daily Sun reports. As of Monday, 29,594 students were enrolled in classes across all the NAU campuses, with more than 6,000 students living in university-owned residence halls. Some faculty members have continued to raise concerns about the return to campus as Coconino County health officials reported an additional 55 cases last week, increasing the total to 3,205 confirmed COVID-19 cases. The union that represents faculty, staff and graduate student employees released its own statement Sunday calling for university administrators to stop reopening plans and, instead, provide accurate COVID-19 case numbers.
Arkansas
Little Rock: The state on Wednesday reported its largest single-day increase in deaths from the illness caused by the coronavirus, and the state’s top health official urged college students to avoid large parties while campus cases continue to rise. The Department of Health reported 27 new deaths from COVID-19. But the department said 13 of the deaths were late reports, one dating back to May. The state reported 615 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus and said an additional 156 people tested positive through antigen testing. Dr. Jose Romero said the state is continuing to see a rise in cases on its college campuses and urged students to follow social distancing guidelines to help prevent the virus’s spread. The University of Arkansas has reported 222 active cases at its Fayetteville campus. The number of people hospitalized due to COVID-19 rose by 12 to 435.
California
San Francisco: These divas deliver. Drag queens don their colorful wigs, elaborate makeup and knee-high stiletto boots, but instead of stepping on a stage, they’re putting on a face covering, grabbing a takeout bag and bringing their musical numbers to fans’ doorsteps. The Oasis nightclub is offering “Meals on Heels,” dispatching drag queens to bring food, cocktails and socially distant lip-synching performances to people during the pandemic. On a recent evening, Kochina Rude delivered dinner to Kelsie Costa and her family in the city’s Marina District and then lip-synched the drag show classic “Finally” by CeCe Peniston. “There’s not a lot to do these days with shelter in place and COVID and all that,” Costa said. “So gotta spice it up somehow. It’s really fun.” Oasis owner D’Arcy Drollinger said it’s a way to reconnect with fans and bring a little joy to those who haven’t had much to smile about recently.
Colorado
Colorado Springs: Colorado College said Tuesday that it is moving to online classes for the rest of the fall semester after hundreds of students went into quarantine because at least 10 had tested positive for the coronavirus. All students at the private liberal arts college are being urged to leave the Colorado Springs campus by Sept. 20, The Gazette reports, citing an announcement by Mike Edmonds and Robert G. Moore, the school’s acting co-presidents. Students in some hybrid classes, international students and students in “dire need” can stay with school permission, Edmonds and Moore said. At the urging of El Paso County health authorities, Colorado College had placed more than 500 students in three dormitories under quarantine. County health officials have said about 800 students were living on campus as of Aug. 25. About half of enrolled students started the school year remotely.
Connecticut
Hartford: Opposed to the idea of automatically extending Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont’s pandemic emergency powers for another five months, the top Republican legislative leaders on Tuesday urged him to at least grant a special committee of lawmakers the ability to appeal or reject any executive order within 72 hours after it has been issued. The powers are set to expire Sept. 9. Senate Minority Leader Len Fasano and House Minority Leader Themis Klarides said in a letter to Democratic legislative leaders, who control the General Assembly, that if Lamont is going to extend the public health emergency declaration, “we also need to give the power back to the people and create a better process that brings the voices of the public into a process that they have been completely shut out of.”
Delaware
Dover: The state will allow some beach bars to reopen for the Labor Day weekend, but they will be under strict social distancing guidelines. Seats must be socially distanced, and reservations will required. Food also must be ordered. Gov. John Carney had shut down bars in Delaware beach towns in early July after the state saw a spike in COVID-19 cases. The order had affected taprooms and bar service in Lewes, Rehoboth Beach, Dewey Beach, Long Neck, Bethany Beach, South Bethany, Fenwick Island, West Fenwick Island, Ocean View and Millville. Carney said the most important guideline that people can follow is wearing a mask. “This is going to be a big test,” Carney said. “If we can get over the Labor Day weekend successfully without a lot of COVID-19 spread, then we’re really going to be set up well as we try to get more children, more students back in schools for in-person learning.”
District of Columbia
Washington: Georgetown University reported four new COVID-19 cases within the school community Tuesday, according to WUSA-TV. The university said the new cases come as more people are getting tested. They said the cases are people who are on or near the campus. The university announced July 29 that only students who have already been approved through the school’s Housing Stability Application process and “who have been invited to return to campus because of academic requirements” are allowed to return to resident halls for housing, as well as those who are F-1 visa holders. A limited number of students who are resident assistants have been allowed in the halls to help watch over the group. Select other activities, like biomedical research, are still taking place on campus. First-year students are not on campus “based on current pandemic conditions,” school officials said in a statement.
Florida
Miami: A cyberattack and a software glitch plagued the state’s largest school district during the first two days of its virtual start to the school year, officials said Tuesday. Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said during a news conference that the district suffered a distributed denial of service attack Monday morning as a software glitch blocked access to the district’s servers, the Miami Herald reports. The glitch and DDoS attack rendered multiple online school district features useless and teaching nearly impossible. The FBI and Secret Service have been called in and have subpoenaed the school district’s internet provider, Carvalho said, but the glitch has been completely resolved and optimized. Whoever conducted the cyberattack did not hack in or penetrate district servers, officials said.
Georgia
Atlanta: Gov. Brian Kemp on Tuesday named a Department of Public Safety officer as the next director of the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency. In an announcement at the agency’s headquarters, Kemp tapped Capt. Chris Stallings to replace the retiring Homer Bryson, who has led the agency since 2016. Stallings, who became a state trooper in 2008, is currently the Department of Public Safety’s director of dignitary protection, which means he oversees the protection of Kemp, among others. He’s a native of McCaysville. Stallings takes over while the agency is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and in the middle of hurricane season. Kemp said Mike Smith, currently deputy director of the Georgia Emergency Communications Authority, an agency attached to GEMA, will be Stallings’ chief of staff. Smith is a former police officer in Covington and Newton County.
Hawaii
Honolulu: Health care officials have issued an urgent call for nurses to assist the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic as hospitals experience an influx of patients. Officials in the private, public and nonprofit health care sectors are collaborating to bring more nurses to Hawaii to address the increasing caseload resulting from the virus outbreak, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports. Hospitals trying to deal with the spread of the virus are already short-staffed, said Daniel Ross, president of the Hawaii Nurses Association OPEIU Local 50, which represents about 4,000 members. Hawaii’s daily new coronavirus case counts have remained in the triple digits for nearly a month. “It’s only going to get worse as time goes on,” Ross said. Democratic Gov. David Ige issued an emergency proclamation waiving licensing requirements to enable recent graduates to provide support assistance such as screening and administrative work.
Idaho
Boise: The state will start making $300-a-week unemployment payments this week under President Donald Trump’s supplemental plan, Gov. Brad Little said Tuesday. The retroactive payments will cover five weeks beginning in late July and ending Aug. 29. That means those eligible could receive several weeks of payments at once. The Republican governor said he’s also looking to tap $15 million in federal coronavirus relief money to make sure the supplemental program applies to those currently receiving less than $100 per week in state unemployment benefits who would otherwise be left out of the $300 federal supplement. The state’s minimum weekly unemployment benefit amount is $72, and the maximum benefit amount is $448. The governor’s Coronavirus Financial Advisory Committee is meeting Thursday to consider approving $15 million to make sure the $300 federal supplement goes out to more people.
Illinois
East St. Louis: Additional COVID-19 mitigation efforts will be implemented in the Metro East area of Illinois as the area shows a seven-day positivity rate of 9.6% as a result of coronavirus testing, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health announced Tuesday. The action comes as officials reported 1,492 new confirmed cases of coronavirus in Illinois, with 39 additional confirmed deaths. It is the highest number of single-day deaths related to COVID-19 since June 26. Officials report 8,064 deaths since the start of the pandemic. Health Department officials say beginning Wednesday, bars in the area east of St. Louis can no longer offer indoor service, no indoor dining or bar service can be offered by restaurants, and meetings, social events and other gatherings are limited to lesser of 25 guests or 25% of overall room capacity. Indoor visitation in long-term care settings and off-site outings continue to be prohibited.
Indiana
Bunker Hill: National Guard units are helping operate a prison faced with staffing shortages after several workers were stricken with COVID-19. Soldiers from the Indiana Army National Guard began working at the Miami Correctional Facility the second week of August, said prison spokesman James Frye. The Guard members are working in control pods inside the prison and do not have contact with any inmates, he said. The prison has had five staff members test positive for COVID-19, with three having recovered, according to data provided by the state. Frye said it’s unknown how long National Guard units will be stationed at the prison in Bunker Hill, about 60 miles southwest of Fort Wayne. The state agency said units from Indiana’s Army and Air national guards have been deployed to state prisons since May because of the coronavirus outbreak, the Kokomo Tribune reports. They’re also at the Pendleton prison and the Westville prison.
Iowa
Des Moines: A longtime special education teacher with Des Moines Public Schools has died of complications from the coronavirus, the district confirmed late Tuesday. District spokesman Phil Roeder said the teacher at the Ruby Van Meter School for intellectually disabled students fell ill after an out-of-state trip and died this week. He did not release the teacher’s name or other details for privacy reasons. The death is believed to be among the first of an Iowa educator during the pandemic. A 73-year-old gym teacher at Iowa City Regina High School died in April. Des Moines schools shut down in March and are planning to begin the school year next week with virtual learning. Gov. Kim Reynolds is pushing for the district to open schools for 50% in-person instruction. District leaders say that cannot be safely done given the spread of the virus and have filed a lawsuit challenging the governor’s mandate. A hearing is scheduled for Friday.
Kansas
Lawrence: University of Kansas athletes must play without fans, Kansas State University is battling four new coronavirus outbreaks, and a Topeka-area school district has halted in-person classes just days into the fall semester. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has reported 19 coronavirus clusters tied to colleges and five related to K-12 schools since the start of the academic year. The University of Kansas’ Monday announcement that athletes must play without fans at least through the end of September came after compulsory testing of students arriving on campus uncovered 474 positive cases. Infections were particularly prevalent among sorority and fraternity members, with a 10% positivity rate. The four newest outbreaks in the Manhattan area included a cluster of 10 positive cases among the Kansas State football team, health officials said Monday.
Kentucky
Frankfort: The state has again extended its contract with an outside company hired to help work through a backlog of unemployment claims amid the coronavirus outbreak, Gov. Andy Beshear said Tuesday. The contract with Ernst & Young will be prolonged through the end of 2020, the governor announced. The company has helped the state process more than 141,000 claims since the partnership began nine weeks ago, he said. The governor also announced more than 800 new confirmed coronavirus cases statewide and 15 more virus-related deaths. Kentucky is coming off its highest number of new confirmed COVID-19 cases in a single week, with more than 4,500 reported last week. The latest extension of the contract with Ernst & Young will cost about $4.9 million, said Amy Cubbage, the state’s deputy labor secretary. The original contract and first extension cost nearly $12 million combined, she said.
Louisiana
Baton Rouge: The state is looking for people to work polling locations for the fall elections. Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin’s office announced the launch of a recruitment campaign for election workers to help set up the polling locations, welcome voters and verify voter registrations. The state pays up to $200 for Election Day workers and $100 per day for early voting poll commissioners, according to Ardoin’s office. Louisiana has had concerns about poll worker shortages for years. But those concerns have heightened with the coronavirus outbreak, as many election commissioners are older and at greater risk to the COVID-19 illness caused by the virus. The state hasn’t settled on a plan for operating its Nov. 3 and Dec. 5 elections in the pandemic because Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards and the majority-GOP Legislature disagree on how much to loosen the rules for absentee-by-mail balloting.
Maine
Augusta: A letter from state officials to the Maine Principals’ Association is dimming hopes for a quick resolution to fall high school sports. Health and Human Services Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew and Education Commissioner Pender Makin urged the organization to delay the season until safety guidelines can be reviewed further. In the letter, first reported by the Morning Sentinel, they said their concerns go beyond the students participating in sports to the communities. “If the schools had the resources like professional and some collegiate sports leagues to conduct frequent team testing and house teams separately to protect other students, school staff, and their families, it might be possible to return to interscholastic competition safely. Without that, such a return poses a risk of spreading COVID-19 across the state, within schools, and to vulnerable people within communities,” the letter stated.
Maryland
Annapolis: All businesses in the state will be able to open later this week as Maryland enters the third phase of its coronavirus recovery plan, Gov. Larry Hogan announced Tuesday. Movie theaters and performing arts centers will be able to open at 50% capacity beginning at 5 p.m. Friday. Up to 100 people will be allowed at indoor venues, or 250 people at outdoor venues. All retail stores as well as churches and houses of worship will be able to increase capacity from 50% to 75%. Local jurisdictions will still be able to decide not to open as much as the state plan allows. “I want to remind the people of Maryland that moving into Stage 3 does not mean that this crisis is behind us and remind them that we must remain vigilant so that we can keep Maryland open for business,” Hogan said at a news conference. He said the state has continued to see declining numbers in key metrics. The statewide positivity rate is down to 3.39%, Hogan said.
Massachusetts
Boston: A statewide coalition of teachers, school nurses, parents and other school employees has released a list of issues it says need to be addressed before schools can safely reopen during the coronavirus pandemic. The recently formed Coalition to Safely Reopen Schools in a statement this week called for a phased approach to reopening, with no in-person learning unless and until those issues are resolved. Some of the measures the group seeks include appropriate social distancing guidelines, effective ventilation and air circulation in all schools, safe cleaning practices, accessible and rapid COVID-19 testing, and clear guidelines for contact tracing. “Ours is a frontline perspective from those who will be ultimately responsible for the health, safety and the quality of education students will receive as a result of these decisions,” the coalition said in its statement.
Michigan
Lansing: The state should modify a system in which nursing home residents infected with the coronavirus can be treated and isolated in those facilities and take steps to improve life for all long-term care residents amid the pandemic, a task force urged Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in a report released Tuesday. The 20-member group was created by the governor to prepare for a potential second surge of COVID-19 after deaths and cases spiked in the spring. Nursing home residents account for 2,088, or 31%, of the state’s 6,767 confirmed or probable deaths related to the virus. Of the 28 recommendations, nearly half involve ways to better the quality of life inside 442 homes that have had to stop communal dining and restrict visits and other activities. To reduce the effects of isolation, the panel urged allowing outdoor and window visits, limited communal dining and optional “pod”-like arrangements in which residents could spend time together in small groups.
Minnesota
St. Paul: A Ramsey County judge has dismissed a lawsuit challenging Gov. Tim Walz’s executive orders during the coronavirus pandemic. Thirteen Republican legislators and a group of businesses contended the Democratic governor abused his power and interfered with the legislative process when he closed schools, issued a mask mandate and limited businesses’ operations. District Court Judge Thomas Gilligan upheld the governor’s actions Tuesday, the Star Tribune reports. “The Governor has acted pursuant to the authority delegated to him by the Legislature,” Gilligan wrote. “The COVID-19 pandemic constitutes an act of nature that provides the Governor with the basis to declare a peacetime state of emergency in Minnesota.” A group called Free Minnesota Small Business Coalition had argued that the governor is usurping the powers of the Legislature and that COVID-19 is not an “act of nature” meriting a peacetime emergency.
Mississippi
Jackson: Federal monitors, in their most recent report about the Hinds County Detention Center, said both the information about the extent of COVID-19 infection at the facility and efforts to control its spread are inadequate. The report, released last month, was based on discussions from June with jail officials. Although Hinds County Sheriff Lee Vance had indicated there were mask mandates for all inmates and staff, monitors said in the report that there were times when inmates reportedly were not wearing masks. The report said medical and mental health staff reported some inmates showed up for a medication pass without a mask, and there were inmates escorted to medical or mental health visits without a mask. Sheriff Department Attorney Claire Barker said Tuesday that the monitors’ report has no merit and said the office asked that it be removed because it doesn’t have anything to do with the consent decree dealing with the jail.
Missouri
Jefferson City: The state has paid a consulting firm more than $500,000 in emergency federal funding for pandemic-related costs, despite Gov. Mike Parson saying in early May that an independent foundation was paying the firm. State payroll records show the McChrystal Group has received $522,000 in federal CARES Act funding from the state, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. The Virginia-based company was founded by retired four-star Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal. In early May, Parson said the Missouri Foundation for Health would pay up to $600,000 to the firm. He did not mention that the state would take over the payments May 31, using the emergency federal aid. Under a no-bid contract with the state, the McChrystal Group will be eligible to continue being paid nearly $250,000 a month for its work, Parson spokeswoman Kelli Jones said.
Montana
Billings: The state’s most populous county has seen a sharp increase in violent crime since the pandemic began, driven by more domestic abuse and drug-related crimes, authorities say. Yellowstone County saw a 20% spike in violent crimes from March through July, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said, and that appears to be a statewide trend. Before the pandemic hit, authorities had been hopeful of turning the tide on a yearslong surge in crimes as meth became more widely available. Some offenses finally were beginning to plateau before the coronavirus triggered an economic and social lockdown. Prices for meth have doubled since COVID-19 arrived, with supply chains disrupted by tighter controls along the U.S. border with Mexico and fewer chemicals coming in from China, Alme said. And demand has risen, with Montana seeing a 34% higher rate of positive drug tests for methamphetamine compared to before the pandemic, according to a recent study from Millennium Health.
Nebraska
Omaha: The city’s residents will have to continue wearing masks in public at least into October because of the coronavirus pandemic. Omaha’s City Council voted Tuesday to extend its mask requirement that was set to expire later this month through Oct. 20. Everyone in the state’s largest city is required to wear face coverings in most indoor public spaces where they are not able to maintain 6 feet of social distance. Douglas County Health Director Adi Pour said wearing masks is important now that most businesses and restaurants in the city have reopened. “Either we close down businesses again, or we wear masks,” Pour said. Councilman Pete Festersen, who sponsored the extension, said requiring masks is a practical way to control the spread of the virus. Several local school officials sent the council letters supporting the mask requirement.
Nevada
Las Vegas: Tens of thousands of working or furloughed employees at the two largest Las Vegas casino companies will keep family health benefits until March 1 under an agreement involving unions representing bartenders and culinary workers, officials said. The pact, announced Monday, affects about 36,000 union workers at 22 Las Vegas Strip properties, the unions said. It came the same day casino giant MGM Resorts International laid off about 18,000 employees at locations around the U.S. and followed months of negotiations over worker safety and job protections begun when casinos were closed in mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic. Culinary Union executive Geoconda Argüello-Kline said the agreements with MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment Inc. mean workers can keep health benefits until next year even if they are currently idled and will retain seniority benefits when they return to their jobs.
New Hampshire
Concord: President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign and the Republican National Committee want to intervene in a lawsuit by the American Federation of Teachers challenging New Hampshire’s voting procedures during the coronavirus pandemic. New Hampshire Public Radio reports the union sued to force the state to extend its deadline for accepting absentee ballots by mail; to cover absentee ballot postage costs; to allow wider use of absentee ballot drop boxes; and to permit third-party groups to return absentee ballots on voters’ behalf. Similar lawsuits have been filed in other states. The lawsuit is focused on the November election. The AFT says the changes are necessary to ensure as many people as possible can safely participate. State officials say changing the rules now would only create more problems.
New Jersey
Brick: Tape measures will join tapas as social distancing becomes essential to the ambiance at New Jersey restaurants preparing for the limited resumption of indoor dining. Gov. Phil Murphy gave the go-ahead Monday for indoor dining not to exceed 25% of capacity. It has touched off a mad scramble to dig wine bottles of out storage, try to hire new servers in a week when many young people have already gone back to school, measure 6 feet between tables, and figure out how many tables can be used without running afoul of state guidelines. It also poses a more fundamental dilemma: trying to guess how much food and staffing will be needed when no one knows for sure what demand will be. The state is beating its big-city neighbors to reopening indoor dining. Philadelphia is planning a return to indoor dining Sept. 8, also with restrictions like New Jersey. New York City hasn’t reopened indoor dining yet.
New Mexico
Santa Fe: The Santa Fe area emerged as a major beneficiary of federal relief funds for local government, as the state assigned nearly $100 million to communities to offset spending on the pandemic response. The city was awarded $17.6 million in possible reimbursements, and Santa Fe County can receive up to $10.5 million – accounting together for 28% of direct grant awards announced Tuesday. McKinley County, which has the state’s highest tally of COVID-19 infections per capita, received an outsized direct grant award of $16.1 million. “Every applicant received funding. No one gets left behind,” New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a news release that listed 83 recipients. New Mexico’s largest city and county – Albuquerque and surrounding Bernalillo County – previously received direct relief funds from the federal government and were not included.
New York
New York: Gyms in the city were permitted to start reopening Wednesday with a slew of virus-related restrictions, the latest step New York City is taking in a phased reopening after being the U.S. epicenter of the pandemic earlier this year. Gym members will need to wear a mask at all times and stay 6 feet apart, and gyms can only operate at one-third capacity. Group fitness classes are still not permitted. Gyms in other parts of the state were allowed to open at restricted capacity starting Aug. 24, but New York City officials delayed the reopening until Sept. 2 so that the health department could conduct safety inspections by video. Gov. Andrew Cuomo closed gyms statewide in March. City parks have been full of outdoor exercisers during the lockdown, and some gym owners have brought weight machines and exercise bikes out onto sidewalks for al fresco workouts.
North Carolina
Raleigh: At least 3,000 college students in the state have tested positive for the coronavirus since campuses reopened last month for in-person classes, with an overwhelming number of cases coming from just three campuses, an Associated Press analysis shows. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has seen 895 students test positive for the virus since classes began Aug. 10, while North Carolina State University has reported 788 cases among students over the same time period. East Carolina University, which started classes Aug. 10, has had 756 students test positive since Aug. 9. The 13 remaining public colleges within the University of North Carolina System and the group of 36 independent universities in the state have reported about 550 cases, combined.
North Dakota
Bismarck: The state’s longest-serving Supreme Court justice is back in the hospital after he was released to another facility for rehabilitation following treatment for the coronavirus. Justice Gerald VandeWalle, 87, who was released from Sanford Health Bismarck’s COVID-19 unit over a week ago, was readmitted this week following a chest X-ray, the Bismarck Tribune reports. “There was a little clot in my lung, and I think that was troublesome to them, and I’m short of breath, and that’s it, but that’s a lot,” VandeWalle said by phone Friday from his room. VandeWalle said earlier that he isn’t sure how he contracted COVID-19. He had been working from the state Capitol amid the pandemic and has worn a mask and gloves while shopping. VandeWalle, who has been on the court for 42 years, served as chief justice from 1993 through 2019.
Ohio
Cincinnati: The 2020 Cincinnati Pride parade and festival has been canceled. The annual festivities had been rescheduled for Oct. 3 amid growing concerns surrounding COVID-19. Cincinnati Pride announced Wednesday that, “given the constant threat of COVID-19, it is not in the best interest of the community in which we serve to have such a large event that places tens of thousands of attendees at such high risk for spreading this potentially deadly virus.” The event usually takes place in June during Pride Month. Plans for the 2021 Cincinnati Pride Festival will begin in a few months, and the celebration is scheduled for June 26, 2021. “Pride is more than just a festival or a parade,” the group said in a statement. “It is more than just one day per year. Pride is a constant state of mind, one that we should all be able to embrace every day.”
Oklahoma
Oklahoma City: A mask mandate in the city is being extended by six weeks in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The City Council on Tuesday extended the requirement that those 11 years old and up wear masks while indoors in public places from Sept. 8 until Oct. 20. Among the exempt are those who work in offices with no face-to-face interactions, diners while eating and drinking, those engaged in sports or cardio exercise, and those who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. Oklahoma City had a reported 11,222 total virus cases as of Tuesday, the highest among cities in the state, according to the Oklahoma State Department of Health. A mask ordinance in Tulsa, which had the second-most reported cases at 9,124, is to expire Nov. 30. Gov. Kevin Stitt said Tuesday that he will not issue a statewide mask mandate.
Oregon
Salem: The state has recorded 22 deaths involving boats this year, the most since 1993 and nearing the record of 25. August was a particularly bad month, with eight fatal accidents; the most recent came last weekend when a man charged with boating under the influence slammed into a 13-year-old swimmer at Henry Hagg Lake. The numbers include both motorized and non-motorized boats, such as kayaks, but don’t include fatal accidents using inner tubes or swimming, though both are also higher than normal this summer, said Randy Henry, boating safety program manager for the Oregon State Marine Board. The spike is another result of the record number of people outdoors in a summer when COVID-19 has limited most other options. It has also meant more first-time boaters, Henry said, and a lot of inexperience on the water. “It’s partly the law of large numbers,” Henry said. “Lots of participation this year, which also means lots of novices.”
Pennsylvania
Harrisburg: Gov. Tom Wolf announced Tuesday that he has renewed a 90-day disaster declaration, now for a second time, after he originally signed it in early March following the confirmation of the first positive cases of the coronavirus in Pennsylvania. The original declaration was set to expire Tuesday, and the new declaration will last through late November, unless Wolf decides to end it. Under state law, an emergency disaster declaration gives governors the authority to issue or rescind executive orders and regulations, access stockpiles of emergency supplies and equipment, and suspend laws or regulations that govern state agencies. Executive orders have the force of law, under emergency disaster law. As part of it, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency has been able to assign missions to the National Guard, and it could in the future allow PEMA to rapidly deploy a vaccine, Wolf’s office said.
Rhode Island
Providence: The state is setting up a rigorous coronavirus testing system for schools to quickly identify and stamp out possible outbreaks, Gov. Gina Raimondo said Tuesday. The dedicated testing system is for teachers, staff and students at both public and private schools, the Democratic governor said at a news conference, a day after announcing that most public school districts in the state had been cleared for in-person learning starting Sept. 14. The school testing system will be able to run 5,000 tests per day, on top of the state’s existing testing capacity. If a student or school staffer feels sick with coronavirus symptoms – either at home or in school – they can schedule a test through a hotline that has not yet been set up. People who fall ill while in school will be required to go to a dedicated isolation area that every school is required to have until they get taken home, Raimondo said.
South Carolina
Columbia: After nearly six months of isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, people can visit relatives and friends in nursing homes and residential care facilities, but there will be no hugs and kisses, and they will have to meet outside. Gov. Henry McMaster announced new guidelines for visitation Tuesday that require guests to give full contact information and pass a temperature check. The rules also require no COVID-19 cases in staff or residents in the past two weeks. “As expected, the months of separation and isolation have caused loneliness, depression, stress, anxiety among the residents. I worry about them, like you do, every day,” said McMaster, adding he has read dozens of letters and had hundreds of conversations with heartbroken families. Visitation was halted almost immediately after the first COVID-19 cases showed up in the state in mid-March.
South Dakota
Sioux Falls: A Minnesota man who attended the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota last month has died from COVID-19, health officials reported Wednesday. The death is the first reported from the biker rally that drew hundreds of thousands of people. Infections linked to the event have been reported from coast to coast. The rally went forward despite fears it could become a superspreader event, with Gov. Kristi Noem welcoming bikers and the tourist dollars they spend. Rallygoers crowded into bars and rock shows, mostly ignoring social distancing recommendations. Few wore masks. For 10 days in August, the rally created a travel hub comparable to a major U.S. city, according to an analysis of anonymous cellphone data from Camber Systems, a firm that aggregates cellphone activity for health researchers. South Dakota has seen the bulk of cases tied to the rally, with the Department of Health reporting 105 tied to the event.
Tennessee
Chattanooga: Hamilton County is suing a business that it says isn’t complying with a mask mandate put into place due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Hamilton County Health Department filed suit against Ed’s Supply Company in Chattanooga alleging that employees and customers were not wearing masks or social distancing despite multiple warnings, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reports. The complaint asks a judge to order the business to close if it doesn’t comply with the mandate. The company’s lawyer, Sam Sanders, declined to comment to the newspaper. The lawsuit was filed Aug. 28 and says workers at the business voiced a belief that masks were ineffective and cited “their installation and use of UV ultraviolet light systems within their facility’s air conditioning system to assist with disinfection” against COVID-19.
Texas
Austin: At least 4,116 newly confirmed coronavirus cases were reported Tuesday, an increase of 1,742 from the day prior, the Texas Department of State Health Services said. The state reported 59 fewer COVID-19 hospitalizations, however, with 4,144 for Tuesday. The new cases brought the total for the six-month outbreak to at least 617,333, with an estimated 89,791 cases now active. The 145 deaths reported Tuesday brought the Texas death toll for the outbreak to 12,681. Meanwhile, the rolling seven-day average rate of positive test results for the virus that that causes COVID-19 fell dramatically to 10.13% as of Monday, the most recent day available. The Sunday average was 11.96%, a sharp drop from 24.5% reported Aug. 11. The seven-day average of tests administered was 46,600 as of Monday, an increase from 40,300 as of Sunday but still down sharply from 63,900 as of Aug. 18, the Department of State Health Services reported.
Utah
Salt Lake City: Two schools have halted in-person classes and shifted to online learning because of coronavirus outbreaks during the first weeks of the school year. The American Preparatory Academy charter school closed its elementary campus in Draper on Tuesday after 15 students and staffers tested positive for COVID-19, executive director Carolyn Sharette told The Salt Lake Tribune. “We’re just pivoting,” Sharette said. “I assume this will happen at all schools eventually.” That followed Alpine School District’s announcement Monday that it was closing Pleasant Grove High School near Orem for two days. District spokeswoman Kimberly Bird declined to say how many infections occurred at that high school, the Tribune reports. She said that across the district, the largest in the state, 67 cases had been detected throughout its 91 schools, including 41 students and 26 faculty members.
Vermont
Brattleboro: Hand-sanitizing stations with art and music are welcoming patrons into some local businesses and reminding people to take public health precautions during the pandemic. The Handy Stations are part of Open Artful Streets, an initiative of the Human Connection Project and Brattleboro Housing Opportunities. The Brattleboro Reformer reports the Downtown Brattleboro Alliance is also participating in the pilot project, which received seed money from the Arts Council of Windham County. The hope is that other communities will begin using them as well. The first prototype, made of plywood, went in front of The Void on Main Street in June. It featured a button on a skateboard that triggered a jingle lasting 20 seconds, or as long as someone should allow hand sanitizer to dry. Erin Maile O’Keefe, of the Brattleboro Rotary Club, said the hand sanitizer comes from Saxtons River Distillery of Brattleboro.
Virginia
Harrisonburg: James Madison University, in the Shenandoah Valley, will transition at least temporarily to primarily online instruction after experiencing a “rapid increase” in cases of COVID-19 among students, the school’s president announced Tuesday night. A letter from JMU President Jonathan Alger said in-person classes will shift online no later than Monday, by which time residential students will be asked to return home unless they seek an exemption to stay. University officials will notify the campus community by Sept. 25 about whether in-person instruction will resume on or after Oct. 5, according to the letter. JMU, a public university, has about 20,000 undergraduate students and has reported 513 active cases of COVID-19 on an online dashboard. “Decisions about refunds have not yet been made, but we will communicate with students and families as soon as possible on that topic,” Alger wrote in his letter.
Washington
Pullman: The number of people testing positive for the coronavirus continues to grow rapidly in Whitman County, and various government agencies are working to slow the spread. A team from the Washington National Guard was headed to Pullman on Wednesday to set up a COVID-19 testing operation, county Director of Public Health Troy Henderson said. Meanwhile, police in Pullman continue to issue tickets to people gathering in violation of laws intended to curb spread of the virus. Henderson said a 25-member team from the National Guard was most recently helping with testing in Yakima. Washington State University spokesman Phil Weiler said the National Guard was hoping to set up its testing site in an area known as “apartment land,” where many WSU students live near campus. Adjusted for population size, Pullman has one of the nation’s fastest-growing outbreaks, according to a New York Times data dashboard.
West Virginia
Charleston: Education leaders in two counties rejected an offer Monday by Gov. Jim Justice to resume fall sports competitions if athletic teams test negative for the coronavirus. Justice had suggested the compromise to Fayette, Logan and Kanawha counties, whose schools were allowed to hold team practices but cannot play games due to their status on a color-coded county map. Under the governor’s one-time plan, if a team’s athletes and coaches all test negative, they would be cleared to compete. It also applied to high school bands and cheerleading squads in the three counties. Justice made the announcement shortly after he arrived at the state Capitol as a group of parents and students protested outside, repeatedly shouting “let us play!” Justice, a longtime high school girls basketball coach, said he understands the desire and the commitment of teams to get back onto the field but has “to protect the public health across this state.”
Wisconsin
Milwaukee: The city’s health commissioner has resigned as the city and county continue to battle the coronavirus pandemic. Jeanette Kowalik will join national policy, research and advocacy group Trust for America’s Health as director of policy development. “As much as I love my hometown, I believe that I am limited due to factors that are out of my control,” Kowalik said in a city Health Department news release, mentioning “access to testing, promotion of masks/face coverings, gathering limits, orders, messaging and outreach for communities of color, and various threats to Health Officers.” Under her leadership, Milwaukee declared racism a public health crisis in 2019, and the city and county were among the first in the nation to publicly report data on the race and ethnicity of COVID-19 patients. “We discovered that racism was playing out through the pandemic, which led to a shift in our strategy,” Kowalik said in the release.
Wyoming
Casper: Coronavirus infections from off-campus gatherings at the University of Wyoming have led the school to quarantine dozens of students. Seven students have confirmed cases of the coronavirus as a result of those gatherings, while 47 are being quarantined, officials said. If five or more students and employees test positive for the virus in a single day, the university will pause its phased return to in-person instruction, the Casper Star-Tribune reports. Three positive tests were reported Tuesday, while four were reported Monday. The university began classes Aug. 24 exclusively online. Some on-campus learning started Monday. The school hopes to have full in-person instruction by Sept. 28. The students involved could face punishment from the university. Those who hosted or attended will be put on interim suspension. All involved students will be referred to the Dean of Students Office for investigation.
From USA TODAY Network and wire reports