HIGHLIGHT: SOUTH CAROLINA
Columbia: Gov. Henry McMaster and his wife donated plasma Friday to help patients who have COVID-19 recover more quickly from the disease. McMaster and the first lady contracted COVID-19 in December, and doctors encourage people who recover to donate the blood product. “We were lucky – I had a light case, I guess,” McMaster said Friday outside the Red Cross Columbia headquarters. “They need plasma, so we’re here.” McMaster was inside for almost two hours. The 73-year-old Republican had to pass a health screening and then spend almost an hour with a needle in his arm. His plasma could help up to four patients.
ALABAMA Auburn: Auburn University is fully resuming on-campus operations that were disrupted last year. All optional remote instruction ended Sunday, and most employees who have been working on a virtual basis will return to campus Monday, the Opelika-Auburn News reports.
ALASKA Anchorage: A home for older adults has reopened its doors to family members and others eager to see the residents after a lockdown of 11 months. Anchorage Pioneer Home welcomed back visitors Wednesday.
ARIZONA Phoenix: All five Democratic members of the state’s U.S. House delegation want Republican Gov. Doug Ducey to explain how his use of nearly $400 million in federal pandemic relief funds met Congress’ intent. Ducey used more than 20% of the $1.86 billion the state received last spring to backfill agency budgets, contributing to a major surplus that Ducey now wants to use to cut income taxes by $600 million a year.
ARKANSAS Little Rock: There were 58 fewer people hospitalized with COVID-19 across the state Saturday, continuing a recent decline, according to the Arkansas Department of Health. The numbers of deaths and cases have also declined in the past two weeks, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
CALIFORNIA Pasadena: A man who was refused service because he was not wearing a mask came back with a gun and robbed the eatery of chicken and waffles last week. No one was hurt, and the man got away. “He comes straight toward me with a gun, pointing at me and saying put all the chicken in the bag,” Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles cook Robert Gonzalez told KABC-TV.
COLORADO Denver: The state is now using an updated COVID-19 dial that allows counties to move between public health restriction levels more swiftly, officials said. The new dial uses seven-day metrics – from the previously used 14-day metrics – accounting for virus spread, percent positivity and hospitalizations.
CONNECTICUT Hartford: Officials announced Friday that they are expanding the state’s COVID-19 vaccine appointment hotline to 12 hours a day, seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The number is 877-9182224. Currently, the state is focused on residents 75 and older.
DELAWARE Dover: Despite the disproportionate number of COVID-19 deaths in long-term care facilities, many workers at the state veterans home are refusing to get the vaccine. Officials have held two vaccination events at the Delaware Veterans Home in Milford, but only about 60% of staff have received at least one dose, compared with 98% of residents who have received both doses.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washington: The Biden administration is set to distribute more COVID-19 vaccines to major retail pharmacies this week, but none of those pharmacies in D.C. will receive doses in the first phase of the program, WUSA-TV reports.
FLORIDA Longwood: A police officer has been fired following a co-worker’s complaint that he mocked her concerns about the coronavirus, hugged her against her wishes and misled investigators who probed the allegations against him, records show.
GEORGIA Carrollton: Judges in Carroll and Coweta counties are refusing to acknowledge a federal order to protect most tenants from eviction amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
HAWAII Honolulu: The number of properties listed as short-term vacation rentals across Hawaii has fallen by as much as half compared with last year, likely a result of pandemicrelated restrictions on the industry.
IDAHO Boise: A girls’ basketball tournament triggered legislation introduced Friday targeting gathering-size limits instituted because of the pandemic. The House State Affairs Committee approved a measure after the Idaho High School Activities Association on Thursday rejected a request from the committee’s chairman to allow more fans at the girls’ state basketball tournament this month.
ILLINOIS Springfield: Public health officials said they will divert unused COVID-19 vaccine doses intended for the state’s long-term care facility residents to the supply for other prioritized recipients.
INDIANA Indianapolis: Legislators are poised to finalize a fast-tracked proposal that will give a broad shield protecting businesses and others from lawsuits by those who contract COVID-19. The proposal is a top priority of Republican legislative leaders and Gov. Eric Holcomb even though supporters don’t point to any such lawsuits in the state.
IOWA Des Moines: Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Friday that she was ending most restrictions aimed at slowing the coronavirus’ spread, including mask requirements.
KANSAS Topeka: Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s administration plans to begin giving COVID-19 vaccinations to prison inmates this week, ignoring a call from the Republicancontrolled Legislature to postpone their inoculations.
KENTUCKY Frankfort: A Republican-led legislative panel dismissed two petitions Friday calling for Gov. Andy Beshear’s impeachment but kept alive another effort by citizens seeking the Democrat’s ouster for his restrictions to combat COVID-19.
LOUISIANA New Orleans: The city’s bars will be shut down, even for takeout service, throughout next week’s Mardi Gras weekend – usually among their busiest times of the year – in an attempt to slow the spread of coronavirus, Mayor LaToya Cantrell said Friday.
MAINE Auburn: The day after Androscoggin County commissioners considered a resolution against mask-wearing mandates, the sheriff said he and his staffers won’t attend future meetings in person because of the risk of contracting COVID-19, the Sun Journal reports.
MARYLAND Annapolis: The state Senate approved about $1.5 billion in pandemic relief Friday, including direct stimulus payments to lowand moderate-income residents.
MASSACHUSETTS Boston: The state launched a hotline Friday to help those 75 and up who are trying to schedule COVID-19 vaccination appointments but having trouble navigating the state’s vaccine website. Those 75 and older can connect with an operator by dialing 2-1-1 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday. Operators won’t have special access to appointments but will walk individuals through the state website, Gov. Charlie Baker said.
MICHIGAN Lansing: Health officials said Friday that the state has capacity to vaccinate up to 80,000 people a day, but the supply of COVID-19 vaccine doses, while higher in recent weeks, remains limited. They also said their goal is to ensure no one has to travel more than 20 minutes for the vaccine and that each of nine health care regions has at least one 24/7 mass vaccination site.
MINNESOTA Minneapolis: Food shelves saw a big jump in need in 2020 amid the pandemic, according to an annual report released Friday. Hunger Solutions Minnesota, which collects data from 350 food shelves across the state, said they saw a record 3.8 million visits in 2020, up 7% from the year before, led by a 31% jump in visits by older people.
MISSISSIPPI Natchez: People who can do their jobs remotely could receive $6,000 to move to the city and Adams County under a program designed to attract workers at a time when the pandemic is spurring more online work opportunities.
MISSOURI Jefferson City: A consulting firm is helping the state identify “vaccine deserts” to try to make the rollout of COVID-19 immunizations as equitable as possible, with attention now focused on areas within the two largest cities.
MONTANA Bozeman: Wildlife officials have approved new restrictions limiting the transportation of deer, elk and moose carcasses statewide to help prevent further spread of chronic wasting disease.
NEBRASKA Lincoln: People trying to cure their coronavirus cabin fever last year looked to Nebraska’s outdoors in record numbers. The state Game and Parks Commission sold nearly 144,000 annual park permits in 2020 – the most since 2000. It also saw major gains for fishing and hunting licenses and entry fees.
NEVADA Carson City: In one of just six states where a majority of the population is nonwhite, a disproportionate number of COVID-19 vaccine doses have gone to white residents. The disparities in countylevel data prompted Gov. Steve Sisolak to rebuke local health officials Friday and announce a plan to ensure equity in vaccine distribution.
NEW HAMPSHIRE Durham: The University of New Hampshire has canceled overseas programs for this summer and fall, citing uncertainty about the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, the emergence of new coronavirus variants and restrictions on travel.
NEW JERSEY Trenton: Gov. Phil Murphy on Friday signed into law a bill aimed at extending a permit deadline letting bars and restaurants serve alcohol outdoors as part of the state’s response to COVID-19.
NEW MEXICO Santa Fe: The state on Saturday reported 424 additional COVID-19 cases and eight deaths as the outbreak continued to slow.
NEW YORK Albany: The governor announced Friday that the state will open up vaccine eligibility by Feb. 15 for people with a wide range of certain health conditions – from obesity to hypertension, cancer and intellectual and developmental disabilities – that put them at high risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
NORTH CAROLINA Raleigh: A large group of activists turned out for an annual demonstration to push for causes ranging from racial equity and justice to a $15 minimum wage. The annual Moral March and HKonJ looked different this year amid the pandemic. Instead of hundreds of people marching in the streets, the activists formed a motorcade.
NORTH DAKOTA Bismarck: The state Senate has passed a bill that allows alcohol to be sold earlier on Sundays. Republican Sen. Scott Meyer, of Grand Forks, said he proposed the legislation to help the service industry, which has been dealing with restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic.
OHIO Columbus: Public school enrollment dropped significantly in autumn as widespread use of remote learning led some families to consider other options and as some students disappeared from schooling altogether, state data shows. For pre-K through 12th grade, enrollment decreased by about 53,000 students, or about 3%, from a year earlier.
OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City: Health officials reported Sunday that the state has seen more than 2,000 new COVID-19 cases and 52 more deaths linked to the disease.
OREGON Portland: State health officials say they are expecting chaos this week, when about 167,000 people who are 80 or older will become eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. In preparation for the drastic increase of eligible people, Gov. Kate Brown announced Friday that 30 additional National Guard members will be deployed to help field calls and texts from seniors signing up and seeking information on vaccinations.
PENNSYLVANIA Harrisburg: A divided state House on Friday gave lawmakers’ final OK to put on the May ballot a constitutional amendment limiting governors’ powers during a disaster emergency.
RHODE ISLAND Providence: Coronavirus testing at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center ended Friday, and the downtown sports arena will eventually be converted into a mass vaccination site, a state health official said.
SOUTH DAKOTA Sioux Falls: State health officials on Sunday reported five new deaths linked to COVID-19, lifting the total number of fatalities to 1,809 since the pandemic began.
TENNESSEE Nashville: As the state slowly begins to loosen restrictions on who can get the COVID-19 vaccine, Nashville on Friday had the strictest eligibility to receive the dose in all of Tennessee. Last week the Department of Health announced people 70 and older may start receiving doses. But Davidson County – which encompasses Nashville – has held off, limiting vaccine distribution to frontline workers and those 75 and older.
TEXAS Dallas: The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 across the state fell again Sunday after dipping below 10,000 for the first time since December on Saturday.
UTAH St. George: Two Smith’s Food & Drug locations in St. George and one in Cedar City will offer free COVID-19 vaccines to seniors 70 and older starting Thursday.
VERMONT Montpelier: The state is letting school and recreational youth sports teams start playing games again Friday, but spectators won’t be allowed, officials announced.
VIRGINIA Richmond: Gov. Ralph Northam said Friday that all schools in the state should make in-person instruction available at least as an option next month, noting the pandemic’s steep toll on children and families. Northam said all K-12 school divisions should make the option available by March 15.
WASHINGTON Seattle: Two grocery industry trade groups have filed a lawsuit against the city over its new law mandating $4-an-hour hazard pay raises for grocery workers during a declared civil emergency.
WEST VIRGINIA Charleston: Less than two months into the state’s vaccination drive, Dr. Clay Marsh, a high-ranking West Virginia University health official, said there has already been a 40% to 45% reduction in deaths linked to COVID-19 from December to January, and hospitalizations are down more than 50%.
WISCONSIN Madison: Gov. Tony Evers vetoed the first bill passed by the Legislature to address the coronavirus pandemic in 10 months Friday – a Republican-backed measure that Democrats said would do nothing to combat the virus or help reopen the state.
WYOMING Casper: More people born in the city are moving back home to raise their families as the COVID-19 pandemic makes it possible for those with office jobs to work from anywhere. Casper, where the economy is heavily reliant on oil and other bluecollar industries but where real estate prices are low, may benefit from this influx of diverse labor, the Casper Star-Tribune reports.