HIGHLIGHT: KENTUCKY

Frankfort: Gov. Andy Beshear watched teachers get vaccinated against COVID- 19 on Friday and later headlined a memorial ceremony for the thousands of Kentuckians who have died. The dual events reflected the hope of ultimately defeating the coronavirus and the losses the pandemic has inflicted, killing more than 3,300 Kentuckians, he said. American flags representing the victims were planted outside the Capitol. “The light at the end of this dark tunnel grows ever closer as we walk toward it,” Beshear said. “But this commemoration shows that we remain in a very dangerous and still a very dark time, with the pace of COVID- 19’ s destruction at one of its highest points in the entire pandemic.”

USA TODAY NETWORK Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear speaks during a ceremony Friday in Frankfort, Ky., remembering the lives of Kentuckians lost to COVID- 19.