50 ★ States
ALABAMA Montgomery: Gov. Kay Ivey extended a state order requiring face coverings in public for another month and expanded it to include students in grade 2 and above in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19 as schools reopen.
ALASKA Juneau: Nonresident travelers to Alaska will need to show they tested negative for COVID-19 shortly before arriving as part of an effort aimed at minimizing cases and preserving testing supplies and protective gear, Gov. Mike Dunleavy said.
ARIZONA Phoenix: Navajo Nation leaders will continue discussions about proposed expenditure plans for the tribe's remaining federal COVID-19 aid, which could include allocating more than $20 million to its four casinos following mass layoffs.
ARKANSAS Little Rock: Gov. Asa Hutchinson said he wants to hear “dissenting voices” after the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported the state’s interim health secretary in June voiced concerns about the consequences of further lifting restrictions that had been placed on businesses because of the coronavirus.
CALIFORNIA Santa Ana: Education officials in Orange County are planning to sue Gov. Gavin Newsom and state health officials over rules barring most schools from reopening classrooms when the academic year starts because of the pandemic.
COLORADO Denver: A rodeo and concert ended without official intervention after the landowner learned of the event’s unexpectedly large size, a police official said. The event held in Weld County was criticized for its large crowds heeding little-to-no virus safety measures, The Denver Post reported.
CONNECTICUT Waterbury: Former Waterbury Mayor Philip A. Giordano, who is serving a 37-year sentence in a South Carolina prison for child sexual abuse, is asking to be released early because of the health risks he faces from the COVID-19 pandemic.
DELAWARE Wilmington: Delaware’s beach towns are open to the public, but government and public health officials warn that everyone’s help is needed to curb the spread of COVID-19.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washington: D.C. Public Schools will move to virtual and distancing learning for the start of the 2020-21 academic year from Aug. 31 to Nov. 6, Mayor Muriel Bowser said Thursday, WUSATV reported.
FLORIDA West Palm Beach: Child care assistance is available for children of first responders and other essential workers affected by the coronavirus pandemic – but time to apply is running out. The deadline to sign up for an Early Learning Coalition of Palm Beach County scholarship is Friday, the agency said.
GEORGIA Statesboro: Tuition at Georgia Southern University will not change this fall if a student’s undergraduate course moves online, the university announced in an email sent to students Wednesday.
HAWAII Honolulu: Hawaii was listed among 12 countries and regions the Japanese government considers safe international travel destinations for its citizens during the pandemic.
IDAHO Boise: Lawmakers on Thursday voted for proposed legislation creating a liability shield for protection against lawsuits during declared emergencies such as the coronavirus pandemic, and are asking Republican Gov. Brad Little to call the Legislature back into session to pass it.
ILLINOIS Peoria: A dozen Bradley University students, including some who attended a social gathering after leading freshmen orientation programs this month, have tested positive for COVID-19, the school said.
INDIANA Indianapolis: Indiana will keep its coronavirus restrictions in place for at least most of August, with Gov. Eric Holcomb choosing to encourage compliance with safety measures amid continued concerns about recent growth in the state’s COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
IOWA Des Moines: A person who played in a league July 22 at the Greater Des Moines Softball Complex has tested positive for COVID-19, according to a news release. The infected person played in the 7:30 p.m. league, the release said.
KANSAS Lawrence: The Kansas State High School Activities Association is allowing all fall high school sport competitions in Kansas to move forward as scheduled despite the coronavirus pandemic.
KENTUCKY Louisville: The Old Lou Brew Craft Beer Festival planned for Aug. 29 has been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. The event will next be held in 2021.
LOUISIANA Baton Rouge: Eleven Louisiana bar owners filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Gov. John Bel Edwards, arguing his coronavirus rules limiting bars to takeout and delivery unlawfully target one business sector and impose overly harsh restrictions.
MAINE Eastport: A cruise ship that tied up in Eastport during the coronavirus pandemic is ready to set sail. The Oceania Riviera will depart this weekend for Europe. The 785foot ship arrived in Eastport on June 14 with no passengers and has been waiting for the green light for cruise ships to resume operations.
MARYLAND Annapolis: Gov. Larry Hogan issued a travel advisory urging residents to avoid visiting some states with rapidly increasing cases of coronavirus and expanded mask-wearing requirements. Anyone older than age 5 will be required to wear a face covering starting at 5 p.m. Friday in all indoor public areas of businesses and buildings, including churches, offices and restaurants.
MASSACHUSETTS Andover: An executive at a Massachusetts facility helping create a potential vaccine for the coronavirus said Thursday that the company hopes to have the treatment ready by the end of the year.
MICHIGAN Lansing: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer tightened pandemic restrictions in northern Michigan while letting Detroit’s three casinos reopen at limited capacity after four-plus months of being closed to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
MINNESOTA Minneapolis: Mayor Jacob Frey ordered that indoor bar areas be closed in the state’s largest city as coronavirus cases have surged among young adults.
MISSISSIPPI Jackson: School districts have just days to submit for this academic year to the state, but as the deadline nears and new cases of the coronavirus continue to rise, those plans keep changing.
MISSOURI Springfield: With coronavirus cases surging, several St. Louis-area school districts have decided to start the school year with online-only learning, while the state’s largest school district is limiting the number of days each student will attend in-person.
MONTANA Helena: The Montana Department of Commerce’s Office of Tourism and Business Development has launched a campaign to promote coronavirus-related safety precautions among travelers in the state.
NEBRASKA Lincoln: Nebraska’s meatpacking plants won’t have to worry about any new safety restrictions this year, despite outbreaks of the coronavirus among their workers, after a state lawmaker on Wednesday could not secure enough support for the idea.
NEVADA Las Vegas: State casino regulators are seeking fines against two casinos and a bowling alley in rural Nevada, alleging that employees and patrons failed to comply with requirements including a mandate for people to wear face coverings to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
NEW HAMPSHIRE Manchester:
Faced with an empty minor-league baseball stadium for the summer, the New Hampshire Fisher Cats are seeking $1 million to pay their bills during the coronavirus pandemic.
NEW JERSEY Trenton: New Jersey’s Labor Department said unemployment claims jumped nearly 9% last week from the previous week. New Jersey’s job market, like the country’s, is feeling effects from the virus outbreak with more than 28,000 people seeking jobless benefits last week, up from nearly 26,000.
NEW MEXICO Las Cruces: TriCore Reference Laboratories is establishing a branch lab on New Mexico State University’s campus to boost clinical laboratory testing capacity for the novel coronavirus in southern New Mexico. The New Mexico Department of Health will provide the university with funding to support the lab, according to a news release from the university.
NORTH CAROLINA Raleigh: Vice President Mike Pence traveled to Raleigh on Wednesday in a push to encourage more K-12 schools to reopen with entirely in-person instruction. Air Force Two landed around noon Wednesday at RaleighDurham International Airport ahead of planned stops at a private school and a company working on coronavirus vaccine trials.
NORTH DAKOTA Bismarck: The pronounced rise of confirmed coronavirus infections around North Dakota’s capital city likely stems from multiple Fourth of July gatherings and citizens’ failure to take precautions to minimize the risk of spreading the disease, a local health official said Wednesday.
OHIO Columbus: The Ohio pharmacy board reversed course Thursday and tossed out a rule that would have prohibited use of a malaria drug for patients with COVID-19. The decision followed public feedback and a request by Gov. Mike DeWine to ditch the rule. At issue was the prescribing of the drug hydroxychloroquine, whose effectiveness for the coronavirus has been widely questioned.
OKLAHOMA Macomb: To ensure Macomb Public Schools provide the best instruction and safety measures against COVID-19, the district has decided to push the first day of school to Aug. 19.
OREGON Silverton: The annual summertime festivals in Silverton might have been canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but not the Davenport International Cartoon Contest. Entries must be original and unpublished, and the entry fee is $25 per cartoon. The deadline to enter is 5 p.m Friday. Cash prizes are $750 for grand prize, $500 for first, $300 for second and $200 for third.
PENNSYLVANIA Harrisburg: Pennsylvania bar and restaurant owners said they have been unfairly blamed for rising virus case numbers, challenging the administration of Gov. Tom Wolf to provide evidence and criticizing the Democratic governor over pandemic restrictions they said will drive many of them out of business.
RHODE ISLAND Providence: Lt. Gov. Dan McKee is urging owners of small businesses struggling because of the coronavirus pandemic to apply for a grant to help them recover.
SOUTH CAROLINA Greenville: State health officials said that a child under the age of 5 died of COVID-19 in Greenville County earlier last month, marking the state's second pediatric coronavirus death reported in July.
SOUTH DAKOTA Sioux Falls: Top South Dakota Republican lawmakers said they would rather wait until the legislative session in January to decide how to use most of the federal coronavirus aid the state has received.
TENNESSEE Nashville: The state Supreme Court heard oral arguments Thursday over whether to keep absentee voting open to all eligible voters for the November election because of the coronavirus pandemic.
TEXAS Austin: U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Tyler, said he will take hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19, a day after testing positive for the virus at the White House. “My doctor and I are all in,” he told Sean Hannity on Wednesday night on Fox News, adding that he will start the regimen in the “next day or two.”
UTAH St. George: The Washington County School Board voted unanimously to enact the official plan for students to return to school, just as Utah's largest union of teachers announced opposition to reopening on the regular schedule this fall.
VERMONT Burlington: The state reported its first new death from the coronavirus in 43 days on Thursday, bringing the state’s total number of deaths since the pandemic began to 57. “We have been uniquely fortunate to have been spared such a loss for many weeks,” said Vermont Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine.
VIRGINIA Williamsburg: Busch Gardens Williamsburg said it plans to reopen in early August. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported Wednesday that the park’s parent company did not provide details on when the reopening would be.
WASHINGTON Olympia: As a $600 weekly bonus to those seeking unemployment benefits in Washington expired, the state saw a slight dip in new weekly claims, which remained at high levels as the coronavirus pandemic continues to affect the state’s economic recovery.
WEST VIRGINIA Huntington: Marshall University will move more fall semester courses to a remote format than originally planned because of the coronavirus pandemic. “This transition will allow us to continue to monitor the status of the pandemic in our community, further reduce density inside our classroom facilities, and preserve, as much as possible, the important on-campus experience for our freshmen,” Marshall President Jerome Gilbert said in a statement.
WISCONSIN Madison: Rural counties in northern Wisconsin that had largely been immune from the coronavirus pandemic are now seeing a surge in cases, with Iron County now having the state’s highest rate of active confirmed COVID-19 infections.
WYOMING Cheyenne: The coronavirus pandemic has prompted cancellation of a charity antelope hunt that has drawn teams of famous, powerful men to central Wyoming for more than 75 years and now faces growing criticism that ceremonies tied to the event crudely and inaccurately appropriate Native American culture.