50 ★ States
ALABAMA Birmingham: A $100 million program to increase internet usage among low-income Alabama families during the pandemic has gone mostly unused, and the state is sending 300,000 more vouchers in a search for additional takers. ALASKA Bethel: The state may have reached the limit of hospital space available for care of people infected with COVID-19, a health care company official said. The Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corp. recently had to keep a patient at its Bethel facility for an extra day because there were no available beds in Anchorage, KYUKAM reports.
ARIZONA Phoenix: A state lawmaker has been intubated and admitted to the intensive care unit at Johns Hopkins Hospital for COVID-19 treatment, officials announced Monday. Rep. Lorenzo Sierra, D-Avondale, was visiting family in Washington when he and his wife fell ill.
ARKANSAS Little Rock: State health officials reported another 488 cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, while the number of deaths due to the illness caused by the coronavirus rose by 18. CALIFORNIA Sacramento: Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday delayed new operating rules for theme parks that have been closed since the beginning of the pandemic as tourism industry officials warned the state was set to lose more than $78 billion in travelrelated spending this year. COLORADO Aspen: A man pleaded guilty to violating a county coronavirus health order for coughing in a woman’s face. Tom Patierno was given a six-month deferred sentence and is expected to serve six months of supervised probation, The Aspen Times reports. Patierno told police he “got in the woman’s face” March 29 and made at least a “coughing gesture” after she asked him to move over as they approached each other on the Rio Grande Trail in Aspen. CONNECTICUT Waterbury: The city’s police chief and an adviser to the mayor have tested positive for the new coronavirus, part of an uptick in COVID-19 cases within the city. DELAWARE Wilmington: Jury trials are permitted to resume as the state’s phased reopening continues. The change took effect Monday.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washing
ton: D.C. health officials have updated the list of high-risk states from which travelers will be required to quarantine for 14 days, adding New Mexico, WUSA-TV reports. GEORGIA Brunswick: Business owners say they fear the revenue impact of an alcohol ban on the weekend of the Florida-Georgia college football game in nearby Jacksonville, Florida. Glynn County commissioners on Thursday banned alcohol on the beaches of St. Simons Island on Nov. 6-7, saying they were worried in part about COVID-19 transmission. “It will definitely affect our bottom line, but sometimes you’ve got to think about more than your bottom line,” said Heather Hardman, owner of Beachcomber BBQ & Grill.
HAWAII Hilo: State contact tracers have received productive responses from only about 50% of travelers, despite spending of more than $150 million for screening and contact tracing, officials said. Mark Mugiishi, CEO of Hawaii Medical Service Association, said travelers can be reluctant to respond because of factors including mistaking contact tracing calls for scams and unwillingness to provide personal information. IDAHO Emmett: A high school football game was canceled Friday after anti-government activist Ammon Bundy refused to wear a mask or leave school grounds.
ILLINOIS Chicago: Local officials are encouraging performing arts venues to apply for financial help as the pandemic keeps many closed down. Applications for the new relief program overseen by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events opened Monday.
INDIANA Indianapolis: Schools are slowly making a dent in more than $200 million of federal aid meant to help local districts manage financial hardships spurred by the coronavirus pandemic. Since May, nearly $22 million of Indiana’s share has been issued to school districts around the state, according to data provided by the state Department of Education.
IOWA Des Moines: Gov. Kim Reynolds on Friday signed an order allowing bars to reopen Monday in Johnson and Story counties as long as they follow social-distancing rules. The counties are home to the University of Iowa and Iowa State University.
KANSAS Topeka: State education commissioner Randy Watson said schools will need to rethink the way they deliver education amid the pandemic because what is happening now is “not sustainable.” He told members of the Kansas Association of School Boards that schools may need to partner with other organizations in the community, like churches or businesses, to get enough room to space out students. KENTUCKY Frankfort: The state reported its highest-ever number of new coronavirus cases Saturday with 1,275. “It shows that we have to do better,” Gov. Andy Beshear said. LOUISIANA New Orleans: One of the sacraments of life in the Big Easy, buying a drink to go, is again on offer. City officials on Saturday allowed bars to begin selling takeout alcoholic beverages, as part of the city’s reopening from COVID-19. MAINE Portland: The state’s hospitality industry is bracing itself for a bleak winter. “I mean there’s virtually no meetings, zero, and right now they are canceling into 2021 now,” Steve Herwins, CEO of Hospitality Maine, an industry trade group, told Maine Public. MARYLAND Baltimore: The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra has implemented new ways for its musicians to rehearse and for its fans to enjoy a show amid the coronavirus pandemic. It’s introducing a new digital concert series called “BSO Sessions,” TV station WJZ reports. For the past three weeks, the orchestra has been bringing in musicians eight at a time to practice in person on stage, while following safety protocols including maskwearing, temperature checks and social distancing. MASSACHUSETTS Middleton: A virus cluster at a jail is growing, the Essex County Sheriff ’s Department said in a statement Saturday. Twenty-five inmates, 21 employees and two contractors have tested positive so far.
MICHIGAN Detroit: Buses returned to Motor City streets Monday after a three-day work stoppage by drivers over coronavirus protections and disputes with riders. Police officers will increase their presence as part of a deal between the city and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 26. Riders must continue to wear masks, and they must not cross a barrier or approach the driver. MINNESOTA Minneapolis: Three congressmen from the state are facing backlash over taking a commercial flight home from Washington, D.C., on Friday night, just two days after they shared Air Force One with President Donald Trump. U.S. Reps. Pete Stauber, Tom Emmer and Jim Hagedorn all were on the same Delta Air Lines flight despite the airline’s restrictions on passengers recently exposed to COVID-19.
MISSISSIPPI Biloxi: Delta Air Lines says it’s investigating after a Democratic campaign consultant tweeted a picture of U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker not wearing a mask on a flight. MISSOURI Jefferson City: Gov. Mike Parson said Sunday that he has been cleared to return to the office after battling the coronavirus. MONTANA Billings: State health officials said Saturday that 501 more people have tested positive for COVID-19, setting a new daily record. NEBRASKA Lincoln: The number of deaths linked to the coronavirus has topped 500 across the state, and more people – 249 – are hospitalized with the virus than ever before. NEVADA Las Vegas: Hundreds of university students will be trained and employed as contact tracers to help identify and inform people who may have been exposed to COVID-19. A $3.4 million grant from the state will pay for the 200-student program, a partnership between the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and the Southern Nevada Health District, officials said Friday. NEW HAMPSHIRE Windsor: A summer camp that stayed open during the pandemic is acting as a boarding school for 30 students. The Windsor Mountain International Summer Camp is running through Oct. 12. Students participate in virtual schooling during mornings and early afternoons before enjoying the 365-acre camp later in the day. NEW JERSEY Trenton: President Donald Trump’s fundraiser at his Bedminster golf club hours before he announced he had contracted the coronavirus was wrong and “put lives at risk,” Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday. The state is trying to keep tabs on the 206 attendees and 19 workers in an effort to thwart a potential outbreak stemming from the large gathering Thursday.
NEW MEXICO Santa Fe: A federal judge has turned down an initial request to ease pandemic-related occupancy limits for in-person instruction at private schools in the state, a setback for a lawsuit backed by the U.S. Justice Department. NEW YORK New York: Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday that he’s ordering schools in certain New York City neighborhoods closed within a day in an attempt to halt a flare-up of the coronavirus.
NORTH CAROLINA Chapel Hill: The college town’s popular Halloween celebration will not be permitted this year due to the pandemic. NORTH DAKOTA Bismarck: State health officials on Monday confirmed 12 new hospitalizations and three deaths due to complications from the coronavirus.
OHIO Cincinnati: The Ohio Department of Health reported 1,057 new cases of coronavirus in the state Monday and six new deaths. OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City: Sen. James Lankford tweeted Saturday that he has tested negative for COVID-19 but will stay quarantined after recently meeting with a Utah senator who tested positive for the illness caused by the coronavirus.
OREGON Salem: Some families and teachers want an in-person learning option for the state’s schools. Community members planned a rally for Monday at the Oregon Capitol. PENNSYLVANIA Harrisburg: The state can restore pandemic restrictions on indoor and outdoor gatherings, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday, putting on hold a judge’s ruling that threw out statewide limits on crowd size and other measures to limit the coronavirus’ spread. RHODE ISLAND Providence: Johnson & Wales University is moving to fully remote classes and telling students to stay in their dorms or off-campus apartments in an effort to control a coronavirus outbreak, the school announced Monday.
SOUTH CAROLINA Columbia: Two congressional leaders are asking the nation’s top education official to review a proposal by the governor to allocate millions of coronavirus relief dollars so that students can attend private and religious schools, a program they call “a voucher scheme.” SOUTH DAKOTA Sioux Falls: State health officials on Sunday confirmed 432 new cases of the coronavirus and a record high of 4,248 active cases. TENNESSEE Nashville: The state surpassed 200,000 reported cases of COVID-19 on Sunday. An additional 17 deaths connected to the virus were reported since Saturday.
TEXAS Austin: State health officials on Saturday reported 3,346 new coronavirus cases and 3,660 previous cases that had been unreported for a total increase of 7,006 cases.
UTAH Salt Lake City: A multimilliondollar coronavirus-testing contract the state signed with a startup company ended up costing significantly more per test because fewer people than expected took the tests, according to an audit released Wednesday. The agreement with Nomi Health was for a flat fee and didn’t have a way to scale back if the number of tests was lower than planned, the audit found. VERMONT Burlington: Elected officials are considering a resolution to allow backyard fire pits in the city in what supporters say would be a good way to physically distance and socialize during the pandemic.
VIRGINIA Danville: A sheriff has instituted a face-covering policy for workers at a local jail and issued masks to inmates amid a widening COVID-19 outbreak. A total of 49 inmates at the Danville City Jail were infected as of Saturday, Sheriff Mike Mondul told the Register & Bee. WASHINGTON Seattle: After two COVID-19 clusters in the county, a public health official said Friday that people need to remain vigilant. KINGTV reports King County is averaging 119 cases a day in the past week, up 40% from the previous week, according to Dr. Jeff Duchin, head of Public Health – Seattle & King County. WEST VIRGINIA Charleston: A teachers union on Monday filed a legal challenge to the state’s color-coded map that determines whether counties can hold in-person public school classes and athletic competitions. The West Virginia Education Association said the filing seeks to replace the school reentry map that has undergone multiple changes by Republican Gov. Jim Justice and state officials with one compiled by independent health experts.
WISCONSIN Madison: A county health official says he’s frustrated with the lack of leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and is quitting. Sauk County Health Officer Tim Lawther said the virus is being turned into “a political tool,” the Wisconsin State Journal reports. WYOMING Cheyenne: A former coal mine vice president was sentenced Friday to five years in prison almost two years after he pleaded guilty and admitted to stealing millions of dollars from his company and private investors. U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen sentenced Larry Wayne Price Jr., 40, to three years of probation after his prison sentence. Price’s attorney recommended no more than two years in prison, telling the court home confinement was a fair punishment. She said her client had lung damage from coal mine work and was at an increased risk if he contracted the coronavirus in prison.