HIGHLIGHT: NEW YORK
Albany: Nursing homes in parts of the state hit worst by this winter’s COVID-19 surge say they’re struggling to find enough staff as workers have gotten sick or needed to quarantine. About 80 nursing homes had reported nursing shortages as of early January, according to federal and state data. At The Pearl nursing home in Rochester, a core group of nurses worked double shifts for weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, said administrator Christine Schaller. “I have people who didn’t take any days off,” she said. “That’s howwe survived.” At least 40 workers there have become ill. “I have some staff members who are going to have long-term physical health problems from COVID,” Schaller said.
ALABAMA Montgomery: A lawyer for an inmate set to be executed next month is asking the state Supreme Court to delay the lethal injection because of COVID-19. The normally crowded witness rooms by the execution chamber increase the risk of spreading the coronavirus, an attorney for Willie B. Smith wrote in the petition, noting a virus cluster linked to a federal execution last month.
ALASKA Bethel: A video store that held on for years longer than most of its contemporaries has succumbed to the economic pressure of the pandemic and rolled the final credits on its 35-year story. Video World in Bethel closed Jan. 10, KYUK-AM reports.
ARIZONA Prescott: The state board that oversees nursing home administrators will consider investigating leadership at a facility that required employees to work while sick with COVID-19. Health inspectors had discovered in July that managers at Granite Creek Health and Rehabilitation Center required staffers to work despite doctors’ orders to isolate, with some struggling to breathe.
ARKANSAS Little Rock: The state Department of Health reported 1,777 new coronavirus cases and 17,686 active cases Wednesday, a drop from a week prior.
CALIFORNIA Los Angeles: Mayor Eric Garcetti made clear in December that he would wait his turn to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. But the 49year-old Democrat was quietly vaccinated last week after spending several days assisting health care workers at Dodger Stadium.
COLORADO Denver: Health officials have projected more than 4,000 lives could be saved in the state if residents keep following safety guidelines intended to reduce the spread of COVID-19 through the end of spring.
CONNECTICUT Hartford: Continued low ridership numbers on MetroNorth Railroad, especially traffic from Connecticut into New York City, are prompting state Department of Transportation officials to consider changes to commuter rail service.
DELAWARE Wilmington: Gov. John Carney’s proposed spending plan for next fiscal year includes the steps toward statewide police body cameras, funding the COVID-19 response and increases in the minimum wage.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA-Washington: The way people drink and dine in D.C. has changed significantly during the pandemic, but some of the adaptations made could be here to stay, WUSA-TV reports. Mayor Muriel Bowser proposed legislation this week that would extend the city’s “streatery” program during the summer months until 2023, create a new commercial lifestyle license that allows people to walk around and drink alcohol within predefined boundaries, and allow grocery stores in Wards 7 and 8 to sell more alcohol.
FLORIDA Tampa: Mayor Jane Castor signed an executive order Wednesday saying masks must be worn outside while downtown, in neighborhoods around Raymond James Stadium – where the Super Bowl will be held – and in other tourist hot spots.
GEORGIA Atlanta: State officials have cut off COVID-19 vaccines to a rural medical practice that disobeyed state guidelines and vaccinated teachers from Elbert County’s school system, underscoring Gov. Brian Kemp’s pledge not to let education employees cut in front of people who have been placed higher on the list to receive the vaccine.
HAWAII Honolulu: Travelers from South Korea can bypass Hawaii’s mandatory 10-day quarantine by producing a negative coronavirus test from a trusted screening partner in their home country, starting Feb. 5.
IDAHO Boise: The state’s schools chief has asked lawmakers for a 3.8% budget increase to about $2.4 billion to educate the more than 300,000 students in grades K-12. Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra told the Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on Thursday that educating students has been especially difficult because of the pandemic.
ILLINOIS Springfield: Public health officials announced 3,751 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing the state’s total since the start of the pandemic to more than 1.1 million.
INDIANA Indianapolis: A proposed bill would significantly rein in Gov. Eric Holcomb’s ability to limit private activities during a state emergency, prohibiting governors from dictating a business’ hours of operation or capacity level. It also would ban the executive branch from requiring churchgoers to socially distance or wear masks, forbid the government’s closure of private schools, and prohibit Holcomb from limiting hospitals’ operations.
IOWA Johnston: Gov. Kim Reynolds’ administration arranged coronavirus testing for employees at the suburban office of a large pork company whose owners are her top donors, underscoring allegations that her wealthy supporters have received special treatment.
KANSAS Topeka: Members of the Stormont Vail Health board and its fundraising board received COVID-19 vaccinations during the first phase of the state’s vaccination rollout, which was intended for people at greater risk for infection, hospital officials confirmed.
KENTUCKY Frankfort: One of four residents to sign a petition pushing for Gov. Andy Beshear’s impeachment over his coronavirus orders signaled Wednesday that he wants to withdraw from the proceeding, a lawmaker said. The petitioner reportedly said it had been explained to him that impeachment “is not a proper response when public officials make policy decisions with which a citizen disagrees.”
LOUISIANA New Orleans: Improving coronavirus statistics have led city officials to ease some restrictions and announce plans for students to return to classrooms, but bars will stay closed for indoor service through the Mardi Gras season, city officials said Wednesday.
MAINE Portland: The state’s effort to track racial equity in its COVID-19 vaccine distribution may be complicated by a high rate of non-responses on the data collected thus far.
MARYLAND Baltimore: Vaccination efforts for teachers and school staff are accelerating. The Baltimore Sun reports nearly half of the 10,000 Baltimore City school employees have been invited to make an appointment for a first dose this week.
MASSACHUSETTS Boston: A rift has developed between trustees for a veterans care center where nearly 80 residents died of COVID-19 and state officials over plans to replace the facility. Holyoke Soldiers’ Home trustees are pushing for a larger new facility, while state officials warned that any delay could sink the project, Masslive.com reports.
MICHIGAN Lansing: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Thursday she will not cede her authority to issue certain COVID-19 restrictions, calling Republicans’ attempt to hold back federal pandemic aid unless she changes course “cruel and reckless.”
MINNESOTA Minneapolis: Democrats in the state House teamed up with meatpacking workers Wednesday to announce legislation that aims to protect those workers amid the coronavirus pandemic.
MISSISSIPPI Jackson: Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said Thursday that four state senators are in isolation after testing positive for the coronavirus. Two of the four had already been diagnosed last week.
MISSOURI Jefferson City: Gov. Mike Parson in his State of the State speech Wednesday touted his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, even as an outbreak among lawmakers forced him to switch venues. He also repeated a call for lawmakers to pass a bill shielding businesses, hospitals and health care workers from being sued for alleged misconduct tied to the pandemic.
MONTANA Great Falls: The state posted 404 new coronavirus cases Thursday, bringing Montana’s total to 92,934 confirmed reports.
NEBRASKA Omaha: State health officials said restrictions on gatherings could be lifted this weekend if COVID-19 patients continue to occupy less than 10% of Nebraska’s hospital beds. About 8% were taken by COVID-19 patients Wednesday.
NEVADA Las Vegas: The Clark County School District said its youngest students are scheduled to return to in-person education March 1 on a voluntary basis.
NEW HAMPSHIRE Concord: Twelve coronavirus outbreaks at long-term care facilities have ended, and there are no new outbreaks to report, state Health Commissioner Lori Shibinette said Tuesday.
NEW JERSEY Flemington: Some of the first people to get vaccinations at Hunterdon Medical Center were relatives of top hospital executives and some of its trustees and donors, some in their 20s, according to a report by New Jersey 101.5 FM.
NEW MEXICO Santa Fe: Teachers unions say a slow vaccine rollout and the expiration of federal COVID-19 sick leave remain hurdles to returning students to classrooms. Administrators add fire inspections and bus contracts to the list.
NORTH CAROLINA Raleigh: Gov. Roy Cooper on Wednesday extended orders allowing curbside alcohol sales, halting evictions and requiring a 10 p.m.-to-5 a.m. curfew.
NORTH DAKOTA Bismarck: Some lawmakers are pushing legislation aimed at shielding businesses and health care facilities from lawsuits over customers’ or employees’ COVID-19 exposure, despite criticism that it may be unconstitutional.
OHIO Columbus: Gov. Mike DeWine has shortened the state’s coronavirus-related curfew, now starting at 11 p.m. instead of 10 p.m.
OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City: Oklahoma State University officials announced plans Thursday to return fully to in-person classes beginning with the fall semester in August.
OREGON Grants Pass: Health workers stuck in a snowstorm on their way back from a COVID-19 vaccination event went car to car injecting stranded drivers before several of the doses expired. Josephine County Public Health Director MikeWeber said it was one of the “coolest operations he’d been a part of.”
PENNSYLVANIA Harrisburg: Voters will likely soon get the final say about whether to limit the governor’s powers during a disaster emergency after a divided state House of Representatives endorsed a proposed constitutional amendment Wednesday.
RHODE ISLAND Providence: The state plans to expand COVID-19 vaccines as soon as next week to residents 75 and older who have not already received a shot, then to residents 65 and older by mid-February, Department of Health Director Nicole Alexander-Scott said Thursday.
SOUTH CAROLINA Columbia: Lawmakers are vying to override the Department of Health and Environmental Control’s board on an allocation plan meant to equitably distribute the state’s limited vaccine supply. The lawmakers’ plan would direct the department to take into account factors such as a region’s rural and underserved areas and its impoverished and elderly populations.
SOUTH DAKOTA Pierre: Democratic lawmakers are pushing for a statewide mask mandate to rein in the coronavirus outbreak. State Sen. Reynold Nesiba, of Sioux Falls, introduced the legislation Thursday.
TENNESSEE Memphis: The city and Shelby County have received more than $28 million in federal funds to help residents who have fallen behind in rent payments because of the pandemic, officials said.
TEXAS Austin: Military personnel from the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force are being sent to three hospitals – in Abilene, Eagle Pass and Lufkin – to support efforts to combat the coronavirus.
UTAH Salt Lake City: Primary Children’s Hospital is co-leading the nation’s first long-term study into severe COVID-19 complications seen in children, Intermountain Health Care announced Tuesday. The study will examine the effects of multisystem inflammatory syndrome.
VERMONT Northfield: Norwich University, the country’s oldest private military college, has reported 79 coronavirus cases since students returned to campus this month. The school has had “some significant, egregious and frankly embarrassing incidents of student misconduct that have resulted in the spread of the virus on campus and our inability to contain it,” Norwich President Col. Mark C. Anarumo said Wednesday in a video on the school’s website.
VIRGINIA Richmond: Facing escalating criticism of the state’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout, Gov. Ralph Northam outlined a series of policy changes and initiatives Wednesday that he said would make the process smoother and more transparent. He said he had directed the state health department to create a single, statewide vaccination registration system and publish more data about distribution.
WASHINGTON Olympia: The state Senate has passed a measure that would increase the minimum weekly benefit for unemployed workers starting in July and prevent a dramatic increase in unemployment taxes paid by businesses. It would also allow high-risk workers who cannot work from home to voluntarily quit and still receive benefits.
WEST VIRGINIA Charleston: The state will receive more doses of COVID-19 vaccines next week, Gov. Jim Justice said Wednesday, as the number of active cases statewide continues to decline. The state is holding 25 vaccination clinics across 17 counties this week specifically for residents 65 and older. More than 87,500 doses have been administered to senior citizens so far.
WISCONSIN Madison: The Republican-controlled Assembly on Thursday abruptly canceled a vote to repeal Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ mask mandate in the face of broad criticism from the state’s health, school and business leaders and out of concern it would jeopardize more than $49 million in federal aid.
WYOMING Sheridan: A youth mental health services organization has announced it will stop operations in late March after analyzing the viability of its programs during the pandemic. Normative Services Inc. Executive Director Clayton Carr said the academy will close its doors March 22, The Sheridan Press reports.