50 ★ States

ALABAMA Birmingham: An app that’s been used in Alabama to warn people they might have been exposed to the coronavirus is joining a growing network across the nation, giving an extra layer of protection ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday season, officials announced. The GuideSafe Exposure Notification app was connected Thursday to apps created by 13 states and the District of Columbia. ALASKA Anchorage: New analysis suggests 2 out of 3 Alaska adults have at least one risk factor that health officials link with a higher chance of severe COVID-19 infection. ARIZONA Flagstaff: Northern Arizona University cracked down on students who hadn’t received mandatory coronavirus testing by locking them out of their online classes, a move that prompted most to get into compliance but frustrated some faculty. ARKANSAS Little Rock: The pandemic is forcing some school districts in the state to adjust their operations. C.B. Partee Elementary School, in the Brinkley School District, switched to virtual learning Friday because of teacher absenteeism linked to sickness and a shortage of substitutes, the district said in a Facebook post. CALIFORNIA Los Angeles: Los Angeles County announced new coronavirus-related restrictions Sunday that will prohibit in-person dining for at least three weeks as cases rise at the start of the holiday season. COLORADO Denver: Denver Public Schools has gone to fully remote learning for all grades for the rest of the semester as the coronavirus surges. Remote learning began for more than 90,000 students in the state’s largest school district Monday. CONNECTICUT Vernon: U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney has tested positive for the coronavirus and is isolating at home, he announced.

DELAWARE Wilmington: The state’s seven-day average daily coronavirus case count set an all-time high Sunday at 428.4. New restrictions that became effective Monday limit private indoor gatherings to 10 people.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washing

ton: D.C.’s homeless population is feeling the effects of rising coronavirus cases, WUSA-TV reports. Nearly 10,000 Washingtonians are considered homeless per the city’s point-intime annual count, and nurse practitioner Carolyn Summer, who works with Unity Health Care to treat vulnerable individuals, said anyone without a home to isolate is particularly at risk during the pandemic. FLORIDA Miami: Calling the actions of the Publix supermarket chain before April 20 “shameful,” a Miami law firm filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the supermarket giant Monday for allegedly prohibiting employees from wearing protective masks and gloves during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

GEORGIA Atlanta: Thousands of people jammed roads for miles Sunday to try to get boxes of food and gift cards donated by entertainer Tyler Perry. Volunteers in protective equipment handed out canned vegetables and $25 gift cards for 5,000 families. HAWAII Honolulu: A group of organizations on the Big Island has distributed $7.5 million in federal funds to help pay rent and mortgages for 1,322 households amid the COVID-19 economic and health crisis, officials said. IDAHO Boise: Hunting license sales in the state are up as more residents seek a way to safely get out of the house without contracting COVID-19, but that has led to inexperienced hunters misidentifying and killing moose and a grizzly bear, wildlife officials say. Blatant poaching has also increased in northern Idaho. ILLINOIS Springfield: Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration is reminding local government officials of a Dec. 1 deadline to submit applications for federal relief from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

INDIANA Indianapolis: The start of Gov. Eric Holcomb’s second term in January won’t include any large public celebrations because of coronavirus concerns, the head of the state Republican Party said Friday.

IOWA Des Moines: The state surpassed 211,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and 2,200 deaths Monday and remains ranked third-highest in the nation for virus positivity rate.

KANSAS Topeka: The Legislature plans to spend about $3 million on technology upgrades in hopes that people will be able to watch committee hearings amid the pandemic. KENTUCKY Louisville: Nursing homes and senior living sites are bracing for grim weeks ahead in facilities where residents and staff already have been hit hard by the coronavirus. Last week, the state enlisted the Kentucky National Guard to help at nursing homes suffering acute staff shortages because of workers who have been infected or forced to quarantine. LOUISIANA Baton Rouge: The state’s agriculture commissioner is urging farmers and ranchers to turn in their applications for federal coronavirus assistance ahead of the Dec. 11 deadline.

MAINE Portland: The University of Maine System is in the midst of an effort called “safe departure testing” to avoid sending students home for Thanksgiving with the coronavirus. MARYLAND Baltimore: The mayor has vetoed two bills that would have required hospitality businesses to rehire laid-off workers once they reopen and required hotels to retain staff if their owners change. The Baltimore City Council approved both bills by wide margins amid hotel industry pushback, but Mayor Bernard C. “Jack” Young called the legislation government overreach, The Baltimore Sun reports. MASSACHUSETTS Boston: The state agency that owns and operates Boston Logan International Airport must cut about 25% of its workforce amid a $400 million budget deficit brought on by a steep drop in travel during the pandemic, agency executives say.

MICHIGAN Grand Rapids: A girl who was the center of a police controversy after being placed in handcuffs when she was 11 has died of COVID-19 complications, her family said Sunday. Honestie Hodges, 14, tested positive for the coronavirus Nov. 9 and was rushed to the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital that day, according to an online fundraising page set up by her grandmother. MINNESOTA Minneapolis: Officials urged residents Monday to download a free coronavirus exposure tracking app for their smartphones. Tarek Tomes, the state’s information technology commissioner, said that participation in COVIDaware MN is voluntary and that the system has ample privacy safeguards. MISSISSIPPI Gulfport: A Gulf Coast casino has sued its insurer for refusing to cover business losses because of the pandemic. Island View Casino Resort contends its insurer owes it $10 million for losses caused by a 65-day shutdown in the spring. MISSOURI O’Fallon: Hospital beds across the state are nearly fourfifths full, and capacity is even more limited in intensive care units. The St. Louis Metropolitan Pandemic Task Force said Friday that projections show the area’s hospitals maxing out ICUs in a matter of days, so a field hospital is being considered, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

MONTANA Billings: The growth of the state’s economy slowed in October after signs of recovery in months prior. Federal job figures released Friday showed the growth in nonfarm payroll employment was 1,200 jobs, the lowest since May, the Billings Gazette reports. NEBRASKA Lincoln: Republican Gov. Pete Ricketts warned at a press conference Monday that the state could impose tighter social distancing restrictions within days if hospitalizations continue to rise. NEVADA Carson City: Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak announced plans Sunday to tighten restrictions on casinos, restaurants and private gatherings such as Thanksgiving dinner in an effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The new limits go into effect Tuesday.

NEW HAMPSHIRE Concord: At least 100 people protested Republican Gov. Chris Sununu’s new mask mandate, chanting, “Breathe free or die,” and “We will not comply,” outside his Newfields home Sunday. NEW JERSEY Asbury Park: Gov. Phil Murphy’s family had their meal interrupted after two people began cursing at the governor over his COVID-19 policies. A 36-second video clip of the incident spread over social media after it was posted on Facebook on Sunday afternoon. NEW MEXICO Santa Fe: State lawmakers are drafting legislation aimed at providing about $300 million in direct economic aid for the unemployed, small businesses and emergency housing subsidies. Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham scheduled a one-day special session for Tuesday in hopes of delivering weekly supplemental unemployment checks of $300 shortly after Thanksgiving.

NEW YORK New York: A Brooklyn synagogue should be investigated over reports that it hosted a secret wedding with thousands of unmasked guests earlier this month, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Sunday. NORTH DAKOTA Bismarck: State health officials are rolling out free rapid coronavirus testing for teachers, staff and school administrators this week as part of a pilot project designed to slow the virus’s spread by identifying and quickly isolating people who may be asymptomatic. OHIO Cleveland: A customer left a $3,000 tip for a single beer as a restaurant voluntarily closed because of the pandemic. Nighttown owner Brendan Ring wrote on Facebook that the man wished him well and told him to share the tip with the four employees who were working brunch service.

OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City: The City Council on Tuesday is scheduled to vote on whether to extend a citywide mask mandate to Jan. 22 in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

OREGON Portland: Nearly three dozen current and incoming state lawmakers have sent a letter to Gov. Kate Brown demanding an immediate increase in coronavirus testing statewide as case numbers spike, The Oregonian/OregonLive reports.

PENNSYLVANIA Punxsutawney: The pandemic means Groundhog Day won’t be the same in this town long associated with a prognosticating rodent. Organizers said Punxsutawney Phil will predict whether spring will come early or winter will last longer in 2021 without the usual crowds at Gobbler’s Knob on Feb. 2. RHODE ISLAND Providence: About 1 out of every 4 households in the state struggled over the summer to put food on the table, according to a report released Monday. The food insecurity caused by the pandemic has hit families of color particularly hard. “Where 21% of white households lack adequate food, 36% of Black households and 40% of Latinx households are food insecure,” the report said. SOUTH CAROLINA Charleston: Hunters bagged about 100 fewer alligators in the state this hunting season than last year. The state Department of Natural Resources said cooler temperatures, rain and COVID-19 could all be factors for the decrease. SOUTH DAKOTA Sioux Falls: The spread of the coronavirus in the state continued to ease Monday, with the South Dakota Department of Health reporting 783 new cases, though hospitalizations rose further. TENNESSEE Murfreesboro: Middle Tennessee State University communications students got a chance to produce a real-world advertising campaign this fall encouraging their fellow students to wear masks. Their campaign focused on everyday challenges like parking, finding a spot to study or remembering a student ID, and it pointed out that wearing a mask was easier than all of these, according to the school.

TEXAS Arlington: The city is using a family’s brush with the coronavirus in a public awareness campaign as a warning to others who might be considering big get-togethers this Thanksgiving. Alexa Aragonez told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram her family weighed the risks of catching the virus but decided to get together for a birthday party Nov. 1. A couple of days later, her mother and others who were at the party began to feel sick. They got tested, and all 12 who attended were positive for the virus. UTAH Levi: Prosecutors have filed charges against a person who hosted a Halloween party at a commercial building. The city prosecutor charged the host with a health order violation, nuisance violation and disorderly conduct. The property owner was hit with a nuisance violation, fire code violation and health order violation, the Salt Lake Tribune reports. VERMONT Montpelier: Snowmobilers can still enjoy the sport this winter as long as they abide by the governor’s emergency orders, officials say. Out-of-staters can come to Vermont and snowmobile if they quarantine for 14 days in their second home or rented home, the Vermont Association of Snow Travelers announced. VIRGINIA Richmond: The Department of Motor Vehicles announced Monday that commercial drivers will now be allowed to renew their licenses online, due to the effects of the pandemic. Commercial driver’s license holders previously were required to visit DMV offices in person to renew. The change in policy comes as the DMV struggles to clear a large backlog of in-person appointments. WASHINGTON Seattle: The number of people hospitalized to receive treatment for the coronavirus has reached a record high in the state, forcing hospitals to plan which surgeries to cancel to meet the influx of patients, health officials said.

WEST VIRGINIA Charleston: The state has again smashed a weekly record for confirmed cases of the coronavirus. Health officials said there were 5,153 cases of the virus statewide last week, up 11.4% from the old record set the previous week. WISCONSIN Madison: A conservative law firm asked the state Supreme Court on Monday to immediately block Dane County’s ban on indoor gatherings and indoor sports, arguing that the order will ruin Thanksgiving and subject young athletes to mental trauma.

WYOMING Cheyenne: State health officials reported an increase of 742 confirmed coronavirus cases from Saturday to Sunday.