50 ★ States

News from across the USA

ALABAMA Montgomery: Public health officials are urging people to get COVID-19 shots as soon as possible, after the White House said it might reallocate supply from states with decreasing demand. “Y’all, we want shots in the arms and off the shelf,” Gov. Kay Ivey said.

ALASKA Anchorage: Officials say the city’s sewer system is clogging up because residents are flushing wipes and other items – a problem worsened by the pandemic as people continue to spend more time at home.

ARIZONA Phoenix: An elected utility regulator has shared discredited conspiracy theories while trying to persuade energy and power providers not to require employees to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Arizona Corporation Commission member Jim O’Connor said the government and news media are covering up the shots causing numerous deaths and people becoming “human vegetables.”

ARKANSAS Little Rock: Sluggish vaccination rates for prison workers are raising concerns, according to public health and incarceration experts. Only about 42% of employees at the Arkansas Department of Corrections have received at least one dose, an agency spokeswoman said.

CALIFORNIA Los Angeles: Appointments aren’t needed for COVID-19 shots at city-run sites, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Sunday. The city is prepared to administer over a quarter-million vaccinations for a second week in a row, the mayor’s office said.

COLORADO Denver: A former Amazon warehouse worker has filed a complaint with the state Department of Labor and Employment over the company’s COVID-19 policies and allegations that her firing was retaliatory. Linda Rodriguez says she raised concerns about employee safety.

CONNECTICUT Hartford: Of the more than 1.4 million residents who are fully vaccinated, just 242 later became infected with COVID-19, according to data released by the state Department of Public Health. “The main takeaway is that COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective and cases of infection after a person is fully vaccinated are very rare,” Dr. Deidre Gifford, the state’s acting public health commissioner, said in a statement.

DELAWARE Wilmington: As demand returns for activities that were put on hold during the pandemic, many businesses say they are struggling to hire workers. Delaware Office of Occupational and Labor Market Information Chief Thomas Dougherty said businesses could raise wages to compete with jobless benefits.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washington: Mayor Muriel Bowser said Monday that D.C. will lift most COVID-19 restrictions and capacity limits starting May 21, WUSA-TV reports.

FLORIDA Tallahassee: Local vaccination clinics have noticed a slowdown in demand for COVID-19 shots. Leon County health officials say the observed vaccination fatigue is concerning and concentrated among young adults, a demographic including nearly 70,000 college students.

GEORGIA Atlanta: The state’s labor commissioner says he intends to reinstate the requirement that people on unemployment actively search for work “in the next few months.”

HAWAII Honolulu: The state leads the U.S. in vaccinating its adult population against COVID-19, HawaiiNewsNow reports. Lt. Gov. Josh Green told the outlet 70% of those 18 and up have gotten at least one dose.

IDAHO Boise: The state Department of Health and Welfare is offering $9 million to groups to establish and operate mobile, off-site, walk-in and special COVID-19 vaccination clinics in underserved populations.

ILLINOIS Springfield: State health officials reported 1,741 new coronavirus cases and 30 deaths Sunday. INDIANA Indianapolis: Advocates for nursing home residents say they worry a new state law expanding COVID-19 liability protections will effectively block many lawsuits over neglect and substandard treatment that weren’t caused by the pandemic. IOWA Marshalltown: Gov. Kim Reynolds has removed the chief executive of the state’s nursing home for veterans and their spouses, months after praising his response to the pandemic, her office said Monday.

KANSAS Wichita: Identity theft rose sharply last year during the pandemic, and no place was hit harder than the Sunflower State. The Wichita Eagle reports Kansas’ 1,802% year-over-year increase in resident alerts to the Federal Trade Commission in 2020 was more than three times the national average.

KENTUCKY Louisville: The Kentucky Lottery announced Monday that adults who get a COVID-19 vaccine at more than 170 Kroger and Walmart locations across the state will receive a coupon for a free CashBall 225 ticket. The top prize in the nightly game is $225,000.

LOUISIANA Lafayette: The Lafayette Parish School System will give pandemic-related “recovery and retention” stipends, ranging from $250 to $2,000, to its full- and part-time employees “for the extra duties imposed upon them.”

MAINE Portland: A proposal from a group of Republicans to ban mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for five years is up for consideration by a legislative committee this week. The lawmakers have based their proposal in part on the theory that the vaccines cause reproductive harm. Numerous medical authorities have said the claim lacks merit.

MARYLAND Hagerstown: After missing last year amid the pandemic, the National Pike Festival and James Shaull Wagon Train will roll through Washington County, setting off Friday from Plumb Grove and ending Sunday in Boonsboro.

MASSACHUSETTS Boston: The city’s famous Swan Boats are again offering rides. Acting Mayor Kim Janey took her family on one of the foot-powered boats Saturday to celebrate their reopening and called it “a great way to celebrate our recovery from the pandemic.”

MICHIGAN Lansing: The state said late Friday that 54% of residents 16 and up have gotten at least one COVID-19 shot, a roughly 2.5 percentage point jump after factoring in people who were vaccinated outside the state or at federal facilities.

MINNESOTA Minneapolis: Health officials are trying a range of strategies to get people vaccinated. Volunteer physicians are working with a St. Paul brewery on a pop-up event that rewards those who get shots with a free beer. Jabs are being offered in Duluth’s downtown bus depot. An Elk River clinic is offering shots to patients seeking help for other health care needs.

MISSISSIPPI Picayune: SouthernCare Hospice is working to brighten patients’ pandemic-darkened days with good deeds, such as fixing up one woman’s garden. “Especially after a tough year of COVID, it’s nice to see people being nice,” Wishing Well Project coordinator Rebecca Silvia told WLOX.

MISSOURI Springfield: Springfield Public Schools’ summer program is finding a new balance. Explore’s elementary and middle school offerings will largely resemble prepandemic courses. High school courses will be almost fully online.

MONTANA Billings: A nonprofit plans to open a slaughterhouse that will kill and process cattle donated for food banks. The Producer Partnership, formed last year to help struggling communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, has donated 80,000 pounds of hamburger in the past year and is shooting for 140,000 pounds a year.

NEBRASKA Lincoln: The state will issue emergency payments Tuesday to residents who received food stamp benefits in April as part of the federal pandemic assistance law, state officials said.

NEVADA Las Vegas: Casino giant Caesars Entertainment Inc. is postponing plans to sell one of its eight Las Vegas Strip resorts until the market further rebounds from the pandemic, perhaps next year, the Las Vegas Sun reports.

NEW HAMPSHIRE Concord: State officials expect spending on summer tourism to rebound to near 2019 levels after visitation dropped 15% last summer amid the pandemic.

NEW JERSEY Trenton: Gov. Phil Murphy will set aside $275 million to help small businesses and individuals affected by COVID-19, including $40 million in federal funds for undocumented immigrants and others left out of previous relief.

NEW MEXICO Albuquerque: The state has set a record for monthly royalty earnings from oil and gas leases, according to state officials. Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard said revenue from activities on trust land on average saves the typical household an estimated $1,500 per year in taxes. “This is a huge monetary relief for hard working New Mexico families, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic,” she said in a statement.

NEW YORK New York: A political candidate who led protests against coronavirus restrictions in Brooklyn last fall will avoid jail time after pleading guilty Friday to a charge of inciting a riot. Harold “Heshy” Tischler was sentenced to 10 days of community service for egging on a crowd of men that chased and trapped a journalist during the Oct. 7 protest in the Orthodox Jewish neighborhood of Borough Park.

NORTH CAROLINA Raleigh: The state Senate and House have approved measures designed to address situations where patients at health care facilities lacked access to a minister or visits from family during last year’s COVID-19 restrictions and later died. Each bill must pass the opposite chamber before being sent to Gov. Roy Cooper.

NORTH DAKOTA Bismarck: An annual report using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the state’s rate of workplace deaths remains among the highest in the country. The annual report released by the AFL-CIO shows that 37 North Dakota workers died in 2019 due to on-the-job injuries. “Now with COVID-19, it’s more important than ever to protect working people,” North Dakota AFL-CIO President Landis Larson said in a statement.

OHIO Cincinnati: The state will take only 20% of the COVID-19 vaccine doses allocated to it this week amid slumping demand.

OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City: The latest flu season has been especially mild, and experts say COVID-19 precautions likely played a role in keeping the numbers down. Across the state, 221 flu-associated hospitalizations and 10 deaths were reported so far during the 2020-21 season – the lowest numbers in years.

OREGON Portland: The city’s mass vaccination site at the Oregon Convention Center is expected to close June 19 after giving hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 shots, organizers said Monday.

PENNSYLVANIA Harrisburg: Democratic state Sen. Amanda Cappelletti plans to introduce a bill that would allow those 14 and older to consent to receiving federally recommended immunizations, such as COVID-19 vaccines, without parental approval.

RHODE ISLAND Providence: The mental health and education of the state’s children suffered greatly last year during the pandemic, and children of color were the hardest-hit, according to data released Monday by Kids Count, the national child advocacy nonprofit.

SOUTH CAROLINA Pickens: Pickens County is planning to pay charities and civic groups $250 a mile for cleaning up litter. The county has set aside $75,000 in COVID-19 relief funding for the program, designed to help struggling groups that have been unable to do their usual fundraising during the pandemic, County Councilman Roy Costner III said.

SOUTH DAKOTA Sioux Falls: The state’s Department of Labor and Regulation and Department of Tourism are partnering to help fill jobs in the tourism industry. Businesses are encouraged to post their job openings on the SDWORKS database, according to a news release. South Dakota expects increased visitation this year due to a demand for travel and the state remaining open for business amid the pandemic, the release said.

TENNESSEE Nashville: Two major venues will soon lift capacity restrictions as the city continues to reopen from coronavirus-related limitations. News outlets report that Nashville Soccer Club will open at near capacity for its May 23 match. Meanwhile, Grand Ole Opry will begin weekly performances at full capacity Friday for the first time in more than a year.

TEXAS Austin: Republican Don Huffines, a former state senator and wealthy businessman who has criticized the state’s handling of the pandemic, said Monday that he will challenge GOP Gov. Greg Abbott in 2022.

UTAH Salt Lake City: The state reported 2,340 new coronavirus cases in the week ending Sunday, down 9.3% from the previous week.

VERMONT Vernon: The town is planning to hold its annual town meeting outdoors. In addition to masking and social distancing, participants will answer health-related questions upon checking in May 23.

VIRGINIA Petersburg: Petersburg Area Transit riders can expect free fares for at least the next year, officials say. The influx of coronavirus relief and other federal dollars allow PAT to ensure free rides until the end of the 2021-22 fiscal year.

WASHINGTON Seattle: More people in the state died of drug overdoses in 2020 than any other year in at least the last decade, according to preliminary data from the state Department of Health. The effects of the coronavirus pandemic likely led to a surge in drug use, the department said.

WISCONSIN Appleton: The Fox Cities Exhibition Center vaccine clinic is partnering with three local breweries – Appleton Beer Factory, McFleshman’s and Stone Arch Brewpub – to launch a “Shot and a Beer” campaign. Those who get the Johnson & Johnson vaccine Tuesday and Wednesday will also get a coupon for a free beer once their immunity kicks in.

WYOMING Casper: The state is reopening nine rest stops before Memorial Day after they were closed last year due to budget cuts caused by the energy slowdown and the pandemic, Gov. Mark Gordon said.