Mardi Gras: How and where do people celebrate every year

Break out your beads, Mardi Gras is upon us.

Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday," also called Shrove Tuesday. It is the day before Ash Wednesday, which marks the start of Christian Lent season leading up to Easter.

During Lent, many Christians fast, and the name Fat Tuesday refers to the last day of eating richer foods before the leaner days of Lent begin. In 2019, Mardi Gras falls on March 5.

On Tuesday, the streets of New Orleans will fill up with people dressed in costume tossing beads in honor of Mardi Gras.

Here's everything you need to know about the celebration:

Where is it celebrated?

In America, celebrations for Mardi Gras are most famous in New Orleans, where it is the conclusion of weeks of parades that begin in January. Other Southern cities, especially with French heritage, such as Mobile, Ala., also mark Mardi Gras. The day is the culmination of the Carnival season, which begins on or after the Christian Feast of the Epiphany in January. Carnival season also is celebrated in many Catholic-majority countries, most well-known in Brazil, where elaborate parades fill the streets.

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What is its history in the United States?

According to the official Mardi Gras New Orleans website, the first U.S. Mardi Gras occurred in Mobile in 1703 with a secret society, the Masque de Mobile, formed to organize the celebrations. This society is similar to the “krewes” in New Orleans who sponsor the elaborate floats used in the parades before and during Mardi Gras. The celebration arrived in New Orleans soon after its founding in 1718.

About a century later, according to Mardi Gras New Orleans, street parades had become established in the city and many krewes had formed, their members remaining anonymous and their faces hidden by masks. In 1872, a “King of Carnival,” Rex, was introduced to preside over the parades. The tradition of float riders throwing trinkets to the crowds also began in the 1870s. Typical “throws” include beads, cups, coins and stuffed animals.

Who organizes and pays for Mardi Gras?

Krewes are private, non-profit organizations whose members get together year-round to plan their parade's theme, costumes and throws, according to Mardi Gras New Orleans. They are individually funded by members through dues, sales of krewe-related merchandise and fundraising, including corporate sponsorships. The city of New Orleans is not involved in coordinating Mardi Gras parades; its only involvement is to issue parade permits.

This story was originally published February 2018.

Mardi Gras 2024: When is the holiday? Get to know more about Fat ...

Extravagant costumes, large parades and colorful masks are often associated with the all-out celebration known as Mardi Gras. Across the globe, from France to the U.S., millions celebrate Mardi Gras each year.

Though it began as a religious holiday observed before Lent, Mardi Gras has become more than a single day, now encompassing a period of partying.

But when is Mardi Gras 2024 and how long does it last? Here is what you need to know about the holiday.

King cake:Feast your eyes on these 26 fabulous Mardi Gras king cakes from across the South

When is Mardi Gras 2023?

Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras, in 2024 is Feb. 13, 2024.

When does Mardi Gras start?

Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday," according to Britannica. It is traditionally celebrated on Shrove Tuesday, before Ash Wednesday, following the Christian liturgical calendar.

Historically, on this day, people were meant to use "all the fats in the home before Lent in preparation for fasting and abstinence," says Britannica. Christians would binge on all the rich, fatty foods, such as meat, eggs and cheese, in their home prior to the period of Lenten fasting.

Mardi Gras is a part of the Carnival festivities. The word "Carnival" derives from the medieval Latin word, "carnelevarium," which means to take away or remove meat, says History.com.

Today, these customs are not the primary focus of Mardi Gras. Instead, Mardi Gras in the U.S. is known for its parades, king cakes and beads of green, purple and gold.

Mardi Gras:What is it, and how do people celebrate every year

How long is Mardi Gras?

Although Mardi Gras technically refers to one specific day, Shrove Tuesday, it is often considered a whole season. The first Mardi Gras festivities often take place on the Twelfth Night, or the Epiphany, on January 6, according to Britannica.

These parades and events continue until the climax on official Mardi Gras. The Mardi Gras celebrations last anywhere from four to eight weeks, depending on when Ash Wednesday lands, according to Condé Nast Traveler.

According to the French Quarter official website, on Mardi Gras Day outdoor celebrations last until midnight, and then you will be "asked to clear off the street."

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Is Mardi Gras celebrated every year?

Yes, Mardi Gras is generally celebrated every year. In 2021, the New Orleans parades were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mardi Gras festivities in 2024 are set for Feb. 13 in New Orleans.

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What does ‘Mardi Gras’ mean?

Mardi Gras is French for "Fat Tuesday," also called Shrove Tuesday. It is the day before Ash Wednesday, which marks the start of Christian Lent season leading up to Easter. During Lent, many Christians fast, and the name Fat Tuesday refers to the last day of eating richer foods before the leaner days of Lent begin. This year it is celebrated on Feb. 13.

Where is it celebrated?

In America, celebrations for Mardi Gras are most famous in New Orleans, where it is the conclusion of weeks of parades that begin in January. Other Southern cities, especially with French heritage, such as Mobile, Ala., also mark Mardi Gras. The day is the culmination of the Carnival season, which begins on or after the Christian Feast of the Epiphany in January. Carnival season also is celebrated in many Catholic-majority countries, most well-known in Brazil, where elaborate parades fill the streets.

What is its history in the United States?

According to the official Mardi Gras New Orleans website, the first U.S. Mardi Gras occurred in Mobile in 1703 with a secret society, the Masque de Mobile, formed to organize the celebrations. This society is similar to the “krewes” in New Orleans who sponsor the elaborate floats used in the parades before and during Mardi Gras. The celebration arrived in New Orleans soon after its founding in 1718.

About a century later, according to Mardi Gras New Orleans, street parades had become established in the city and many krewes had formed, their members remaining anonymous and their faces hidden by masks. In 1872, a “King of Carnival,” Rex, was introduced to preside over the parades. The tradition of float riders throwing trinkets to the crowds also began in the 1870s. Typical “throws” include beads, cups, coins and stuffed animals.

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More:Check out these over-the-top Mardi Gras costumes

Who organizes and pays for Mardi Gras?

Krewes are private, non-profit organizations whose members get together year-round to plan their parade's theme, costumes and throws, according to Mardi Gras New Orleans. They are individually funded by members through dues, sales of krewe-related merchandise and fundraising, including corporate sponsorships. The city of New Orleans is not involved in coordinating Mardi Gras parades; its only involvement is to issue parade permits.

2023 Mardi Gras: What is it? What to know about Fat Tuesday holiday

Mardi Gras is here.

Carnival season festivities will close Tuesday in spectacular fashion with colorful parades, glitzy beads and masked celebrants.

Mardi Gras is celebrated around the globe and has roots in Christian traditions. In the United States, the grandest celebrations are held in New Orleans, where Mardi Gras is core to the southern city’s identity.

The city's famous annual parades were back in full swing for the second year in a row after the pandemic put the partying on pause in 2021. More than 1 million visitors have flood the city for Mardi Gras, according to a study by WalletHub.

New Orleans Mardi Gras parade 2023 livestream:Watch NOLA's iconic krewe parade floats

Beignet recipe:Let the good times roll this Mardi Gras with this beignet recipe exclusively from Universal Orlando

Here’s what to know about the celebration.

When is Mardi Gras?

Mardi Gras, which is French for "Fat Tuesday," is on Feb. 21. The next day is Ash Wednesday, which marks the start of Christian Lent, a time of fasting and abstinence that culminates in the Easter holiday. The name Fat Tuesday arose from the custom of using all the fats in the home before the start of Lent, according to Britannica.com.

New Orleans hosts the most famous Mardi Gras celebration in the U.S. This year it has been holding events since the official start of Carnival season on Jan. 6, which is known as Twelfth Night, the Mardi Gras New Orleans website says.

Bands will play Tuesday, and floats sponsored by local krewes (social clubs) will parade down city streets. Float riders throw trinkets to the crowds, a tradition that began in the 1870s. Typical “throws” include beads, cups, coins and stuffed animals.

Krewes organize their own parades. One of the more popular parades, the Rex (King) Parade, is put on by the historic Rex krewe, which was founded in New Orleans in 1872 and is one of the oldest participating Mardi Gras clubs in the city.

The Rex krewe is responsible for many of the traditions famous today, including Mardi Gras’ official colors: purple, green and gold, according to the Mardi Gras New Orleans website. The Rex Parade features hundreds of riders, and the “Rex” or king of the krewe.

Each year, a new king is selected to oversee the parades, and their identity is kept a secret until Lundi Gras, the day before Mardi Gras, according to the city's Mardi Gras website. Rex is usually a community leader in the city.

Where is Mardi Gras celebrated?

Another city with prominent Mardi Gras festivities is Mobile, Alabama, which in 1703 became the first community in the present day United States to celebrate Mardi Gras, according to the Mardi Gras New Orleans website.

Other notable Mardi Gras celebrations in the U.S. include:

How did Mardi Gras get started?

The tradition dates back thousands of years to pagan celebrations of spring and fertility, including the Roman festivals of Saturnalia and Lupercalia, according to History.com.

In other places such as Brazil and Venice, the entire celebration period is called Carnival.

In the U.S., Mardi Gras celebrations were introduced by 18th century French settlers who founded Mobile and New Orleans, according to the Mardi Gras New Orleans website.

What is King cake?

King cake is also known as the Twelfth Day cake because it celebrates Epiphany, a Christian holiday that commemorates the visit of the Magi to the baby Jesus 12 days after Christmas.

The special cake is eaten throughout Carnival season, according to the Southern Food and Beverage Museum. The cake traditionally contains a tiny plastic or porcelain baby figurine. Tradition calls on whoever finds the trinket in their slice of cake to host the next King cake party, the museum said.

Contributing: Matthew Diebel and Olivia Munson, USA TODAY

Mardi Gras 2021 is on the horizon. Here's what you need to know

If you're new to south Louisiana, welcome. Maybe you've asked yourself "Why are there beads on so many trees?" or "Why do people chase chickens?"

Mardi Gras, also known as Carnival is recognized in many countries and celebrated in a variety of different ways before the Roman Catholic religious season of Lent begins.

Here's how south Louisiana celebrates.

When is Mardi Gras in 2021?

In 2021, Mardi Gras falls on Feb. 16.

Why does the date of Mardi Gras move?

The Mardi Gras season always begins on the same day, Jan. 6. The starting date is always the same because it is 12 days after Christmas, also known as the Feast of the Epiphany, Twelfth Night or Three Kings' Day.

However, the date of Mardi Gras, which in French is "Fat Tuesday," is a moving target. Mardi Gras is the day before Ash Wednesday, also the first day of Lent. The name Fat Tuesday comes from eating richer foods and drinks before the leaner days of Lent begin, when most Catholics fast.

Ash Wednesday is 46 days before Easter Sunday, which changes dates, thus affecting the date of Mardi Gras. Easter is on the first Sunday following the first full moon after March 21, the vernal equinox, aka the Paschal Full Moon.

In the late 17th century, Mardi Gras celebrations arrived in North America by way of brothers Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville and Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville. In 1875, the Louisiana State Legislature declared Mardi Gras an official holiday in the state.

Louisiana's Mardi Gras celebrations grew out of Catholicism but also wove in "French celebrations, African music and the masquerade tradition," Louisiana State Museum historian Karen Leathem said.

In New Orleans, the first written record of Mardi Gras celebrations is from 1699 with gatherings around a campfire. By the 1730s, many modern-day traditions had started Leathem said in a USA Today article.

What's the purpose of Mardi Gras?

Mardi Gras is a tradition that dates back thousands of years to pagan rituals involving spring and fertility. In Medieval Rome, instead of abolishing local traditions, newly arrived Christian leaders decided to incorporate these celebrations into the new faith.

As a result, the pagan rituals morphed into the extravagance the Mardi Gras season has become as prelude to Lent.

The length of Carnival varies from location to location and is based on tradition. In south Louisiana, the Mardi Gras season typically stretches from Jan. 6 to Fat Tuesday. Other areas, like Brazil, start their celebration the Friday afternoon before Ash Wednesday.

In Mobile, Alabama, social events start in November, with society balls on Thanksgiving, and on New Year's Eve. Further balls and parades in January and February occur, celebrating up to midnight on Fat Tuesday.

After the parades, trees are weighed down with beads thrown by krewes during parades. Some throws end up tangled in the branches of trees along the routes due to bad aim. Others are purposefully thrown in trees that are said to give good luck, like Tulane’s Bead Tree — tradition says if a student tosses beads in the tree and the necklace sticks, the student will pass their classes.

What is a Courir de Mardi Gras?

Courir de Mardi Gras, Louisiana French for "Fat Tuesday Run," is a primarily southwest Louisiana traditional Mardi Gras event. Although most celebrations are the urban carnival version of Mardi Gras, Courir de Mardi Gras is the rural Cajun French revelry of the holiday.

The celebration's origins are founded in medieval French rituals, specifically the fête de la quémande, "feast of begging." Food supplies were short after long winters, causing disguised poor to travel in groups to beg for food from the wealthy, dancing and singing in return for the generosity of the nobles.

In 1930s and '40s, courirs began to fade due to World War II because many men who participated in the runs were serving in the war. In the following decades, the tradition had a Cajun "renaissance" — a local effort to promote pride in the food, culture, music and language of south Louisiana.

Contact Victoria Dodge at vdodge@theadvertiser.com or on Twitter @Victoria_Dodge

The real reason purple, green and gold represent Mardi Gras

The colors of Mardi Gras first surfaced in New Orleans, but it's not clear why purple, green and gold were chosen.

Those colors appeared in 1872 as part of a spectacle honoring the New Orleans visit of Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich of Russia during carnival season.

The Rex Organization was created to help welcome the Grand Duke that same year. Leading up to their celebratory parade, newspapers ran proclamations from King Rex of carnival that balconies should be draped in purple, gold and green.

This is where things are less certain. It is unknown why these specific colors were chosen.

Some accounts suggest they were selected for their aesthetic appeal, as opposed to any true symbolism. Others believe they were inspired by the house colors of the Russian Grand Duke, who is said to have handed out beads with the three colors to the crowds during his visit.

More:What you should bring to Mardi Gras parades

It's even possible that the Rex organization took the initiative and chose those colors in honor of Grand Duke Alexandrovich.

Errol Laborde, historian and editor for the New Orleans Magazine, argues otherwise. While researching his book "Marched the Day God: A History of the Rex Organization," he offered another theory.

Laborde suggests the colors were based on heraldry — the system of which coats of arms and other armorial bearings are devised, described, and regulated. The rule of tincture states that metals, gold or silver, should not be placed next to other metals, and colors should not be placed next to other colors.

Although the colors are now typically displayed in purple, green and gold, an order that doesn't comply with the rule of tincture, the Rex organization might have been trying to create a tricolor to represent its "kingdom," Laborde says. And a kingdom must have a flag.

More:Places to eat in Lafayette along the Mardi Gras parade route

But why three colors? The United States, Great Britain, and France each have tricolor-ed flags, and at the time they were the ruling countries of the world.

When choosing from the color wheel, some of the choices seem obvious. Purple is widely associated with royalty. White was considered but at the time was heavily used on other national flags, and thus avoided.

Both metals and colors are necessary in a coat of arms, according to the heraldry system, so then gold, another obvious choice, was picked, according to Laborde.

And according to heraldry, there are only five acceptable color choices left: red, blue, purple, green and black. Laborde believes the final choice came down to purple, gold and green or purple, gold and black.

Photo gallery:The Royal Order of Unicorns celebrate their annual Mardi Gras ball

No one is sure why green was picked over black, but it has become part of the pageantry of Mardi Gras.

In 1892, the colors gained symbolism to go along with the Rex Parade theme "Symbolism of Colors." Purple means justice, green means faith, and gold means power.

Contact Victoria Dodge at vdodge@theadvertiser.com or on Twitter @Victoria_Dodge

Daytona Bike Week: A history of beer, bikes, cole slaw and 'rowdyism'

DAYTONA BEACH — Bike Week, now marking its 82nd year, may not be your grandfather's — or even your great-grandfather's — bike rally. A gathering for motorcycle race fans, a drunken party, a biker brawl or a family vacation destination, Bike Week has been a lot of things over the years.

It’s our Mardi Gras, our Fantasy Fest, our Carnival. It’s a portable, 10-day street party of motorcycles of all kinds, eye-popping costumes, bikini-clad women, sidewalk vendors, parades, Clydesdales, beards, tattoos and alcohol. Bikers and locals alike go to nonstop concerts and bike shows, go on long rides or just stay on Main Street for days watching it all go by.

It all began in 1937 when almost a hundred daredevils on motorcycles raced each other on the road and packed sand of Daytona Beach in the first Daytona 200, launched by a group that included not-yet-NASCAR-president Bill France. About 15,000 fans watched Ed “Iron Man” Kretz ride his No. 38 Indian Motorcycle to the win before heading to Main Street to celebrate.

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In the next four years crowds and entries doubled and things at the “Handlebar Derby” got a bit wilder. In 1939 a News-Journal article reported that "the party got so rough that city firemen had to be called to dampen the crowd's spirits with a little cold water" and the National Guard had to be summoned.

City leaders attempted in 1941 "to limit, if not eliminate the rowdyism" by organizing activities for fans, including field events, a 100-mile race for novices, a parade of motorcycle clubs, and "the presentation of trophies to the best-dressed woman motorcyclist."

In 1942 the race was put on hold for five years while the country fought in and recovered from World War II, which is why we're celebrating the 82nd anniversary this year instead of the 86th. But some locals and visitors continued to show up for the party every year anyway, race or no race, for an unofficial event that became known as Bike Week.

France kicked things off again in 1947 and Daytona Beach was "jammed to the rafters," according to a Feb. 21 story that reported every available hotel room and apartment was rented. Most places were "only charging moderate rents," an average of $4 or $5 for a double room without a private bath.

But things reportedly got so out of control that a Chamber of Commerce committee was formed to come up with a plan in 1948, endorsed by the American Motorcycle Association, for "preventing unbridled rowdyism." The plan included checking mufflers at all approaches to the city and handing out lists of rules for behavior to all visitors to help limit the influx of what the AMA referred to as "one-percenters," as compared to the "99% of the motorcycling public" who are "law-abiding."

Did it work? Not right away. A tear gas grenade was used to quiet the crowd in 1949 when some motorcyclists insisted on racing on Main Street, which had been blocked off for a street dance.

"We have plenty more grenades if we need them," the sheriff was quoted as saying.

Early Bike Weeks: The Mild Ones

Bike Weeks in the ’50s were, comparatively, sedate. The 1950 event was described as quiet, orderly and "the most successful racing weekend in Daytona Beach history." And by 1951, the "Wild West" atmosphere was deemed a thing of the past.

This was likely helped along by the officers from 70 out-of-town police forces brought in by city leaders to help control the crowd and lay down the law that year. But wholesome fun was still encouraged: An "entertainment program for the diversion of motorcycle enthusiasts" was slated that included a "contest for the best uniformed police squad."

It also didn't hurt that Marlon Brando and James Dean were on the big screen a few years later making bikes, white T-shirts and leather jackets look cool.

By 1961, France moved the motorcycle races to his newly-built Daytona International Speedway but the party stayed largely on the beach. Gradually, the "Wild West" returned.

Bike Week expands to more cities

It also started spreading. Over in Samsula in 1967 Olga “Aunt Ollie” Weber, daughter of the town’s co-founder Joe Sopotnick, took over the neighborhood gas station and general store he’d built in the mid-’20s and gradually turned it into a bar and, twice a year for Bike Week and Biketoberfest, a biker haven where visitors could hang out, bet on illegal drag racing and camp in the old cabbage field next door.

Years later, in the late ’80s, it became even more of a must-see destination when Ron Luznar, Weber’s nephew and the bar’s new owner, noticed that “wrestling” events involving bikinis and gooey ingredients were becoming popular. Rather than having women grapple in mud or whipped cream, Luznar stayed on-brand and coleslaw wrestling quickly became a notorious, world-famous attraction at Sopotnick’s Cabbage Patch.

Meanwhile, a smaller Bike Week was forming. Tommy Asberry, a Black biker from Atlanta, was ticketed in 1971 for parking his Harley-Davidson on Main Street and found a more hospitable welcome, along with many other shunned Black motorcyclists, in Daytona's Second Avenue area (since renamed Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard) to enjoy Black Bike Week, a major event in the local Black community to this day.

Over in New Smyrna Beach in 1981, Gilly Aguiar, owner of Gilly’s Pub 44, took a stand against the trade deficit of the day by inviting everyone to bash a Japanese bike for charity, and that immediately became a popular annual event.

Depending on what you thought Bike Week should be, the 1970s and ’80s were either the event’s Golden Age or a decidedly unfriendly, uncontrollable invasion. A popular motorcycle magazine suggested there shouldn’t even be a 1981 event.

Newspapers reported disorderly conduct and women exposing their breasts. Trouble with rival motorcycle gangs began to get the attention of the law enforcement community. Daytona Beach police were on overtime to assure crowd control. A former Orlando motorcycle gang leader was sent to prison for murdering a Daytona Beach biker.

Even the Boot Hill Saloon — long since a world-renowned biker bar icon — famously stayed closed during its first Bike Week in 1974 because new owner Dennis Maguire "didn't want any problems with bikers," as he told the Sun-Sentinel years later.

On Main Street, no colors allowed

Locals feared that tourists were starting to stay away and law enforcement and city officials were unhappy. The Bike Week Festival Task Force was formed in 1988 to bring some formal organization to the event. Alan Robertson, the original owner of Main Street's Beach Photo & Video, served as chairman and relentless Bike Week supporter.

Karl Smith, a.k.a. Big Daddy Rat, long one of the forces of nature of Bike Week, was one of the first to see the commercial potential. Big and burly (but with a degree in fine arts), he sold airbrushed shirts from The Rat’s Hole and his other shops, organized motorcycle shows in Daytona and around the world, and helped spread the message that Bike Week didn’t have to be a slugfest.

Daytona Beach police began cracking down more harshly on gang members while welcoming peaceful visitors. The Boot Hill was reportedly one of the first bars to ban colors (gang patches) to reduce rival fights, a practice that quickly spread. And over the next 20 years, Bike Week slowly evolved into a more family-friendly, if still rough-edged event.

Not everyone was happy with a softer Bike Week. In the late 80s the Iron Horse Saloon, a rough and tumble Main Street staple, moved to U.S. 1 on the north end of Ormond Beach to avoid Daytona’s planned decorative renovations.

Throughout the ’90s and into the 21st century, police and bikers got friendlier and local tourism agencies began marketing family activities to draw in vacationers.

Bike Week attractions continued to spread out from the beach. A welcome center with vendors across the Halifax River on Beach Street drew off some of the Main Street crowds. Auto dealer Bruce Rossmeyer, who opened a successful Harley-Davidson dealership on Main Street in 1994 that kicked off his chain of Harley locations, moved it 20 years later to the new 150-acre Destination Daytona complex he built along Interstate 95 near Ormond Beach to give bikers more restaurants, bars, shops, a hotel and condos to go to.

Revving up during COVID-19

Even during the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 when major sporting events and public gatherings of all times were being canceled, the motorcycles rolled on in Daytona Beach despite growing concern from health officials and warnings from city officials and the Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce.

“We can’t cancel it. The people are already here. You can’t put gates around the city,” said Nancy Keefer, the chamber’s CEO. “We help with the permitting, master-planning and marketing of the event, but we don’t control the businesses (that put on the events).”

There was a brief outcry when initial media reports stated that a New York resident who traveled to Daytona Beach for Bike Week was among three new presumptive coronavirus cases, back when three new cases were a big deal.

It was later learned that the 63-year-old man never made it to Daytona Beach. However, a 59-year-old man from St Lucie County who attended Bike Week became the first COVID-related death on the Treasure Coast a few weeks later.

While hand sanitizer was visible at most bars and venues, few masks were in evidence on Main Street. At the last minute city and county officials announced they were revoking permits for any gatherings of 100 people or more, which meant that vendors would have to pack up.

But while white-topped tents over T-shirts, food and other wares were missing and outside bars were shut down, the crowds still came. An estimated 500,000 people attended the 2020 event.

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After weathering heightened health concerns during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic and recovering from damages from 2022's tropical storms Ian and Nicole, this year’s Bike Week marks a return to normal.

There will be activities, concerts and attractions all over the area for visiting bikers. Biker-friendly bars are scattered up and down U.S. 1. The bucolic city of DeLand holds a bike parade every year. Bikers looking for a quieter (if still raucous) place to go head to Flagler Beach. Destination Daytona will have vendors, motorcycle demonstrations and music on outdoor stages. Many visitors come down just to ride the Loop in Ormond Beach, a scenic, 34-mile ride through twisting, tree-lined roads in largely undeveloped Florida.

Black Bike Week, traditionally held the second weekend of the larger 10-day event, brings thousands of people of all ethnicities to enjoy the street-party festivities at Joe Harris Park in Daytona Beach.

And, of course, at the Speedway across the street from the Official Bike Week Welcome Center at OneDaytona there’s the Daytona Supercross, and the Daytona 200 that started it all.

More:Daytona Supercross course the 'hardest,' most rewarding track on the circuit

It’s not the racing-based party where it began or the crime-ridden bacchanal it became. Bike Week in Daytona, like many of the regulars, has matured over the years into a somewhat mellower mix of people looking to have a good time, ride through some beautiful scenery and enjoy the company of other bikers from around the world.

Additional information from bikeweek.com.

C. A. Bridges is a Digital Producer for the USA TODAY Network. Follow him on Twitter at @cabridges

'Tardy Gras', strip club vaccines, lifeguard shortage: News from ...

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

Alabama

Mobile: Thousands of joyful revelers, many without masks, competed for plastic beads and trinkets tossed from floats as Alabama’s port city threw a Mardi Gras-style parade Friday night, its first since Carnival celebrations were scrapped earlier this year by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many lined up shoulder-to-shoulder and several deep along sidewalks, shouting and cheering as nearly 30 floats and several high school marching bands crossed a stretch of downtown Mobile. With COVID-19 hospitalizations and vaccinations ebbing, many partied with abandon. It was definitely not a Mardi Gras parade: Those can only be held during Mardi Gras, the period before Lent. But it felt a lot like one, which was a big part of the goal after months of lockdowns, illness, deaths and face masks. James L. Hurst said he was jubilant to be out partying after a difficult year. Many had no face coverings amid an upbeat mood sweeping the crowd on a balmy spring night with clear skies. Some took part in small house parties near the parade staging point. Others on the route eagerly held up hands, aiming to catch cheap beaded necklaces tossed by riders atop the floats. “We didn’t get a chance to celebrate our Mardi Gras last year because it was canceled because of the COVID-19,” Hurst told the Associated Press. “It feels great to be out! We have our vaccines and we are ready to go!”

Alaska

Juneau: Alaska had 19,100 more jobs in April than it did the same month in 2020, but the numbers still lagged what they were before the pandemic, the state labor department reported. There were an estimated 297,200 nonfarm jobs in Alaska last month, compared to 278,100 in April 2020 and 322,400 in April 2019, the report showed. The report provided a comparison to April 2020, the first month in which huge job losses hit as pandemic fears prompted business closures and restrictions. The department said industries that recovered the largest numbers of jobs last month were those that took the biggest hits last spring, such as leisure and hospitality, which last month had 6,300 more jobs than a year earlier. Retail gained 3,400 jobs, and education and health care had 4,600 more jobs. On the other end, the oil and gas sector had 2,600 fewer jobs last month than in April 2020, and mining and logging had 1,800 fewer. Alaska’s preliminary unemployment rate for April stood at 6.7%, though the department has cautioned against reading too much into the unemployment rate, saying it has been an “unreliable and misleading” economic indicator during months affected by the pandemic.

Arizona

Phoenix: A pop-up vaccination clinic was set up Saturday morning at Grant Park with the goal of encouraging and providing easy-to-access vaccines for the communities of districts 7 and 8 in Phoenix. A row of canopies shaded a concrete path to the basketball gym, where vaccination registrations had opened at 8 a.m. People stood in line under the shade – some with children between ages 12 and 18 who had recently been green-lit for the Pfizer Vaccine. Those over the age of 18 could choose which vaccine to take. The clinic had all three available: Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services Director Dr. Cara Christ. “If they want one dose, then the Johnson & Johnson is here. If they have already had a dose of Moderna, they can get the second dose of Moderna here,” she said. The program makes second doses available to anyone who has had their first dose somewhere else, as long as they bring their COVID-19 vaccine card with them and fit the time frame.

Arkansas

Fort Smith: More than 27% of people living in Franklin County were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Saturday, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC considers someone fully vaccinated two weeks after they have been given a single-dose shot (Johnson & Johnson) or a second shot (either Pfizer or Moderna). Arkansas has reported 340,040 total cases of coronavirus as of Saturday. The five state counties with the highest percentage of their populations fully vaccinated as of Saturday are Pulaski (34%), Conway (33%), Woodruff (33%), Desha (32%) and Dallas (32%).

California

Los Angeles: The most common coronavirus variant of concern circulating in Los Angeles County is now the U.K. variant, health officials said. Previously, two California variants were dominant, but in the past week, 53% of 40 specimens analyzed by a public health laboratory were the U.K. variant and none was a California variant, the county Department of Public Health said. The county also detected six Brazilian variants and one South African variant. The department said the findings highlight the need for continuing precautions, especially by those who are not vaccinated against COVID-19. “Recent research findings provide added evidence that the currently available vaccines appear to be highly effective against the variants of concern that are circulating here now,” the department said. Once staggering under COVID-19, the county of 10

million residents on Saturday reported 14 new deaths and 265 new cases. There were 330 people hospitalized and 24% were in intensive care units. The daily test positivity rate was 0.4%.

Colorado

Denver: Gov. Jared Polis and a panel of doctors urged parents and caregivers to vaccinate their 12- to 15-year-olds as middle and high school students continue to have the highest rate of COVID-19 infection in the state. “For younger Coloradans, two doses of the life-saving Pfizer vaccine … can bring an end to over a year of forced social isolation and illness and help us return to normal,” Polis said. “And for all of us, this means we can feel more secure as we continue to go about our summers.” Although hospitalizations are lower than they were during the pandemic for older people, pediatric hospitalizations are nearing their rate during the fall wave of COVID-19, according to data presented by state epidemiologist Rachel Herlihy. She said about half of Colorado’s pediatric hospitalizations over the last few months would now be considered vaccine-preventable. “We need to see increased vaccination rate among those individuals to protect them from infection,” Herlihy said. She added that parents of children who are not yet eligible for the vaccine should continue to take precautions because they could transmit COVID-19 to their unvaccinated children.

Connecticut

New Haven: Yale New Haven Health is closing mass vaccination sites, the New Haven Register reported. Dr. Ohm Deshpande, associate chief clinical officer for the health system, told the Register that the system will cease first doses after Tuesday, and after that, it will be open for second doses by appointment and on a walk-in basis. Deshpande said pop-up clinics will continue and the trailer from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will return to New Haven in June.

Delaware

Wilmington: The first lawsuit seeking to hold long-term care facilities accountable for how they cared for patients in the early days of the pandemic has been filed against a Prices Corner nursing home. It’s likely to be the first of several lawsuits in Delaware that claim wrongful death and gross negligence against a long-term care facility. A Delaware Online/News Journal analysis published last summer found that in the early weeks of the pandemic, about one-third of nursing homes failed to follow protocols to slow the spread of the virus. More facilities failed inspections in recent months. Americans across the country are grappling with how the virus ravaged nursing homes. Unlike other states, Delaware has not granted long-term care facilities immunity during the pandemic, which means they are not protected from lawsuits. This lawsuit was filed on March 23, nearly a year after the first Delaware nursing home resident died of COVID-19. At the center are two Brandywine Nursing and Rehabilitation Center residents: Charles Secrest, 82, and Sophie Star Sakewicz, 95, who were considered high-risk for COVID-19 and died from it in April 2020. The suit was filed by the residents’ daughters. The facility, according to the lawsuit, provided “substandard care by allowing an environment to be created which exposed the Plaintiffs to an extremely dangerous and infectious disease, after being put on notice by (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid) that there was an imminent threat to the wellbeing of its residents.” The administrator of the Brandywine Nursing and Rehabilitation Center did not return calls seeking comment. Through their attorney, the plaintiffs, Terri Hansen and Beverley Shinnen, declined to comment. Although nursing home residents make up only about 2.5% of Delaware’s COVID-19 cases, their residents make up almost half of the deaths. As of May 17, 753 nursing home residents died of COVID-19 – about 45% of all COVID-19 deaths.

District of Columbia

Washington: Over the first weekend with almost all of D.C.’s coronavirus restrictions lifted, businesses and neighbors are cautiously embracing the rollback, WUSA-TV reported. As of Friday, almost all businesses, including restaurants, gyms, retail stores and churches, have the green light from the city to remove all COVID-19-related restrictions. Some neighbors who had been hibernating months finally felt comfortable to step outside in the again-bustling Adams Morgan neighborhood. “This is actually our first time out in about a year and 5 months of the pandemic. We’ve been in the house on lockdown,” Aarum Hurse said. “So it’s a little strange to be outside.” Still, many businesses are still opting to keep some restrictions in place, such as patrons wearing masks inside and social distancing. Matteo Catalani, owner of the Retrobottega bar, said the bar will still require masks inside for the time being. “We’re not planning on lifting that anytime soon,” he said. “Just, you know, to make feel everyone confident and comfortable.”

Florida

Miami Beach: Some of the biggest celebrity chefs were in Miami last weekend for the annual South Beach Wine & Food Festival, including Bobby Flay, Giada De Laurentiis, Guy Fieri and Martha Stewart. But behind the glamour and private dinners that can sell for as much as $500 a ticket, the festival was quietly working behind the scenes to help restaurants struggling during the pandemic. Last year’s event, which fed more than 65,000 people at more than 100 events, was held just weeks before the COVID-19 lockdown. Miami has long been a foodie town with hundreds of local chefs and restaurants contributing to the massive food festival. As restaurants laid of staff and closed up shop, festival creator Lee Brian Schrager jumped into action to help his cooks and servers. The festival partnered with Florida International University’s Chaplin School of Hospitality to create a relief fund raising $1.6

million that went directly to unemployed cooks, servers, dishwashers and other staff at more than 500 restaurants and bars across South Florida.

Georgia

Atlanta: The advisory board for Georgia’s public health agency stopped holding meetings for more than a year during the coronavirus pandemic – a move that its leaders said was necessary to focus on the emergency response, though critics contended it made the agency less transparent at a time of crisis. The board of physicians and health professionals that advises the Georgia Department of Public Health held its last meeting on Feb. 11, 2020, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Friday. That was before the first COVID-19 infections were confirmed in Georgia. The advisory board, which typically met monthly before the pandemic, still hasn’t held a public meeting more than 15 months later. Dr. Kathleen Toomey, the health agency’s leader, defended the lengthy hiatus. She said her staff needed to focus on fighting the virus. “We made a broad decision in discussions with various leadership that we would not have meetings at this time, but really invest in the work of the pandemic,” Toomey said. “Because our epidemiologists were tied up.” Toomey noted she has fielded questions on Georgia’s handling of the pandemic at dozens of media briefings and appearances, often at the side of Gov. Brian Kemp.

Hawaii

Wailuku: County officials in Maui are reminding travelers that they must provide COVID-19 vaccination documentation to be exempted from the testing requirement upon arriving on the island. Maui County began requiring all trans-Pacific travelers participating in the Safe Travels program to take an additional rapid COVID-19 test upon arrival beginning May 4, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported. But fully vaccinated trans-Pacific travelers in the program do not need to take a test with proof of vaccination. Travelers are considered vaccinated after 14 days have passed since receiving both doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. “We remind trans-Pacific travelers that they need to provide proper documentation to be exempted from the post-arrival test,” Maui Mayor Michael Victorino said. “We need an original CDC vaccination card or a certificate of vaccination from the CDC. We are not accepting copies or photos of vaccination cards.” County officials said travelers whether vaccinated or not must still comply to all predeparture requirements. Officials said 17 of the more than 40,000 travelers that have visited the island from May 4 to May 19 have received positive results from the required postarrival testing at Kahului Airport. Those travelers were referred immediately to the Maui District Health Office.

Idaho

Boise: Some Idaho taxpayers will see a one-time tax rebate this summer as part of the income tax legislation passed earlier this year. Boise State Public Radio reported the one-time rebate will go to full-time Idaho residents who filed income tax returns in 2019 and 2020. Each person will get either a minimum of $50, plus $50 for each dependent, or 9% of the state income tax they paid in 2019, whichever is greater. It’s part of an overhaul of income tax law that includes rate reductions and consolidation of tax brackets. Supporters claimed it’s the largest tax cut in state history, and opponents said the tax cut and the rebate will benefit the rich more than working class Idaho residents. The state tax commission is still working out final details on the rebate with state lawmakers and the governor’s office, including how the rebates will be distributed. They could be sent as checks or deposited directly in a taxpayer’s bank account.

Illinois

Springfield: State Democratic leaders said they have agreed to repay federal pandemic relief loans more than a year earlier than scheduled, saving taxpayers $100

million in interest. The plan was announced as Democrats who control the House and Senate head into the final 10 days of the legislative session, still struggling to find ways to close a $1.4

billion deficit for the budget that begins July

1. Washington lent money to in early 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic and containment measures left economies battered and hundreds of thousands on the unemployment line. Illinois borrowed $3.2

billion and has repaid $2

billion. The rest was due by December 2023, but the state has money to pay it earlier. “The federal loan was a lifeline to keep our state and our economy afloat,” said Senate President Don Harmon, an Oak Park Democrat. “That our economy has rebounded so strongly that we can now pay it off early is a testament to the resilience of the people and businesses of the great state of Illinois.”

Indiana

Indianapolis: The National FFA Organization is bringing its national convention back in-person to Indianapolis this fall after the meeting switched to a virtual format last year during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Indianapolis-based group devoted to agricultural education announced Wednesday that it expects anywhere from 30,000 to 40,000 people to attend its convention from Oct. 27-30 at the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium. FFA’s annual gathering in Indianapolis typically brings at least 65,000 blue-coated youth and other attendees to the city, but organizers expect some restrictions may still be in place this year that could limit attendance, the Indianapolis Business Journal reported. Mandy Hazlett, FFA’s associate director of convention and events, said this year’s gathering “will look a bit different,” with a hybrid approach that offers in-person events for those who can attend in person and virtual activities for those who cannot. FFA is scheduled to convene in Indianapolis through at least 2033, following a contract extension that was announced last June alongside the group’s decision to temporarily go virtual. The event has been hosted in Indianapolis since 2006, with the exception of a three-year stop in Louisville, Kentucky, from 2013 to 2015.

Iowa

Colo: Niland’s Cafe was forced to close in August because of the coronavirus pandemic, but the historic diner is reopening under the new management of Danny and Abi Wilson, longtime Colo residents. The Wilsons are starting with a smaller menu full of homemade items, including tenderloins made using their own recipe. “We’re so excited. It took longer than expected to get open because of COVID,” Danny Wilson said. “The menu is going to be kind of limited at first. I just want to make sure that we do good food – good quality from scratch – and then add on. We’re going to make everything ourselves except a few things like onion rings and cheese balls.” The menu will also include items like burgers, roast beef, pulled pork, mashed potatoes and gravy, plenty of side dishes, pie, shakes and ice cream. There are a few changes in store for patrons. The vintage Cadillac that used to be parked in the dining room has been moved next door to the gas station museum to more than double the seating to 10 areas, both booths and tables. Situated between two other historic buildings, the Colo Motel and the gas station museum, Niland’s Cafe has display cases in the front room of the cafe and historic signs throughout. The display cases were donated by Duane Pundt of State Center.

Kansas

Topeka: Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly on Friday vetoed a Republican proposal to set aside hundreds of millions of Kansas’ federal coronavirus relief dollars to compensate small businesses that faced restrictions earlier in the pandemic. Kelly said in her veto message that the measure was “well-intentioned” but violated a federal coronavirus relief law enacted in March. She also suggested that Kansas already has a more transparent process for giving out relief funds through a task force she created last year. “The COVID-19 pandemic has presented many challenges for Kansas businesses,” Kelly said in her message. “My administration has been committed to doing all we can to support their continued pandemic recovery efforts,” Kelly said in her message. Her veto sparked criticism in the Republican-controlled Legislature, particularly from conservatives who have argued for months that state and local government restrictions on businesses were too harsh and applied unfairly. House Majority Leader Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, said Kelly’s administration is “a Death Star with the sole purpose of destroying the Kansas economy.” Kelly kept a stay-at-home order in place for five weeks last spring, defending it as necessary to prevent a surge in COVID-19 cases from overwhelming hospitals, as it had in Europe. She later sought a phased reopening of the economy, but lawmakers forced her to accept local control of such decisions to keep a state of emergency for the pandemic in place. Ryan Kriegshauser, an attorney for a Wichita fitness studio and its owner, who sued the state in December over pandemic restrictions, said the federal law cited by Kelly is “incredibly ambiguous.” He said the bill also had a provision nullifying its contents if they were found to violate federal law.

Kentucky

Frankfort: Kentucky reported 426 new COVID-19 cases and five additional coronavirus-related deaths Saturday. The state also reported two deaths from its ongoing audit. Kentucky’s test positivity rate is 2.63%. As of Friday afternoon, 1,957,642 Kentuckians had received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Because of delays with the federal vaccination database, there was no vaccination report Saturday, Gov. Andy Beshear said on Twitter. There have been 455,575 total coronavirus cases and 6,705 deaths in Kentucky since the start of the pandemic. There were 357 Kentuckians hospitalized with the virus Wednesday, including 102 in intensive care units and 50 on ventilators.

Louisiana

New Orleans: Figures from the Transportation Security Administration showed increasing traffic at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in May, The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate reported. Preliminary counts showed 242,404 individuals were screened at the airport’s security checkpoints from May 1 through May 18. It’s an increase from last month. And its a strong improvement from the comparable period last year, when, early in the COVID-19 pandemic, only a little more than 20,000 passengers went through security lines. “In May, we’ve been observing the TSA throughput and seen a noticeable uptick in activity,” said airport director Kevin Dolliole, at the airport’s oversight board monthly meeting on Thursday. Dolliole said Armstrong has been improving faster than comparable midsize airports across the country. “We’ve been tracking in the top tier compared to other mid-sized airports, we’re tracking very well,” he told the board. Official passenger data from the airlines, which the newspaper noted is reported on a two-month lag, showed that passenger traffic for the first quarter of this year was just under 1.25 million. That was down about 56% from last year’s first quarter and 62% from 2019.

Maine

Augusta: A dust-up over masks could raise tensions as the Maine Legislature prepares to return to the State House, which has been closed since March 2020. The Legislative Council voted to reopen the State House effective Monday while requiring people to continue wearing masks. Republicans argued that the mask requirement defied federal public health recommendations. Also, Democratic Gov. Janet Mills is lifting mask mandates for most Mainers, effective Monday. The contradictory guidance will only confuse Mainers with the executive branch and legislative branch adopting competing rules on masks, Senate Republicans said Friday. “The state needs to speak with one voice and its statements regarding the pandemic must be based on science. The governor made her decision based on the latest science from the U.S. CDC and the Legislature should follow that same path,” Jeff Timberlake, Senate Republican leader, said Friday. During the council meeting, House Minority Leader Kathleen Dillingham, R-Oxford, suggested to House Speaker Ryan Fecteau that some in her caucus might ignore the mask requirement.

Maryland

Ocean City: The COVID-19 pandemic complicated lifeguarding in 2020. The worldwide pandemic not only forced lifeguards to reconsider how they patrol, but it also made recruiting a challenge for Delmarva’s beach patrols. The pandemic disrupted testing opportunities, and forced beach patrols like in Ocean City to adjust its academy, meaning new lifeguards couldn’t get onto the beach until later in the summer. Heading into this year, beach resorts are hoping for a more normal summer, but so far, that hasn’t been the case for beach patrols, which have experienced many of the same problems as last year. Agencies in Delaware and Maryland reported having more issues this year with recruiting and staffing than they did in 2020. Despite the challenges, the agencies expect to either hit their staffing goals or exceed them and offer a record level of lifeguards on patrol this summer. Ocean City dealt with more issues than usual with recruiting new lifeguards and getting veterans to return, said Butch Arbin, captain of the Ocean City Beach Patrol. However, OCBP did resume its normal testing schedule. “This is definitely unique, actually more unique than last year, which is interesting,” Arbin said.

Massachusetts

Boston: Massachusetts will end its COVID-19 vaccine preregistration system at the end of May, the Baker administration announced Friday. The state’s COVID-19 Vaccine Finder will remain available. The site lists more than 900 locations across the state to receive a shot. Also Friday, the administration announced that beginning Monday, it is expanding the state’s homebound vaccination program to help schedule in-home vaccinations for eligible residents who are unable to get to a vaccine site. The homebound program is primarily using Johnson & Johnson vaccines, a vaccine that only requires one visit to an individual’s home. For individuals 12-17 years old who are homebound, the program is offering Pfizer vaccines. Over the next several days, all those still in the preregistration system will be contacted with an opportunity to book appointments before the system closes on May 31. All remaining people who have preregistered will be given an opportunity to book before the system shuts down, officials said.

Michigan

Lansing: The state health department has settled a lawsuit by releasing information about people at long-term care sites who died of COVID-19, attorneys for a journalist said Friday. The department agreed to provide ages and dates of death but was unable to say whether the infection occurred at a long-term care facility “due to inadequate tracking,” the Mackinac Center Legal Foundation said. The group in March filed a lawsuit on behalf of Detroit-area journalist Charlie LeDuff, whose public records request was denied as exempt under state law. The health department said it worked with LeDuff to produce information that wouldn’t identify anyone, although he said he wasn’t seeking names. The department is “strongly committed to protecting residents of long-term care facilities from COVID-19 and to sharing data with the public related to the pandemic,” spokesman Bob Wheaton said. The Mackinac Center Legal Foundation often takes aggressive action to get public records. “This data is an essential part of accurately understanding the effects of this pandemic and the public policy implemented in response,” attorney Steve Delie said.

Minnesota

St. Cloud: Minnesota added its lowest number of new COVID-19 cases since March 2 on Saturday, according to the Department of Health. The 443 new cases in Sunday’s report matched levels not commonly seen since last summer. In Benton and Sherburne counties, case counts rose by single digits. Nine new cases were found in Sherburne County, bringing its total cases to 11,889. Five new cases were reported in Benton County, bringin the total to 5,772 since the pandemic began. The more populous Stearns County saw 11 new cases Saturday, bringing its total to 22,419. As of Friday, 2,492,237 Minnesotans have completed the vaccination process, or about 46%, with another 356,087 having received one dose.

Mississippi

Jackson: The state Department of Health reported 105 new cases of COVID-19 and one coronavirus-related death Friday. Since the virus hit the state in March 2020, a total of 316,272 cases and 7,279 coronavirus-related deaths have been reported. The health department reported 25 outbreaks at Mississippi nursing homes. Residents between the ages of 25 and 39 represent the largest portion of the infected population in the state, with 70,171 cases reported Tuesday, the latest figure available. Among patients under 18, children between the ages of 11 and 17 have the highest infection rate, with 24,497 cases identified. According to health department data, 1,002,669 people have begun the vaccination process in Mississippi, as of Thursday morning. Since December, about 872,737 people have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Missouri

Springfield: Cider Days will be back for its 23rd year on Walnut Street from Sept. 18-19, with regional artists, crafters, performers and activities, along with apple cider, according to organizers. The community event was canceled last year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Vendor booths are expected to be placed 6 feet apart this year. Cider Days is managed by the Downtown Springfield Association and presented by the Historic Walnut Street Association. The festival hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both days. It is $5 per person while children 10 and under are free.

Montana

Great Falls: City Commissioners heard a presentation about the timeline for distribution and restrictions of allocation regarding the allocation of federal coronavirus relief funds. The city will be receiving close to $19.5

million, the first $9.7

million received this month and the latter half to be distributed in May 2022. Finance Director Melissa Kinzler said funds from the American Rescue Plan must be appropriated by Dec. 31, 2024, and be spent by the end of 2026. Deputy Finance Director Kirsten Myre said the funds must meet specific conditions for use as they are encouraged to focus spending toward supporting low-income individuals and those disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. These funds cannot be used to pay off debt, legal settlements or offset tax cuts. City Manager Greg Doyon said he has been meeting weekly with leaders in the community and the congressional delegation to monitor and keep track of all the information that relates to the American Rescue Plan and how best to leverage it for the community.

Nebraska

Lincoln: The state Department of Health and Human Services reported 588 new COVID-19 cases last week, a 43% drop from the previous week’s total of 1,368. The daily average of new positive cases in the last week was 84. Total hospitalizations in Nebraska due to COVID-19 number are at 6,630. Through last Wednesday, the latest day available, 788,985 Nebraskans age 16 and older (53.2%) have been fully vaccinated.

Nevada

Las Vegas: Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club, with a spinning disco ball casting rainbow colors on the walls but more lights turned on than usual, was an unconventional site for a walk-in COVID-19 vaccination clinic. But as government officials and health workers try to address the slowing demand for vaccines, they’re increasingly turning to creative ways to incentivize people to show up and get a shot. “This is just another way to access our population,” said JoAnn Rupiper, the chief nurse of the Southern Nevada Health District, who monitored the clinic. “It might attract some people who like the novelty of it, I suppose.” The clinic opened for several hours Friday night, administering shots to about 100 people before the strip club opened for its usual business. Some people who showed up to get shots admitted they were reluctant to get the vaccine but decided to go for it if it meant visiting a strip club.

New Hampshire

Concord: New England College in Henniker said it will require that students attending classes on campus this fall be fully vaccinated, as well as faculty and staff. “With the COVID-19 vaccine now widely available throughout the country, we will add it to our list of required vaccinations,” President Michele Perkins said in a statement Friday. “With limited exceptions, all students attending classes on campus in fall 2021 must be fully vaccinated. Faculty and staff must also be fully vaccinated by August 1, 2021 if they work on campus.” Perkins said vaccination of the on-campus community will allow more face-to-face classes, field trips, athletic competitions, and opening up its galleries and theater. In April, Dartmouth College Provost Joseph Helble announced that all students must be vaccinated before returning to campus for the fall, or must be vaccinated shortly after arrival.

New Jersey

Hackensack: Thirteen inmates at the Bergen County Jail remained quarantined Friday after testing positive for the coronavirus in an outbreak that infected 32 this month at the facility. Keisha McLean, a spokeswoman for the Bergen County Sheriff’s Department, said none of the inmates reported severe symptoms, and that the outbreak was contained to one unit of the jail. All those affected have been assessed daily by medical staff, she said. Detainees of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement who are held at the jail on River Street are not among those infected with the virus, McLean said. The facility has been the site of numerous protests in recent months by immigration activists calling for the release of ICE detainees held on civil immigration violations. Some detainees have also participated in hunger strikes in part to protest the conditions at the facility. Duane Holmes, 49, who has been held at the jail since 2019 on theft and burglary charges, said he was among the inmates who tested positive in recent days. Holmes said he was placed in the medical unit on Saturday, and spent three days there with symptoms that included body aches, nausea, coughing, headaches and a fever. He tested positive on Tuesday, a day after he was released from the medical unit, he said. His attorney, Eric Kleiner of Englewood Cliffs, has submitted a motion to the court for Holmes’ release that is awaiting a judge’s decision. Kleiner said he wants Holmes released to his family so he can get antibody treatment.

New Mexico

Las Cruces: Southeast New Mexicans were going back to the movies as theaters throughout the region reopened with the relaxing of state health restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Las Cruces-based Allen Theaters, which owns cinemas in New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado, announced its theaters in the Land of Enchantment were open or planned to reopen soon as counties shifted into the “turquoise” category for COVID-19 infection risk, based on state gating criteria. Carlsbad’s La Cueva 6 reopened two weeks ago, and Alamogordo’s Aviator 10 and Ruidoso’s Sierra Cinema were set to reopen Friday, said Allen Theaters Vice President Russel Allen. The turquoise category means the theaters could reopen under a 33% capacity. The Eagle 9 in Hobbs is expected to reopen June 4 as Allen said the theater was undergoing new management training. Chaves County was still in the green category, which if held steady for two weeks can shift to turquoise, and its Galaxy 8 theater is expected to reopen May 28.

New York

New York City: A spike in assaults and harassment incidents in the city’s transit system is threatening its ability to restore ridership to prepandemic levels just as it needs to start replenishing its coffers. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which carried 5.5

million people on its subways every weekday before the COVID-19 outbreak, faces a harsh reality: Even with $14.5

billion of federal aid, it must plug an estimated $1.5

billion deficit as soon as 2024 if ridership does not hit prepandemic levels. That scenario would bring back financial strains that could have dire consequences for the future of the nation’s largest transit system. At stake is the MTA’s $51.5

billion capital plan, which would improve access for the nearly 1

million New Yorkers who identify as disabled, expand service to underserved neighborhoods and replace aging signals that cause delays and limit service.

North Carolina

Hendersonville: Henderson County is the only county in the state that is highlighted green in the Department of Health and Human Services’ most recent COVID-19 Alert System Report. Green denotes low community spread in the color-coded system; light yellow is for moderate community spread; yellow for significant community spread; orange for substantial community spread; and red, the most severe, for critical community spread. The ranking is included in the state’s most recent COVID-19 County Alert System information, which was released May 13 and includes data from April 25 to May 8. The report showed no red counties, 19 orange counties, 56 yellow counties and 24 light yellow counties. As of Friday, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Henderson County was 10,245, with 160 reported deaths. The most recent vaccination numbers showed 50,574 people vaccinated with at least one dose in Henderson County, and 46,861 fully vaccinated.

North Dakota

Bismarck: The North Dakota Supreme Court ruled that Gov. Doug Burgum had the authority to close businesses during the coronavirus pandemic. Somerset Court LLC and salon operator Kari Riggin in April sued Burgum and then-State Health Officer Mylynn Tufte to allow the assisted living facility’s in-house hair salon to continue providing services to residents. They asserted that Burgum’s orders went beyond his authority and denied plaintiffs their constitutional right to earn a living. Burgum in late March issued executive orders temporarily restricting or closing some businesses, including hair salons to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The order expired in early May. The Somerset Court salon continued operating into April. Riggin was cited on April 14 for failing to comply with Burgum’s order. The infraction carried a potential fine up to $1,000. The justices in a Thursday ruling said the governor did not exceed his authority, Attorney Lynn Boughey, who represents Somerset Court and Riggin, told the Bismarck Tribune “there is a strong likelihood that we will appeal to the United States Supreme Court.”

Ohio

Columbus: The number of people in Ohio age 16 and older who received their initial COVID-19 vaccine jumped 33% in the week after the state announced its million-dollar incentive lottery, though an analysis showed vaccination rates lag well behind what they were in March and most of April. In the week after the May 12 announcement about the lottery, 119,394 people age 16 and older received either the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine or their first part of the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna vaccinations, according to Ohio Department of Health data. That’s an increase of nearly 30,000 from the 89,464 people in the same age group who received a first shot during the seven-day period from May 6 to May 12, according to an analysis of state data by the Associated Press. The analysis did not include vaccination numbers for children ages 12 to 15, who only became eligible for the vaccine the day the lottery was announced. More than 1

million people have entered Ohio’s vaccine lottery. Winners must be permanent Ohio residents and have received at least one dose of the vaccine, meaning the first person drawn by the state might not be the eventual winner. The first winners will be announced Wednesday at the end of Cash Explosion, the official Ohio Lottery TV show. Adults hoping for the $1

million prize and teenagers looking for full-ride college scholarships to a state school can register themselves, but parents or legal guardians must verify their eligibility.

Oklahoma

McAlester: Convicted murderer Nicholas Alexander Davis was among death-row inmates moved off of the most restrictive unit in prison after the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma threatened to sue. The transfer turned out to be fatal. At his new unit at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary, Davis was exposed to the coronavirus during an outbreak in March and became ill. He died April 7 at a hospital in Lindsay from COVID-19 complications, a medical examiner concluded in a report. He was 46. He was awaiting execution for a fatal shooting inside an Oklahoma City apartment in 2004. A jury in 2007 chose death as his punishment for the murder. The U.S. Supreme Court in October rejected his final appeal. He had been held on Oklahoma State Penitentiary’s notorious H Unit. In a 2019 letter, the ACLU complained to the Corrections Department that H Unit was a dim underground bunker where condemned men were kept in permanent solitary confinement in violation of their constitutional rights. In a response, Scott Crow, then interim director, told the ACLU all qualifying death row inmates would be relocated to A Unit within 30 days.

Oregon

Portland: A federal judge has determined that a group of businesses and political action committees that sought to block Gov. Kate Brown’s COVID-19 restrictions haven’t shown enough evidence to prompt such a move. The group – which includes the Gresham restaurant Spud Monkey’s Bar and Grill, its owner Melissa Adams and political action committees Oregon Moms Union and Heart of Main Street – filed a temporary restraining order against Brown on May 5, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. The order protested the “unfair restrictions” they said the governor had put on businesses and public school children. Such a filing indicated members of the group believe they are at risk of facing immediate damage from the restrictions. Judge Karin Immergut declined to issue the restraining order, saying last week the group “failed to show sufficient facts and adequate legal support” to warrant a block on Brown’s restrictions. Brown’s attorneys argued none of the plaintiffs could show they suffered specific ramifications as a result of the governor’s orders.

Pennsylvania

Erie: New data showed that Erie County’s minority populations are getting vaccinated against COVID-19 at a far lower rate than the county’s white population. About 31% of the county’s African Americans age 15 and older has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, ccojmpared with 44% of the county’s white population as of May 14. “This is not a surprise at all,” said Shantel Hilliard, executive director of the Booker T. Washington Center. “We know there has been some hesitation among people of color, even going back to the initial COVID-19 testing.” To improve COVID-19 vaccination and testing rates, Erie Insurance has awarded a $100,000 grant to the Minority Community Investment Coalition. The funds will be used to improve health education in Erie’s most vulnerable neighborhoods. MCIC will partner with local community centers, like the Booker T. Washington Center, and other organizations to spread the word about various health subjects, including COVID-19 vaccinations and testing.

Rhode Island

Newport: The city’s July Fourth fireworks show is returning this year after being canceled in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic. The tradition is scheduled to take place at 9 p.m. with a rain date of July 5, Mayor Jeanne Marie Napolitano announced Thursday, according to The Newport Daily News. The event will be designed with all relevant COVID-19 safety protocols in mind. The city is also launching a fundraising campaign that will allow businesses and individuals to help pay for the display. The event is costly, not just because of the fireworks display, but also because of related public safety and traffic costs, the mayor said.

South Carolina

Columbia: The state Department of Health and Environmental Control reported 205 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Saturday and four new deaths statewide. The agency also reported 121 probable new cases.

South Dakota

Sioux Falls: The South Dakota Department of Health reported Friday an additional 100 people recovered from COVID-19 in the state, while 34 more people testing positive for the coronavirus. It was the 17th day in a row in which active infections decreased in South Dakota. There were no new deaths in Friday’s report, with the statewide total remaining at 2,001. The number of people with COIVD-19 who were occupying a hospital bed rose to 61 in Friday’s report. Seventeen were receiving intensive care and five were on ventilators. The new infections included 10 Minnehaha County residents and four in Brown County. There were no new cases in Codington County. Five new positive cases were reported among long-term care residents.

Tennessee

Memphis: A final report from the Tennessee Department of Health concluded that multiple deficiencies existed in the Shelby County Health Department’s management of vaccine inventory, but that vaccine was stored within acceptable temperatures from receipt in the pharmacy to administration. The report recommends that ongoing assessment and corrective actions to support the vaccine program be carried out once new leadership is identified in the health department. The report, dated May 12, came less than three months after the state stripped the Shelby County Health Department of its vaccine distribution responsibilities, transferring those to the city of Memphis after the state was notified of expired doses of vaccine and an excess of unused doses. The state’s report focused on the local health department’s ability to maintain the vaccine at appropriate temperatures. It did not focus in-depth on the 2,400 wasted doses or reasons for the backlog. The report does not recommend anyone who has been vaccinated to get vaccinated again.

Texas

Austin: Under pressure from Gov. Greg Abbott, Austin and Travis County public health leaders on Friday chose to end the local mask mandate, thus avoiding a potential courtroom conflict with the governor over pandemic policy. Dr. Mark Escott, whose tenure as interim Austin-Travis County health authority began only months before the coronavirus pandemic gripped central Texas, announced in one of his last public briefings on the virus that businesses would no longer be required to make sure partially vaccinated or unvaccinated customers wear masks. “Now is not the time for us to be in conflict, now is the time for us to focus on the message,” said Escott, who is stepping away from his role as county health authority at the end of the month. “And the message is that unvaccinated people or partially vaccinated people need to wear a mask when they’re out in public. Those who are unvaccinated need to be vaccinated. This is the best protection that we have right now.” Under Abbott’s new orders, masks can only be required in Texas wherever businesses want them. But masks will continue to be required at state-supported living centers; government-owned or -operated hospitals; Texas Department of Criminal Justice facilities; Texas Juvenile Justice Department facilities; and county and municipal jails.

Utah

St. George: The Washington County Justice Court will be opening for some in-person hearings on Monday, and yellow-phase protocols will be in place. Utah courts have been closed for in-person hearings for 14 months since the pandemic and have done hearings through Webex. As Washington County is seeing fewer coronavirus cases, going from the red phase to yellow, the court administration is discussing how to proceed for those wanting in-person hearings. Washington County Attorney Eric Clarke said there has been one in-person hearing, roughly a month ago. It was a test run on court hearings in the yellow phase and required everyone who attended to be tested for the coronavirus and masked. The Washington County Justice Court is the only court partially opening in St. George for now. As part of the Pandemic Response Plan, The Washington County Justice Court will be encouraging remote hearings and require masks and social distancing for in-person. However, the judge can decide whether a person can enter a courtroom if they refuse to wear a mask.

Vermont

Montpelier: Vermont will be distributing COVID-19 vaccines to primary care physicians, said Human Services Secretary Mike Smith. The state will start with the Moderna vaccine, but will expand to Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines when enough supplies are available, he said Friday during the governor’s twice-weekly virus briefing. It’s part of the push to get 80% of eligible Vermonters vaccinated. Gov. Phil Scott said Friday that he would drop all pandemic-related restrictions early if the state reaches that vaccination rate before the July 4 full reopening plan. People no longer have to sign up for vaccines and can walk in to clinics, pharmacies and school clinics and get a shot, Smith said. The state is also renewing its effort to vaccinate vulnerable populations including the homeless and people under Department of Corrections supervision, he said.

Virginia

Charlottesville: University of Virginia students living, learning or working on campus this fall will be required to be vaccinated against the coronavirus and regular testing will be required for unvaccinated employees starting this summer, administrators said. News outlets reported that unvaccinated students won’t be allowed on campus without exemptions for health or religious reasons. Administrators said they hope it will help return campus life to something closer to how it used to be, with few distancing requirements and few online course alternatives, according to a memo to students, faculty, staff and employees. Students will be required to provide proof of vaccination no later than July 1. The Provost’s office will work with schools to develop accommodations for students or instructors with circumstances that make it impossible to return to in-person instruction, administrators said. Administrators expect any worker without approved religious or medical exemptions to get their shots and will monitor employee vaccination rates and consider whether to mandate vaccines for employees. Most employees who worked at home during the pandemic will be required to return to their offices, at least for now, administrators said.

Washington

Poulsbo: The city is implementing a mandate that requires employees to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 by July 1, Mayor Becky Erickson said, though she noted she would not verify whether employees comply with the rule. Erickson said the policy is being implemented because city employees work side-by-side with other city employees and with the public. The policy, she said, sets an example. “I am not going to run around and look at people’s cards and make sure that they’ve done this,” she said. “The policy is if you’re a city employee, you’re dealing with the public, you should be vaccinated. That is our policy.” Dr. Patricia Kuszler, who teaches health law at the University of Washington, said it has become common in medical fields for organizations to require nurses, doctors and other providers to be vaccinated. “It makes good public health and medical sense,” she said. Public employers would need to enact a valid regulation to create a requirement, and private employers have a “fair bit” of latitude in what they can require for conditions of employment, Kuszler said, noting a new Delta Air Lines policy that requires new employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Requirements for allowing exemptions for those who are immunosuppressed or for religious or philosophical reasons typically exist for public and private employers, she said.

West Virginia

Short Gap: A classroom at Frankfort High School is now in quarantine after two students tested positive for the coronavirus. In the release from Mineral County Schools superintendent Troy Ravenscroft, two or more confirmed cases among students and/or adults from separate households but in the same classroom constitute an outbreak. Mineral County has 12 students who have tested positive for the coronavirus, with 24 students and one adult in quarantine. Ravenscroft said despite Gov. Jim Justice’s lifting of outdoor mask requirements and his plan to lift indoor requirements by June 20, Mineral County Schools will continue to require masks and social distancing through the end of the school year.

Wisconsin

Madison: The state might not reach herd immunity from COVID-19 until the fall if vaccination rates continue to trend downward, said Department of Health Services Deputy Secretary Julie Willems Van Dijk. She said earlier this spring that 70% of Wisconsin’s population would need to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity, and that the state could reach that benchmark by July. But vaccination rates have slowed dramatically since then. The health department was seeing daily increases of 1% to 2% in the number of shots administered during the early days of the vaccine rollout in January, February and March, Van Dijk told the Associated Press in an interview last week. Now the department is seeing a 1% increase every week, she said. At this rate it, likely will be fall before the state reaches the 70% mark, she said. As of Thursday, 40% of the state’s eligible population had been fully vaccinated.

Wyoming

Jackson: Visitation at Yellowstone National Park last month has increased by 40% compared to 2019, an increase of about 19,000 people and a record for the month, park officials said. The park was temporarily closed in April 2020 as the National Park Service determined how to operate during the coronavirus pandemic. Once the park reopened, visitation increased and records were set. Superintendent Cam Sholly predicted the park would be busier early this year based on the inability of tourists to travel internationally as demand for outdoor recreation increased last year, The Billings Gazette reported Friday. The previous high visitation for April was in 2016, when more than 59,000 people visited Yellowstone, officials said.

Plasma shortage, fight club: News from around our 50 states

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

Alabama

Mobile: The city is moving ahead with plans to hold Mardi Gras celebrations in early 2021 despite the coronavirus pandemic, which is quickly worsening. Some groups already have called off parades and balls because of concerns about spreading the virus that causes COVID-19, but news outlets report that Mayor Sandy Stimpson’s office has released a memo saying Mardi Gras isn’t being canceled in the port city. Instead, the city is getting ready to issue permits for parades that will wind through downtown streets. Stimpson’s memo, which was released publicly by a City Council member on social media, said the number of people riding on floats will be limited, and participants will need to wear face masks. “This is a fluid situation, and we’re in uncharted waters,” said the note, which also said that organizations which rent city facilities for Mardi Gras balls will be able to cancel events as late as one week beforehand without a penalty.

Alaska

Juneau: The city will receive its own machine to process coronavirus tests starting in December, which should lead to a quicker turnaround time for results. The Juneau Assembly had authorized $700,000 from the federal coronavirus aid fund for testing equipment in June. But with the machines in high demand across the world, the city expected to have to wait until 2021. The new machine will be able to process almost 400 tests every eight hours. That means people should be able to receive same-day or next-day results, KTOO Public Media reports. “Ideally, we will have the staff and supplies in order to process all of our tests that occur in Juneau on the system,” said Emergency Operations Center Planning Chief Robert Barr. Juneau currently conducts roughly 150 to 200 tests a day on average, Barr said. Every test must be flown to a laboratory to be processed. Most results still take two to three days to finalize, KTOO Public Media reports.

Arizona

Phoenix: State health officials reported 1,476 new confirmed coronavirus cases Monday but no new deaths. The state Department of Health Services’ latest coronavirus figures showed the number of hospitalizations due to COVID-19 including ventilator use continues to trend upward. The total number of positive cases in Arizona since the pandemic started now stands at 276,912, with the death toll at 6,302. Arizona’s outbreak bottomed out in September but has steadily increased through October and into November. Health officials have said the recent increase is due to factors that include business and school reopenings and public fatigue with precautions such as masking. Warning that conditions likely will get worse due to Thanksgiving family gatherings and other socializing, officials advise against congregating outside households that live together.

Arkansas

Little Rock: A newly formed task force dealing with the coronavirus in Arkansas was set to begin meeting Monday, a day after COVID-19 hospitalizations hit a new record high in the state. Hospitalizations rose to 830 on Sunday, which is a record high for the state since the pandemic began. The state also reported 874 new cases of the virus Sunday, Gov. Asa Hutchinson said. “We had significant testing and lower numbers. This is part of weekend lag, but I am grateful for all who follow the guidelines and are making a difference,” he said. Hutchinson announced the Winter COVID-19 Task Force on Friday, when the state reported a single-day record of 2,312 cases. The task force includes 19 physicians, state officials and health care executives. Hutchinson will serve as the chair of the committee and Arkansas Surgeon General Dr. Greg Bledsoe as vice chair.

California

San Diego: Four San Diego County restaurants and gyms that were forced to halt indoor operations beginning Saturday have filed a lawsuit seeking an emergency injunction to halt the shutdown. The lawsuit filed on behalf of all restaurants and gyms came as 11 California counties, including San Diego, were forced to impose stricter limits on businesses after coronavirus cases rose above thresholds established by the state. Under the purple level of the state’s COVID-19 reopening system, restaurants, bars that serve food, gyms, churches and movie theaters are limited to outdoor operations only. The plaintiffs assert that the state and county orders interfere with their rights and violate the California Constitution, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. They are asking a judge to allow affected businesses to operate indoors under proper sanitation and social distancing protocols, a move they say will “redress the harms suffered by them without undermining the government’s legitimate interest in public health.” A hearing in the lawsuit is scheduled for Tuesday before a San Diego Superior Court judge.

Colorado

Denver: The state corrections department would hire a consultant to help it identify and protect medically vulnerable inmates from the coronavirus under a proposed settlement of a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union. The deal, which must be approved by a judge, also requires the state to do several things it already says it is doing, such as providing masks to inmates, conducting wide-scale testing, prioritizing placing those most at risk of being harmed by the coronavirus in single cells, and conducting audits of prisons to ensure compliance with policies aimed at preventing the spread of the virus. However, in the proposed deal filed in Denver District Court, the ACLU says that many of the actions taken by the department have only been partially or sporadically implemented. If the order is signed by a judge, either side would be able to ask the judge to enforce its terms.

Connecticut

Hartford: Gov. Ned Lamont has requested that the National Guard be allowed to continue supporting the state’s coronavirus response efforts through the middle of next year. The governor, in a letter to President Donald Trump, also requested that the federal government pick up 100% of the cost of using those troops. The current authorization is scheduled to expire Dec. 31. More than 1,000 members of the Guard have been deployed in Connecticut during the pandemic, performing tasks such as setting up field hospitals, distributing personal protective equipment, assisting in nursing home inspections and helping to run COVID-19 testing sites. Between April 2 and Sept. 30, the federal government picked up the entire cost of those deployments. Since Oct. 1, the state has been responsible for 25% of the cost. The governor’s office said Monday that change is estimated to cost the state $2.5 million during the current authorization.

Delaware

Dover: Public health officials on Sunday disclosed that the personal information of thousands of people who were tested for the coronavirus this summer was mistakenly shared with an unauthorized individual. The state’s Division of Public Health said the data breach happened when a temporary staff member sent two unencrypted emails in August that included files with the test results, names, dates of birth and phone numbers of 10,000 people. The files did not include financial information. The emails were meant to be distributed among the employees of a call center who help people obtain their test results, but the temporary agency staffer sent it to an unauthorized user by mistake, officials said. The person who received the emails Aug. 13 and Aug. 20 alerted the division about the error and reported deleting the messages. People with questions can call 1-833-791-1663.

District of Columbia

Washington: The local teachers union and DC Public Schools are one step closer to making it possible for kids to have an in-person learning option even as the pandemic rages on. After months of negotiations, the two sides have reached a tentative deal, WUSA-TV reports. Washington Teachers’ Union President Elizabeth Davis said many of her members were worried. “They were concerned. Many of them work in schools that are 65 and 70 years old, with windows that won’t open, schools that have no central air conditioning. No heating ventilation system that works properly. They had reason to be concerned,” Davis said. A 50-item checklist for safety is part of the tentative deal. Davis said those protocols will get oversight from teachers and parents. She said teachers will be able to opt out of in-person teaching from now until February. After that, they can opt out unless there’s a shortage of staff.

Florida

St. Petersburg: State officials reported more than 10,000 new coronavirus cases Sunday – the highest number of daily cases reported since July. According to statistics released from the Florida Department of Health, 885,201 people in the state have contracted the virus. More than 146,000 test results were reported Sunday, which could explain the dramatic rise in positive cases. On Saturday, Florida logged 4,452 new coronavirus cases. The state also tallied another 30 deaths Sunday. Since the start of the pandemic, 17,734 people in Florida have died from the virus. The number of patients being treated for COVID-19 in Florida hospitals has also risen in recent weeks. The state’s online census of hospitals showed numbers hovering between 2,000 and 2,200 for most of last month, but on Sunday, there were 3,118 coronavirus patients in hospitals.

Georgia

Atlanta: Gov. Brian Kemp announced Friday that he is extending coronavirus-driven social distancing and sanitization restrictions for businesses, gatherings and long-term elderly care facilities in the state. Kemp signed an executive order effective at midnight Sunday and running through the end of the month, leaving the current set of restrictions in place. “As COVID-19 case numbers and hospitalizations rise across the country, (Georgia Commissioner of Public Health) Dr. (Kathleen) Toomey and I are asking Georgians to remain vigilant in our fight against COVID-19,” the governor said. “Continue to wash your hands, wear a mask, watch your distance, follow public health guidance, and get a flu shot. By taking these simple steps, we will protect lives –and livelihoods.” The latest order keeps in place a ban on gatherings larger than 50 people and continues to make wearing a mask voluntary at the statewide level rather than mandatory. Cities and counties have been allowed to impose their own mask mandates since August so long as their local requirements do not apply to businesses and residences.

Hawaii

Honolulu: The annual Remembrance Day ceremony to commemorate the attack on Pearl Harbor will be closed to the public this year and streamed online as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The ceremony will begin at 7:50 a.m. Dec. 7 at the Pearl Harbor National Memorial’s Contemplation Circle in Hawaii. A small number of veterans will be in attendance on site, Hawaii News Now reports. A moment of silence will be observed at 7:55 a.m., the time when the Japanese attack on the American naval base began in 1941. “America’s obligation to honor its veterans has been a sacrosanct pillar of our society, and we encourage everyone to join us virtually for this important ceremony,” said Scott Burch, acting superintendent of Pearl Harbor National Memorial.

Idaho

Rexburg: Administrators at nursing homes and assisted living centers have started pen pal programs for their residents to safely interact with others during the coronavirus pandemic. Madison Carriage Cove Activities Director Emily Spencer collected the names of residents who were interested and put out a Facebook call asking people to write them, the Post Register reports. Spencer said five residents had signed up for the program in late August. Ombudsman Tera Fellows, who spends her days talking to people, said the program has spread across the region, and she has started her own as well. Fellows is paid by the state to investigate complaints from patients or residents in long-term care facilities in eastern Idaho. Four of the 36 long-term care facilities across nine eastern Idaho counties in which Fellows works are involved in the pen pal program. “It’s still in the early stages,” Fellows said. “I can’t wait one day to be visiting the patients and ask them face to face if they’re still getting letters.”

Illinois

Springfield: The Illinois Department of Public Health on Sunday reported 10,631 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in the state and 72 confirmed new deaths. With the latest announced number, Illinois has reported 573,616 cases of COVID-19, including 10,742 deaths. The latest confirmed and probable cases were the result of 84,831 tests administered over 24 hours. The seven-day statewide test positivity rate is 14.8%. As of late Saturday, 5,474 people in Illinois were reported hospitalized with COVID-19. Of those, 1,045 patients were in intensive care units, and 490 patients with the coronavirus were on ventilators. The latest numbers come after Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday ordered an extension of several of coronavirus-related executive orders for another 30 days, including an extension of a moratorium on evictions. State officials also released data covering the period from Aug. 1 to Nov. 7 showing Illinois is short of its goal of launching contact tracing for 90% of cases.

Indiana

Terre Haute: The Vigo County Health Department is pleading with the community to take coronavirus precautions seriously after county officials announced they’ve rented four refrigerated semitrailers to store bodies of COVID-19 decedents. With some funeral homes in the area already becoming “overrun with bodies,” health department administrator Joni Wise said there aren’t enough places to put them. “We have to have some place for mass casualties to go, and this is one of those situations that is going to get worse before it gets better,” Wise said Thursday in a video statement. Community spread of COVID-19 continues to increase in Vigo County, said County Commissioner Brendan Kearns. Gatherings at bars, restaurants and similar venues continue to be a main source of virus transmission. “People are not wearing masks,” Kearns said in the video statement. “The hospitals are already pretty much at capacity … they’re busting at the seams … employees are stressed out. This is overwhelming the community.”

Iowa

Des Moines: Eight labor and civil rights groups filed a federal complaint Friday alleging the state has failed to protect workers in meatpacking, dairy, construction, transportation, health care facilities, nursing homes and other industries. The complaint filed with the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration office in Kansas City seeks a full investigation and corrective action by the federal government. While it cites several examples of alleged failure of Iowa OSHA to do on-site inspections or investigate unsafe conditions related to the coronavirus pandemic, the groups say Iowa work safety issues go beyond coronavirus problems. Gov. Kim Reynolds is supportive of the work Iowa OSHA has done and “believes any federal review would find Iowa OSHA has followed all guidance to protect Iowa workers throughout this pandemic,” said spokesman Pat Garrett.

Kansas

Topeka: Counties that require masks saw about half as many new coronavirus infections as counties that don’t mandate face coverings, a study found, as cases statewide surged again to record levels. “Do Masks Matter in Kansas” produced by the Institute for Policy and Social Research at the University of Kansas found that counties that require masks saw a decrease in their seven-day rolling average of daily cases per 100,000 population starting 14 days after the mandate was issued. “Masks, it is important to note, do not eliminate COVID, but they significantly slow the spread of the disease – at least here in Kansas,” said Donna K. Ginther, the institute’s director, in a video presenting the study’s findings. The Institute for Policy and Social Research at the University of Kansas has been tracking the impact of COVID-19 on the state, The Kansas City Star reports. “We found a 50% reduction in the spread of COVID-19 in counties that had a mask mandate compared to those without,” Ginther said.

Kentucky

Louisville: The state again recorded a record-high weekly total of new coronavirus cases, with 1,449 additional cases and three more deaths reported Sunday. The state has set weekly records over the past month, with the rate for positive tests also increasing, sitting at 8.88% on Sunday. Kentucky passed its daily record three times last week, reporting 3,303 new cases Saturday. “Coronavirus is present in every corner of the commonwealth, and it’s spreading at a truly alarming rate,” Gov. Andy Beshear said in a statement. “This is not a drill; this is a health emergency that we all need to take seriously. Let’s come together as Team Kentucky to defeat this virus.” Dr. Steven Stack, the state’s public health commissioner, reminded people to maintain social distance, wear a mask and wash hands often. “Kentucky’s state motto is ‘United We Stand, Divided We Fall.’ This motto has never been more applicable than now, as we fight the most deadly pandemic in over 100 years,” Stack said in a statement. “Unless Kentuckians come together, we will continue on this dangerous trajectory with disastrous consequences.”

Louisiana

Lafayette: Acadiana’s elected leaders leaned on the region’s medical community to lead efforts to prevent a third COVID-19 wave Thursday, with Lafayette Mayor-President Josh Guillory calling on them to do more to avoid the need for economic restrictions. During a conference call with parish leaders, Regional Medical Director Dr. Tina Stefanski warned that Acadiana is experiencing a growth in new coronavirus cases and in hospitalizations for the virus, similar to the increase seen in the run-up to the summer’s massive wave of cases and hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Stefanski blamed the increase on risky behavior and fatigue with COVID-19 mitigation measures, reinforcing the need for everyone to adhere to social distancing guidelines, the state’s mask mandate and good hand hygiene in what she called a “pivotal, pivotal” moment in the virus’s trajectory locally. St. Martin Parish President Chester Cedars agreed that people have stopped following COVID-19 protocols and asked Stefanski to coordinate with local health care providers to make another plea with the public to use the mitigation measures.

Maine

Portland: The organizers of an annual holiday tree and wreath festival have decided to cancel the event this year because of the rise in coronavirus cases in the state. The Midcoast Tree Festival has been postponed to 2021. The event had been scheduled to start Friday. “It just isn’t responsible to hold a major event that will bring hundreds and possibly thousands of people to one location before sending them off to their family Thanksgiving meals and holiday gatherings,” Southern Midcoast Maine Chamber Executive Director Cory King said. The festival is a joint fundraising event between the chamber and other organizations that involves crafts, food and entertainment in addition to the trees and wreaths. The latest average coronavirus positivity rate in Maine is 2.14%. The seven-day rolling average of the positivity rate has risen over the past two weeks from 1.05% on Nov. 1 to 2.14% on Sunday. State authorities said the state surpassed 9,000 reported coronavirus cases Monday.

Maryland

Baltimore: Drivers have become more aggressive during the pandemic. And the proof is in Baltimore County. The Baltimore Sun reports citations from speed ticket cameras in the county are on track to set a record. Officials say people drove faster this year as more people stayed home because of the pandemic. The county has seen a 10% increase in speed camera violations so far in 2020. It issued more than 180,000 citations between January and Oct. 13. The same period last year saw 164,000 citations. At the same time, revenue from speed cameras rose by nearly 38%. And more than $4.56 million in speeding fines was collected compared to $3.31 million. The city of Baltimore also saw a rise in citations, although not as high. Citations were up by 7% by more than 500,000 through September. Those citations generated more than $12 million in revenue.

Massachusetts

Boston: The city is offering more help to local small businesses struggling to stay viable amid the pandemic. Mayor Marty Walsh on Friday announced three new relief funds totaling $6.3 million. One will provide up to $15,000 to small businesses that are struggling to pay their rent. Another will make $15,000 grants available to businesses owned by minorities, women or veterans. The third will offer grants to restaurants to enable them to retain or rehire employees. Since the start of the pandemic, the city has set aside more than $15 million in total to help businesses survive the economic downturn caused by the pandemic. Massachusetts hit 10,015 confirmed coronavirus deaths Thursday, nearly nine months after the state’s initial case was detected. Confirmed cases have topped 174,000, and the number of cities and towns designated as “high risk” nearly doubled over a two-week period last month.

Michigan

Lansing: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Monday that she has the authority to issue a second stay-at-home order to curb the spiking coronavirus if necessary and called a comment by an adviser to President Donald Trump urging people to “rise up” against Michigan’s latest restrictions “incredibly reckless.” The Democratic governor spoke with Capitol reporters a day after announcing limits amid a surge of COVID-19 cases that has led to increased hospitalizations and deaths. She has urged the public to “double down” with precautions to avoid a shelter-in-place order like what was instituted in the spring. Under the restrictions that start Wednesday, Michigan high schools and colleges must halt in-person classes, restaurants must stop indoor dining, and entertainment businesses such as casinos, movie theaters and bowling alleys must close for three weeks. Gathering sizes also will be tightened. Whitmer called it a “targeted approach” informed by epidemiologists and public health experts. She renewed her call for the Republican-led Legislature to codify a mask requirement in law in part to send a unified message to the public.

Minnesota

Minneapolis: Democratic state senators are calling on Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka to resign from his leadership post after Senate Republicans failed to notify their Democratic colleagues, nonpartisan staff and Capitol security of a potential COVID-19 outbreak among GOP ranks in advance of a special session last week. Senate Minority Leader Susan Kent called on Gazelka to step down Sunday, hours after he disclosed he tested positive for the coronavirus. Kent said GOP gatherings led to an outbreak, and the information wasn’t shared, and there is still uncertainty about who was exposed. Gazelka did not immediately return a message seeking comment Monday. In a statement Sunday, he said he has been in quarantine since he began experiencing symptoms Nov. 9 and “will remain in quarantine as long as my doctor advises me to.” Gazelka is in Florida and said he did not attend the Legislature’s special session Thursday.

Mississippi

Jackson: Officials have identified an outbreak at a prison in the Mississippi Delta in which more than 50 inmates have tested positive for the coronavirus. The Mississippi Department of Corrections and the Mississippi State Department of Health confirm the outbreak occurred at the Marshall County Correctional Facility in Holly Springs. The facility is operated by private prison management group Management & Training Corporation of Centerville, Utah. Marshall County borders the Mississippi-Tennessee state line and the greater Memphis metropolitan area. Dr. Raman Singh, medical director for the correction department’s medical provider, VitalCore Health Strategies, said three inmates in the prison’s 959-inmate population became symptomatic last week and tested positive last Monday. Singh said the facility began contact tracing and identified 109 inmates who were either living in the area of the three positive inmates or had contact with them. He said most of the affected inmates are asymptomatic, with just a few showing mild symptoms.

Missouri

St. Louis: The number of coronavirus cases continues to steadily increase across the state, and hospitalizations remain at a high level. The state reported 3,729 new virus cases Sunday for a total of 239,451 cases. The number of deaths increased by one to 3,374. The number of people hospitalized with the virus dipped Sunday to 2,447 from the previous day’s record of 2,523, but hospitalizations have doubled in the past month, and capacity is strained in parts of the state. In the St. Louis area, BJC HealthCare and Washington University Physicians announced plans Sunday to suspend some elective surgeries to preserve hospital space for COVID-19 patients. Local health officials have urged Gov. Mike Parson to impose tougher restrictions to limit the spread of the virus, but he has resisted requiring masks and largely left it up to local officials to impose restrictions. The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Missouri has nearly doubled over the past two weeks from 2,247.71 new cases per day Oct. 31 to 4,379.43 new cases per day Saturday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Montana

Bozeman: Hundreds of Montanans who received Pandemic Unemployment Assistance payments have been asked to pay back the Montana Department of Labor and Industry – some receiving bills for over $10,000 – because of a federal change to how a person is deemed eligible for the money. Roughly 21,000 Montanans received at least one payment between March and November from the PUA program, a program created by congressional coronavirus relief legislation to distribute unemployment funds to people not eligible for regular unemployment, such as gig workers or people who are self-employed. As of last Tuesday, the state labor department had identified 8,802 issues on accounts that will require repayment, according to department spokesperson Lauren Lewis. At least 816 people have received full denial and have been asked to pay back benefits in full.

Nebraska

Omaha: A group of about 35 people gathered outside a grocery store in southwest Omaha on Saturday to protest against the city’s mask mandate. The group originally planned to stage a mask-less shopping trip at the Hy-Vee grocery store, but the event turned into an outdoor march after the grocer worked with Omaha police to keep the protest out of the store. Omaha police said they would have officers at the store who would ticket people who tried to violate the city’s indoor mask requirement. Allie French said the group modified its plan after the backlash against it. French and other protesters gathered in front of the grocery store Saturday with signs and flags. Two police cars were parked among the group, and multiple officers stood at the entrance of the Hy-Vee along with several employees. Grace Willett attended the protest with her husband and 2-year-old daughter to take a stand for individual freedom. “It’s about standing up for our medical freedom to choose whether or not we wear a mask,” Willett said. “I’m fine with other people wearing a mask if they want to, but I think that we should all have the choice.”

Nevada

Las Vegas: The city’s annual fireworks show on New Year’s Eve is canceled this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, officials said. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority said in a statement that it would cancel its annual fireworks show Dec. 31. “Las Vegas has always been a bucket list New Year’s Eve destination, and we are going to make sure that remains the case – celebrating putting 2020 in the rear-view mirror in an ‘Only Vegas’ way,” Authority CEO Steve Hill said. “But as we have said throughout the year, the safety and security of our guests and employees is our top priority, and with that in mind, we will not have a fireworks show on December 31st.” Hill said the city will still “have some special things planned to welcome 2021 with the hope and promise it brings.” Individual hotels and casinos are free to launch their own fireworks independently.

New Hampshire

Concord: The coronavirus pandemic has underscored the importance of building a system of care that strengthens families and prevents child abuse, neglect and delinquency, according to the head of a watchdog office for the state’s child welfare system. Moira O’Neill, director of the Office of the Child Advocate, said she sees parallels between the experience of living through a pandemic and living as a child in out-of-home care. “The stress and uncertainty we all feel under pandemic restrictions teaches us what children feel when placed away from home,” she wrote in an annual report released Friday. “They never really know when they will go home, if they will go home, or who will be there for them. This may be the greatest lesson of the pandemic.” O’Neill said the Division for Children, Youth and Families has forged partnerships to create new paths to supports and services during the pandemic, many of which are better than previous options. But she said there is an urgent need to implement the expansion of the entire system of care that was authorized in legislation a year and a half ago.

New Jersey

Trenton: Gov. Phil Murphy said he will be reducing indoor and outdoor gathering limits because of the COVID-19 resurgence. The Democrat said Monday at a news conference that he will order the maximum number of people at indoor gatherings to fall from 25 to 10 and outdoor get-togethers from 500 to 150 people. The new indoor limit goes into effect Tuesday, while the outdoor level kicks in Nov. 23. The lower levels come just before Thanksgiving and ahead of the winter holidays. Murphy said he understood the new limits would lead to frustration, but little about this year has been normal. “I must again pull back the reins,” he said. “It gives me no joy.” New Jersey’s coronavirus levels have been spiking, which Murphy has said amounts to a “second wave.” There are some exceptions to the limits, the governor said. Among them are religious services, political activities and weddings. Murphy said the tighter limits are aimed at limiting house parties, which he said contribute to climbing COVID-19 rates.

New Mexico

Albuquerque: The state started its lockdown Monday as Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and hospital administrators look to curb coronavirus infections. Under the latest public health order, people are being asked to stay home, and only essential businesses such as grocery stores, pharmacies, big box retailers, hardware stores, auto and bicycle repair shops, and other necessary operations will be open. Universities are transitioning back to full online classes, while many municipal and state government offices are closed to walk-in requests. Also as a result of the restrictions, Virgin Galactic said plans for the first space test flight from southern New Mexico will be pushed back. The company had announced recently that the window for the test flight would begin Nov. 19. Virgin Galactic CEO Michael Colglazier said in a statement that the company’s operations at Spaceport America will be minimized to the greatest degree possible in accordance with the public health order. New Mexico has been struggling with high case counts and deaths. On Sunday, the number of hospitalizations due to the virus surpassed 500, marking a first since the pandemic began.

New York

New York: The city’s sheriff’s deputies have stayed busy enforcing coronavirus rules, clamping down on several big, underground night spots over the weekend, including a fight club in the Bronx that drew as many as 200 people. Deputy New York City sheriffs enforcing COVID-19 crowd limits broke up an amateur fight night event late Friday in a warehouse. The unsanctioned fight would have been illegal even before the coronavirus pandemic but risked becoming a public health threat as infections rise around the state. The size of the crowd far exceeded the state’s limit on nonessential gatherings of 10 people, authorities said. Across New York, the virus continued to claim victims at a rate unseen since the spring. Nearly 2,000 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Sunday, the state announced. That’s the most since early June, up from a low of 410 on Sept. 5. Over the past seven days, the state has averaged 4,500 positive tests per day. New York’s hospitals and nursing homes have reported 185 deaths over the past seven days.

North Carolina

Raleigh: The state’s depositories for old government and academic records, maps, books and genealogical materials have reopened to the public at reduced capacity after being closed for months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. State Archives public research locations in Raleigh and Manteo and the State Library of North Carolina in Raleigh planned to welcome visitors by appointment starting last Thursday, with the Western Regional Archives in Asheville following Friday. Guests must set up formal appointments online and are required to wear face masks inside. Public computer terminals there will also be closed. State archivists and librarians also urged people to check their agencies’ websites to determine whether research questions or access could be handled online.

North Dakota

Bismarck: Health officials on Monday reported a new high in the number of hospitalizations due to COVID-19, following a weekend in which the state enacted new measures in an effort to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. Gov. Doug Burgum announced the restrictions, including ordering the use of face coverings, late Friday. They went into effect Saturday and are set to remain in place until Dec. 13. Meanwhile, the number of virus patients in medical facilities rose by 10 on Monday, to 332. North Dakota has continued to rank first in the country for new cases per capita in the past two weeks. One in every 80 people in the state tested positive in the past week, according to Johns Hopkins University researchers. A weekend count of available staffed hospital beds in the state showed 11 in intensive care units and 181 in inpatient rooms.

Ohio

Columbus: The state reported 7,853 new coronavirus cases Sunday, down for the second straight day from a record 8,071 on Friday. The pace of new cases has been accelerating in Ohio, increasing from an average of about 1,000 per day in mid-September to the record-busting counts over the past week. While cases again ticked down Sunday, they still sat well above the 21-day average of 4,761. Another 189 people were hospitalized, and eight more had died from the coronavirus as of Saturday, the state reported. The positivity rate was down slightly to 11.9% on Friday, the most recent day for which data was available. Since the start of the pandemic, Ohio has reported 298,096 cases, and 5,722 people have died from the virus. A total of 22,265 have been hospitalized with COVID-19, and 4,204 were admitted to intensive care units.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City: Gov. Kevin Stitt on Monday announced new restrictions as the numbers of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations surge across the state. In a news conference, Stitt announced new mandates to limit bar and restaurant capacity in an attempt to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. Effective Thursday, bars and restaurants must close by 11 p.m., except for to-go and drive-thru orders. Restaurants will also have to space out all tables 6 feet apart. Asked about whether he considered limiting capacity in bars in restaurants instead of the requirement that seating be spaced out, Stitt said limiting capacity could be difficult because businesses vary in size. Stitt also announced that all state employees and visitors to state facilities will be required to wear masks. The mask mandate for state employees will take effect Wednesday. There are roughly 33,000 state employees, Stitt said.

Oregon

Portland: State health officials reported 868 new confirmed or presumptive cases of COVID-19 on Sunday and two more deaths. The state is experiencing a spike in coronavirus infections and has reached record-high positivity rates and hospitalizations in November. Oregon has surpassed 1,000 cases a day twice this month. The state total was 56,880 cases Sunday. The two new deaths were those of an 81-year-old man and a 66-year-old woman, both in Umatilla County. On Friday, Gov. Kate Brown announced a two-week “freeze” of new restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of the disease. Restaurants and bars will be limited to takeout only, and there will be closures of gyms and indoor and outdoor recreational facilities. The freeze will take effect starting Wednesday and running at least through Dec. 2.

Pennsylvania

Philadelphia: The city is banning indoor dining at restaurants and indoor gatherings of any size, public or private, as it battles a resurgence of the coronavirus, officials announced Monday. The city also plans to shutter gyms, museums and libraries, prohibit in-person instruction at colleges and high schools, and reduce occupancy at stores and religious institutions, the health commissioner, Dr. Thomas Farley, said at a news conference Monday. The new restrictions take effect Friday and extend at least through the end of the year. The Philadelphia school district had planned to start returning K-12 students to the classroom but said last week that schools will remain virtual for the foreseeable future in light of the explosion in cases. City officials said dramatic action is needed to respond to an exponential growth in cases and hospitalizations. The state is reporting an average of 4,900 new infections per day, up nearly 120% in two weeks, according to an Associated Press analysis of data from the COVID Tracking Project. The daily death toll has nearly doubled in that period, to about 42 per day, though it remains far below what it was last spring. Hospitalizations and the percentage of virus tests are also up sharply.

Rhode Island

Warwick: A state-run psychiatric hospital is dealing with a “significant” coronavirus outbreak caused in part by employees showing up to work sick, authorities said. The outbreak includes a dozen staff members and six patients, according to an email sent to staff Friday by Brian Daly, the chief medical officer at Eleanor Slater Hospital in Cranston, and obtained by The Providence Journal. Randal Edgar, a spokesperson for the state Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals, which oversees the hospital, said in an email to the Associated Press on Monday that the newspaper’s report was accurate but did not provide additional details or updates. “The most troubling information we uncovered in doing contact tracing is that some staff members worked even while they had significant symptoms of cold or flu-like illness,” Daly’s email said. “This means that they signed the attestation we all sign every day saying they did not have these symptoms when they did.”

South Carolina

Columbia: With Thanksgiving and Christmas on the horizon, state health officials are urging people to get tested for the coronavirus before gathering for the holidays, to wear masks whenever they aren’t eating, and to celebrate outside if possible. But so far, health officials aren’t forcefully suggesting people skip holiday celebrations altogether. “We recognize that the holiday season is a sacred time, and we encourage South Carolinians to avoid indoor gatherings and maintain their commitment to activities that reduce the spread of COVID-19,” the state Department of Health and Environmental Control said in a statement Monday. Since the coronavirus pandemic started, South Carolina leaders have placed more emphasis on personal responsibility, such as encouraging people to wear masks, than government edicts such as mask requirements. “Those decisions are best made at the local level,” Gov. Henry McMaster said Thursday, saying local governments better know their businesses, compliance with the commonsense rules and their capacity to enforce mask rules.

South Dakota

Sioux Falls: City Council members who pushed for a coronavirus mask mandate that failed to pass last week plan to give it another try as the state continues to be a hot spot for COVID-19. The mask ordinance is on the agenda for the council’s meeting Tuesday, as well as one that would place limits on the number of people allowed in local businesses. The mask ordinance is largely similar to the one that was voted down by Mayor Paul TenHaken following a 4-4 tie Nov. 10. And the second ordinance would place restrictions on businesses similar to those that were in place in May before they were repealed. The COVID Tracking Project said Sunday that there were nearly 2,062 new cases per 100,000 people in South Dakota over the past two weeks, which ranks second in the country behind North Dakota for new cases per capita. One in every 86 people in South Dakota tested positive in the past week.

Tennessee

Nashville: Vanderbilt University announced Monday that the school will limit attendance for the final two home games of the football season to families of student-athletes and a group of other students due to concerns about the coronavirus. A specified number of graduate and professional students will be able to attend the games, which will be held Saturday and on Nov. 28, but fans and other Vanderbilt students won’t be allowed in, the university’s athletics program said in a news release. The majority of the school’s undergraduate body will leave the campus Friday, when in-person classes for the semester are scheduled to end. The school said it is also planning to begin its basketball season without spectators at the games. “Similar to our approach with fall sports, we owe it to ourselves, our student-athletes’ families and our fans to gather as much information as possible and understand all aspects of what a basketball game day looks like during this pandemic before determining our fan attendance policies,” Vice Chancellor for Athletics & University Affairs Candice Lee said in the news release.

Texas

Austin: The state surpassed 20,000 confirmed coronavirus deaths Monday, as COVID-19 continues to surge in the United States. That is the second-highest death count overall in the U.S., trailing only New York, according to researchers from Johns Hopkins University. It’s the 22nd-highest per capita at 69.7 deaths per 100,000 people. So far, Texas leaders have given no indication of forthcoming restrictions to keep people from gathering and spreading the virus. Instead, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in recent days has been emphasizing that new therapeutics and vaccines are expected to become available soon. A state appeals court last week sided with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and lifted a local shutdown order in El Paso, where mobile morgues are being trucked in to help overwhelmed hospitals and funeral homes. The El Paso county morgue reached out to the El Paso Sheriff’s Department for help after it became “overwhelmed,” according to El Paso Sheriff’s Department Public Affairs Director Chris Acosta. Inmates of the county’s detention facility “were asked to help for a stipend of $2 an hour,” Acosta said in a statement.

Utah

Orem: The City Council has passed an ordinance outlawing demonstrations targeting homes following a protest outside the governor’s private residence. The Orem City Council passed the ordinance Friday after a protest targeted the private home of Republican Gov. Gary Herbert, KSTU-TV reports. The demonstration followed the announcement of a statewide mask mandate issued last week in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Protests must remain at least 100 feet from the property line of any residence, with violations to be charged as misdemeanors. “The public health and welfare and the good order of the community require that citizens enjoy in their homes and neighborhoods a feeling of well-being, tranquility, and privacy, and enjoy freedom from being a captive audience to unwanted speech in their homes,” the ordinance said.

Vermont

Montpelier: The state will start testing K-12 teachers and staff for COVID-19 starting this week as a strategy that health officials hope will help to track the spread of the coronavirus in communities. Teachers and school staff are not at a higher risk of contracting the illness caused by the virus, but they “represent a large group of individuals in an organized setting” and could help the state better identify cases before an outbreak, Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine said this week. The tests will be given voluntarily starting this week and resume monthly after the Thanksgiving holiday break. Those who are tested will not be required to quarantine while awaiting their results. “Testing of school personnel is a public health surveillance strategy,” Levine said. The state reported 94 new cases Saturday, while the number of deaths remained at 59. The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Vermont has risen over the past two weeks from 20 new cases per day Oct. 30 to 60 new cases per day Friday.

Virginia

Richmond: State lawmakers were feuding Monday after Democratic House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn announced plans for that chamber to again conduct its work remotely because of the coronavirus pandemic when it convenes in January. Shortly after the speaker’s office made the announcement, House and Senate Republican leaders said they would use a procedural move to limit the 2021 session to 30 days, rather than the typical, longer session Filler-Corn said she expected. Such a move could hinder the breadth of what Democrats, who have a narrow majority in both chambers and Ralph Northam in the governor’s mansion, are able to address. “I think it’s extremely disappointing that the Republicans would use this moment – a time when we should be helping Virginians through this pandemic -– to exercise their limited power to cut the planned 45-day legislative session short,” Filler-Corn said in an interview. The Republicans said that given the lengthy special session that concluded earlier this month, during which lawmakers approved a new state budget and passed a host of major new criminal justice reforms, 30 days should be sufficient time to complete the year’s work. The 100-member House also conducted its work virtually during the special session.

Washington

Seattle: A long-term care facility reported 94 people have tested positive for the coronavirus since late October, its second outbreak since the pandemic began. Snohomish Health District spokeswoman Heather Thomas confirmed that 53 residents and 41 staff members at Josephine Caring Community in Stanwood have contracted the virus, The Seattle Times reports. It is unclear how many people have been hospitalized. Thomas said in an email over the weekend that at least “a few” were taken to the hospital and that she didn’t know of any deaths. It’s the second outbreak connected to the facility about 50 miles north of Seattle. In the first, the facility reported a handful of infections in March, which grew to at least 34 cases, including six deaths as of April 17. Long-term care facilities account for about 1% of the U.S. population but represent 40% of COVID-19 deaths, according to the COVID Tracking Project.

West Virginia

Charleston: There were 107 active known cases of the coronavirus among inmates at a federal correctional institution last week. Gilmer County Health Department announced the numbers Wednesday. The county of about 8,500 in central West Virginia has two other active cases. The federal facility has nearly 1,300 inmates. Among state-owned correctional facilities, the largest outbreak among inmates is at McDowell County Corrections, where there are 40 active cases, the state reported Thursday. An additional 40 state correctional employees have the coronavirus overall across over two dozen facilities.

Wisconsin

Milwaukee: There is a critical need for blood plasma from recovered coronavirus patients in the state, according to officials. Convalescent plasma has been shown to be effective in treating the most seriously ill coronavirus patients, but the demand is far greater than the supply. Versiti Blood Center of Wisconsin’s chief medical officer, Dr. Thomas Abshire, said the need for convalescent plasma in Wisconsin is about double the number of donors giving plasma. Advocate Health Care transplant director Dr. Ajay Sahajpal said Wisconsin has already needed to import plasma from other states, but that might not continue as the shortage of donors continues elsewhere. “For convalescent plasma, specifically, it’s a critical shortage,” he said. Sahajpal said he is worried that as the holidays approach, fewer people will donate blood, which could lead to a crisis across several medical fronts. Saphajpal said plasma and coagulation products, which cause the blood to clot, are being rationed, even for patients in intensive-care units, some with liver failure and those awaiting transplants.

Wyoming

Jackson: County officials have said residents could see tighter coronavirus safety measures, including limits on further gatherings, as cases surge. Currently, state coronavirus health orders prohibit gatherings of more than 50 people. Republican Gov. Mark Gordon said Friday that more restrictive health orders could be implemented. But Teton County District Health Officer Dr. Travis Riddell said he felt it was time to take more drastic action now, the Jackson Hole News & Guide reports. “I’m not willing to wait,” Riddell said. “These cases have totally overwhelmed the capacity of our state and local health departments.” The request will next need approval from state health officer Dr. Alexia Harrist, who has granted other variances. The Wyoming Department of Health reported Teton County, which includes Jackson, has had 41 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases, increasing its active total to 175 as of Friday.

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

Drive-in lawmaking, masked Mardi Gras: News from around our 50 ...

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

Alabama

Tuscaloosa: The University of Alabama is requiring that students who will live on campus for the spring 2021 semester must be tested for coronavirus, officials said. The tests must happen within seven days of their arrival, no later than Jan. 19. The spring semester will begin Jan. 13. The university will offer free testing, or students can choose to get tested before returning to Tuscaloosa. Test results are expected to be provided within 24 hours to three days. The spring reentry testing is only required for those living on campus, including in residence halls and fraternity and sorority houses. In addition to reentry testing, the university is continuing to conduct a variety of testing for all students, including sentinel, for-cause, exposure and symptomatic testing. More details about the testing can be found on the university’s website.

Alaska

Anchorage: Residents 65 and over will be able to start receiving COVID-19 vaccinations next week, state health officials said. The Department of Health and Social Services announced that people in that age group can start scheduling appointments Wednesday on the state’s vaccine website, the Anchorage Daily News reports. People were asked to choose appointments for Monday or later, officials said. Alaska last month received more than 60,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine produced by Pfizer and Moderna and expects almost 53,000 additional doses this month. Health care workers were the first eligible to get the vaccine. A state allocation committee determined last week that people 65 and older would make up the next phase of recipients. But state officials had said the vaccine would not be available to the more than 90,000 Alaskans in that group until late this month. Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced the new timeline for seniors’ vaccinations at a presentation Monday to the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce, saying people over 65 are among the groups hardest hit by the coronavirus.

Arizona

Phoenix: The state on Wednesday reported a triple-digit number of additional COVID-19 deaths for the second day in a row along with more than 7,200 additional known cases and another record high of virus-related hospitalizations. Arizona has the worst coronavirus diagnosis rate in the country, with 1 of every 119 people in the state being diagnosed in the past week. According to the state coronavirus dashboard, Arizona had a record 4,877 COVID-19 patients occupying hospital beds as of Tuesday. The Department of Health Services reported 127 additional deaths and 7,206 cases, increasing the state’s totals since the pandemic began to 574,680 cases and 9,444 deaths. Meanwhile, a group of Tucson bars on Tuesday filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn Pima County’s mandatory 10 p.m. curfew as unconstitutional, discriminatory and ineffective at combating the spread of COVID-19, the Arizona Daily Star reports. And the Arizona National Guard has begun training retired medical professionals and current medical students who have volunteered to support COVID-19 vaccination sites statewide.

Arkansas

Little Rock: The state on Tuesday adjusted its rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine as the number of coronavirus patients in Arkansas hospitals continued hitting record levels. Gov. Asa Hutchinson said the state will move police, firefighters and other first responders to the first phase of vaccines being administered. Hutchinson said the state is also adjusting the second phase to include people 70 and older, rather than the original plan that called for people 75 and older. Hutchinson said the plan is to administer the vaccine to those in the first phase, which also includes health care workers and nursing home residents and staff, by the end of January before moving on to the next phase. The state’s virus cases rose by 4,107, its second-highest single-day jump. The number of people hospitalized because of COVID-19 rose by 27 to a new high of 1,323. Thirty-six more people died from COVID-19, bringing the state’s total fatalities to 3,836. “What we are seeing now is what I and all of us have warned about, and that is a surge on top of a surge,” Dr. Jose Romero, the state’s health secretary, said at a news conference. “How much of the second surge we have on top of that first surge is unknown.”

California

Los Angeles: The state is so swamped by the coronavirus pandemic that it has ordered hospitals with room to accept patients from others that have maxed out on intensive care beds. The public health order issued late Tuesday is the latest attempt by California authorities to confront a surge in coronavirus infections and hospitalizations, a deteriorating situation that could worsen before it gets better, as gatherings during the recent holidays could accelerate cases. The order, which will last three weeks, could result in patients being shipped to Northern California from Southern California and the agricultural San Joaquin Valley, where 14 counties were immediately ordered to delay nonessential “and non-life-threatening” surgeries in order to provide beds. The directive also applies to any county where ICU capacity to treat COVID-19 patients is bottoming out. “If we continue to see an alarming increase of COVID-19 patient admissions at hospitals statewide, some facilities may not be able to provide the critical and necessary care Californians need, whether those patients have COVID-19 or another medical condition,” said Dr. Tomás J. Aragón, the state’s public health officer.

Colorado

Denver: The Colorado Department of Transportation estimates it will receive $150 million from the coronavirus pandemic relief bill Congress passed late last year. The state Transportation Commission on Monday approved a proposal to spend the stimulus money on more than a dozen projects, Colorado Public Radio reports. The funding includes $9.7 million for new noise walls along Interstate 25 in the Denver area and $25.5 million for a grade-separated interchange in Colorado Springs. The projects are meant to take a “meaningful bite” out of the transportation department’s 10-year plan, Executive Director Shoshana Lew said. “We’re not trying to do everything because we just can’t,” Lew said Monday. Planned improvements also include repairs to U.S. 50 between Grand Junction and Delta, a new transit hub at I-25 near Berthoud and repaving projects on rural roads statewide. There is also expected to be $2 million set aside for the department’s Revitalizing Main Streets program, which has helped cities create pandemic-era public spaces such as car-free streets.

Connecticut

Hartford: Greeted by hundreds of protesters, lawmakers on Wednesday officially convened what will be a highly unusual and possibly contentious legislative session that’s expected to mostly take place in the virtual world because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the extraordinary circumstances, Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont urged the General Assembly during a pretaped address not to allow COVID-19 to place limitations on this session. While Democrats, who control the House of Representatives and Senate, appeared to agree with Lamont’s optimism, the two top Republican leaders were less enthusiastic about taking on major issues outside of the budget and the pandemic, especially since members of the public will have limited ability to express their views to lawmakers. Beginning Thursday, legislative committees will meet on Zoom and YouTube. The Capitol has been closed to the general public since March. Many of the protesters Wednesday voiced concern about a legislative effort to eliminate the religious exemption from required vaccinations for schoolchildren. Some held signs that read, “God is my scientist,” “Let me call the shots,” and “My body, my choice.”

Delaware

Dover: Democratic Gov. John Carney is urging public school officials to resume hybrid instruction mixing both remote and in-person learning next week after recommending last month that classroom instruction be put on hold because of the coronavirus. Carney, joined by Director of Public Health Dr. Karyl Rattay and Education Secretary Susan Bunting, sent an open letter to school leaders, teachers and parents urging the resumption of hybrid instruction starting next Monday. That decision came just days after Carney continued to maintain schools were “safe places” and should continue using a hybrid approach of in-person and virtual classroom instruction. “As we have said many times, we do not believe there is a public health reason to close schools,” Tuesday’s letter said. “We have spent the past four weeks helping schools try to address the operational challenges they are experiencing. And we can all agree that students learn best when they’re in school. In addition to the more robust and engaging instruction that in-person learning allows, many students rely on schools for meals, counseling, and social and emotional support.”

District of Columbia

Washington: D.C. reported 316 new cases of the coronavirus and five new deaths Wednesday, WUSA-TV reports. It was the first time in two weeks the city had reported more than 300 cases in a single day, with the average having hovered around 250 new cases and four deaths per day.

Florida

Fort Lauderdale: About 1,700 South Florida teachers who have been working remotely during the coronavirus pandemic have been ordered to return to their campuses when the spring semester begins next Monday. Some teachers say they are living in fear as principals and Broward County school administrators each say it is the other’s responsibility to approve future remote work, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports. “Some of us have conditions that specifically state if we catch this virus, we’re dead,” said Anne Skurnick, a computer science teacher in Pembroke Pines, who has been teaching remotely due to the effects of medicine she takes for rheumatoid arthritis. “No one is taking responsibility for extending accommodations.” The district wants to eliminate “overflow rooms,” where students sit in large areas with students from other classes and take online classes from a remotely working teacher. “They’d rather us take a leave and have no certified teacher to teach,” Skurnick told the newspaper. “So it’s better to have a sub than a teacher from home?” South Florida has been especially hard-hit by COVID-19.

Georgia

Savannah: For the second straight year, the city is canceling its traditional and nationally renowned St. Patrick’s Day events because of the coronavirus pandemic. Mayor Van Johnson announced Tuesday during his first weekly update of 2021 that he spoke with health officials and city leaders before making the decision to cancel this year’s celebrations, WTOC-TV reports. “I hoped and prayed that our situation might improve,” Johnson said. “But I think that with what we witnessed this holiday season, we put the health of our city and our citizens at risk.” The mayor cited behavior by residents and visitors over the holidays as an example of why they do not feel confident in allowing the parade to happen. “If we could not manage this during a holiday weekend, how could we manage St. Patrick’s Day?” Johnson asked. Chatham County has reported 13,308 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 230 deaths and nearly 1,070 people hospitalized as a result of the virus, the state Department of Health reported Tuesday. The mayor said he believes things may have been different regarding the parade if there had been a statewide mask mandate.

Hawaii

Honolulu: The state has announced it’s suspending all surfing competitions because of concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. The decision Tuesday means at least two World Surf League events will be canceled – the Jaws Championships that was planned for January to March in Pe’ahi, Maui, and the Sunset Open that was scheduled for Jan. 19-28 on the North Shore of Oahu, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports. The Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism said protecting health and safety drove the decision because it would be difficult to enforce crowd sizes on public property. “Following many discussions with health and natural resource leaders of the state to find a way forward for future surf contests in Hawaii, we have determined that the state will be suspending surf competitions at this time,” the department said in a statement. The Billabong Pipe Masters had been held on the North Shore of Oahu in December under a film permit approved by the city and state. That competition did not allow fans in person.

Idaho

Boise: COVID-19 vaccinations for 130,000 front-line health care workers and long-term care residents should be finished by the end of January, Gov. Brad Little said Tuesday. The Republican governor said the timeline for the first round of vaccinations in the state depends on Idaho continuing to receive the vaccine from the federal government. He also said it’s not clear what percentage of people in the first group will opt to get vaccinated. Through Monday, more than 20,000 doses had been administered of the two-shot vaccine. Little’s objective is to distribute the vaccine’s limited supply to preserve health care capacity and protect the most vulnerable. “Believe me, we want to get vaccines in arms and get through this pandemic as fast as possible,” Little said during an AARP call-in program Tuesday. Idaho can expect to receive 20,000 vaccinations per week going forward, health officials said at a news conference. That adds up to about a million people being vaccinated for 2021. Idaho has about 1.8 million residents, though the currently available vaccines aren’t certified for children under 16.

Illinois

Chicago: The state will make COVID-19 vaccinations available to residents 65 and older in the next inoculation phase, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Wednesday, as Illinois neared 1 million infections since the pandemic began. The age threshold is lower than a government advisory panel’s recommendation of 75 and older. Pritzker said it was lowered in Illinois to make distribution more equitable, citing data showing elderly Black and Latino residents die at younger average ages from COVID-19. “For people of color, multigenerational institutional racism in the provision of health care has reduced access to care, caused higher rates of environmental and social risk, and increased comorbidities,” Pritzker told reporters. “I believe our exit plan for this pandemic must overcome structural inequalities that have allowed COVID-19 to rage through our most vulnerable communities.” Illinois logged 7,569 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday and 139 related deaths. Overall, Illinois has reported 999,288 cases and 17,096 deaths.

Indiana

Indianapolis: The state reported 6,214 new coronavirus cases Wednesday and an additional 80 deaths, as the weekly update of Indiana’s county metrics map depicted an even redder state than the one shown last week. The newly reported cases and deaths bring the state’s totals to 539,229 cases and 8,371 deaths. Out of the state’s 92 counties, 35 were orange for the second-highest level of viral spread, and the remainder fell in the red category. Last week 46 were coded orange, one yellow and the rest red. The number of counties facing the highest level of restrictions also rose. Last week, 41 counties shaded orange on restrictions, and the rest were red. This week all but 27 counties are shaded red. A county must be shaded orange for two weeks on the overall metric before it can move out to a lower advisory level. All of the state’s counties remain in the red for having 200 or more coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents. State Health Commissioner Dr. Kristina Box has said she would like to see every county in the blue category of fewer than 10 cases per 100,000 residents.

Iowa

Des Moines: The number of Iowans with COVID-19 who have died has surpassed 4,000, with the state reporting an additional 61 deaths Wednesday. Deaths caused by COVID-19 appear to have resulted in record numbers of deaths overall in Iowa, the Associated Press reports. Iowa’s death total last year is the highest single-year total at least since 1915, public health data in available vital statistics records show. The state also reported 2,785 new coronavirus cases Wednesday. On Tuesday, 604 people were hospitalized in Iowa, up from 582 on Monday, according to the latest information available from the state. Hospitals admitted 125 patients, up from 69. Also, there were 116 COVID-19 patients in intensive care units Tuesday, up from 115 on Monday. There were 54 patients on ventilators, up from 53. Additionally, 91 nursing homes in Iowa were reporting coronavirus outbreaks Wednesday, down from 100 on Tuesday.

Kansas

Topeka: Republican legislators and the state’s GOP attorney general said Tuesday that privacy is key, as lawmakers prepared to decide whether to rewrite a law that allows people exposed to COVID-19 to refuse to disclose their close contacts to health officials. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly wants legislators to rewrite the law enacted last year, arguing in a recent interview that provisions allowing people to opt out of contact tracing “served no purpose.” Some health officials say the law hinders efforts to trace new coronavirus cases to their source and warn others who might have been infected. Attorney General Derek Schmidt and Republicans in the GOP-controlled Legislature aren’t ruling out changes, but some said they want to make sure people’s privacy remains protected. The law was enacted for the COVID-19 pandemic and is set to expire May 1, forcing legislators to review it during the annual 90-day session opening Monday. Legislators included the contact-tracing law in a package of measures governing the state’s coronavirus response. Kelly said she was forced to accept the whole package to preserve a state of emergency for the pandemic and called the provision “not helpful.”

Kentucky

Louisville: Jefferson County Public Schools Superintendent Marty Pollio said Tuesday that the pace of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout in the state and how many doses the district receives will affect how soon in-person classes resume this year. Pollio said last month that a best-case scenario would see the state’s largest district resume in-person classes for preschool through third grade students at some point in February. However, that plan could be too ambitious, as it is dependent on when JCPS receives its first COVID-19 vaccine shipment and how many doses are included. Nearly 75% of JCPS employees – or more than 13,000 people – told the district in a survey that they would like to get vaccinated when possible. JCPS had 5,400 staff members decline the vaccine or not complete the survey. K-12 school personnel are next in line for vaccinations as part of “Phase 1B” of Kentucky’s vaccine rollout, with first responders and persons 70 and older joining them in the second group. Gov. Andy Beshear has said that, depending on how efficiently things progress with vaccine distribution, the second group could begin receiving the vaccine as early as Feb. 1, “plus or minus a week.”

Louisiana

New Orleans: A subdued Carnival season began Wednesday after the coronavirus pandemic put an end to the crowd-heavy balls and street parades that draw thousands of people to the city every year. The Mardi Gras season always starts Jan. 6 and ends on Fat Tuesday, which this year falls Feb. 16. The season is usually marked by extravagant balls and parades in which costumed riders throw trinkets to the mobs of people packed along the parade routes. The coronavirus has put an end to those large events. But that has not stopped notoriously creative New Orleanians from coming up with socially distant ways to celebrate. The Krewe de Jeanne d’Arc – a club that annually pays homage to the fallen French hero with a parade through the French Quarter on the official start of the Carnival season – is hosting a “Tableaux de Jeanne d’Arc,” where onlookers will drive by various “tableaux,” a French term for “living pictures,” that will include stations of costumed revelers sparring as knights, sharpening their swords and feasting at a grand fireplace with a pig roasting in the background. “Life as usual is gone, so we had to look for different ways of doing things this year,” said Antoinette de Alteriis, one of the club’s captains.

Maine

Portland: The state plans an online registry for COVID-19 vaccinations as it prepares for the next phase of the rollout. The online tool will aim to reduce lines and cut the risk of exposure by people getting the vaccine, said Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The system would also speed the process by allowing people to fill out paperwork in advance, he said. As of Tuesday, 35,536 people in Maine had received at least the first dose of vaccine. Meanwhile, state lawmakers will be considering more than 1,600 bills this session, but COVID-19 will take up much of their time. A slew of bills would curtail the governor’s executive powers, protect the rights of patients and help hard-hit businesses. Assistant House Majority Leader Rachel Talbot Ross, D-Portland, wants to address the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on people of color. Rep. Jon Connor, R-Lewiston, wants to eliminate sales tax on hard-hit restaurants and lodging establishments. Sen. Cathy Breen, D-Falmouth, wants legislative oversight over how the state spends federal COVID-19 relief funds. Sen. Lisa Keim, R-Dixfield, wants to establish a COVID-19 review commission.

Maryland

Annapolis: Gov. Larry Hogan announced steps Tuesday to speed up vaccinations against COVID-19 to “get more shots into more arms.” Hogan said 270,150 doses of the vaccine have been put directly in the hands of front-line vaccinators in the state over the past three weeks. However, as of Tuesday, only 76,916 people had been vaccinated so far, or about 1.3% of the state’s population. “While none of us are thrilled with the pace of this rollout over the first couple of weeks, I can assure you that it is improving every day,” Hogan said at a news conference. The governor said 11,553 people were vaccinated Tuesday, the highest number so far. Starting Wednesday, the Republican governor said the National Guard would begin to dispatch emergency vaccination support teams across the state to help local health departments to expand vaccination capacity. Hogan also said there has been uneven data reporting of vaccinations that have been administered so that the state can determine where help is needed. He also said any facility that has not administered at least 75% of its total first doses may have future allocations reduced until it can speed up vaccinations.

Massachusetts

Boston: Northeastern University has become one of the first colleges in the U.S. to administer the coronavirus vaccine. The Boston school announced Tuesday that 88 people who work in the university’s Cabot Testing Center and the Life Sciences Testing Center received their first dose. Those who received the vaccine included clinical and nonclinical health care workers doing direct COVID-19-facing care, police and first responders. “It’s not only remarkable that we’re one of the first to have the vaccine, but also that we’ve built a testing facility that is the gold standard,” President Joseph Aoun said in a statement on the school’s website. Iloisa Teixeira, who works in the Cabot Testing Center as a medical assistant overseeing swabbing, was the first Northeastern community member to receive the vaccine. About 1,500 people in the university community are eligible for vaccinations in the state’s first phase, the school estimated.

Michigan

Lansing: The state will begin issuing COVID-19 vaccines to seniors and front-line workers such as teachers and police next week, officials said Wednesday while announcing accelerated access for people who are at least 65 years old. The state had planned to next immunize people 75 and older and essential workers including first responders, prison guards and child care providers. But residents age 65 to 74 will be included, too. “Every shot in the arm is a step closer to ending this pandemic,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said. So far, the vaccine has been limited to health care workers and nursing home residents – those in Phase 1A of the vaccine rollout plan. At least 152,000 people in the state have received the first dose in just over three weeks. Michigan will move to Phase 1B on Monday and will also include 65- to 74-year-olds from Phase 1C. Seniors can book appointments by contacting county health departments and other local vaccine clinics. Essential workers including police, firefighters, prison and jail staff, pre-K-12 teachers and child care providers will be notified by their employers about clinic dates and locations.

Minnesota

Minneapolis: Bars and restaurants can resume limited indoor service starting Monday, Gov. Tim Walz announced Wednesday as he also loosened up coronavirus restrictions on youth sports, gyms, entertainment venues and churches. “The situation in Minnesota is undeniably better than it was last month,” Walz said in a statement. “We have reasons to be optimistic, and Minnesotans’ sacrifice and commitment to their communities helped change the pandemic’s trajectory and saved lives. But we need to protect the progress we’ve made.” The dialing-back returns bars and restaurants about to where they were before Walz imposed a “pause” amid soaring cases in mid-November and extended it last month, which kept them closed through the holiday season except for takeout and delivery service. The restrictions generated sharp pushback, with some bars and restaurants defiantly reopening in recent weeks, risking fines and losses of their liquor licenses. The state has gone to court against several violators. The Democratic governor noted that new cases and hospitalizations have been falling in Minnesota in recent weeks, while tens of thousands of front-line medical personnel and nursing home residents and staff have gotten their first vaccine doses.

Mississippi

Jackson: The Mississippi State Department of Health reported 38 new coronavirus-related deaths Wednesday, topping the 5,000 mark since the pandemic began, and 2,791 new cases. A single-day record of 91 deaths was reported Tuesday. Since the virus hit the state in March, a total of 228,235 cases and 5,013 coronavirus-related deaths have been reported. Daily case reports over the past 30 days have continued to hover around the 2,000 mark. Health experts have warned they expected the number of cases and deaths to continue to climb following the holidays. It takes anywhere from two to 14 days for symptoms to appear after exposure, health experts have said. Hospitalizations remain at record levels, putting a strain on health care resources. The department on Tuesday reported 1,444 hospitalizations of confirmed coronavirus cases, with 349 patients in intensive care units and 223 on ventilators.

Missouri

Kansas City: A group of medical professionals is leading an effort to persuade Black residents in the metro area to overcome their skepticism and get the COVID-19 vaccine. Kansas City’s Black Health Care Coalition and a team of Black medical professionals are working to get information about the vaccine to about 45,000 Black residents in the region. During a media briefing Monday, they said Blacks are concerned about the vaccine’s possible side effects and how quickly it was rolled out. They also noted many Blacks distrust the medical profession because of past controversial medical experiments that were performed on Black citizens, KCUR reports. City Councilwoman Melissa Robinson, president of the coalition, said Blacks also are less likely to be able to work from home or take time off work, which increases the risk of infection. The doctors said evidence has shown the vaccine to be safe. And they said the country won’t be able to defeat the pandemic unless Black citizens participate in the vaccination effort.

Montana

Helena: A lawmaker’s decision to block residents from testifying before a state Senate committee via videoconferencing didn’t last very long Tuesday before the chairs of all Senate committees decided to allow such testimony amid the coronavirus pandemic. Committee leaders overruled Republican state Sen. Keith Regier’s decision Tuesday, Kyle Schmauch, a spokesperson for the Senate Republican caucus, told the Montana State News Bureau. Regier, a Kalispell Republican, said Tuesday morning that the Senate Judiciary Committee would not allow the public to testify over Zoom but would take submitted written comments, as the committee has done before in non-pandemic sessions. “For 130 years, people have been coming to this building to testify on bills. They rode their horse, their old Model T, but they came here physically to the Capitol. And I’ve decided not to accept Zoom testimony from witnesses outside of the building here,” Regier said. The legislative session is being held under a hybrid model that allows lawmakers to participate remotely to limit the spread of COVID-19. Most Republicans plan to come to the Capitol daily, and many are not wearing masks.

Nebraska

Lincoln: A new, more contagious strain of the coronavirus that has been discovered in five states is probably in Nebraska as well, but officials haven’t yet confirmed its presence, the state’s chief medical officer said Wednesday. Dr. Gary Anthone said the new strain is concerning because it could lead to an increase in hospitalizations. Anthone said the state’s public health lab is purchasing its own equipment to test for the mutated virus. The new strain has led to a national lockdown in England, and the virus has been detected in California, Florida, New York, Georgia, and neighboring Colorado. “We can all say with some certainty that it’s most likely … here in Nebraska,” Anthone said at a press conference with Gov. Pete Ricketts. Ricketts said state officials plan to keep close watch for the new strain, and he expects to see a confirmed case soon given the state’s proximity to Colorado. Anthone said the current tests provided through state-sponsored TestNebraska sites can identify positive cases from the mutated strain but can’t determine which strain has infected a person. He said the new version of the virus shows the need for continued mask-wearing in public and social distancing.

Nevada

Las Vegas: The city’s unemployment rate is the highest in the nation among big metropolitan areas. A U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report released Tuesday showed an estimated 11.5% of Las Vegas workers were out of jobs in November. That’s the highest rate among 51 metros with at least 1 million people. The COVID-19 pandemic has essentially transformed Las Vegas from a global destination to a regional gambling hub dependent on drive-in business. Casinos downsized, operating hours atrophied, and thousands were left to navigate pandemic life without paychecks. In April, Gov. Steve Sisolak ordered all casinos to close to stem the coronavirus’ spread. With the closure of The Strip and other Nevada businesses, Las Vegas’ jobless rate jumped to 34%. Visitation is now down to levels the state hasn’t seen since 1993. With concerts and conventions canceled and hotel towers closed, Nevada will remain in financial trouble with thousands of jobless residents stuck in a jammed unemployment system until COVID-19 restrictions are rolled back and travelers regain their confidence.

New Hampshire

Durham: The usual shoulder-to-shoulder was more like bumper-to-bumper for the state House of Representatives on Wednesday as one of the world’s largest legislative bodies convened from the socially distant confines of their cars instead of the Statehouse. The start of the legislative session was delayed by more than an hour as cars lined up to get into the lot at the University of New Hampshire where the session was being held. Legislators were greeted by a handful of protesters who felt the session has failed to reasonably accommodate members with disabilities. One sign read that drive-ins are for movies and making out, “NOT for the NH State Legislature!” Minority leader Renny Cushing, D-Hampton, said he was stuck in traffic for nearly an hour. “It kind of reminded me of going to a Patriots football game,” he said. As business got underway, House Clerk Paul Smith advised, “If you’re having trouble with voting, please put on your hazard lights.” Some lawmakers also honked their horns to get the staff’s attention. The 24-member Senate also convened Wednesday, but in a fully remote session. The House clerk and speaker will conduct their session from a heated platform, while members watch and listen via a large movie screen or through their car radios.

New Jersey

Trenton: Police officers and firefighters in the state are eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine beginning Thursday. They follow health care workers as the second wave of professionals eligible to get the shot. Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy made the announcement Wednesday. “We are able to open up vaccination to them based on the available supply,” Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli said. New Jersey has about 400,000 shots on hand, she has said, and more than 134,000 vaccines have been administered so far, up from 101,000 the previous day, she said. Persichilli said health care workers and those in long-term care homes continue to be a priority, and expanding vaccination eligibility to another group doesn’t mean earlier categories are now closed to getting the shots. More than 450,000 people have signed up so far on the state’s new vaccine pre-registration site, Murphy said. They will get word when they’re eligible to get the shots. The state launched the website Tuesday and faced technical problems stemming from high demand. Murphy said the state is working with the vendor to fix issues so the site works without interruption. New Jersey passed the 500,000 mark Wednesday for confirmed cases.

New Mexico

Santa Fe: O’Reilly Automotive Stores Inc. has said it will pay $79,200 in penalties to the state for violating a public health order intended to limit the spread of COVID-19. The New Mexico Environment Department announced Tuesday that the company agreed to pay the fine before Feb. 1 after the auto parts store in Santa Fe received two citations following multiple citizen complaints to the department. The payment is expected to be deposited in the state’s general fund. It is believed to be the largest penalty related to coronavirus public health violations issued by the department so far, the Albuquerque Journal reports. Inspectors with the department’s Occupational Health and Safety Bureau cited the store for failing to enforce the use of masks by employees and for failing to post signs requiring the use of masks after an inspection in July. Officials said subsequent inspections determined store management corrected the violations, the Santa Fe New Mexican reports. O’Reilly contested the penalties but agreed to a settlement with the state that does not admit to a violation.

New York

New York: Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a plan Wednesday to offer COVID-19 vaccines to most city police officers, only to have Gov. Andrew Cuomo say an hour later that the officers aren’t yet eligible for them. De Blasio said the city hoped to offer the vaccines to 25,000 officers and to provide shots to 10,000 by Sunday. “We want to make sure that all of these front-line workers, folks who work directly with everyday New Yorkers, folks who do things like having to perform CPR or working in very close proximity, that they’re going to get the opportunity to be vaccinated starting right now, starting today,” the mayor said at his daily coronavirus briefing. But Cuomo said at his own briefing an hour later that most members of the New York Police Department don’t qualify for vaccinations yet under state guidelines. “We need to get the health care population done first because they are the front line,” Cuomo said. The NYPD has about 35,000 uniformed members, but only about 25,000 hold public-facing jobs. A smaller number are emergency service officers who might be considered vaccine-eligible front-line workers under Cuomo’s rules.

North Carolina

Raleigh: The state’s top public health official said Tuesday that most nursing home workers are refusing to take COVID-19 vaccines being offered. North Carolina has become one of the slowest states in the nation to get doses into peoples’ arms. Mandy Cohen, secretary of the state Department of Health and Human Services, attributed some of the sluggishness behind the rollout to staffing shortages, lack of familiarity with the state’s technological systems, and logistical hurdles of working with dozens of hospitals and 100 different counties throughout the state. “We have a decentralized system in North Carolina,” Cohen said. “We have 83 local public health departments; we have 100 counties. We have great pride in that, but when you decentralize things, it does create slowness.” Nearly 110,000 people in North Carolina had received their first dose as of Tuesday morning, according to data from the state health department. Nearly 500 people had received a second dose. Data gathered and shared by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday placed North Carolina as the sixth-worst state in the country in per capita first-dose vaccinations.

North Dakota

Bismarck: State health officials said Wednesday that hospitalizations due to the coronavirus dropped from 93 to 85 in the past day, with 13 patients currently requiring treatment in intensive care units. Medical facilities across the state have seen a steady drop in patients since the middle of November, when many of the largest facilities scrambled to provide staffed ICU beds. The state’s hospital tracker showed 31 staffed ICU beds and 326 staffed inpatient beds available throughout the state Wednesday. Health officials reported 341 new positive tests in the prior 24 hours, with a daily positivity rate of 5.4%. Five new deaths were confirmed, lifting North Dakota’s fatality count to 1,334. The per capita death count compared to the rest of the country moved up from sixth- to fifth-highest based on data compiled Tuesday by the COVID Tracking Project. Health officials say data updated through Saturday showed the state had administered about two-thirds of its existing COVID-19 vaccine supply.

Ohio

Columbus: About 35 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine expired after a nursing home overestimated the number needed and left pharmacists scrambling to get shots into arms. A nursing home in Lawrence County at the southern tip of Ohio requested too many COVID-19 vaccines from pharmacy partner Walgreens. After inoculating staff and residents there, the pharmacy had about 195 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine left over, or 39 vials, said Dan Tierney, a spokesman for Gov. Mike DeWine. “They did everything they could. They got everyone who would take a shot, but they had some leftover, a lot leftover,” DeWine said at Tuesday’s news conference. The pharmacy reallocated 13 vials to other long-term care facilities and distributed 19 vials to residents 65 years and older and Walgreens pharmacy employees. After that effort, seven vials, or about 35 doses of the vaccine, expired before they could be administered on New Year’s Eve, a Walgreens spokesman confirmed. “There were some that were wasted. That was the first time that has occurred, to our knowledge, in Ohio,” DeWine said Tuesday. Tierney did not know the name of the nursing home, only its location.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City: Registration began Wednesday for residents to be notified when they are eligible for a COVID-19 vaccination, according to the state health department, which later reported a one-day record increase in deaths due to COVID-19. Those who register at vaccinate.oklahoma.gov will be notified by email when an appointment is available, the department said in a news release. The availability of appointments depends on the vaccine supply in each county, which changes weekly, health officials have said. Residents will enter personal information to determine when they are eligible for vaccinations based on the state’s distribution plan that began Dec. 14 with front-line health care workers being inoculated. Beginning Thursday, Oklahoma residents 65 and older, health care workers and first responders will be able to schedule appointments on the site as part of the program’s second phase. The Oklahoma State Department of Health later reported 3,305 additional cases of the virus and 62 more deaths due to COVID-19, eight more than the previous daily high of 54 on Dec. 2. It also reported a one-day record of 1,994 hospitalizations.

Oregon

Portland: State health officials had a goal of administering 100,000 coronavirus vaccines by the end of 2020 but as of Tuesday had only administered 51,283. Now, Gov. Kate Brown has set a new goal of 12,000 vaccinations per day within the next two weeks. Health authority officials said Tuesday that if they expand the number of administration sites and adjust prioritization requirements, they are confident they will reach that goal. “In the first 19 days of COVID-19 vaccinations, we’ve learned some key lessons we’ll use to speed our vaccination efforts,” Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen said. The first phase of vaccination prioritization focused on health care workers and residents and staff in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. Effective this week, Oregon Health Authority will expand vaccinations to hospice programs, mobile crisis care, outpatient settings serving specific high-risk groups, in-home care services, non-emergency medical transport, health care providers in other outpatient settings, and public health workers.

Pennsylvania

Harrisburg: Pennsylvania’s Farm Show Complex is usually bustling with activity in the days leading up to the annual agricultural event. But this year the arenas and exhibit halls are quiet. And, with the exception of some baby ducks, they will remain quiet throughout the show that opens Saturday and runs through Jan. 16. Because of concern surrounding COVID-19, officials made the difficult decision to hold a virtual Farm Show for its 105th year. When that decision was announced in August, the plan was to still hold a variety of competitions, including some livestock events. Those plans changed as a second wave hit the state, and safety concerns grew. The only livestock competition that will be held this year is for the largest cattle. But the event won’t be held at the Farm Show Complex. And the kids won’t be there to show their cattle. “That’s the saddest part of this,” Department of Agriculture Press Secretary Shannon Powers said Tuesday. “The decision had to be made back in the summer, and one group of kids had already purchased their animals. That show will be held at New Holland Sales Stables.” Powers said the kids won’t be there to show the animals, but they still will be judged on their hard work.

Rhode Island

Providence: State health officials said Tuesday that several hundred people not currently eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19 attempted to get inoculated with the help of eligible people who improperly shared their confidential appointment registration links. Health officials said the link given to employers for their workers to register for vaccinations was shared. The employers were not identified. The state took down registration links and canceled hundreds of appointments this week after discovering the problem. The issue is being addressed, said Alysia Mihalakos, co-lead of the state Health Department’s Mass Vaccination Workgroup. “The demand for the vaccine is clearly high, and people are willing to push others aside to get themselves and their loved ones vaccinated,” Mihalakos said during a remote news conference. The state has prioritized getting the vaccine to those at highest risk from the virus.

South Carolina

Columbia: After being rebuked in court for trying to spend his share of federal COVID-19 money on private school tuition grants, the governor wants to spend the money on early childhood education, job training and tutors for foster children instead. Gov. Henry McMaster announced Tuesday how he will spend about $20 million of the $48 million set aside for him to spend at his own discretion. The governor has a May deadline to decide how to spend the remaining $28 million in grant money. McMaster’s initial plan announced in July was to spend most of the money on grants of up to $6,500 to help parents send children to private or religious schools, which were providing in-school instruction when most schools across the state were still holding virtual classes at least part of the time. The state Supreme Court ruled in October that McMaster’s plans broke the state constitution by sending public money to private schools. The decision also put on hold $2.4 million set aside by the governor for technology improvements to historically Black universities and colleges. McMaster has not announced if he will restore that money.

South Dakota

Sioux Falls: State health officials on Wednesday confirmed six new deaths due to complications from the coronavirus, after two straight days with no fatalities. The deaths lifted the total to 1,519 since the start of the pandemic. That death count is the seventh-highest per capita in the country at about 171 deaths per 100,000 people, according to the COVID Tracking Project. The update showed 608 new positive tests, including 144 in Minnehaha County, 31 in Lincoln County, 36 in Brown County and 35 in Codington County. The state has confirmed 91,875 cases overall. South Dakota ranks 34th in the country for new cases per capita in the past two weeks, Johns Hopkins University researchers said. One in every 302 people in South Dakota tested positive in the past week. Hospitalizations in the state fell by six, to 264.

Tennessee

Nashville: State officials have set up an online tool that helps people figure out when they will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. Gov. Bill Lee’s office announced the initiative Tuesday as the state reported more than 169,000 Tennesseans have been vaccinated with their first dose so far. Tennessee also continues to struggle to contain one of the highest new case counts per capita nationwide. There were 1,221 new cases reported per 100,000 people in Tennessee over the past two weeks, which ranks third in the country on that metric, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University. Tennessee’s online tool involves completing a form with questions about age, county, type of employment, health conditions and other risk factors. It provides risk-based and age-based phase information at the county level. The website lets people opt in to receive updates and notifications about their vaccine phase. It can be found at covid19.tn.gov.

Texas

Austin: Coronavirus cases are exhausting the availability of intensive care unit beds in parts of Texas as hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients continue to soar to record levels, state health statistics showed Tuesday. Hospitalizations set their ninth consecutive record by topping 13,300 on Tuesday, with 626 patients requiring intensive care, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. All ICU beds at hospitals in the Abilene and Bryan-College Station areas are full, while only two are available in the Laredo area and three in the Paris-Texarkana area. ICU bed availability is in the single digits in the Wichita Falls-Northwest Texas, Lufkin-Piney Woods, Waco, Galveston-Beaumont and Victoria areas. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo tweeted that the Houston region officially topped the state’s hospitalization threshold triggering COVID-19 reopening rollbacks. For seven days in a row, COVID-19 patients have filled in 15% of the Houston region’s hospital beds, according to state health statistics. But U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, the Republican congressman representing some of Houston’s northern suburbs, urged the public to ignore the appeal by Hidalgo, a Democrat, and said that “businesses should not comply.”

Utah

Salt Lake City: People waving Trump flags, holding “Stop the Steal” signs and largely ignoring coronavirus safety rules rallied at the Utah Capitol on Wednesday as violent clashes broke out between supporters of the president and police in Washington, D.C., while Congress was trying to confirm the Electoral College’s votes for the presidency. The crowd of about 200 people in Salt Lake City crowded around a television monitor on the steps of the state Capitol to watch the president give a speech promoting his baseless claims of election fraud at a rally in Washington. The majority of Utah protesters were not wearing masks or abiding by social distancing guidelines. Colton Fiedler, 23, of South Jordan, said he was the first person to arrive at the statehouse at just before 9 a.m. in the hopes that the nation’s representatives in Congress would “finally find the courage to do the right thing.” “I am a registered Republican, but I don’t know how much longer I will be,” said Fiedler, who was holding a Trump 2020 sign. “The Republican Party is dead as of this year. It is the party of Trump now.”

Vermont

Montpelier: The group representing hospitals across the state says uncertainty about the amount of COVID-19 vaccine they will receive is prompting delays in administering those doses. In a Wednesday news release, the Vermont Association of Hospitals and Health Systems, which represents the state’s 14 nonprofit hospitals, said hospitals have routinely experienced delays in the arrival of doses. They have also received fewer doses than expected. Conversely, there have also been cases in which vaccine vials have contained more doses than expected. “We have a population that is eager to be vaccinated, and we’ll need ongoing patience and support to continue making progress,” said association President Jeff Tieman. Despite the challenges, Vermont Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine said the state ranks seventh in the nation for the percentage of doses received that have been administered.

Virginia

Williamsburg: Busch Gardens Williamsburg, in a reversal of pandemic-era trends, is keeping its gates open during the winter for the first time since it opened 45 years ago, park officials said. The popular theme park is looking at ways to rethink its operations by hosting smaller, limited-capacity special events, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports. “We had to figure out how to operate safely and how to operate (economically) and still give our members and guests something that they love doing,” park spokeswoman Cindy Sarko said. The park said it will operate on certain weekends in January, February and March for three new limited-capacity events, including Mardi Gras and St. Patrick’s Day. The winter events will be held on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and will admit a maximum of 4,000 people each for each of the slots on those days, the park said. Busch Gardens held similar limited-capacity events last year. Being open in January and February also has been a request of patrons for years, Sarko said. The park typically opens in mid-March for the beginning of the season.

Washington

Olympia: Gov. Jay Inslee on Tuesday announced a regional economic reopening plan, with some COVID-19 restrictions on entertainment and individual fitness training being eased next week, but prohibitions on indoor dining at restaurants and indoor gyms remaining. The new guidelines, which will go into effect Monday, will require regions to meet four metrics in order to move to the next phase, at which point restaurants and indoor fitness center can open indoor dining at 25% capacity, sports competitions can resume with limited spectators, and wedding and funeral ceremonies can increase their number of guests. Each Friday, the state Department of Health will be looking at the regional case rates, hospital admission rates, intensive care unit occupancy rates and test positivity rates to see which areas can move to a new phase. While in the first phase, some outdoor entertainment – limited to 10 ticketed guests – is allowed, and appointment-based fitness training with one client per 500 square feet is also allowed, as are things like outdoor tennis instructions, gymnastics, and no-contact martial arts, as long as it is limited to five athletes.

West Virginia

Fairmont: The Marion County Chamber of Commerce is working on a project to attract remote or self-employed workers to move there, news outlets report. Marion County offers indoor and outdoor recreation along with good local restaurants and access to major cities like Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C., in just a few hours’ drive, officials said. “We don’t want to change Marion County per se; we love Marion County as it is. However, we want to share Marion County with everyone that we can,” Chamber Board Chairman Jonathan Board said. The coronavirus pandemic has changed how many people work, with many now working from home, which means some have more flexibility in where they can live, officials said. The Marion County chamber has been working with local organizations to put together a video highlighting the area’s best points. The full video won’t be released until next month, officials said.

Wisconsin

Milwaukee: More than 5,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the state since the start of the pandemic. Wisconsin crossed the milestone Wednesday, reporting the most recent 1,000 deaths in just the past 25 days. It took about five months for the first 1,000 Wisconsin residents to die from COVID-19. By Halloween, the state had reached 2,000 deaths. Three weeks later, on Nov. 21, Wisconsin hit 3,000 COVID-19 deaths. Another three weeks later, on Dec. 12, it passed 4,000. Experts at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation were nearly correct when they projected Wisconsin would pass 5,000 deaths from COVID-19 just before the end of the year. The institute now projects more than 1,800 people could die from COVID-19 in Wisconsin in the next month, and the state could see a death toll of more than 7,700 by April 1. Meanwhile, total COVID-19 cases are nearing 500,000 in the state. The state was just over 5,000 cases away Wednesday. The average positivity rate – first-time positive tests over the past seven days – was 32% Wednesday.

Wyoming

Gillette: Lawmakers will consider a proposed $100 million public education funding cut when they meet this winter. The bill would take away millions of dollars from school districts across the state while increasing the state sales tax by a percentage point, the Gillette News Record reports. Wyoming has been struggling with a steep decline in revenue from the coal, oil and natural gas industries due to low prices and the coronavirus pandemic. The virus has resulted in less travel and lower demand for oil worldwide. Gov. Mark Gordon in November submitted a proposed supplemental budget for 2021-22 containing more than $500 million in cuts to some of the state’s largest agencies, including the Department of Health, Department of Corrections, Department of Family Services and the University of Wyoming. The Legislature is scheduled to convene a one-day, online session Jan. 12. Lawmakers usually meet for about eight weeks in odd-numbered years. This year, they plan to reconvene for either a virtual session in February or an in-person session in Cheyenne in March, depending on COVID-19 trends.

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports