As Chicago readies to elect first-ever black female mayor, campaign ...

CHICAGO – The historic election here Tuesday that will lead to the nation’s third-largest city electing a black woman as mayor for the first time in its 181-year history has been shaped by name-calling, campaign surrogates raising questions about racial authenticity and a barrage of negative campaign advertisements.

Former federal prosecutor Lori Lightfoot and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle have spent the final days of the campaign crisscrossing Chicago in hopes of turning out support before Tuesday’s election. The two advanced to the runoff race after becoming the top finishers in February's first round of voting, in which 14 candidates competed.

But the significant milestone — Chicago will become the largest U.S. city to be led by a black female mayor — has been overshadowed by the two candidates trading vicious barbs throughout the campaign.

Concerned about the divisiveness of the race, prominent civil rights leaders Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton on Saturday nudged Lightfoot and Preckwinkle to sign a pledge to hold a “unity” press conference on Wednesday, the day after the election.

“The race was competitive and often divisive,” Jackson said. “The race ends Tuesday. The healing must begin Wednesday morning."

The election comes as African-American women are blazing trails in U.S. politics.

Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Rep. Jahana Hayes of Connecticut, both Democrats, became the first black women elected to Congress in those two states in November's midterm elections.

Meanwhile, Sen. Kamala Harris of California is vying to win the Democratic presidential nomination and become the first black woman elected to the White House. Another rising star in the Democratic Party, former Georgia secretary of state Stacey Abrams, is also considering a run for the White House. Abrams was narrowly defeated in November in her bid to become Georgia’s governor.

In Chicago, the battle between Lightfoot and Preckwinkle has been downright nasty, even as the latest polling shows that Lightfoot is on her way to winning by a wide margin. Lightfoot leads Preckwinkle by a whopping margin of 53% to 17%, according to the results of a WTTW/Crain’s Temkin/Harris poll released last week.

Windy City makes history:Chicago will elect first black female mayor; Lightfoot and Preckwinkle advance to runoff

Chicago votes: Who are the two women looking to make history as first black female mayor?

In the lead-up to the first round of voting, Lightfoot compared Preckwinkle — and three other candidates with personal and political ties to a powerful city council member who had been charged in January with attempted extortion — to vermin for trying to distance themselves from the tarnished politician.

"It’s like cockroaches — there’s a light that’s shined on them," Lightfoot said at an event where she signed an ethics pledge and took her shot at Preckwinkle and the other candidates. "They scramble."

At their first one-on-one debate, Lightfoot called Preckwinkle “sad and pathetic” and accused her of lying that she had received the endorsements of two city council members who are backers of President Donald Trump. (Lightfoot had actually received an endorsement of the firefighters union, which the aldermen are members of.)

Lightfoot, who is a lesbian and would be the city's first openly LGBTQ mayor, questioned whether Preckwinkle "was blowing some kind of dog whistle" to conservative voters after the county board president brought up her sexual orientation at a debate. (Should Lightfoot win, Chicago will become the largest city to be led by an LGBTQ person.)

She also expressed outrage with Preckwinkle's campaign after one of her campaign advisers posted a photo of Nazis at the Nuremberg, Germany, trials on social media to argue against supporting Lightfoot. Preckwinkle fired the aide and apologized to Lightfoot.

One of Preckwinkle’s surrogates, Rep. Bobby Rush, suggested that Chicagoans should be suspicious of Lightfoot, who previously served on two police oversight boards. He added voters would have blood on their hands if they voted for her.

The issue of police brutality has been central to the campaign. The outgoing mayor, Rahm Emanuel, saw his standing plummet in the city’s African-American community following the 2014 shooting death of Laquan McDonald, a black teen who was shot 16 times by a white police officer. Emanuel declined to seek a third term.

The city, which finalized a plan known as a consent decree that dictates dozens of court-monitored changes in the police department, has spent more than $700 million on settlement and legal fees since 2010 to resolve allegations of police misconduct.

The Chicago Way:In corruption-plagued Chicago, high-level shakedown charges loom over mayoral race, candidates

Candidates of color:First Native American, Muslim women elected to Congress amid minority wins

Rush, a former leader of the Black Panther Party who initially backed former U.S. Commerce Secretary Bill Daley for mayor, said in a fiery speech at a campaign rally for Preckwinkle that Lightfoot has had a part in the city's difficult history of police relations in black and brown communities.

Rush did not mention that Lightfoot was an early advocate of the consent decree and headed a police task force that concluded the department was plagued by racism and needed sweeping changes in order to win trust in minority communities.

“This election is really about what type of police force we’re going to have in the city of Chicago, and everyone who votes for Lori, the blood of the next young black man or black woman who is killed by the police is on your hands,” Rush said. “If you’re against police brutality and murder, you ought to be for Toni Preckwinkle. She’s the only one who is going to have the police under her control.”

Lightfoot blasted Preckwinkle for Rush’s “rhetoric of division”; Preckwinkle declined to disavow the comments.

Another Preckwinkle surrogate, Chance the Rapper, noted at the same rally where Rush made his divisive remarks that Lightfoot hails from the North Side, a predominantly white area of the city. Preckwinkle lives on the city’s South Side, which along with the city’s West Side is predominantly African-American.

“Her opponent was not elected by the South Side. Her opponent was not elected by the West Side,” Chance said of Lightfoot. “Her opponent was elected by the North Side, and there’s two of us and one of them, and we need to come out in droves and elect our next mayor of Chicago, President Toni Preckwinkle.”

In the final days of the campaign, Preckwinkle has honed in on Lightfoot’s time as a corporate lawyer, noting that her work in the private sector has included defending companies facing accusations of age and race discrimination.

Both candidates cast themselves as progressives who will center their agendas on improving life and safety for residents in the city's 77 neighborhoods.

Preckwinkle also sought to shine the spotlight on the city’s response to a 2004 fire in which four children were killed. The incident happened during Lightfoot’s time as chief of staff at the Office of Emergency Management and Communication, which handles emergency dispatch calls.

A Preckwinkle campaign advertisement notes that Lightfoot’s agency failed to preserve some 911 recordings related to the call. The advertisement began airing last week on the eve of the final televised of the campaign.

As the two sat down for a forum, which was hosted by Chicago CBS affiliate, they shook hands but didn’t appear to make eye contact.

At one point during the debate, Preckwinkle asked Lightfoot what she most regretted about her professional career. Lightfoot responded pointedly about having to explain to her elementary-school-age daughter about why adults lie and act like bullies.

Preckwinkle punched back.

"This is a person who is complaining now about the tenor of the campaign when in the first debate (she) called me a liar," she said.

Lightfoot said Sunday that she was committed – win or lose– to burying the hatchet with Preckwinkle following Election Day.

What does she want to hear on Wednesday morning?

"Congratulations, mayor," Lightfoot said. "If I lose, I'm going to congratulate her and continue to fight for the things that are important."

As Chicago readies to elect first black female mayor, campaign ...

CHICAGO – The historic election Tuesday that will lead to the nation’s third-largest city electing a black woman as mayor for the first time in its 182-year history has been shaped by name-calling, campaign surrogates raising questions about racial authenticity and a barrage of negative campaign advertisements.

Former federal prosecutor Lori Lightfoot and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle have spent the final days of the campaign crisscrossing Chicago in hopes of turning out support before Tuesday’s election. The two advanced to the runoff race after becoming the top finishers in February's first round of voting in which 14 candidates competed.

The milestone – Chicago will become the largest U.S. city to be led by a black female mayor – has been overshadowed by the two candidates trading vicious barbs throughout the campaign.

Concerned about the divisiveness of the race, civil rights leaders Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton nudged Lightfoot and Preckwinkle on Saturday to sign a pledge to hold a “unity” news conference Wednesday, the day after the election.

“The race was competitive and often divisive,” Jackson said. “The race ends Tuesday. The healing must begin Wednesday morning."

African American women are blazing trails in U.S. politics.

Reps. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Jahana Hayes of Connecticut, both Democrats, became the first black women elected to Congress in those two states in November's midterm elections.

Sen. Kamala Harris of California is vying to win the Democratic presidential nomination and become the first black woman elected to the White House. Another rising star in the Democratic Party, former Georgia state Rep. Stacey Abrams, is considering a run for the White House. Abrams was narrowly defeated in November in her bid to become Georgia’s governor.

In Chicago, the battle between Lightfoot and Preckwinkle has been downright nasty. The latest polling indicates Lightfoot is on her way to winning by a wide margin. Lightfoot leads Preckwinkle 53% to 17%, according to the results of a WTTW/Crain’s Temkin/Harris poll released last week.

Windy City makes history:Chicago will elect first black female mayor; Lightfoot and Preckwinkle advance to runoff

Chicago votes: Who are the two women looking to make history as first black female mayor?

In the lead-up to the first round of voting, Lightfoot compared Preckwinkle and three other candidates with personal and political ties to a powerful City Council member who was charged in January with attempted extortion to vermin for trying to distance themselves from the tarnished politician.

"It’s like cockroaches – there’s a light that’s shined on them," Lightfoot said at an event where she signed an ethics pledge. "They scramble."

At their first one-on-one debate, Lightfoot called Preckwinkle “sad and pathetic” and accused her of lying about Lightfoot receiving the endorsements of two City Council members who back President Donald Trump. Lightfoot actually received an endorsement from the firefighters union, of which the aldermen are members.

Lightfoot, who would be the city's first openly LGBTQ mayor, questioned whether Preckwinkle "was blowing some kind of dog whistle" to conservative voters after the county board president brought up her sexual orientation at a debate. Should Lightfoot win, Chicago would become the largest city to be led by an LGBTQ person.

Lightfoot expressed outrage after one of Preckwinkle's campaign advisers posted a photo of Nazis at the Nuremberg trials on social media to argue against supporting Lightfoot. Preckwinkle fired the aide and apologized to Lightfoot.

One of Preckwinkle’s surrogates, Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., suggested that Chicagoans should be suspicious of Lightfoot, who served on two police oversight boards. He said voters would have blood on their hands if they voted for her.

The issue of police brutality has been central to the campaign. The outgoing mayor, Rahm Emanuel, saw his standing plummet in the city’s African American community after the shooting death in 2014 of Laquan McDonald, a black teen who was shot 16 times by a white police officer. Emanuel declined to seek a third term.

The city, which finalized a plan known as a consent decree that dictates dozens of court-monitored changes in the police department, has spent more than $700 million on settlement and legal fees since 2010 to resolve allegations of police misconduct.

The Chicago Way:In corruption-plagued Chicago, high-level shakedown charges loom over mayoral race, candidates

Candidates of color:First Native American, Muslim women elected to Congress amid minority wins

Rush, a former leader of the Black Panther Party who initially backed former U.S. Commerce Secretary Bill Daley for mayor, said in a speech at a campaign rally for Preckwinkle that Lightfoot has had a part in the city's difficult history of police relations in black and brown communities.

Rush did not mention that Lightfoot was an early advocate of the consent decree and headed a police task force that concluded the department was plagued by racism and needed sweeping changes to win trust in minority communities.

“This election is really about what type of police force we’re going to have in the city of Chicago, and everyone who votes for Lori, the blood of the next young black man or black woman who is killed by the police is on your hands,” Rush said. “If you’re against police brutality and murder, you ought to be for Toni Preckwinkle. She’s the only one who is going to have the police under her control.”

Lightfoot blasted Preckwinkle for Rush’s “rhetoric of division”; Preckwinkle declined to disavow the comments.

Another Preckwinkle surrogate, Chance the Rapper, noted at the same rally where Rush made his remarks that Lightfoot hails from the North Side, a predominantly white area of the city. Preckwinkle lives on the city’s South Side, which, along with the city’s West Side, is predominantly African American.

“Her opponent was not elected by the South Side. Her opponent was not elected by the West Side,” Chance said of Lightfoot. “Her opponent was elected by the North Side, and there’s two of us and one of them, and we need to come out in droves and elect our next mayor of Chicago, President Toni Preckwinkle.”

In the final days of the campaign, Preckwinkle has honed in on Lightfoot’s time as a corporate lawyer, noting that her work in the private sector included defending companies facing accusations of age and race discrimination.

Both candidates cast themselves as progressives who will center their agendas on improving life and safety for residents in the city's 77 neighborhoods.

Preckwinkle sought to shine the spotlight on the city’s response to a fire in 2004 in which four children were killed. The incident happened during Lightfoot’s time as chief of staff at the Office of Emergency Management and Communication, which handles emergency dispatch calls.

A Preckwinkle campaign advertisement notes that Lightfoot’s agency failed to preserve some 911 recordings related to the call. The advertisement began airing last week.

As the two sat down for a forum Wednesday, which was hosted by Chicago's CBS affiliate, they shook hands but didn’t appear to make eye contact.

During the debate, Preckwinkle asked Lightfoot what she most regretted about her professional career. Lightfoot talked about having to explain to her elementary-school-age daughter about why adults lie and act like bullies.

Preckwinkle punched back.

"This is a person who is complaining now about the tenor of the campaign when in the first debate, (she) called me a liar," she said.

Lightfoot said Sunday that she was committed – win or lose – to burying the hatchet with Preckwinkle after Election Day.

What does she want to hear on Wednesday morning?

"Congratulations, mayor," Lightfoot said. "If I lose, I'm going to congratulate her and continue to fight for the things that are important."

Wisconsin primary updates: Milwaukee mayoral election results

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Wisconsinites are heading to the polls Feb. 15 for the spring primary. On the ballot are a slew of local races ranging from Milwaukee mayor to school boards to city council and county board supervisor seats across the state. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. as we wait for the candidate fields to whittle down before the April general election.

Follow along here for live coverage all day.

More:Milwaukee area February primary election results

More:2022 spring primary election in Wisconsin is Feb. 15. What you should know about how to register to vote, Milwaukee's mayor race and more.

Milwaukee County Board candidate who claimed Glendale might become 'African shanytown' loses bid

First-time candidate Peter Tase, who garnered national attention for claiming Glendale might become an "African shantytown," lost in his bid for a seat on the Milwaukee County Board.

Liz Sumner, the incumbent, finished first in the race for the District 1 seat with 82% of the vote, and Karen Gentile was second with 12%.

Tase got 354 votes for 7% of the total. Absentee votes are still outstanding.

Tase ended his campaign after the Journal Sentinel reported that Tase, a Walgreen's assistant manager, told a group of supporters in a videotaped speech that he feared the homeless problem in Glendale could turn it into an "African shantytown."

But Tase dropped out of the race too late to have his name removed from the ballot. He would have advanced to the general election in April had he finished among the top two vote-getters.

- Dan Bice

Former state representative accused of sexual harassment is first for Milwaukee County Board seat

Former state Rep. Josh Zepnick, who lost his seat in 2018 after being accused of sexual harassment, is running first in a four-way primary for a seat on the Milwaukee County Board.

With 100% of the precincts counted, Zepnick had 37% of the vote in the contest for District 12.

Running second was Juan Miguel Martinez, who had 32% of the vote. Absentee ballots were still outstanding.

Zepnick served eight terms in the state Legislature before losing in 2018. The loss came less than a year after he was accused of kissing female colleagues against their will in separate incidents in 2011 and 2015.

- Dan Bice

Milwaukee County Sheriff Earnell Lucas will not run for re-election

Milwaukee County Sheriff Earnell Lucas is not going to run for re-election this fall, according to his campaign manager, Brandon Savage.

Lucas, a former Milwaukee police officer and official with Major League Baseball, was elected in 2018, defeating Acting Sheriff Richard Schmidt in the Democratic primary that year.

He announced last year that he was going to run to complete the term for former Mayor Tom Barrett, who stepped down in December. But on Tuesday, Lucas was running a disappointing fifth out of seven candidates.

- Dan Bice

Cavalier Johnson and Bob Donovan advance in Milwaukee mayoral election, though Marina Dimitrijevic allies holding out hope

It's official: Acting Mayor Cavalier Johnson has finished first in the Milwaukee mayoral primary, while former Ald. Bob Donovan is claiming that he has finished second, setting up a general election of sharp ideological and political differences.

Meanwhile, allies of Ald. Marina Dimitrijevic are still holding out slim hopes of catching Donovan for second. But it would take a huge number of absentee ballots to pull that off.

Dimitrijevic would have to beat Donovan by at least 20 percentage points in absentee ballots.

- Dan Bice

Milwaukee mayoral election elections: Cavalier Johnson, Bob Donovan are top two

Milwaukee Acting Mayor Cavalier Johnson cruised to victory in Tuesday's mayoral primary election, and former south side Ald. Bob Donovan was claiming a second place finish that would set up a face-off between the two in the April 5 general election.

The city, though, still has not reported the results from 23,867 absentee ballots that had been returned.

If the pair maintain their spots in the race once all the votes are counted, they will present a choice between a millennial Democrat who has risen quickly through the ranks at City Hall since first being elected in 2016 and a conservative who spent 20 years as an alderman, unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 2016 and decided not to seek another term in 2020.

— Alison Dirr

Neenah mayoral election results: Lang, Borchardt advance

Neenah mayoral candidates Jane Lang and Brian Borchardt easily advanced through Tuesday's primary election and will compete in the April 5 general election.

Lang received 1,749 votes (49.3% of the total) in the nonpartisan race, and Borchardt received 1,405 votes (39.6%), according to unofficial results.

Newcomer Kelly Behrmann finished third with 396 votes (11.2%) and was eliminated from contention.

- Duke Behnke

Marshfield's mayoral election race set after spring primary

Bob McManus and Lois TeStrake will square off to be Marshfield’s next mayor.

They were the top two votegetters in the three-person mayoral primary on Tuesday.

McManus received 41.1% of the vote, while TeStrake had 40.6%.

Ken Bargender finished third with 18.4%.

Votes should be tallied at Milwaukee's Central Count at 10 p.m.

There was a light din of conversation and the whir of a voting machine at Milwaukee’s central count Tuesday evening, where absentee ballots were being tallied.

About 45 people, not including media, were present at the city Election Commission’s warehouse on south Kinnickinnic Avenue. One woman knitted. Many scrolled on their phones.

Election Commission Executive Director Claire Woodall-Vogg said earlier in the day that she hoped the tallying at central count would be finished by 10 p.m.

— Alison Dirr

Light voter turnout in primary election at Waukesha City Hall

At Waukesha City Hall, it was the first primary election since the opening of the building one year ago, and the first since local redistricting went into effect. Amid all the newness, voter turnout among the roughly 2,900 registered voters there was light through 5 p.m., when exactly 300 residents had cast their ballot.

“There is no way to make a comparison” to past elections, said Josh Pham, an election official who was planning to work the full day, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., at City Hall. He acknowledged he was curious to see whether the Waukesha School Board race would draw people in based on public debate he has heard.

Gina Kozlik, the city’s clerk and chief election official, said one other traditionally busy polling site in the city had drawn about 425 voters by 5 p.m. “That’s better, but still not great” in terms of voter turnout, she said.

— Jim Riccioli

Only 20% of registered voters cast a ballot in Neenah mayoral primary

The voter turnout in the city of Neenah, which has a mayoral primary, was relatively low, as is common with February elections.

City Clerk Char Nagel estimated that 20% of registered voters would cast a ballot. Nearly 1,000 absentee ballots had been received by the start of the day.

"It's not like a presidential election," Nagel said. "Even the April election is much bigger than today."

— Duke Behnke

Turnout low at Riverwest Elementary School after aldermanic boundaries change

Typically Riverwest Elementary School in ward 134 is one of the busier polling places in Milwaukee with some of the highest turnouts. But after new aldermanic lines were drawn and the results of the latest census caused things to change, the turnout has been lower than expected.

Philip Taterczynski, chief inspector, said the ward used to cover 26 blocks, now it’s just 12. Living just a block away, he used to vote at Riverwest Elementary School, now his polling place has changed.

“It hit me too,” said Taterczynski, adding the ward was reduced by roughly 400 registered voters.

Taterczynski thought he would be spending the day dealing with angry voters who didn’t realize they were in the wrong polling place, but as of early afternoon, the voters have been “very philosophical” and didn’t have a problem going to another location.

The Wisconsin Elections Commission sent out postcards to registered voters to inform them of their polling place, but Taterczynski said many voters stated they did not get the postcard.

Despite in-person voting going slow, Taterczynski said the area residents have always been engaged in the local elections and anticipates more voters in the spring.

“This is a very politically aware neighborhood,” Taterczynski said. “A lot (of voters here) have spent their youth as political activists.”

— Ricardo Torres

Voters take interest in Greendale School Board primary election

A slow but steady flow of voters made their way to Greendale High School Tuesday for the Greendale School Board primary election, where six candidates are vying for two available seats.

Cora Hansen said she came to the polls because she thinks it's important that teachers don't get lost in the shuffle.

"I think a lot of times it's more of what is going on with the kids, but I think it's important to realize what's important for the teachers, too," she said.

Bill and Paula Irish, who've lived in Greendale for 45 years, said they voted to make sure their two candidates of choice got elected, although they declined to name the two.

Paula Irish said they'd like to see a return to more of an emphasis on academic achievement rather than social issues.

In addition, although their three kids all went to college, Irish said she'd like to see technical education be more of a priority in Greendale schools.

"Greendale has a heavy emphasis on four-year school continuing, which I understand, because ours all did, too, but I also see the need for the basics," Irish said.

— Bob Dohr

Poll worker says primary election turnout 'better than expected'

At Convent Hill apartments, 455 East Ogden Ave., poll workers saw a steady stream of voters from the morning into the early afternoon.

Annette Holder, working at the voter registration table, said the turnout has been “better than expected.”

“Because there are mostly seniors that live in this building, they mostly vote absentee,” Holder said.

Shannon Romero, chief inspector at the Convent Hill polling place,

“A lot of people are voting early as the new custom,” Romero said adding during the 2020 election, voters may have gotten comfortable with a ballot being mailed to their residence for them to fill out and drop off early.

Jim Harris voted at Convent Hill with his wife Carrie, and said it was time for a change after former Mayor Tom Barrett left his post to become the U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg.

“Tom Barret wasn’t bad... he was a nice guy but he’s made to be a diplomat for Luxembourg,” Jim Harris said. “We need someone with balls to run this city. (Barrett) was such a nice guy, but too nice... we need someone who’s going to kick some ass to become the head of a big city.”

Harris said he voted for Milwaukee County Sheriff Earnell Lucas to “get a police guy in there” but does not have a lot of faith that Lucas will be one of the in the top two vote getters to advance to the general election in the spring.

“We need someone who’s tougher,” Jim Harris said. “We can’t have nice guy mayors in big cities.”

Married couple Darlene and John Kadlac, who voted at Convent Hill, said it was important make their voices heard during the primary election after former Mayor Tom Barrett was in office for so long.

“We are starting over after a long reign, and I thought it was important for us to see the candidates out there and to help narrow it down for April,” Darlene Kadlac said adding crime and public safety were her top issues that need to be addressed. “It’s important for us to feel like we don’t have such disparity... I think we need to have more safety.”

Both of them voted for former Milwaukee Ald. Bob Donovan.

“I think he’s more moderate to conservative,” John Kadlac said. “I think he’d get a little more buy in from the community.”

Both John and Darlene said they want their tax dollars to be used more wisely and not on project like The Hop.

“I’d rather see the city work on the roads than The Hop,” Darlene Kadlac said. “We live right across the street from The Hop so we understand how little it’s used and how many dollars and priority is put into it.”

— Ricardo Torres

Weather forecasts good as voters head to the polls

The weather for primary election day across Wisconsin on Tuesday calls for mostly cloudy skies and breezy conditions with high temperatures ranging from the mid-20s north to high-30s south.

In other words, there won’t be any widespread bad weather that would keep voters away from the polls.

“Election day should be pretty quiet, weather-wise,” said Rebecca Hansen, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sullivan.

There could be a few snow showers along Lake Superior in northern Wisconsin, but nothing out of the ordinary for Wisconsin this time of year.

In some of the northern reaches of the state the wind chill could be a factor, but it won’t be too cold to venture out to a polling place.

“You’ll need a coat,” if you are going out to vote, but “It’s not going to be too cold compared with what we’ve seen so far this winter,” Hansen said.

Here’s a look at some of the high temperatures forecast for Tuesday for cities across Wisconsin:

Milwaukee: Cloudy, breezy, high 36 degrees.

Rhinelander: Cloudy, snow showers possible, high 23.

Wausau: Cloudy, high 25.

Stevens Point: Cloudy, breezy, high 29

Appleton: Cloudy, breezy, high 30.

Green Bay: Chance of flurries, breezy, high 30.

Eau Claire: Cloudy, breezy, high 31.

La Crosse: Cloudy, breezy, high 33.

Sheboygan: Cloudy, breezy, high 35.

Madison: Cloudy, breezy, high 37.

Janesville: Partly sunny, breezy, high 38.

— Joe Taschler

Contact Lainey Seyler at (414) 224-2863 or lainey.seyler@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @lainey_seyler.

Lori Lightfoot: Chicago mayor election made history; does it matter?

CHICAGO – The nation’s third-largest city made history with the election of Mayor-elect Lori Lightfoot, making the city of 2.7 million the nation’s largest ever to tap a black woman and openly gay mayor.

But in the end, Lightfoot’s race, gender and sexual orientation mattered little to most voters in this city that’s exhausted by political corruption, rampant gun violence and a widening chasm between the rich and poor.

In the Garfield Park neighborhood – an area devastated by violence and deep poverty – 65-year-old truck driver Charles Hill said he voted for Lightfoot, a former federal prosecutor and corporate lawyer, out of frustration with the establishment politicians who have dominated Chicago.

“I hope things get better, but I’m not going to hold my breath,” said Hill, after casting his ballot at a polling site at a neighborhood school where only 14% of students met or exceeded state benchmarks for math.

Hill appeared hardly alone in expressing his disgust with old-style Chicago politics. Lightfoot managed to trounce her opponent, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.

Preckwinkle, who has been on the Chicago political scene for nearly three decades and was widely viewed as the front-runner when she entered the race in September, didn’t manage to win even one of the city’s 50 wards. Lightfoot won nearly 75% of the vote –what she declared a mandate to change politics as usual in the city.

“I think what it signals is that people across the city want a break from the broken political past,” Lightfoot told reporters Wednesday morning. “I’m excited about the prospects. We ran hard, unequivocally on ending corruption in city government, on making sure that we had a government that was far more responsive and transparent and accountable to the people.”

More:Chicago elects Lori Lightfoot as first gay and first black female mayor in city’s history

Lightfoot was consistent with that message when she entered the race nearly 11 months ago – a moment when she appeared to be a long-shot candidate. When the current mayor, Rahm Emanuel, made the bombshell announcement in September that he would not seek a third term, he said that he didn’t think that Chicago’s next mayor had yet entered the race.

With Emanuel’s departure, better-known – and better-funded – politicians entered the race, such as Preckwinkle, former U.S. Commerce Secretary Bill Daley, Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza and former Chicago school board President Gery Chico.

But all four of those top contenders saw their fortunes take a tumble when federal prosecutors in January charged Alderman Ed Burke, a 50-year veteran of the Chicago city council, with attempted extortion of officials from a company that operates Burger King franchises in Illinois.

The four, all longtime creatures of the Chicago political scene, had, to varying degrees, deep ties to Burke and became dirtied by the scandal.

Preckwinkle received $116,000 in campaign contributions raised at a fundraiser at Burke’s home. She received $10,000 from one of the franchise operators, money she said she returned.

Mendoza was married at Burke’s home in a ceremony officiated by the alderman’s wife, Illinois supreme court justice Anne Burke. Chico had received Burke's endorsement.

Bill Daley’s family – he’s the son of late mayor Richard J. Daley and younger brother of former Mayor Richard M. Daley and Cook County Commissioner John Daley – received about $30,000 in political donations from Burke over the years.

More:As Chicago readies to elect first black female mayor, campaign rhetoric gets ugly

Ironically, Burke, who ran for re-election as he awaits trial, managed in February to win another four-year term to represent his Southwest Side ward. He won a majority of the vote in the first round of voting and avoided a runoff.

But with the shadow of the scandal, Lightfoot’s message of rooting out corruption resonated with voters in the mayor’s race. Despite ranking sixth in fundraising among 14 candidates in February’s first round of voting, she finished first in voting among the crowded field and advanced to Tuesday’s runoff against Preckwinkle.

“I wanted somebody that was going to do more than collect their money,” said voter Anita Williams, a resident on the city’s West Side, who cast her vote for Lightfoot.

Lightfoot will be sworn in next month and will immediately face some thorny issues.

The current contract for the Chicago Public Teachers Union, which represents about 25,000 teachers, expires at the end June. She’ll also need to quickly come up with a budget for 2020 that requires the city dole out an extra $276 million for the city’s pensions funds. Currently, the city has $28 billion in unmet pension obligations.

In her victory speech, Lightfoot said that she and other leaders must quickly stanch an exodus of residents.

“A shrinking city, which is where we are right now, just will not do,” Lightfoot said. “To thrive, Chicago must grow. It simply must.”

Alex Chavez, 25, a software engineer who lives on the Northwest Side, said he worries about whether Chicago will remain an affordable place where he and his extended family can stay.

Chavez is not alone in his anxiety about Chicago’s future. About 36% of Chicagoans ages 18 to 29 said they planned to leave Chicago, according to a study published last month by the group GenForward. The respondents expressed concerns about the city’s politics, access to good schools and discrimination by police in neighborhoods that are black and Latino.

More:Chicago votes: Who are the two women looking to make history as first black female mayor?

While some impoverished neighborhoods on the South and West Sides have lost tens of thousands of black residents over the last decade, other areas of the city – including once working-class neighborhoods like the one where Chavez lives – are becoming less affordable.

“I have a pretty good job and it’s still tough,” Chavez said. “How are people who don’t have good jobs managing?”

Inside effort to bring Black representation to Phoenix City Council

Corrections & Clarifications: A previous version of this article misstated who was appointed to a council seat in 2018.

On Zoom meetings from the confines of two homes about 20 minutes south of downtown Phoenix, an effort is underway to bring Black representation back to the City Council that governs the nation's fifth most populous municipality.

For decades, Black community leaders in south Phoenix successfully pipelined Black candidates to run for City Council. Sometimes called "the old guard," this group included men like former City Councilmembers Michael Johnson, Cody Williams and Calvin Goode as well as community leaders, like civil rights activist and pastor Warren Stewart Sr. But frustrations were percolating among Black political organizers of a younger generation who felt shut out of the pipeline and process of advancing candidates.

Beckoning tourists, evangelical outreach: News from around our 50 ...

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

Alabama

Montgomery: With the state’s jobless numbers already nearing pre-pandemic levels and competition on the rise in a changed job market, the search for hospitality workers may not end with Alabama’s participation in federal supplemental unemployment benefits. Some who lost jobs in the industry “went off and found a job that has more … dependable wages,” said Jacqueline Allen, spokeswoman for state workforce development agency AIDT. “Everybody who basically wants a job right now has a job.” That’s My Child youth nonprofit founder Charles Lee said every member of his teens-to-work training program now graduates with a job, and the phone keeps ringing with employers asking for more. Meanwhile, he said federal relief payments and jobless benefits have changed people’s outlook on what’s possible. “It’s the most money some people have ever seen,” Lee said. “I think it’s just whoever is willing to go up to that $15 is going to get that workforce.” Transportation and child care issues were complicated by the pandemic, too. Child care alone is pricey in the best of times, if it’s available at all. Sam Addy of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Alabama estimated better access to child care could bring 120,000 more people into the state’s labor force.

Alaska

Anchorage: The runoff race for mayor remained too close to call after Tuesday’s election, with the two candidates separated by only about 100 votes and thousands of ballots still uncounted. Preliminary election results showed Forrest Dunbar leading opponent Dave Bronson by a slim margin, garnering 50.08% of the votes tallied thus far, Anchorage Daily News reports. The election was on track for a record number of votes cast. An unknown amount of ballots cast in person Tuesday, left in secure ballot boxes throughout the city or postmarked by Election Day continue to arrive. As more ballots arrive, it’s likely that turnout will eclipse the city’s last record in the 2018 race for mayor. While technically nonpartisan, the mayoral race has been heated, fomenting partisan divisions among residents who disagree over how the city should move forward. The two candidates take starkly contrasting approaches to issues like the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, the homelessness crisis and the city’s economy. Bronson has criticized Anchorage’s public health measures and restrictions on businesses and targeted Dunbar over the city’s handling of homelessness. Meanwhile, Dunbar has largely supported the city’s pandemic policies, saying that without them, more people would have died from COVID-19.

Arizona

Phoenix: Gov. Doug Ducey’s order last month rescinding the mask mandate for schools inflamed and confused the debate over face coverings, as many parents incorrectly interpreted it as a “masks off” directive. Ducey’s action tossed the decision to school administrators, putting them in the driver’s seat on mask policy. For many, it has been a hot seat. “It’s been pretty wild,” said Deb Dillon, president of the Prescott Unified School District board. Prescott opted to make mask usage voluntary last month but reversed itself May 4 after a coronavirus outbreak. The Prescott meeting was orderly, in contrast to earlier events in southern Arizona, where anti-mask protesters crowded into lobbies outside the board meetings of the Vail and Tanque Verde districts, demanding to speak. Both meetings were canceled. The protesters at Vail held a mock election to appoint themselves school officials. That led to incorrect accounts that circulated nationwide that their complaints had scared the official board members into quitting. The Arizona School Boards Association issued a statement condemning actions that threaten school board members. “Too often this year they have been treated as faceless bureaucrats who are optimal targets to release rage and frustration over the circumstances of the pandemic,” the statement said.

Arkansas

Little Rock: Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Tuesday formed a panel to come up with ways to spend the $1.5 billion the state is receiving from the latest federal coronavirus relief package. The Republican governor formed a 15-member steering committee for the state’s share of the $1.9 trillion relief measure that became law in March. Hutchinson formed a similar committee for the coronavirus relief money that was approved last year. The panel will be made up of eight Cabinet members and three members each from the state House and Senate. “We have to be methodical about this and not rushed,” Hutchinson told reporters. The U.S. Treasury Department on Monday issued broad guidance on how the relief funds can be spent. Hutchinson said he believed the priority for the state’s share of the relief spending should be capital investments, citing broadband and cybersecurity as two areas he’d like funded with the additional money. “It needs to be investments we can make that do not incur long-term spending and indebtedness of the state,” Hutchinson said. Because Arkansas’ unemployment rate is not significantly higher than its pre-pandemic level, the state is eligible to receive just half of its $1.5 billion allotment immediately, with the rest being provided one year later.

California

Long Beach: The city is offering tickets to the Aquarium of the Pacific as an incentive to overcome resistance to COVID-19 vaccinations. Long Beach will give two aquarium tickets to anyone receiving their first dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or a single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine at city-run vaccination sites, the city said Tuesday. The offer runs through Saturday. “While we have made tremendous strides in vaccinating 60% of eligible Long Beach residents and 96% of our seniors, we know that vaccine hesitancy for some is real,” Mayor Robert Garcia said in a statement. “We are going to do everything we can to encourage folks to get vaccinated, and that includes incentives.” The Aquarium of the Pacific is one of the Los Angeles region’s major attractions, drawing about 1.7 million visitors annually. A regular adult general admission ticket costs $36.95. City Health and Human Services Director Kelly Colopy said the recent slowdown in vaccinations in California includes Long Beach, and officials are looking for innovative solutions.

Colorado

Colorado Springs: Some health officials have warned that continued high numbers of COVID-19 hospitalizations point to the pandemic not being over yet despite the state’s average infection rate decreasing by nearly a third since April. Colorado was averaging 1,731 newly confirmed coronavirus cases each day in late April – the most since Jan. 19 – but the numbers have fallen nearly every day since then, The Gazette reports. The state has averaged 1,182 newly confirmed cases over the past week, health officials said. “Colorado is heading in a positive direction again, and vaccination coverage is almost certainly playing a key role in this decline,” said Glen Mays, chair of the Colorado School of Public Health’s department of health systems. But Elizabeth Carlton, who also works for the department, said there are more worrying metrics, including hospitalizations. Carlton said the state was averaging about 100 new hospital admissions from COVID-19 daily since April 28, but that figure has risen to more than 650 as of Monday. Carlton said the metric means the “the number of people developing severe COVID-19 in Colorado doesn’t appear to be declining right now.” Some researchers said infection control efforts have fallen, and the time people spend away from home is rising, meaning current trends could continue.

Connecticut

Hartford: Nursing home workers continue to struggle with severe staffing shortages, a lack of protective equipment and low pay during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report released Monday, days before planned employee strikes across the state. The report also accuses nursing home owners of failing to follow federal guidance on the use of protective equipment and having inadequate infection control, testing and quarantine procedures during the pandemic. It alleges state officials haven’t done enough to oversee nursing homes and hold them accountable. The report, titled “We Were Abandoned: How Connecticut Failed Nursing Home Workers and Residents During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” was written by Yale Law School students for the Service Employees International Union’s District 1199 New England, which represents about 5,000 nursing home workers in Connecticut. “These workers risk their lives and the lives of their loved ones back home to care for these residents in unsafe conditions and for low pay,” Yale student Aaron Bryce Lee said at a news conference Monday. “The state must make the financial investments necessary to improve compensation, benefits and staffing levels.” Workers at 33 nursing homes are ready to strike beginning Friday if demands for better wages, benefits and staffing aren’t met.

Delaware

Dover: Delaware State University will cancel more than $700,000 in student debt for recent graduates who “faced financial hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the school announced Wednesday. The average eligible student will qualify for about $3,276 in debt relief, the school said. The funds, which will total $730,655, became available through the federal government’s latest coronavirus relief package. More than 200 students qualify, according to the university. A spokesperson for the school, Carlos Holmes, said most students should already know if they’ve qualified, but they can check with financial aid. School President Tony Allen said the debt reduction is consistent with the school’s initiatives to keep student debt manageable. “We haven’t raised our tuition in over six years; we issue every incoming student an iPad or a MacBook; we are replacing traditional textbooks with less expensive digital editions, and our Early College High School saves the average family of nearly $50,000 in college expenses,” he said in a statement. “Our students don’t just come here for a quality college experience. Most are trying to change the economic trajectory of their lives for themselves, their families, and their communities. Our responsibility is to do everything we can to put them on the path.”

District of Columbia

Washington: Residents face a Friday deadline to apply for a local program to help those who have fallen behind on their mortgage because of the pandemic, WUSA-TV reports. The Home Saver Program, offered by the D.C. Housing Finance Agency, has $4 million on the table to aid families in need, said Christopher Donald, executive director and CEO of the agency. “You’ve got to be a resident of the District of Columbia,” Donald said. “If they own a home here, and it’s their primary residence, and they’re behind on their mortgage, they’re either unemployed or underemployed, they can get up to 16 months of assistance, up to $60,000.” Money is also available through the Restore Program for people who have returned to work but need a boost to get out of the red. “The assistance does cover delinquent condo fees and HOA fees,” Donald said. The money comes in the form of a grant, so it doesn’t have to be paid back, and there is no income requirement to apply. Relief is also available for small landlords who have taken a financial hit during the pandemic.

Florida

Pensacola: Hot dogs, hamburgers, minor league baseball and COVID-19 shots are coming together. This week at Blue Wahoos Stadium, adult ticket buyers are eligible to receive the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at several games. The shots were distributed Tuesday and will also be available at games Saturday and Sunday. J&J’s vaccine requires only one dose. Shots will be available to eligible fans for free, with no appointment necessary. “The Blue Wahoos’ mission statement is to improve the quality of life in our community, so when we had the opportunity to partner with the Florida Department of Health, it was a no-brainer for us,” said Donna Kirby, the team’s vice president of operations. “We thought, ‘Absolutely.’ What great fun to have fans back for baseball, to be able to provide them with vaccinations if they so choose.” A total of 500 doses will be administered at the ballpark on a first-come, first-served basis. They will not be divvied up over the course of the three games, Kirby said, so there is a possibility that all 500 shots could be administered before the end of the three-game stretch. To get in the spirit, team President Jonathan Griffith will receive his shot during the seventh-inning stretch of Saturday’s game.

Georgia

Atlanta: Twelve-year-old Jane Ellen Norman is looking forward to a little more freedom in her life and a possible return to summer camp after getting her first dose of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday, one day after U.S. regulators expanded its use to children her age through 15. Georgia is one of the first states to open up the shots, Reuters reports. Being able to see her friends without staying far apart and worrying they might get sick was top of mind for Jane Ellen after her shot at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in downtown Atlanta. “I hope they all get vaccinated,” the sixth grader said. Jane Ellen’s mom, English Norman, said she scheduled an appointment for her daughter and 14-year-old son immediately after hearing about the FDA authorization. She said her kids have been good about wearing masks, washing their hands and staying socially distant, but they’ve still been very anxious about leaving the house. “I think it’s exciting that now their anxiety can start to lessen and they can feel safe,” she said. Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock said Monday that the authorization brings the country “closer to returning to a sense of normalcy and to ending the pandemic.” For Jane Ellen, that means a chance to go back to her summer camp, which was canceled last year as the pandemic raged. “I’m excited to go there and see all my camp friends,” she said.

Hawaii

Honolulu: The chief executive of a company accused of defrauding banks of money meant to assist businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic pleaded not guilty Wednesday. Martin Kao, CEO of Martin Defense Group LLC, formerly known as Navatek LLC, is charged with bank fraud and money laundering. Authorities say he defrauded banks of more than $12.8 million through the Paycheck Protection Program, which Congress authorized to provide emergency financial assistance through forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and other expenses. Kao transferred more than $2 million into his own personal accounts, according to an indictment. Investigators talked to an executive and a former employee who said the company wasn’t affected by the pandemic, court documents said. Authorities describe his company as a “research, engineering, design, and innovations company that specializes in novel systems for the Department of Defense and other partners in academia and other scientific fields.” During a brief arraignment via telephone Wednesday, defense attorney Michael Green entered the not guilty plea on behalf of Kao.

Idaho

Boise: The state is moving into a new stage of Gov. Brad Little’s coronavirus reopening plans and lifting restrictions on the size of gatherings. Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Director Dave Jeppesen made the announcement Tuesday, noting that the state’s health care system isn’t strained and that plenty of vaccine is available for interested residents. “Eighty-three percent of hospitals are operating as normal, and there’s no hospital in the state that has a resource limitation going on,” Jeppesen said during a news conference. In November and December, some hospitals were intermittently turning away people or sending them elsewhere because they didn’t have enough healthy staffers or available beds to admit them. In Stage 3 of the reopening plan, gatherings were supposed to be limited to 50 or fewer people, though political, religious, educational and health care events were exempt from the restriction. The current move to Stage 4 means there is no limit on gatherings, though public health officials are encouraging people to follow guidance from federal and local health agencies on how to gather safely. Face coverings are still recommended at times when physical distancing is difficult, and people and businesses should continue to follow physical distancing and sanitation recommendations, Jeppesen said.

Illinois

Springfield: Capitalizing on the availability of vaccines, cabin fever and an imminent easing of pandemic restrictions, Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday launched a $6million advertising campaign to promote road-trip tourism and revive Illinois’ devastated hospitality industry. The “Time for Me to Drive” campaign makes use of a play on words from the 1978 song “Time for Me to Fly” by REO Speedwagon, a rock band that got its start in Champaign. The campaign will focus on attracting visitors from within Illinois and from surrounding states to hundreds of sites where they can enjoy Chicago architecture, southern Illinois wineries, hiking in state parks, restaurants throughout the state, and Springfield’s Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. “More and more travelers are ready to get back out there,” Pritzker said at a news conference at the presidential library. “Recent surveys show that half of Americans plan to travel this summer, and half of them intend to drive. ... After an incredibly difficult year in which the pandemic kept us all close to home and staying apart, lifesaving vaccines are bringing us back to life and heading toward a summer of fun and venturing out.” More than 60 potential driving itineraries are available online at enjoyillinois.com.

Indiana

Fishers: The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra is bringing back its popular Symphony on the Prairie performances, a year after the pandemic forced the cancellation of the long-running outdoor concert series. Officials announced Monday that this year’s Kroger Symphony on the Prairie season will begin June 25 with the symphony’s rendition of songs by the Beatles performed for an audience on the grassy lawn at suburban Indianapolis’ Conner Prairie. A series of other performances will be held throughout the summer at the venue in Fishers, just north of Indianapolis, with the last performances set for early September. Tickets go on sale May 24. This year’s concerts will be different after last year’s shows were canceled for the first time in the events’ 40-year history due to the threat that the coronavirus posed to musicians, staff and patrons. The symphony plans to sell only up to 4,000 tickets – or 50% of the venue’s capacity – for the first concerts to help patrons maintain social distance. The dance floor in front of the performance stage will also be closed, and there will be limits on table rentals and reserved seating. People will also have to wear masks when entering the venue, on pathways, in restrooms, and when they wait in line for food and drinks.

Iowa

Indianola: Simpson College won’t require students, staff or faculty to get vaccinated before the fall semester, but it also plans to hold off on returning to normal campus operations until most have gotten their COVID-19 shots. The college’s crisis management team, led by Heidi Levine, vice president for student development and planning, and Simpson President Marsha Kelliher’s leadership cabinet, announced the decision on the college’s online COVID-19 dashboard last week. According to the announcement, the team hopes to see 80% of the campus community vaccinated before transitioning to a “Green” operating phase, but it also plans to strongly encourage everyone on campus to get vaccinated. Some colleges across the country have recently announced vaccine requirements, “but that is still the minority of colleges,” Levine said, adding that Grinnell College is the only Iowa college of which she’s aware that plans to require students to be inoculated by August. Grinnell College officials announced the requirement last month but said students will be able to request an exemption for medical or religious reasons.

Kansas

Kansas City: The families of 16 students have sued two suburban Kansas City school districts, arguing their children should be allowed to attend school during the pandemic without wearing masks. “The parents are terribly, terribly upset. There’s a groundswell of dissatisfaction,” said their attorney, Linus Baker. The Kansas City Star reports the lawsuit against the Blue Valley and Olathe school districts in Johnson County argues students should be granted individual exemptions to mask mandates. The parents contend masks are interfering with their children’s ability to learn. Districts offer medical exemptions, generally for students with special needs or disabilities. They also relax mask rules for students during some sports and other activities. Two parents already have medical exemptions but are suing to seek reimbursement for the costs to obtain them. Both districts have fielded challenges since the Legislature passed a bill that empowers parents to fight COVID-19 restrictions. But their school boards have so far upheld their mask mandates. District officials have argued that the mandates cannot be repealed under the new law because they were enacted last summer. The law requires individuals to contest them within 30 days.

Kentucky

Frankfort: The state government will receive more than $2.1 billion from the latest round of federal coronavirus aid – a smaller-than-projected amount due to the commonwealth’s improving economic performance, Gov. Andy Beshear said Monday. The U.S. Treasury announced state allocations based on a formula that included each state’s share of the nation’s unemployed from October through December 2020, Beshear said. Kentucky performed better than expected during that period, he said. As a result, its allotment will be $2.18 billion, down from an initial estimate that state government would receive $2.44 billion, he said. “In other words, Kentucky has recovered stronger than the federal government anticipated, faster than most, and it impacted a little bit on the dollars that will be available to us,” the Democratic governor said at a news conference. Beshear has pointed to a recent series of upbeat economic developments – from record sales tax collections to a credit rating agency’s upgraded assessment of the state’s financial outlook – in touting Kentucky’s prospects as more people get COVID-19 vaccines. He has used the economic news to try to deflect criticism from some prominent Republicans calling for a much faster pace in lifting remaining virus restrictions.

Louisiana

Shreveport: New research being done at LSU Health Shreveport offers an up-close view of how SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, can spread to the brain. The study helps explain the alarming array of neurological symptoms reported in some patients with COVID-19 and reveals clues as to why some patients suffer severe neurological effects, while others experience none at all. The researchers, working with colleagues at Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha in Spain, report evidence that SARS-CoV-2 can infect both neurons, the nerve cells that power the brain, and astrocytes, the cells in the brain and spinal cord that support and protect neurons. “Our findings suggest that astrocytes are a pathway through which COVID-19 causes neurological damage,” said Dr. Ricardo Costa, a postdoctoral fellow at LSU Health Shreveport and the study’s first author. “This could explain many of the neurologic symptoms we see in COVID-19 patients, which include loss of sense of smell and taste, disorientation, psychosis and stroke.”

Maine

Portland: The state is rolling out free fishing licenses, baseball tickets and L.L. Bean gift cards to encourage more residents to get vaccinated before the end of the month, Gov. Janet Mills announced Tuesday. The Democratic governor unveiled the public-private program, “Your Shot to Get Outdoors,” during a virtual discussion President Joe Biden hosted with several governors. The items include up to 5,000 hunting licenses, fishing licenses, Maine Wildlife Park day passes and state park day passes, along with up to 10,000 $20 L.L. Bean gift cards and up to 5,000 Portland Sea Dog tickets and passes for Oxford Plains Speedway. “Whether you’re an angler or a hunter, a baseball fan or a racing fan, or someone who just all-around enjoys being outside, now is a great time to protect yourself from COVID-19 and take to the outdoors,” Mills said. The program led by the Maine Department of Health and Human Services comes as the number of COVID-19 vaccinations administered dipped to less than 63,000 last week, down from a peak of more than 125,000 doses in the first week that eligibility opened to all adults. The state hopes the new program along with federal approval of a COVID-19 vaccine for younger teenagers will encourage more vaccinations.

Maryland

Ocean City: Seeking a big comeback after a pandemic-decimated 2020, city officials are hoping a new ad campaign will remind Americans of just why they love visiting the resort for summer vacation. About this time last year, Ocean City was reopening its hotels, beach and Boardwalk after COVID-19 forced closures. Despite reopening for the 2020 summer season, the pandemic wreaked havoc on Ocean City, causing businesses and the town to lose millions. This May, hotels, as well as the beach and Boardwalk, are all open, and “the pathway to the summer much brighter than it was last year,” Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan said. This year’s ads offer a relatively traditional message, reminding viewers of the memories they’ve made at the beach and encouraging them to come make new ones. In one commercial, heartfelt music plays as a narrator reminds viewers that the 10 miles of beach in Ocean City aren’t “just made of sand and water; it’s made of memories.” That message has been carefully crafted since the end of last year, said Jessica Waters, the city’s acting tourism director. The two ads, “10 Miles of Memories” and “Ocean Calling,” were developed to focus on the “simple moments” and memories people create at the beach.

Massachusetts

Boston: While there was a slight increase in the overall number of confirmed and suspected opioid-related drug overdose deaths in the state in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic, overdose deaths among Black men soared by almost 70%, health officials said Wednesday. There were 2,104 confirmed and suspected opioid-related overdose deaths in the state last year, a 5% increase over the prior year, according to a report from the Department of Public Health. Among Black, non-Hispanic males, the confirmed opioid-related overdose death rate increased 69%, from 32.6 to 55.1 per 100,000 people – the highest increase of any ethnic or racial group in 2020. “The disparities in overdose trends among Black men underscore the need to continue our public health-centered, data-driven approach to the opioid epidemic that is disproportionately impacting high-risk, high-need priority populations,” Public Health Commissioner Dr. Monica Bharel said. Battling opioid use was complicated by the coronavirus pandemic, but Massachusetts is among the states with the smallest increases in all drug overdose deaths last year, officials said. “Both the COVID-19 pandemic and the opioid epidemic have underscored the importance of supporting disproportionately impacted communities,” Republican Gov. Charlie Baker said in a statement.

Michigan

Lansing: Health officials on Wednesday urged primary care physicians to enroll to administer COVID-19 vaccines, as the state prepared to quickly begin vaccinating 12- to 15-year-olds following U.S. authorization. “The most important thing we can do right now is to make vaccines available for whenever someone is ready,” Dr. Joneigh Khaldun, the state’s chief medical executive and chief health deputy, said during a news conference. “We know that patients trust their doctors, and when they are ready to get vaccinated, we want you to have vaccine on hand.” She encouraged doctors to check whether their patients have been vaccinated and ask if they have any questions. About 55% of Michigan residents ages 16 and older have been inoculated. The push to make doses available in physicians’ offices will complement the state’s focus on taking mobile clinics to places such as churches and vaccinating people who are homebound. Dr. Srikar Reddy, president-elect of the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians, said it is time to shift attention to residents who are hesitant about the vaccine and to the newly eligible children. “It only makes sense to visit your family physician to get vaccinated and to get your teenager vaccinated, too,” he said.

Minnesota

Minneapolis: The state government will get about $200 million more than it was expecting under President Joe Biden’s coronavirus relief package, and Democratic Gov. Tim Walz expressed hope Monday that new guidelines for how states can spend the aid might help speed up the slow pace of negotiations over Minnesota’s next budget. The legislative session is due to adjourn next Monday, but the governor and leaders of the divided Legislature have yet to agree on target numbers for a dozen broad spending bills at the core of the state’s next two-year budget, which is expected to come in at about $50 billion. Walz told reporters that at least they now know how Minnesota can and can’t spend its $2.8 billion in federal relief. “The clarification from Treasury is huge,” he said. “That’s what we’ve been waiting on.” Republican leaders said the new federal guidance clears the way for Minnesota to exempt Paycheck Protection Program loans and extended unemployment insurance benefits from state taxes, which have been GOP priorities this session. Democrats have sought to cap the PPP exemption so that larger, profitable companies would pay taxes on forgiven loans.

Mississippi

Jackson: The state will stop accepting supplemental unemployment benefits from the federal government next month, Republican Gov. Tate Reeves said Monday. Reeves said the weekly supplement of $300 per person was intended to help people “who are unemployed through no fault of their own” because of the coronavirus pandemic. “After many conversations over the last several weeks with Mississippi small business owners and their employees, it has become clear that the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and other like programs passed by the Congress may have been necessary in May of last year but are no longer so in May of this year,” Reeves wrote on Facebook. He said he’s directed the Mississippi Department of Employment Security to tell the federal government that the state will opt out of the additional federal unemployment benefits June 12, the earliest date allowed by federal law. Without the federal supplement, the maximum weekly unemployment benefit in Mississippi is $235, according to the department. “It has become clear to me that we cannot have a full economic recovery until we get the thousands of available jobs in our state filled,” Reeves wrote. A 40-hour-per-week job at the minimum wage of $7.25 an hour would pay $290 a week before taxes are taken out.

Missouri

Jefferson City: State lawmakers pushed back Wednesday against local coronavirus restrictions, passing legislation limiting the duration of public health orders that have shut down businesses and schools and limited how many people can gather. The legislation would limit emergency orders restricting businesses, churches, schools or gatherings to 30 days, unless extended by the local governing body. It would take effect immediately upon Gov. Mike Parson’s signature, meaning it could affect pandemic restrictions still in place in St. Louis County or other jurisdictions. It also would affect any future local health orders. “We want to be able to get this enforced as soon as possible,” said House Speaker Pro Tem John Wiemann, R-O’Fallon, who handled the bill. The House and Senate passed the legislation by overwhelming votes and with little discussion. Lawmakers have complained repeatedly during this year’s session about local pandemic restrictions that they say infringe on individual liberties and the ability to earn a living. The bill would allow local governing bodies to halt public health orders at any time by a majority vote. It also would prohibit cities and counties that receive public funds from requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination to use public accommodations or transportation systems.

Montana

Helena: The state is sharing COVID-19 vaccines with Canadian truck drivers from neighboring Alberta. About 2,000 truck drivers from the province who transport goods from Canada to the U.S. are eligible to be vaccinated at a highway rest stop near Conrad through May 23, according to a memorandum of understanding signed between the state and the Canadian province. “By working together and taking this critical action, we keep our trade channels open between Montana and Alberta,” Gov. Greg Gianforte said in a statement. The border between Canada and the U.S. has been closed to all but essential traffic since last spring. “Alberta depends on trade with our American neighbors and this program will ensure our goods get to market while stopping the spike of COVID-19,” Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said in a statement. The province has reported record numbers of new COVID-19 cases this month. A similar program to vaccinate truck drivers from Canada began in North Dakota last month. The announcement came after the Blackfeet tribe in northern Montana gave about 1,000 doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to their relatives and neighbors across the border last month.

Nebraska

Omaha: A sweeping bill that would shield businesses and local governments from coronavirus-related lawsuits won initial approval from state lawmakers Tuesday, despite complaints that senators haven’t done enough for workers who were at risk. Lawmakers advanced the proposal, 39-3, through the first of three required votes. The measure would bar pandemic-related lawsuits against businesses or governments as long as they were following federal public health guidelines. At least 29 other states have enacted laws addressing the issue, including 12 that are similar to the Nebraska proposal, said state Sen. Tom Briese, of Albion, the measure’s sponsor. He said Nebraska businesses face the threat of “needless, unwarranted” lawsuits from the pandemic if lawmakers don’t pass legal protections. The proposal has strong backing from Nebraska businesses, hospitals, schools, counties and cities. Organizations representing Nebraska trial attorneys and public school teachers opposed it. Some senators also criticized the bill because they said lawmakers haven’t done enough to help on-the-ground workers who faced the pandemic directly, risking their own health. Lawmakers this year have rejected paid sick-leave requirements for businesses and additional coronavirus protections for meatpacking workers.

Nevada

Las Vegas: Gambling giant MGM Resorts International on Wednesday joined a growing number of Las Vegas Strip casinos with state regulatory approval to open casino floors at 100% capacity and no person-to-person distancing requirement. The company said the Nevada Gaming Control Board granted its waiver for nine properties based on its workforce vaccination rate. “We will continue working to vaccinate as many people as possible and remain vigilant with health and safety protocols,” company CEO & President Bill Hornbuckle said in a statement. Approval applies to casino floors at the Bellagio, ARIA, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, Mirage, New York-New York, Luxor, Excalibur and Park MGM. Three-foot distancing and 80% occupancy restrictions remain at restaurants, swimming pools and other non-gambling areas. Masks are still required. Clark County lawmakers with jurisdiction over Las Vegas-area businesses have approved plans to allow 100% occupancy once 60% of eligible county residents get a vaccine shot. As of Tuesday, the figure was 47%. Southern Nevada Health District Chief Health Officer Dr. Fermin Leguen said the county might not reach the threshold by June 1, given lagging demand.

New Hampshire

Concord: The Prouty, an annual event to raise money for cancer research, is allowing some in-person participation this year, its 40th, after going virtual last summer because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Prouty combines cycling, walking and other events to raise funds for the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Norris Cotton Cancer Center. This year, in-person options include golf July 9 in Grantham, a 20-mile cycle July 10 in Hanover and a 5K walk July 11 in Hanover. Designated start times will be assigned to small groups to meet capacity restrictions. Local health guidelines and enhanced safety protocols will be followed. People can participate in activities virtually between June 1 and July 10. “The Prouty has always been about hope, and this year’s hybrid model is a stepping stone to a return to normalcy from the pandemic,” said Jacklynn Rodriguez, executive director for the Friends of the Norris Cotton Cancer Center. Since its inception in 1982, The Prouty has raised more than $50 million to support cancer research and patient and family support services.

New Jersey

New Brunswick: For the second year in a row, Rutgers University will host virtual commencement ceremonies for graduates of its New Brunswick, Newark and Camden campuses. However, the school announced Tuesday that it will commend the graduates of 2020 and 2021 with in-person celebrations this fall. A notice on the university’s website asks students to save dates for their campus’s events: Rutgers New Brunswick and Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences on Oct. 22-23, Rutgers Newark on Nov. 8-10 and Rutgers Camden on Dec. 1-4. “While we had hoped to bring you together sooner, the continuing public health emergency associated with the pandemic prevented us until now,” said a statement signed by University President Jonathan Holloway and each school’s chancellor. Details on the events will be posted to the university’s website at a later date. “We are excited that Rutgers will have the opportunity this fall to bring you together in person and salute you for your accomplishments,” the announcement said.

New Mexico

Las Cruces: A year after holding only drive-thru graduations, the school district for the state’s second most populous city has scheduled in-person graduation ceremonies at the district’s soccer stadium for its six high schools over two days later this month. Las Cruces Public Schools scheduled ceremonies May 21 for Onate and Mayfield high schools and Arrowhead Park Early College High School and on May 22 for Las Cruces and Centennial high schools and Rio Grande Preparatory Institute. Each graduating senior can invite up to 16 ticketed people, with the limit set due to the COVID-19 pandemic plus construction-related traffic in the area of the Field of Dreams stadium. Social distancing and mask-wearing will be required for all attendees while inside the venue. “I do want to thank all the graduates for their continuous resilience throughout this whole pandemic and really doing the best that they can,” interim Superintendent Ralph Ramos said. “We want to have this ceremony.” Ramos said the district is looking into ways to celebrate the class of 2020, which didn’t have a normal graduation.

New York

Albany: State regulators will soon draft rules that will require employers to protect workers from airborne infectious disease. A new state law tasks state labor and health officials with coming up with minimum workplace standards around things like the availability of personal protective equipment, social distancing and quarantine requirements. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the bill into law last week. Employers will have to come up with safety plans that comply with the yet-to-be written state standards and provide them to workers. Employers who don’t comply could face fines. Workers could also sue for up to $20,000 from employers who don’t follow safety standards or retaliate against workers for reporting noncompliance. The law was intended to help people like Maritza Ovalles, who has worked in the nail salon industry for over two decades but left her job when the COVID-19 pandemic struck and left her exposed in a workplace that she said lacked adequate health and safety protections. “When the pandemic began, the level of risk of not having proper protections was life or death,” said Ovalles, who advocates for better working conditions as a member of the NY Nail Salon Workers Association.

North Carolina

Asheville: Public health officials across Western North Carolina are asking the public to get involved as they work to identify the most pressing health needs for the next three years, such as impacts from COVID-19, cancer or infant mortality. National research firm PRC will conduct phone surveys with 300 Buncombe County residents through June, a confidential survey asking about residents’ health status, behaviors and experiences, according to a statement announcing the start of data collection. The 20-minute surveys will go to randomly selected households, but even folks who don’t get the call can take the survey online at www.buncombecounty.org/publichealth. Buncombe County Public Health Director Stacie Saunders urged residents to take part. “If you receive the call to participate, please do lend your voice to the survey,” she said in the release. “This is your opportunity to help us identify health priorities in our community.” Buncombe is joining 17 other counties this year in the regional community health assessment, WNC Healthy Impact, a collaboration with hospital organizations, public health departments and other community partners.

North Dakota

Bismarck: The United Tribes Technical College International Powwow and associated events will return late this summer after a year’s hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, the Tribal Leaders Summit that’s traditionally held at the Bismarck Event Center before the outdoor powwow has been called off for a second year. The Bismarck Tribune reports this year’s powwow will be the weekend of Sept. 10-12, starting with the grand entry Friday night and continuing through Sunday. Associated events will include Powwow Youth Day that Friday, a golf tournament Friday, a three-day softball tournament and a three-day youth basketball tournament beginning Friday, and the Powwow Thunderbird Run on Saturday. The powwow put on by the five American Indian tribes in North Dakota typically brings about 10,000 people to Bismarck and boosts the area economy by more than $4 million, according to the college. It attracts dancers from dozens of tribes across the U.S. and Canada and awards more than $100,000 in prize money. It’s considered one of the top powwows in the nation. United Tribes uses proceeds to fund student scholarships.

Ohio

Cincinnati: State lawmakers have passed changes to ensure that if Kroger is allowed to sell flowers during a pandemic, the local florist can, too. Senate Bill 134, also known as the Business Fairness Act, passed the Ohio Senate 31-0 on Wednesday. The measure would prevent Gov. Mike DeWine’s administration from closing small businesses while their larger competitors remain open, assuming everyone can follow the same safety guidelines. “I would argue you are safer in a small business where you may be the only customer in that business at that time,” Sen. George Lang, R-West Chester, said on the floor Wednesday. The disparity came to light in March 2020 when DeWine’s state health department closed a slew of businesses to prevent the spread of COVID-19 but allowed groceries, pharmacies and other businesses to remain open. The result: Wal-Mart and Kroger stayed open, while the local jeweler had to close. “The playing field must be level,” said Chris Ferruso, a lobbyist for Ohio’s National Federation of Independent Business. “The government should not be picking winners and losers.” And small businesses were among the losers last year. A survey of National Federation of Independent Business members found 1 in 3 closed because of COVID-19 orders.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City: A new state law that creates a sales tax exemption for the University Hospitals Authority and Trust will grant OU Health funding to train more medical professionals. The law recently approved by the Legislature and Gov. Kevin Stitt restores a sales tax exemption that will allow the health system to train 160 additional nursing graduates and nurse practitioners annually and 70 additional medical residents within three years. State lawmakers and University of Oklahoma officials said the law will help address Oklahoma’s nurse and physician shortage and improve medical care across the state. Oklahoma has 40% fewer nurses per capita than the national average, said OU College of Nursing Dean Julie Hoff. “These nurses will soon be on the front lines of health care, allowing our facilities to increase their staffing levels and making it easier for everyone in the state to get the care they need,” she said. The state is 46th in the nation for physicians per capita, OU President Joseph Harroz Jr. said at a news conference Tuesday.

Oregon

Portland: Gov. Kate Brown on Tuesday announced statewide and county COVID-19 vaccination targets, with the hope of reopening the state’s economy. Most statewide restrictions will be lifted when 70% of residents 16 and older receive their first vaccine dose, Brown said. In addition, counties will be eligible to move into the “lower risk” category when 65% of the area’s eligible population is vaccinated. “We still have some work to do to reach our 70% goal, but I am confident we can get there in June and return Oregon to a sense of normalcy,” Brown said. “We each play a part.” Currently, more than half the state’s eligible population has received a first dose. “For the first time since the start of the pandemic, we’ll be able to say the virus no longer controls the timelines in our lives – we will if enough Oregonians make the choice to get vaccinated,” said Pat Allen, the Oregon Health Authority’s director. Counties with 65% of their 16-and-up population inoculated will be eligible for the “lower risk” category, which permits indoor gatherings of 10 people or outdoor gatherings of 12 people. Restaurants, gyms and indoor and outdoor entertainment can open up to 50% capacity. Benton and Hood River counties have already vaccinated more than 65% of adult residents and are ready to move to the lower risk category May 21, unless they opt out.

Pennsylvania

Harrisburg: The state is allowing more people at indoor and outdoor events. Beginning Monday, occupancy limits will be increased to 50% of capacity for indoor events, up from 25%, and to 75% for outdoor events, up from 50%. “As more Pennsylvania adults get vaccinated and guidance from the CDC evolves, we can continue to move forward with the commonwealth’s reopening efforts,” Gov. Tom Wolf said in a statement Tuesday. The state has previously announced that nearly all pandemic restrictions will go away on Memorial Day, including capacity limits on bars, restaurants and other businesses, as well as indoor and outdoor event gathering limits. The state’s mask mandate will remain until 75% of adults are fully vaccinated. Statewide, about 45.6% of people 18 and older had been fully vaccinated as of Tuesday, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In Philadelphia, meanwhile, city officials announced pandemic restrictions will be eased beginning later this month and will go away almost entirely June 11. Starting May 21, retail stores and offices will no longer have to operate at reduced capacity, and the city is lifting its rule that bars and restaurants can only serve alcohol with food. Capacity limits on gyms, exercise classes and theaters will be eased, as well as for catered events.

Rhode Island

Pawtucket: With no baseball team in town, McCoy Stadium is being put to good use with the opening of a vaccination clinic at the site on Wednesdays. The drive-up, walk-up site will be open every Wednesday from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m., according to a statement from the city. Residents can make an appointment for a COVID-19 shot at the state’s vaccine signup portal, but people without an appointment are also welcome and encouraged, city officials said. The goal is to make getting vaccinations as convenient as possible. “We want to make sure that everyone has the opportunity to get a vaccine,” Pawtucket Public Health and Equity Leader Elizabeth Moreira said. “We believe that opening this site gives everyone another great option for vaccination appointments later on in the day.” The clinic will be run in partnership with the Rhode Island National Guard and Rhode Island Medical Reserve Corps Disaster Medical Assistance Team. The coronavirus testing site at the stadium will continue operating.

South Carolina

Columbia: The state’s public schools chief on Wednesday said the governor had no legal basis for allowing parents to opt their children out of wearing masks in schools, writing that Gov. Henry McMaster is “inciting hysteria and sowing division” as the school year ends. In guidance sent to state education superintendents Wednesday, education officials said the agency could find “no legal grounds” for the governor to set aside a policy instituted by another constitutional officer, under his or her own powers and not due to an emergency declaration. On Tuesday, the Republican governor issued an executive order letting parents opt their children out of wearing masks in public schools, citing widespread COVID-19 vaccine access for adults across the state. In response, education officials said state Superintendent Molly Spearman had opted to rescind a face-covering policy, with the exception of a federally instituted school bus mask mandate, “rather than wage a debate over constitutionality that would pit elected officials, students, and families against one another.” Guidance had required that students, teachers and staff wear face coverings while entering school buildings, moving through hallways and other instances where social distancing is not possible or optimal.

South Dakota

Pierre: The South Dakota Department of Health said Wednesday that the state has crossed the 50% threshold for the percentage of adults fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Health officials say more than 304,000 residents have received their shots. “I want to take this opportunity to thank all South Dakotans who have chosen to get their COVID-19 vaccine– protecting themselves, their family and their community,” Secretary of Health Kim Malsam-Rysdon said. “Vaccines are safe and are the quickest way out of this pandemic.” State health officials began Phase 2 of South Dakota’s vaccination plan April 5. It made vaccines available to all residents age 16 and older, in addition to any eligible person who had not been inoculated in the first phase. Parents, schools and vaccine clinics are rushing to begin inoculating younger children after U.S. regulators this week endorsed Pfizer’s vaccine for those as young as 12, a decision seen as a breakthrough in allowing classroom instruction to resume safely around the country. A handful of cities started offering shots to children ages 12 to 15 less than a day after the Food and Drug Administration gave the vaccine emergency use authorization for that age group.

Tennessee

Nashville: As she oversees the state’s response to the pandemic, Dr. Lisa Piercey knows getting back to normal may hinge on her ability to convince Christians and conservatives to get vaccinated. Piercey, 43, Tennessee’s top health official, is navigating a crisis of vaccine hesitancy that runs rampant in the rural swathes of the Volunteer State. “Being the hands and feet of Jesus is the way to go,” said Piercey, a 2019 appointee of Gov. Bill Lee. “They might not do it for themselves, but they should do it to help other people.” She said her office is unleashing a media campaign aimed partly at the people who are most hesitant, and she is reaching out to faith leaders to convince those residents on the virtues of vaccination. “It’s their pastor they trust,” Piercey said. And she’s confident the approach will work because she is one of them. An evangelical Christian farm girl from West Tennessee, Piercey said she doesn’t believe in evolution and struggles with the timelines of dinosaurs and man, but she still wears a mask around other people and has strict vaccination rules in her family. On May 20, the mother of four’s triplets will turn 16. “On that morning, they will get the vaccine first and their driver’s licenses second,” Piercey said.

Texas

Austin: With the coronavirus pandemic not yet licked, some activities will look a little different again this summer, including dips in the city’s beloved, “68-degrees-year-round” watering hole, Barton Springs Pool. Starting later this month, anyone planning a swim at Barton Springs will need to make an advance reservation online. Two-hour time slots will help the pool “to manage capacity for the safety of staff and guests,” according to the city’s website. Those who have purchased a season pass, are older than 80, are city employees, or are veterans or active military members will be allowed to enter the pool without a reservation, but that won’t apply to anyone accompanying them. At this time, Barton Springs Pool is not accepting group reservations. Reservations can be made on a city website. A reservation fee will cost Austin residents $2 if they’re between 1 and 11 years old, $3 for those 12-17, $5 for all adults and $2 for anyone over 61. For nonresidents, it’s $4 for those 1-11, $5 for those 12-17, $9 for all adults and $5 for anyone over 61. All payments must be completed online ahead of time. Those with a seasonal swim pass will also not need to reserve a spot ahead of time before visiting Barton Springs. Passes went on sale earlier this week.

Utah

Roy: A resident has said a hacker stole her personal information and swapped out her banking information to steal about $400 of weekly unemployment benefits. “I feel like being robbed at gunpoint would’ve been better than what’s going to happen now,” said Heidi Howell, who lost her job in March and had her identity and unemployment check stolen. Howell told KUTV-TV that she is now waiting to find out if she can still claim the unemployment check. She also froze her credit reports, filed a police report and changed her bank account numbers. Kevin Burt, director of the Utah Unemployment Insurance Division, said this is the first case he’s seen among 450,000 people seeking benefits in the state during the coronavirus pandemic. He believes the hacker got her login information from another website. “Make sure that you have a secure password,” Burt said. “I think that helps quite a bit – that’s different than your other passwords that you use for more casual online interactions.” Howell said she used a unique password and is not sure how someone gained access. Burt said the state has not seen much of a rise in hacks to the unemployment system, although fraud is up nationwide because of the historic volume of claims being filed.

Vermont

Burlington: A community group of members of the state’s minority populations is working to make sure as many of those residents as possible are vaccinated against COVID-19. The Vermont Health Equity Initiative said it will be providing vaccinations for those who are Black, indigenous and people of color through July 10. Clinics are being offered with support from the Vermont Department of Health and the City of Burlington. So far, the initiative has collaborated to deliver more than 2,800 total doses of the vaccine. The group said that as of Monday, about 70% of white, non-Hispanic Vermonters in Chittenden County had received at least one dose of the vaccine, while 58% of minority members had received at least one dose. The clinics were established in an effort to close the racial gap in vaccinations to protect the larger community and in response to the city of Burlington’s declaration of racism as a public health emergency in July 2020. “We’re offering an in-person experience that has been missing for vaccinations for these members of our community,” said Belan Antensaye of the Racial, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Department of the city of Burlington and the Vermont Professionals of Color Network.

Virginia

Richmond: Restaurants and drinking establishments will be able to seat up to 100 patrons indoors and a maximum of 250 guests outdoors starting May 15, Gov. Ralph Northam recently announced, but establishments say they may not be able to accommodate more guests due to a shortage in workers. Eric Terry, president of the Virginia Restaurant, Lodging & Travel Association, estimated about 100 Richmond restaurants closed in 2020 but said there have been minimal closures this year. Many restaurants are likely nearing 80% of their pre-pandemic revenue levels, according to Terry. While full recovery for the industry is underway, Terry said the biggest revenue factor is a restricted labor force. “I was on the phone yesterday with two restaurant operators who said they are having to close two days a week because they can’t get enough staff,” he said. The new limit will double the number of indoor guests allowed as of April 1. Restaurants may return to selling alcohol past midnight, and dining room closures between midnight and 5 a.m. will no longer be required. Northam has said all restrictions will be lifted June 15 if the number of new COVID-19 cases remains low and vaccinations rise. But restaurants with limited staff will not be able to accommodate diners at full capacity, Terry said.

Washington

Seattle: Authorities say schools in the state won’t consider a requirement to mandate COVID-19 vaccines in schoolchildren until a vaccine is fully approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The FDA on Monday signed off on emergency use of the Pfizer vaccine in 12- to 15-year-olds. The state’s secretary of health, Umair Shah, said Tuesday that more than 370,000 Washington teens and adolescents are in that age group. Vaccines undergo rigorous review before they’re fully approved, but the FDA can allow use under so-called emergency use authorization in instances when vaccines meet certain criteria and there are no approved alternatives. The Seattle Times reports that until a COVID-19 vaccine is formally approved, officials from the Washington State Board of Health – the board that oversees state vaccine policies – say they won’t consider adding it to the list of required immunizations. “The board would not require a COVID-19 vaccine for school entry until it’s approved by the FDA and recommended by Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices,” Kelie Kahler, spokesperson for the board, wrote in an email, referring to a committee housed within the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that sets national vaccine guidance.

West Virginia

Charleston: Democratic U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin is joining first lady Jill Biden and actor Jennifer Garner during a visit to the state Thursday. Biden’s office announced Wednesday that she and Manchin will arrive at Yeager Airport in Charleston before joining Garner at a COVID-19 vaccination center and delivering remarks at Capital High School. A previously announced visit to Arnoldsburg Elementary School in Calhoun County has been scrubbed due to a coronavirus quarantine in the school district. Biden and Manchin will then visit with members of the West Virginia National Guard and their families at the airport before departing, the first lady’s office said in a statement. Garner grew up in Charleston. She has previously testified before Congress in support of education programs for preschoolers in poverty.

Wisconsin

Madison: Native Americans are struggling to overcome increased drug abuse related to the COVID-19 pandemic, a tribal leader said in the annual State of the Tribes address. Speaking to Assembly lawmakers at the state Capitol on Tuesday afternoon, Lac du Flambeau President John Johnson Sr. said increased drug abuse has claimed those most vulnerable during the public health crisis. “The flow of drugs into the Northwoods has escalated during the pandemic, as mental health, economic and social challenges exert growing pressure on our people and families,” Johnson said. He said Gov. Tony Evers’ budget proposal for a regional mental health center in northern Wisconsin is “a crucial building block and a foundation of dismantling the scourge of drugs,” Wisconsin Public Radio reports. Evers has proposed investing more than $150 million in mental health services, including more than $25 million over the next two years for regional crisis centers, training and other services. Republican state lawmakers have stripped hundreds of proposals from the governor’s budget. Johnson also said tribes continue to face harassment and racism as they defend their federal treaty rights to hunt, fish and gather. He specifically highlighted harassment of those spearfishing in northern Wisconsin.

Wyoming

Casper: The governor has announced that the state will end its participation in federal supplemental benefits intended to address high unemployment across the U.S. caused by the pandemic. Republican Gov. Mark Gordon said Tuesday that the decision will end the weekly $300 payments starting June 19 and no longer expand eligibility to people who previously could not collect benefits, such as self-employed residents, the Casper Star-Tribune reports. The Wyoming Department of Workforce Services reported last month that the unemployment rate in the state was 5.3% in March – below the national 6% rate. “Wyoming needs workers; our businesses are raring to go,” Gordon said. “I recognize the challenges facing Wyoming employers, and I believe it’s critical for us to do what we can to encourage more hiring.”

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

Analysis: Who got the most (and least) bang for their school board ...

Runoffs will determine which MPS school board candidates will face off in November's general election, but candidates may want to be wary of how — and how much — they spend.

Some primary races saw little separation between first place and last place vote totals despite large gaps in spending. Others clearly showed that it doesn't always pay to, well, pay.

Here's a breakdown of how candidates fared compared to their campaign finance spending:

Big money, not so big results

Education advocate and blogger Larry Lee led all Montgomery County Board of Education candidates, spending more than $28,000 in a District 2 Republican primary. He paid about $32 per vote compared to Brenda DeRamus-Coleman, who won District 3, spending only 53 cents per vote.

Of the top four spenders — Jannah Bailey (R-District 5, $21,000), Phillip Ensler (D-District 3, $21,000), Deena Weston (D-District 6, $21,000) and Lee — only Bailey won her race, defeating incumbent Melissa Snowden.

Promotional materials were the primary expense for all four candidates. Bailey was the only one of the four backed by the Expect More for MPS campaign and the MGM NXT PAC, which made about 100,000 in-district impressions after spending $56,000 on promotional materials and ads for Bailey and three other Expect More-backed candidates.

The lack of success for the school board races' biggest spender may be attributed to Expect More's influence. Ads paid for through the MGM NXT PAC specifically targeting Lee called him a "lackey for the AEA." Lee was also the subject of a letter written by LEAD Academy Chairperson Charlotte Meadows. It was paid for by Lee's opponent Ted Lowry, and said Lee "is not pro-life" and called out Lee's history of running and voting as a Democrat.

That attack came on the heels of a push by state Republicans such as Perry Hooper Jr. to convince the party not to confirm Lee's nomination if he won. Hooper's bid failed, but in the end the attacks appeared successful in the Republican-leaning District 2. Lee lost by the largest margin of any $20,000-plus candidate.

Spending also didn't help Weston, who finished third in the District 6 primary despite spending more than all her opponents combined.

More:MPS results: School board president in runoff; Snowden loses

Thrifty shoppers

Brenda DeRamus-Coleman (D) won District 3 over Ensler while spending the fewest dollars per vote (53 cents per vote) of any candidate who filed campaign finance reports.

This was despite a primary day push by Ensler — the third-highest per-vote spender with $16.58 per vote — to snag votes in the Sheridan Heights precinct.

"That's where my opponent's from and every voter we were trying to get them," Ensler said.

DeRamus-Coleman was one of four candidates who got the most bang for their campaign bucks in terms of votes earned, and reputation seems to be the factor that prevailed over frugality.

A 40-year education veteran, DeRamus-Coleman also benefited from ties to the community through the Delta Sigma Theta sorority and her sister Tyna Davis, Montgomery County chair of the Alabama Democratic Conference.

DeVona Sims (D-District 5) and Brenda Irby (D-District 2) each advanced to the runoffs despite filing no campaign finance forms, meaning their campaign funds were less than $1,000.

Sims is a 20-year educator with ties to the Girl Scouts and Alabama PTA and won just enough votes to keep State Department of Education employee Rhonda Oats (45 percent) from winning the primary outright.

More:Analysis: School board vote drew a crowd compared to 2014 primary

Irby won 42 percent of the District 2 Democratic primary votes, finishing ahead of Expect More-backed Clare Weil (37 percent), despite Irby not participating in some candidate forums ahead of the primaries.

Irby said she only bought 50 double-sided signs en route to earning a spot in the runoff.

"I was surprised myself. I’m still pinching myself. ... I can’t explain my victory other than God. Really," Irby said.

Besides divine influence, the retired ALSDE employee chalked the victory up to being a known advocate for local education who, even in retirement, has continued to speak with parents.

"I guess my knowledge of the situation of what’s going on with the school system. People have heard me on the radio maybe," Irby said.

Too little spending?

MPS school board President Robert Porterfield forced a runoff by getting 34 percent of the District 6 votes despite spending only $1,700. Porterfield's spending was also efficient, as he got the second-highest amount of votes per $100 spent (90) behind DeRamus-Coleman. Porterfield is still in the running to keep his seat, but the outcome could be seen as a disappointment considering the incumbent did not face an Expect More-backed candidate and was the preferred candidate on both the ADC and the Montgomery County Democratic Conference sample ballots.

Porterfield earned only 28 more votes than Claudia Mitchell, his runoff opponent who spent $7,500.

Department of Early Childhood Education employee Liletta Mahone-Jenkins finished last in the District 1 Democratic primary, but only finished 134 votes behind Marcus Vandiver (700) and 183 behind Fredrick Turner (749) despite spending far fewer than the two men headed for a runoff.

Mahone-Jenkins spent $778, getting about 73 votes for every $100 spent. In contrast, Vandiver spent $4,000 (17 votes per $100) and Turner spent $10,000 (seven votes per $100).

In the District 5 Republican primary, the incumbent Snowden faced her own onslaught of campaign ads that told voters to tell Snowden, "You're fired." Snowden lost to $21,000 candidate Bailey by just more than 1,000 votes after only cracking the $1,000 spending mark in the final week ahead of the primary.

State cheese, AWOL animals: News from around our 50 states

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

Alabama

Montgomery: Legislative leaders are continuing to discuss prison construction and renovation alternatives, including whether pandemic relief funds can be used to offset costs or renovating and building prisons. Key lawmakers say they expect to continue discussions this month in advance of a possible special session later in the year. “I think the House and Senate are pretty close to an agreement,” said Rep. Steve Clouse, who chairs the House General Fund budget committee. “The vast majority of legislators want to move forward with a bond proposal and for us to own the prisons.” Clouse and Sen. Greg Albritton, chairman of the Senate General Fund budget committee, said a topic under discussion is whether federal funds from the American Rescue Plan may be used to offset some of the costs or do renovations. States can use that money for a wide range of uses to contend with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Albritton said the state is trying to get clarity on “what can we do with the recovery money.” Lawmakers are looking for more options after Gov. Kay Ivey’s plan to rent prisons, which would be run by the state but built and owned by private companies, fell apart because of financing concerns. However, federal officials have been clear that new facilities will not solve the state’s prison woes.

Alaska

Anchorage: A wildfire burned close to a vacation destination Tuesday, but fire officials believed Chena Hot Springs Resort would be spared. “They’re pretty confident that they’re going to be able to defend the resort, based on the measures that we’ve set up and the personnel we have on scene,” said Tim Mowry, a spokesperson for the Alaska Division of Forestry. Firefighters were working to protect the resort, homes and recreational cabins in the area of interior Alaska about 60 miles northeast of Fairbanks. Flames were about 100 yards from the resort, where crews were spraying water on buildings, the agency said in a statement. Firefighters also conducted a back burn near a trail that leads to two yurts for viewing the northern lights in hopes it would help stop the fire from advancing toward the main buildings. Hoses and sprinklers also were set up at nearby homes and cabins. No structures in the Chena Hot Springs area had burned, fire officials said. Light showers that fell overnight weren’t enough to put out the fire, but the increased humidity was helping to slow its growth. The Fairbanks North Star Borough on Monday issued a voluntary evacuation order. Alaska State Troopers conducted a survey of homeowners and cabin users and found that about 30 people decided not to leave, along with resort owner Bernie Karl.

Arizona

Tucson: Officials in the city plan to ignore Arizona’s new “Second Amendment sanctuary” law that bars state and local governments from enforcing certain federal gun regulations, possibly setting up a court fight as a growing number of cities and counties in the United States declare themselves similar firearm havens. The move by Democratic Mayor Regina Romero and the City Council again puts Tucson and the Republican-led state at odds over how to regulate gun sales and use. The southern Arizona city has long tried to enforce gun laws stricter than the state’s, including mandating background checks for guns purchased on city property and destroying seized firearms. Over the years, those measures have been challenged after the Republican-controlled Legislature enacted laws barring the actions. The new action came after GOP Gov. Doug Ducey signed a bill in April declaring that Arizona is a so-called Second Amendment sanctuary. It was partly a response to the election of President Joe Biden, who has vowed to enact tighter firearms regulations. In a growing movement, at least 1,200 local governments have declared themselves sanctuaries insulated from state and federal gun laws since 2018, when high-profile mass shootings prompted calls for stronger regulations. Many are symbolic, but some carry legal force.

Arkansas

Beebe: The Rev. Al Sharpton and attorneys for George Floyd’s family on Tuesday mourned a white Arkansas teenager fatally shot by a sheriff’s deputy, as they urged support across racial lines for efforts to reform police practices. Sharpton eulogized 17-year-old Hunter Brittain, who was shot and killed by a white Lonoke County sheriff’s deputy, Sgt. Michael Davis, during a traffic stop June 23 near Cabot, about 30 miles northeast of Little Rock. The killing in the predominantly white community has drawn the attention of national civil rights activists such as Sharpton, who said concerns about police tactics aren’t just limited to the Black community. “The issue of policing is not about Black and white,” Sharpton told a packed auditorium at Beebe High School, where Brittain was a rising senior. “It’s about right and wrong.” Many attending the memorial wore jeans and shirts that read “Justice for Hunter.” Lonoke County Sheriff John Staley last week fired Davis for not turning on his body camera until after he had shot Brittain. Staley said the only footage police have is from the aftermath. Arkansas State Police are investigating Brittain’s death. Authorities have released few details about the shooting. Brittain’s family has said the teenager was unarmed and was holding a jug of antifreeze when he was shot.

California

Sacramento: State lawmakers will wait until next year to continue considering a bill that would give opioid users a place to inject drugs in supervised settings, the bill’s author said Tuesday. State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, said he was told the Assembly Health Committee will delay a hearing on his bill until January. The measure would allow Los Angeles, Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles County to start programs giving people a place to inject drugs while trained staff are available to help if they suffer accidental overdoses. “Safe consumption sites are a proven strategy to save lives and help people into recovery,” Wiener said. Currently the sites are illegal in the United States but legal in Canada. Wiener’s bill barely cleared the Senate in April. The Senate Republican Caucus said in a statement at the time that the bill would “establish taxpayer-staffed and funded drug dens.” The proposal is opposed by some law enforcement groups, but Wiener said in a statement that it “is very much alive, albeit delayed.” Wiener noted he was disappointed in another delay at a time when he said San Francisco and other cities are experiencing record overdose deaths. His bill would require workers at the centers to try to get users into drug treatment programs or refer them to medical or mental health care or social services programs.

Colorado

Denver: The Denver Zoo will begin vaccinating some of its animals against COVID-19 as early as next week. Zoologists say they have been working with the veterinary vaccine company Zoetis to receive doses for the animals, and primates and carnivores will be first on the list. The veterinary vaccine, which is formulated primarily for mammals, is being developed separate from the ones for human use. Transmission is rare between humans and other species, but there have been several documented cases of COVID-19 in large cats, monkeys and certain rodent populations. “We know some of those animals – like gorillas and tigers, mink, otters – can all be infected. But for a lot of these others, we don’t know what the susceptibility is,” Dr. Scott Larsen, the zoo’s vice president of animal health, told KMGH-TV. “For animals, we want to be able to protect them similar to (how) we’re trying to protect people.” Veterinary scientists do not think common house pets like cats or dogs are in significant danger of catching COVID-19. “There are 85 million dogs in the United States and 90 million cats,” said Dr. Kevin Fitzgerald, a veterinarian at VCA Alameda East Veterinary in Denver. “If we were going to see problems … I think we would be seeing it.”

Connecticut

Guilford: The state’s newest climate change legislation should put it in a good position to receive millions of dollars in anticipated federal funds to help foot the bill for expensive resiliency projects needed across Connecticut, Gov. Ned Lamont and other state officials said Tuesday. Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Katie Dykes said the $30 million in bonding included in the new state budget to help municipalities identify and plan for such projects, including green infrastructure, will also give Connecticut a leg up on other states. “We’ll be shovel-ready. We’ll be at the front of the line,” Dykes said during a bill-signing event at a beach in Guilford. “It’s going to take a lot of dollars to help protect our communities from the impacts of climate change. And the best way to do that, dollars we really want to put to work, are federal dollars.” Curt Johnson, president of the environmental group Save the Sound, predicted Connecticut will receive $3 or $4 in federal funds for every $1 the state spends on these resiliency efforts. The new law gives all cities and towns, not just certain ones, the ability to establish stormwater authorities. Additionally, the law expands the duties of the 10-year-old Connecticut Green Bank, a first-in-the-nation entity.

Delaware

Dover: Two deadly species of hemlock have been found in Delaware, and the state’s Department of Agriculture is warning people to avoid plants that look like wild carrots to prevent the possibility of being poisoned. Environmental scientists confirmed that poison hemlock and spotted water hemlock were located in Sussex County wetlands, according to a news release from the agency. Both plants have small white flowers and bloom between June and August. Poison hemlock also grows in meadows, pastures and ditches. The invasive plant can reach between 6 and 8 feet tall and has a hairless stem with purple blotches. The department said this type of hemlock releases an odor but shouldn’t be crushed to smell because toxic oils can be emitted. Spotted water hemlock is a native plant and can grow up to 6 feet tall. Its stems vary in color from solid green or purple to green with purple spots or stripes, and it has fern-like leaves. People who think they found either plant can email pictures to DDA.Marketing@delaware.gov for identification. The Agriculture Department said residents shouldn’t try to eradicate the hemlocks themselves and should instead find a licensed aquatic pest control company to treat them. It also advised against mowing the plants, which can release toxic particles into the air.

District of Columbia

Washington: Parking in the nation’s capital is often a nightmare for residents and especially for their guests, but D.C. has launched an easier visitor parking pass program, WUSA-TV reports. When the visitor parking pass was launched in 2013, it was met with widespread opposition. With the new program, people can register for the annual pass allowing their guests to park for two hours in a residential permit parking zone in all eight wards. “The intent of the system is to make getting a visitor parking permit easier and also to reduce parking congestion in residential areas,” said Everett Lott, acting director for the District Department of Transportation. The new online parking portal now allows people to print out their own parking permits for visitors and can be accessed through the portal provided by D.C. online or through an app on Apple or Android phones. “This particular system, the automated system, is connected to the resident and to the license plate,” Lott said. “So it makes it a lot more user-friendly but also helps to eliminate any of the abuse that was possible in the past.” Parking permits, which must be displayed prominently on the windshield of vehicles, can be printed at home, at D.C. Public Library branches, or at kiosks at DDOT Headquarters, the DDOT Permit Office and Metropolitan Police Department precincts.

Florida

Tampa: A couple is suing a Catholic school and demanding the return of a large donation, saying it isn’t adhering to Catholic values because of the way it’s handling issues like race and accepting the LGBTQ community. Anthony and Barbara Scarpo filed their lawsuit against the Academy of the Holy Names last month after one of their daughters graduated and a second transferred to another school, the Tampa Bay Times reports. The lawsuit comes four years after the couple pledged $1.35 million to the school, which named its theater for the family. The couple claims the school has “lost its way” by distancing itself from mainstream Catholicism and embracing a “woke culture” in which priority is given to “gender identity, human sexuality and pregnancy termination among other hot button issues.” The suit also takes issue with a blackboard in a common area that explains how to be an ally to the LGBTQ community, as well as how the school takes on the issue of race, saying white students are made to feel guilty. The Scarpos had paid $240,000 toward the pledge as of 2018, the lawsuit said. The school didn’t discuss details of the suit, but spokeswoman Emily Wise told the Times in an email that the school’s curriculum is based on Catholic values.

Georgia

Atlanta: A federal judge on Wednesday declined to block some challenged sections of Georgia’s new election law ahead of two runoff elections next week, but he didn’t rule out the possibility for future elections. Election integrity activists had asked U.S. District Judge J.P. Boulee to prohibit the state from enforcing sections of the new law that have to do with observation of elections, as well as a new deadline for requesting absentee ballots. Their request arose from one of eight federal lawsuits challenging the new law. The Republican-backed overhaul of election rules enacted this year has been blasted by Democrats and others who say it creates unnecessary obstacles to voting, particularly for people of color. Most of the lawsuits, including one filed last month by the U.S. Department of Justice, challenge the parts of law that critics say threaten voting rights. The targeted request that led to Wednesday’s ruling, though, focused on provisions mostly related to monitoring or photographing parts of the election process. The activists, led by the Coalition for Good Governance, said those sections criminalize normal election observation activities and could intimidate voters, election observers and members of the news media. A tighter absentee ballot request deadline makes it virtually impossible to get one for a runoff, they argue.

Hawaii

Honolulu: Lawmakers on Tuesday overrode Gov. David Ige’s veto of a bill that overhauls how the state funds the Hawaii Tourism Authority and allocates tourism tax revenue to the counties. The bill would stop funding the tourism agency with money raised by the transient accommodations tax on hotel stays and other short-term rentals. Instead, lawmakers intend to pay for the agency with money from the general fund, though for the current fiscal year they appropriated federal coronavirus relief funds. Further, instead of providing the state’s four major counties with a share of transient accommodations tax revenue, the legislation gives the counties the authority to levy their own surcharge to the tax. Currently, the state charges one uniform hotel tax rate across the islands. Sen. Bennette Misalucha, vice chair of the Senate’s Energy, Economic Development, and Tourism Committee, said special funds shouldn’t be protected for the benefit of one industry. She said the Legislature brought special funds like hotel tax revenue into the general fund to stop this practice. The Hawaii Tourism Authority will now be required to get support from lawmakers for its budget just like other state agencies, she said, which will require the agency to be more forthcoming with its strategic plans and force more communication between the agency and lawmakers.

Idaho

Coeur d’Alene: High housing prices in northern Idaho are making it difficult to attract police officers, law enforcement officials say. Coeur d’Alene Police Capt. Dave Hagar told the Coeur d’Alene Press that low crime rates and an outdoor lifestyle are big draws but that skyrocketing housing prices are turning people away. “Five years ago, the cost of living in Coeur d’Alene was much more reasonable,” Hagar said. “Now it’s gone above that.” The Coeur d’Alene Association of Realtors said the median residential home sale price was $476,000 in March. That’s a 47% increase from a year ago. Kootenai County Sheriff Bob Norris said his agency has recruited new hires only to have them decline the job after discovering they couldn’t afford housing. “It’s a significant barrier,” he said. “The housing situation is severe.” The agency is looking to hire deputies, dispatchers, control room operators, clerks and jail staff. “We’re going to have to attract local candidates,” Norris said. “We can’t do that when some of our pay is $14 or $15 an hour.” Kootenai County Commissioner Bill Brooks said other county agencies are also having a hard time finding and retaining workers. Wages once considered normal are now not enough.

Illinois

Chicago: The city’s schools will encourage student COVID-19 vaccinations ahead of the start of the school year with school-based vaccination sites and events, officials announced Wednesday. Officials with the nation’s third-largest school district plan to offer full in-person instruction in the fall and want to vaccinate as many students as possible before classes begin next month. District officials said they are “not in a position” to mandate COVID-19 shots but will ask families to submit COVID-19 vaccine documents, as is the practice with other immunizations. Starting next week, the district will offer vaccines at three school sites for students and their families. The sites will be able to administer 600 doses weekly. The district is also working with hospitals for events in areas with low inoculation rates and offering the shots at back-to-school events. “Schools are trusted pillars of our communities, and as a district we are uniquely suited to help expand vaccination opportunities, which helps create the safest possible learning environments at our schools,” said Jose M. Torres, interim schools CEO. More than 50,000 children under the age of 18 have already been vaccinated in Chicago, according to the city’s Department of Public Health. Roughly 350,000 students attend Chicago Public Schools.

Indiana

Indianapolis: As federal officials debate pouring billions of dollars into broadband access, data suggests many of Indiana’s schoolchildren and adults who preferred to work from home spent the pandemic with subpar access to high-speed internet, particularly in the state’s least-wealthy counties. In about half of Indiana’s counties – 47 of 92 – measured by a Federal Communications Commission study, broadband access is available to at least 79% of residents. Yet in about half of the state measured by Microsoft – 47 of 92 counties – no more than 22% of households actually have high-speed access, a USA TODAY analysis shows. President Joe Biden and a bipartisan group of Senate moderates have reached a deal on a far-reaching infrastructure plan that would direct $65 billion to increase broadband connectivity from coast to coast. Despite the agreement, it’s unclear whether it would address the solutions some lawmakers want to see such as continued broadband subsidies for low-income families, greater competition among wireless providers, and continued buildout of high-speed networks in poorer, rural areas. In Indiana, 12.4% of residents don’t have adequate broadband infrastructure, and 48.4% live in areas with only one internet provider, according to the White House.

Iowa

Iowa City: A teenager injured in an accident on an amusement ride that killed his younger brother remained on life support Wednesday as he turned 16, his family pastor said. David Jaramillo has been in a medically induced coma at Blank Children’s Hospital since Saturday’s accident on the Raging River at Adventureland Park in Altoona, pastor Christian Shields said. David has some brain function and has woken up a couple times at the Des Moines hospital, opening his eyes and asking what happened, he said. He remains hooked up to breathing machines, but doctors are hoping to wean him off life support, Shields said. The pastor at Christian Life Church in Cedar Rapids said it’s a miracle that David is alive after being pinned underneath a boat in water for several minutes. The church, which planned a prayer vigil for the family Wednesday night, is sponsoring a GoFundMe page that has raised $30,000. Friends have brought balloons to the hospital for David’s birthday, but “there won’t be a lot of celebrating,” Shields said. The Jaramillo family, of Marion, Iowa, went to Adventureland on Saturday to celebrate David’s upcoming birthday. The junior at Linn-Mar High School had been excited about getting his driver’s license as a step toward freedom and adulthood, Shields said.

Kansas

Topeka: Gov. Laura Kelly has expanded the paid leave that state employees can take from their jobs when they become parents or act as caregivers. Kelly issued an executive order Tuesday that provides an extra two weeks of paid leave for state workers who are a child’s primary caregiver and an extra week for secondary caregivers. The order also makes foster parents eligible for the same paid leave. Primary caregivers will now receive up to eight weeks of paid leave, rather than six. Secondary caregivers will receive four weeks instead of three. The order directed the state Department of Administration to put the new policies into effect immediately. Kelly said the state is demonstrating a commitment to recruiting and keeping talented workers and creating a “supportive environment for our families.” “Supporting working parents in our workforce is not only the right thing to do,” Kelly said in a statement. “It’s good for our economy.” The order also says new state employees become eligible for paid leave after 180 days.

Kentucky

Louisville: After years of planning and public input, the construction phase of the Sherman Minton Bridge rehabilitation project will soon be underway. The Sherman Minton Renewal project team said Tuesday that it will begin working on ramp improvements next week. The improvements “are being made to prepare for the first phase of the rehabilitation, which will include the first half of eastbound construction on the lower deck and painting of the bridge trusses,” according to a news release. According to the team, ramp shoulders at the Interstates 65 and 265 interchange, as well as the Interstates 64 and 265 interchange, will be modified to accommodate additional traffic. The modification process will take one to two weeks, the team said, and “will require nighttime lane closures and/or ramp closures to construct.” After the ramp improvements are completed, traffic will be reduced to two lanes in each direction as the team works on painting and deck replacement preparations. When lanes are restricted, I-65 and I-265 will serve as a detour route, the team said. The Sherman Minton, which spans the Ohio River to connect the Bluegrass and Hoosier states, is 59 years old. The proposal to rehabilitate the double-decker bridge was announced in 2018. The price tag for the project is roughly $137 million.

Louisiana

Baton Rouge: Authorities say they’ve been searching for a 12-foot python that escaped from its enclosure inside the state’s largest shopping mall. Cara, a yellow and white Burmese python, slithered out of its enclosure at the Blue Zoo in the Mall of Louisiana in Baton Rouge on Tuesday, news outlets report. She was still on the loose early Wednesday morning, WBRZ-TV reports, after a search overnight, when such snakes are most active. “While we’ve created a very secure home for Cara, our Burmese Python, she has slithered out of her exhibit,” the Blue Zoo said in a statement. “Cara is a non-poisonous, friendly snake that enjoys her time interacting with guests during our Snake Education Shows.” Pythons slowly squeeze their prey to death before swallowing them. Cara was described as “very sweet” by her handlers, who released a photo of the animal. The Blue Zoo – which bills itself as “more than an aquarium, more than a zoo” – was closed Tuesday while search efforts continued, but the Mall of Louisiana remained open.

Maine

Bangor: Enrollment in public schools across the state dropped by 4.4%, nearly 8,000 students, between the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years, according to Maine Department of Education data. Most of those students transitioned to home schooling, which saw an increase of 5,000 students, according to department data. School systems expect many students to return for the 2021-22 school year, Bangor Daily News reports. According to an Education Week report, Maine had the fourth-highest decrease in the nation behind Vermont’s 5.3% decrease, Mississippi’s 5% drop and New Hampshire’s 4.7% decline. Steve Bailey, executive director at Maine School Management Association, said the change reflects concerns from parents about safety during the pandemic and child care challenges. The most significant decrease was in prekindergarten and kindergarten students, for whom the population decreased by 16%, compared to a 3% decrease in all other students.

Maryland

College Park: Teenagers will be entered to win $50,000 college scholarships if they get vaccinated against COVID-19 in the state’s latest incentive program offered to encourage as many people as possible to get the shots. Gov. Larry Hogan announced the new lottery program Wednesday at the University of Maryland, College Park. Twenty Marylanders between the ages of 12 and 17 will win scholarships worth $50,000 each between now and Labor Day. The program will give away a total of $1 million in scholarships or the equivalent of full tuition and fees at one of Maryland’s public universities. Winners who choose to attend college out of state can transfer the scholarship to the school of their choice, Hogan said. The program will begin Monday and continue through Labor Day. Teens who have been vaccinated in Maryland are eligible and will be automatically entered, the governor said. Winners will be chosen using the same process as “VaxCash,” a lottery for adults that recently ended. That program awarded a total of $2 million in prizes to Marylanders 18 and older who had received a COVID-19 vaccine at any time. The scholarship prizes will be deposited into college savings accounts with Maryland 529.

Massachusetts

Topsfield: A more than 200-year-old agricultural fair canceled last year because of the pandemic is scheduled to return this fall, organizers announced Wednesday. The 11-day Topsfield Fair, first held in 1818, will start Oct. 1, the Essex Agricultural Society said in a statement. “Having to cancel last year’s Topsfield Fair due to the COVID-19 pandemic was devastating,” General Manager James O’Brien said. “We are thrilled to announce that the fair will return this year with no restrictions, and we look forward to seeing everyone on the fairgrounds in October.” The fair was previously canceled for three years during World War II and in 1918 because of an influenza pandemic. Based on attendance in 1946 after the three-year shutdown, O’Brien said he expects high attendance this fall. In anticipation, fair personnel have installed extra sinks and hand-sanitizing stations around the fairgrounds north of Boston, he said. One of the fair’s most popular events is the giant pumpkin contest, but it also includes livestock exhibits, a midway, vendors, food stalls and live music. It typically draws up to 500,000 visitors per year. A schedule for concerts, which are free with fair admission, will be announced soon.

Michigan

Roseville: CARE of Southeastern Michigan is hosting a free, two-week day camp for kids whose family members struggle with addiction. Open for children in preschool through eighth grade, Camp CARE will address communicating effectively, managing emotions, dealing with change, choosing friends wisely, resisting peer pressure and more. The skills are taught through hands-on activities like arts, crafts and games, said CARE director of substance use prevention Kaitlin Maloziec. The Roseville fire and police departments will also visit the camp for a teaching segment in the city about 15 miles northeast of Detroit. “It’s just a spot where kids can be kids, make friendships and see that they’re not alone,” Maloziec said. The camp will be held at Fountain Elementary in Roseville from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 19-23 and July 26-30. Zoom sessions for parents and caregivers will teach adults some of the same skills as the youth, along with parenting tips and advice on how to talk about addiction and address kids’ questions. The camp, which Maloziec said has been around for more than two decades, is hosting up to 60 students this year. Most activities will be held outdoors, with mask-wearing required and lunch provided. Registration is available online and closes at 11:45 p.m. Friday.

Minnesota

Minneapolis: With COVID-19 limits fading away, tourists are returning to Minnesota resorts, many of them from neighboring states. But a lot of employees are not coming back. The worker shortage has been building for more than a year, said Ben Wogsland, a spokesman for Hospitality Minnesota, the trade association for the state’s hotels, restaurants, resorts and campgrounds. The industry is down about 50,000 workers from its normal summer level of 280,000 to 290,000 workers. Many of them found other jobs during the first COVID-19 shutdown, and others left when a second hospitality shutdown was ordered, the Star Tribune reports. “After last year, we were hopeful that things would get back to normal,” said Sue Dutcher, manager of the St. Croix River Resort in Hinckley. Instead, “we’re being run ragged.” In Detroit Lakes, Joanne Anderson faces a similar challenge at the Forest Hills Resort. Anderson manages Izzo’s, the resort’s bar and restaurant, and is running it with eight workers instead of the usual 20. Some operators have been fortunate enough to escape the labor shortage. The Trail Center Lodge on the Gunflint Trail is “100% staffed,” according to owner Sarah Hamilton. That’s partly due to a new program that brings young adults from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota to work at businesses on the North Shore.

Mississippi

Jackson: Farmers in the state are losing the catfish wars against their foreign competitors with the very weapon they saw as their salvation. The domestic catfish industry, along with lawmakers including the late U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran of Mississippi, lobbied to move oversight of catfish processing from the Food and Drug Administration to the U.S. Department of Agriculture five years ago with the expectation the USDA’s stricter eye would limit the foreign imports that had decimated domestic production throughout the Mississippi Delta. Instead, imports of siluriformes – the larger category of catfish and catfish-like fish sometimes referred to by their family name, “pangasius” – have only increased since the switch to the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service in 2016. Meanwhile, domestic prices and production, mainly in Mississippi and other Southern states, have continued to decline. Almost 65,000 additional tons of catfish were imported in 2019 compared to 2015 before the Food Safety and Inspection Service took over, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Marine Fisheries Service. The Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce lists recent processing volumes at 5 million pounds per month less than in 2015 during FDA oversight.

Missouri

Jefferson City: Seventeen more people in southwest Missouri died from COVID-19 in a two-week period ending Sunday as the coronavirus continues to surge in the region, officials said. The deaths were recorded in the two-week reporting period from June 21 to July 4 and were disclosed Tuesday by the Springfield-Greene County Health Department, the Kansas City Star reports. The dead ranged in age from their 40s to 90s, and none of those who died was fully vaccinated, health officials said. Republican Gov. Mike Parson on Wednesday told reporters that his administration has done “everything possible” to fend off outbreaks. Missouri has reported nearly 530,000 cases of the virus and 9,375 deaths since the pandemic began. The state has administered more than 5 million doses, with 44.9% of the population getting at least one. Parson said he’s focused on encouraging people to get inoculated and making the shots available to them. He said he’s still wary of incentivizing vaccinations with prizes. “Right now, the vaccine’s out there,” Parson said. “I mean, people walk past it every day, whether they’re in a pharmacy, whether they’re in a Walmart, whether they’re in a health center.” Parson also on Wednesday signed a bill into law to limit lawsuits against companies for wrongdoing related to the pandemic.

Montana

Helena: Wildlife officials were searching by ground and from the air Wednesday for a grizzly bear that killed a woman who was camping. A helicopter was flying over the area around the small town of Ovando, in western Montana, in pursuit of the bear, which will be killed if found, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokesperson Greg Lemon said. Large traps made out of culverts were set around the area in hopes of capturing the bruin. Ovando, about 60 miles northwest of Helena, is a community of fewer than 100 people at the edge of the sprawling Bob Marshall wilderness. Long-distance bicyclists such as the victim often spend the night in the town. Powell County Sheriff Gavin Roselles said the bear wandered into the victim’s camping area a couple of times before Tuesday’s fatal mauling. Someone at the scene used bear spray, and other campers called 911, Roselles said. Roselles closed down any camping in Ovando as the search for the bear continued, following creeks leading away from the town. Further circumstances surrounding the attack were under investigation. Officials said their priority was to find and kill the bear to prevent another dangerous encounter.

Nebraska

Niobrara: A tomahawk once owned by Chief Standing Bear, a pioneering Native American civil rights leader, is returning to his Nebraska tribe after decades in a museum at Harvard. The university’s Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology said it’s been working with members of the Ponca Tribe in Nebraska and Oklahoma to repatriate the artifact. Larry Wright Jr., chairman of the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska, said Tuesday that the return of the historic weapon is a powerful symbol of homecoming for the tribe, which was among many forcibly relocated from their homelands to other territories by the federal government in the 1800s. Standing Bear was arrested 1878 for leaving the tribe’s reservation in order to fulfill a promise he made to bury his eldest son back in their tribe’s homeland in the Niobrara River Valley. In his landmark federal trial, he successfully argued for the recognition of Native Americans as persons entitled to rights and protection under law. “That hand is not the color of yours. But if you pierce it, I shall feel pain,” Standing Bear famously said in court. “The blood that will flow from mine will be the same color as yours. I am a man. The same God made us both.” Wright said the tribe is preparing its own museum, located near Standing Bear’s grave, to properly display the tomahawk and other artifacts.

Nevada

Las Vegas: A 110-acre property at the south end of the Las Vegas Strip has been purchased to be the site for a terminal station for a planned new high-speed passenger rail line between Las Vegas and Southern California. Brightline Holdings announced the purchase Tuesday without announcing the price, but local news outlets report that Clark County records indicate the purchase by the holding company for Brightline West closed Thursday for $140 million. The site is on the west side of Las Vegas Boulevard across from Premium Outlets South mall and near McCarran International Airport. Company officials have said Brightline West trains would carry up to 500 passengers at speeds up to 200 mph on the planned route between Las Vegas and Victorville, California. The project has been delayed over the years, most recently because of the pandemic.

New Hampshire

Concord: Plans to close the state’s youth detention center are quickly taking shape, with a consultant due to submit a preliminary report in the next two weeks. The two-year state budget Gov. Chris Sununu signed June 25 includes a mandate to close the Sununu Youth Services Center in Manchester by March 2023. But the state Department of Health and Human Services didn’t wait for lawmakers and the governor to act; it signed a $55,000 contract with Alvarez & Marsal Public Sector Services of Washington, D.C., on June 8. The contract, paid for with federal pandemic aid, requires the consultants to deliver a draft closure plan by mid-July and a final report by August. According to details submitted to the governor’s Executive Council last week, the department didn’t have time to solicit bids given the time-sensitive work but consulted with stakeholders before hiring the firm. Health and Human Services Commissioner Lori Shibinette told the council she met with advocates for juvenile justice, including the Disability Rights Center and the Office of the Child Advocate. “We have this opportunity to build the right-sized program on a clinical model instead of a detention model. So I brought the advocates together to say, ‘What is your ideal model?’ ” she said. “They said they weren’t qualified and that I should hire a consultant. So that is what I did.”

New Jersey

Bridgewater: The pandemic that closed restaurant dining rooms last year also put a stop to food tours. But with eateries up and running again, food tours are starting back up, too, inviting food lovers to explore a town by enjoying its restaurants’ signature dishes and learning about local history. “For the first time in 15 months, we are opening public tours again, and it is really exciting,” said Alessia Aron, owner of Beyond the Plate Tours, which presents excursions in Jersey City, Red Bank and Somerville. Local restaurants “have been through hell and back, and we are just trying to support them as much as possible.” Her company, previously Jersey Girls Food Tours, is one of seven that comprise the NJ Food Tour Trail. “We thought that coming together and creating the New Jersey Food Tour Trail would help us come out of the pandemic better,” said Audrey Wiggins, owner of On the Town Food Tours, another participant. “July 1 is our official opening date for all tour companies; some have started a little earlier than that, but everyone is now officially open.” Other NJ Food Tour Trail companies include Asbury Park Food Tours, Cape May Food Tours, Sister Cities Food and Shop Tours, Savor and Stroll Culinary Tours and Have You Met Newark Tours.

New Mexico

Santa Fe: A new podcast called Parks urges visitors to America’s national parks to educate themselves about and acknowledge the Indigenous tribes whose ties to these sacred spaces span millennia. The aim of the documentary podcast is to explore the history of tribes on these lands, the ways in which the lands were dispossessed, issues the Indigenous communities face today, and how they’ve kept their culture and traditions alive, the Santa Fe New Mexican reports. “There’s so much that was written, but when it was written, it was from the point of view of Eastern colonizers,” said Mary Mathis, 25, a former photo editor at National Public Radio and Outside magazine who serves as the host of Parks, co-created with fellow Santa Fe-based multimedia journalist Cody Nelson. “It wasn’t every story, it was just one story – the quote-unquote ‘winner’s’ story. We see that a lot in our education system, and I think that was where the idea (for Parks) kind of came from.” The first episode follows a format the Parks team plans to replicate throughout the project, one in which Indigenous guests are closely involved in each step of the editing process so as to maintain complete ownership of their stories.

New York

New York: A consortium of businesses and nonprofits will run Central Park’s Wollman ice rink, one of four recreational concessions that were operated by Donald Trump’s company until the city canceled its contracts with the former president, the city Department of Parks and Recreation announced Tuesday. A joint venture called Wollman Park Partners LLC is expected to be awarded a five-year contract to run the rink after submitting the winning bid for the project, city officials said. The joint venture, which includes Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, Related Companies, Equinox, caterer Great Performances and local groups such as Ice Hockey in Harlem, will reinvest all profits into upgrading the rink, city officials said. “It’s the Summer of New York City, but we’re already preparing for an iconic winter, too,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a news release. “I’m thrilled that NYC Parks has found a quality operator for Wollman Rink that is committed to reinvesting in the community and creating a welcoming space for all New Yorkers.” The Democrat announced in January that the city would terminate business contracts with the Trump Organization over Trump’s role in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The cancellations affected a golf course in the Bronx and a carousel and two ice skating rinks in Central Park.

North Carolina

Raleigh: A Superior Court judge put a small-town newspaper editor behind bars last month after one of his reporters used an audio recorder for note-taking purposes at a murder trial – a punishment the paper and media rights groups consider excessive. Judge Stephan Futrell sentenced Gavin Stone, the news editor of the Richmond County Daily Journal, to five days in jail before having the editor hauled off to jail. Stone was released the next day but still faces the possibility of more time in lockup. Brian Bloom, the paper’s publisher, acknowledged that his reporter shouldn’t have had the recorder in court because it was not allowed but criticized the judge’s move to imprison an editor for a minor infraction committed by a colleague. “The penalty does not fit the crime,” he said. “Let’s put this in perspective: You stop a murder trial not once, but twice, because a guy had a tape recorder sitting next to him on a bench at a courtroom. Let’s put our priorities in place here.” Futrell did not respond to a request for comment. Superior Court rules allow electronic media and still photography coverage of public judicial proceedings but grant judges the authority to prohibit the technology.

North Dakota

Mandan: The Mandan City Commission has agreed to equip the community’s police force with body cameras. The commission approved the cameras unanimously Tuesday with no discussion. The police department received a quote from Digital-Ally, which already has cameras inside the police vehicles. A memo from police to commissioners said that using the same company for the cameras will allow for better integration of the equipment, the Bismarck Tribune reports. The package of 28 body cameras, upgraded in-car cameras, accessories, set-up, training and cloud storage would cost about $165,000 for a five-year subscription. The police department also received approval to request funding from the U.S. Department of Justice to offset the cost of the cameras. It is asking for nearly $37,000 over five years, according to the memo. The Lincoln Police Department began using body cameras in early 2020. The Bismarck Police Department and the Burleigh County Sheriff’s Department do not use the technology.

Ohio

Cincinnati: The top prosecutor in one of the state’s most populous counties has decided his office will no longer offer plea bargains in any cases involving gun violence or possession of illegal firearms. Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters announced his decision Tuesday, saying it would take effect immediately. “It’s time for this nonsense to end,” Deters said. The directive comes in the wake of a violent holiday weekend in Cincinnati. Among the incidents was a Fourth of July shooting at a downtown park where authorities say a 19-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy opened fire on each other, leaving both of them dead and three innocent bystanders wounded. Hundreds of teens were gathered at Smale Park when the shooting occurred shortly before 11 p.m. Sunday, authorities say. At the time, police officers were working to clear out the riverfront park before its closing time. “People must be held accountable for their choices. As a community, we must stand together and say, ‘Enough is enough,’ ” Deters said. “No amount of money can fix the problems we are facing. Parents must parent their children. Communities must speak up.”

Oklahoma

Edmond: U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe’s office announced Wednesday that he requested $4 million in federal funds to help combat illegal marijuana growing operations in the state. Inhofe’s chief of staff, Luke Holland, announced the request during an Oklahoma Sheriffs Association meeting, saying Inhofe requested a direct appropriation through the U.S. Justice Department to allow the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs to establish a unit to combat “transnational and national drug organizations.” The unit would work with sheriffs to combat illegal drug operations. Medical marijuana is a booming business in Oklahoma, where voters in 2018 approved one of the nation’s most liberal medical programs. As a result, out-of-state weed entrepreneurs have flocked to the state to get involved. But sheriffs and other law enforcement groups, which opposed the state question in 2018, have said illegal marijuana grow operations are setting up in rural parts of Oklahoma and funneling cannabis into the illegal drug trade in Oklahoma and other states.

Oregon

Eugene: The University of Oregon said Tuesday that it will start the second phase of building the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact after receiving another $500million donation for the project. Construction on the first phase of the new campus started in 2016 – after the first half-billion-dollar gift from the Nike co-founder and his wife – with a large science building including a pedestrian bridge over the street. A second building for “bioengineering and applied science research building to support expanded research programs and facilities” will be built next, according to a university news release. The building is planned to cover 175,000 square feet, with multiple stories, and be located north of the first building. The focus of the new campus is to translate scientific discoveries into advances in health care and other fields. The latest money will also pay for 14 to 16 additional faculty members and their teams. The new campus currently employs 13 tenure-related faculty members and their research teams, for a total of about 90 employees. “The aim of the new campus is to compress the timeline between discovery and “societal impact,” said Robert Guldberg, vice president and executive director of the new science operation.

Pennsylvania

Harrisburg: Tolls on the Pennsylvania Turnpike will rise another 5% in January, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission decided Tuesday. The agency board voted to impose the higher rates as of Jan. 2. The most common E-ZPass fare for a passenger vehicle will rise by a dime, from $1.60 to $1.70. Those being charged through a scan of their license plate will see the most common fare go from $3.90 to $4.10. The most common truck fare will go from $13 to $13.70 for E-ZPass and from $26.60 to $28 for toll-by-plate. Officials say 2022 will be the first time in six years that fares will have jumped by less than 6%. The turnpike has pumped more than $7 billion in funding from tolls to the state Transportation Department since 2007.

Rhode Island

Providence: Almost $54 million worth of fraudulent unemployment claims have been filed during the coronavirus pandemic, state officials say. The latest total is about $9 million more than in May, with even more victims coming forward in the past month, according to WJAR-TV. State Department of Labor and Training Director Matt Weldon said that doesn’t necessarily mean the claims were filed during that time span, just that they are coming to light now. The agency has managed to get back about $3.75 million so far with the help of federal agencies, but Weldon said he believes that will grow significantly in the coming months. The agency is also enforcing rules that require people to look for work while collecting benefits, he said. With 64,000 Rhode Islanders receiving unemployment benefits, that will be a slow process, with the agency only able to get through a few hundred claims per week to start, he said. “As you can imagine, trying to audit claims and go through information is difficult when there are more than a workable number, so we are going to begin with hundreds and see how that goes, and then that can grow in the future,” he said.

South Carolina

Columbia: The governor wants a new abortion law to take effect, arguing Wednesday that a judge’s decision to put the whole measure – and not just the parts being challenged in court – on hold during a lawsuit “oversteps the bounds of federal judicial power.” Gov. Henry McMaster’s brief with the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals asks appellate judges to lift a lower court’s injunction on the South Carolina Fetal Heartbeat and Protection from Abortion Act. The Republican signed the measure into law earlier this year that requires doctors to perform ultrasounds to check for a heartbeat in the fetus, which can typically be detected about six weeks after conception. If cardiac activity is detected, the abortion can only be performed if the pregnancy was caused by rape or incest or if the mother’s life is in danger. Planned Parenthood attorneys sued immediately, and the entire law has been blocked from going into effect during the litigation. In his brief, attorneys for McMaster argued that decision represents “overreaching federal power to interfere with state law.” McMaster, along with other defendants including state Attorney General Alan Wilson, also argue that the groups that sued don’t have proper standing to challenge the law.

South Dakota

Madison: An increasing number of primarily social media complaints from residents in Madison and Lake County have brought to light a little-known county ordinance banning people from occupying their campers or recreational vehicles outside the confines of a campground. Lake County Planning and Zoning Officer Mandi Anderson said the ordinance has gone undetected for many years until a recent barrage of postings that have led to heated debate among residents. Some who are opposed to the rule say that it infringes on property rights and that there should be nothing wrong with letting visitors use a camper for a short time. “I didn’t realize it was this out of hand,” Anderson said. One theory for the ordinance, Anderson said, is that people who construct large lakeside homes on small lots do not want to be inundated with noise from adjoining property when three campers pull in for the weekend and 50 people take up temporary residence, The Madison Daily Leader reports. Anderson said citations are only issued if the matter is not addressed after the property owner has been notified about the ordinance and has been given an opportunity to comply. She emphasized she does not drive around looking for violators but only responds to complaints.

Tennessee

Nashville: City officials are inviting the public to celebrate and remember civil rights icon John Lewis in a dedication ceremony next week. Earlier this year, Nashville’s Metro Council renamed a large portion of Fifth Avenue North to Rep. John Lewis Way. Councilwoman Zulfat Suara submitted the request last year, focusing on Lewis’ work to desegregate Nashville’s lunch counters before becoming a long-serving congressman in Georgia. The city will host a dedication July 16-17. The event was originally scheduled for February but was delayed due to the coronavirus outbreak. As a college student at American Baptist College and then Fisk University, Lewis helped desegregate public spaces in Nashville and pushed for racial justice across the South. Lewis was a Freedom Rider, spoke at the March on Washington, and was beaten on the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Bloody Sunday in Selma, Alabama. Lewis died July 17, 2020. He was 80.

Texas

San Antonio: A federal judge has ruled that the U.S. Air Force is mostly responsible for a former serviceman killing more than two dozen people at a church in 2017 because it failed to submit his criminal history into a database, which should have prevented him from purchasing firearms. U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez in San Antonio wrote in a ruling signed Wednesday that the Air Force was “60% responsible” for the massacre at First Baptist Church in the small town of Sutherland Springs, where Devin Kelley opened fire during a Sunday service. Authorities put the official death toll at 26 because one of the 25 people killed was pregnant. The attack remains the worst mass shooting in Texas history. “The trial conclusively established that no other individual – not even Kelley’s own parents or partners – knew as much as the United States about the violence that Devin Kelley had threatened to commit and was capable of committing,” Rodriguez wrote. Kelley had served nearly five years in the Air Force before being discharged in 2014 for bad conduct, after he was convicted of assaulting a former wife and stepson, cracking the child’s skull. The Air Force has publicly acknowledged that the felony conviction for domestic violence, had it been put into the FBI database, could have prevented Kelley from buying guns from licensed firearms dealers and from possessing body armor.

Utah

Salt Lake City: Hospital leaders renewed their pleas for people to get vaccinated Wednesday as the state experiences another surge in new coronavirus cases from the faster-spreading delta variant. That strain has begun to surge in Utah over the past month and now represents about 80% of cases in the state, said Dr. Michelle Hofmann, deputy director of the state health department. Utah has averaged about 386 confirmed cases per day over the past week, nearly double the case rate the state was experiencing at its lowest point in early June. The surge is largely occurring in unvaccinated people who are being infected and hospitalized at six times the rate of vaccinated people, Hoffman said. “The frustrating part about all of this is that, unlike last year, we have all the tools to stop this pandemic in its tracks,” Hoffman told reporters during a virtual briefing. “The COVID-19 vaccines work.” Utah now ranks fourth in the nation for new cases per capita, and the rolling average number of daily new cases has increased by 31% over the past two weeks, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Utah met health officials’ goal of vaccinating 70% of adults and 25% of children ages 12 to 15 with at least one dose by the Fourth of July, but hospital leaders say more people need to be vaccinated to avoid hospitals from being overrun again.

Vermont

Killington: The FIS Ski World Cup will be returning to the Killington Ski Resort this November. Over the years the event has drawn tens of thousands of people to the town on Thanksgiving weekend. It was canceled last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mike Solimano, president and general manager of Killington Resort & Pico Mountain, said in a news release that in addition to skiing, there will be a full weekend of activities, including live music. Joshua Eckler, owner of Trailside Inn, told the Rutland Herald he thinks this will be a big year for the World Cup, given the past 14 months of travel restrictions. “We try to encourage a lot of guests to come for it even if they’re not ski racing fans because it’s more of an experience,” Eckler said. “You don’t have to be a die-hard racing fan to enjoy the event, just because of the music and the atmosphere and the excitement – everybody is screaming for everybody.”

Virginia

Richmond: Workers removed a statue of Harry F. Byrd Sr., a former governor, U.S. senator and staunch segregationist, from the state’s Capitol Square on Wednesday morning. A crane hoisted the larger-than-life statue off its pedestal, and workers then strapped it to a truck to be hauled into storage until lawmakers determine its final disposition. Byrd, a Democrat, ran the state’s most powerful political machine for decades until his death in 1966 and was considered the architect of the state’s racist “massive resistance” policy to public school integration. Lawmakers voted to remove the statue earlier this year, a decision that came amid a yearslong movement in history-rich Virginia to rethink who is honored in the state’s public spaces. The statue erected in 1976 was located a stone’s throw from the Capitol. A nearby plaque said the statue was dedicated in appreciation of Byrd’s “devotion throughout a long public career to governmental restraint and programs in the best interest of all the people of Virginia.” Byrd’s son, the late Harry Byrd Jr., a Democrat-turned-independent who began his career as a segregationist, succeeded his father in the Senate, serving until 1983.

Washington

Richland: A new state report finds that more than 57% of Hanford Nuclear Reservation workers reported exposure to hazardous material on the former nuclear weapons production site in south-central Washington state. The Hanford Healthy Energy Workers Board recently released its final report and recommendations on the unmet health care needs of Hanford workers. The report’s central recommendation calls for creation of a new, independent Hanford Healthy Energy Workers Center. It would provide a centralized clearinghouse for dissemination of accepted scientific literature. Important functions would also include evaluation and communication of newly available studies about Hanford-specific hazards. For incurable diseases such as chronic beryllium disease, information sharing could be key to finding cures. Additionally, the center would promote research to increase the body of knowledge for the Hanford workforce. Hanford for decades made plutonium for nuclear weapons, and thousands of workers are now tasked with cleaning up the nation’s largest volume of radioactive wastes. “The working families that make up the Hanford community represent a very unique population, with occupational risks not easily quantified or identified,” said Nickolas A. Bumpaous, Hanford Healthy Energy Workers Board co-chair.

West Virginia

Charleston: Traffic on the West Virginia Turnpike around the Fourth of July weekend was the heaviest since 2010. The turnpike saw 668,000 vehicles pass through its toll booths between Thursday and Monday, the state Department of Transportation said in a news release Tuesday. That’s 28% higher than for the five-day period a year ago, when travel was affected by the coronavirus pandemic. “It was a huge Fourth of July period,” said West Virginia Parkways Authority executive director Jeff Miller. “People are just ready to get out and travel.” Miller said many travelers started trips the weekend before the Fourth of July and returned home the weekend after. Between June 27 and Monday, more than 1.12 million vehicles went through the turnpike’s toll booths, the statement said.

Wisconsin

Madison: In a cheese-obsessed state that proudly touts itself as America’s Dairyland, the dairy cow is the official domestic animal, milk is the official state beverage, and cheese is the official dairy product. But even though Wisconsin produces more cheese than any other state at 3.4 billion pounds each year, there is no official state cheese. A bipartisan bill heard by a state Assembly committee on Wednesday would change that. The measure makes colby, which was created in Wisconsin more than 100 years ago, the official cheese. Colby may be as “gouda” choice as any, but the choice threatens to turn fans of cheddar, swiss, provolone and other varieties red, or perhaps blue, in the face with rage. Colby also holds a special place in Wisconsin cheese history. It was created in the central Wisconsin city of Colby in 1885 by Joseph Steinwand, who named it after the township where his father built northern Clark County’s first cheese factory, according to a state historical marker in the city, located about 40 miles west of Wausau. Colby isn’t the most-produced cheese in Wisconsin. Mozzarella is tops, followed by cheddar and some Italian varieties, according to the USDA. Still, more than 45 million pounds of colby are produced at Wisconsin’s 150 cheese plants each year.

Wyoming

Cheyenne: The state’s first female federal district judge plans to semi-retire in 2022, opening the way for Democratic President Joe Biden to nominate a judge in the deeply Republican state. Going on senior status will give U.S. District Judge Nancy Freudenthal in Cheyenne more control over the number and type of cases she oversees. She plans to spend more of her free time with her husband, former Gov. Dave Freudenthal, and grandchildren, Freudenthal told the Casper Star-Tribune. She hasn’t decided yet how she will use her time as judge but might stop taking new criminal cases to provide freedom from speedy trial requirements, she said. Freudenthal had no experience with criminal cases before becoming a federal district judge in 2010. She has found those cases the most rewarding because they can be life-changing for convicts, Freudenthal said. “Yes, their lives going forward will still be very challenging, but they have the opportunity to rebuild that life, take advantage of resources, hopefully live a life of sobriety,” she said. Freudenthal, 67, holds undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Wyoming. She was an attorney in the offices of Govs. Ed Herschler and Mike Sullivan from 1980 to 1989.

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

50 States

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

Alabama

Tuscaloosa:The city’s annual Memorial Day program, which is free and open to the public, will be held at 9 a.m. Monday at Veterans Memorial Park in front of University Mall. Forrest Fitts, chairman of the Alabama Marines Foundation, will be the guest speaker. John Merkle, director of the Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center, and David Blair, director of the University of Alabama Office of Veteran and Military Affairs, are also scheduled to speak. Audrey Watts and Clara Parker of the Alabama Choir School will sing the national anthem and student cadets from Paul W. Bryant High School Junior ROTC will present the colors. At the end of the ceremony, participants will place a wreath at the Military Order of the Purple Heart Monument.

Alaska

Anchorage: An aircraft crashed while attempting to land on a rural Alaska airstrip lined by trees, injuring all four people on board. Three people seriously injured in Tuesday’s crash at Dry Bay airstrip were sent to hospitals in Anchorage. A fourth person with minor injuries was treated in the nearby southeast Alaska community of Yakutat, the Coast Guard said in a statement. The names of those injured weren’t immediately released.

Arizona

Casa Grande: Two women were arrested after about 500,000 fentanyl pills were found in an SUV pulled over for speeding on Interstate 10 in Arizona, police said. The pills were found concealed in collagen supplement bottles on Monday during a search that also turned up a handgun and a large amount of cash, police said. Martha Lopez, 31, and Tania Luna Solis, 30, were arrested on suspicion of crimes including possession of a narcotic drug for sale, according to police. Court records didn’t list attorneys who could comment on behalf of the women, who are from Phoenix. Two children in the vehicle were turned over to state child protection officials, police said.

Arkansas

Fort Smith: University of Arkansas-Fort Smith Chancellor Terisa Riley named Shadow JQ Robinson as the next provost and vice chancellor of academic affairs, effective July 1. Robinson, raised in rural Kentucky in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains, said the Ozarks feel like home. And because of the work of those who came before him, he said, the campus and its position in the higher-education landscape feel inviting and inspiring. Robinson currently serves as the Dean of the College of Engineering and Natural at the University of Tennessee-Martin, where he provides academic, administrative and financial leadership to more than 100 faculty and staff, with an annual budget of more than $6 million.

California

Sacramento: A gun and a loaded magazine were found in a second-grade student’s desk after other students alerted the staff that a classmate had brought the weapon, officials said. The incident happened Tuesday at Edward Kemble Elementary, the Sacramento City Unified School District said in a statement to families. School staff called police “who secured the weapon and opened an investigation,” the statement said.

Colorado

Fort Collins:City Council members are coalescing around a potential ballot measure to increase their pay and benefits. Many details remain to be determined, including the magnitude of the proposed pay increase, when it would take effect and how compensation would be adjusted over time. But at a council work session on Tuesday, most council members expressed initial support for a November ballot measure, saying higher pay for council members could make council candidacy more feasible for a more diverse slate of community members. Council members currently make about $893 a month, or $10,712 annually. The mayor earns $1,340 a month, or $16,074 annually. Their pay is adjusted each year based on the consumer price index and has increased by about 80% since 1998. Council members don’t qualify for the health insurance provided to city employees.

Connecticut

Norwich: The city is interested in maintaining the docks at Howard T. Brown Memorial Park, but it will cost a little more to do so. The city is expected to make another 20% contribution to repairing the docks at the park as a part of the city’s American Rescue Plan Act funds, scheduled to be approved June 6. Although the original repairs focused on compliance with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act and replacing an unsafe platform, additional money will focus on repairing the pilings that have been deteriorating, after being underwater for almost 30 years.

Delaware

Wilmington:Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long said she supports the legalization of marijuana, showing a major chasm with Gov. John Carney, who on Tuesday vetoed a bill to legalize possession of up to one ounce of marijuana by adults for recreational use. Hall-Long did not comment on the governor’s veto or if a recreational marijuana industry should be created in Delaware. Many in Delaware have speculated that Hall-Long could run for governor in 2024. Carney is in his second term as governor and cannot run for re-election.

District of Columbia

Washington:After a mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, organizers of the March for Our Lives are planning to march in D.C. on June 11 to demand gun control legislation and universal background checks from lawmakers, WUSA-TV reported. The original march took place on March 26, 2018, in response to the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

Florida

Tallahassee: The Florida House of Representatives gave final passage to sweeping property insurance legislation that creates a $2 billion reinsurance fund and rewrites rules on coverage denials and attorney fees, as lawmakers attempt to stabilize rising rates and insurer losses. The legislative package now awaits the signature of Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Georgia

Atlanta: Gov. Brian Kemp is suspending Georgia’s motor fuel tax for six more weeks. Kemp signed an executive order Thursday extending the tax break through July 14. Kemp used the announcement to again blame Democratic President Joe Biden for high gas prices. Kemp signed a law in March that passed with broad bipartisan support suspending the state’s gas tax through May 31. But with pump prices climbing again, Kemp signaled in recent days that he would extend the relief. Under state law, Kemp can suspend taxes by executive order as long as state lawmakers ratify the action the next time they meet. Kemp abated gas taxes in 2021 during a pipeline shutdown, and former Gov. Nathan Deal suspended gas taxes multiple times. Georgia’s gasoline price normally includes a federal tax of 18.4 cents per gallon and a state tax of 29.1 cents per gallon. A number of cities and counties also charge taxes. Federal taxes on diesel fuel are 24.4 cents per gallon, and Georgia’s tax on diesel is 32.6 cents per gallon.

Hawaii

Honolulu: Catherine Payne, the head of the Hawaii Board of Education, said it’s time to consider developing a public school policy on preparing for active shooter scenarios. Payne spoke after a gunman killed 19 fourth-graders and their two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas on Tuesday. Payne’s time as board chairperson ends next month. She said she expects the new chairperson, to be named by Gov. David Ige, to direct the state Department of Education to assess and report on school preparations and safeguards regarding shootings.

Idaho

Boise: A Washington man is dead after a boating accident on the Middle Fork of the Salmon River in Custer County. Robert Gray, 63, of Mill Creek, Washington, was floating on the river Tuesday afternoon “when his raft struck a log jam, throwing him into the water,” according to a news release from the sheriff’s office. The accident took place about 2:30 p.m. MDT near the Boundary Creek boat launch, northwest of Stanley. About noon Wednesday, Custer County Search and Rescue located a body matching Gray’s description by helicopter, submerged in a log jam downstream from Boundary Creek, the release said. Gray’s body was still in the river, as rescuers have determined the river is too dangerous for retrieval, the release said.

Illinois

Wauconda: A bison that escaped a suburban Chicago farm in September and had been living in the wild since was recaptured Wednesday, officials said. The 1,300-pound bison some had come to know as Tyson ran off while being delivered to the Milk and Honey Farmstead in Wauconda, and officials said they believe she settled in Lakewood Forest Preserve in early April. Forest preserve officials brought in Loose Cattle Caught to help with her capture, and she was found early Wednesday and tranquilized enough to slow her, officials said. The bison is healthy and under observation. Loose Cattle Caught is working to contact her owner.

Indiana

Porter: A federal appeals court has declined to disturb an Indiana Supreme Court ruling, later codified into Indiana law, which declared that Lake Michigan’s shoreline is – and always has been – owned by the state for the public’s use. In Wednesday’s 3-0 decision, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago said the three lakefront property owners in the town of Porter who claim their holdings include a private beach lack standing to challenge Indiana’s high court ruling and statute in federal court.

Iowa

Johnston: A central Iowa business is being sued in federal court for allegedly claiming that its Chinese-made products, which collect data on crucial infrastructure that’s buried underground, are produced in the United States. Digital Control Inc., or DCI, which is based in the state of Washington, is suing Underground Magnetics of Johnston in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. The Johnston company is accused of trademark and patent infringement, unfair competition and false advertising. DCI claims the central Iowa company holds itself out as a manufacturer when it is “a sales arm of a Chinese company manufacturing its products in China.”

Kansas

Larned:A lawsuit filed Thursday alleges long wait times at Larned State Hospital are unconstitutional and are inflicting mental and physical harm on those who are incarcerated. The complaint, brought in federal district court by the ACLU of Kansas, National Police Accountability Project and a Kansas City, Mo., law firm, said individuals are frequently waiting nearly a year in jail for an evaluation to determine if they are competent to stand trial. And patients determined unfit to stand trial also will have prolonged waits if they must be sent back to Larned for care so they might become competent to be tried. While individuals are sitting in jail, their criminal proceedings are paused. They are unable to access psychiatric treatment and are often placed in solitary confinement, something ACLU legal director Sharon Brett said is “cruel and unusual punishment.”

Kentucky

Louisville: An apartment complex in eastern Jefferson County has discriminated against potential tenants based on their race and source of income, according to a report from the Louisville Metro Human Relations Commission. Terraces at Forest Springs, managed by St. Louis-based Michelson Realty Company, twice discouraged Black renters with federal housing vouchers from applying to the complex, located near Anchorage, while encouraging white tenants with vouchers to apply, according to a complaint that was validated by human relations employees. Michelson Realty has denied it discriminated against tenants. It will soon face a hearing before a representative from the Kentucky Office of the Attorney General.

Louisiana

Baton Rouge: Spanking a student in Louisiana schools would be forbidden unless school officials have written permission from the child’s parent, under legislation approved Wednesday by the state House. The bill by Rep. Stephanie Hilferty, a Metairie Republican, had started out as a ban on corporal punishment in schools. As amended on the House floor, the bill would prohibit the spanking of a child in an elementary or secondary school unless the child’s parent or guardian has signed a consent form permitting corporal punishment. The bill passed 70-28 and goes next to the Senate, where it will need to get through a committee hearing and a floor vote before the current session’s adjournment deadline on June 6.

Maine

Hollis: Some nature advocates are worried that Maine residents are killing the wrong caterpillar as they seek to wipe out an invasive species that causes a rash with its toxic hairs. The browntail moth caterpillar is an invasive pest that can cause a rash and respiratory distress in humans. They’re expected to be especially bad this year because of weather conditions. Destroying the caterpillars’ nests is one way to mitigate their spread. However, some residents are destroying the nests of Eastern tent caterpillars, which are a different species, the Bangor Daily News reported. Tent caterpillars serve as important forage food for Maine birds, Maine Audubon said. Unlike browntail moths, they’re native to North America. As for browntail moths, it’s too late to destroy their nests because they’re no longer occupied at this time of the year, said Jim Dill, pest management specialist with University of Maine Cooperative Extension.

Maryland

Salisbury:A raccoon has tested positive for canine distemper, and several others are showing symptoms near the bayside campgrounds at Assateague Island National Seashore. The highly contagious virus doesn’t affect humans, but dogs and other small mammals, such as foxes, skunks and river otters, can become infected. It’s transmitted through saliva, urine, feces and respiratory secretions, according to Cornell University Wildlife Health Labs. Symptoms begin 10 to 14 days after infection and include discharge from the eyes and nose, difficulty breathing, fever, coughing and pneumonia. Park officials recommend campers ensure their dogs have a current distemper vaccine and be kept on a 6-foot leash at all times.

Massachusetts

Cambridge: The flood of disinformation that is spread and amplified on social media represents a threat to fragile democracies, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said during the keynote speech at Harvard University’s commencement, exhorting graduates to do their part of fight it.

Michigan

Lansing: A federal appeals court dismissed a Catholic school’s challenge to Michigan’s 2020-21 mask order. The Whitmer administration policy during the COVID-19 pandemic was dropped about a year ago, making the lawsuit moot, the court said. The appeal was heard by 17 judges at the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. It was a rare step; most appeals are heard by three-judge panels. Resurrection School in Lansing and some parents sued in 2020, saying a state mask order violated the free exercise of religion, among other objections. A federal judge, however, ruled in favor of the state and declined to suspend the policy with an injunction. The statewide mask order ended in June 2021. Any subsequent school mask mandates came from local health departments.

Minnesota

Aitkin: A space heater might have been involved in a fire that killed a couple and their young grandson in Aitkin County, sheriff’s officials said. The fire broke out in a trailer home early Sunday in Wealthwood Township north of Lake Mille Lacs. Authorities said sheriff’s deputies and firefighters arrived, and once the flames were extinguished, they located the three bodies in the charred debris. Officials identified the victims as 69-year-old Jeff Cleys, 55-year-old Michelle Cleys and 6-year-old Grant Diehl, of Deerwood.

Mississippi

Jackson: A preliminary snapshot of third graders’ literacy proficiency in Mississippi showed a passing rate nearly the same as before the COVID-19 pandemic, the state education superintendent said Thursday. The statement said 73.9% of 31,068 students passed the test for the 2021-22 school year. That’s compared to 74.5% in 2019, the last normal school year, when 34,998 students took the initial test. State law requires Mississippi third graders to pass a reading assessment to qualify for promotion to the fourth grade.

Missouri

Kansas City: Police are searching for a driver of a stolen pickup truck they said fatally hit a pedestrian as it fled from officers. The chase began Wednesday afternoon on Kansas City’s east side when officers spotted the stolen pickup and tried to pull it over, police said in a news release. The truck fled, ramming a patrol car in the process. Police said the officers called off the chase as the truck entered the northbound lanes of Interstate 435 traveling southbound. Less than a minute later, police found the body of a man in the road who appeared to have been hit by the fleeing truck. The truck was found a short distance away, and a woman who was a passenger in the truck was arrested. The driver of the truck fled on foot and, despite a search involving helicopters and police dogs, was not found, police said. The name of the pedestrian killed was not immediately released.

Montana

Billings:Conservative minister Jordan “JD” Hall admitted he fabricated a story about a transgender Native American lobbyist allegedly berating a state senator so badly that he sought the protection of the Montana Senate’s sergeant-at-arms. In a libel case that has been ongoing for more than a year the minister admitted that he fabricated the story and apologized to Adrian Jawort, a lobbyist who testified on many issues related to Native Americans. The settlement and a potential $250,000 claim was reached as Hall is going through the bankruptcy process, seeking protection from a libel case, as well as discharging attorney’s fees he racked up during the libel fight. Two weeks ago, Hall was arrested on charges of driving under the influence and illegally carrying a concealed weapon, to which he has pleaded not guilty.

Nebraska

Lincoln: A man was sentenced to 70 years to life in prison Wednesday for the shooting death of a police officer in 2020. Felipe Vazquez, now 19, shot Officer Mario Herrera when he tried to escape from police who were serving an arrest warrant for him at his Lincoln home. Vazquez was wanted in the stabbing death of 36-year-old Edward Varejcka months earlier. Vazquez was sentenced to another 59 to 86 years for attempted assault on a second officer, escape and four gun charges, the Lincoln Star reported. He will not be eligible for parole for about 70 years. Vazquez was convicted in March.

Nevada

Las Vegas: Gambling in Nevada continued a 14-month hot streak in April and a return of international flights boosted travel nearly to levels seen before the coronavirus pandemic began more than two years ago, according to Las Vegas airport and state casino revenue reports. The state Gaming Control Board said the $1.13 billion that casinos statewide reported winning last month represented the best April ever for the state, Clark County and the Las Vegas Strip. Nevada casinos have now reported winning at least $1 billion every month since March 2021.

New Hampshire

Concord: A man pleaded guilty in federal court to defrauding government programs that were intended to provide assistance related to the COVID-19 pandemic. George Adyns, 51, of Sandown, who was chief financial officer of several companies in Plaistow, directed employees in March 2020 to file for state unemployment benefits while continuing to work, prosecutors said. The state paid more than $49,000 in fraudulently obtained benefits. Adyns also fraudulently obtained loans totaling more than $135,000, prosecutors said. He’s scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 31 on a wire fraud charge.

New Jersey

Trenton: One month into existence, New Jersey’s recreational marijuana market has done $24 million in sales and regulators on Tuesday voted to grant permits to nearly a dozen new recreational cannabis retailers in their first public meeting since the market opened to the public last month. How long before the new dispensaries open, though, isn’t known, and there will be additional regulatory hurdles before the new shops start selling to adults 21 and over.

New Mexico

Santa Fe: Firefighters rescued an abandoned newborn elk calf found amid the ashes of the nation’s largest wildfire as calving season approaches its peak in New Mexico and fires rage across the American West. Missoula, Montana-based firefighter Nate Sink said he happened upon the motionless elk calf on the ground of a fire-blackened New Mexico forest as he patrolled and extinguished lingering hot spots. “The whole area is just surrounded in a thick layer of ash and burned trees. I didn’t think it was alive,” said Sink, who was deployed to the state to help contain a wildfire that by Wednesday had spread across 486 square miles and destroyed hundreds of structures. The 32-pound singed bull calf, dubbed “Cinder,” was taken for care to a nearby ranch and is now regaining strength at a wildlife rehabilitation center in Espanola, north of Santa Fe. Veterinarian Kathleen Ramsay at Cottonwood Rehab said she paired Cinder with a full-grown surrogate elk to be raised with as little human contact as possible. Ramsay said the calf hopefully can be released into the wild in December after elk-hunting season. The strategy has worked repeatedly with elk tracked by tags as they rejoined wild herds.

New York

East Greenbush: Gov. Kathy Hochul proposed raising the age to 21 for purchasing the type of firearms used in recent mass shootings in Buffalo and Texas, and possibly for other weapons, as well. The Democrat said she wants to work with the state Legislature to raise the legal purchasing age for AR-15-style rifles. Only six states - California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Vermont and Washington - require buyers to be at least 21 instead of 18 to purchase rifles or shotguns, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. Those states have the same higher age limit for handguns, while a few other states have no age limits at all for any firearm, the gun-control advocacy group says. New York City already, by local law, prohibits anyone under age 21 from possessing any firearm, with some exceptions for people engaged in military drills or competitions, or while under the supervision of a permitted gun owner.

North Carolina

Wilmington: A former dean at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington is returning to the school as its chancellor, officials said. Aswani Volety, serving as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Elon University, was elected unanimously by the UNC Board of Governors during its meeting in Chapel Hill. Volety replaces Jose Sartarelli, who is retiring in June after seven years as UNCW’s chancellor. Volety is the former dean of UNCW’s College of Arts and Sciences and former executive director of UNCW’s Center for Marine Science. He spent five years at UNCW from 2014 to 2019 before serving as the chief academic officer and chief operating officer at Elon University, according to a news release. UNCW, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, has an enrollment of more than 18,000 students.

North Dakota

Bismarck: Developers want to build a $390 million wind farm in south-central North Dakota. The state Public Service Commission has scheduled a hearing in late June for Badger Wind, a project under development by Orsted Onshore North America. The company is proposing a 74-turbine farm west of Wishek. It would have a generating capacity of 250 megawatts, which is comparable to powering 70,000 homes, the Bismarck Tribune reported. Orsted Onshore plans to start construction in September if it receives the necessary permits. The project would be completed late in 2023. Badger was still looking for an entity to purchase the wind farm’s output when it filed its application with the PSC in February.

Ohio

Columbus: Republican state lawmakers have fast-tracked a fall ballot measure that would expressly prohibit noncitizens from voting in local elections. The proposed noncitizen voting ban – which emerged just last week and cleared the Ohio House 68-28 on Wednesday – stands to ignite GOP voters ahead of this year’s midterm elections, when Republicans hope dissatisfaction with Democrats in Washington will help them regain control of Congress and win overwhelming Statehouse majorities. The push comes as some places in the country have begun to allow legally documented, voting-age noncitizens to cast ballots. It’s legal in New York City in races for mayor, City Council and other municipal offices; and in San Francisco for school board races – but not for positions such as president, governor or U.S. House members. The Ohio constitutional amendment moves next to the state Senate, where it needs a similar three-fifths majority to advance to the November statewide ballot.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City: Gov. Kevin Stitt has signed a bill requiring public school students to use only the bathroom of the sex listed on their birth certificate. About a dozen conservative states have passed laws regarding transgender use of bathrooms, transgender participation in school sports, and gender-affirming treatments or surgery for young people. The bill passed overwhelmingly in the Republican-controlled House and Senate last week, and Stitt signed it on Wednesday.

Oregon

Salem:Some customers of Pacific Power would see their power bills increase 14% if a plan proposed by the company is approved. In the plan filed with the state, the utility is asking for an $84 million yearly increase in rates for customers in Oregon, a 6.8% increase. But that increase would impact different types of customers in different ways. The average residential bill is $91.89 for customers in single-family homes using 900 kilowatt hours per month. The company’s request would increase that to $104.90 per month. That would be a 14.2% increase. Also, multifamily homes that use an average of 600 kilowatts per month would see their bills increase $6.97 per month, an 11% increase, under the proposal.

Pennsylvania

Wolf Creek: State police said they have solved the slaying of a Chicago man whose burning body was found 42 years ago near Interstate 80 in a northwestern town. Edwin Rodriguez was identified through the use of DNA testing and genealogy tools, authorities announced Wednesday. Rodriguez was 18 when he and a family friend, Nestor Quintanal, left Chicago for Florida in the fall of 1980, and Rodriguez’s family never heard from him again. His burning body was found Nov. 6, 1980, near Interstate 80 in Wolf Creek. Authorities said Quintanal – who died in Florida in 2002 at the age of 71 – is believed to have killed Rodriguez, who had third-degree burns on 70% of his body. A possible motive for the killing was not disclosed. The Mercer County District Attorney’s office paid for state police to have an advanced DNA analysis performed, and in 2007 the office secured a DNA profile of the victim through evidence collected at the autopsy. In January 2019, the profile was sent to a lab for DNA phenotype testing and a genetic genealogy screening. The testing linked the body to a first cousin of Rodriguez, authorities said. Police reached out to the individual, who was able to confirm the victim was Rodriguez. His remains have since been returned to his family in Chicago.

Rhode Island

Providence:Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas Tobin of the Providence diocese sparked internet fury by suggesting Catholics boycott a classic North Kingstown donut shop over its collection of donations to Planned Parenthood. In response, Allie’s said each month, it allows an employee to select an organization for which to collect donations at checkout. Planned Parenthood was chosen for May. Allie’s said it has raised money for many other organizations, including Ronald McDonald House of New England, the North Kingstown Food Pantry, T.A.P.S., Friends of Exeter Animals, Project Sweet Peas and the J. Arthur Trudeau Center. Reached by The Providence Journal, the diocese said Tobin wouldn’t be saying anything other than his tweet.

South Carolina

Columbia: South Carolina jurist Michelle Childs – recently under consideration for a slot on the U.S. Supreme Court – was confirmed on a 17-5 vote by the Senate Judiciary Committee for a spot on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. It now goes to the full Senate for a vote. Childs, 56, has been a federal judge on South Carolina’s District Court for more than a decade. Earlier this year, she was on a shortlist of candidates being considered by President Joe Biden for an upcoming vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court, given the pending retirement of Justice Stephen Breyer.

South Dakota

Rapid City: Ellsworth Air Force Base has broken ground for the first of three dozen major projects that will support the incoming long-range B-21 bomber. The 95,000-square-foot Low Observable Restoration Facility, or LO, will have “specialized equipment to ensure that the free world’s next generation stealth bomber is sustained and maintained,” said Gen. Anthony Cotton, Air Force Global Strike Commander. 28th Bomb Wing Commander Col. Joseph Sheffield called the event not only a great day for South Dakota, but also for the United States. U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson called the B-21 an important part of this nation’s military history.

Tennessee

Nashville: A state report said nearly half of Tennessee public high school seniors in the class of 2021 did not attend college or technical school right after graduating. The Tennessee Higher Education Commission report said the college-going rate has dropped from 63.8% for the 2017 class to 52.8% for the 2021 class. Officials pointed to the COVID-19 pandemic while noting a drop of 9 percentage points from the 2019 class to the 2021 class. Nationally, freshman enrollment dropped 9.2% between 2019 and 2021, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Current Term Enrollment Estimates.

Texas

Manor: Four people were detained in connection with a threat made against Manor High School, police said Thursday. Officers at about 9:25 a.m. conducted what they called a high-risk stop of a vehicle entering the Manor High School campus, police said. Four people were detained, and police said two of them are suspects in two recent threats against Manor students. Just before midnight Thursday, Manor police had said they were investigating a social media post that showed a hunting rifle with a male voice saying “(expletive) Manor.” The post had Thursday’s date in the caption. Authorities were told the video was sent to several Manor middle school students earlier that day, but officers have not yet confirmed if that is true.

Utah

St. George:Another poor spring runoff has exacerbated Utah’s ongoing drought problem, with nearly every part of the state now rating as under “severe” or “extreme” drought, water officials said Thursday. The statewide “snow water equivalent,” or how much water melted off Utah’s mountains and poured into its streams and reservoirs, ended up at about 75% of normal this year, according to a new report from the state Division of Water Resources, leaving 99.86% of the state under those two categories of drought. The dry conditions were likely to lead to another year of limited restrictions and other efforts to curb water use while also drying out vegetation and making the state more susceptible to wildfires. Eighteen of Utah’s largest 45 reservoirs were below 55% of available capacity as of Thursday, with overall statewide storage at 63% of capacity. This time last year, reservoirs were about 67% of capacity. Great Salt Lake was expected to drop to a new historic low.

Vermont

East Burke: Canadian mountain bikers are back again in the Northeast Kingdom after a two-year absence when the border was closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Abby Long, executive director of the Kingdom Trails Association. “In the past about 38% of our trail users were our neighbors to the north,” Long said in an email. “We missed welcoming our Canadian trail users for the past two years.” Kingdom Trails, comprising more than 100 miles of mountain bike trails across the properties of 104 private landowners, has become a national draw for mountain bikers traveling to the Northeast Kingdom and the towns of Burke, Lyndonville, Kirby and East Haven. Long said the trail system creates an estimated $10 million economic impact every year – when there’s not a pandemic.

Virginia

Verona: The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank is participating in the USDA's Summer Food Service Program, sponsoring six locations starting Tuesday, helping to ensure that children across the region have access to nutritious food. One-in-12 children in the Food Bank service area are food insecure, according to the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. The Summer Food Service Program is designed to reach children who might not get nutritious meals at home over the school’s summer break. Students receiving free or reduced-price meals at school are at particular risk.

Washington

Moxee: Yakima County Hearing Examiner Gary Cuillier approved a conditional-use permit for the Black Rock Solar Energy Project, a photovoltaic solar power facility to be located 20 miles east of Moxee on both sides of State Route 24, the Yakima Herald-Republic reported. The project will feature 264,000 solar panels spread over a 1,060-acre site north of the Rattlesnake Hills and roughly 8 miles south of the Columbia River as it flows into Benton County and past the former Hanford nuclear reactor site.

West Virginia

South Charleston: A Pennsylvania resident caught a record carp while fishing from the bank of Summersville Lake in West Virginia, regulators said. Ayden Minick of Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, caught and released the carp on May 7, the Division of Natural Resources said in a news release. It measured by a DNR fisheries biologist at 41.2 inches long, breaking the record of 41 inches caught in 1988 by Charles Cook at Stonecoal Lake. The carp weighed 45 pounds, which was just short of the record of 47 pounds set in 1998 in a Preston County farm pond.

Wisconsin

Madison: Rising material prices and legal expenses are expected to add nearly $50 million more to the cost of a power transmission line being built across southern Wisconsin. American Transmission Co., ITC Midwest and Dairyland Power Cooperative are building the 345-kilovolt Cardinal-Hickory Creek transmission line that would run more than 100 miles from Dane County to Dubuque County in Iowa. The utilities have notified the Wisconsin Public Service Commission that the overall cost of the project is now expected to top more than $500 million, Wisconsin Public Radio reported. In the filing, the utilities cited considerable increases in the cost of steel, conductors, insulators and other materials.

Wyoming

Cheyenne: U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney said Wednesday she tested positive for the coronavirus and planned to work through minor symptoms she said she was experiencing. The Republican’s diagnosis came amid a nationwide surge in new coronavirus cases and reports of positive tests from Cheney’s congressional colleagues, including North Carolina Democrat David Price, who tested positive last weekend.

Airport number war, Navajo lockdowns: News from around our 50 ...

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

Alabama

Montgomery: A federal judge said the state cannot prohibit local officials from offering curbside voting during the COVID-19 pandemic and loosened restrictions on absentee ballots in three Alabama counties because of the health risk to voters. U.S. District Judge Abdul K. Kallon entered the preliminary injunction Monday evening. Kallon ruled that the potential health risks to older and medically vulnerable voters in going to the polls, or getting absentee ballots witnessed or notarized, merited the changes. The judge lifted a statewide prohibition on curbside voting at in-person polling locations. He also waived requirements in Mobile, Jefferson and Lee counties for voters to get their absentee ballot notarized or witnessed by two adults and the requirement that absentee voters who are 65 and older or disabled mail in copies of their photo IDs. The ruling applies to the July 14 runoff election.

Alaska

Bethel: The city plans to increase the number of visitors participating in coronavirus screening tests at its airport by adding a financial incentive. The Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation said between 25% and 60% of passengers arriving at the Bethel airport volunteer for coronavirus testing, Alaska Public Media reports. Bethel officials hope to use some of the city’s $8.4 million in federal coronavirus relief funds to increase the percentage of passengers agreeing to airport testing to 100%. “Whether it’s a gift card, or a raffle ticket for some prize, but some kind of a financial incentive to catch people’s attention to go get tested,” City Manager Vincenzo Corazza said. The testing is voluntary, and an inducement with a monetary value could increase participation, Corazza said.

Arizona

Window Rock: The Navajo Nation is resuming lockdowns for at least the next two weekends as the number of coronavirus cases off the reservation increases, most notably in Arizona. Tribal President Jonathan Nez made the announcement Tuesday in a virtual town hall. He cited Arizona – which hit an alarmingly high new daily number of cases with nearly 2,400, almost double the previous record – in urging people to stay home. Businesses will be closed during the weekend lockdown. During its peak, the Navajo Nation sent the sickest patients from the reservation to larger hospitals in Arizona and New Mexico. That might not be an option if hospitals in Arizona become overwhelmed with patients, Nez said. “A second surge, a worse surge, may put a lot of pressure back on our health care system and our health care workers,” Nez said.

Arkansas

Fayetteville: The city is requiring face masks to be worn in most public places indoors to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The Fayetteville City Council on Tuesday approved an ordinance requiring the masks be worn, with some exceptions. The measure also requires businesses to provide masks to those who enter at minimal or no cost. The requirement comes as northwest Arkansas has been driving a dramatic resurgence in virus cases in the state. The number of active cases, meaning those excluding people who have died or recovered, has risen 160% in Arkansas since Memorial Day, and hospitalizations have more than doubled the same period. Gov. Asa Hutchinson has encouraged residents to wear masks to prevent the virus’s spread but has said he doesn’t see a need for it to be mandated.

California

Huntington Beach: The Vans U.S. Open of Surfing, a summer competition that draws thousands each year to Southern California, has been canceled because of the coronavirus. In announcing the cancellation, organizers cited “continued health concerns and current guidelines surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.” The event will return in 2021, organizers said. The surfing tournament is also a nine-day festival that packs the sand on the south side of the famed Huntington Beach Pier. It features skateboarders and BMX bike riders who show off their skills in front of big crowds. Since Vans took over sponsorship in 2013, the event has been more family-focused, offering movie nights and games for youngsters, the Orange County Register reports. The event coincides with inductions into the city’s Surfers’ Hall of Fame and the Surfing Walk of Fame.

Colorado

Denver: A bill to extend to-go alcohol sales made it through the state’s legislative hurdles and is headed to Gov. Jared Polis’ desk. If signed into law, SB20-213 would allow to-go alcohol to be purchased or delivered in Colorado until July 1, 2021. Born out of necessity this spring, to-go alcohol sales were made possible through an executive order from Polis on March 20, as restaurants and breweries struggled to make ends meet under the state’s weekslong ban on in-person dining that began March 17, amid the coronavirus pandemic. Originally set to expire April 30, Polis’ order to allow to-go liquor sales with food orders was extended twice. The latest extension allows for to-go alcohol sales and delivery through June 30.

Connecticut

Hartford: A bipartisan coalition of state lawmakers gave Gov. Ned Lamont a list of issues Tuesday to be reviewed in an upcoming, independent third-party investigation into the preparation and response to the coronavirus inside nursing homes and assisted living centers. The detailed request by the Women’s Bipartisan Legislative Caucus includes questions about the prevalence of state inspections before and during the pandemic; cleaning policies at the homes; the handling of asymptomatic residents and new residents to a facility; staffing ratios before and during the pandemic; the availability of personal protective equipment; and numerous other issues. “We need to know what happened, what worked, what didn’t work and what could we learn from it,” said Rep. Rosa Rebimbas, R-Naugatuck, the group’s co-chairwoman. Lamont, who attended a news conference on the state Capitol steps with members of the women’s caucus, announced last week that he ordered the review.

Delaware

Wilmington: Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the state’s health secretary has resigned from her position to work for Nemours Children’s Health System in Washington, D.C., the governor’s office announced Tuesday evening. Dr. Kara Odom Walker has served as secretary of Delaware Health and Social Services, the largest state agency, since February 2017. This summer, she will become Nemours’ senior vice president and chief population health officer. Officials said she “is leaving her position to fulfill a desire to pursue health care policy work at the national level.” The announcement comes at a time when Delaware has started to reopen its economy in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. In three months, more than 10,000 Delawareans have been infected with the virus, and more than 420 people have died. Gov. John Carney said he will nominate Molly Magarik, DHSS’ deputy secretary, to become the state’s new health secretary.

District of Columbia

Washington: Phase 2 of D.C.’s reopening is likely to kick in Monday, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Wednesday. Originally, Phase 2 was expected to kick off Friday, WUSA-TV reports. While coronavirus transmission numbers have lowered – and there have been 13 straight days of community decline of the virus – one metric that still hasn’t been met is contact tracing capacity. According to Bowser, D.C. is at a 15.5% contact tracing capacity as of Monday. That percentage needs to increase to more than 90% for Phase 2 guidelines. According to the latest data, D.C. has been on a long-term downward trend in coronavirus cases since May 21. “We are going at the pace that we think the data says we should,” Bowser said. “If the data trends the way it currently is, I will make these guidelines in Phase 2 effective Monday.”

Florida

Orlando: Officials at the state’s busiest airport said Wednesday that only two workers out of 500 employees tested positive for COVID-19 over three days last week, and 132 employees overall have had the virus since the pandemic began, contradicting remarks Gov. Ron DeSantis made the day before. DeSantis said at a news conference Tuesday, while talking about outbreaks around the state in the past week, that an airport in central Florida – which he didn’t identify – had tested 500 workers and that 260 cases had come back positive. “52% positivity rate on that one,” DeSantis said. But Phil Brown, CEO of Orlando International Airport, said in a statement Wednesday that last week’s rate of positive cases from the 500 workers tested last week was only 0.4%. His statement was issued to clear up “what can be a confusing mix of data for the traveling public,” he said.

Georgia

Atlanta: A revised version of the state budget for the upcoming year would cut $2.6 billion after Gov. Brian Kemp told lawmakers to reduce spending by 11%. The Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday voted to advance House Bill 793, the budget for the year beginning July 1. It now moves to the full Senate for more debate. Under the plan, the state would spend less than $26 billion in state money, down from $28 billion originally projected. With federal funding, spending would be nearly double, including a boost in Medicaid funding that will help preserve the state-federal insurance program for the poor and disabled without cuts. Although the measure is less severe than the 14% reductions Kemp and top lawmakers originally were preparing, it will still mean service cuts, unpaid furloughs and layoffs across state government, K-12 schools, and state colleges and universities.

Hawaii

Wailuku: Hotel workers on Maui held a demonstration over the weekend calling on legislators and tourism industry officials to reopen the state to visitors while protecting employees. About 200 union members and supporters in 70 vehicles rode through Lahaina and Kaanapali during the event Saturday, The Maui News reports. Participants expressed concerns about health care coverage, adequate testing for COVID-19 and the availability of personal protective equipment. The caravan was organized by the Unite Here Local 5 hotel workers union. Workers demonstrated to express their belief the state’s vital tourism industry can reopen safely, Local 5 Key Leader Erin Kelley said. “Global travelers are looking to Hawaii as one of the safest places to travel, and we feel Hawaii should not waste this opportunity by not opening safely,” Kelley said. Tourism statewide plummeted following the March 26 start of a mandatory, 14-day self-quarantine for incoming travelers.

Idaho

Boise: Health officials in southwestern Idaho say a coronavirus outbreak linked to patrons at six Boise bars has spread to 34 confirmed cases. Officials said Tuesday that the infected bar patrons are mostly in their 20s and 30s, but they have also spread the illness to household members. Besides those six bars, health officials identified three additional Boise bars where infected individuals visited, plus another bar in Meridian. Russ Duke, director for Central District Health, which covers the area where the bars are located, said the virus is being unintentionally spread by people with no or mild symptoms. In eastern Idaho, officials reported an infected patron spent more than eight hours at a bar in Victor. In west-central Idaho, officials are tracking an outbreak from a grocery store in Washington County. On Saturday, Idaho moved into the fourth and final stage of Gov. Brad Little’s plan to return the state to regular activity during the coronavirus pandemic.

Illinois

Chicago: Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced Tuesday that he has tested positive for COVID-19, has mild symptoms and is self-isolating on the advice of his doctor. Raoul, a first-term Democrat, said he was tested a day earlier after experiencing symptoms. “I am fortunate to be otherwise healthy and am following recommendations to protect those around me,” he said in a statement. Raoul’s disclosure comes as the number of cases in Illinois has been falling and as the state has been taking gradual steps to reopen amid stay-at-home orders. Also Tuesday, Chicago officials said all six city-run testing sites will provide free diagnostic tests to anyone who has participated in a large gathering that put them at high risk of exposure, including recent protests over policing. They encouraged anyone who has participated to get tested.

Indiana

Indianapolis: Twenty-four more residents have died from COVID-19, while the state’s total number of confirmed coronavirus cases surpassed 41,000, state health officials said Wednesday. All but three of Indiana’s newly confirmed COVID-19 deaths occurred June 11 or later, the Indiana State Department of Health said. The 24 new deaths boosted Indiana’s confirmed pandemic death toll to 2,289 since the first fatality was reported in mid-March. The state agency has also recorded 186 fatalities considered coronavirus-related by doctors but without confirmation of the illness from test results. Those deaths give Indiana 2,475 confirmed or presumed deaths from the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus. The state health department also reported 264 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus, raising Indiana’s total to 41,013.

Iowa

Des Moines: Due to the novel coronavirus, the Iowa Juneteenth 2020 celebration will take place virtually Thursday through Saturday this weekend. The three-day, free, online event will include music, art, history, health tips and healing from home through DSM TV. “The first day, on the 18th, is going to be a banquet and award ceremony. Thursday and Friday, it goes from one to four,” said Iowa Juneteenth Observance’s event coordinator, MarKaus Ashworth. “Friday is a health day, so we have presenters from Wellmark; we will have a live yoga demonstration; we have a vegan cook coming through to do some demonstrations on how to prepare healthy meals, guest speakers and all that.” Ashworth, a rapper and entrepreneur, said Saturday will be dedicated to music from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Kansas

Topeka: The State Finance Council on Tuesday unanimously approved $400million that will be distributed to 103 counties to assist with the economic and health costs of the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding proposal came from Gov. Laura Kelly’s SPARK task force, which has been charged with determining how federal COVID-19 relief funds will be allocated. Of the $400 million, SPARK proposed $350 million be distributed based on population, and the remaining $50 million be given to counties that have been hit the hardest. Money distributed during the first round of funding will begin this month. SPARK executive director Cheryl Harrison-Lee proposed that counties receive enough money to equate out to $194 per person. That standard was put in place by the federal government when it allocated money to the counties of Sedgwick and Johnson.

Kentucky

Louisville: Public swimming pools may open June29 if they can meet stringent guidelines meant to control spread of the coronavirus, Gov. Andy Beshear said Tuesday. And groups of 50 could gather starting June 29 if they follow similar guidelines. Also Tuesday, the state reported 203 new cases of COVID-19, bringing Kentucky’s total confirmed cases to 12,829. Seven deaths from COVID-19 were reported Tuesday, for a total of 512 people who have died from the virus since it first surfaced in Kentucky in March. Beshear, in a statement, urged people to continue to work to prevent the spread of the virus by limiting contact with other people, washing hands frequently and wearing a mask. “We have come so far; we have sacrificed so much; we have shown so much compassion for one another,” Beshear said. “Let us continue to be good people because that’s what’s going to defeat the coronavirus.”

Louisiana

Baton Rouge: Grocery store employees, nurses, bus drivers and other front-line workers who stayed on their jobs in the early days of Louisiana’s coronavirus outbreak could receive a one-time $250 state payment, under a bill that started advancing Wednesday in the state House. Democratic lawmakers are pushing the hazard pay proposal – paid out of $50 million in federal virus aid from Congress – in an ongoing special session focused largely on business recovery from the pandemic. They’re trying to broker a deal with Republicans who need some Democratic support to pass certain business tax breaks and other pro-business measures. The Ways and Means Committee sent the $250 hazard pay bill by House Democratic leader Sam Jenkins of Shreveport to the full House for debate without objection Wednesday, in a bipartisan show of support.

Maine

Portland: The state’s 16 counties are now in sync when it comes to reopening. Restaurants and fitness centers were allowed to begin welcoming guests inside in all of them Wednesday. Only 50 people are allowed in one room at a time; they also must be kept 6 feet apart, whether dining inside or outside. Also Wednesday, bars, breweries and tasting rooms were allowed to reopen for outdoor seated service, while gyms, nail salons and tattoo parlors were allowed to welcome guests inside if they choose to do so. Meanwhile, the number of people who’ve tested positive for the coronavirus dipped to the lowest in more than a month, more positive news as the state reopens, the Maine Center for Disease Control reported Tuesday. Nine people tested positive in the prior 24 hours, the lowest number since late April, officials said. No deaths were reported.

Maryland

Ocean City: The city has postponed its annual Fourth of July firework displays due to COVID-19. Ocean City’s postponement joins a growing list of events put on by Eastern Shore towns that have had to change their plans because of the pandemic. The event has been postponed, according to Ocean City’s website. In previous years, the town has had two fireworks displays that begin simultaneously near the Boardwalk on the southern end of town and farther north at Northside Park. The town hopes to still have the fireworks shows later in the summer, City Manager Doug Miller said during Monday night’s Ocean City Town Council meeting. The decision by the council comes a week after Berlin and Salisbury both postponed their Fourth of July fireworks shows.

Massachusetts

Boston: The state is offering free coronavirus testing this week for anyone who has attended large gatherings in recent weeks, including protests following the killing of George Floyd, Gov. Charlie Baker said. The testing, also offered Wednesday, will be available at no cost Thursday at 52 pop-up locations across the state. Some testing facilities are by appointment only. Some will take anyone who walks up, even without an appointment. “We certainly support peoples’ rights to express their views peacefully, but we need to keep up our fight to slow the spread of COVID-19 here in Massachusetts,” the Republican governor said, adding that test results will be provided confidentially. Any time large groups of people come together, there’s a risk for transmission of the virus, Baker said. He said some people with the virus do not show symptoms and could unwittingly spread the virus, so even those protesters who feel healthy should consider getting tested.

Michigan

Lansing: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Wednesday that K-12 schools can reopen for in-person instruction as long as the state’s successful containment of the coronavirus doesn’t lapse, subject to safety rules she will announce June 30. Schools closed in March and ended the academic year with online or other remote learning. The governor said schools may resume physical instruction during the fourth phase of her restart plan. All of the state is in that stage or, in northern Michigan, where COVID-19 cases and deaths are low, a step further along. School typically starts in late August or early September. A previously issued order by Whitmer gives districts more flexibility to adopt a year-round calendar for the 2020-21 school year or start before Labor Day as a way to help students catch up.

Minnesota

St. Cloud: Another 12 Minnesotans died from COVID-19, and 419 more people have tested positive for the disease, according to Wednesday’s report from the Minnesota Department of Health. Stearns, Benton and Sherburne counties each reported two more cases of the virus and no new deaths Wednesday, according to the report. Stearns County has reported 2,109 cases and 19 deaths, Benton County has confirmed 193 cases and three deaths, and Sherburne County has reported 270 cases and three deaths. Statewide, the number of people who tested positive for the novel coronavirus reached 31,296 cases Wednesday, and 1,325 people have died, according to the health department. Of those total cases, 3,689 have required hospitalization, according to the report. As of Wednesday, 351 Minnesotans remain hospitalized with the virus, and 181 are in intensive care.

Mississippi

Jackson: Free coronavirus testing was conducted Tuesday at the Mississippi Capitol, a day after lawmakers were told that an employee in the building had tested positive for COVID-19. The Legislature remained in session. Some lawmakers, lobbyists and others in the Capitol have been wearing masks, but some have not. The Health Department said Tuesday that Mississippi had confirmed at least 20,152 cases and 915 deaths from the coronavirus as of Monday evening. The number of coronavirus infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected without feeling sick. The Health Department said Tuesday that at least 2,237 cases of the virus have been confirmed in long-term care facilities such as nursing homes, with at least 466 virus-related deaths in those facilities.

Missouri

Columbia: State officials on Tuesday said they’re reinstating requirements for unemployment and food stamps that were waived because of the coronavirus pandemic. Anna Hui, director of the state’s labor department, said workers will need to comply with job search requirements to keep getting unemployment after July 4. She cited a study by the University of Chicago’s Becker Friedman Institute for Economics that shows unemployment benefits, coupled with an extra $600 a week from the federal government, mean many workers nationally are getting more than they did while working. The study lists Missouri workers as getting on average 152% to 161% of their past wages in unemployment benefits. “We all know that a system that rewards individuals to be unemployed is unsustainable,” Hui said.

Montana

Helena: State health officials on Wednesday reported 18 more cases of COVID-19 and the death of a Big Horn County woman in her 30s, bringing the death toll in the state to 20. The latest death was the third in Big Horn County, which reported its first June 5. The 18 new cases mark the highest daily total since April 8. Officials said there were 73 positive tests from June 10 to 16, compared to 39 in the previous week. Five people remain hospitalized. Montana has reported a total of 23 new cases in the past two days. Eight were diagnosed in Custer County. Officials attributed the increase to reopening the state economy and increased testing. Gov. Steve Bullock and health officials have been stressing that the number of positive cases will likely increase further as the reopening continues. The state is now testing everyone who comes in close contact with people who have the virus, even if they’re asymptomatic.

Nebraska

Omaha: Another employee in the state’s prison system has tested positive for COVID-19, as health officials in eastern Nebraska announced a second child in the Omaha area has been diagnosed with a rare and serious inflammatory condition that’s linked to the new coronavirus. The Nebraska Department of Correctional Services said the latest prison staffer to be infected works at the Omaha Correctional Center and is self-isolating at home. The case brings the number of prison employees infected statewide to 20. Meanwhile, the Douglas County Health Department announced Tuesday that a teenage boy was briefly hospitalized in late May with the inflammatory condition and tested positive for COVID-19. Health officials said the boy had a brief history of a fever, sore throat and fatigue before he was hospitalized. It’s the third case of the condition in children recorded in the state.

Nevada

Reno: A rural Nevada church is asking a U.S. appeals court to overturn a federal judge’s refusal to strike down the state’s 50-person cap on religious gatherings as unconstitutional. Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley has filed formal notice of its appeal to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco after a judge in Las Vegas rejected its second request last week for a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of the hard cap. It also filed a new request to resume worship services, while the appeal is pending, under strict social distancing guidelines at 50% of the church’s capacity – the same limit placed on casinos and others to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The church in Lyon County east of Reno maintains the current cap violates members’ First Amendment right to express and exercise their beliefs because it “treats religious gatherings worse than similar secular gatherings,” including casinos, restaurants, taverns, gyms, bowling alleys, theme parks and arcades.

New Hampshire

Concord: The Hampton Beach Seafood Festival, which has drawn more than 100,000 visitors during the three-day event in September, won’t happen this year because of the coronavirus, organizers said Wednesday. The Hampton Area Chamber of Commerce said it reached its decision after speaking with volunteers, vendors, state and local officials. “As much as we would love to continue our tradition, we just don’t feel the environment would be right and we just do not know if the state of affairs will return to normal by festival time,” the chamber said in a news release. Elsewhere, only 400 people will be allowed on Weirs Beach at any one time, less than 20% of its capacity of 2,200 people, the Laconia Parks and Recreation Commission voted. The Laconia Daily Sun reports the decision came Monday for the 450-foot-long beach, in compliance with social distancing guidelines. The beach opens June 27.

New Jersey

Trenton: Towns could close off streets and allow bars, restaurants and other businesses to allow eating, drinking and retail sales on roadways and sidewalks during the coronavirus outbreak under a bill before state lawmakers. The measure would allow towns to close off a street one or more days a week between Thursday and Sunday and restrict it to pedestrian access. The measure has already passed the state Senate and was advanced in an Assembly committee Wednesday. Bars and restaurants could move tables onto sidewalks or into roadways to serve food and alcoholic beverages to patrons, who would still be required to observe social distancing and use personal protective equipment, to be enforced by the municipality. Businesses would have to sign an agreement holding the municipality harmless for any claims arising from the activity.

New Mexico

Santa Fe: Multiple tribal casinos in the state have reopened despite recommendations from Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to remain closed to limit the spread of COVID-19. Isleta Casino & Resort in Albuquerque, Ohkay Hotel Casino in Ohkay Owingeh and Taos Mountain Casino in Taos all have reopened with coronavirus-related precautions, The Santa Fe New Mexican reports. “All casinos are strongly, unequivocally encouraged to remain closed at this time, just like other entertainment facilities, due to the risk of COVID-19 spread,” governor’s office spokeswoman Nora Meyers Sackett said Tuesday. “Any entity opening a casino right now is exposing patrons and the community in which it is situated to enormous risk of infection and spread.” Tribal casinos are controlled by sovereign nations, so the state cannot prohibit them from reopening.

New York

New York: The city is on track to open more businesses and could enter the second phase of reopening Monday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday. Cuomo, a Democrat, said the state Department of Health reported 17 coronavirus-related deaths in hospitals and nursing homes Tuesday. He also pointed to the gradual decline in rates of individuals testing positive: Fewer than 1% of results for roughly 60,000 individuals tested Tuesday for COVID-19 were positive. “This is one of the best days for New York since we have started this long journey into a dark night,” Cuomo said. The official coronavirus death toll includes at least 24,600 statewide and at least an additional 2,600 deaths in New York City, though officials have said the actual death toll is likely much higher. The number of deaths reported each day by state hospitals and nursing homes reached a peak of at least 800 in April.

North Carolina

Raleigh: Republican legislators on Tuesday advanced measures to allow more types of businesses shuttered under Gov. Roy Cooper’s COVID-19 executive order to reopen and to limit lawsuits by some who’ve contracted the virus. The full House voted to overturn Cooper’s orders that have kept bowling alleys and skating rinks closed, allowing them to bring customers indoors up to 50% of their fire capacity. They would have to adhere to social distancing rules and sanitizing standards. Another measure clearing the Senate Judiciary Committee would provide limited immunity to any business, government agency or nonprofit that takes reasonable steps to reduce transmission risks and lets patrons know about those actions. The House legislation is the latest effort by GOP lawmakers to speed up the incremental process by which the Democratic governor has eased restrictions on commerce and mass gatherings since early May.

North Dakota

Bismarck: A federal judge said he will not waive the state’s ban on electronic signature gathering for a group attempting to get a wide-ranging measure on the November ballot. North Dakota Voters First asked to allow online signature gathering because of the coronavirus pandemic. The group argued that the COVID-19 outbreak made it “impossible to comply” with the laws. In denying a motion for a preliminary injunction Monday, U.S. District Judge Peter Welte said the group was not likely to succeed on a First Amendment rights violation because petitioners have up to a year to collect signatures. The judge added that the state did not issue any stay-at-home orders and that North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum on May 1 “revoked nearly all the previously imposed pandemic-related restrictions.”

Ohio

Springfield: At least 200 employees in a vegetable plant in western Ohio have tested positive for the coronavirus, the governor said Wednesday. Gov. Mike DeWine announced that total during a briefing in Columbus. The Springfield News-Sun reports the Clark County Combined Health District recently tested 829 employees from the Dole Fresh Vegetables plant in Springfield. The testing was done in an effort to slow workplace spread after confirmation of the first employee with the virus in late April. Emma Smales, a health district spokesperson, said authorities are still investigating where and how the virus was being spread. Affected workers are quarantining, she said. Dole corporate spokesman William Goldfield said the Ohio plant will continue operating with additional safety measures, such as employee temperature checks before entering the plant.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City: State health officials on Tuesday reported 228 new cases of the coronavirus and four additional deaths. The Oklahoma State Department of Health said the total number of cases in Oklahoma of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, is now at 8,645. The actual number of people who have contracted the virus is likely higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected and not feel sick. The four new COVID-19-related deaths brought the state’s death toll to 363, while 6,765 COVID-19 patients have recovered, according to the department’s website. That was an increase of 137 on Tuesday.

Oregon

Salem: Oregon Health & Science University is working on a new approach to studying the spread of COVID-19 after health care experts from the state’s communities of color raised concerns that the original project’s design was flawed by racial biases. Oregon Public Broadcasting reports the Key to Oregon study, a project by Oregon Health & Sciences University and the Oregon Health Authority, aims to survey 100,000 Oregonians and monitor them for COVID-19. One of the original goals was to recruit large numbers of participants from communities of color, to help identify outbreaks in those areas. But critics said the study would recruit few, if any, communities of color because of flaws in the study design. They said those flaws could have been avoided if experts from communities of color had been included from the beginning.

Pennsylvania

Harrisburg: The state’s highest court on Wednesday granted the Democratic governor’s request and took over a lawsuit by legislative Republicans that could end his pandemic shutdown order. The Supreme Court announced it will decide the case filed by Senate Republicans, seeking to enforce a resolution that both chambers passed last week to end the state-of-disaster emergency imposed by Gov. Tom Wolf in March. The case had been filed in Commonwealth Court, where Republicans hold a majority of the seats, but Democrats have a 5-2 edge on the Supreme Court. The order said that justices will decide the case based on filings that have been made in both courts and that they will “address the merits of the petitioner’s application in due course.”

Rhode Island

Providence: Several candidates for legislative office in the state filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging the rule requiring the in-person collection of signatures to get on the ballot, saying it’s putting them at risk amid the coronavirus pandemic. The lawsuit filed in federal court by the ACLU of Rhode Island cooperating attorney Armando Batastini seeks to suspend the ballot qualification process for the 2020 election cycle and put in place other methods, like electronic signatures. The lawsuit says the current process “needlessly exposes candidates, their supporters, and the general public to risks associated with the Covid-19 pandemic with no justifiable countervailing government interest.” “Candidates should not face the impossible choice of risking infection to themselves, their families, or others to in order to appear on the ballot, nor should their supporters,” Steve Brown, executive director of the ACLU of Rhode Island, said in a statement.

South Carolina

Columbia: As coronavirus cases in the state have reached record numbers in recent days, leaders in the capital city are mulling a requirement that people wear masks in public. While not passing a formal ordinance, the Columbia City Council took up the notion during a meeting Tuesday, saying that members would take public comment on the idea and perhaps vote during a later meeting. The discussion came after several days of record-setting numbers of new coronavirus cases in South Carolina. On Tuesday, state health officials announced 595 new COVID-19 cases in the state, bringing the total number to nearly 20,000 since the outbreak began. In all, 607 deaths in the state have been attributed to the virus. Earlier this month, state health officials issued a joint statement with several health associations calling on South Carolinians to adhere to mask and social distancing recommendations.

South Dakota

Sioux Falls: A key staff member at the state’s largest outdoor water park has tested positive for COVID-19. Wild Water West employees were notified Tuesday by park management that the aquatic and recreation facility’s head lifeguard has been diagnosed with the coronavirus that has kept many publicly owned water facilties throughout the state closed for the season. Wild Water West’s director of operations, Brian Rehnke, wrote in a message to employees that anyone who had been working in proximity to the individual should self-monitor for symptoms. “So if you have been in physical contact with him over the last couple days, or had been inside with him within a 6 foot distance for more than 10 minutes, you should self-monitor for the next 48 hours to make sure you don’t develop any symptoms,” Rehnke wrote.

Tennessee

Nashville: The state would become the latest to give health care providers, schools and businesses broad protections against coronavirus lawsuits under a proposal gaining traction inside the GOP-dominated Statehouse. House Republicans approved such a measure Tuesday despite objections from Democrats, who argued the bill was unnecessary. A separate bill had already passed the Senate last week. However, the House’s version tweaked the proposal, which means now the two chambers must negotiate on a final version. However, the concept is widely embraced by Republican Gov. Bill Lee and GOP lawmakers. Supporters argue employers need assurance they can open their doors without facing a wave of litigation. Critics counter that employees already face a high barrier to receiving restitution from businesses that may place them at risk.

Texas

San Antonio: Area officials on Wednesday ordered people to wear face masks in public when social distancing isn’t possible and warned that businesses could face fines of up to $1,000 for failing to comply with county health policies in the next five days. The executive order from Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff came amid heightened hospitalization rates as Texas continues to reopen during the coronavirus pandemic. San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg joined Wolff in a press conference to say they are concerned younger people will get infected with COVID-19 and take the virus home to older family members. People younger than 40 are showing the most infections in the area, the mayor said. The local order comes a day after Gov. Greg Abbott acknowledged that many Texans have become lax about wearing masks and social distancing as his statewide virus restrictions have been lifted.

Utah

Salt Lake City: The four Republicans in the race for governor clashed Tuesday over the response to a police-brutality protest that included the burning of a police car. Former Utah House Speaker Greg Hughes said the National Guard should been called in sooner during the May 30 protest in Salt Lake City, the Deseret News reports. Businessman Thomas Wright also said Republican Gov. Gary Herbert’s order was “a little late.” Former ambassador and governor Jon Huntsman Jr. related the protests to his experiences in China and Russia, saying military on the streets was “an admission of failure” to meaningful talk to opponents. The three have also been critical of the state’s response to the coronavirus pandemic as they seek to undermine Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox, considered a front-runner along with Huntsman.

Vermont

Montpelier: The state is starting to ease restrictions on visiting hospital patients and senior citizens in long-term care facilities, Gov. Phil Scott said Wednesday. The initial rules for Vermont’s approximately 200 long-term care facilities require that visits be held outdoors and include no more than two visitors per day for each resident, Scott said during his regular briefing about the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. “I realize this step is small, but it’s meaningful,” Scott said. Assuming the number of cases of the virus in Vermont remain low, the restrictions will be further eased in the coming weeks, he said. One of the first restrictions imposed by the state in March as COVID-19 bore down was to prohibit visitors to senior care facilities. As it is, about half of the state’s 55 fatalities were in the care facilities.

Virginia

Richmond: Gov. Ralph Northam on Tuesday announced that the state will not be entering Phase 3 of the Forward Virginia reopening plan this week. He said the state’s numbers continue to look favorable, but it is necessary to gather more data before deciding when to move to Phase 3. He said that more time is important, especially since many states are experiencing new surges. Northam said he will share more details about what Phase 3 will look like at Thursday’s press briefing. The Virginia Department of Health is also changing how it will provide demographic data and will now be able to provide a more specific breakdown of cases, Northam said. There have been persistent challenges with recording demographic data, as Virginia Health Commissioner Norm Oliver has shared over the weeks of the pandemic.

Washington

Olympia: The state is facing a reduction in projected state revenues of about $8.8 billion over the next three years due to the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, new numbers released Wednesday show. The latest update by the Economic and Revenue Forecast Council is higher than the $7 billion predicted during an unofficial forecast that was prepared at the end of April. Lawmakers, who are expected to be called into a special session by Gov. Jay Inslee sometime this summer, must first contend with the impact on the approximately $53 billion two-year budget that ends mid-2021. That initial projected drop of state revenues – nearly $4.5 billion – means that after reserves and the state’s so-called rainy day fund are used, lawmakers will be left with a $1.4 billion shortfall that they’ll have to address through either cuts or new revenue.

West Virginia

Charleston: The state’s unemployment rate fell to 12.9% last month, buoyed by business reopenings during the coronavirus pandemic, according to figures released Tuesday. The state’s jobless rate dropped 2.1 percentage points in May as nonfarm employment rose 13,300 and a wave of businesses got the go-ahead from Gov. Jim Justice to resume operations. WorkForce West Virginia said the number of unemployed state residents fell by 23,400 in May, but the overall number remained high at 100,400. More than 250,000 unemployment claims have been processed in West Virginia since the pandemic forced widespread shutdowns in March. Nationwide, about 1.5 million laid-off workers applied for benefits in the first week of June alone. West Virginia added 8,800 jobs last month in leisure and hospitality, which includes restaurants, hotels, casinos, amusement parks, museums and other industries.

Wisconsin

Madison: Two population health studies are being launched to better understand where COVID-19 is in the state, identify communities at risk for a future outbreak and help prevent the spread of the virus, the state Department of Health Services announced Wednesday. The first study will be led by the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Survey of the Health of Wisconsin. It will determine the prevalence of people who have COVID-19 antibodies. The presence of antibodies indicates that a person had COVID-19 in the past, perhaps without realizing it. People who have participated in past SHOW research will be chosen from 10 randomly selected counties and the city of Milwaukee to form a representative state sample, said the group’s director, Kristen Malecki. The second study will test samples from wastewater treatment facilities, in both urban and rural areas, to determine the current concentration levels of virus genetic material found in sewage.

Wyoming

Casper: An increase in coronavirus cases in southwest Wyoming is connected to a public gathering where social distancing rules were not followed, a state health official said. The addition of three cases Tuesday brings Uinta County to 80 confirmed coronavirus infections, the state’s third-highest total, The Casper Star-Tribune reports. Dr. Alexia Harrist, the state health officer, said the new cases appear to be connected to a gathering at a public location, which she declined to identify except to say it involved young people. People at the gathering spread the virus to others who did not attend, Harrist said. The new cases include health care workers, which Harrist said can produce multiple unintended effects. “This situation illustrates how it doesn’t take much to really change the disease picture within a community,” she said.

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports