An Obvious 'Cover-up': Alert Sends Internet On Search For 'Joker'

ACROSS AMERICA — Good morning! It’s Thursday, Jan. 20. As COVID-19 cases continue to climb, some 400 million N95 masks will be available for free to all Americans beginning next week. Meanwhile, here are the other stories we’re following today:

• In some cases, Biden took action his first year in office. In other cases, he did not.

• A new study suggests prior infection can also protect you from COVIf-19.

• Cardi B is making money move for victims of a devastating apartment fire in the Bronx.

• General Charles McGee, one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen, died this week.

The alerts that police agencies send out about missing and endangered people aren't funny — but one sent Tuesday by the Missouri State Highway Patrol has the internet falling all over itself LOL-ing.

State police mistakenly sent out an Amber Alert about the driver of a purple and green 1978 Dodge Charger who was wanted out of Gotham City — which doesn't exist in Missouri. The alert didn't specifically say The Joker was the driver, but that's the drift the story took once the internet got wind of it.

"I hundred percent googled Gotham City Missouri, so they got me," someone tweeted.

"It's obviously a cover-up," another person wrote on the platform. "The Joker is at large." And things went awry from there. »Awkward! State Patrol Mistakenly Sent An Alert From Gotham City, Probably For The Joker, via Springfield Patch

On Biden’s First Year

During his first year in office, President Joe Biden took action on a number of his key campaign promises, from rebuilding U.S. alliances globally to distributing vaccines across America and the world. But others remain works in progress or dependent on Congress to address. The Associated Press looks at where Biden stands on some of his key promises as he rounds out his first year. »Tracking Biden's 1st-Year Progress Delivering On Promises, via Across America Patch

Prior Infection, Vaccines Best Protection

A new study that compares coronavirus protection from prior infection and vaccination concludes getting the shots is still the safest way to prevent COVID-19. The study examined infections in New York and California last summer and fall, and found people who were both vaccinated and had survived a prior bout of COVID-19 had the most protection. But unvaccinated people with a past infection were a close second. »Prior Infection, Vaccines Provide Best Protection From COVID-19, via Across America

Cardi B Steps Up For Fire Victims

Cardi B is making money move for victims of a devastating apartment fire in the Bronx. The hip hop superstar and Bronx native is helping pay for funeral costs of 17 people who lost their lives in the Jan. 9 blaze. "I'm extremely proud to be from the Bronx and I have lots of family and friends who live and work there still. So, when I heard about the fire and all of the victims, I knew I needed to do something to help," she said in a statement. »Cardi B Pays Bronx Fire Victims' Funeral Costs, via New York City Patch

More national headlines on Patch, other news websites:

• A Giant Asteroid Is Flying By Earth Right Now: Should You Worry?

• Actor Sidney Poitier Died Of Heart Failure, Prostate Cancer

• Texas Synagogue Hostage-Taker Spent Time At Area Shelters

• A Treasure Of The Fashion World, André Leon Talley Was Impossible To Ignore, via NPR

• Democrats Brace For Likely Defeat Of Voting Rights Push, via The Washington Post

• Biden Nominates First Muslim Woman As Federal Judge, via The Hill

• Top Donors Threaten To Cut Off Funding To Sinema, via Politico

Around ‘The Patch’

For many, a "three kings cake" is a fun annual rite of passage leading up to the Lenten season and eventually Easter. But one man would like to speak to the manager after he reportedly chipped a tooth on the ceramic figurine tucked ceremoniously into a slice of cake. »Customer Calls Cops After Biting Toy Prize In '3 Kings Cake', via Larchmont, New York, Patch

General Charles McGee, one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen and a resident of Bethesda, Maryland, died on Sunday. He was 102. »Charles E. McGee, Tuskegee Airman, Dies At 102, via Bethesda-Chevy Chase Patch

More local news:

• National Survey Proclaims Chicago As Nation's Cheesiest City, via Chicago Patch

• Chicago Rapper Vic Mensa Arrested On Drug Charges In DC Airport, via Chicago Patch

• CA Hits Over 7M Coronavirus Infections, With 1M In The Past Week, via Across California Patch

• Loudoun Schools Pull 'Gender Queer' From High School Libraries, via Ashburn, Virginia, Patch

• Authorities Rescue 7 Hikers From Malibu Creek State Park, via Calabasas, California, Patch

• Suspect Arrested In Slaying of UCLA Student Brianna Kupfer, via Pacific Palisades Patch

House Hunting

Here's an innovative solution for a growing family becoming strained by restroom wait times: Why add more bathrooms to your home when you can just add more toilets? This South Milwaukee home takes the concept beyond the drawing board with a communal bathroom that features a row of toilets within an arm's length of each other.

This Day In History

In 1961, U.S. President John F. Kennedy said in his inaugural address, “And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.”

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This article originally appeared on the Across America Patch