Staffing struggles, traffic clinic, insider vaccines: News from around our 50 states

Alabama

Montgomery: A lawyer for an inmate scheduled to be executed next month is asking the Alabama Supreme Court to delay the lethal injection because of COVID-19. The normally crowded witness rooms by the execution chamber increase the risk of spreading the coronavirus, and restrictions on travel and prison visits during the pandemic make it more difficult for his attorney to prepare a clemency petition, an attorney for Willie B Smith wrote in the petition filed Wednesday. “Mr. Smith’s execution has all the makings of a super-spreader event, threatening not just the lives of those who attend the execution, but also the lives of the people in the communities from which they came,” attorney Leslie S. Smith wrote. The witness rooms adjoining the execution chamber house prison staff, reporters and family members of the victim and inmate. The Justice Department last month said eight staff members who took part in a federal execution in December tested positive for the coronavirus. Smith, 51, is set to be executed by lethal injection Feb. 11 at Holman Correctional Facility. He was convicted of the 1991 shotgun slaying of Sharma Ruth Johnson.

Alaska

Bethel: A video store that held on for years longer than most of its contemporaries has succumbed to economic pressure and rolled the final credits on its 35-year story. Video World in Bethel closed Jan. 10, long after streaming services caused the collapse of most video tape rental chains and independent shops nationwide, KYUK-AM reports. The small business that opened in 1986 slowed to a halt during the coronavirus pandemic despite its continued will to survive. “I worked, like, 12 hours every day,” owner Jenny Soo said. “This place has never been painted or changed carpet because we only close Christmas Day.” Soo and her husband took over the store from her husband’s uncle eight years ago. They met in Hawaii, where she had lived since early childhood, and she convinced him to return to his hometown in Alaska. Regardless of COVID-19 lockdowns, the video sales industry has been on the way out because of the popularity of online streaming, even in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, where she said the cost of high-speed internet service is prohibitive. “I mean, we only lasted this long because the internet, they charge so much,” Soo said.

Arizona

Prescott: The state regulatory board that oversees nursing home administrators will consider investigating leadership at a facility that required employees to work while sick with COVID-19. State health inspectors had discovered in July that managers at Granite Creek Health and Rehabilitation Center required staffers to work despite positive coronavirus tests and doctors’ orders to isolate. Some staffers were so ill that it was painful to breathe or that they were “sweating and weak” but had to stay on shift, inspectors found. At one point, an employee’s oxygen saturation level hit a dangerously low 88%. The employee then went to the doctor, who said to immediately go to the emergency room. The staffing coordinator still required the employee to work, even given the doctor’s note. The employee worked 12 hours that day in the ward for residents who do not have COVID-19. According to data compiled by federal officials, Granite Creek reported its first confirmed resident case of COVID-19 the week ending June 21 – a week after it reported its first confirmed employee case. Within the next month, 50 more residents got sick. Fifteen died. The Arizona Department of Health Services fined the facility $500 for having sick employees care for residents.

Arkansas

Little Rock: The Arkansas Department of Health reported 1,777 new cases of the coronavirus and 17,686 active cases Wednesday, a drop from a week ago. “There are over 700 fewer new cases and over 2,700 fewer active cases than this time last week,” Gov. Asa Hutchinson said. “The steps we are taking to slow this virus appear to be having an effect.” The rolling average number of daily new coronavirus cases in Arkansas has decreased by about 34% over the past two weeks, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 across the state stood at 1,029 on Wednesday – 66 fewer people than were hospitalized the day before, health officials said. The state on Wednesday reported 52 additional deaths for totals of 288,964 reported cases and 4,742 deaths since the pandemic began.

California

Los Angeles: Mayor Eric Garcetti made clear in December that he would wait his turn to receive a COVID-19 vaccination, echoing county policy that nursing home residents, people 65 and older, and medical workers will be first in line. “I’m not jumping any queue,” he said. But the 49-year-old Democrat was quietly vaccinated last week at the recommendation of medical personnel, after spending several days assisting health care workers at a large vaccination center at Dodger Stadium. His office said Wednesday that he received the first dose of the vaccine Jan. 21, his fifth day working at the site where he was “interacting with hundreds of Angelenos each day.” “The medical personnel strongly recommended that he receive the vaccine, as they have recommended and provided for other field staff and volunteers at the site who have close contact with clients,” the statement said. It wasn’t immediately clear why his office didn’t disclose the vaccination when it took place, nor why Garcetti waited several days to receive it after starting to help workers at the stadium. His office did not respond to questions beyond the statement.

Colorado

Denver: Health officials have projected more than 4,000 lives could be saved in the state if residents continue following safety guidelines intended to reduce the spread of COVID-19 through the end of spring. Projections made public by the Colorado School of Public Health show the pandemic’s death toll could reach 6,000 by June 1 even if everything goes right, including maintaining safety measures, vaccinating older residents and containing strains of the new virus, The Denver Post reports. The same projections show a worst-case scenario of 10,900 deaths by June. The state has reported about 5,500 virus-related deaths as of Tuesday and 10 cases of a new strain traced to the United Kingdom. State epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy said residents must follow their current level of precautions through at least June 1. Democratic Gov. Jared Polis agreed, urging residents to continue wearing masks and to avoid gatherings. “We could lose hundreds or thousands of Coloradans,” he said during a news conference Tuesday. “How many, exactly, is in your hands.”

Connecticut

Hartford: The continued low ridership numbers on Metro-North Railroad, especially traffic from Connecticut into New York City, are prompting state Department of Transportation officials to consider possible changes to commuter rail service. While rail traffic within Connecticut has increased somewhat since the height of pandemic-related business closures, DOT Commissioner Joseph Giulietti said the number of commuters traveling into New York City still remains only 12% of normal ridership. Giulietti said commuter rail occupancy rates remain low in other states as well. But he said there’s a “strong belief” that more people will begin riding the rails as their ability to get the COVID-19 vaccine improves. “I firmly believe that all the signs are, as things start to progress, we’re going to see it coming back,” he said. “But it’s not going to be rapid, and it’s not going to be easy.” The state has been able to use federal coronavirus relief funds to help make up the lost revenue from rail fares and continue running the service throughout the pandemic.

Delaware

Wilmington: Gov. John Carney’s proposed spending plan for next fiscal year includes the first steps toward statewide police body cameras, funding the COVID-19 response and increases in the minimum wage, as well as small raises for state workers. The measures are a signal that Delaware officials are keeping their promise to hold law enforcement accountable in response to the Black Lives Matter movement while also bracing for an ongoing fight against the coronavirus at least until the latter half of this year. The taxpayer-funded spending plan, the first of Carney’s second term, still adheres to the austere fiscal strategy he had during his first term by limiting extra revenue toward one-time expenses, such as construction projects and grants. Carney proposed his $4.7 billion budget plan, a 3.5% increase, along with $894.4 million in capital spending and $55.5 million grants-in-aid plans, to lawmakers shortly before noon Thursday. His virtual presentation comes a little more than two weeks after lawmakers convened for the 2021 legislative session. The General Assembly will have to approve a spending plan for the fiscal year that starts July 1.

District of Columbia

Washington: The way people drink and dine in D.C. has changed significantly during the pandemic, but some of the adaptations made could be here to stay, WUSA-TV reports. Mayor Muriel Bowser proposed legislation this week that aims to rebuild the hospitality economy. The proposal includes extending the city’s “streatery” program during the summer months until 2023, creating a new commercial lifestyle license that allows people to walk around and drink alcohol within predefined boundaries, and allowing grocery stores in Wards 7 and 8 to sell more alcohol. “There are still going to be to-go drinks, that’s something we want to preserve for some time to come,” D.C. Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development John Falcicchio said. He said more than 100 restaurants in D.C. have closed because of the pandemic, and a majority of the 53,000 jobs lost across the city since the emergence of COVID-19 have been in the hospitality sector. “We wanted to make sure that our recovery was even more dynamic than we were before the pandemic,” Falcicchio said.

Florida

Tampa: Anyone visiting the city’s popular outdoor destinations for the Super Bowl will be required to wear a mask to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Mayor Jane Castor signed an executive order Wednesday saying masks must be worn outside while downtown, in neighborhoods around Raymond James Stadium – where the Super Bowl will be held – and in other tourist hot spots. The order says those who are not wearing a mask can be cited with a “nominal civil infraction” that carries a penalty up to a $500 fine. It will remain in place until Feb. 13, nearly a week after the Super Bowl ends. There are a few exceptions, including children under 5. “We want fans to feel confident knowing that when they come out to celebrate Super Bowl LV, they can do so safely in a city that takes this pandemic seriously,” Castor said in a statement Thursday. The NFL is allowing 22,000 visitors to be inside the 75,000-capacity Raymond James Stadium for the game, and all will be required to wear masks. There will be official game events around the city, including The Super Bowl Experience, which features live music, food, beverages and football-themed activities. That will be held at multiple parks along the 2.7-mile Tampa Riverwalk.

Georgia

Atlanta: State officials have cut off COVID-19 vaccines to a rural medical practice that disobeyed state guidelines and vaccinated teachers from the local school system, underscoring Gov. Brian Kemp’s pledge not to let education employees cut in front of people who have been placed higher on the list to receive the vaccine. The state Department of Public Health said it has suspended its supply of vaccines to the Medical Center of Elberton after the clinic supplied shots to employees of the 3,000-student Elbert County school district. Officials said about 40% of teachers, bus drivers and other employees have been vaccinated. Elbert County is northeast of Atlanta on the South Carolina state line. State rules say only medical workers, emergency workers, nursing home residents, and people 65 and older are currently eligible for the shots. Superintendents and teachers groups are pushing to make teachers eligible, but Kemp has refused. The Republican governor has said there is too much demand for the current limited supply of vaccine, even with a small increase in supply, without allowing hundreds of thousands of school employees to compete for shots.

Hawaii

Honolulu: Travelers from South Korea can soon bypass Hawaii’s mandatory 10-day quarantine by producing a negative coronavirus test from a trusted screening partner in their home country. Democratic Gov. David Ige announced the Safe Travels Hawaii pre-travel testing program will be extended to South Korean travelers starting Feb. 5. Tests must be taken within 72 hours of flight departure from South Korea. The Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Honolulu welcomed the program extension, saying the update will contribute to exchanges between the country and Hawaii while taking necessary safety measures against the virus. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now requires all travelers arriving from foreign nations to show proof of negative tests or documentation proving recovery from the virus. Only tests from designated trusted testing partners will be accepted from international travelers arriving in Hawaii to bypass the quarantine requirement. The COVID-19 Nucleic Acid Amplification Test conducted by a laboratory authorized by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency was approved for the pre-travel test.

Idaho

Boise: The state’s schools chief has asked lawmakers for a 3.8% budget increase to about $2.4 billion to educate the more than 300,000 students in grades K-12. Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra told lawmakers on the Legislature’s budget-setting Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee on Thursday that educating students has been especially difficult because of the coronavirus pandemic. “There has never been a more challenging time for education,” she told lawmakers. Her budget is about $25 million less than what was recommended by Republican Gov. Brad Little, who is seeking a 4.8% increase for the next fiscal year. Public schools represent about 50% of the state’s budget. Ybarra’s plan has just over $2 billion coming from the state’s general fund and about $290 million from the federal government. Another $100 million comes from dedicated funds, which includes money generated from state-owned lands. Little’s budget is similar, but with an additional $25 million coming from the general fund. In general fund money, Ybarra is seeking a 2.5% increase, while Little is recommending a 3.7% increase.

Illinois

Springfield: Public health officials announced 3,751 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 across the state Wednesday, bringing the total since the start of the pandemic to more than 1.1 million. The Illinois Department of Public Health also announced 81 new deaths linked to COVID-19 for a total of 18,964. Within the prior 24 hours, laboratories had tested 80,124 specimens for the coronavirus. As a result, the preliminary seven-day statewide test positivity rate is 5.6%. As of late Tuesday, 2,931 people in Illinois were reported hospitalized due to COVID-19. Of those, 591 patients were in intensive care units, and 300 patients were on ventilators.

Indiana

Indianapolis: A bill proposed this legislative session would significantly rein in Gov. Eric Holcomb’s ability to limit private activities during a state emergency, prohibiting governors from dictating a business’ hours of operation or its capacity level. The legislation also would ban the executive branch from requiring churchgoers to socially distance from each other or wear masks, forbid the government’s closure of private schools, and prohibit Holcomb from limiting the operations of hospitals – all moves that would significantly water down any executive orders he has signed to combat COVID-19 thus far. “What I’m doing here ... is I’m looking forward to the future to look at how Indiana businesses will be affected if we have another pandemic,” said bill author Rep. Bob Morris, R-Fort Wayne. “I don’t feel that the government should limit the occupancy of a restaurant or an establishment, that the business owner can make those decisions.” Under the current executive order, Hoosiers must be spaced 6 feet apart during religious services, and there’s a limit to the number of people who can partake in a social gathering, such as weddings or funerals. Both of those provisions would be voided.

Iowa

Johnston: Gov. Kim Reynolds’ administration arranged coronavirus testing for employees at the suburban office of a large pork company whose owners are her top donors, underscoring allegations that her wealthy supporters have received special treatment. The Iowa Department of Public Health coordinated the July 13 testing outside the West Des Moines office that houses the administrative headquarters of Iowa Select Farms and its charity, the company confirmed Wednesday. Owners Jeff and Deb Hansen have donated nearly $300,000 to Reynolds’ gubernatorial campaigns, disclosure records show. Company spokeswoman Jen Sorenson said Iowa Select reached out to the governor’s office seeking help after a possible exposure to the virus among workers. She said 32 employees were tested but would not say whether the Hansens were among them. Polk County Supervisor Matt McCoy, a Democrat who has helped guide the pandemic response in Iowa’s largest county, said he has never heard of the state arranging drive-thru testing at a corporate office, noting its focus had been on congregate living facilities and food processing plants.

Kansas

Topeka: Members of the Stormont Vail Health board and its fundraising board received COVID-19 vaccinations during the first phase of the state’s vaccination rollout, which was intended for people at greater risk for infection, hospital officials confirmed. Phase 1 of the vaccination plan focused on nursing homes and health care workers. The state’s second phase includes assisted living centers, teachers, firefighters, police and others who risk exposure because they work closely with many people. State health officials said fundraising boards were not part of Phase 1, and state and federal guidelines do not include hospital board members, The Kansas News Service reports. Stormont Vail Health workers who see patients got the vaccinations first, spokesman Matt Lara said. He said board members received the shots because they govern the hospital and its daily operations. Stormont Vail’s tax forms indicate that hospital board members spend an average of three hours a week on their duties and that members of the Stormont Vail Foundation – the hospital’s fundraising group – work one hour a week.

Kentucky

Frankfort: One of the four Kentuckians to sign a petition pushing for Gov. Andy Beshear’s impeachment over his coronavirus-related restrictions signaled Wednesday that he wants to withdraw from the proceeding, a lawmaker said. A legislative committee reviewing the petition received a letter from the petitioner’s attorney indicating he wants to end his participation, said Rep. Jason Nemes, the panel’s chairman. The governor’s office also received a letter from the attorney. That letter said Randall Daniel agreed to withdraw from the citizen’s petition after it was explained to him that impeachment “is not a proper response when public officials make policy decisions with which a citizen disagrees.” The other three petitioners have signaled they are proceeding with their effort. Meanwhile, the committee will seek additional information from the Democratic governor, Nemes said. The Republican lawmaker didn’t specify what information was being requested. Beshear had already submitted a lengthy response to the impeachment petition, saying there are “zero grounds” for his removal from office. He pointed to a state Supreme Court ruling last year that said he had the authority to put restrictions on businesses and individuals to try to contain the virus. Beshear said his actions saved lives.

Louisiana

New Orleans: Improving coronavirus statistics have led city officials to ease some virus-related restrictions and announce plans for students to return to classrooms, but bars will stay closed for indoor service through the usually raucous Mardi Gras season, city officials said Wednesday. A weeks-old public gathering ban – gatherings of people who are not part of the same household were prohibited – will be eased beginning Friday. Indoor gatherings of up to 10 people and outdoor gatherings of up to 25 people will be allowed. Capacity limits on restaurants and bars that provide restaurant-style food service will go from 25% to 50%. New Orleans education officials said students in kindergarten through eighth grade will begin returning to class Monday. Most high school students will continue online learning until later in February, although until then, Superintendent Henderson Lewis said, some in-class lessons for groups of 15 or fewer students will be provided for those with special needs. The easing of restrictions comes as local authorities report that the percentage of positive coronavirus tests has dropped below 5%. Statewide hospitalization numbers have been falling in recent weeks, as well.

Maine

Portland: The state’s effort to track racial equity in its COVID-19 vaccine distribution may be complicated by a high rate of nonresponses on the data collected from those who have already gotten inoculated. About 40% of people who received vaccinations did not provide information about their race, the Bangor Daily News reports. More than 92,000 people in the state have received at least the first dose of the vaccine. The data that’s available shows 96.6% of the people who reported their race or ethnicity were white. That’s slightly more than the percentage of the state’s total population that is white. Black residents represent more than 5% of coronavirus cases in the state, although they represent only 1.4% of the population of the state at large, Maine public health authorities have reported. Lack of data makes it harder to know if the state’s vaccine distribution program has been equitable, Maine Equal Justice director of campaigns and health care advocacy Kathy Kilrain del Rio told the Bangor Daily News.

Maryland

Baltimore: Vaccination efforts for teachers and school staff are accelerating in the region. The Baltimore Sun reports thousands of staff are taking time off from teaching to visit vaccination centers at hospitals and health departments. Maryland officially opened up COVID-19 vaccinations to Phase 1B last week. The phase includes teachers and people who are 75 or older. Hundreds of private and Catholic school teachers and staff already got their first shots last week. They include 50 staffers at Calvert Hall in Towson and about 70% of the staff at Boys’ Latin School in Baltimore. Nearly half of the 10,000 Baltimore City school employees have been invited to make a vaccination appointment this week. The Baltimore Teachers Union maintains that teachers should not be forced back into buildings until they have been fully vaccinated and other criteria have been met. Gov. Larry Hogan has threatened school district leaders with punitive measures if they do not begin some in-person classes by March 1.

Massachusetts

Boston: A rift has developed between trustees for a veterans care center where nearly 80 residents died after contracting the coronavirus and state officials over plans to replace the facility. Holyoke Soldiers’ Home trustees at a meeting Wednesday pushed for a larger new facility, while state officials warned that any delays in the plans for a smaller one could sink the project, Masslive.com reports. Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration supports a plan for a $300 million facility to replace the current home. Trustees unanimously rejected the state’s current plan for a new building with a maximum of 204 beds in favor of a plan for a facility with 235 beds. State Secretary of Veterans Services Cheryl Poppe and Assistant Secretary for Administration and Finance Alda Rego told trustees that pushback over the size of the home could imperil the entire project, which faces an April 15 deadline to apply for federal funding. The project also will hinge on Baker signing a $300 million bond bill by Aug. 1. Trustees Isaac Mass and Kevin Jourdain said they thought the state was advancing a substandard plan. Jourdain said the state should have sought input from the board about the number of beds.

Michigan

Lansing: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Thursday that she will not cede her authority to issue certain COVID-19 restrictions, calling Republicans’ attempt to hold back federal pandemic relief funding unless she changes course “cruel and reckless.” The Democratic governor urged GOP lawmakers to “shift their perspective to looking forward” and stop “digging in” on their continued opposition to state health department orders that, while loosened, still limit capacity at restaurants to 25% and prohibit youth contact sports to slow the spread of the coronavirus. On Wednesday, before Whitmer gave a State of the State speech in which she sought “common ground” on COVID-19 spending that would help with vaccine distribution and assist schools and businesses, Senate Republicans blocked 13 of her appointees to make a point. House Republicans linked approval of $2.3 billion in federal and state K-12 funding to empowering counties – not the state – to decide about restricting sports and in-person instruction. “These were federal dollars that were sent to our state. They were supported by our bipartisan congressional delegation,” the governor told reporters. “To hold those things hostage to try to change the balance of power in Lansing is just cruel and reckless.”

Minnesota

Minneapolis: Democrats in the state House teamed up with meatpacking workers Wednesday to announce legislation that would protect people who work at statewide meatpacking and food processing plants amid the coronavirus pandemic. The bill, authored by Rep. Dan Wolgamott, of St. Cloud, would provide paid leave to meat and poultry processing plant workers so they could recover from an injury or illness or care for a sick family member. The bill would also create a position within the state labor and industry department to enforce compliance and prosecute employers who violate the rules. The proposal builds on legislation passed in 2007 that requires the plants to provide adequate safety equipment to employees and information about their rights as workers, which lawmakers said isn’t enough amid the pandemic. Wolgamott said at a news conference that the bill is inspired by consistent “heartbreaking and unacceptable” stories from constituents. “Everyday myself and my co-workers put our lives on the line when we go to work,” said Antonio Jimenez, a 26-year employee of the JBS pork plant in Worthington that experienced an outbreak among its workers in the spring.

Mississippi

Jackson: Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said Thursday that four state senators are in isolation after testing positive for the coronavirus. Two of the four had already been diagnosed last week, and two more have been added to the list. House Speaker Philip Gunn said last week that at least one House member was out with the highly contagious virus. Hosemann and Gunn were among about four dozen Mississippi legislators who tested positive for the coronavirus last summer in the largest outbreak so far of any statehouse in the U.S. That outbreak happened after people crowded into the Capitol in Jackson as legislators worked on a state budget and other issues. Some ignored public health officials’ recommendations to wear masks and keep distance from one another. Mississippi legislators returned to the Capitol in early January to begin a session that is scheduled to end in early April. To promote social distancing, legislators have the option to attend committee meetings in person or online. The meetings are shown online to try to reduce the number of spectators inside the Capitol.

Missouri

Jefferson City: Gov. Mike Parson in his State of the State speech Wednesday touted his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, even as an outbreak among lawmakers forced him to break tradition and switch the venue for his address. Republican leaders of the state House and Senate said in a statement that meeting in the Senate chamber rather than the House chamber would ensure proper social distancing, although many guests in the galleries sat next to each other, and many senators and guests didn’t wear masks, which are not required in Missouri. Senate Democratic Minority Leader John Rizzo said in a statement that Parson has grossly mismanaged the pandemic and decried him for not giving his address virtually. “The Governor’s desire to give a big speech in-person is about vanity and optics,” Rizzo said. In his speech, Parson praised the state’s vaccine rollout plan and said more than 400,000 doses have been administered. According to data released Monday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Missouri ranks last among states in doses given per capita. Parson also repeated his call for lawmakers to pass a bill shielding businesses, hospitals and health care workers from being sued for alleged misconduct related to the pandemic.

Montana

Great Falls: The state posted 404 new COVID-19 cases Thursday, bringing Montana’s total to 92,934 confirmed reports. Of the total cases, 87,720 are recovered, and 4,004 remain active. There are 114 people who are now hospitalized out of 4,203 total hospitalizations, according to the state’s COVID-19-tracking website. Montana added nine deaths since Wednesday, bringing the total to 1,210 fatalities related to the respiratory illness. The state has administered 936,928 tests for the coronavirus, which is 8,592 more than Wednesday. Yellowstone County topped the state again and added 93 new cases, or about 23% of the new cases reported Thursday. The county now has 829 active cases out of 15,225 total reports, and 177 deaths due to COVID-19 have been reported in the county. As of Thursday, Yellowstone County accounted for 20% of active cases in the state.

Nebraska

Omaha: The state could soon eliminate all of its virus-related restrictions on gatherings if the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 continues to decline even though few people in the state have been vaccinated. State health officials said the restrictions could be lifted this weekend if coronavirus patients continue to occupy less than 10% of Nebraska’s hospital beds. As of Wednesday, about 8% of beds were occupied by COVID-19 patients, and the number of people hospitalized with the disease had declined to 343. The state adjusts the rules, which are designed to preserve hospital capacity, when hospitalizations remain below a certain level for seven days on average. The number of people hospitalized with the virus in Nebraska has been steadily declining since the November peak of 987. The main restriction that could be lifted this weekend is the state’s 75% capacity limit on indoor gatherings. Guidelines recommending that seating at bars and restaurants be limited to groups of no more than eight people, that different families be seated 6 feet apart at churches and that customers wear masks at salons would also be eliminated.

Nevada

Las Vegas: The largest school district in the state has announced its youngest students are scheduled to return to in-person education March 1 on a voluntary basis, with employees returning a week earlier. The Clark County School District, which includes Las Vegas-area schools, said in a statement Wednesday that prekindergarten through third grade students whose parents complete the hybrid cohort questionnaire will return to a hybrid education model. Parents who already submitted the questionnaire over the past week will have an opportunity to change their responses before the deadline Friday. The hybrid model is based on an agreement approved by the district’s board of trustees earlier this month. “Throughout the second semester, the district will work to transition additional grade levels to the hybrid instructional model; however, there is currently no timeline for this transition,” the statement said. Teachers and other designated staff are expected to return to their work locations Feb. 22. The agreement between the district and the union representing workers also highlighted health and safety requirements, such as personal protective equipment for employees.

New Hampshire

Concord: Twelve coronavirus outbreaks at long-term care facilities have ended, and there currently are no new outbreaks to report, state Health Commissioner Lori Shibinette said Tuesday. That’s “definitely a positive trend that we’ve been looking for over the last several weeks,” Shibinette said at Gov. Chris Sununu’s weekly news conference on coronavirus-related updates. On the list of closed cases is the New Hampshire Veterans Home in Tilton, which lost more than 30 residents to COVID-19. The majority of deaths caused by the virus in the state have been of residents in long-term care facilities. An estimated 18,000 people in the facilities have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 5,000 have received their second. There are an estimated 33,000 people in this population, Shibinette said.

New Jersey

Flemington: Some of the first people to get COVID-19 vaccinations at a medical center were the relatives of top hospital executives and some of its trustees and donors, according to a report. The shots were administered by Hunterdon Medical Center in December and early January, when only front-line health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities were eligible. A registry of vaccine recipients, obtained by New Jersey 101.5 FM, indicated shots had gone to two longtime donors to the hospital and at least seven spouses and two adult children of medical directors, administrators or executives at the health care network. The radio station said it was given the registry by a whistleblower. Some of the recipients were in their 20s and thus unlikely to qualify for the vaccine for many months. A hospital spokesperson said donors and board members received the vaccine when eligible recipients couldn’t be located rather than have the vaccine doses go to waste. Yet two donors who had given at least $10,000 to the hospital were given shots Dec. 18, one day after the center got its first shipment, according to the records obtained by New Jersey 101.5.

New Mexico

Santa Fe: Teachers unions say a slow vaccine rollout and the expiration of federal COVID-19 sick leave are the remaining hurdles to getting students in schools, while school administrators are adding fire inspections and bus contracts to the list. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Tuesday that some of the power to reopen schools will be given back to local districts nearly a year after they closed their doors. That decision came with the blessing of union officials and a promise to the state’s teachers, who are among the oldest and therefore most vulnerable teaching populations in the country. Earlier this month, the state began to vaccinate teachers. In Santa Fe, a private school managed to get all 90 of its staff vaccinated, while the public school district had 100 shots for staff, out of some 2,000 employees. The state’s largest district, Albuquerque Public Schools, hasn’t hosted a single vaccine clinic, spokeswoman Monica Armenta said Tuesday. Included in guidance sent out after Lujan Grisham’s speech is a mandate for schools to get a fire marshal visit, which must be scheduled two weeks in advance. That could be a bottleneck for Albuquerque’s 143 schools, APS Interim Superintendent Scott Elder said. So will rehiring bus drivers laid off amid the pandemic.

New York

Albany: Nursing homes in parts of the state hit worst by this winter’s COVID-19 surge say they’re struggling to find enough staff as workers have gotten sick or needed to quarantine. About 80 nursing homes had reported nursing shortages as of early January, according to an analysis of the latest federal and state data. Most are located in parts of western and central New York that saw their first serious outbreaks of the virus begin in late autumn. At The Pearl nursing home in Rochester, a core group of nurses worked double shifts for weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, said administrator Christine Schaller. “I have people who didn’t take any days off,” she said. “That’s how we survived.” The 120-bed nursing home didn’t see its first COVID-19 case until October. Since then, 14 residents have been killed by the disease. At least 40 staff members there have become ill, according to federal data. “It’s been, for a few people, so frightening that they just were unable to work, they were so frightened,” she said. “I have some staff members who are going to have long-term physical health problems from COVID.”

North Carolina

Raleigh: Gov. Roy Cooper on Wednesday extended a trio of executive orders allowing for curbside alcohol sales, a halt to evictions, and a requirement for people to remain at home from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. North Carolina’s modified stay-at-home directive that was set to expire Friday will now remain in place until Feb. 28, while the eviction moratorium and allowance for the sale of “to-go” sales or delivery of mixed beverages remains in place through March 31. The Democratic governor’s extensions came as prominent state Republicans expressed their frustrations over a new COVID-19 vaccine distribution strategy from Cooper’s administration that critics argue has prioritized speed over equity. During a news conference, Cooper reiterated his desire to distribute the doses received by President Joe Biden’s administration quickly and fairly. “The top priority in our state is getting vaccines to people as quickly and as equitably as possible,” Cooper said. “As of today, North Carolina has administered 99.8% of all the first doses that we have received from the federal government.” Top Republican lawmakers on Wednesday signaled more scrutiny of the vaccine rollout.

North Dakota

Bismarck: Some lawmakers are pushing legislation aimed at shielding businesses and health care facilities from lawsuits over customers’ or employees’ COVID-19 exposure, despite criticism that it may be unconstitutional and could relax protections for workers. The House Industry, Business and Labor Committee held hearings Wednesday on a pair of bills aimed at limiting coronavirus-related liability lawsuits. One, backed by Republicans, would give immunity to businesses, unless an employer caused damage or an injury due to “willful misconduct or infliction of harm.” The other, a bipartisan measure, is broader and limits exposure of health care facilities from lawsuits relating to COVID-19 exposure. Committee Chairman Mike Lefor said the bills would likely be combined. Officials representing business and hospital groups spoke in favor of the legislation, while some attorneys and a union leader opposed it. “Shielding these bad actors from litigation would only encourage them to ignore the scant guidelines on infectious diseases” while giving employees and their families “no legal recourse,” said Landis Larson, president of the North Dakota AFL-CIO.

Ohio

Columbus: The state’s coronavirus curfew has been shortened as hospitalizations continue to fall under an order issued by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine. Beginning Thursday, the 10 p.m.-to-5 a.m. curfew, meant to slow the spread of COVID-19, will change to 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., under the order signed by DeWine on Wednesday evening. The move was welcome news to restaurants and bars, whose owners have complained that the 10 p.m. cutoff was arbitrary and that they could easily enforce social distancing later in the evening. DeWine has called the curfew a compromise that allowed businesses to stay open rather than completely shutting them down. The curfew requires Ohioans to stay at home during those hours but contains multiple exceptions for work, grocery shopping, medical appointments, religious observation and many other necessary activities. The Ohio Department of Health said more than 2,940 people were hospitalized with the coronavirus Wednesday. DeWine has said the curfew can be eliminated altogether if hospitalizations fall consistently below 2,500. Also Thursday, the state said the number of jobless claims spiked once again last week, by 16%.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City: Oklahoma State University officials announced plans Thursday to return fully to in-person classes beginning with the fall semester in August. OSU moved to online instruction only following spring break last March as the virus spread in the state and has used a blend of online and in-person classes during the fall and current spring semesters. Statewide, the Oklahoma State Department of Health reported 381,430 total cases and 3,423 deaths due to COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. The health department had reported a new one-day record of 65 deaths due to COVID-19 on Tuesday. Oklahoma had the seventh-highest rate of new coronavirus cases per capita in the United States at 957.27 per 100,000 population, while the seven-day rolling average of new cases fell from 4,255.86 per day Jan. 13 to 2,678.57, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The rolling average of deaths increased from 30.71 to 43.29 per day during the same time period.

Oregon

Grants Pass: Health workers who got stuck in a snowstorm on their way back from a COVID-19 vaccination event went car to car injecting stranded drivers before several of the doses expired. Josephine County Public Health said on Facebook that the “impromptu vaccine clinic” took place after about 20 employees were stopped in traffic on a highway after a vaccination clinic. Six of the vaccines were getting close to expiring, so the workers decided to offer them to other stranded drivers. The shots were meant for other people, but “the snow meant those doses wouldn’t make it to them before they expired,” the health department said. Not wanting to waste them, staff walked from vehicle to vehicle, offering people a chance to receive the vaccine. A county ambulance was on hand for safety. All the doses were administered, including one to a Josephine County Sheriff’s Office employee who had arrived too late for the vaccination clinic but ended up stopped with the others, officials said. Josephine County Public Health Director Mike Weber said it was one of the “coolest operations he’d been a part of.”

Pennsylvania

Harrisburg: Voters will likely soon get the final say about whether to limit the governor’s powers during a disaster emergency after a divided state House of Representatives endorsed a proposed constitutional amendment Wednesday. House members voted 116 to 85 in the latest legislative approval vote. One more vote in either the House or Senate is needed before the amendment can be considered in a statewide referendum, as early as May 18. The amendment would cap disaster declarations at 21 days unless lawmakers extend them. It would also give lawmakers the ability to end a disaster declaration with a two-thirds vote. Republican lawmakers have repeatedly tried to overturn pandemic response policies undertaken by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf over the past year. Lives have been destroyed, said Rep. Seth Grove, R-York, “either through the virus itself or through the actions of the government, eviscerating entire industries.” But Wolf’s actions have saved lives, said Minority Whip Jordan Harris, D-Philadelphia. “Let’s call a spade a spade today. This is highly political. It’s very political,” Harris said, noting the national death toll from COVID-19.

Rhode Island

Providence: The state plans on expanding its COVID-19 vaccine program as soon as next week to residents age 75 and older who have not already received a shot, and then to residents 65 and older by mid-February, Department of Health Director Nicole Alexander-Scott said Thursday. The state’s plan is based on age, underlying health conditions and geography. “The approach we are taking is 100% grounded in the science and the data on how to best protect people who are most at risk, keeping them out of the hospital and keeping them alive,” she said. Anyone age 16 to 65 with one of five underlying health conditions – diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, lung disease or a compromised immune system – should be able to get a vaccine by mid-March. People with those conditions typically have higher hospitalization and fatality rates from COVID-19, Alexander-Scott said. The state will also take geography into account, giving residents of hard-hit communities such as Central Falls and Pawtucket better access to the vaccine. The state’s plan depends on vaccine availability and assumes that the supply will increase over time, she said.

South Carolina

Columbia: Lawmakers are vying to override the Department of Health and Environmental Control’s board on an allocation plan meant to equitably distribute the state’s limited vaccine supply. The House gave key approval Wednesday to the measure, part of a bill to direct up to $208 million in state surplus funds to bolster the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. The lawmakers’ plan would direct the health department to allocate limited vaccine supplies across the state’s four regions on a per capita basis, requiring it to take into account factors such as a region’s rural and underserved areas, impoverished populations and number of elderly residents. Legislators stepped in after DHEC’s governor-appointed board voted tentatively Tuesday to hand out vaccine doses to counties based strictly on population size. Some lawmakers voiced concern Wednesday that the per capita county model wouldn’t adequately address the needs of rural communities. Demand continues to outpace supply, even as the state says it is getting a 16% bump in the doses it will receive over the next few weeks. Currently, vaccinations are open to a population that encompasses nearly a million people in the state. As of Wednesday, the state had received just 622,350 doses.

South Dakota

Pierre: Democratic lawmakers are pushing for a statewide mask mandate, like the one imposed by some cities and most of the state’s reservations, to rein in the coronavirus outbreak. State Sen. Reynold Nesiba, of Sioux Falls, introduced legislation on the mandate Thursday. South Dakota Democratic Vice Chairwoman Nikki Gronli said the bill mirrors Sioux Falls’ ordinance. Gronli said since Sioux Falls passed the mandate in November, the city has seen a sharp decline in new cases and hospitalizations. The city reported 1,002 active cases Wednesday, down 48 from the previous day, and the three-day average of new cases is down nearly 33% since Jan. 14. “South Dakota was well-positioned from the outset to weather COVID as best we could, but the governor chose to flaunt our advantages of population and geography and promoted zero personal responsibility,” Nesiba said. “Our economy has endured, thanks to our great local business owners and workers. What we need from the state is real leadership to prevent this virus from spreading.” Gov. Kristi Noem has defended her hands-off approach to managing the pandemic and doesn’t wear a mask.

Tennessee

Memphis: The city and Shelby County have received more than $28 million in federal funds to help residents who have fallen behind in rent payments, officials said. City spokesman Dan Springer said Memphis received $19.6 million from the Emergency Rental Assistance Program. Shelby County received $8.6 million. The funds came from a recent federal spending and COVID-19 relief bill that set aside $25 billion for emergency housing assistance. The program “will provide residents with direct financial assistance, including rent, rental arrears, utilities and home energy costs, utilities and home energy costs arrears, and other expenses related to housing,” Springer said. Eviction moratoriums have delayed the removal of renters who have lost income due to job loss or other reasons during the coronavirus pandemic. Eviction filings have piled up in courts around the country. Nearly 10,000 evictions were filed in Shelby County from June through December.

Texas

Austin: Military personnel from the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force are being sent to three hospitals to support efforts to combat the coronavirus and those suffering COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. Lt. Gen. Laura Richardson and Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday that 80 personnel, including doctors, nurses and respiratory therapists are being deployed to hospitals in Abilene, Eagle Pass and Lufkin. Data from Johns Hopkins University shows nearly 13,000 people are hospitalized in Texas with COVID-19-related symptoms, and the state is eighth in the nation in the number of new cases per capita with 961.5 per 100,000 residents during the past two weeks. There have been nearly 35,500 deaths in Texas due to COVID-19, according to the Johns Hopkins data, and the seven-day rolling average of deaths has risen in the past two weeks from 285.7 per day to 329.5, while the rolling average of new cases declined from 21,734.14 to 19,727.29 per day.

Utah

Salt Lake City: Primary Children’s Hospital is co-leading the nation’s first long-term study into severe COVID-19 complications seen in children, Intermountain Health Care announced Tuesday. The study will examine the effects of multisystem inflammatory syndrome. Doctors say MIS-C is a rare, extreme immune response to COVID-19. It typically affects older children and disproportionately affects Black and Latino children. It shows up about four weeks after the onset of COVID-19, with symptoms including fever, stomachaches, vomiting, diarrhea and rashes. But its real danger is in how it impacts organs, particularly the heart. Pediatric cardiologist Dongngan Truong of University of Utah Health and Primary Children’s Hospital is co-leading the five-year study, funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, alongside Dr. Jane Newburger of Boston Children’s Hospital. It’s enrolling about 600 children from the U.S. and Canada through collaboration with the Pediatric Heart Network and will be conducted at more than 30 academic institutions.

Vermont

Northfield: Norwich University, the country’s oldest private military college, has reported a total of 79 coronavirus cases, with 69 current cases, since students returned to campus earlier this month. The school has had “some significant, egregious and frankly embarrassing incidents of student misconduct that have resulted in the spread of the virus on campus and our inability to contain it,” Norwich President Col. Mark C. Anarumo announced Wednesday evening in a video on the school’s website. He said a containment plan is in place, and he believes the university will be able to recover fairly quickly. Residential students were told Monday to return to a modified room quarantine. Anarumo said Wednesday that he believes the student conduct issues have been resolved. Any students who do not want to stay at school are allowed to leave and conduct their studies online, he said. There will be a prorated rebate of room and board, he said.

Virginia

Richmond: Facing escalating criticism of the state’s rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine, Gov. Ralph Northam outlined a series of policy changes and initiatives Wednesday that he said would make the process smoother and more transparent. While the latest federal data shows Virginia has made improvements in getting more shots into arms, Northam acknowledged there’s still much work to be done. “I feel the frustration out there. I also, as a medical provider, feel the urgency. We are doing everything that we can to save lives,” Northam said at a news conference. He announced he had directed the state health department to create a single, statewide vaccination registration system. When state officials announced earlier this month that Virginia was vastly expanding the pool of people eligible to receive a shot, it created confusion about where and when to sign up. “That confusion is justified because the answer has not been clear,” Northam said. The governor also announced that the state health department would be publishing additional data about vaccine distribution and usage on its online dashboard and seeking to fill in significant gaps in demographic information about who has received the doses so far.

Washington

Olympia: The state Senate has passed a measure that would increase the minimum weekly benefit for unemployed workers starting in July and prevent a dramatic increase in unemployment taxes paid by businesses. The Senate passed the measure on a bipartisan 42-7 vote Wednesday night, and the measure now heads to the House for consideration. If the bill, requested by Gov. Jay Inslee, passes the House, workers who make between $21,000 and $27,800 per year would receive a larger share of their weekly wages in benefits – up to 20% from 15%, raising the minimum level from $201 to $270 in July. In addition, the state’s businesses would see relief from unemployment taxes, including reductions in bills due in April, but only if the measure passes the Legislature mid-February. Because the bill has an emergency clause, it would take effect as soon as Inslee signs it. The measure would prevent $1.7 billion in automatic unemployment insurance tax increases from taking effect from 2021 to 2025. The bill would also allow high-risk workers who cannot work from home to voluntarily quit and still receive benefits.

West Virginia

Charleston: The state will receive more doses of COVID-19 vaccines next week, Gov. Jim Justice said Wednesday, as the number of active cases statewide continues to decline. The Republican governor said at a news conference that in addition to the doses that have been promised for next week, an additional 3,700 doses of the Moderna vaccine will be sent to West Virginia. The state is holding 25 vaccination clinics across 17 counties this week specifically for residents 65 and older. More than 87,500 doses have been administered to senior citizens so far. “We do not have enough doses to go around to everybody,” Justice said about the age group. West Virginia has gone 11 straight days without at least 1,000 daily confirmed cases of the virus. According to state health figures, the last time that happened was a 14-day stretch in late November and early December. And for the past 11 days, the number of active cases have dipped each day. The 23,571 active cases are the fewest since Dec. 23 and a 19% drop since peaking at 29,257 on Jan. 10. The 550 people hospitalized for the virus statewide are the fewest since Nov. 27 and a 33% drop from the record 818 hospitalizations Jan. 5.

Wisconsin

Madison: The Republican-controlled Assembly on Thursday abruptly canceled a vote to repeal Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ mask mandate in the face of broad criticism from the state’s health, school and business leaders and out of concern it would jeopardize more than $49 million in federal aid. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said that he still believed the Assembly would vote one day to repeal the mandate but that lawmakers wanted to “pause and do our due diligence” to ensure no federal money would be lost. Democratic Minority Leader Gordon Hintz heralded the change of heart. “It’s a win for the public, a win for public health,” Hintz said. The surprise change in direction for the Assembly came after news broke hours before the scheduled vote that repealing the governor’s emergency health order and undoing the mask mandate would also jeopardize federal food assistance for low-income people. The COVID-19 aid bill passed by Congress last year gives states the federal money but only if they have emergency health orders in effect, a memo from the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau said. This month alone, nearly 243,000 Wisconsin households received $49.3 million in federal assistance, the memo said.

Wyoming

Sheridan: A youth mental health services organization based in the state has announced it will stop operations in late March after analyzing the viability of its programs during the coronavirus pandemic. Normative Services Inc. Executive Director Clayton Carr said the academy will close its doors March 22, The Sheridan Press reports. “Over the next two months, we will be working collaboratively with families, state agencies and case workers to transfer our students to appropriate programs with the therapeutic supports necessary for them to be successful,” the company said in a statement. “During that time, we will maintain all regulations and staffing ratios.” According to its website, Normative Services Academy is an accredited treatment and educational facility for at-risk, adjudicated and emotionally disturbed youth that offers high-quality academic, physical and vocational education in a safe and nurturing environment.

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Staffing struggles, traffic clinic: News from around our 50 states