Tree boom, suncatchers, tracing changes: News from around our 50 states

Alabama

Montgomery: The state set a record of more than 2,000 COVID-19 patients in hospitals Monday as some facilities began to postpone nonemergency procedures amid staff shortages. There were 2,079 patients in Alabama hospitals with COVID-19 – the highest number since the pandemic began, according to numbers from the Department of Public Health. Dr. Don Williamson, the former state health officer who now heads the Alabama Hospital Association, said at least three hospitals have begun to postpone some procedures. “I still don’t see anything to break the spread between now and getting through Christmas ... and frankly I’m increasingly frustrated about why it is so difficult for individuals to be willing to wear masks,” he said. “The election’s over. It should no longer be political. People are dying.” He said some facilities have as many as 100 staff members out with COVID-19. Decatur Morgan Hospital President Kelli Powers said the north Alabama hospital is beginning to struggle with staffing, has had to create additional intensive care unit beds and had to borrow two ventilators. She said the hospital is facing competition with states for nurses who can make large sums by working as travel nurses out of state.

Alaska

Anchorage: Funding for a program providing housing assistance to city residents during the coronavirus pandemic is expected to be depleted by the end of the year, and applications have been closed. Anchorage Acting Mayor Austin Quinn-Davidson said the available funds in the COVID-19 Rent and Mortgage Assistance Program were expected to be exhausted by the end of December, The Anchorage Daily News reports. Quinn-Davidson issued a statement calling on Congress to provide additional funding for the federal relief initiative. The Anchorage Assembly allocated $20 million of the city’s federal coronavirus relief funding to the program, which in April began providing financial assistance to residents requiring assistance paying rent or mortgages.

Arizona

Phoenix: The state set a new daily record Tuesday with more than 12,300 additional known coronavirus cases as the number of hospitalized patients approached levels similar to the peak of last summer’s surge. The Department of Health Services reported 12,314 additional known cases, eclipsing the previous record of 10,322 cases set Dec. 1 when officials said that day’s report was inflated by delayed reporting over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Arizona’s case total increased to 378,157. The state also reported 23 additional deaths, increasing that total to 6,973. “Arizona does not have control of this virus,” Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego said in a Twitter post that included advice to review routines, stay home if possible and wear a mask whenever out. Department officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the record case report, but they previously warned that Thanksgiving gatherings of more than one household would increase the virus’s already strong spread during the fall surge.

Arkansas

Little Rock: More than three dozen coronavirus deaths were reported Tuesday as the pandemic shows no sign of letting up in the state. Gov. Asa Hutchinson called the deaths “a motivation to protect others with our own behavior,” but he did not announce any new restrictions aimed to slowing the spread. Instead, Hutchinson repeated his call for people to wear masks and socially distance from those outside their households. Along with the 39 new deaths, the state also reported nearly 2,300 new virus cases, while hospitalizations increased by 28 to 1,081. That’s just under the record high last week of 1,088 current hospitalizations. The latest COVID-19 forecast from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health released Tuesday suggested the virus will peak in Arkansas in late March. “We conclude COVID-19 in Arkansas is now in a phase of a community spread in which the virus is so prevalent it can no longer be associated with a person or a place,” the report said.

California

Ventura: Three counties northwest of Los Angeles want to be separated from the state-designated Southern California region for determining the extent of pandemic restrictions based on the availability of intensive care unit beds. Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties plan to seek approval to create a smaller Central Coast region if the tri-county ICU capacity exceeds 15% in the next three weeks, the counties said in a statement Monday. At that point, the three counties will ask to be assessed on the tri-county ICU capacity and not overall Southern California region capacity. “We believe it’s reasonable to have the Central Coast as one region instead of including our county with over half the state’s population in the current Southern California Region,” Ventura County Executive Officer Mike Powers said in a statement.

Colorado

Denver: The family that owns a renowned Denver jazz club plans to close its doors permanently, partly because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. El Chapultepec is known as an unpretentious bar where jazz legends have stopped to play for free, KCNC-TV reports. The club, commonly known as “The Pec,” was operated for decades by Jerry Krantz until his 2012 death. Krantz grew up blocks away and sold newspapers at El Chapultepec. He married into the family that owned the club and eventually took over ownership. Krantz’s daughter, Angela Guerrero, has continued running the club. El Chapultepec opened Dec. 5, 1933, the same day Prohibition ended. The decorations from the last remodeling in 1951 remain today. In the 1960s, the club began focusing on live jazz music. Music greats Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Wynton Marsalis, Tony Bennet, Doc Severinsen and Frank Sinatra are among those who appeared on the venue’s tiny stage.

Connecticut

Hartford: Gov. Ned Lamont on Monday cleared the way for pharmacists to administer any COVID-19 vaccine authorized by the federal Food and Drug Administration, expanding the number of providers allowed to dispense doses as the state prepares for its first batch of deliveries later this month. The Democrat signed an executive order that authorizes licensed pharmacists to administer the vaccine under certain conditions. It also requires them to report information to the state Department of Public Health about any patients younger than 18 who receive a dose of influenza vaccine. Connecticut expects the 16,000 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer to be administered to hospital workers beginning Dec. 14, while the first 16,000 for long-term care residents and staff will be administered beginning Dec. 21. Lamont’s executive order also caps how much providers who are considered out-of-network by insurers may charge to administer COVID-19 vaccines, in order to ensure no one is required to pay out-of-pocket for a dose.

Delaware

Wilmington: As surging coronavirus cases continue to limit indoor dining, food and drink establishments in the First State are hunting for new ways to entice customers to their struggling businesses. BrewHaHa! in Wilmington’s Trolley Square has just created a Winter Wonderland outdoor dining area for children and adults decorated with holiday lights and festive trees. In Newark, Caffe Gelato has set up two glass greenhouses on the sidewalk of the establishment. Owner Ryan German said customers can dine there warmly with limited exposure from servers. Indoor dining at Delaware restaurants has been capped at 30% capacity by Gov. John Carney since Nov. 23. It is not known when the restrictions will be lifted as the wave of COVID-19 cases continues to rise across the state.

District of Columbia

Washington: More than 700 D.C. residents have now died from the coronavirus, WUSA-TV reports. The district is now reporting its highest COVID-19 case rate ever, averaging more than 250 new cases a day. The situation has gotten severe enough that on Monday, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced new restrictions on sports in the city, including the prohibition of high-contact sports – universities and professional leagues are exempt – and the suspension of high school extracurricular sports. The mayor’s order means recreation centers and sports clubs must also suspend all physical sports and organized athletic activities for high school athletes. Children and teens who are middle school-aged and younger may continue to participate in organized drills and clinics for high-contact sports as long as they are in groups of no more than 12 and the activities do not involve actual physical contact.

Florida

Tallahassee: An appeals court has tossed out a challenge by the Leon County Republican Party chairman to a county requirement that people wear face masks to try to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The 1st District Court of Appeal on Monday dismissed an appeal filed by Leon County GOP Chairman Evan Power after a circuit judge rejected the challenge in July. The dismissal did not address underlying constitutional issues in the case but stemmed from Power’s attorney, state Rep. Anthony Sabatini, R-Howey-in-the-Hills, not filing an initial brief at the appeals court. Sabatini, who has been an outspoken critic of mask requirements, filed a notice of appeal at the Tallahassee-based appeals court July 30. But attorneys for Leon County filed a court document Oct. 22 saying an initial brief had not been served within a 70-day time frame. That prompted the court to give Sabatini and Power 20 days to file the brief or “show cause why this appeal should not be dismissed for failure to comply with the rules and orders of this court.” After the initial brief was not filed within the 20 days, Leon County requested dismissal of the case – the request granted Monday.

Georgia

Atlanta: The number of confirmed and suspected coronavirus infections has soared more than 70% in the state in the week ended Monday, as hospitals continue to sound alarms about their ability to absorb new COVID-19 patients and as a few schools give up in-person instruction for the remaining two weeks before Christmas holidays begin. The past week has seen a rapid takeoff in new infections, with Georgia averaging more than 5,000 confirmed and suspected cases each day as of Monday. Even just the confirmed cases, based off molecular PCR tests, are now above the high set July 24, when hospitals statewide were groaning with cases and schools were pushing off the start of the academic year because of the high number of infections. Georgia is likely to record its 10,000th confirmed or suspected death from COVID-19 sometime this week. “We are effectively reversing the gains we made after the summer surge,” wrote Amber Schmidtke, an epidemiologist who prepares a daily report on COVID-19 in Georgia. On Monday, 19 hospitals told the state their intensive care units could accept no more patients.

Hawaii

Honolulu: The state has released a plan on how it will try to strengthen broadband infrastructure across the state. The plan calls on the state to build carrier-neutral cable landing infrastructure on Oahu and neighboring islands to lower the cost barrier for fiber optic cables, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports. The document also suggests seeking both federal and private funding to underwrite cable landing stations. It also calls on support for initiatives that will enable the deployment of small cell and wireless technologies throughout the state. The coronavirus pandemic has accelerated demands for the state to improve its broadband infrastructure, as widespread stay-at-home orders have forced many people to rely on the internet at home in order to work. “Due to the pandemic, there is even greater recognition that Hawaii’s competitiveness in the global digital economy, educational exchange and digital competency is reliant on broadband infrastructure,” state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism Director Mike McCartney said in a statement.

Idaho

Boise: Public health officials in the state have reported delays in contact tracing and have not been able to accurately report the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases as residents refuse to cooperate amid a surge of infections. The recent surge not only is straining underfunded, understaffed and overworked public health district employees but also has slowed their ability to track the virus’s spread throughout the state, The Idaho Statesman reports. The National Association of County and City Health Officials said before the pandemic created an emergency, communities needed about 15 contact tracers for every 100,000 residents to prevent transmission of conditions such as HIV and tuberculosis. Central District Health, comprised of more than 500,000 residents and six hospitals, had 30 people on its contract tracing staff last week. Idaho’s seven health districts have 156 employees on their contact tracing teams, many of whom are part time and juggling other job duties. With contact tracing backlogs, Idaho’s reported case numbers are lower than the reality.

Illinois

Springfield: The state’s COVID-19 vaccination plan prioritizing counties by death rates will change as the plan progresses, Illinois’ public health director said Monday, while clarifying that hospital staff will be eligible even if outside a targeted county. Dr. Ngozi Ezike’s comments came as the state announced that the coronavirus pandemic had claimed another 90 lives, the administrator of a nursing home for veterans was fired because of an outbreak that killed 32 residents, and a Chicago alderman admitted he broke the rules by allowing indoor dining at his restaurants. As cold weather pushes people indoors and officials await an expected winter surge in COVID-19 cases – there were 8,691 new infections Monday – Ezike and her staff must also juggle complicated logistics for 109,000 initial doses of one or more vaccines that could shortly obtain federal approval and be shipped to 10 regional hub hospitals in Illinois. “We can include (health staff at) the hubs that are going to be distributing this,” Ezike said. “We’re constantly trying to tweak and adjust to get a better and better plan.”

Indiana

Indianapolis: The state continues to be one of the nation’s COVID-19 hot spots by many measures. In the week following Thanksgiving, Indiana was the only state that had more than 1,000 new cases a day per million people, according to the COVID Tracking Project. The website puts Indiana at an average of 1,025 new cases per day, more than any other state, between Nov. 30 and Dec. 6. The number of new cases started climbing each day after Thanksgiving, according to the state’s daily dashboard, until last Thursday, when the number crescendoed at more than 8,450 new cases. Indiana was one of 21 states and the only one in the Midwest to set a single-day record for new cases in the week of Nov. 29, according to the COVID Tracking Project. On Monday the state reported 5,700 new cases of coronavirus and an additional 42 deaths, bringing the totals to 387,278 cases since the start of the pandemic and 5,986 deaths.

Iowa

Des Moines: The state has started reporting the COVID-19 deaths of people who were diagnosed with the coronavirus but not tested, a change that boosted Iowa’s death toll by 177 on Tuesday and could add hundreds more to the count. Iowa Department of Public Health Interim Director Kelly Garcia announced Monday night that Iowa now accepts clinical diagnoses from doctors and other medical professionals and not just positive virus tests when attributing a death to the coronavirus. The change immediately increased the state’s pandemic death toll by 6.5%, to 2,898 from 2,721, and will be even more impactful once the new reporting system has accounted for all virus deaths. The new reporting process removed 433 deaths from the system but added 610 to provide the net gain of 177. However, many of the 433 deaths removed could be added back in once the proper coding methodology is applied to the individual cases, IDPH spokesman Matt Highland said. Garcia said the new methodology will be consistent with the way the CDC reports deaths nationally.

Kansas

Topeka: While hospitals wait for a COVID-19 vaccine, Stormont Vail Health is participating in a study working to reduce the time patients spend in hospitals. Robert Kenagy, Stormont Vail’s CEO, said the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases selected Stormont Vail for a research trial to determine the effectiveness of a “hyperimmune immunoglobulin” treatment that is infused by IV. In simple terms, the treatment enters the body and attacks the virus. “It’s a highly concentrated mixture of antibodies against the virus again helping our own immune systems then clear the virus from our bodies,” Kenagy said. “In theory, it latches onto the viral particle, inactivating it, allowing your immune system to then clear that complex of virus and antibody.” Kenagy said patients could begin receiving the treatment as early as Tuesday or Wednesday. Stormont Vail’s intensive care unit was 93% full as of Monday afternoon, with its medical beds at 91% capacity and negative airflow rooms at 73% capacity, according to a daily hospital capacity update.

Kentucky

Owensboro: Daviess County Fiscal Court and the Owensboro City Commission are preparing to waive license fees for restaurants and bars to help ease the burden of the coronavirus pandemic, the Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer reports. The Fiscal Court unanimously voted last week to initiate a relief program for restaurants and bars that pay county occupational and net profits taxes. The program will be funded through the county’s economic development fund and will not exceed $250,000 with eligible businesses able to apply for $5,000 in relief. Owensboro city manager Nate Pagan said the city is planning to take similar action. He said it will mean forgoing $91,000 that the city would collect in fees. The average savings per business would be in the range of $1,000 to $3,000. The state has also waived bar and restaurant fees through an order by Gov. Andy Beshear on Nov. 5, while restaurants and bars could still operate at 50% capacity. On Nov. 18, Beshear shut down schools and in-person dining and limited gatherings and occupancies in response to rapidly rising coronavirus case numbers.

Louisiana

Baton Rouge: With a coronavirus vaccine expected to be widely available within months, the governor and public health leaders are looking ahead to the latest pandemic challenge: persuading people to willingly get vaccinated. Louisiana’s health department is planning a widespread marketing and community outreach effort, Gov. John Bel Edwards regularly talks of his trust in the drugs’ safety, and officials describe being willing and ready to receive the vaccine when it’s available. But like everything else involving the COVID-19 disease caused by the coronavirus, reaching the levels of vaccination that health experts say is needed to achieve herd immunity – when enough people have protection from the disease to stop its spread – will be tricky. Vaccination efforts will run into worries about potential side effects and risk, disinterest from people who don’t believe the coronavirus is as dangerous as health officials say it is, and outright resistance from COVID-19 deniers and conspiracy theorists. They’ll encounter distrust from Black communities who can point to historic examples of medical experimentation and abuse.

Maine

Portland: A surge in cases of the coronavirus has necessitated changes to the way the state investigates new cases, the director of the Maine Center for Control and Prevention said Monday. Until now, every person who tested positive for the virus received a notification from Maine CDC, Dr. Nirav Shah said. The state is now going to conduct investigations for vulnerable groups and essential workers, such as people who are 65 or older or who work as health care providers or first responders, he said. The growing case burden in the state required Maine to redirect resources to people who face the heaviest risks, Shah said. “Maine finds itself in the position of a very busy, crowded emergency room,” he said. “Just like an emergency room, we have to take our available resources and make sure we are addressing the people with the greatest needs.” Others who will still receive a case investigation include people 18 or younger, hospitalized people, people with disabilities, people who live or work in congregate facilities, and people identified as members of a demographic that has a higher burden of the disease in Maine, Shah said.

Maryland

Baltimore: The state’s attorney for the city is reviewing whether to release older prisoners with medical conditions that make them vulnerable to COVID-19. Marilyn Mosby announced Monday that she’s hired Becky Feldman, a former deputy public defender, to lead the review, The Baltimore Sun reports. Any inmate sent to state prison from Baltimore who applies for a review must have a documented medical condition, be older than 60, and have served at least 25 years in prison on a life sentence or for a crime committed before the age of 18. An April court order from Maryland Chief Judge Mary Ellen Barbera instructs trial courts to identify and release inmates who are vulnerable to the virus and don’t pose a risk to public safety. More than 1,000 prisoners in Maryland have contracted the coronavirus, and officials said last month that 13 have died. Each review will consider the facts of the case, the inmate’s remorse, and the feelings of the victim and their families. Mosby said she also wants to address the number of Black men and women who are in prisons. “Prosecutors historically have played a role and contributed to the epidemic of mass incarceration and racial inequality,” she said. “We also have a responsibility to right that wrong.”

Massachusetts

Boston: Gov. Charlie Baker is reinstating some restrictions meant to help slow the coronavirus’ spread. While Baker’s move will tighten up some restrictions, restaurants, casinos and many other indoor venues will still be allowed to remain open, even as the state is again opening field hospitals to help cope with rising numbers of COVID-19 patients. Beginning Sunday, the state will reduce the maximum number of people allowed at outdoor gatherings from 100 to 50 under the new guidelines outlined Tuesday. Hosts of outdoor gatherings of more than 25 people will be required to provide advance notice to their local board of health. Indoor theaters and performance venues will again have to close. Outdoor theaters and performance venues will be limited to 25% capacity, with no more than 50 people. Movie theaters will be limited to a maximum of 50 people per theater. Stores, houses of worship, gyms, libraries, museums and other indoor spaces will have to reduce their capacity from 50% to 40%. Office workers must wear masks when not in their own workspace and alone and should work from home if possible.

Michigan

Lansing: Nonpublic schools sued Monday after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s administration extended a coronavirus order that prevents in-person instruction at high schools, saying it violates the First Amendment right to practice religion. The federal lawsuit, filed in Michigan’s Western District, was brought by a group representing more than 400 nonpublic schools across the state, as well as three Catholic high schools and 11 parents. The state health department lengthened the restriction by 12 days, through Dec. 20. It took effect Nov. 18 and also applies to public high schools and all colleges and universities. The plaintiffs include Lansing Catholic High School, Father Gabriel Richard High School in Ann Arbor and Everest Collegiate Academy in Clarkston. They said they can safely provide face-to-face learning and sought an injunction to block enforcement of the order. Department of Health and Human Services Director Robert Gordon told lawmakers last week that there is significantly more risk of the virus spreading in high schools than in lower grades.

Minnesota

Waite Park: As the spread of COVID-19 has forced people to remain physically distant, a local family is donating homemade suncatchers to hospital patients to show they are not alone. For the Moorefield family, making rainbow suncatchers is a way to be present without being physically present. Each suncatcher is made in remembrance of Rachel and Steve Moorefield’s late son, Isaiah. For each suncatcher purchased through their business, Eternal Rainbows, one is donated to a COVID-19 patient at the St. Cloud Hospital, Rachel Moorefield said. “This was a small way for us to be able to help others and give people light when it seems so very dark,” she said. Rachel, Steve and their daughters, Myley and Bella, made their first donation to the hospital Dec. 1, with more than 60 suncatchers. The suncatchers and corresponding donations will be offered through Christmas and can be purchased online or at the St. Cloud Hospital Gift Gallery.

Mississippi

Jackson: The state Department of Education said Monday that kindergarten enrollment has decreased and home schooling has increased this academic year, largely explaining the drop of more than 23,000 students enrolled in public schools. The department said in a news release that 442,627 students enrolled in Mississippi public schools as of Sept. 30, compared to 465,913 a year earlier. It said kindergarten enrollment was down 4,345 from last year. The number of home-schooled students increased by 6,731. It was 18,758 last year and is 25,489 this year. Enrollment in Mississippi public schools has dropped by an average of 5,511 students each year over the past three years. The decrease this year coincides with uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic, although the Department of Education news release did not cite reasons that families have chosen different paths for their children’s schooling. Public schools were forced to close for in-person instruction in the spring, during the final weeks of the previous academic year. This fall, they have offered a mix of in-person and online instruction.

Missouri

O’Fallon: The coronavirus surge is creating problems for police departments and sheriff’s offices, forcing some to temporarily close to the public and prompting others to relocate jail inmates. Springfield police on Monday shut down the lobby of the police station, citing “a staffing shortage, made worse recently due to the impact of COVID-19,” according to a news release. St. Louis County Police spokeswoman Tracy Panus said 108 of the department’s 1,293 employees have tested positive since the onset of the pandemic. In Kansas City, 195 police employees of 1,396 tested have had the virus, spokesman Jacob Becchina said. Smaller departments are feeling the impact too. COVID-19 illnesses and quarantines left the Howard County Sheriff’s Department with just one part-time and two full-time deputies, so the sheriff’s office has been closed since Thanksgiving, Presiding Commissioner Jeremiah Johnmeyer said. The available deputies are still working from their cars and homes. Among those who tested positive was Sheriff Mike Neal.

Montana

Helena: Republicans and Democrats clashed Monday over contrasting visions for how to hold the upcoming legislative session safely amid the coronavirus pandemic. Majority Republicans voiced support for forming a leadership panel that would make decisions on safety precautions once the session begins, eliciting concern from Democrats that the session would exacerbate the existing public health crisis that has strained Helena health care providers. Democrats want to decide on a plan of action before the session begins Jan. 4 and offered three proposals: postpone the session until a vaccine is widely available, hold the session remotely, or implement mandatory safety measures that would include mask-wearing, social distancing and a regular COVID-19 testing program. All were met with opposition or skepticism from Republicans. Rep. Derek Skees, R-Kalispell, chair of the House Rules Committee, came down strongly against any effort to hold the session entirely remotely. Skees claimed the state is heading towards herd immunity. But “herd immunity is not a strategy for protecting the health and safety of Montanans,” said Sen. Jill Cohenour, a Democrat from Helena who is a chemist in the Department of Public Health and Human Services. “People will die to get us to herd immunity.”

Nebraska

Omaha: The latest virus numbers in the state show some improvement, but health officials say cases remain high, and it’s not yet clear how Thanksgiving gatherings and travel will affect the numbers. Dr. James Lawler with the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Global Center for Health Security said the state is seeing a real decrease in new coronavirus cases and hospitalizations, but it’s no time to let up on mask-wearing and other measures to limit the spread of the virus. “There’s a good chance, without more concerted effort, that we stand a chance to go back up,” he told the Omaha World-Herald. Nebraska had the fifth-highest rate of infection in the nation Monday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. But the seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Nebraska decreased over the past two weeks, going from 2,271.43 new cases per day Nov. 23 to 1,909.71 new cases per day Monday. Nebraska reported 1,293 new cases and 31 deaths Monday to give the state 141,127 cases and 1,236 deaths since the pandemic began.

Nevada

Las Vegas: The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 has more than doubled over the past month, officials said Monday, increasing to 1,617 hospitalized patients statewide and up from 692. The Nevada Hospital Association reported hospitalized coronavirus patients increased more than 230% from Nov. 6 to Sunday. Hospital officials also reported that the number of patients needing ventilators grew 250% from early November. Nevada COVID-19 response director Caleb Cage said Monday that officials expect the number of reported cases and, in turn, hospitalizations to continue rising because of gatherings people held over Thanksgiving. Statewide, 80% of staffed hospital beds were occupied Monday, and 40% of the ventilators in Nevada were being used. The state reported 2,448 new COVID-19 cases and four more deaths Monday. The state’s 14-day positivity rate was 21.2% on Monday – the highest since the start of the pandemic. Nevada has been hitting new highs in that rolling trend since it began experiencing a spike in reported coronavirus cases in mid-November.

New Hampshire

Concord: At least 60 people have responded to a call for staffing help at the State Veterans Home in Tilton, which has been dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak. “LNAs, LPNs and RNs we’re really looking for – and the licensed positions,” Margaret LaBrecque, commandant of the home, told WMUR-TV on Monday. “We’re looking for some housekeepers just to go around, sanitize, remove the trash.” Since the coronavirus was first detected at the home Nov. 10, at least 53 residents and 64 staff members have tested positive, and 15 veterans have died, according to state figures released last week. On Saturday, LeBrecque called for an “all-hands on deck response” for clinical and non-clinical staff to help in day-to-day operations for the veterans home.

New Jersey

Trenton: The number of New Jerseyans with COVID-19 who refuse to cooperate with contact tracers continues to grow, hampering efforts to stem the spread of the virus, Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday. A “whopping” 74% of cases do not give information about recent contacts with others to government health employees who call them, Murphy said. That’s a significant increase from the 62% of people last month who refused to divulge information that allows tracers to reach potentially infected people and advise them to get tested or to quarantine. “Quite frankly this is unacceptable, and we need folks to turn that around,” Murphy said. Although anonymity is given to those who are infected, many fear divulging personal information and whether they caused someone’s illness. “Our contact tracers are not on a witch hunt,” Murphy said. “They are only concerned about stopping the spread of this virus.”

New Mexico

Santa Fe: The governor and top health officials are trying to fend off a flurry of lawsuits by businesses owners who say financial losses caused by the state’s pandemic health orders amount to a regulatory taking and should be compensated. In a Monday night court filing, the administration of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham urged the state Supreme Court to intervene and defuse the lawsuits. “Under well-established law, harms caused by the exercise of the state’s police power to protect public health are not compensable,” attorneys for the governor’s office and the state attorney general’s wrote. Oral arguments are scheduled in January as the Supreme Court weighs the fate of at least 14 lawsuits filed in district court that describe the pandemic-related health orders as a regulatory “taking” that merits just compensation to businesses under provisions of the state constitution and health-emergency statutes. The original lawsuits were filed by businesses running the gamut from an oxygen healing bar in downtown Santa Fe to a florist in Farmington and an auction house in rural Portales.

New York

New York: Hundreds of bodies are still stored in freezer trucks at a disaster morgue set up during the city’s coronavirus surge in the spring, according to the city’s Office of Chief Medical Examiner. Many of the 650 bodies at the disaster morgue on the Brooklyn waterfront as of late November are of people whose families can’t be located or can’t afford a proper burial, officials said. The unit tasked with identifying bodies is set up to handle about 20 deaths a day, but during the peak of the pandemic it received as many as 200 a day, Aden Naka, deputy director of forensic investigations, told the Wall Street Journal. Normally, the deceased would have been buried within a few weeks in a gravesite for the indigent on Hart Island in the Long Island Sound. But as COVID-19 deaths surged in New York in April, with as many as 800 deaths in one day, Mayor Bill de Blasio pledged that mass burials in temporary graves wouldn’t take place. The medical examiner’s office is having trouble finding relatives of more than 200 deceased people, officials said. When next of kin have been contacted, many bodies haven’t been collected because families haven’t arranged burial for financial reasons, nor have they requested free burial on Hart Island.

North Carolina

Wendell: A store owner has been cited for encouraging customers not to wear masks in her store. Police said the signs violate Gov. Roy Cooper’s mask-wearing order, which was imposed to preserve public health during the coronavirus pandemic. Wendell General Store owner Regina Harmon was cited last week with one count of aiding and abetting the violation of an executive order, news outlets report. Wendell police received a complaint that Harmon’s store posted signs stating: “Masks not required, exceptions to every rule,” and “We request that you not wear a face covering, for the safety of our customers and staff.” Wendell Police Chief Bill Carter said officers investigated and cited Harmon after consulting with the Wake County District Attorney’s Office. Face coverings have been required in North Carolina since June, but with infections soaring, Cooper issued a new executive order that took effect Nov. 25, tightening the mask requirement. Violating the mandate is Class 2 misdemeanor and could result in a fine of up to $1,000.

North Dakota

Bismarck: State health officials on Monday confirmed 366 new cases of the coronavirus, marking the fourth straight day that positive tests for the virus have dropped and continuing a trend of falling positivity rates. The state also announced the first death of a state prison inmate who was coronavirus-positive. The inmate was admitted to a Bismarck hospital Nov. 25 and died Friday, officials said. The drop in new cases is reflected in national statistics. After leading the country in the number of virus cases per capita for several weeks, the state now ranks fourth in data compiled Sunday by the COVID Tracking Project. The 14-day rolling average positivity rate has dropped below 10% for the first time since mid-October. Officials said there were nine new deaths in the past day, raising the total number of fatalities to 1,022. Hospitalizations stood at 304, down one from Sunday.

Ohio

Columbus: The state reported a record 25,721 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday as it cleared a backlog of more than 12,000 antigen tests. But the number of confirmed cases tied to the more reliable polymerase chain reaction test was still the highest single-day addition yet: 11,728 cases. Before Tuesday, Ohio double-checked new cases linked to antigen tests before adding them to the state’s total. A positive antigen test counts as a “probable case” if it’s accompanied by a doctor’s diagnosis or close contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case. Checking that information became burdensome in recent weeks as the number of antigen tests coming in doubled to more than 700 per day. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stopped requiring that verification in August, and most states stopped doing it as well. The Ohio Department of Health learned of 81 deaths since Monday’s report. The number of COVID-19 patients in Ohio hospitals also increased to 5,181 on Tuesday, with 1,210 in intensive care units.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City: The Oklahoma State Department of Health on Tuesday reported nearly 2,300 new coronavirus cases, while the trend of newly reported cases per day declined below 3,000, and the daily number of deaths rose. There were 2,297 new cases for a total of 220,686 since the pandemic began, the health department reported, and 11 additional deaths to bring the total to 1,922. There were 1,698 people hospitalized with the virus, the department said. Data from Johns Hopkins University shows the seven-day rolling average of new cases in Oklahoma dropped from 3,002 per day Nov. 23 to 2,949 on Monday, while the average of daily deaths in the state increased from 15.9 per day to 24 during the same period. Positive coronavirus tests at the University of Cincinnati led to the cancellation of the University of Tulsa’s final home football game Saturday, according to the American Athletic Conference. The two are still scheduled to play in the conference championship game Dec. 19.

Oregon

Portland: People in the city who are struggling financially during the COVID-19 pandemic will be able to try again for a prepaid $500 VISA debit card to cover household expenses. Oregon Public Broadcasting reports the application period will open Thursday from 3 to 6 p.m. on the city’s PDX Assist website. Unlike past gift card giveaways organized by the city, the cards will not be awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis. Instead, 4,000 applications submitted in the three-hour window will be chosen through a lottery.During past lottery rounds, the system has been overwhelmed within minutes. In a virtual press conference Monday, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said this application portal was the quickest way to get federal aid money that came to the city through the CARES Act out the door. The city is required to distribute all the federal dollars by the end of the year.

Pennsylvania

Harrisburg: The nursing home industry is suing Pennsylvania, claiming Tuesday that the state illegally withheld more than $150 million that was intended to help long-term care facilities shoulder the financial burden of the coronavirus pandemic. The lawsuit, filed in state court, contended the Department of Human Services is refusing to provide supplemental payments to nursing homes as required by law, depriving them of crucial funding to fight the pandemic. “We didn’t want to file suit against the Wolf administration, but when they ignore the clear language of state law and essentially steal more than $153 million from nursing homes battling a once-in-a-century pandemic, it’s time to stand up for what’s right,” said Adam Marles, president and CEO of LeadingAge PA, which represents hundreds of nonprofit nursing homes statewide. Gov. Tom Wolf has “simply turned his back” on nursing home residents and staff, he said. The state denied the accusations. A Department of Human Services spokesperson, Ali Fogarty, said the lawsuit “seeks only more money for nursing facilities throughout the commonwealth that have already received more than $800 million in taxpayer stimulus.”

Rhode Island

Cranston: The state’s second-largest school district will move to all-remote learning for the rest of the year because “we are unable to staff our buildings safely any longer” during the current surge in coronavirus cases, according to a letter to parents. Cranston Superintendent Jeannine Nota-Masse in the letter Monday said the district will begin virtual learning for its 11,000 students Thursday. “With the inability to consistently and predictably manage our staffing due to positive cases, quarantining, testing time requirements, and just general absenteeism, it is not fair to parents and staff to not know from one day to the next if we can open our schools,” the letter said. Cranston students will learn from home through at least Jan. 4. Newport Superintendent Colleen Burns Jermain also announced Monday that Pell Elementary, Thompson Middle School and Rogers High School will move to distance learning for the rest of the year because of COVID-19 cases, quarantining concerns and staffing issues, The Newport Daily News reports. Gov. Gina Raimondo has resisted closing schools during the rise in cases, saying schools remain safe. But she gave high schools the option to move to virtual learning.

South Carolina

Mount Pleasant: The Lowcountry Oyster Festival will be held next month, but attendance will be limited to 5,000 people, organizers said. The Lowcountry Hospitality Association made the announcement last week. State officials allowed organizers to admit 7,000 people to the Jan. 31 event near Charleston, The Post and Courier reports. That required an exemption from an executive order limiting mass gatherings to 250 attendees. Organizers say they will cap the crowd at 5,000 people. The Lowcountry Oyster Festival would draw 13,000 people in a typical year, board president Jonathan Kish said.

South Dakota

Sioux Falls: Christmas tree sellers say the pandemic and relatively mild weather are driving early, heavy traffic by shoppers this year. Some lots, including Baumgartner Family Christmas Trees in Sioux Falls, are running out of trees. “Because of the nice weather and COVID, I think everybody is buying early this year,” owner Kevin Baumgartner told KSFY-TV. Wreaths are also selling at a rapid pace. “Also, any outdoor garland and stuff, we were wiped out in the first week, which is unusual. But it was harder than normal to get it this year,” he said, citing labor issues tied to COVID-19. A tree shortage is also contributing to a quicker season. Riverview Christmas Tree Farm in Canton is already closed for the season because of fewer trees and high demand. “In the drought of 2012, all the baby trees died, and then this past drought in 2020, we just didn’t get much growth out of our trees, and we actually lost some big trees as well,” said owner Todd Gannon. “I think COVID had a lot to do with it, people really in the Christmas spirit and wanting some positive Christmas joy in their lives earlier than normal this year.”

Tennessee

Nashville: A new museum that focuses on African American music will open next month, officials said. The National Museum of African American Music will host a socially distanced ribbon cutting Jan. 18 when it officially opens in Nashville, news outlets report. Members of the museum will be able to take tours Jan. 23-24, and the facility will open to the public Jan. 30. Museum President and CEO H. Beecher Hicks III said officials look forward to welcoming music lovers and celebrating the history of African American music. “We have been preparing for this day for more than 20 years, but this museum has actually been more than 400 years in the making,” he said. Due to rising cases of the coronavirus, the museum said it would limit the number of people inside the museum, and all visitors would be required to wear masks.

Texas

Austin: With new cases of the coronavirus and hospitalizations spiking in Texas as winter approaches, Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday launched a program to provide small businesses with rapid tests for their employees. Abbott said the Texas Division of Emergency Management will give local chambers of commerce testing supplies that will be allocated to participating businesses. A similar program for school systems was implemented in October. “This effective strategy will help us detect and mitigate this virus while ensuring that Texas remains safely open for business,” said Abbott, who said the tests were provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. On Monday, the Texas Department of State Health Services reported 8,712 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 33 new deaths. Health officials said Monday that 8,790 people were hospitalized with coronavirus in the state. Over the past two weeks, the rolling average number of daily new cases has increased by about 22%, according to Johns Hopkins researchers. The researchers said 1 in every 294 people in Texas tested positive in the past week.

Utah

Salt Lake City: The state’s population swelled by an estimated 52,820 people during the fiscal year that ended July 1, 2020, as a years­long economic boom ended and the pandemic and its recession began. The hotbed of growth in the state was Utah County, which includes Provo and where the population mushroomed by 19,437, the Salt Lake Tribune reports. That was 61% more than the 11,899 people added by Salt Lake County, the most populous in the state. And Utah had its lowest number of births in 21 years, allowing immigrants to add to the population almost equally with new babies. “We also anticipate a higher number of deaths in 2021 due to COVID-19,” the report said, “leading to a sharper decline in natural increase if births do not increase.” Emily Harris, a demographer at the University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, said births have declined in Utah and the nation since 2008, when financial stress amid the Great Recession led many couples to have fewer children. She said it’s too early to tell if the current recession will decrease births more, although recessions usually do.

Vermont

Montpelier: Some long-term care facilities are reporting dramatic increases in the numbers of people infected by the virus that causes COVID-19, state officials said Tuesday. While the number of cases in facilities such as nursing homes was high during the early weeks of the pandemic, it dropped to near zero over several months from late spring through the summer but began rebounding last month. The increases followed rises in October that were caused by more social gatherings that helped drive up the amount of virus circulating in the community, statistics show. Speaking Tuesday at the state’s twice-weekly virus briefing, Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine said that despite efforts to keep it out, people can bring the coronavirus into long-term care facilities without knowing they are infected. He said efforts are underway to determine whether more can be done to help limit transmission into and within the facilities. But Levine said that there are more than 200 care facilities of different types in Vermont and that eight have seen infections that account for 283 current active cases.

Virginia

Richmond: Health officials say they’ll likely have to scale back on contact tracing because coronavirus transmission levels are rising so much. The Virginian-Pilot reports the state Department of Health announced changes to its guidelines that prioritize contact tracing efforts to key segments of the population. The changes mean contact tracers may not be able to reach all Virginians who were recently exposed to someone with COVID-19. And people who get infected may have to call the people with whom they were recently in contact. Contact tracers interview people who have recently tested positive and determine their recent contacts. They then provide advice to those people on how to avoid spreading the virus to others. Local health departments are now prioritizing their time to talk to the people most at risk. Those include people living in nursing homes and prisons, as well as people who have compromised immune systems. There have been more than 226,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state and 4,208 suspected deaths.

Washington

Spokane: The coronavirus pandemic continues to rage in the Spokane region, with outbreaks linked to long-term care facilities and the Airway Heights Corrections Center. Meanwhile, Grant County continues to see the effects of a 300-person wedding near Ritzville that became a COVID-19 superspreader event. That November wedding has been linked to outbreaks and possible deaths in long-term care facilities in the Moses Lake area. The Spokesman-Review reports health officials determined that care facilities staff in Grant County attended the wedding and later tested positive for COVID-19. At least three care facilities in Grant County have reported outbreaks since the wedding, but a definitive connection between those outbreaks and the wedding remains unclear, according to a press release. In neighboring Adams County, seven COVID-19 cases are linked to the wedding, officials said. Washington’s COVID-19 guidance limits wedding ceremonies to 30 people, with indoor receptions prohibited.

West Virginia

Charleston: State Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said Monday that he is recuperating in isolation at home after being diagnosed with the coronavirus and pneumonia. Morrisey said in a statement that he was diagnosed last week. He said he is currently receiving breathing and medical treatments at home. “I am feeling better today, and as such I am busy working from home,” Morrisey said. “Make no mistake about it, this can be a nasty virus, especially for those who are elderly or may be immunocompromised.” Meanwhile, a West Virginia courthouse is closing for at least two weeks after employees from two offices were possibly exposed to the virus, officials said. The Lincoln County courthouse will be closed for at least 14 days to make sure none of the exposed employees develop symptoms of COVID-19, the county commission said in a news release. The West Virginia National Guard will decontaminate the building in the meantime, WCHS-TV reports.

Wisconsin

Madison: Gov. Tony Evers and his administration will use federal coronavirus relief money to fund additional staff members in hospitals and nursing facilities across the state as the pandemic continues. The Department of Health Services and the Department of Administration announced Tuesday they will be contracting with a staffing agency to line up the personnel the facilities need. The facilities will share the cost of the additional staff members with the state. Wisconsin will also launch a new marketing campaign aimed at connecting new and former health care workers with jobs and training opportunities at hospitals, assisted living facilities and nursing homes in their own communities. And the administration is providing an additional $30 million to the acute care admission incentive program, which encourages nursing facilities to admit residents directly from hospitals. In November, Evers pledged $80 million to the program. While the number of new daily cases has been declining from high peaks in November, death tolls are still rising, as is the need for health care workers to care for those hospitalized with the virus.

Wyoming

Cheyenne: The state will require face coverings in public indoor spaces, reduce bar and restaurant hours, and further limit gathering sizes in response to this fall’s surge in coronavirus cases, Gov. Mark Gordon announced Monday. The changes take effect Wednesday and will remain in place until at least Jan. 8. “Too many people have died,” Gordon said in a statement. “Science tells us limiting gatherings of groups and using face coverings are effective in slowing transmission of this virus. With these actions we can avoid taking the more drastic step of closing schools and businesses.” Gordon up to now had resisted ordering face masks amid widespread resistance to coronavirus public health orders in Wyoming. Some law enforcement officials, meanwhile, have expressed little interest in enforcing mask orders despite their effectiveness in reducing spread of the virus through the population. Even so, 16 of Wyoming’s 23 counties have implemented local mask orders with approval from state health officials.

From USA TODAY Network and wire reports

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tree boom, suncatchers: News from around our 50 states