Milk giveaway, ‘Pass the pork,’ famous rodeo foiled: News from around our 50 states

Alabama

Montgomery: More than 90 years after its founding, the picturesque Jasmine Hill Gardens and Outdoor Museum is closing. In a short Facebook post published May 23, the museum said the Wetumpka nonprofit would not resume operation after previously announcing it would temporarily shut March 19 amid the coronavirus pandemic. “While it is hard to know what the future holds, we must share that Jasmine Hill will not reopen,” the statement read. “We give thanks to our visitors and supporters, and send our warmest wishes that you will continue to be nurtured by art and nature.” By Tuesday morning, the post had been shared more than 430 times and received more than 175 comments from supporters who responded with a mix of sadness and nostalgia at news that the 22-acre property would be no more. In October, the group launched a new year of programming and events aimed at reinvigorating interest in the public gardens. It is unknown whether the burden of the public health crisis, or a combination of preceding factors, were too heavy to keep the nonprofit afloat. Jasmine Hill Foundation President Elmore DeMott said she was unable to share further details at this time, “we honestly do not have answers about the future,” but that “thoughtful” care would continue to be given to their impressive array of flowers, plants and trees.

Alaska

Anchorage: Alaska’s public health labs are checking results from rapid COVID-19 testing machines amid concerns about their accuracy. The Department of Health and Social Services has 113 testing machines to confirm suspected coronavirus cases, The Anchorage Daily News reported Monday. The machines made by Abbott and called “ID NOW” were distributed to remote Alaska communities that needed fast test results. Days or weeks were previously needed in some places where samples had to be flown to other labs. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced last week that early data suggested the machines could produce potentially inaccurate results. The main concerns are false negatives, which are tests incorrectly indicating patients do not have COVID-19. The FDA said it is investigating. Dr. Bernd Jilly, director of Alaska’s public health laboratories, said he has known about the false-negative issues since the testing machines were first deployed. The state subsequently requested that Abbott machine results be submitted to the state labs for follow-up testing. Through Saturday, 43,507 tests had been conducted in Alaska, the health department said. Out of 360 Abbott test results checked through Friday, one negative test came back positive during confirmatory testing, Jilly said. A recent study by New York University, which has not yet gone through the traditional peer-review process for scientific research, showed high false-negative rates in the Abbott machines during testing in New York. In places where the virus is more prevalent, many negatives would be more of a red flag. But in Alaska, where cases are low, “one would expect a negative result just based on the clinical picture of life here,” Jilly said.

Arizona

Glendale: The new Desert Diamond Casino West Valley will reopen, with some restrictions, on June 5 after closing in March because of the coronavirus pandemic. The casino, which had just opened in February, will have “social distancing measures” and “protective equipment such as plexiglass barriers,” the casino announced on Twitter. The casino has had “deep” cleanings during the closure, according to the Tohono O’odham Gaming Enterprise.The Desert Diamond casinos near Tucson, Sahuarita and Why also will reopen on June 5. Customers and employees will be required to wear masks, which will be provided. Customers will have their temperature checked before entering and employees will have their temperature checked daily. Staff will clean and disinfect “high-contact areas” throughout the day. The reopening will be phased with limited capacity, amenities and hours at first. The casino has not announced specific restrictions yet. Several metro Phoenix casinos reopened in mid-May and a handful plan to reopen on June 1. Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino in Maricopa, Fort McDowell Casino near Fountain Hills and the three Gila River casinos – Lone Butte near Chandler, Vee Quiva near Laveen and Wild Horse Pass near Chandler – reopened on May 15.

Arkansas

Little Rock: The state’s top health official said he will step down this summer, but that he has no disagreement with the governor’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, even as new cases continue to rise. Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Dr. Nathaniel Smith, the state’s health secretary, is leaving Aug. 28 for a job with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hutchinson said Dr. Jose Romero, the department’s chief medical officer, will be the health department’s interim head. Smith’s decision comes days after Hutchinson said the state was seeing a “second peak” of coronavirus cases. The state last week reported a new one-day high of new virus cases. The number of active virus cases – excluding those who have recovered or died – has steadily increased since setting a new high on Friday. Arkansas was among a handful of states that did not issue a stay-at-home order during the pandemic, but had other restrictions in place that the state has been rolling back over the past few weeks. The moves allowed restaurant dining rooms, gyms, barber shops, theaters and other businesses to reopen. Freestanding bars were allowed to resume service on Tuesday, and swimming pools and water parks reopened Friday.

California

Los Angeles: The state moved to further relax its coronavirus restrictions and help the battered economy on Tuesday by permitting barbershops and hair salons to reopen. Los Angeles County, moving more cautiously, said stores and houses of worship can open their doors. “There’s a lot of people suffering, and we can do this safely,” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said in announcing the county decision at a news briefing. The state’s most populous county – and the hardest-hit by the virus – moved to permit in-person shopping and religious services with social distancing restrictions, a day after California announced counties wouldn’t need state permission to do so if certain requirements were met. Retail stores – including those at shopping malls – can open at 50% capacity. Churches, mosques, synagogues and temples can have no more than 25% of building capacity or 100 people. Everyone will be urged to wear masks and practice social distancing. Flea markets, swap meets and drive-in movies also got the nod. The decision was a surprise because only days ago, officials were talking about July 4 as a target date for such reopening. But most of California’s 58 counties already have reopened stores, placing L.A. County at an economic disadvantage by limiting its businesses to curbside pickups and deliveries. Small businesses also had to compete with big-box stores that sold food, considered an essential service under the state’s stay-at-home order.

Colorado

Aspen: The city has approved a gift card program that will give some residents $25 to spend at retail stores or restaurants to help stimulate the local economy. The City Council voted Tuesday to approve the $50,000 program as part of the city’s $6 million coronavirus relief and recovery fund, The Aspen Times reported. “You’re getting people energized to go out, to have meals … for not a lot of money for a coupon you are activating a lot of different people,” councilwoman Ann Mullins said. More than 1,500 residents who received food tax refunds this year are eligible and can pick up the gift cards at city hall as early as next week, city officials said. The last day for gift card distribution is June 12. An additional 450 cards will be distributed to local nonprofit groups and the Aspen Police Department so officers can hand them out to people they encounter who need assistance, officials said. All restaurants and retail businesses in Aspen are eligible to participate but are not required. The cards must be used once at the same location by July 6 and cannot be used to buy alcohol or marijuana. Aspen’s nonessential businesses closed in March because of the coronavirus pandemic. City officials have acknowledged that preventive health measures have caused devastating economic impacts on the local economy.

Connecticut

Hartford: Gov. Ned Lamont said he hopes tribal casinos will agree to delay their planned, partial reopenings on June 1, reiterating his concerns Tuesday about possibly spreading the new cononavirus, especially among older people. A team of state officials, led by the Department of Consumer Protection commissioner, the acting Department of Public Health commissioner, and the Department of Economic and Community Development commissioner, toured Mohegan Sun on Tuesday. The group plans to tour Foxwoods Resort Casino, possibly later this week, to review their plans to protect employees and visitors.“I’m going to get a report back and we’re going to give Mohegan Sun some constructive observations about what we saw as we try to get closer to a safe resolution of this,” said Lamont, who has suggested he might pull the tribes’ liquor licenses or warn patrons of the potential risks before they enter the casinos, located in sovereign nations. The tribes contend they’re ready to open safely.

Delaware

Wilmington: Under new rules announced by the state Department of Education on Tuesday, schools can hold outdoor graduations with social distancing rules starting next week. The announcement came alongside a slew of relaxations of Delaware's emergency coronavirus rules set to take place Monday – among them an allowance to hold gatherings of up to 250 people or more with a permit. Schools statewide have been closed since mid-March to slow the spread of the virus. Teachers and school districts scrambled to make the transition to online learning for the rest of the school year. Parents and students mourned the loss of yearly traditions, with some getting creative to honor neighborhood graduates in impromptu parades. The ceremonies will be subject to many of the same health requirements as other gatherings and businesses that have been allowed to reopen. There must be a 6-foot radius between each family, according to the Department of Education rules, and seating in stands must be arranged to enforce that. Signs will be posted prohibiting entrance to those who display coronavirus symptoms, and face masks are required for anyone age 13 or above. Indoor ceremonies will remain prohibited. School districts are encouraged to stagger the entrance of graduates to reduce attendance at each ceremony. The department is also discouraging districts from handing out paper ceremony programs, selling concessions or providing restrooms if they are unable to disinfect restrooms every 15 minutes to two hours.

District of Columbia

Washington: Mayor Muriel Bowser said the District will reopen on Friday following 14 days of a sustained decline in coronavirus cases in the city, WUSA-TV reported. The Public Health Emergency is still in effect and gatherings of more than 10 people are still prohibited. Moving to Phase 1 of reopening for the District means that although the stay-at-home order is lifted, there will still be some restrictions in place to control the spread of COVID-19. The city plans to start an initiative that will donate supplies or a one-time care package to help businesses with reopening until they can supply their own safety materials. The Small Business Startup Supplies will include hand sanitizer, masks and cleaning supplies. Businesses will have to request the packages through DSLBD or a local BID or Main Streets.

Florida

Tallahassee: The state might have lost nearly $900 million in tax revenue in April – far more than it anticipated – as the coronavirus pandemic siphoned away tourist dollars and other revenue from the state’s coffers, according to estimates released Tuesday. The outbreak was certain to impact the state budget, and it became staggeringly clearer on Tuesday by just how much. The Legislature has yet to forward the $93.2 billion budget it approved in March to Gov. Ron DeSantis for his signature. Lawmakers approved the budget just days after the governor began shuttering some businesses and putting stay-at-home measures in place. The budget lawmakers approved included $300 million in extra reserves to help address the economic hardship wrought by the outbreak. The budget also includes $25.2 million requested by the governor to directly fight the virus, and $27 million in emergency funds from the federal government. But Florida officials, who had expected to take in nearly $3 billion last month, fell short by $878 million – a hefty sum that might now have to be addressed by lawmakers. It remained uncertain if they will convene a special session.

Georgia

Atlanta: As lawmakers began to consider a 14% reduction in next year’s state budget because of declines in tax revenue amid the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s already clear that $3.5 billion or more in budget cuts will lead to lots of furloughs. The Senate Appropriations Education Subcommittee faced up to the problem quickly during an appearance by Commissioner Amy Jacobs of the Department of Early Care and Learning. She warned that a 14% cut in lottery funds would lead to a $51 million reduction in spending on state-subsidized child care slots for 4-year-olds. Teachers would see their pay cut 10% with total days worked falling from 190 to 171. That would include 13 fewer school days and six fewer planning days. The department would eliminate 4,000 of its 84,000 child care slots entirely. Subcommittee Chairman Ellis Black, a Republican from Valdosta, suggested that instead of furloughing workers, the state could temporarily cut paychecks. Sen. Jesse Stone, a Waynesboro Republican, supported the idea. Sen. Jeff Mullis, a Chickamauga Republican, has separately proposed cutting lawmakers’ pay by 14%. Jacobs, though, said teachers should be paid at the same daily rate even if they don’t work as many days.

Hawaii

Honolulu: The city will delay a planned stormwater utility fee and fund until after Hawaii’s economy improves from the impact of the new coronavirus, officials said. The city plans to continue a second series of community meetings this week about a proposal to improve stormwater management and to reduce the flow of stormwater into streams and the ocean, The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Monday. The Department of Facility Maintenance had planned to send bills establishing the program and the fund this summer with hopes of starting the program in July 2022. The city will delay the bills until at least next year, Facility Maintenance Director Ross Sasamura said. The city’s storm drain system catches runoff from streets, parking lots and yards, which is usually not treated before the runoff flows into streams and ocean water. The stormwater runoff is separate from the sanitary sewer system, which carries wastewater from homes and businesses to plants for treatment before reuse or release to the ocean. The delay will give the department time to explore options including an Oahu stormwater master plan, a program for property owners to earn credit for reducing runoff, a neighborhood reinvestment plan, and a relief and hardship plan for seniors, nonprofit organizations and low-income families.

Idaho

Burley: Dozens of workers at a meatpacking plant in southwestern Idaho have tested positive for COVID-19, health officials said. The South Central Public Health District said Tuesday that 44 employees at Ida-Beef in Burley tested positive. None of the workers was hospitalized and there were no fatalities linked to the outbreak. The plant has temporarily shut down despite an order by President Donald Trump in April requiring meat processing plants to stay open amid concerns over growing coronavirus cases and the impact on the nation’s food supply. It’s the second food processing plant in the region hit with the virus in recent days. At least 50 employees of potato products company Rite Stuff Foods in the nearby community of Jerome tested positive last week. Community spread of the virus has also been confirmed in five of the eight counties the health district oversees. The region has accounted for the majority of new cases in Idaho over the last week.

Illinois

Rockford: City, county and Winnebago County Health Department officials are scrambling to digest new guidelines released by the state late Sunday that will govern how the economy will begin to reopen Friday. Retail establishments will be allowed to reopen, but with limited capacity of five customers per 1,000-square-feet of space. Dressing rooms must also be sanitized after each use and everyone is required to wear a mask. Fitness centers will be allowed to reopen for limited outdoor workouts and indoors with one-on-one personal training. Barber shops and hair salons can reopen, but under strict guidelines. Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara said the guidelines are mostly for which officials had been advocating, with one big exception: Restaurants will not have indoor seating available, even with limited capacity. Instead, restaurants will be allowed outdoor dining and take-out or delivery only. McNamara said he shares the frustrations of local business owners about the rapidly changing landscape after the Illinois Department Commerce and Economic Opportunity released last-minute guidance under the governor’s reopening plan. The city is allowing restaurants to apply for outdoor seating permits via its website and without a fee.

Indiana

Indianapolis: The city continues its reopening with the return of indoor worship on Friday, and the start of the third phase of Marion County’s plan on Monday. Mayor Joe Hogsett and Marion County Public Health Department Director Virginia Caine announced Wednesday that starting May 29, places of worship can resume indoor service at 50% capacity with social distancing in place and mandatory face coverings. Starting Monday, the limit on public gatherings will increase to 50 people. Also on Monday, nonessential retail, including malls, can operate at 75% capacity, and indoor dining can resume at 50% capacity. Personal services such as salons and tanning will reopen June 1 by appointment only, with the requirement that all staff and patrons wear personal protective equipment. Gyms and fitness centers can open at 50% percent capacity with special sanitation measures in place. Tennis courts, basketball courts and noncontact sporting fields can also reopen at 50% capacity. Bars, nightclubs, movie theaters, tourism venues, bowling alleys and arcades will remain closed during Stage 3, as they are statewide.

Iowa

Des Moines: The state Department of Agriculture said it plans to provide three rounds of assistance to help producers who face destroying an estimated 600,000 pigs that couldn't be sent to pork processing plants because of coronavirus-related bottlenecks. Plants across the Midwest have closed or slowed production after workers became sick with COVID-19. Officials have linked at least 15,300 infections to 192 U.S. meatpacking plants, according to tracking by the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting. About 60 workers have died. “COVID-19 has caused unprecedented, ongoing disruptions to the food supply chain,” said Mike Naig, Iowa's agriculture secretary. The agriculture department has asked Gov. Kim Reynolds for $24 million for the program, tapping a portion of the federal coronavirus relief funding coming to the state to offset costs from the pandemic. It's unknown how much money initially will be available. Seeking to avoid euthanizing pigs that can't be processed, pork producers have changed their feed for pigs to slow their weight gain, doubled up animals where they can and donating pigs to food banks through the state's "Pass the Pork" program. "In many cases, it’s not enough to make up for the backlog happening on farms," Naig said in a statement. "Producers are being forced to make very difficult decisions and this is one way the state is working to support them during these extremely challenging times.” Naig has said the pigs that are euthanized could be sent to landfills, rendering plants or composted. The state plans to pay producers $40 for each market-weight hog that must be destroyed. The most any producer will be paid is $1.2 million for up to 30,000 animals in each round. Producers euthanizing more than 1,000 pigs will be paid at least $40,000 to help defray their losses, the state said. The amount will depend on the requests and the amount of money available.

Kansas

Topeka: Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed Tuesday a bill passed by the Legislature to snatch from the governor direct control of $1.25 billion in federal coronavirus relief aid and alter state law to weaken the executive branch’s emergency power during the pandemic. Kelly, a Democrat working with a Republican-led House and Senate, said she would sign a revised, 15-day state of emergency declaration to provide legal footing for a streamlined set of executive orders issued in response to a pandemic that has killed 188 and infected 9,200 in Kansas. Officials in each of the state’s 105 counties were granted as of 12:01 a.m. Wednesday the right to set health, business, mass gathering and other limits, the governor said. Her statewide plan to phase in reopening of the state will be mere guidance to counties, she said. Kelly issued a proclamation to call the Legislature into special session June 3 to make sure state law allows disaster assistance continues flowing to cities and counties. “What the Legislature sent to my desk does not protect Kansans,” the governor said. “It does not help Kansans. It puts their lives at risk. I’m calling on the Legislature to come back and put a carefully crafted, bipartisan bill on my desk that will provide the resources Kansans need, in a timely manner. We must stop putting Kansans at risk.” Senate President Susan Wagle, R-Wichita, expected the bill to be vetoed and had characterized that step as a “self-serving politically motivated injustice.”

Kentucky

Louisville: Some residents in a nursing home were evacuated to area hospitals after nearly 60 residents and employees tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The plan to evacuate residents who tested positive for the virus was told to families over the weekend after Nazareth Home’s Clifton Campus in Louisville discovered on Friday that about 40 residents and approximately 20 staff members had tested positive for the virus, news outlets reported. Diane Curtis, a communication director of Nazareth Home Ministries, told the Courier Journal the nursing home requested the testing after some residents began to show symptoms of the coronavirus last week. Many of those who tested positive did not show symptoms. Rosemary Moore, one of the residents who tested positive for the virus, was brought to a hospital Monday night. “I don’t know if she’s going to make it, and it’s heart-wrenching,” Diane Streicher, Moore’s daughter, told WHAS-TV. The evacuations began after it was “apparent the facility was going to have a very tough time providing enough staff to the residents that they had in that facility,” state Health and Family Services Secretary Eric Friedlander said in a news conference Tuesday. The testing at the nursing home was done as part of the state’s long-term care task force that has tested thousands for the virus in facilities across Kentucky. Nazareth Home’s second location will receive testing on June 1.

Louisiana

Baton Rouge: More than 1,800 students are living on university campuses across Louisiana even though they have been taking classes online and have been encouraged to return home because of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Advocate reported. The students, from 650 at Louisiana State University, 310 at Louisiana Tech and 50 or 60 at Tulane University to six at Grambling State and four at Northwestern State, have a wide variety of reasons for remaining. Those range from home being a state or country that has become COVID-19 hot spot to home being a place to avoid because of abusive or drug-ridden families, officials said. “Sometimes people have nowhere else to go,” said Catherine David, LSU Residential Life’s associate director of communications and development. LSU consolidated students from dormitories into campus apartments, giving students their own bedrooms and bathrooms, David said. Custodians are assigned specific rooms, and students who don’t want anyone coming in can choose to do their own cleaning. Pandemic rules include no guests, no gatherings and 24-hour quiet hours.

Maine

Westbrook: A company that makes rapid-result tests for the new coronavirus plans to add a new production center in Westbrook. Abbott Laboratories is renovating and expanding a building that was used as a sporting goods distribution center. The building will be converted into a manufacturing facility for the COVID-19 test kits. The Illinois-based company also received approval to expand its existing facility in Scarborough, where 50,000 test kits are produced daily, a town official told the Portland Press Herald. All told, 2 million kits have been distributed, a spokesman said. The kits can produce positive results within 15 minutes. A staffing company that’s assisting Abbott said it’s looking for 1,000 to 2,000 workers to produce the test kits.

Maryland

Baltimore: The state’s trial courts will return to “full operations” including jury trials on Oct. 5 following a summer of gradual resumptions of court proceedings, including evictions, foreclosures and bench trials, the state’s top judge said. “The details in the reopening plan were carefully and deliberately crafted by work groups composed of (Maryland) Judiciary leadership, with the health and well-being of court visitors and employees as the driving force, in our work to increase access to the courts,” Court of Appeals Chief Judge Mary Ellen Barbera said in a statement announcing the phased-in approach she ordered. “We acknowledge the courts will not be able to return to full operations.“This phased return will guide the courts, as we continue to monitor health conditions in each of the 24 jurisdictions.” The first phase will begin 5 p.m June 5 and slightly expand the list of court proceedings that Barbera deemed in March as emergency actions that must continue to be staffed and conducted amid the COVID-19 pandemic, including domestic violence petitions, detention hearings, bail reviews, arraignments, juvenile hearings and protective orders. The additional procedures include emergency evaluation proceedings, quarantine and isolation petitions, emergency habeas corpus proceedings and extradition cases, Barbera said in her updated emergency order. Anyone seeking access to a courthouse or court office will have to answer health-screening questions, be subject to temperature checks, wear a face covering and practice social distancing. Individuals denied access will be provided information on conducting the proceedings remotely or having them rescheduled, the order stated.

Massachusetts

Boston: A precipitous drop in public transit ridership because of COVID-19 concerns has given the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority a chance to accelerate some previously planned upgrades, Gov. Charlie Baker said at a new conference Wednesday. The transportation authority is finishing a Blue Line subway upgrade originally scheduled to occur over 12 to 14 weekends later this year in a 14-day period scheduled to wrap up Sunday in part because plunging ridership allowed them to replace subway trains with shuttle buses. The work includes replacing 2,200 feet of track between the Maverick and Aquarium stops and address leaking problems which Baker said will help reduce delays on the portion of the track that runs under the Boston Harbor. The drop in ridership is also helping speed work on the Lowell commuter rail as part of construction of the Green Line extension project, Baker said. At the same time the transit agency is taking steps to ensure safety for riders and workers increasing cleaning and sanitizing protocols, requiring rear door boarding on buses and using public message campaigns to remind riders to wear masks or other facial coverings, which are required on public transit.

Michigan

Mount Clemens: Macomb County wants to determine the effectiveness of sampling and studying sewage to see whether hot spots for the COVID-19 virus can be traced. The pilot project was expected to start in June. Samples will be collected twice each week from seven sites in Clinton Township. If successful, the pilot project can be expanded to other parts of the county, according to Macomb Public Works Commissioner Candice Miller. “Through this, we hope we can identify … certain neighborhoods or parts of a community where there is a hot spot,” Miller said. “Our goal is to provide that information to the health department so they can better target their contact tracing or other actions they may be able to take to reduce the community risk.” Miller’s office is working with Oakland and Michigan State universities, which will test the samples. Data will be given to Oakland County’s health department for review. Plans include providing an online public dashboard to allow residents to view the data. The project is receiving funding from the federal CARES Act. The initial pilot has a $1 million budget.

Minnesota

Minneapolis: The city has one the nation’s highest percentage of positive coronavirus tests among metro areas because the state has prioritized residents of long-term care facilities and food processing plant workers for testing, state health officials said Tuesday. Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House coronavirus task force, told reporters last Friday that Minneapolis ranked fourth in terms of “positivity” among major U.S. metropolitan areas, behind Washington, Baltimore and Chicago. She put up a slide during her briefing showing Minneapolis with about a 13% positive rate on a seven-day average and about a 19% rate on a 30-day average. But she didn’t explain what was behind those numbers. On Tuesday, Minnesota Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said she has spoken with Birx about what’s happening in the state. Malcolm said the high rate is because Minnesota has been aggressively testing long-term care residents and employees, and food plant workers, and has only recently broadened its testing to include the general public. The targeted settings are ones in which officials expected to find “very, very high” rates of people testing positive, said Kris Ehresmann, the state’s infectious disease director, who along with Malcom spoke Tuesday at the health department’s daily briefing. She said many of those long-term care settings are in Hennepin County, which includes Minneapolis, and therefore turn up in the percentage that Birx cited.

Mississippi

Jackson: The state can expect a long, slow economic recovery from the shock of job losses and the steep decline in commercial activity tied to the coronavirus pandemic, state economist Darrin Webb told legislators Tuesday. At the beginning of this year, the U.S. economy, and to a lesser extent the Mississippi economy, were doing “quite well,” Webb said. Then, businesses were forced to close because of government orders aimed at slowing the spread of the virus. At the end of 2019, Mississippi’s gross domestic product was just short of the level it had been when the Great Recession began in 2008, Webb said. He predicted it could be 2023 before the state reaches that 2008 level again for jobs and economic activity. Republican Sen. Philip Moran of Kiln said he’s concerned that some people who are collecting $600 a week in federal unemployment benefits will choose not to return to work because their jobs would pay them less than the unemployment. Webb said that’s possible. Legislators will spend the next few weeks deciding whether to trim state agencies’ budgets for the year that ends June 30. They also must set a new budget for the year that begins July 1.

Missouri

O’Fallon: The owner of a business that had crowded pool parties over the Memorial Day weekend at Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks said no laws were broken and safety measures were in place to protect against the spread of the new coronavirus. Social media postings over the weekend showed large crowds of mostly young people without masks and not adhering to social distancing guidelines at pools along the central Missouri lake that is a popular weekend getaway for people in the state and the surrounding region. Many of photos and videos showed people in an area of the lake nicknamed “Party Cove.” Political leaders in St. Louis, St. Louis County and Kansas City, along with Kansas’ health secretary, encouraged 14-day self-quarantines for anyone involved in the parties. Some labeled the gatherings “reckless” and worried that revelers would return home after becoming unwittingly exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19 and potentially spread it to others. “The pictures that emerged from Lake of the Ozarks over the weekend were an international example of bad behavior,” St. Louis County Executive Sam Page, a Democrat and a medical doctor, said Wednesday. Backwater Jacks, a bar and restaurant that has a pool, was among the places with big crowds. Owner Gary Prewitt said in a statement that no laws were broken, though the images appeared to show people violating Republican Gov. Mike Parson’s state order requiring social distancing. Prewitt’s statement said temperatures were checked at the pool entrance by medical staff hired for the event and free bottles of hand sanitizer were distributed. Staff members were given the option not to work.

Montana

Helena: Montana reported two more cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, including an inmate at the Yellowstone County jail in Billings. The inmate, who is in his 30s, tested positive on Tuesday, said RiverStone Health spokesperson Barbara Schneeman. He is being cared for at a Billings hospital, Sheriff Mike Linder told The Billings Gazette. The second new case confirmed from among more than 1,700 tests run on Tuesday involves a male in his teens from Big Horn County. His case is not believed to be tied to the eight previous cases in the county. He along with five others who still have active cases are quarantining and recovering at home, county officials said. Montana has 481 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Seventeen people have died and there are 20 known active cases in the state. Two people are hospitalized.

Nebraska

Omaha: Nebraska’s prisons, jails and detention centers continue to see staff infected with the new coronavirus, as the state’s death toll and positive COVID-19 cases climbed Tuesday. The Nebraska Department of Correctional Services reported Tuesday that a staff member at the Nebraska State Penitentiary has tested positive for the virus. That marked the seventh staff member at the penitentiary and the 12th throughout the state’s prisons system to test positive since the outbreak began. Officials in Omaha also confirmed a third officer with the Douglas County Department of Corrections has tested positive and has been hospitalized with COVID-19, and an employee of the Douglas County Youth Center has also tested positive.

Nevada

Las Vegas: Nevada casinos will be able to open June 4, when they will have been closed for more than 11 weeks to prevent crowds from gathering and spreading the new coronavirus, Gov. Steve Sisolak announced Tuesday night. Nevada gambling regulators said earlier that day that they might require the state’s shuttered casinos to test all front-line resort workers for COVID-19, plan to isolate infected visitors and take other steps to slow the coronavirus spread before they can reopen. In a statement Tuesday night, Sisolak said he would allow casinos to reopen June 4 and in-person religious services of up to 50 people starting Friday. By allowing the casinos to reopen, with new rules on social distancing and sanitizing, Sisolak said Nevada would again welcome visitors but would be prepared to close down again if there is a spike in cases. Sisolak had canceled a news conference Tuesday after learning that he visited a work place last week where an employee who was not in the building at the time later tested positive for the virus. Sisolak has shown no symptoms of COVID-19 but said he was canceling “out of an abundance of caution.” He said he planned to take a test for the virus Wednesday morning and is quarantining in the governor’s mansion in Carson City until he gets results.

New Hampshire

Concord: A New Hampshire man who was near death from the coronavirus has recovered after being given blood plasma from a former virus patient and is scheduled to be released Wednesday after more than six weeks in the hospital. Joseph Jozitis was admitted to Southern New Hampshire Medical Center in Nashua on April 3 and placed on a ventilator, but his condition deteriorated, hospital officials said. The hospital had joined a nationwide trial with the Mayo Clinic to study the effects of plasma treatment on COVID-19 patients. Jozitis was given the plasma from a patient who recovered and developed antibodies. He improved and was able to breathe on his own, said Dr. Timothy Scherer, chief medical officer.

New Jersey

Trenton: The state surpassed its goal a few days early of conducting at least 20,000 coronavirus tests per day, Gov. Phil Murphy said Wednesday. There were 30,000 tests Saturday, the Democrat said, before the total dipped over the Memorial Day holiday. Then on Tuesday, there were 24,000 tests, he said. The state wanted to hit at least 20,000 daily tests by the end of May. “We want New Jerseyans to get tested,” Murphy said. “Anyone who wants to get tested can get tested.” The governor is using the tests as a barometer for reopening the state’s economy as the pandemic threat eases. More testing gives health leaders a better picture of the scope of the outbreak, Murphy has said. The “best tool in our toolkit” to fight the virus is quarantining positive cases and to do that “you need to find the positives,” Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli said Wednesday. Getting a coronavirus test no longer requires a prescription. Although the general public can get a test, essential workers and those who believe they could have the virus are encouraged to get them, Persichilli said. New Jersey has 164 testing centers. Some are publicly run and some are privately operated.

New Mexico

Santa Fe: The New Mexico auditor’s office is looking into a $1.6 million purchase of 500,000 masks at a significantly higher cost than the usual listed price as states scrambled to buy personal protective equipment. The state Health Department bought the masks from a Chinese company in April at a price that was between two to four times the typical price for similar masks made by a U.S. manufacturer, according to an invoice and purchase order obtained by the Santa Fe New Mexican. Auditor Brian Colón said there are concerns with these types of purchases and the risks they present, especially during a crisis when supplies may be low or shortages might exist. He said these types of purchases will be assessed during the audit process. Because there was no national system to coordinate coronavirus-related purchases for states, New Mexico faced unprecedented demand for protective gear from other states and globally, the Health Department said. State Rep. Patricia Lundstrom, chairwoman of the House Appropriations and Finance Committee, voiced concern that the protective equipment was procured without consulting with the Legislature.

New York

New York City: The sprawling suburbs of Nassau and Suffolk counties, where at least 4,000 people have been killed by the virus, were given approval by Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday to begin reopening parts of their economy after nonessential businesses were shuttered for two months. Construction, manufacturing, agriculture and retail with curbside pickup will be permitted in the first phase of reopening. Several popular beaches on Long Island opened last weekend with new rules for reduced capacity and social distancing. The easing of some restrictions on Long Island leaves New York City as the only part of the state that has yet to begin the reopening process. Under guidelines set by Cuomo, reopening is tied to metrics including hospital capacity and trends in fatality rates. New infections have slowed throughout the state but have not stopped. More than 1,000 New Yorkers tested positive Monday.

North Carolina

Raleigh: Gov. Roy Cooper replaced the head of the state unemployment benefits office on Wednesday with a former legislator as the agency struggles to address an unprecedented onslaught of pandemic-related job loss claims. Cooper’s Commerce Department announced that Pryor Gibson, who has recently operated a department program to help revive small-town economies, is the new assistant secretary overseeing the Division of Employment Security. The Democratic governor directed the department “to take actions necessary to address this unprecedented crisis and get more unemployment benefits faster to people who need help now,” Cooper spokesman Ford Porter said by email. Out of the job is Lockhart Taylor, a career agency employee who apologized last week during a state Senate hearing to citizens who testified about their problems obtaining benefits. Applicants have complained about getting knocked off the online filing system and waiting for hours on the phone. Republican senators praised Taylor’s sincerity and his efforts to rapidly expand the system as 955,000 people have applied for benefits since the pandemic. Taylor had said there have been more claims filed since mid-March than in the previous six years. More than $2.7 billion in federal and state benefits have been distributed to 600,000 displaced workers. Now nearly 2,600 state employees or contract workers are handling claims or answering applicant questions.

North Dakota

Bismarck: Most state government offices are set to reopen to the public Monday in a limited capacity and a month after businesses in the state restarted with precautions amid the coronavirus outbreak. The state also will use $23.8 million of federal coronavirus aid to update state computer servers, renew software licenses and purchase laptops for employees who “telework” and remain at home, records show. Republican Gov. Doug Burgum amended an executive order Friday that will allow state offices to operate at a maximum 50% employee capacity. Burgum said some 7,000 state employees at about 1,600 facilities across North Dakota have been part of a “remote workforce” under his orders since mid-March because of COVID-19. Burgum said state agencies will follow ND Smart Restart protocols similar to those used by businesses. Agency directors will decide “how they want to manage their own teams,” he said. Some of the reopening guidelines for businesses include requiring barbers and cosmetologists to wear masks, prohibiting some high-intensity fitness classes and making movie theaters limit seating and stagger start times. State employees who have “little to no citizen-facing role will have the opportunity to continue to be part of a remote workplace workforce,” he said.

Ohio

Columbus: Lawmakers on Wednesday planned to question Ohio’s human services chief about the state’s response to the unprecedented number of claims for unemployment in a scene playing out in at least two other states on the same day. The House Ways and Means Committee has heard from many people across Ohio in recent weeks who had problems receiving their unemployment checks, said Rep. Derek Merrin, the committee’s chairman, a Republican from Moncolva in northwestern Ohio. Kimberly Hall, director of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, was scheduled to discuss the agency’s handling of the crisis. More than 1.2 million people filed jobless claims in the past nine weeks, more than the combined total in the past three years, the agency said last week as it provided the most recent unemployment claims figures. “Each claim is important to us, and we recognize the hardship that the COVID-19 pandemic has placed on many Ohio families,” the agency said in a statement. The state has paid out more than $2.8 billion in state funds to date along with more than $21 million from the federal Pandemic Unemployment Act. Ohio’s unemployment rate hit 16.8% last month, the highest since the state began its record-keeping system in 1976.

Oklahoma

Norman: A police officer will be disciplined for violating department policy when he responded to an email about coronavirus protective masks that were issued by sending racist images of people with white bags over their faces carrying torches, reminiscent of black victims being lynched by the Ku Klux Klan, a spokeswoman said Tuesday. Spokeswoman Sarah Jensen’s announcement comes as Norman police Officer Jacob McDonough remains on duty while the department’s internal affairs division investigates the May 15 email that he sent to about 250 colleagues. It featured men dressed in KKK masks from Quentin Tarantino’s violent slave-revenge saga, “Django Unchained.” “The investigation into this incident has sustained an allegation of violation of department policy against the involved employee,” Jensen said in a news release. “The process has now transitioned into the disciplinary phase.” The photos include the captions, “I think we all think the bag was a nice idea,” followed by, “But not pointin’ any fingers, they coulda been done better.” Within 15 minutes of McDonough’s post, police Lt. Lee McWhorter responded. “McDonough, I really hope you didn’t mean that the way it looks because that’s MORE than inappropriate. I’d say this is a fantastic time to stop this email thread,” McWhorter wrote. “Sir, I would like to apologize,” McDonough wrote in response, saying he was using satire from the movie. Police chief Kevin Foster has said McDonough, who has worked for the department since February 2018, could be terminated for sending the images. Foster added that he was “very offended” and “couldn’t believe an officer had sent that out.”

Oregon

Portland: Two additional churches are suing Gov. Kate Brown, saying her social gathering restrictions because of the coronavirus pandemic violate their constitutional right to the freedom of religion and assembly. The Edgewater Christian Fellowship in Grants Pass and the Church of God of Prophecy in Roseburg on Tuesday filed a federal suit in U.S. District Court in Eugene against Brown, the Oregon Health Authority director, Oregon state police superintendent and the Josephine and Douglas county sheriffs, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. Both churches believe they are “called to’’ resume in-person worship services after suspending them in compliance with the state’s “Stay Home Save Lives’’ orders, according to the suit. They want to resume in-person worship services on May 31 with social distancing, hand-washing and other sanitary protocol, their attorney Steve Elzinga wrote in the suit. Attorneys from Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative Christian nonprofit organization, are representing the two churches and their pastors.

Pennsylvania

Harrisburg: Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration announced a new leader Wednesday at the Southeastern Veterans’ Center, where nearly three dozen residents have died from the new coronavirus and a state senator urged the replacement of its leadership. The state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs has named an acting commandant at the center, the agency said it a statement. It did not name the person, explain the circumstances that led to the appointment or what happened to the prior commandant. The Southeastern Veterans’ Center had been particularly hard hit by the pandemic, with at least 35 residents dying from the virus, according to state data provided last week. The five other state-run veterans homes appear to have been far more successful in keeping the virus out. The Southeastern Veterans’ Center has one of the highest death tolls among Pennsylvania’s homes and residential facilities for older adults. Residents of those homes have accounted for roughly two-thirds of the state’s 5,200 coronavirus-related deaths.

Rhode Island

Pawtucket: New England dairy farmers held a milk giveaway in Pawtucket on Wednesday. The coronavirus pandemic and the resulting closure of schools and restaurants has limited the demand for milk and many farmers have been dumping the excess. But instead of dumping the milk, the Dairy Farmers of America, a national dairy cooperative, and its New England farm family members donated 4,300 gallons of milk to families in need at McCoy Stadium. Customers were limited to two gallons each.

South Carolina

Columbia: The leader of the governor’s committee studying how to best reopen South Carolina after the coronavirus pandemic subsides said one of the most crucial pieces of unfinished business is protecting businesses from lawsuits if they follow safety recommendations. Freeing businesses and others from worries they could be successfully sued even if they take precautions against COVID-19 might help inject more confidence into the economy, said James Burns, executive director of the Accelerate SC reopening committee. “It came up at virtually every meeting,” said Burns, who plans to present Accelerate SC’s final report Thursday to Gov. Henry McMaster. On Wednesday, Burns and other committee members appeared before the state Senate’s Reopen South Carolina Select Committee to discuss five weeks’ worth of meetings between the government, education and business leaders. Also on Wednesday, the South Carolina Supreme Court declined a request from state Democrats to extend no excuse absentee voting to November’s general election. When they filed suit, Democrats also wanted an extension of absentee voting to the June 9 primaries, but the General Assembly changed the law for the primaries before the justices ruled.

South Dakota

Sioux Falls: An employee at a Jack Link’s Protein Snacks plant died after contracting COVID-19, the company reported Tuesday. Fifty-eight employees at the Alpena meat processing plant have tested positive for the virus, according to the South Dakota Department of Health. Jack Link’s did not give further details on the employee who died, but said it was checking employees for symptoms of the virus before they entered the facility and requiring them to wear protective equipment. Kevin McAdams, the president of the company, said in a statement, “Since the COVID-19 situation began we have taken numerous proactive measures in order to protect the safety of our valued team members and the communities in which they live and work, and are following a series of strict protocols which were developed in accordance with guidance from the CDC and USDA.”

Tennessee

Gatlinburg: Even though the annual lottery to see the synchronous fireflies of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park might be canceled this year because of coronavirus concerns, a Smokies-based nonprofit will be offering a virtual firefly event. Discover Life in America is collaborating with firefly photographer Radim Schreiber, according to a news release from the nonprofit. Their event will include a short presentation about fireflies followed by footage of synchronous fireflies, blue ghost fireflies and other firefly species native to the Smokies region. It will take place at 8 p.m. Monday (EDT) on the Discover Life in America YouTube channel. The event is free, although the group is suggesting a $5 donation.

Texas

Austin: Gov. Greg Abbott took another step Tuesday in his phased reopening of statewide activities after the coronavirus lockdown. The Republican governor issued a proclamation that allows the reopening of water parks and shopping mall food courts and the resumption of adult recreational sports and driver’s education programs. Effective Friday, water parks can open but limit occupancy to 25% of their capacity and keep any video arcades closed, the proclamation stated. The adult recreation sports can resume Sunday, but games and similar competitions must wait until June 15. Continued social distancing is urged for food courts. The steps come a week after Abbott allowed bars, breweries and tasting rooms to reopen Friday at 25% capacity and with other social distancing measures in place. Rodeos, bingo halls and aquariums also were allowed to reopen. Restrictions on restaurants, which were allowed to reopen May 1 at 25% customer capacity, were loosened to allow 50% occupancy. Abbott has noted increased testing in Texas, a rate of infection that has steadily hovered around 5%, and available hospital space as reasons to gradually reopen, and the governor has been steadily rolling back restrictions. That has led some Democratic leaders in the state’s largest cities to question whether it is happening too fast, while some business leaders say it’s not quick enough.

Utah

Salt Lake City: Two major universities in Utah have announced that students will return to campus this fall for in-person classes with preventive measures implemented to curtail the spread of the new coronavirus. The announcement came Tuesday from the University of Utah and Utah State University and included measures such as smaller class sizes and keeping some larger classes online, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. The Utah Board of Higher Education is expected to release a draft of specific criteria this week for the colleges choosing to reopen but each of the eight public institutions will be able to decide individually how to proceed. Fall classes at both universities are scheduled to begin in August but continue to be contingent on the number of cases statewide. There are now more than 8,600 positive cases of COVID-19 in the state, health officials said. The University of Utah decided to resume face-to-face classes to “make sure the student experience is as valuable as possible,” spokesman Chris Nelson said, adding that some courses are difficult to teach online such as music performance or science labs. One challenge will be the location of the university in Salt Lake City, officials said. It is the only college located in a moderate-risk phase city, meaning it requires more strict regulations. Students will be allowed to move into on-campus housing and dining halls will serve prepackaged meals instead of buffet-style meals. Utah State University has announced similar plans.

Vermont

Burlington: Some folks returning to long-vacant buildings could be exposed to a noncoronavirus health risk: stagnant drinking water. The virus itself infects people almost exclusively through their respiratory systems, not their digestive tracts, state health officials said. But the extended shutdown of businesses, public offices, schools and lodgings – and the absence of water coursing through their pipes – poses some risk of imbibing other organisms and metals that could make you sick. Water that sits in plumbing for weeks could spur the growth of unhealthy mold and bacterial colonies, according to a news release from the Vermont Department of Health and the Agency of Natural Resources. Letting water run for several minutes through all fixtures (hot and cold, including shower heads and dishwashers) will replace stagnant water with that which contains higher levels of disinfectants such as chlorine, experts said. That same advice is perennially offered to families that open their seasonal camps, and to folks returning home after a prolonged absence. A building's water supply and fixtures vary widely. For the safest approach to re-opening, Vermont officials recommend getting advice from the Department of Health, consulting the state's four-page guide online and talking with local plumbing experts.

Virginia

Virginia Beach: Officials have canceled July Fourth fireworks displays scheduled for two locations to keep residents safe and comply with orders issued amid the coronavirus pandemic. The displays were scheduled for the Oceanfront and on Mount Trashmore Park, The Virginian-Pilot reported Tuesday. The city also canceled the Mount Trashmore summer carnival set for May 29 to June 23, and the Party at the Pier planned for June 19 at Little Island Park and Fishing Pier. “The health and safety of people who live, work and play in Virginia Beach is a top priority,” Mayor Bobby Dyer said Tuesday. “We all play a part in minimizing the spread of COVID-19.” Norfolk Festevents, which sponsors festivals and events at Town Point Park, already announced it was canceling the city’s 44th annual Harborfest in June, and postponing the Spring Wine Festival and Bayou Boogaloo. The July Fourth fireworks remained on the city’s website as of Tuesday.

Washington

Olympia: Three more counties in the state have been approved to move into Phase 2 of Gov. Jay Inslee’s plan to ease out of coronavirus restrictions. State Secretary of Health John Wiesman on Wednesday approved applications for Kittitas, Thurston, and Walla Walla counties. A total of 24 counties have now been approved to move to Phase 2: Adams, Asotin, Columbia, Cowlitz, Ferry, Garfield, Grant, Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson, Kittitas, Lewis, Lincoln, Mason, Pacific, Pend Orielle, San Juan, Skamania, Spokane, Stevens, Thurston, Wahkiakum, Walla Walla, and Whitman. To apply for a variance, counties must have an average of less than 10 new cases per 100,000 residents over a 14-day period. Each county must also demonstrate they have adequate local hospital bed capacity as well as adequate PPE supplies to keep health care workers safe.

West Virginia

Charleston: Spirit Airlines is resuming seasonal flights July 2 from West Virginia to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Officials at Yeager Airport in Charleston made the announcement Wednesday. An airport news release said the flights are scheduled to operate on Thursdays and Sundays through Sept. 6. The flights were supposed to start in April but were pushed back due to travel restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic. “Myrtle Beach is a home away from home for many West Virginians,” airport director Nick Keller said in the statement. The statement said Spirit Airlines flights from Charleston to Orlando, Florida, will continue on Saturdays and more could be added once amusement parks and other popular attractions reopen.

Wisconsin

Madison: The state Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed as moot a lawsuit that argued Gov. Tony Evers’ “safer at home” order was a violation of constitutional rights to worship, protest and travel. The court earlier this month, in a different lawsuit, ruled that Evers’ health secretary exceeded her constitutional authority in issuing the “safer at home” order. Since then, in the absence of a statewide order some local governments have issued their own limitations on activity to curb the spread of the new coronavirus. Given that the order being challenged has been invalidated, the second lawsuit is moot, the Supreme Court said Wednesday in declining to take up the case. The dismissed lawsuit was filed by a member of the board of directors of The Heartland Institute, an Illinois-based conservative think tank, and a member of the Lakewood Baptist Church in Pewaukee.

Wyoming

Cheyenne: Cheyenne Frontier Days, billed as the world’s largest outdoor rodeo, has been canceled for the first time in its 124-year history because of the coronavirus pandemic, the city’s mayor said Wednesday. Mayor Marian Orr told the Associated Press that event organizers decided the risk of spreading the virus was too great for the more than 140,000 people who typically visit the city for Frontier Days over the last two weeks in July. “What this pandemic means is we just can’t come together,” Orr said Wednesday. “We really have to stay apart so we can come together again sooner rather than later. It’s clear that we just aren’t going to be ready for this.” Frontier Days carried on through both world wars and the Great Depression, when tough finances prompted it to become a mostly volunteer-run event. To this day, a small army of local volunteers runs the Western heritage festival of rodeo, music concerts, carnival rides, parades and downtown pancake breakfasts that feed thousands of people at a time. Bars all over town are typically standing-room-only during Frontier Days. The rodeo is also a big draw for top rodeo athletes. A Frontier Days belt buckle is among the sport’s most coveted prizes.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 50 states