state

8 new COVID-19 deaths, 1,276 new cases in Minn.; state unveils new hospital data

By Shelton Muro 6 days ago

A revised dashboard with a daily count of COVID-19 hospitalizations in Minnesota was unveiled Thursday to inform hospital leaders about bed availability and the public about the spread of the coronavirus behind the pandemic.

The dashboard showed on Thursday that 139 patients with COVID-19 were in intensive care units in Minnesota hospitals and another 939 patients with non-COVID medical problems were in ICU beds in the state. Another 318 patients with COVID-19 are in non-ICU beds in Minnesota hospitals and 6,639 patients are admitted to such beds for other medical needs.

Hospital leaders said they were blindsided last month when the Minnesota Department of Health removed similar data from its COVID-19 situation page, which they used to assess local beds and staffing needs. They welcomed the new dashboard information.

“It is important that we have a line of sight into what is occurring throughout the state, regionally and on a

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Malaysia’s king discharged from hospital: state news agency

By Shelton Muro 2 weeks ago

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysia’s King Al-Sultan Abdullah was discharged from hospital on Friday after treatment for food poisoning and sports injuries, state news agency Bernama reported.



a group of people wearing military uniforms: FILE PHOTO: Malaysia's King, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, inspects an honour guard during the 62nd Merdeka Day (Independence Day) celebrations in Putrajaya.

© Reuters/LIM HUEY TENG
FILE PHOTO: Malaysia’s King, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, inspects an honour guard during the 62nd Merdeka Day (Independence Day) celebrations in Putrajaya.

The king has recovered and will continue resting at the palace, Bernama reported, citing the palace comptroller Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin.

The king’s return to the palace could result in some movement in a power struggle over the country’s premiership, after opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim sought a meeting with him to replace Muhyiddin Yassin as prime minister.

Anwar said last week that he had secured a “strong, formidable” majority from lawmakers in parliament to oust Muhyiddin. But he has to convince the king that he has the numbers to form a government.

Video: EU takes action

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After Big Ten postponement, Ohio State QB Justin Fields creates online petition to advocate for a fall season

By Shelton Muro 2 months ago

Justin Fields has resorted to creating an internet petition to advocate to play football this fall.

The Ohio State quarterback created a petition on MoveOn.org directed to Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren and school presidents and athletic directors in the conference under the #WeWantToPlay hashtag. The Big Ten was the first Power Five conference to postpone football to the spring of 2021 when it made the abrupt decision on Tuesday.

“We, the football players of the Big Ten, together with the fans and supporters of college football, request that the Big Ten Conference immediately reinstate the 2020 football season,” Fields’ petition states. “Allow Big Ten players/teams to make their own choice as to whether they wish to play or opt out this fall season. Allow Big Ten players/teams who choose to opt out of playing a fall season to do so without penalty or repercussion.

“Why is this important?

“We

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Ohio State QB Justin Fields creates petition to play in fall

By Shelton Muro 2 months ago

Justin Fields has resorted to creating an internet petition to advocate to play football this fall.

The Ohio State QB created a petition on MoveOn.org directed to Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren and school presidents and athletic directors in the conference under the #WeWantToPlay hashtag. The Big Ten was the first Power Five conference to postpone football to the spring of 2021 when it made the abrupt decision on Tuesday.

“We, the football players of the Big Ten, together with the fans and supporters of college football, request that the Big Ten Conference immediately reinstate the 2020 football season,” Fields’ petition states. “Allow Big Ten players/teams to make their own choice as to whether they wish to play or opt out this fall season. Allow Big Ten players/teams who choose to opt out of playing a fall season to do so without penality or repercussion.

Why is this important?

We

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South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem among influential Women of the Century from Mount Rushmore State

By Shelton Muro 2 months ago

It takes a strong person to live in South Dakota.

The harsh winters, the isolation of rural parts of the state, and the uncertainty of relying on Mother Nature to provide a livelihood in agriculture are all reasons some may choose to avoid living in the Mount Rushmore State. 

But for those who live here, there’s beauty in the prairie, in the Black Hills, in the serenity of a cold winter day. There’s also ample opportunity to make an impact on the community, and from the state’s inception, South Dakota women have been making their mark.

In August, America marks the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, when women gained the legal right to vote. In commemoration of the occasion, the USA TODAY Network is naming 10 American women from all 50 states and the District of Columbia who’ve made significant contributions to their respective states and country as Women

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Education Commissioner Says School Board Violated State Order

By Shelton Muro 2 months ago

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL — Despite reprovals from the Florida Department of Education, the Hillsborough County School District is moving forward with its plans to offer online learning only for four weeks following the start of school on Aug. 24.

Following the school district’s 5-2 vote Thursday, Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran sent a letter to Hillsborough schools Superintendent Addison Davis and school board chairwoman Melissa Snively informing them that the school board’s decision “directly contradicts the district’s reopening plan.”

After Corcoran issued an executive order July 6 mandating that all Florida school districts reopen brick-and-mortar schools in August to receive state funding, each school district was required to submit a reopening plan to the state by July 31.

The Hillsborough County School District’s plan gave parents a choice of sending their children back to class or having them learn online through either an online class provided by the student’s school

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Melbourne curfew takes effect as disaster declared in state of Victoria

By Shelton Muro 3 months ago

Australia’s state of Victoria has declared a disaster and imposed some of its harshest restrictions to date on movement as it seeks to combat a surge in coronavirus cases.

A further 671 infections and seven coronavirus deaths were announced in Victoria as the new measures, which officials said will remain in place for six weeks, took effect.

High numbers of community transmissions and cases of unknown origins have forced the new restrictions, which include limits on movement and citywide night time curfews. Officials have said that the measures will be in place for six weeks.

Melbourne, the second-largest city in Australia, is already under a reimposed six-week ‘stay at home’ order but has struggled to control the virus, with record numbers of infections recorded last week.

“The current rules have avoided thousands and thousands of cases each day, and then thousands of people in hospital and many more tragedies than

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Christian Siriano Granted New York State Funding to Make PPE for Nonmedical Public Service Workers

By Shelton Muro 3 months ago

Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images Designer Christian Siriano.

Christian Siriano’s getting the government support he needs to continue producing PPE.

Early on at the start of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in March, Siriano, 34, became the first fashion designer to step up and announce he would be using his manufacturing resources to create protective masks for frontline workers. Now, as New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a plan to award a total of $6.9 million in incentives to companies to continue making equipment, Siriano’s fashion firm was one of the 12 selected.

Per Cuomo’s announcement, one of Siriano’s companies, CJ Designs, is receiving $352,590, according to a report from Women’s Wear Daily. The money will be put towards manufacturing more face masks for nonmedical public service employees as the state prepares for a potential second wave of coronavirus in the fall.

“Siriano quickly changed the scope of his high fashion Manhattan

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Who decides when schools close if students, staff contract coronavirus or cases spike locally? Superintendents seek guidance from state

By Shelton Muro 3 months ago

While the state’s plan to leave some school reopening details in the hands of individual districts allows for greater flexibility, it also could leave school administrators having to make tough decisions about how and when to close school buildings if students or staff contract the coronavirus or an individual community becomes immersed in an outbreak.

A number of districts say they want more guidance from the state on how to respond to confirmed infections or spikes in COVID-19 in the wider community. Districts plan to work with local health officials on contract tracing and say they’ll likely send home cohorts of students or close individual schools, but they have not developed benchmarks for those actions, or for opening things back up.

Gov. Ned Lamont Wednesday said the state would “have a strong recommendation that you close those schools” if the rate of positive coronavirus tests reached 10%, but stopped short

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Sao Paulo state tops 20,000 COVID-19 deaths

By Shelton Muro 3 months ago

SAO PAULO — Brazilian authorities say the country’s Sao Paulo state has topped 20,000 deaths from COVID-19, while the nation as a whole has recored more than 80,000 fatalities due to the coronavirus.

Sao Paulo is Brazil’s most populous state, with 46 million people, and is the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the South American country.

It has been enforcing social distancing measures since mid-March, but has never applied a full lockdown.

Sao Paulo Gov. João Doria replaced his health secretary this week, though he says the official left the post for medical reasons unrelated to the coronavirus.

— Weary EU leaders finally clinch $2.1 trillion budget and coronavirus recovery fund

— The Justice Department says hackers working with the Chinese government targeted firms developing coronavirus vaccines and stole hundreds of millions of dollars worth of intellectual property and trade secrets from companies worldwide.

— With the pandemic worsening … Read More