NEWS USA TODAY ❚ FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 2020 ❚ 5D
News from across the USAALABAMA Montgomery: The state
on Wednesday reported its first coro-
navirus death as the total number of
confirmed cases reached nearly 400,
officials said.
ALASKA Anchorage: Some Alaska
regional air carriers have cut services
to communities and positions from
their payrolls in response to the out-
break. Alaska Public Media reports
the cuts followed a March 20 appeal
by Gov. Mike Dunleavy for residents
to stop nonessential travel.
ARIZONA Phoenix: Officials from the
state’s health department and the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spent
hours Wednesday scouring a shut-
tered hospital to see how quickly it
could be running if an expected surge
of coronavirus cases hits. The state is
looking to reopen two closed Phoenix
hospitals and convert a specialty
hospital to deal with the pandemic.
ARKANSAS Little Rock: A basketball
arena was transformed into the state
House chamber due to coronavirus
concerns as lawmakers met Thursday
to address a budget shortfall Arkan-
sas faces because of the outbreak.
CALIFORNIA San Francisco: Home-
less outreach workers are passing out
hand sanitizer, checking temper-
atures and pleading with people not
to crowd together. But a week after
Gov. Gavin Newsom pledged thou-
sands of hotel rooms to help the
homeless survive the pandemic, most
of those rooms sit empty.
COLORADO Denver: A statewide
stay-at-home order went into effect
Thursday in an attempt to stem the
rapid spread of the coronavirus. Gov.
Jared Polis announced he was taking
the “extreme measure” because the
restrictions taken to date haven’t
been enough to reduce the spread of
the virus. The number of people hos-
pitalized doubled between Tuesday
and Wednesday.
CONNECTICUT Hartford: Businesses
and nonprofits harmed by the coro-
navirus pandemic can begin applying
for short-term, no-interest loans
under a new program administered
by the state’s Department of Eco-
nomic and Community Development.
DELAWARE Dover: A 66-year-old
man from southern Delaware is the
state’s first coronavirus death, public
health officials said Thursday.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washing-
ton: Mayor Muriel Bowser on Thurs-
day expressed her outrage and de-
manded action after the district was
given only $500 million – $725 mil-
lion less than the minimum individ-
ual states received – in the Senate-
approved, $2.2 trillion coronavirus
relief package, WUSA-TV reports.
FLORIDA Fort Lauderdale: The
state’s diagnosed coronavirus cases
jumped sharply Thursday, at least
partly because testing has become
more widespread. The state health
department said more than 2,350
people had tested positive, a 35%
increase from Wednesday. The num-
ber of deaths jumped from 21 to 27.
GEORGIA Atlanta: The governor on
Thursday extended an order to keep
the state’s public schools closed in
the wake of the new coronavirus,
through April 24, as the death toll in
the state rose to 48.
HAWAII Wailuku: Maui residents
have been using signs and check-
points to help enforce a government
order to keep visitors off Hana High-
way, which goes through a rural area,
during the coronavirus outbreak.
Democratic Gov. David Ige instructed
the state Department of Transporta-
tion on March 18 to limit access along
the highway on Maui’s eastern coast
to residents, first responders and
delivery trucks until further notice,
The Maui News reports.
IDAHO Boise: The number of con-
firmed coronavirus cases in the state
jumped by more than 50% Thursday
morning, less than 24 hours after
Gov. Brad Little announced a state-
wide stay-at-home order.
ILLINOIS Chicago: Police began turn-
ing joggers and others away from the
city’s lakefront trails Thursday morn-
ing, hours after Mayor Lori Lightfoot
threatened to shut them down if peo-
ple would not stop crowding the
areas as the weather warms up.
IOWA Iowa City: Unemployment
claims rose nearly nineteenfold in the
state last week as the coronavirus
pandemic left entire sectors of the job
market in tatters, officials reported
Thursday.
KANSAS Topeka: Gov. Laura Kelly
and the state’s top health official are
expressing growing frustration with
the federal government. Kelly, a
Democrat, said President Donald
Trump’s suggestion that restrictions
on people’s movements could be
loosened by Easter to help the econ-
omy is “wishful thinking,” and she
argued the government should in-
voke the Defense Production Act to
address shortages of ventilators,
masks and testing kits, a move
Trump has said isn’t necessary.KENTUCKY Frankfort: Reconvening
after a weeklong break, state law-
makers worked on a coronavirus-
relief measure Thursday to help
cushion workers and employers
from economic damage caused by
the pandemic. They also took up a
bill allowing Kentucky consumers to
have spirits, wine or beer shipped
directly to them.
LOUISIANA New Orleans: The
number of known coronavirus cases
in the state jumped by more than
500 Thursday, surpassing 2,300,
with 86 deaths, the state health
department said. A 17-year-old was
among the latest deaths.MAINE Portland: The state an-
nounced Thursday that it would
provide additional payments to
support nursing facilities that are
working on infection control and
visitor screening.
MARYLAND Annapolis: The Mary-
land Board of Elections is planning
to do away with polling stations for
the state’s already delayed primary.
Voters would be required to mail in
or drop off their ballots in an effort
to limit coronavirus infections.MASSACHUSETTS Boston: The
state’s highest court will hear argu-
ments over the telephone Tuesday
in a case seeking the release of in-
mates amid the pandemic.
MICHIGAN Detroit: Gov. Gretchen
Whitmer on Thursday again plead-
ed with residents to stay at home to
rein in the coronavirus, while the
state’s chief medical executive said
hospitals with empty beds were
stepping up to ease the burden on
overwhelmed medical centers.MINNESOTA Minneapolis: The
Legislature was poised Thursday to
pass a $330 million financial aid
package to help soften the economic
impact of the outbreak that has
sickened more than 300 people and
claimed two lives in the state.
MISSISSIPPI Jackson: Gov. Tate
Reeves said Wednesday that he is
rejecting “dictator models like Chi-
na” to strictly control people’s
movements to curb the spread of
the new coronavirus.MISSOURI Kansas City: The state
will waive some requirements for
receiving unemployment benefits as
it tries to respond to a steep in-
crease in claims during the coro-
navirus pandemic, state officials
said.
MONTANA Helena: Counties and
school districts will be able to con-
duct elections by mail and expand
early voting for the June 2 primary
elections and school elections this
spring, Gov. Steve Bullock said
Wednesday.NEBRASKA Lincoln: The state’s
initial claims for unemployment
benefits skyrocketed last week amid
the coronavirus pandemic, rising to
nearly 16,000 from a little less than
800 the week before, according to a
federal report released Thursday.NEVADA Reno: The coronavirus has
now claimed 10 lives in the state,
including the first death of a person
under the age of 50.
NEW HAMPSHIRE Concord: Con-
gressional Democrats are criticizing
delays in getting medical supplies.
The state’s delegation called out
federal health and emergency man-
agement agencies for delays in re-
ceiving medical supplies – some of
which had already expired.NEW JERSEY Trenton: The Catholic
Archdiocese of Newark has issued
new guidelines banning weddings,
funerals and most baptisms.
NEW MEXICO Rio Rancho: Across
the state with the highest percent-
age of Hispanic residents in the
country, historic plazas sit empty,
restaurants have closed, popular
breweries have shuttered, and
movie productions have halted.
Tourism, one of the state’s strong
points in recent years, also has tak-
en a hit. “We’ve never seen anything
like this before,” state Workforce
Solutions Secretary Bill McCamley
said. “But these efforts are being
made to save people’s lives.”NEW YORK New York: Gov. Andrew
Cuomo said the economic toll of the
outbreak will be dramatic in New
York and castigated federal officials
Thursday for what he called a fail-
ure to address lost revenue in their
$2.2 trillion relief package.
NORTH CAROLINA Raleigh: The
state can now receive additional
emergency assistance after Gov. Roy
Cooper’s request for a major disas-
ter area declaration due to COVID-19
has been approved by the federal
government.NORTH DAKOTA Fargo: State health
officials on Thursday reported seven
new confirmed coronavirus cases,
including one boy from McIntosh
County under the age of 10.
OHIO Columbus: Republican Gov.
Mike DeWine is poised to sign a
sweeping relief package passed by
lawmakers to address impacts of
the coronavirus, while new figures
on jobless claims show those num-
bers skyrocketing.OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City: The
number of coronavirus deaths in the
state rose from five to seven Thurs-
day as the number of cases in-
creased from 164 to at least 248,
including a member of Gov. Kevin
Stitt’s Cabinet.
OREGON Portland: People con-
cerned about a cough or fever can
soon call an Oregon Health & Sci-
ence University COVID-19 hotline
that doctors hope will help people
figure out what’s going on and re-
duce the burden on health care
workers. A $1.6 million donation will
help launch the COVID-19 hotline by
covering the costs of dedicated
phone lines and computers, as well
as training for hotline staff, OHSU
spokeswoman Amanda Gibbs told
the Oregonian/OregonLive.PENNSYLVANIA Bethlehem: No more
Peeps are being hatched for at least a
couple of weeks – but it shouldn’t
affect Easter baskets. The Bethle-
hem-based Just Born confections
company said its production facilities
there and in Philadelphia closed
Wednesday through April 7. But the
company says it had already pro-
duced and shipped the Easter supply
of its signature marshmallow confec-
tion to outlets.RHODE ISLAND Providence: Law-
makers on Thursday approved as
much as $300 million in emergency
borrowing to help the state pay its
bills with the economy virtually shut
down by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some state officials said Rhode Island
could run out of money by next week.
SOUTH CAROLINA Columbia: Health
officials released their first predic-
tions on the virus’s spread Wednes-
day, suggesting the state could have
more than 2,650 cases by April 2 and
over 8,050 by May 2, DHEC said.SOUTH DAKOTA Huron: The city has
emerged as the state’s early hotbed of
the pandemic. Huron, known for its
meat-packing plant and as the site of
the state fair, could not feel more
distant from early epicenters of
COVID-19 elsewhere in the United
States, such as New York City or Se-
attle. But it was one of the first places
in South Dakota with community
spread – when it’s unclear how an
infected person contracted the virus.
TENNESSEE Nashville: The state is
producing a series of public service
announcements featuring prominent
Tennesseeans meant to encourage
social distancing to prevent COVID-
19’s spread. The campaign has the
tagline “Do your part, stay apart.”TEXAS Dallas: Dallas County officials
say five jail inmates have tested posi-
tive for coronavirus. Across Texas,
about 1,400 cases of COVID-19 have
been reported, along with 18 deaths.
UTAH Salt Lake City: The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is
suspending all temple activity due to
concerns about the coronavirus. The
church said Wednesday that the deci-
sion was made after careful consider-
ation and “with a desire to be respon-
sible global citizens.”VERMONT Montpelier: Vermont is
poised to receive almost $2 billion in
support from the nearly $2.2 trillion
coronavirus relief package that is
making its way through Congress,
U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy said.
VIRGINIA Virginia Beach: Some
churches and nonprofits are donating
their supplies to hospitals and emer-
gency medical services to help battle
coronavirus. The Virginian-Pilot re-
ports the supplies had been intended
to provide relief in other countries
but are now being donated locally.
For instance, Rock Church in Virginia
Beach dipped into its reserve for mis-
sion trips and gave 1,000 masks to
four Sentara hospitals. Operation
Smile, which focuses on cleft lip and
palate surgeries across the globe,
gave 1,800 masks and 4,500 gloves to
Sentara Princess Anne Hospital.WASHINGTON Seattle: Two detain-
ees with health conditions that make
them vulnerable to COVID-19 have
been released from an immigration
jail in Tacoma, their attorneys said
Thursday.
WEST VIRGINIA Charleston: The
nursing home described as the epi-
center of the state’s coronavirus
caseload now has 28 positive cases
as containment measures continue,
officials said Thursday. Sundale nurs-
ing home medical director Carl
Shrader said 20 residents and eight
staffers at the Morgantown facility
have the virus, with four tests pend-
ing after an aggressive effort to
screen nearly everyone at the center.WISCONSIN Madison: The Repub-
lican National Committee and the
state Republican Party have asked a
federal judge to let them officially
oppose a lawsuit brought by Demo-
crats who want to ease voting reg-
ulations for Wisconsin’s spring elec-
tion because of the coronavirus.
WYOMING Cheyenne: Restrictions on
public gathering and businesses to
try to limit the spread of the coro-
navirus will be in effect longer than
planned, the governor suggested.
“This isn’t a situation that will run its
course by the first week of April. We
all know that,” Gov. Mark Gordon
said at a news conference.
From USA TODAY Network and
wire reportsHIGHLIGHT: INDIANA
A light display in Indianapolis aims to spread the love. USA TODAY NETWORKIndianapolis: A new light show at Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis
is aimed at inspiring hope during the pandemic. A heart projected on one build-
ing pulsates and changes size and color, while images of the globe are projected
on another, as a recording plays of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge over Troubled
Water,” performed by two Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra musicians. “This is
a message of love to the world and united we stand,” Bob Schultz, of business
group Downtown Indy, told the Indianapolis Business Journal. Downtown Indy
has posted a video on the group’s website for safe at-home viewing.