npr--2020-08-24--As Florida Combats COVID-19, Thousands Will Attend Miami Dolphins Games

The Miami Dolphins say 13,000 fans will be allowed in their home stadium when the NFL season begins next month .
Miami is one of just a handful of NFL teams so far that have announced plans to allow fans to attend .
The stadium also hosts the University of Miami Hurricanes , who have been cleared to play with fans present when their season begins on September 10 .
At a news conference Monday at Hard Rock Stadium , Miami Dolphins CEO Tom Garfinkel said in addition to social distancing measures , face masks will be required for all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has upgraded its air conditioning filters and is adopting touchless entry and food ordering along with other measures .
The Dolphins say the stadium is the first to receive certification from the Global Biorisk Advisory Council .
The plans to welcome fans to the stadium were approved by Florida 's Governor and the mayor of Miami-Dade County .
The announcement follows several weeks in which Florida has seen its numbers of coronavirus cases decline .
Garfinkel says for now , seats will be sold for the first University of Miami home game against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first Dolphins game against the Buffalo Bills on September 20 .
Garfinkel says , `` After that , we 'll take a look and see where the numbers are .
If they get a lot worse , it 's very conceivable we could have a situation later in the year where we do n't have fans in the stadium . ''
A few other NFL teams including the Kansas City Chiefs , the Atlanta Falcons and the Dallas Cowboys have also said they will have a limited number of fans at their home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wo n't have fans for their first home games .
The prospect of some teams playing at home before fans , while others compete in empty stadiums has raised concerns it could provide an unfair advantage .
When he heard Monday about the Dolphins decision to allow fans , Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott said , `` I think it 's honestly ridiculous that there will be , on the surface , what appears to be a playing field that 's like that — inconsistently across the league with the different away @ @ @

As Florida Combats COVID-19, Thousands Will Attend Miami Dolphins Games
Enlarge this image toggle caption Mark Brown/Getty Images Mark Brown/Getty Images
The Miami Dolphins say 13,000 fans will be allowed in their home stadium when the NFL season begins next month. Miami is one of just a handful of NFL teams so far that have announced plans to allow fans to attend. The stadium also hosts the University of Miami Hurricanes, who have been cleared to play with fans present when their season begins on September 10.
At a news conference Monday at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Dolphins CEO Tom Garfinkel said in addition to social distancing measures, face masks will be required for all fans and stadium employees. The stadium has upgraded its air conditioning filters and is adopting touchless entry and food ordering along with other measures. The Dolphins say the stadium is the first to receive certification from the Global Biorisk Advisory Council.
The plans to welcome fans to the stadium were approved by Florida's Governor and the mayor of Miami-Dade County. The announcement follows several weeks in which Florida has seen its numbers of coronavirus cases decline.
Garfinkel says for now, seats will be sold for the first University of Miami home game against University of Alabama at Birmingham and the first Dolphins game against the Buffalo Bills on September 20. Garfinkel says, "After that, we'll take a look and see where the numbers are. If they get a lot worse, it's very conceivable we could have a situation later in the year where we don't have fans in the stadium."
A few other NFL teams including the Kansas City Chiefs, the Atlanta Falcons and the Dallas Cowboys have also said they will have a limited number of fans at their home openers. Several teams have said they won't have fans for their first home games. The prospect of some teams playing at home before fans, while others compete in empty stadiums has raised concerns it could provide an unfair advantage. When he heard Monday about the Dolphins decision to allow fans, Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott said, "I think it's honestly ridiculous that there will be, on the surface, what appears to be a playing field that's like that — inconsistently across the league with the different away stadiums."


npr--2020-08-24--Record-Setting Blazes Continue To Rip Through Northern California

California Gov .
Gavin Newsom offered a litany of devastating statistics Monday as hundreds of thousands of acres continue to burn across California in some of the largest wildfires in state history .
`` Foundationally and fundamentally we 're at a point [ where ] every resource at our disposal , every resource that we have within the state , is being used '' to battle the wildfires , Newsom said , his voice weary during a daily news conference .
More fires with more devastating effects Newsom stressed the disastrous and historic scale of this year 's fires so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that a year ago about 56,000 acres had been burned by 4,292 wildfires in the state .
`` To date over 7,002 wildfires [ have burned ] more than 1.4 million acres , '' he said .
That 's an area more than three times bigger than the city of Los Angeles and more than 6 1/2 times the size of Chicago .
At the moment , California is battling roughly 625 concurrent wildfires across the state , including a number of new fires that appeared overnight .
In the last 24 hours @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hit the Northern California region , and 10 new fires have been ignited .
However , officials suspect there are several individual `` sleeper fires '' that have yet to be discovered due to the inaccessible nature of the terrain , the governor said .
More than 1,200 structures have been destroyed , though Newsom said , `` There is no question there are more structures that have been damaged . ''
Meanwhile , the crushing heat continues to pose challenges to firefighters , especially in the eastern part of the state .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ high winds , with lightning that threatens to spark new blazes .
On all sides of the San Francisco Bay Area , the three largest blazes — caused by clusters of wildfires — are burrowing through forest and rural areas mostly uncontained , officials said .
Part of the reason , Newsom told reporters , is that in many cases the blazes are tearing through regions that have not seen any fire activity in more than 100 years .
That is the case in the coastal mountain areas around Santa Cruz , where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ governor called it proof that `` we are in a different climate and we are dealing with different climate conditions that are precipitating the fires , the likes of which we have n't seen in modern recorded history . ''
Most of Northern California remains under a `` red flag warning '' through Tuesday morning .
The National Weather Service is calling for high temperatures , low humidity and `` erratic '' wind gusts of up to 40 mph to 50 mph that could blow around existing fires .
Over the past week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sparked more than 600 fires that were elevated by dry conditions in a parched California terrain .
At least seven people have died as of this weekend when authorities discovered the body of a 70-year-old man in the remote Santa Cruz mountains area known as Last Chance .
The fire known as the CZU August Lightning Complex is scorching some 78,000 acres across San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties and has destroyed at least 231 structures .
As of Monday afternoon , officials with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is only 13 % contained .
Complex fires consist of several separate fires spread across a specific geographic region .
The largest of the three fire complexes , the LNU Lightning Complex , is covering more than 350,000 acres near the Napa Valley , making it the second-largest fire in state history .
It has killed at least four people and destroyed 871 structures .
With only 22 % of the blaze contained , Cal Fire officials are expecting the LNU Lightning Complex to spread as `` fires continue to make runs in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' according to a statement Monday morning .
In Santa Clara and Alameda counties , another series of fires that make up the SCU Lightning Complex has grown to more than 347,000 acres , Cal Fire reported .
That fire is 10 % contained .
In Southern California , firefighters battling rough terrain , hot weather and potential thunderstorms kept an 11-day-old blaze steady at just under 50 square miles near Lake Hughes in the Los Angeles County mountains .
Over the weekend , crews made significant progress combating the flames and have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fire , Newsom reported .
The governor on Monday reiterated that the state is tapped out on the resources available to put an end to the infernos .
More than 14,000 firefighting personnel from across the state are working to extinguish the flames , Newsom said .
While a substantial number of out-of-state crews have already joined the ranks of in-state firefighters , even more are expected to arrive from Arizona , Idaho , New Mexico , Texas , Oregon , Utah and Washington as well as some National Guard troops from Kansas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ additional 375 engines to bolster those on the ground .
Evacuees contend with a new set of challenges As the fires force more residents to flee , some evacuated homes have been burglarized .
At least 13 people have been arrested on suspicion of looting or planning to loot in Santa Cruz County , officials said .
The COVID-19 pandemic is also complicating evacuation orders as officials scramble to find space for residents who were forced from their homes .
As NPR 's Lauren Sommer reported , many evacuees are being sent to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shelters .
More than 2,200 people have been evacuated as of Monday morning , the governor said .
Of those , nearly 1,500 have been housed in hotels .
Others are struggling to find shelter after being financially devastated by the pandemic .
Earlier this week , Tina Marie Carini , her husband and two sons had to flee from their trailer in north Santa Cruz County .
Both she and her husband are out of work and concerned about recovering financially now that the wildfires have struck their neighborhood , Carini told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has had to move three times in the past week .
`` We 're just hoping we do n't lose everything , and we 're tired of running , '' Carini said .
`` We 're just so tired . ''

Record-Setting Blazes Continue To Rip Through Northern California
Enlarge this image toggle caption Noah Berger/AP Noah Berger/AP
Updated at 8:01 p.m. ET
California Gov. Gavin Newsom offered a litany of devastating statistics Monday as hundreds of thousands of acres continue to burn across California in some of the largest wildfires in state history.
"Foundationally and fundamentally we're at a point [where] every resource at our disposal, every resource that we have within the state, is being used" to battle the wildfires, Newsom said, his voice weary during a daily news conference.
More fires with more devastating effects
Newsom stressed the disastrous and historic scale of this year's fires so early in the season.
He noted that a year ago about 56,000 acres had been burned by 4,292 wildfires in the state. "To date over 7,002 wildfires [have burned] more than 1.4 million acres," he said. That's an area more than three times bigger than the city of Los Angeles and more than 6 1/2 times the size of Chicago.
At the moment, California is battling roughly 625 concurrent wildfires across the state, including a number of new fires that appeared overnight.
In the last 24 hours, close to 300 lightning strikes have hit the Northern California region, and 10 new fires have been ignited. However, officials suspect there are several individual "sleeper fires" that have yet to be discovered due to the inaccessible nature of the terrain, the governor said.
More than 1,200 structures have been destroyed, though Newsom said, "There is no question there are more structures that have been damaged."
Meanwhile, the crushing heat continues to pose challenges to firefighters, especially in the eastern part of the state. And the northern part is bracing for high winds, with lightning that threatens to spark new blazes.
On all sides of the San Francisco Bay Area, the three largest blazes — caused by clusters of wildfires — are burrowing through forest and rural areas mostly uncontained, officials said.
Part of the reason, Newsom told reporters, is that in many cases the blazes are tearing through regions that have not seen any fire activity in more than 100 years. That is the case in the coastal mountain areas around Santa Cruz, where flames are engulfing redwood trees.
The governor called it proof that "we are in a different climate and we are dealing with different climate conditions that are precipitating the fires, the likes of which we haven't seen in modern recorded history."
Scorching heat and lightning strikes offer little reprieve
Most of Northern California remains under a "red flag warning" through Tuesday morning. The National Weather Service is calling for high temperatures, low humidity and "erratic" wind gusts of up to 40 mph to 50 mph that could blow around existing fires.
Over the past week, more than 13,000 dry lightning strikes sparked more than 600 fires that were elevated by dry conditions in a parched California terrain.
At least seven people have died as of this weekend when authorities discovered the body of a 70-year-old man in the remote Santa Cruz mountains area known as Last Chance.
Firefighters struggle to extinguish complex fires
The fire known as the CZU August Lightning Complex is scorching some 78,000 acres across San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties and has destroyed at least 231 structures. As of Monday afternoon, officials with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said the blaze is only 13% contained.
Complex fires consist of several separate fires spread across a specific geographic region.
The largest of the three fire complexes, the LNU Lightning Complex, is covering more than 350,000 acres near the Napa Valley, making it the second-largest fire in state history. It has killed at least four people and destroyed 871 structures.
With only 22% of the blaze contained, Cal Fire officials are expecting the LNU Lightning Complex to spread as "fires continue to make runs in multiple directions, impacting multiple communities," according to a statement Monday morning.
In Santa Clara and Alameda counties, another series of fires that make up the SCU Lightning Complex has grown to more than 347,000 acres, Cal Fire reported. That fire is 10% contained.
Progress is made in Southern California
In Southern California, firefighters battling rough terrain, hot weather and potential thunderstorms kept an 11-day-old blaze steady at just under 50 square miles near Lake Hughes in the Los Angeles County mountains. Over the weekend, crews made significant progress combating the flames and have managed to contain 62% of the fire, Newsom reported.
California's full resources have been deployed
The governor on Monday reiterated that the state is tapped out on the resources available to put an end to the infernos.
More than 14,000 firefighting personnel from across the state are working to extinguish the flames, Newsom said. While a substantial number of out-of-state crews have already joined the ranks of in-state firefighters, even more are expected to arrive from Arizona, Idaho, New Mexico, Texas, Oregon, Utah and Washington as well as some National Guard troops from Kansas.
The governor has also requested an additional 375 engines to bolster those on the ground.
Evacuees contend with a new set of challenges
As the fires force more residents to flee, some evacuated homes have been burglarized. At least 13 people have been arrested on suspicion of looting or planning to loot in Santa Cruz County, officials said.
The COVID-19 pandemic is also complicating evacuation orders as officials scramble to find space for residents who were forced from their homes. As NPR's Lauren Sommer reported, many evacuees are being sent to hotels to allow for social distancing in shelters.
More than 2,200 people have been evacuated as of Monday morning, the governor said. Of those, nearly 1,500 have been housed in hotels.
Others are struggling to find shelter after being financially devastated by the pandemic. Earlier this week, Tina Marie Carini, her husband and two sons had to flee from their trailer in north Santa Cruz County.
Both she and her husband are out of work and concerned about recovering financially now that the wildfires have struck their neighborhood, Carini told KQED's Hannah Hagemann. The family has had to move three times in the past week.
"We're just hoping we don't lose everything, and we're tired of running," Carini said. "We're just so tired."


npr--2020-08-24--TikTok Sues Trump To Block U.S. Ban

TikTok Sues Trump To Block U.S. Ban

TikTok has filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration arguing that the president 's executive order taking aim at the Chinese-owned app is unconstitutional and should be blocked from taking effect .
The suit , which has been expected for weeks , claims that President Trump 's Aug. 6 executive action declaring a national emergency that would effectively ban the video-sharing app in the U.S. was taken without any opportunity for the company to be heard , allegedly violating its due-process rights .
TikTok 's attorneys additionally claim the president exceeded his authority in issuing the order and that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ free speech rights , arguing that computer code is a type of expression protected under the First Amendment .
The Trump administration has long maintained that TikTok 's Beijing-based parent company , ByteDance , could share Americans ' personal data with China 's authoritarian government , something the White House considers a national security threat .
But in its lawsuit , TikTok said it has taken `` extraordinary measures '' to protect the privacy of more than 100 million U.S. citizens who use TikTok by storing their data outside China in Virginia , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as building `` software barriers '' to ensure data that TikTok harvests stays separate from ByteDance .
`` The executive order seeks to ban TikTok purportedly because of the speculative possibility that the application could be manipulated by the Chinese government , '' TikTok 's lawsuit says .
Attorneys for the company say Trump 's crackdown on TikTok is not driven by genuine national security concerns but rather an attempt `` to further the president 's anti-China political campaign . ''
Trump 's executive order would make it a crime for U.S. citizens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The order would likely force Apple and Google to remove the service from app stores and deprive users who already have the app of critical updates .
Violators could face fines up to $ 300,000 , or even criminal charges , according to the emergency economic powers Trump cited in his executive order .
Typically , such sanctions have been leveled against foreign terrorist organizations and kleptocrats , not technology companies .
Exercising his authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act , the president did not follow due process and did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ providing any evidence that TikTok is an actual threat , nor did the administration justify punishing the app , attorneys for TikTok argue .
`` The executive order is not rooted in bona fide national security concerns .
Independent national security and information security experts have criticized the political nature of this executive order , and expressed doubt as to whether its stated national security objective is genuine , '' TikTok 's attorneys wrote .
TikTok gathers data on users comparable to other apps controlled by major U.S. technology companies , but it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can share information with its Chinese owners , which has caused alarms in Washington .
In the suit , TikTok points out that national security experts have openly questioned whether its lighthearted videos can really provide much intelligence to Beijing authorities .
`` The vast majority of TikTok videos could not reasonably be construed to in any way relate to national security , nor is its user data more susceptible to collection by Chinese authorities than from any number of other sources , '' the lawsuit says .
Separately , Trump has ordered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an American company , an additional pressure intended to speed up an acquisition of TikTok by a U.S. firm .
In 2017 , ByteDance acquired China-based lip-syncing app Musical.ly , which had accrued a sizable American following that helped fuel the rise of TikTok in the United States .
As part of that takeover , regulators in Washington reviewed `` voluminous documentation '' about the company 's security practices , a process that ultimately secured the blessing of American authorities .
In its suit , TikTok 's legal team says the Trump administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` Among other evidence , ByteDance submitted detailed documentation to CFIUS demonstrating TikTok 's security measures to help ensure U.S. user data is safeguarded in storage and in transit and can not be accessed by unauthorized persons — including any government — outside the United States , '' according to the lawsuit .
( CFIUS , the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States , is a group led by the Treasury Department and includes top officials such as those from the Justice and Homeland Security departments . )
Also on Monday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ separate federal lawsuit alleging that Trump 's executive order was defamatory and caused violations of due process and equal protection of the law .
Of particular concern , according to Ryan 's suit , is the pay of TikTok 1,500 U.S.-based employees , which could be threatened by Trump 's action .
TikTok employees `` have families to feed , rents and mortgages to pay and health care to manage , '' according to the suit .
`` The U.S. employees of TikTok are pawns in a political spitting match between China and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ make 'Tough on China ' a central theme of his '' re-election campaign , '' wrote Ryan , who is a lawyer and is representing himself .
TikTok , known for short , often goofy videos , has been downloaded more than 2 billion times worldwide , recording in the first quarter of 2020 the most downloads of any app in history , according to research firm Sensor Tower .
TikTok has its U.S. headquarters in Los Angeles .
The company says it has plans of hiring an additional 10,000 American workers over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ launched a service remarkably similar to TikTok called Reels following Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg long publicly warning about how an ascendant China poses a direct threat to American technology , a theme he underscored during his remarks last month to Congress .
TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer called Facebook 's Reels a `` copycat service '' that is `` disguised as patriotism and designed to put an end to our very presence in the U.S. '' The White House did not immediately comment on TikTok 's lawsuit .
Editor 's note : TikTok helps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appear on the social media platform .

TikTok Sues Trump To Block U.S. Ban
Enlarge this image toggle caption AP AP
Updated at 6:28 p.m. ET
TikTok has filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration arguing that the president's executive order taking aim at the Chinese-owned app is unconstitutional and should be blocked from taking effect.
The suit, which has been expected for weeks, claims that President Trump's Aug. 6 executive action declaring a national emergency that would effectively ban the video-sharing app in the U.S. was taken without any opportunity for the company to be heard, allegedly violating its due-process rights.
TikTok's attorneys additionally claim the president exceeded his authority in issuing the order and that the planned ban violates the company's free speech rights, arguing that computer code is a type of expression protected under the First Amendment.
The Trump administration has long maintained that TikTok's Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance, could share Americans' personal data with China's authoritarian government, something the White House considers a national security threat.
But in its lawsuit, TikTok said it has taken "extraordinary measures" to protect the privacy of more than 100 million U.S. citizens who use TikTok by storing their data outside China in Virginia, with backup in Singapore, as well as building "software barriers" to ensure data that TikTok harvests stays separate from ByteDance.
"The executive order seeks to ban TikTok purportedly because of the speculative possibility that the application could be manipulated by the Chinese government," TikTok's lawsuit says.
Attorneys for the company say Trump's crackdown on TikTok is not driven by genuine national security concerns but rather an attempt "to further the president's anti-China political campaign."
Trump's executive order would make it a crime for U.S. citizens to have any business transactions with TikTok. The order would likely force Apple and Google to remove the service from app stores and deprive users who already have the app of critical updates.
Violators could face fines up to $300,000, or even criminal charges, according to the emergency economic powers Trump cited in his executive order. Typically, such sanctions have been leveled against foreign terrorist organizations and kleptocrats, not technology companies.
Exercising his authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the president did not follow due process and did not act in good faith by not providing any evidence that TikTok is an actual threat, nor did the administration justify punishing the app, attorneys for TikTok argue.
"The executive order is not rooted in bona fide national security concerns. Independent national security and information security experts have criticized the political nature of this executive order, and expressed doubt as to whether its stated national security objective is genuine," TikTok's attorneys wrote.
TikTok gathers data on users comparable to other apps controlled by major U.S. technology companies, but it states in its privacy guidelines that it can share information with its Chinese owners, which has caused alarms in Washington.
In the suit, TikTok points out that national security experts have openly questioned whether its lighthearted videos can really provide much intelligence to Beijing authorities.
"The vast majority of TikTok videos could not reasonably be construed to in any way relate to national security, nor is its user data more susceptible to collection by Chinese authorities than from any number of other sources," the lawsuit says.
Separately, Trump has ordered ByteDance to sell its U.S. assets to an American company, an additional pressure intended to speed up an acquisition of TikTok by a U.S. firm.
In 2017, ByteDance acquired China-based lip-syncing app Musical.ly, which had accrued a sizable American following that helped fuel the rise of TikTok in the United States. As part of that takeover, regulators in Washington reviewed "voluminous documentation" about the company's security practices, a process that ultimately secured the blessing of American authorities.
In its suit, TikTok's legal team says the Trump administration ignored the findings of that review.
"Among other evidence, ByteDance submitted detailed documentation to CFIUS demonstrating TikTok's security measures to help ensure U.S. user data is safeguarded in storage and in transit and cannot be accessed by unauthorized persons — including any government — outside the United States," according to the lawsuit. (CFIUS, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, is a group led by the Treasury Department and includes top officials such as those from the Justice and Homeland Security departments.)
Also on Monday, TikTok employee Patrick Ryan filed a separate federal lawsuit alleging that Trump's executive order was defamatory and caused violations of due process and equal protection of the law.
Of particular concern, according to Ryan's suit, is the pay of TikTok 1,500 U.S.-based employees, which could be threatened by Trump's action. TikTok employees "have families to feed, rents and mortgages to pay and health care to manage," according to the suit.
"The U.S. employees of TikTok are pawns in a political spitting match between China and President Trump, who has decided to make 'Tough on China' a central theme of his" re-election campaign," wrote Ryan, who is a attorney and is represented by New York-based Blackstone Law Group.
TikTok, known for short, often goofy videos, has been downloaded more than 2 billion times worldwide, recording in the first quarter of 2020 the most downloads of any app in history, according to research firm Sensor Tower.
TikTok has its U.S. headquarters in Los Angeles. The company says it has plans of hiring an additional 10,000 American workers over the next three years.
Facebook recently launched a service remarkably similar to TikTok called Reels following Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg long publicly warning about how an ascendant China poses a direct threat to American technology, a theme he underscored during his remarks last month to Congress.
TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer called Facebook's Reels a "copycat service" that is "disguised as patriotism and designed to put an end to our very presence in the U.S."
The White House did not immediately comment on TikTok's lawsuit.
Editor's note: TikTok helps fund NPR-produced videos from Planet Money that appear on the social media platform.


npr--2020-08-24--'It's Great To Live In Rural Maine,' Where Cases Are Low And Schools Are Open

'It 's Great To Live In Rural Maine , ' Where Cases Are Low And Schools Are Open Sixth-grader Charlie Pierce says the hardest part of going back to school was n't the masks or the temperature checks .
It was not being able to hug the friends she had n't seen in months .
`` My friends kind of really wanted to hug me , '' Charlie says .
`` We had talked about keeping our distance , '' her mom , Ami Pierce , adds , `` because we are huggers by nature . ''
Charlie and her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , near the Canadian border .
Even after reports of an outbreak at a wedding reception , Maine has one of the country 's lowest daily case rates of COVID-19 , and Aroostook County has reported fewer than 40 cases since March .
In mid-August , Charlie 's school district , MSAD 42 , opened its doors for in-person learning .
`` The parents and the community have been waiting for us to go back to school for a long time , '' says MSAD 42 Superintendent Elaine Boulier .
But even in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back to school looks a little different , beginning before students even arrive in the classroom .
As Charlie and her three sisters get ready to head to school in the morning , their mom checks to make sure everyone has their masks , then asks a few required questions : `` Is everybody feeling OK ?
Nobody has scratchy throats or coughs ?
You tasted your breakfast , right ? ''
At the entrance of Fort Street Elementary School , Charlie and other students put on masks or face shields , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stand in a line , 6 feet apart , and walk toward a teacher for a temperature check before going to class .
MSAD 42 is a relatively isolated district and serves only about 400 students .
To allow for social distancing , half the students go to school in the morning , with the other half attending in the afternoon .
Boulier says that means class sizes can be kept small , often just five to 10 kids .
( A few families have opted to continue with remote learning . )
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the concerns of some staff , like high school social studies teacher Samantha Drost .
She has asthma , which puts her in a higher-risk category for the virus .
`` If I was at a bigger school , like Georgia , I probably would n't have come back , '' Drost says .
Georgia has one of the highest daily case rates in the country and has already seen outbreaks in schools .
Drost initially planned to broadcast her lessons from one room , while her students watched her on a screen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day back , she realized it would be hard to connect with her kids that way .
She decided to abandon the setup and teach them face to face , with social distancing .
`` I told them right up , I 'm like , ' I am high-risk , ' `` Drost says .
`` 'So you just need to follow what I put out .
You need to wear your mask .
And we 're going to make sure that we clean lots .
And if we can do that , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ here . '
`` So far , Drost says students are keeping their masks on .
The district has also added mask breaks — five minutes in the middle of class for kids to go outside and remove their face coverings .
But a lot of uncertainty lingers , such as what to do when flu season hits and what to do in the winter , when temperatures go down to the single digits , making it more difficult to keep windows open to circulate air .
In southern Maine , which has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kinds of questions have prompted many parents and teachers to call on districts to slow their reopening plans .
But in Aroostook County , Boulier says the scariest parts of the pandemic still feel far away , making reopening a bit easier .
`` This is one time where it 's great to live in rural Maine . ''

'It's Great To Live In Rural Maine,' Where Cases Are Low And Schools Are Open
Enlarge this image toggle caption Robbie Feinberg/Maine Public Robbie Feinberg/Maine Public
Updated at 4:06 p.m. ET
Sixth-grader Charlie Pierce says the hardest part of going back to school wasn't the masks or the temperature checks. It was not being able to hug the friends she hadn't seen in months.
"My friends kind of really wanted to hug me," Charlie says.
"We had talked about keeping our distance," her mom, Ami Pierce, adds, "because we are huggers by nature."
Charlie and her mom live in Aroostook County, Maine, near the Canadian border. Even after reports of an outbreak at a wedding reception, Maine has one of the country's lowest daily case rates of COVID-19, and Aroostook County has reported fewer than 40 cases since March. In mid-August, Charlie's school district, MSAD 42, opened its doors for in-person learning.
toggle caption Robbie Feinberg/Maine Public
"The parents and the community have been waiting for us to go back to school for a long time," says MSAD 42 Superintendent Elaine Boulier.
But even in an area with low infection rates, back to school looks a little different, beginning before students even arrive in the classroom.
As Charlie and her three sisters get ready to head to school in the morning, their mom checks to make sure everyone has their masks, then asks a few required questions: "Is everybody feeling OK? Nobody has scratchy throats or coughs? You tasted your breakfast, right?"
At the entrance of Fort Street Elementary School, Charlie and other students put on masks or face shields, as mandated by the state. Then they stand in a line, 6 feet apart, and walk toward a teacher for a temperature check before going to class.
MSAD 42 is a relatively isolated district and serves only about 400 students. To allow for social distancing, half the students go to school in the morning, with the other half attending in the afternoon. Boulier says that means class sizes can be kept small, often just five to 10 kids. (A few families have opted to continue with remote learning.)
The small class sizes have helped relieve the concerns of some staff, like high school social studies teacher Samantha Drost. She has asthma, which puts her in a higher-risk category for the virus.
toggle caption Robbie Feinberg/Maine Public
"If I was at a bigger school, like Georgia, I probably wouldn't have come back," Drost says.
Georgia has one of the highest daily case rates in the country and has already seen outbreaks in schools.
Drost initially planned to broadcast her lessons from one room, while her students watched her on a screen in another. But on her first day back, she realized it would be hard to connect with her kids that way. She decided to abandon the setup and teach them face to face, with social distancing.
"I told them right up, I'm like, 'I am high-risk,' " Drost says. "'So you just need to follow what I put out. You need to wear your mask. And we're going to make sure that we clean lots. And if we can do that, then we're going to stay in here.' "
So far, Drost says students are keeping their masks on. The district has also added mask breaks — five minutes in the middle of class for kids to go outside and remove their face coverings.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Robbie Feinberg/Maine Public Robbie Feinberg/Maine Public
But a lot of uncertainty lingers, such as what to do when flu season hits and what to do in the winter, when temperatures go down to the single digits, making it more difficult to keep windows open to circulate air.
In southern Maine, which has larger schools and more cases, those kinds of questions have prompted many parents and teachers to call on districts to slow their reopening plans. But in Aroostook County, Boulier says the scariest parts of the pandemic still feel far away, making reopening a bit easier.
"This is one time where it's great to live in rural Maine."