usatoday--2020-07-17--For those claiming health issues, Delta to require pre-flight evaluation for exceptions to mask poli

Airline passengers are required to wear face masks , and Delta is no exception .
Starting Monday , anyone who books a Delta flight who requests an exemption from the mask requirement must undergo a medical evaluation at the airport before boarding .
In a statement , Drake Castañeda , a Delta spokesman , said the airline encourages passengers who ca n't wear a mask for medical reasons to reconsider traveling .
If they must travel , he said , such passengers `` will be welcome to fly upon completing a virtual consultation prior to departure at the airport to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The evaluation will be done in private with STAT-MD , Delta 's partner for in-flight emergency consultations , which is based at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center .
Delta 's website encourages passengers who need to request an exemption to arrive at the airport early because the evaluation could take up to an hour .
More : Delta CEO promises empty middle seats beyond September but admits , 'It 's not going to last forever' False claims of a disability or health condition to obtain an exemption for the mask requirement could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
According to Delta , passengers who are denied an exemption to the mask policy will receive a refund for their tickets .
Castañeda said Delta remains committed to the mask requirement for passengers and employees to prevent the spread of the coronavirus .
`` Medical research tells us that wearing a mask is one of the most effective ways to reduce the COVID-19 infection rate , '' he said .
On Tuesday , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention repeated its call for all Americans wear cloth face coverings .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most powerful weapons we have to slow and stop the spread of the virus , '' said CDC Director Robert Redfield in a statement , `` particularly when used universally within a community setting . ''
The CDC does note some exceptions for mask-wearing : Children under the age of 2 or anyone who has trouble breathing , is unconscious , incapacitated , or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance .

For those claiming health issues, Delta to require pre-flight evaluation for exceptions to mask policy
Show Caption Hide Caption Coronavirus: US airlines announce face mask requirements to travel Many U.S. airlines including American, Southwest, United, Delta, Alaska, Frontier and JetBlue have announced passengers must wear masks while flying. USA TODAY, USA TODAY
Airline passengers are required to wear face masks, and Delta is no exception.
Starting Monday, anyone who books a Delta flight who requests an exemption from the mask requirement must undergo a medical evaluation at the airport before boarding.
In a statement, Drake Castañeda, a Delta spokesman, said the airline encourages passengers who can't wear a mask for medical reasons to reconsider traveling.
If they must travel, he said, such passengers "will be welcome to fly upon completing a virtual consultation prior to departure at the airport to ensure everyone’s safety."
The evaluation will be done in private with STAT-MD, Delta's partner for in-flight emergency consultations, which is based at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Delta's website encourages passengers who need to request an exemption to arrive at the airport early because the evaluation could take up to an hour.
More: Delta CEO promises empty middle seats beyond September but admits, 'It's not going to last forever'
False claims of a disability or health condition to obtain an exemption for the mask requirement could result in the suspension of travel privileges.
According to Delta, passengers who are denied an exemption to the mask policy will receive a refund for their tickets.
Castañeda said Delta remains committed to the mask requirement for passengers and employees to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
"Medical research tells us that wearing a mask is one of the most effective ways to reduce the COVID-19 infection rate," he said.
On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention repeated its call for all Americans wear cloth face coverings.
"Cloth face coverings are one of the most powerful weapons we have to slow and stop the spread of the virus," said CDC Director Robert Redfield in a statement, "particularly when used universally within a community setting."
The CDC does note some exceptions for mask-wearing: Children under the age of 2 or anyone who has trouble breathing, is unconscious, incapacitated, or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance.


usatoday--2020-07-17--Black Friday in July is happening now—here are the best sales to shop

— Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed ’ s editors .
Purchases you make through our links may earn us a commission .
Many bargain shoppers were disappointed to find out that Amazon would not be hosting its annual Prime Day this July due to the impacts of COVID-19 .
While we 'll have to wait until later this year to shop that particular savings event , there 's still a ton of great deals to be taken advantage of right now , thanks to a little thing called Black Friday in July .
It 's a time when all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an effort to boost their earnings and clear out inventory in preparation for fall .
And now that we 're halfway through July , we 're starting to see some doozies .
Need help finding products ?
Sign up for our weekly deals newsletter .
It ’ s free and you can unsubscribe any time .
If you 're looking for some amazing chances to save big on appliances , apparel , furniture and so much more , check out our roundup of the best Black Friday in July sales ahead .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new sales as they come , so check back to see our latest finds !
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Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time .

Black Friday in July is happening now—here are the best sales to shop
— Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed’s editors. Purchases you make through our links may earn us a commission.
Many bargain shoppers were disappointed to find out that Amazon would not be hosting its annual Prime Day this July due to the impacts of COVID-19. While we'll have to wait until later this year to shop that particular savings event, there's still a ton of great deals to be taken advantage of right now thanks to a little thing called Black Friday in July. It's a time when all sorts of retailers host mid-season sales in an effort to boost earnings and clear out inventory in preparation for fall. And now that we're halfway through the month, we're starting to see some real doozies.
Need help finding products? Sign up for our weekly deals newsletter. It’s free and you can unsubscribe any time.
If you're looking for some amazing chances to save big on appliances, apparel, furniture and so much more, check out our roundup of the best Black Friday in July sales ahead. We'll be routinely updating this list with new sales as they come, so check back to see our latest finds!
Home/Outdoors
Tech
Amazon: Save up to 20% on Samsung QLED TVs for a limited time.
Save up to 20% on Samsung QLED TVs for a limited time. Best Buy: Students can save big on select laptops at Best Buy.
Students can save big on select laptops at Best Buy. Dell: Shop the Cyber Savings Sale for laptop, desktop and electronics deals, with up to 36% in savings.
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Beauty
Lancôme: Get a free seven-piece Lancôme gift bag full of goodies when you spend $45 or more while supplies last.
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The product experts at Reviewed have all your shopping needs covered. Follow Reviewed on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest deals, reviews, and more.
Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.


usatoday--2020-07-17--Felony charges dropped for 87 protesters arrested at Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron's home

LOUISVILLE , Ky. – Jefferson County Attorney Mike O'Connell said Friday he is dismissing the felony charge that the 87 protesters arrested this week outside of Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron 's home were facing .
Louisville Metro Police arrested protesters during the Tuesday afternoon demonstration outside of Cameron 's Louisville home and charged them with intimidating a participant in the legal process , a Class D felony that is punishable by one to five years in prison .
The protesters also were charged with criminal trespass and disorderly conduct , which are misdemeanors and violations with less-severe penalties .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ had probable cause for the charge , in the interest of justice and the promotion of the free exchange of ideas , we will dismiss that charge for each protester arrested this past Tuesday , '' O'Connell said Friday in a statement .
`` We continue to review the misdemeanors and violations for prosecution at a later date .
Pursuant to KRS 431.076 , our office will assist the protesters in expunging the felony charge from their record thirty ( 30 ) days after the dismissal . ''
LMPD Spokeswoman Jessie Halladay said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's decision and appreciate that they agreed officers had probable cause for the felony charge .
However , ahead of O'Connell 's announcement , several former prosecutors said the 87 protesters LMPD arrested were `` overcharged '' with a felony that does n't legally apply to the situation — `` a stretch , '' they said .
Celebrities , rappers , civil rights leaders : Who was arrested during protest at Daniel Cameron 's home ?
“ I ’ ve never seen anyone charged with a felony for this type of behavior , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assistant Jefferson County Commonwealth 's Attorney who lead the office 's first violent crime division .
`` It 's somewhat unheard of . ''
Police explained the felony charge stemmed from protesters chanting `` burn it down , '' as well as intel from commanders monitoring social media and intel commanders monitoring protests from social media heard protesters `` state '' their intent to `` escalate '' their actions .
Commanders monitoring protests from social media — before protesters arrived at Cameron 's house — heard it was the intent of the protest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which in the past has `` indicted violent or destructive behavior , '' Washington said .
The protest was organized by Until Freedom , a national social justice organization .
On Tuesday , the group met at Ballard High School and walked just less than a mile to Cameron 's house in support of justice for Breonna Taylor , an unarmed Black woman gunned down by Louisville police in her home on March 13 .
The deaths of George Floyd , Taylor and Louisville barbecue owner David McAtee , who was killed by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ June 1 in his doorway , has lead to 51 straight days of protests in the city .
It 's up to Cameron to decide whether to criminally charge the officers involved in Taylor 's death : Sgt .
Jonathan Mattingly and officers Brett Hankison and Myles Cosgrove .
During a press conference Monday , Cameron said he still has no timeline for when his office will conclude its investigation .
He 's had the case since May .
Records show Cameron and his fiance purchased the house on July 2 , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in it .
By all accounts , Tuesday 's protest was peaceful .
It was streamed live on Facebook .
Hulbert , now criminal defense attorney , said in his eight years as a prosecutor he 's only seen the interfering charge used in extreme cases of intimidation that involve death threats or threats of gun violence .
`` It 's one of those stretches that , theoretically , could be manufactured , '' Hulbert said .
`` But I 've never seen it charged that way — for something so peaceful .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ lawn Tuesday afternoon wearing matching shirts .
At one point , standing and linking arms , they announced that `` white bodies '' would form a circle around the Black protesters to protect and support them .
They spent the latter part of the protest sitting in rows , chanting .
The 87 protesters who opted to stay on Cameron 's property after police warned of criminal charges were still seated on the grass before their arrests .
By then , officers were stationed around the outer perimeter of the lawn and immediately @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surrounding the protesters , according to a stream of the protest .
They were handcuffed , one by one , and walked off the lawn .
Rep. Jason Nemes , a Republican and an attorney who represents parts of Oldham and Jefferson counties , Tweeted on Thursday that the felony charges should be dropped .
`` I 've spoken against every protest at elected officials ' homes that I know of .
Whether it is McConnell , Beshear , or Cameron , it is dangerous .
But charging a felony w/ no threat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Prosecute trespassers , but the felony charge should be removed . ''
Property records show Cameron and his fiance bought the house on July 2 , but it 's not clear if they 're living there .
Thursday morning , two days after the arrests , LMPD spokesman Sgt .
Lamont Washington sent a press release explaining why the protesters were charged with the felony .
Commanders monitoring protests from social media — before protesters arrived at Cameron 's house — heard it was the intent of the protest to `` escalate '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has `` indicted violent or destructive behavior , '' Washington said .
Protesters were on Cameron 's property for at least an hour before officers made arrests , the stream shows .
`` When protestors arrived at the home , they entered the yard without consent , searched through his windows , and occupied the street .
LMPD personnel confirmed with the Attorney General ’ s security detail that the protestors were not invited and should be removed , '' Washington said in the statement .
He also said they were warned if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be criminal charges .
LMPD also released two videos — one a clip of video from a police body camera that shows the protesters sitting on the lawn positioned at least 10 feet from the house chanting what police say was `` burn it down . ''
The other appears to be a snippet from a protester who streamed the demonstration on Facebook .
The video shows about 30 seconds of protesters chanting while gathered at the high school before the protest at Cameron 's .
One chant was `` What do we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want it ?
Now . ''
Another was `` If we do n't get it , burn it down . ''
The 30-second clip LMPD sent out is part of a two-plus hour stream of the event that does n't indicate any violence or disorderly behavior .
Protesters could be heard in the stream , while sitting on the ground , chanting things like `` Say her name , Breonna Taylor , '' `` I do n't see a riot here so why are you in riot gear ? ''
and `` You @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Under Kentucky statutes , a person is guilty of intimidating a participant in the legal process `` when , by use of physical force or a threat directed to a person he believes to be a participant in the legal process , he or she '' does at least one of several things , such as : • Influences , or attempts to influence , the testimony , vote , decision or opinion of that person .
• Induces , or attempts to induce , that person to withhold a record , document @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
• Hinders , delays or prevents the communication to a law enforcement officer or judge of information relating to the possible commission of an offense or a violation of conditions of probation , parole or release pending judicial proceedings .
`` Force by definition can be actual or implied and is the power , violence or pressure directed against a person .
Entry into the ground of another without consent is an example of implied force , '' Washington said .
Dave Stengel , a 30-year veteran prosecutor and former Jefferson County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ LMPD overcharged , `` pure and simple . ''
`` If this is considered intimidating a participant , my God every time I step out the door someone could be charged , '' Stengel said , adding that he does n't recall this charge coming across his desk .
Marc Murphy , a criminal defense attorney representing three protesters and a political cartoonist for The Courier Journal , said it would be `` unreasonable and irrational '' for anyone in the justice system not to look at the totality of the protest , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` There ’ s a purpose for this statute .
We don ’ t want witnesses or judges to have guns put to their heads , '' said Murphy , who is also a former Commonwealth 's Attorney .
`` It 's wildly inappropriate that this charge would have been used for what has been , in every regard , a peaceful protest . ''
Murphy said the group had a pre-meeting in an auditorium during which they were instructed about how the protest would take place .
`` There was no evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ broke rank .
There 's no evidence there were any rogue elements , '' Murphy said .
Murphy said the decision to charge for interfering with the legal process is an abuse of power and a police intimidation tactic .
`` It would be difficult for me to believe this wasn ’ t meant to send a chilling effect as the protests continue , '' Murphy said .
`` This has raised the stakes — in the way we get punished for exercising our Constitutional rights . ''
Stengel said the charge is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but the most concerning is the infringement on First Amendment rights .
`` People have the right to redress government and peacefully assemble , guaranteed by the Bill of Rights , '' he said .
LMPD said the charging decision came from `` commanders on the ground . ''
Both Hulbert and Murphy said it 's unlikely this type of charge came from the rank-and-file .
“ I think there are probably numerous parties involved , '' Hulbert said .
`` I think it went up the chain of command .
How far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
Follow Billy Kobin and Kala Kachmar on Twitter : @ Billy_Kobin and @ NewsQuip .

Billy Kobin and Kala Kachmar, Louisville Courier Journal

Felony charges dropped for 87 protesters arrested at Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron's home
Show Caption Hide Caption Protesters arrested outside Kentucky AG's home Police say they arrested 87 demonstrators Tuesday who gathered at the home of Kentucky's Attorney General Daniel Cameron to demand justice for Breonna Taylor. (July 15) AP
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Jefferson County Attorney Mike O'Connell said Friday he is dismissing the felony charge that the 87 protesters arrested this week outside of Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron's home were facing.
Louisville Metro Police arrested protesters during the Tuesday afternoon demonstration outside of Cameron's Louisville home and charged them with intimidating a participant in the legal process, a Class D felony that is punishable by one to five years in prison.
The protesters also were charged with criminal trespass and disorderly conduct, which are misdemeanors and violations with less-severe penalties.
"While we do believe the LMPD had probable cause for the charge, in the interest of justice and the promotion of the free exchange of ideas, we will dismiss that charge for each protester arrested this past Tuesday," O'Connell said Friday in a statement.
"We continue to review the misdemeanors and violations for prosecution at a later date. Pursuant to KRS 431.076, our office will assist the protesters in expunging the felony charge from their record thirty (30) days after the dismissal."
LMPD Spokeswoman Jessie Halladay said in a statement Friday they respect O'Connell's decision and appreciate that they agreed officers had probable cause for the felony charge.
However, ahead of O'Connell's announcement, several former prosecutors said the 87 protesters LMPD arrested were "overcharged" with a felony that doesn't legally apply to the situation — "a stretch," they said.
Celebrities, rappers, civil rights leaders: Who was arrested during protest at Daniel Cameron's home?
“I’ve never seen anyone charged with a felony for this type of behavior," said Leland Hulbert, a former assistant Jefferson County Commonwealth's Attorney who lead the office's first violent crime division. "It's somewhat unheard of."
Police explained the felony charge stemmed from protesters chanting "burn it down," as well as intel from commanders monitoring social media and intel commanders monitoring protests from social media heard protesters "state" their intent to "escalate" their actions.
Commanders monitoring protests from social media — before protesters arrived at Cameron's house — heard it was the intent of the protest to "escalate" their actions, which in the past has "indicted violent or destructive behavior," Washington said.
The protest was organized by Until Freedom, a national social justice organization. On Tuesday, the group met at Ballard High School and walked just less than a mile to Cameron's house in support of justice for Breonna Taylor, an unarmed Black woman gunned down by Louisville police in her home on March 13.
The deaths of George Floyd, Taylor and Louisville barbecue owner David McAtee, who was killed by LMPD and the Kentucky National Guard on June 1 in his doorway, has lead to 51 straight days of protests in the city.
It's up to Cameron to decide whether to criminally charge the officers involved in Taylor's death: Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and officers Brett Hankison and Myles Cosgrove. During a press conference Monday, Cameron said he still has no timeline for when his office will conclude its investigation. He's had the case since May.
Records show Cameron and his fiance purchased the house on July 2, but it's unclear if they're living in it.
The protest
By all accounts, Tuesday's protest was peaceful. It was streamed live on Facebook.
Hulbert, now criminal defense attorney, said in his eight years as a prosecutor he's only seen the interfering charge used in extreme cases of intimidation that involve death threats or threats of gun violence.
"It's one of those stretches that, theoretically, could be manufactured," Hulbert said. "But I've never seen it charged that way — for something so peaceful."
Protesters assembled on Cameron's front lawn Tuesday afternoon wearing matching shirts. At one point, standing and linking arms, they announced that "white bodies" would form a circle around the Black protesters to protect and support them. They spent the latter part of the protest sitting in rows, chanting.
The 87 protesters who opted to stay on Cameron's property after police warned of criminal charges were still seated on the grass before their arrests.
By then, officers were stationed around the outer perimeter of the lawn and immediately in front of the house, essentially surrounding the protesters, according to a stream of the protest.
They were handcuffed, one by one, and walked off the lawn.
Rep. Jason Nemes, a Republican and an attorney who represents parts of Oldham and Jefferson counties, Tweeted on Thursday that the felony charges should be dropped.
"I've spoken against every protest at elected officials' homes that I know of. Whether it is McConnell, Beshear, or Cameron, it is dangerous. But charging a felony w/ no threat is ridiculous & stretches the statute. Prosecute trespassers, but the felony charge should be removed."
Property records show Cameron and his fiance bought the house on July 2, but it's not clear if they're living there.
Charging decision
Thursday morning, two days after the arrests, LMPD spokesman Sgt. Lamont Washington sent a press release explaining why the protesters were charged with the felony.
Commanders monitoring protests from social media — before protesters arrived at Cameron's house — heard it was the intent of the protest to "escalate" their actions, which in the past has "indicted violent or destructive behavior," Washington said.
Protesters were on Cameron's property for at least an hour before officers made arrests, the stream shows.
"When protestors arrived at the home, they entered the yard without consent, searched through his windows, and occupied the street. LMPD personnel confirmed with the Attorney General’s security detail that the protestors were not invited and should be removed," Washington said in the statement.
He also said they were warned if they didn't leave, there would be criminal charges.
LMPD also released two videos — one a clip of video from a police body camera that shows the protesters sitting on the lawn positioned at least 10 feet from the house chanting what police say was "burn it down."
The other appears to be a snippet from a protester who streamed the demonstration on Facebook. The video shows about 30 seconds of protesters chanting while gathered at the high school before the protest at Cameron's.
One chant was "What do we want? Justice. When do we want it? Now."
Another was "If we don't get it, burn it down."
The 30-second clip LMPD sent out is part of a two-plus hour stream of the event that doesn't indicate any violence or disorderly behavior.
Protesters could be heard in the stream, while sitting on the ground, chanting things like "Say her name, Breonna Taylor," "I don't see a riot here so why are you in riot gear?" and "You can't stop the revolution."
Under Kentucky statutes, a person is guilty of intimidating a participant in the legal process "when, by use of physical force or a threat directed to a person he believes to be a participant in the legal process, he or she" does at least one of several things, such as:
Influences, or attempts to influence, the testimony, vote, decision or opinion of that person.
Induces, or attempts to induce, that person to withhold a record, document or other object from an official proceeding.
Hinders, delays or prevents the communication to a law enforcement officer or judge of information relating to the possible commission of an offense or a violation of conditions of probation, parole or release pending judicial proceedings.
"Force by definition can be actual or implied and is the power, violence or pressure directed against a person. Entry into the ground of another without consent is an example of implied force," Washington said.
Dave Stengel, a 30-year veteran prosecutor and former Jefferson County Commonwealth's Attorney for 16 years said LMPD overcharged, "pure and simple."
"If this is considered intimidating a participant, my God every time I step out the door someone could be charged," Stengel said, adding that he doesn't recall this charge coming across his desk.
Marc Murphy, a criminal defense attorney representing three protesters and a political cartoonist for The Courier Journal, said it would be "unreasonable and irrational" for anyone in the justice system not to look at the totality of the protest, both in its execution and planning.
"There’s a purpose for this statute. We don’t want witnesses or judges to have guns put to their heads," said Murphy, who is also a former Commonwealth's Attorney. "It's wildly inappropriate that this charge would have been used for what has been, in every regard, a peaceful protest."
Murphy said the group had a pre-meeting in an auditorium during which they were instructed about how the protest would take place.
"There was no evidence that a member of the protest group broke rank. There's no evidence there were any rogue elements," Murphy said.
Constitutional infringements
Murphy said the decision to charge for interfering with the legal process is an abuse of power and a police intimidation tactic.
"It would be difficult for me to believe this wasn’t meant to send a chilling effect as the protests continue," Murphy said. "This has raised the stakes — in the way we get punished for exercising our Constitutional rights."
Stengel said the charge is fraught with all sorts of problems, but the most concerning is the infringement on First Amendment rights.
"People have the right to redress government and peacefully assemble, guaranteed by the Bill of Rights," he said.
LMPD said the charging decision came from "commanders on the ground."
Both Hulbert and Murphy said it's unlikely this type of charge came from the rank-and-file.
“I think there are probably numerous parties involved," Hulbert said. "I think it went up the chain of command. How far up? I don’t know."
Follow Billy Kobin and Kala Kachmar on Twitter: @Billy_Kobin and @NewsQuip.


usatoday--2020-07-17--785 Michigan restaurants got $150K or more in federal loans. Only 1 listed as Black-owned

Of the 785 Michigan restaurants approved for more than $ 150,000 each in Paycheck Protection Plan ( PPP ) loans , only one self-identified as Black-owned , according to a Free Press analysis of government data .
In early June , the U.S. Small Business Administration released loan-level data for the 4.9 million PPP loans it has overseen since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic .
Businesses that received more than $ 150,000 , which account for nearly 75 % of the stimulus program ’ s approved loan dollars , are identified with names and addresses , while those under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ information .
Though incomplete , the data highlights both the lack of detailed demographic reporting within small business lending and the systemic inequities baked into it , advocates say , exacerbating the racial wealth gap in America – where the average white family 's net worth is 10 times that of the average Black family .
Mike Ransom is the owner of the popular Ima noodle shops in Detroit and Madison Heights and the only Black restaurateur in the higher tier who voluntarily listed his race .
More : New data shows Detroit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ It definitely surprises me , ” Ransom , 43 , said about being the only Black-owned restaurant on the list .
“ I sometimes don ’ t answer those things either .
In this instance , I chose to because I felt like that might be something that would give me a better chance , because they know that Detroit was hit really hard and there ’ s a lot of minority-owned businesses here and the Black population was some of the hardest hit as well .
So I feel like it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know who is behind this business , but I ’ m definitely surprised that I ’ m the only one.
” Of those in the higher tier , two Michigan restaurants self-identified as American Indian- or Alaska Native-owned , eight as Asian-owned , eight as Hispanic-owned and 153 as white-owned .
The majority — 613 respondents — left the race/ethnicity field unanswered , but the lone Black-owned establishment represents just 0.6 % of those that did report .
Ransom said he applied for and received PPP loans for each of his three restaurants @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ima — listed under the business name Three Won Three LLC — received $ 150,000 or more .
Out of more than 3,000 Michigan restaurant PPP recipients who received less than $ 150,000 , 15 self-identified as Black-owned while 495 self-identified as white-owned .
That equates to 2.3 % and 77 % respectively of those who reported their race .
In an emailed statement , a representative for the SBA said that roughly three out of four PPP applicants did not include the voluntary demographic data .
`` SBA is working to collect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ understand which small businesses are benefiting from PPP loans , '' the SBA representative wrote in the email .
`` The PPP forgiveness applications expressly request borrowers ’ demographic information , however , that information is requested on a voluntary basis . ''
Until 2010 , it was prohibited to collect gender and demographic data for small business loans , said Jesse Van Tol , CEO of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition ( NCRC ) , an association of community-based organizations around the country whose work champions fairness in housing , banking and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ getting the loans , ” Van Tol said , “ but we knew anecdotally that many Black business owners and Latino business owners and women business owners felt they had been discriminated against.
” For years , the NCRC has been conducting research on bias in business lending with an approach often used to measure customer service : the mystery shopper .
For a 2019 report , the organization sent white , Black and Hispanic would-be loan applicants into bank branches and measured how each was treated .
“ In almost every measure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ service by being asked fewer questions about eligibility and receiving more information about the loan product than were their Black and Hispanic counterparts , ” the study found .
This , even though the Black and Hispanic applicants showed slightly better income , assets and credit scores than their white counterparts .
For the same report , the NCRC analyzed publicly available business lending data from 2008 to 2016 and found `` a significant decline in SBA loans to Black-owned businesses , '' from 8 % to 3 % .
Van Tol said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mystery shopper experiments and has targeted PPP loans for a forthcoming report .
“ As with regular small business lending , we have seen in our study of mystery shoppers ’ experience with the PPP program that borrowers of color have a different experience than white borrowers trying to access a PPP loan , ” Van Tol said .
“ There are disparities in the way they ’ re treated , even down to some cases where our mystery shoppers were instructed to not specifically ask about PPP loans , and in many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up with Black borrowers and borrowers of color.
” To be sure , there are those who intentionally stayed away from the federal stimulus program in the first place .
“ I was taught that you take a loan only to expand your business , not to fix your business , ” said Omar Anani , owner of Moroccan restaurant Saffron De Twah on Detroit ’ s east side .
“ That ’ s just sinking bad money after bad.
” Anani , who is of Egyptian and Palestinian descent , said he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the first round of lending but , like many small business owners without a direct line to a big bank , was shut out .
By the time the government added more money to the pot , Anani had reconsidered .
“ I didn ’ t apply because the terms were outrageous , ” said Anani , 38 .
“ It just wasn ’ t beneficial to a restaurant .
… When we looked at where we were at and when we were going to be able to reopen , the forgiveness had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I had to bring so much staff back ...
It was all about , ‘ Look , we got these unemployment numbers down.
’ It wasn ’ t about reopening these businesses successfully.
” Part of a historic federal stimulus package , the PPP offers businesses low-interest loans that can be converted to grants if used on payroll and approved business expenses like rent or mortgage payments .
The original terms of the program required businesses seeking loan forgiveness to staff back up to 75 % of pre-COVID-19 levels within eight weeks of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been relaxed through subsequent legislation , and Anani said he ’ s now considering applying .
But there are numerous systemic reasons the PPP and programs like it tend to elude communities of color and one of the most potent is a lack of banking relationships .
And simply having a banking relationship at your local branch isn ’ t the same as having a meaningful banking relationship that comes with a cellphone number of a loan decision-maker , Van Tol said .
Ransom ’ s is one case in point .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ business banking and Chase completely dropped the ball , ” Ransom said of his PPP application experience .
“ I filled out all these documents they required and I didn ’ t hear back from them for almost a month .
Couldn ’ t talk to a human being at all.
” After a month of waiting , it was Ransom ’ s landlord in Madison Heights who tipped the restaurateur off to the fact that an equipment leasing company was now processing PPP loans .
Ransom applied through the company and was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ within 24 hours .
“ This may have affected a lot of people of color , business owners in the city , ” Ransom said .
“ ...
It could be the inability of the banks to process these things that caused so many problems with these minority business owners .
If I didn ’ t have my landlord reach out to me , I probably wouldn ’ t have gotten it either.
” Van Tol points to another systemic reason for the limited representation of Black-owned businesses : The PPP was designed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the NCRC ’ s research shows only 2.1 % of businesses with employees in the U.S. are Black-owned .
While much attention has been paid to discrimination in mortgage lending to reckon with a well-known history of racial redlining , Van Tol said , the small business lending environment remains ripe for bias .
“ A small business loan looks at things like revenue and credit score , but part of the small business lending process is a judgment effectively about your character or whether or not you ’ ve really got @ @ @ @ @ @ @ business , ” Van Tol said .
“ The problem is it introduces quite a bit of judgment into the lending process .
And we know that even absent intentional discrimination , people have implicit bias when dealing with people not like them.
” Tara Young is a former social worker born and raised in Detroit who switched careers almost a decade ago to open 44 Burrito , a fast-casual Mexican joint known for its deep-fried burritos and named in reference to Barack Obama 's historic presidency .
Restaurants , often seen as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to finance to begin with , but as a Black , female entrepreneur , Young said she struggled even harder to fund her upstart fast-casual joint .
“ Starting this business , I have never been able to get a business loan , SBA loan , anything like that , until this pandemic , '' Young , 50 , said .
`` It ’ s very rare as an African American to get a business loan through a bank institution .
...
If you are connected , that ’ s what opens the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the who you know , not what you ’ ve done.
” Young said she used her connections developed through the Motor City Match program , which recently awarded her $ 60,000 to help her open a second location in New Center , to successfully apply for a small PPP loan when going through her banks proved fruitless .
( Motor City Match is a neighborhood development program administered by the Detroit Economic Growth Corp. that helps entrepreneurs set up shop .
To date , 70 % of awardees have been women of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like she `` backdoored '' the PPP process .
The first time she tried to apply , she went to the credit union where she 's been a member for nearly 30 years and received the runaround .
“ I feel like nobody is out here helping Black businesses , '' she said of lending institutions .
`` You have to network yourself and do it however you need to make it happen . ''
Young 's dream is to turn 44 Burrito into a national franchise , but that will be difficult @ @ @ @ @ @ @ institutional support .
`` I hate going to the bank , '' she said .
`` It ’ s more depressing to be turned down .
So you just keep doing what you 're doing and rob Peter to pay Paul , and that 's what you have to do because you ca n't get a loan .
Black businesses are always mom-and-pop because of that.
” Send your dining tips to Free Press Restaurant Critic Mark Kurlyandchik at 313-222-5026 ormkurlyandc @ freepress.com .
Follow him on Twitter @ MKurlyandchik and Instagram @ @ @

785 Michigan restaurants got $150K or more in federal loans. Only 1 listed as Black-owned
Show Caption Hide Caption Coronavirus: How to support small businesses during COVID-19 pandemic Here are three ways consumers can help support small businesses who are struggling financially during the coronavirus pandemic. USA TODAY, Wochit
Of the 785 Michigan restaurants approved for more than $150,000 each in Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP) loans, only one self-identified as Black-owned, according to a Free Press analysis of government data.
In early June, the U.S. Small Business Administration released loan-level data for the 4.9 million PPP loans it has overseen since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Businesses that received more than $150,000, which account for nearly 75% of the stimulus program’s approved loan dollars, are identified with names and addresses, while those under that threshold do not include such identifying information.
Both datasets include voluntary demographic fields.
Though incomplete, the data highlights both the lack of detailed demographic reporting within small business lending and the systemic inequities baked into it, advocates say, exacerbating the racial wealth gap in America – where the average white family's net worth is 10 times that of the average Black family.
Mike Ransom is the owner of the popular Ima noodle shops in Detroit and Madison Heights and the only Black restaurateur in the higher tier who voluntarily listed his race.
More: Selden Standard team cancels plans for new Detroit restaurant
More: New data shows Detroit restaurant recovery slower than in other cities
“It definitely surprises me,” Ransom, 43, said about being the only Black-owned restaurant on the list. “I sometimes don’t answer those things either. In this instance, I chose to because I felt like that might be something that would give me a better chance, because they know that Detroit was hit really hard and there’s a lot of minority-owned businesses here and the Black population was some of the hardest hit as well. So I feel like it’s important information to let people know who is behind this business, but I’m definitely surprised that I’m the only one.”
Of those in the higher tier, two Michigan restaurants self-identified as American Indian- or Alaska Native-owned, eight as Asian-owned, eight as Hispanic-owned and 153 as white-owned. The majority — 613 respondents — left the race/ethnicity field unanswered, but the lone Black-owned establishment represents just 0.6% of those that did report.
Ransom said he applied for and received PPP loans for each of his three restaurants, but only the Midtown location of Ima — listed under the business name Three Won Three LLC — received $150,000 or more.
Out of more than 3,000 Michigan restaurant PPP recipients who received less than $150,000, 15 self-identified as Black-owned while 495 self-identified as white-owned. That equates to 2.3% and 77% respectively of those who reported their race.
In an emailed statement, a representative for the SBA said that roughly three out of four PPP applicants did not include the voluntary demographic data.
"SBA is working to collect more demographic information from borrowers to better understand which small businesses are benefiting from PPP loans," the SBA representative wrote in the email. "The PPP forgiveness applications expressly request borrowers’ demographic information, however, that information is requested on a voluntary basis."
Race often frames loan experience
Until 2010, it was prohibited to collect gender and demographic data for small business loans, said Jesse Van Tol, CEO of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC), an association of community-based organizations around the country whose work champions fairness in housing, banking and business.
“Nobody knew who was getting the loans,” Van Tol said, “but we knew anecdotally that many Black business owners and Latino business owners and women business owners felt they had been discriminated against.”
For years, the NCRC has been conducting research on bias in business lending with an approach often used to measure customer service: the mystery shopper. For a 2019 report, the organization sent white, Black and Hispanic would-be loan applicants into bank branches and measured how each was treated.
“In almost every measure evaluated, white testers received superior customer service by being asked fewer questions about eligibility and receiving more information about the loan product than were their Black and Hispanic counterparts,” the study found.
This, even though the Black and Hispanic applicants showed slightly better income, assets and credit scores than their white counterparts.
For the same report, the NCRC analyzed publicly available business lending data from 2008 to 2016 and found "a significant decline in SBA loans to Black-owned businesses," from 8% to 3%.
Van Tol said his organization has continued to run the mystery shopper experiments and has targeted PPP loans for a forthcoming report.
“As with regular small business lending, we have seen in our study of mystery shoppers’ experience with the PPP program that borrowers of color have a different experience than white borrowers trying to access a PPP loan,” Van Tol said. “There are disparities in the way they’re treated, even down to some cases where our mystery shoppers were instructed to not specifically ask about PPP loans, and in many cases the PPP loan was not brought up with Black borrowers and borrowers of color.”
To be sure, there are those who intentionally stayed away from the federal stimulus program in the first place.
“I was taught that you take a loan only to expand your business, not to fix your business,” said Omar Anani, owner of Moroccan restaurant Saffron De Twah on Detroit’s east side. “That’s just sinking bad money after bad.”
Anani, who is of Egyptian and Palestinian descent, said he tried to apply for the PPP during the first round of lending but, like many small business owners without a direct line to a big bank, was shut out. By the time the government added more money to the pot, Anani had reconsidered.
“I didn’t apply because the terms were outrageous,” said Anani, 38. “It just wasn’t beneficial to a restaurant. … When we looked at where we were at and when we were going to be able to reopen, the forgiveness had so many stipulations tied to it and I had to bring so much staff back ... It was all about, ‘Look, we got these unemployment numbers down.’ It wasn’t about reopening these businesses successfully.”
Part of a historic federal stimulus package, the PPP offers businesses low-interest loans that can be converted to grants if used on payroll and approved business expenses like rent or mortgage payments. The original terms of the program required businesses seeking loan forgiveness to staff back up to 75% of pre-COVID-19 levels within eight weeks of receiving the funds. Those rules have been relaxed through subsequent legislation, and Anani said he’s now considering applying.
Networking to the bank
But there are numerous systemic reasons the PPP and programs like it tend to elude communities of color and one of the most potent is a lack of banking relationships.
And simply having a banking relationship at your local branch isn’t the same as having a meaningful banking relationship that comes with a cellphone number of a loan decision-maker, Van Tol said.
Ransom’s is one case in point.
“I use Chase Bank for all my business banking and Chase completely dropped the ball,” Ransom said of his PPP application experience. “I filled out all these documents they required and I didn’t hear back from them for almost a month. Couldn’t talk to a human being at all.”
After a month of waiting, it was Ransom’s landlord in Madison Heights who tipped the restaurateur off to the fact that an equipment leasing company was now processing PPP loans. Ransom applied through the company and was approved for all three of his restaurants within 24 hours.
“This may have affected a lot of people of color, business owners in the city,” Ransom said. “... It could be the inability of the banks to process these things that caused so many problems with these minority business owners. If I didn’t have my landlord reach out to me, I probably wouldn’t have gotten it either.”
Van Tol points to another systemic reason for the limited representation of Black-owned businesses: The PPP was designed specifically to help companies retain employees, and the NCRC’s research shows only 2.1% of businesses with employees in the U.S. are Black-owned.
While much attention has been paid to discrimination in mortgage lending to reckon with a well-known history of racial redlining, Van Tol said, the small business lending environment remains ripe for bias.
“A small business loan looks at things like revenue and credit score, but part of the small business lending process is a judgment effectively about your character or whether or not you’ve really got what it takes to succeed as a business,” Van Tol said. “The problem is it introduces quite a bit of judgment into the lending process. And we know that even absent intentional discrimination, people have implicit bias when dealing with people not like them.”
Tara Young is a former social worker born and raised in Detroit who switched careers almost a decade ago to open 44 Burrito, a fast-casual Mexican joint known for its deep-fried burritos and named in reference to Barack Obama's historic presidency.
Restaurants, often seen as high-risk businesses by lenders, are difficult to finance to begin with, but as a Black, female entrepreneur, Young said she struggled even harder to fund her upstart fast-casual joint.
“Starting this business, I have never been able to get a business loan, SBA loan, anything like that, until this pandemic," Young, 50, said. "It’s very rare as an African American to get a business loan through a bank institution. ... If you are connected, that’s what opens the doors for you. It’s the who you know, not what you’ve done.”
Young said she used her connections developed through the Motor City Match program, which recently awarded her $60,000 to help her open a second location in New Center, to successfully apply for a small PPP loan when going through her banks proved fruitless. (Motor City Match is a neighborhood development program administered by the Detroit Economic Growth Corp. that helps entrepreneurs set up shop. To date, 70% of awardees have been women of color.)
Young said she feels like she "backdoored" the PPP process. The first time she tried to apply, she went to the credit union where she's been a member for nearly 30 years and received the runaround.
“I feel like nobody is out here helping Black businesses," she said of lending institutions. "You have to network yourself and do it however you need to make it happen."
Young's dream is to turn 44 Burrito into a national franchise, but that will be difficult to do, she concedes, without institutional support.
"I hate going to the bank," she said. "It’s more depressing to be turned down. So you just keep doing what you're doing and rob Peter to pay Paul, and that's what you have to do because you can't get a loan. Black businesses are always mom-and-pop because of that.”
Send your dining tips to Free Press Restaurant Critic Mark Kurlyandchik at 313-222-5026 or mkurlyandc@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @MKurlyandchik and Instagram @curlyhandshake.


usatoday--2020-07-17--Wake up and look up to spy 5 planets and the moon simultaneously on July 19

Rare celestial view : See the moon and 5 planets simultaneously You 'll have to be an early riser on @ @ @ @ @ crescent moon , Mercury , Venus , Mars , Jupiter and Saturn in the sky @ @ @ @ @

Rare celestial view: See the moon and 5 planets simultaneously
You'll have to be an early riser on July 19 to spot the crescent moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn in the sky all at one time.
USA TODAY


usatoday--2020-07-17--Surfers couldn't resist 38-foot waves in Sydney despite a hazardous surf warning

Officials wanted people to stay out of the water , warning it was too dangerous .
These surfers could n't @ @

Surfers catch 38-foot waves at Deadman’s Reef in Sydney, Australia
Officials wanted people to stay out of the water, warning it was too dangerous. These surfers couldn't resist.
USA TODAY, Storyful


usatoday--2020-07-17--NJ Transit police officer saves newborn baby, performs CPR and transports to hospital

A NJ Transit police officer took lifesaving measures to help revive a newborn baby and get it to a hospital @

NJ Transit police officer performs lifesaving CPR on a newborn
A NJ Transit police officer took lifesaving measures to help revive a newborn baby and get it to a hospital.
USA TODAY, Storyful


usatoday--2020-07-18--'A dangerous environment': As churches reopen, outbreaks are sprouting and some are keeping doors sh

'A dangerous environment': As churches reopen, outbreaks are sprouting and some are keeping doors shut

At a church in Sacramento , California , that has been closed for in-person services since March , congregants occasionally still stop by to pray outside and try to capture a sense of fellowship they dearly miss .
In Nashville , Tennessee , the pastor of an Anglican church has been handing out Communion in the parking lot for weeks .
South of Atlanta , the animated pastor of a 3,000-member congregation tries to summon every ounce of enthusiasm in his body to deliver a lively , music-filled service in front of a live audience of no one , hoping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ various technology platforms .
None of those are ideal options , but they beat becoming the source of an outbreak of COVID-19 .
Almost 40 places of worship and religious events have been linked to more than 650 U.S. cases of the coronavirus since the pandemic began , according to tracking by the New York Times .
Along with the nationwide surge in infections that has followed the loosening of restrictions aimed at combating the virus , outbreaks connected to churches have sprouted at several spots .
Those include a Pentecostal church in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ positive tests ; five flareups linked to churches in West Virginia , the largest one resulting in 51 infections ; more than 50 cases stemming from an evangelical church outside San Antonio where the pastor allowed hugging again ; a large worship service in Cleveland , Tennessee , that appears to have generated at least a dozen cases , including the pastor , who said he stopped counting after 12 ; a Christian camp in Missouri that had to shut down after 82 campers , counselors and staffers contracted the virus despite taking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ outbreaks except for the one at the camp occurred in June .
Figuring out 'how to worship in safer ways' Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo , a professor of epidemiology at the University of California-San Francisco , said the coronavirus thrives in the typical setting of a house of worship – indoors , with a multitude of people gathered in close proximity , often singing , which can expel virus-carrying droplets .
Add to that practices traditional to some religions , like shaking hands , taking Communion and dipping the host in a chalice with wine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ground for the virus .
“ All the things we ’ re learning about the virus now make it more clear how much churches and the types of gatherings churches represent provide a more dangerous environment for viral transmission , ’ ’ Bibbins-Domingo said .
“ We have to figure out how to worship in safer ways , and right now in-person , in large groups , in an enclosed building is not a safe place.
’ ’ Be it by government decree or their own discretion , many houses of worship throughout @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at significantly reduced capacity during the pandemic .
On Monday , California Gov .
Gavin Newsom included churches among the organizations that had to shut down in most of the state because of a spike in infections .
Churches had been allowed to reopen under certain conditions in late May .
Oftentimes , even when congregants are welcome back , many have been reluctant to return .
A USA TODAY analysis of anonymized cellphone data from 16 million devices shows church attendance dropped 52 % in the second week of March , when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , compared to an average week in February .
Church visits haven ’ t come close to returning to the norm , lingering at around minus 40 % .
Activities such as visiting restaurants and clothing and shoe stores have bounced back stronger , both at minus 23 % .
“ The vast majority of people in our congregation are still not comfortable coming to a worship service , even though we have a very clean setup , ’ ’ said Thomas McKenzie , pastor of the Church of the Redeemer in Nashville @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CA : Can anyone or anything , even the coronavirus , take away your right to sing ?
McKenzie ’ s church , with a congregation of 500 , has done extra sanitizing , required face masks , limited capacity , removed seats to allow for more social distance and changed the way Communion is handed out , including distributing the host in the parking lot to those who don ’ t want to come in .
“ My theory is I have to act like I have the coronavirus , and I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if I breathed on them , I could kill them , ’ ’ said McKenzie , who wears gloves and a mask while preaching .
Still , the biggest turnout since reopening May 31 has been 45 – five short of the current limit – with a low of 12 .
For the first time ever this year , the church is streaming services .
That has been a common tool for houses of worship in the age of the coronavirus : Facebook and YouTube serve as platforms to reach worshipers who can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in person .
With the rising number of cases in the Atlanta metro area , T.J. McBride says it ’ s unlikely he ’ ll preach in person again until next year .
That ’ s a shame , because the pastor of Tabernacle of Praise Church International , about 20 miles south of Atlanta , feeds off his mostly Black congregation of 3,000 in delivering his energetic sermons .
Performing for the cameras without an audience doesn ’ t provide much immediate feedback .
“ It ’ s been a real challenge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anybody saying , ‘ Amen , preacher , ’ or any of that stuff , ’ ’ McBride said .
“ But this is the new normal .
I do two Zoom calls a day with members of our church , and what gives me joy and strength is they tell me they ’ re enjoying the service , they enjoy the message and our presentation.
’ ’ McBride said six members of his church have died of COVID-19 , and many other families have lost loved ones .
It was especially painful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in person , having to rely on phone conversations and hearing how congregants couldn ’ t bid a proper goodbye to their relatives who died because of restrictions on funeral homes .
But McBride is aware the coronavirus has taken a disproportionate toll on communities of color , and he ’ s wary of reopening any time soon , even though legally he ’ s allowed to .
“ We don ’ t want to be the cause of anyone getting this disease , ’ ’ he said .
On Tuesday , one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Atlanta ’ s multi-site North Point Ministries , said it won ’ t reopen for in-person services the rest of the year because of the virus .
A much smaller place of worship , the 1,200-member South Sacramento Christian Center , has kept its doors shut since mid-March but continued its community outreach by distributing bags of food and helping set up a coronavirus testing site for its mostly Black and Latino congregation .
Pastor Les Simmons said challenging times like this , with a pandemic that has wrecked the economy and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are when people most need their church ’ s embrace .
But his followers have had to settle for virtual hugs and remote words of wisdom when dealing with those challenges and the outrage over the police killings of unarmed African Americans such as George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville , Kentucky .
“ It ’ s very hard because people are definitely used to closeness and the idea of being touch-deprived is very real right now , ’ ’ Simmons said .
“ It ’ s been very difficult @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Simmons said the lack of a physical presence has also led to financial hardships for his church , which has missed the donations of members who prefer to bring them in person .
Some of them may also now be unemployed .
Through those difficulties , the Christian Center continues to offer five services a week , all remotely .
And while some congregants come by at times to have a moment of reflection outside the closed doors , Simmons takes heart in knowing there have been no major outbreaks among the congregation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than just a building .
“ Many Scripture passages I ’ ve seen show the priest or the prophet was able to connect with the people without being by the people , ’ ’ he said .
“ Our faith is between us and God , not necessarily us and a place.
’ ’ Not everybody is ready to accept that without a challenge , sometimes of the legal variety .
Trump deemed places of worship “ essential ’ ’ institutions on May 22 and threatened to override governors who didn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ though it ’ s far from certain he has such authority .
Churches in California , Illinois , Washington state , Virginia and Nevada have been among those filing lawsuits contending restrictions on in-person services violate the right to free exercise of religion granted by the First Amendment .
Bernadette Meyler , a constitutional law expert at Stanford University , said the state ’ s right to safeguard the health and welfare of its residents has long been established and takes precedence as long as the regulations in that interest are applied equally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ limitations on gatherings at churches couldn ’ t be more stringent than at movie theaters .
“ The way the Supreme Court has interpreted the free exercise clause since about 1990 , when there was a case about this issue , is they have said that as long as the state or a locality is passing a neutral law of general applicability , that ’ s going to be presumptively valid , ’ ’ Meyler said .
There have been no documented reports of widespread defiance by churches of the states ’ mandates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , only occasional instances , as appears to be the case with the Lighthouse Pentecostal Church in Island City , Oregon , where the state ’ s largest outbreak originated .
But some houses of worship have resisted calls for more prudent approaches , such as mandating the use of masks .
Robert Jeffress , the prominent pastor of First Baptist Dallas , said his megachurch has encouraged but not required those in attendance to wear masks , adding that about two-thirds of them do .
The downtown church , which provides several @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in mid-March 15 and reopened June 7 , reducing the combined capacity of its two auditoriums from 4,500 to about 1,400 in a nod to the virus .
However , when the church hosted Vice President Mike Pence for a June 28 event dubbed Freedom Sunday that was part religious service , part political rally , about 2,500 attended , by Jeffress ’ estimation .
Photos showed social distance was kept only by some .
Jeffress said criticism of the event has proved unfounded , with only once case of COVID-19 remotely linked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we were being irresponsible , we were going to be a super spreader of the virus .
Of course , they said nothing about the protests of thousands of people in our streets shouting at the top of their lungs without a mask , ’ ’ Jeffress said .
“ Unless government is willing to outlaw protests and stop the presses at USA TODAY , they have no right to shut down churches .
We ’ re all protected by the same First Amendment.
’ ’ Ogbonnaya Omenka , an associate professor and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said defeating the virus will require for Americans to think less about their individual liberties and more about the common good .
He acknowledged that ’ s complicated considerably by the politicization of the pandemic and of such proven measures as wearing masks .
Omenka also pointed out that mitigation attempts by churches such as sanitizing , spacing and mask requirements are limited by the reality that they can ’ t control what their congregants do outside the services and how much they ’ re exposed to the virus .
“ So there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ completely eliminate the threat of a resurgence when you reopen places of worship , ’ ’ he said .
More troubling to Omenka , though , is the cognitive dissonance he notices among people who don ’ t want to be inconvenienced by the changes the virus ’ existence demands .
Reopening , he said , does not mean a return to normal , not for quite a while .
“ Opening a church normally is risky , so let ’ s figure out another option , ’ ’ Omenka said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But some may say , ‘ Well , it ’ s raining and we don ’ t have enough seating for everybody to be under a canopy .
Let ’ s go back inside.
’ No .
Can we just accept that it ’ s OK to not have service for that day if it will keep the congregants healthy to come back next week ?
’ ’

'A dangerous environment': As churches reopen, outbreaks sprout and some keep doors shut
Show Caption Hide Caption COVID-ravaged NY church reopens After losing at least 74 parishioners to COVID-19, Saint Bartholomew Roman Catholic Church in Queens reopened for its first in-person services in nearly four months. In attendance was Claudia Balderas, who lost her brother to the coronavirus. (July 8)  AP
At a church in Sacramento, California, that has been closed for in-person services since March, congregants occasionally still stop by to pray outside and try to capture a sense of fellowship they dearly miss.
In Nashville, Tennessee, the pastor of an Anglican church has been handing out Communion in the parking lot for weeks.
South of Atlanta, the animated pastor of a 3,000-member congregation tries to summon every ounce of enthusiasm in his body to deliver a lively, music-filled service in front of a live audience of no one, hoping his message and spirit come through on various technology platforms.
None of those are ideal options, but they beat becoming the source of an outbreak of COVID-19.
Almost 40 places of worship and religious events have been linked to more than 650 cases of the coronavirus since the pandemic began, according to tracking by The New York Times. Along with the nationwide surge in infections that has followed the loosening of restrictions aimed at combating the virus, outbreaks connected to churches have sprouted at several spots.
Those include a Pentecostal church in northeastern Oregon tied to at least 236 positive tests; five flareups linked to churches in West Virginia, the largest one resulting in 51 infections; more than 50 cases stemming from an evangelical church outside San Antonio where the pastor allowed hugging again; a large worship service in Cleveland, Tennessee, that appears to have generated at least a dozen cases, including the pastor, who said he stopped counting after 12; and a Christian camp in Missouri that had to shut down after 82 campers, counselors and staffers contracted the virus despite taking a number of precautions.
All those outbreaks except for the one at the camp occurred in June.
Figuring out 'how to worship in safer ways'
Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, a professor of epidemiology at the University of California-San Francisco, said the coronavirus thrives in the typical setting of a house of worship – indoors, with a multitude of people gathered close together, often singing, which can expel virus-carrying droplets.
Add to that practices traditional to some religions, like shaking hands, taking Communion and dipping the host in a chalice with wine, and you have an ideal breeding ground for the virus.
“All the things we’re learning about the virus now make it more clear how much churches and the types of gatherings churches represent provide a more dangerous environment for viral transmission,’’ Bibbins-Domingo said. “We have to figure out how to worship in safer ways, and right now in-person, in large groups, in an enclosed building is not a safe place.’’
Be it by government decree or their own discretion, many houses of worship throughout the country have remained closed or operated at significantly reduced capacity amid the pandemic. On Monday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom included churches among the organizations that had to shut down in most of the state because of a spike in infections. Churches had been allowed to reopen under certain conditions in late May.
Oftentimes, even when congregants are welcome back, many have been reluctant to return.
USA TODAY data analysis shows drop in attendance
A USA TODAY analysis of anonymized cellphone data from 16 million devices shows church attendance dropped 52% in the thrid week of March, when President Donald Trump declared a national emergency, compared with an average week in February.
Church visits haven’t come close to returning to the norm, lingering at around minus 40%. Activities such as visiting restaurants and clothing and shoe stores have bounced back stronger, both at minus 23%.
“The vast majority of people in our congregation are still not comfortable coming to a worship service, even though we have a very clean setup,’’ said Thomas McKenzie, pastor of the Church of the Redeemer in Nashville.
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McKenzie’s church, with a congregation of 500, has done extra sanitizing, required face masks, limited capacity, removed seats to allow for more social distance and changed the way Communion is handed out, including distributing the host in the parking lot to those who don’t want to come in.
“My theory is I have to act like I have the coronavirus, and I try to minister people as if, if I breathed on them, I could kill them,’’ said McKenzie, who wears gloves and a mask while preaching.
Still, the biggest turnout since reopening May 31 has been 45 – five short of the current limit – with a low of 12. For the first time ever this year, the church is streaming services.
That has been a common tool for houses of worship in the age of the coronavirus: Facebook and YouTube serve as platforms to reach worshipers who can’t or won’t attend in person.
With the rising number of cases in the Atlanta metro area, T.J. McBride says it’s unlikely he’ll preach in person again until next year. That’s a shame, because the pastor of Tabernacle of Praise Church International, about 20 miles south of Atlanta, feeds off his mostly Black congregation of 3,000 in delivering his energetic sermons.
Performing for the cameras without an audience doesn’t provide much immediate feedback.
“It’s been a real challenge, because you don’t have anybody saying, ‘Amen, preacher,’ or any of that stuff,’’ McBride said. “But this is the new normal. I do two Zoom calls a day with members of our church, and what gives me joy and strength is they tell me they’re enjoying the service. They enjoy the message and our presentation.’’
McBride said six members of his church have died of COVID-19, and many families have lost loved ones. It was especially painful not to be able to comfort them in person, having to rely on phone conversations and hearing how congregants couldn’t bid a proper goodbye to their relatives who died because of restrictions on funeral homes.
But McBride is aware the coronavirus has taken a disproportionate toll on communities of color, and he’s wary of reopening any time soon, even though legally he’s allowed to.
“We don’t want to be the cause of anyone getting this disease,’’ he said.
On Tuesday, one of the nation’s largest churches, Atlanta’s multi-site North Point Ministries, said it won’t reopen for in-person services the rest of the year because of the virus.
Some houses of worship stay shut
A much smaller place of worship, the 1,200-member South Sacramento Christian Center, has kept its doors shut since mid-March but continued its community outreach by distributing bags of food and helping set up a coronavirus testing site for its mostly Black and Latino congregation.
Pastor Les Simmons said challenging times like this, with a pandemic that has wrecked the economy and led to millions of job losses, are when people most need their church’s embrace. But his followers have had to settle for virtual hugs and remote words of wisdom when dealing with those challenges and the outrage over the police killings of unarmed African Americans such as George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky.
“It’s very hard because people are definitely used to closeness and the idea of being touch-deprived is very real right now,’’ Simmons said. “It’s been very difficult for folks to accept that.’’
Simmons said the lack of a physical presence has also led to financial hardships for his church, which has missed the donations of members who prefer to bring them in person. Some of them may also now be unemployed. Through those difficulties, the Christian Center continues to offer five services a week, all remotely.
And while some congregants come by at times to have a moment of reflection outside the closed doors, Simmons takes heart in knowing there have been no major outbreaks among the congregation, and he emphasizes a church is more than just a building.
“Many Scripture passages I’ve seen show the priest or the prophet was able to connect with the people without being by the people,’’ he said. “Our faith is between us and God, not necessarily us and a place.’’
Not everybody is ready to accept that without a challenge, sometimes of the legal variety. Trump declared places of worship “essential’’ institutions on May 22 and threatened to override governors who didn’t allow them to open, even though it’s far from certain he has such authority.
Lawsuits filed to challenge restrictions
Churches in California, Illinois, Washington state, Virginia and Nevada have been among those filing lawsuits contending restrictions on in-person services violate the right to free exercise of religion granted by the First Amendment.
Bernadette Meyler, a constitutional law expert at Stanford University, said the state’s right to safeguard the health and welfare of its residents has long been established and takes precedence as long as the regulations in that interest are applied equally. For example, Meyler said, limitations on gatherings at churches couldn’t be more stringent than at movie theaters.
“The way the Supreme Court has interpreted the free exercise clause since about 1990, when there was a case about this issue, is they have said that as long as the state or a locality is passing a neutral law of general applicability, that’s going to be presumptively valid,’’ Meyler said.
There have been no documented reports of widespread defiance by churches of the states’ mandates aimed at curbing spread of the virus, only occasional instances, as appears to be the case with the Lighthouse Pentecostal Church in Island City, Oregon, where the state’s largest outbreak originated.
But some houses of worship have resisted calls for more prudent approaches, such as requiring masks.
Robert Jeffress, the prominent pastor of First Baptist Dallas, said his megachurch has encouraged but not required those in attendance to wear masks, adding that about two-thirds of them do. The downtown church, which provides several online ministries, closed for in-person services in mid-March 15 and reopened June 7, reducing the combined capacity of its two auditoriums from 4,500 to about 1,400 in a nod to the virus.
However, when the church hosted Vice President Mike Pence for a June 28 event dubbed Freedom Sunday that was part religious service, part political rally, about 2,500 attended, by Jeffress’ estimation. Photos showed social distance was kept only by some.
Jeffress said criticism of the event has proved unfounded, with only once case of COVID-19 remotely linked to it.
“People were saying we were being irresponsible, we were going to be a super-spreader of the virus. Of course, they said nothing about the protests of thousands of people in our streets shouting at the top of their lungs without a mask,’’ Jeffress said. “Unless government is willing to outlaw protests and stop the presses at USA TODAY, they have no right to shut down churches. We’re all protected by the same First Amendment.’’
'Opening a church normally is risky'
Ogbonnaya Omenka, an associate professor and public health specialist at Butler University, said defeating the virus will require for Americans to think less about their individual liberties and more about the common good. He acknowledged that’s complicated considerably by the politicization of the pandemic and of such proven measures as wearing masks.
Omenka also pointed out that mitigation attempts by churches such as sanitizing, spacing and mask requirements are limited by the reality that they can’t control what their congregants do outside the services and how much they’re exposed to the virus.
“So there’s no safety net that would completely eliminate the threat of a resurgence when you reopen places of worship,’’ he said.
More troubling to Omenka, though, is the cognitive dissonance he notices among people who don’t want to be inconvenienced by the changes the virus’ existence demands. Reopening, he said, does not mean a return to normal, not for quite a while.
“Opening a church normally is risky, so let’s figure out another option,’’ Omenka said. “Let’s do the service outside. But some may say, ‘Well, it’s raining and we don’t have enough seating for everybody to be under a canopy. Let’s go back inside.’ No. Can we just accept that it’s OK to not have service for that day if it will keep the congregants healthy to come back next week?’’
Contributing: USA TODAY data reporter Dian Zhang