usatoday--2020-10-31--Voting 2020 updates: Texas early vote count surges past 2016 numbers; massive number of lawsuits alr

Voting 2020 updates: Texas early vote count surges past 2016 numbers; massive number of lawsuits already filed; COVID shutters Florida poll

With three days until Election Day , more than 85 million people have already voted – more than half of the total votes counted in the 2016 general election , according to Michael McDonald , a professor at the University of Florida who runs the U.S .
Elections Project .
`` The numbers are stunning , '' McDonald said in an update on his website this week .
`` The pace of some states ' early voting is such that with almost certainty states will begin surpassing their total 2016 total vote this week . ''
One such voter who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Barbara Duvall who at age 99 survived COVID-19 , pneumonia and five days in the hospital .
She voted for the very first time last week .
`` I guess I did n't have time before because of my kids , my husband and our family .
I stayed with them , '' she said .
`` I decided this time that I wanted the right man in there . ''
Read the full story .
As Election Day approaches , USA TODAY is keeping track of what 's happening as voters around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some important headlines from this week : • `` I can ’ t ask people to vote if I don ’ t vote '' : What Shaquille O'Neal told USA TODAY Sports for a story about what led four professional athletes to cast their first ballots .
• Voters in jail often rely on outside civic groups to register them .
Many of those initiatives were limited this year due to the coronavirus , disenfranchising hundreds of thousands .
• Voting is widely billed as a patriotic duty , but it can be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rules and terms .
Here are some important terms to brush up on .
• Know your voting rights : If you encounter intimidation at the polls on Election Day , here 's what to do .
Legal battles are happening on a massive scale : A record-setting number of lawsuits have been filed this year , with even more likely after the polls close .
More than 230 election-related federal lawsuits were filed from Jan. 1 to Oct. 23 , higher than any of the past three presidential election years during the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ analysis of federal court data found .
What led these professional athletes to cast their first ballots ?
Many athletes are longtime voters , but there are plenty of others who will be casting a ballot for the first time .
`` I don ’ t like being a hypocrite if I ’ m asking everybody to vote and enact change , '' Basketball Hall of Fame player , NBA broadcaster and first-time voter Shaquille O'Neal told USA TODAY Sports .
`` I can ’ t ask people to vote if I don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been motivated to vote for the first time by this summer 's social justice movement or a specific issue they want to support .
Others say they 've come to see voting as a civic duty .
And some are only just now eligible to vote , either due to their age or citizenship status .
USA TODAY Sports spoke with four athletes who are casting their first ballots in a presidential election — and why they 're voting .
Read more .
Early votes in Texas surpass total cast in 2016 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voting has surged to unprecedented levels in the 2020 election , especially in Texas where the number of early votes has already surpassed the total number of ballots cast four years ago .
According to the Texas Secretary of State office , 8,969,226 out of 15,101,087 registered voters cast ballots in the entire 2016 general election .
The official vote count in Texas through Thursday is already at 9,009,850 – with a full day of early voting and Election Day left .
Voters in Texas do not register by party , so the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high numbers favor Democrats or Republicans .
Polling indicates a very tight race in the Lone Star State , which Trump won four years ago by nine percentage points .
Election problems : What to keep in mind This cheat sheet from Columbia Journalism Review offers tips for media organizations reporting on Election 2020 that are a good reminder of what to expect on Election Day .
• Voting problems are n't failures .
They happen every year and , as CJR notes , hiccups such as voting machines not working or polling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is `` rigged . ''
• Some problems , however , are significant .
CJR recommends the media scrutinize areas that have a history of voter suppression or obstructing minority voters , calling out Georgia as a place to monitor .
• Do n't expect a winner on Election Night .
This year is different because mail-in ballots could be as high as 30 % .
Previously , that number was 3 % -5 % .
It will take a while to tally .
• Seriously , expect to wait .
State vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be reported to the federal level until Dec. 8 .
Additionally , the Electoral College doesn ’ t meet until Dec. 14 .
Florida early voting site closes because of COVID-19 among election workers A Palm Bay , Florida , early voting site has been closed after election workers there tested positive for COVID-19 , Brevard County Supervisor of Elections Lori Scott announced Friday .
The affected site is at the supervisor of elections ' Palm Bay administrative offices , 450 Cogan Drive SE , which also is temporarily closed .
Citing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ place since the March presidential preference primary , Scott said : `` It is a tribute to our strict safety measures that we have been able to process almost a half a million voters through the election process this year before having our first positive case.
” Early in-person voting continues from 8 am .
to 6 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and voters were urged to visit other early voting sites in the area .
Nearly 24,000 lawyers are volunteering to help voters across the country navigate changes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cycle .
Organizers of Election Protection , a national coalition of civil rights and voting rights groups , said the number of volunteers has quadrupled since the 2016 presidential election and the 2018 midterm elections .
They ’ re bracing for even more calls as Election Day nears and in the days and weeks following .
The Election Protection hotline ( 866-OUR-VOTE ) is available all year , but calls have ramped up in recent weeks as millions started casting ballots early in some states .
The hotline has received more than 100,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a day , organizers said .
At this point in 2016 , the group had fielded 21,000 calls since January of that year .
Headlines from elsewhere and resources on voting • From ProPublica : Their Electionland project goes deep on issues that can affect eligible voters ' ability to cast a ballot .
• From Pew/Stateline : The Barriers to the Ballot Box project takes on how changes to polling places impact communities .
• Ballotopedia : Resources and guides to not just the election , but also voting .
• From @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that should be on your radar .
☑How to make sure your mail-in ballot is counted and not discarded .
🗳 USA TODAY 's Voter Guide has everything you need on registering to vote , when your state begins voting and what the candidates think about the issues .
📧For updates to your inbox , subscribe to our daily On Politics newsletter .

Voting 2020 updates: Missouri polling place covers noose; Texas event canceled after Biden bus swarmed by Trump supporters
Show Caption Hide Caption First-time voters are going to the polls by the millions in 2020 The 2020 election is motivating first-time voters of all ages and walks of life to cast their ballots. USA TODAY
With three days until Election Day, more than 90 million people have already voted – more than two-thirds of the total votes counted in the 2016 general election, according to Michael McDonald, a professor at the University of Florida who runs the U.S. Elections Project.
"The numbers are stunning," McDonald said in an update on his website this week. "The pace of some states' early voting is such that with almost certainty states will begin surpassing their total 2016 total vote this week."
One such voter who talked to USA TODAY this week: Barbara Duvall who at age 99 survived COVID-19, pneumonia and five days in the hospital. She voted for the very first time last week.
"I guess I didn't have time before because of my kids, my husband and our family. I stayed with them," she said. "I decided this time that I wanted the right man in there." Read the full story.
As Election Day approaches, USA TODAY is keeping track of what's happening as voters around the country cast ballots. Here are some important headlines from this week:
"I can’t ask people to vote if I don’t vote": What Shaquille O'Neal told USA TODAY Sports for a story about what led four professional athletes to cast their first ballots.
Voters in jail often rely on outside civic groups to register them. Many of those initiatives were limited this year due to the coronavirus, disenfranchising hundreds of thousands.
Voting is widely billed as a patriotic duty, but it can be a confusing one, filled with unfamiliar rules and terms. Here are some important terms to brush up on.
From pandemic fears to complex ID requirements to lack of nearby polling places, young voters are facing an unprecedented array of obstacles. But despite suppression tactics, young voters are "raising hell" with historic early voting turnout.
Know your voting rights: If you encounter intimidation at the polls on Election Day, here's what to do.
Legal battles are happening on a massive scale: A record-setting number of lawsuits have been filed this year, with even more likely after the polls close. More than 230 election-related federal lawsuits were filed from Jan. 1 to Oct. 23, higher than any of the past three presidential election years during the same time period, a USA TODAY analysis of federal court data found.
A historical exhibit featuring a replica of the noose used in Missouri’s last legal hanging drew fire Friday from Democrats who said its presence near polls amounted to racist “voter intimidation.”
The exhibit in the Stone County Courthouse, which also features other artifacts and newspaper clippings about the 1937 execution of Roscoe Jackson, a white man convicted of murder, first drew notice more than a week ago.
A voter who found the display offensive took a photo and provided it to federal civil rights enforcement and state Democratic Party officials. Democratic officials in turn provided the photo to news outlets Friday and released multiple statements demanding the noose's removal.
Mark Maples, Stone County’s presiding commissioner, said the noose is part of a collection of items from a historic event that happened right outside the courthouse. It has been covered by a brown sheet of paper, which he said would remain through Election Day.
“It never once entered our minds as an intimidation issue,” Maples said. “We just don’t think that way.”
— Austin Huguelet, Springfield News-Leader
A caravan of vehicles displaying Trump campaign flags swarmed a Biden campaign bus between San Antonio and Austin on Friday afternoon, leading the Democrats on board, including congressional candidate Wendy Davis, to call 911 and cancel the Austin close of their “Battle for the Soul of the Nation” tour.
According to the Biden campaign, the vehicles with Trump signs and flags surrounded the bus trying to slow it down in the middle of the highway or run it off the road.
“Rather than engage in productive conversation about the drastically different visions that Joe Biden and Donald Trump have for our country, Trump supporters in Texas instead decided to put our staff, surrogates, supporters, and others in harm’s way,” Tariq Thowfeek, Texas communications director of the Biden campaign, said in a statement Saturday.
No one was injured. No one was arrested. It is evident on a video of the incident that there was a glancing but obvious contact between a black Trump pickup and a white car apparently being driven behind the bus by a Biden campaign staffer, but no apparent serious or disabling damage.
On Saturday, Trump shared an edited video that appears to be of the incident, tweeting "I love Texas!" in all caps.
— Jonathan Tilove, Austin American-Statesman
Postal and law enforcement officials are investigating after four dozen mail-in ballots were found undelivered at a post office in Florida.
U.S. Postal Service Office investigators said Saturday they found six completed ballots and 42 blank ballots among piles of undelivered mail in a post office near Homestead on the Florida peninsula’s southern tip. Video taken by a postal worker shows they had been sitting there for more than a week.
Miami-Dade County elections officials said Saturday that 18 of the affected voters have already cast ballots in person at an early voting site or through a replacement mail-in ballot. The department has received the six completed ballots and is contacting the remaining 24 voters to help them get their ballots returned by the 7 p.m. Tuesday deadline.
The investigation was launched Friday after Florida House Minority Leader Kionne McGhee tweeted video taken by a postal worker of the piles of undelivered mail.
— The Associated Press
A peaceful protest to get out the vote in Graham, North Carolina, turned chaotic Saturday after local police twice pepper sprayed marchers.
"This incident is unacceptable," tweeted North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper. "Peaceful demonstrators should be able to have their voices heard and voter intimidation in any form cannot be tolerated."
As a crowd of about 200 people arrived on foot at the county courthouse to speak near a polling location about voting rights, officers with the Graham Police Department doused them with pepper spray while telling the civil rights group to get out of the street. A reporter with the BurlingtonTimes-News, part of the USA TODAY Network, who was at the scene and was also pepper-sprayed, did not hear any advance warning before the police action.
After the police stopped spraying, they let marchers gather at the town square and set up and speak on stage. After 45 minutes, Graham police began arresting people on the fringes of the event, apparently who were just listening. And the Alamance Sheriff's Office deputies arrived. A tussle on stage ensued as officers tried to confiscate the audio equipment and speakers. A dozen or more people were arrested roughly and spray was used.
– Dean-Paul Stephens and Rachel Berry, Times-News
A federal judge on Friday ordered the U.S. Postal Service to implement "extraordinary measures" to ensure that ballots are delivered by Election Day in 22 districts in more than a dozen states, where deliveries are lagging.
District Court Judge Emmet G. Sullivan ordered the postal service to provide a written explanation for each district that delivered fewer than 80% of ballots on time each day, or fewer than 90% of ballots on time for two days in the same week.
Across the U.S. as of Saturday afternoon, more than 57 million of the mail-in ballots requested had been returned, and more than 33 million were outstanding, according to McDonald, the Florida professor who runs the U.S. Elections Project.
Heading into election week, the USA TODAY Network's effort to measure mail efficiency showed high rates of on-time delivery in some swing states but continuing signs of problems in others. Of 62 packages mailed since Oct. 13, a dozen took more than the three-day shipping standard set forth by the post office. Five took a week or more.
Early, in-person voting ends Saturday in New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Virginia and West Virginia, as well as in several Florida counties.
New Mexico had reported more than 700,000 early votes Saturday morning, according to McDonald.
"NM is at 93.2% of its 2016 total vote. I did not have NM going over 2016 on my bingo card," McDonald said on Twitter. "Today is the last day of in-person early voting, and there are still some mail ballots outstanding."
North Carolina had reported more than 4.3 million votes so far, Oklahoma more than 300,000, Virginia more than 2.5 million, and West Virginia more than 100,000, according to McDonald.
There was a six-hour wait for the last person in line to vote just before 10 a.m. Saturday at County Square in Greenville, South Carolina. The line stretched twice the length of the buildings before snaking through a parking lot on the eastern side of the complex.
Voters will likely find much shorter waits if they elect to vote on Tuesday, said Conway Belangia, the county's elections director. There will be 151 precincts open in the county — not only the one at County Square.
With in-person absentee voting available to any registered voter thanks to the pandemic, South Carolina and other states have shattered early voting records. More than 1.1 million people in South Carolina had cast absentee ballots by Thursday night, and that was already twice the record 503,000 cast in 2016.
– Elizabeth LaFleur, Greenville News
Early voting hours have been extended this weekend at all four Rockland County, New York, locations and signage offering accommodations for voters who require them is being added, following a lawsuit by the New York Civil Liberties Union.
Polls will be open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. — an extra two-and-a-half hours — both Saturday and Sunday at the Clarkstown, Haverstraw, Orangetown and Ramapo town halls, said Rockland's Democratic elections commissioner, Kristen Zebrowski Stavisky.
Stavisky's efforts to have the hours extended were thwarted when her Republican counterpart, Patricia Giblin, opposed the move. But state Supreme Court Justice Rolph Thorsen issued his ruling late Friday afternoon in support of the Civil Liberties Union's legal action. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the Spring Valley and Nyack branches of the NAACP and several individual voters.
– Robert Brum and Nancy Cutler, Rockland/Westchester Journal News
Polling place pickings are slim in Halifax County, a largely rural county in the Roanoke River basin near the Virginia border where more than half the residents are Black, according to U.S. Census numbers.
In poor, rural counties like Halifax, election challenges loom large. Not only are there no stadiums to serve as polling places, but there often are not enough suitable, well-located public buildings that work either. Distances are vast, and poll worker positions are hard to fill.
Since 2012, Halifax County has reduced the number of Election Day polling places by nearly a quarter, from 25 to 19, a Center for Public Integrity/Stateline analysis of polling place data found. Voters saw the average distance to their polling place increase about four-tenths of a mile between 2012 and 2018 — the second-largest jump in the state after Cleveland County, on the South Carolina border. Read more here.
– Matt Vasilogambros, Tim Henderson, Carrie Levine and Pratheek Rebala, Stateline and The Center for Public Integrity
There are multiple challenges affecting Native voters, including the lack of traditional mailing addresses and unequal access to early-voting sites.
Patty Ferguson Bohnee, the director of the Indian Law Clinic at ASU, said fewer than half of people who live on tribal lands have access to broadband internet, and that impedes access to the polls. Native voters are also faced with isolating conditions, language barriers and various socioeconomic disparities.
But advocates are working to remove barriers. The Arizona Native Vote Elections Protection Project works with the Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona, the National Congress of American Indians, and the Native American Bar Association of Arizona on ways to address Native voting issues.
– Shondiin Silversmith, Arizona Republic
Many athletes are longtime voters, but there are plenty of others who will be casting a ballot for the first time.
"I don’t like being a hypocrite if I’m asking everybody to vote and enact change," Basketball Hall of Fame player, NBA broadcaster and first-time voter Shaquille O'Neal told USA TODAY Sports. "I can’t ask people to vote if I don’t vote."
Some athletes have been motivated to vote for the first time by this summer's social justice movement or a specific issue they want to support. Others say they've come to see voting as a civic duty. And some are only just now eligible to vote, either due to their age or citizenship status.
USA TODAY Sports spoke with four athletes who are casting their first ballots in a presidential election — and why they're voting. Read more.
– Tom Schad and Nancy Armour
Early voting has surged to unprecedented levels in the 2020 election, especially in Texas where the number of early votes has already surpassed the total number of ballots cast four years ago.
According to the Texas Secretary of State office, 8,969,226 out of 15,101,087 registered voters cast ballots in the entire 2016 general election. The official vote count in Texas through Thursday is already at 9,009,850 – with a full day of early voting and Election Day left.
Voters in Texas do not register by party, so the early returns don't indicate whether the high numbers favor Democrats or Republicans. Polling indicates a very tight race in the Lone Star State, which Trump won four years ago by nine percentage points.
The number of early votes in Hawaii has also surpassed the state's total in 2016. More than 484,000 Hawaiians have already voted this year, according to McDonald, about 60,000 more than votes cast in 2016.
– William Cummings
This cheat sheet from Columbia Journalism Review offers tips for media organizations reporting on Election 2020 that are a good reminder of what to expect on Election Day.
Voting problems aren't failures. They happen every year and, as CJR notes, hiccups such as voting machines not working or polling places opening late don't mean anything is "rigged."
They happen every year and, as CJR notes, hiccups such as voting machines not working or polling places opening late don't mean anything is "rigged." Some problems, however, are significant. CJR recommends the media scrutinize areas that have a history of voter suppression or obstructing minority voters, calling out Georgia as a place to monitor.
CJR recommends the media scrutinize areas that have a history of voter suppression or obstructing minority voters, calling out Georgia as a place to monitor. Don't expect a winner on Election Night. This year is different because mail-in ballots could be as high as 30%. Previously, that number was 3%-5%. It will take a while to tally.
This year is different because mail-in ballots could be as high as 30%. Previously, that number was 3%-5%. It will take a while to tally. Seriously, expect to wait. State vote certification deadlines differ and don't have to be reported to the federal level until Dec. 8. Additionally, the Electoral College doesn’t meet until Dec. 14.
A Palm Bay, Florida, early voting site has been closed after election workers there tested positive for COVID-19, Brevard County Supervisor of Elections Lori Scott announced Friday.
The affected site is at the supervisor of elections' Palm Bay administrative offices, 450 Cogan Drive SE, which also is temporarily closed.
Citing the "stringent safety protocols" in place since the March presidential preference primary, Scott said: "It is a tribute to our strict safety measures that we have been able to process almost a half a million voters through the election process this year before having our first positive case.”
Early in-person voting continues from 8 am. to 6 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and voters were urged to visit other early voting sites in the area. (You can follow Saturday's coronavirus news here.)
– Dave Berman, Florida Today
Nearly 24,000 lawyers are volunteering to help voters across the country navigate changes in what has become an unprecedented election cycle. Organizers of Election Protection, a national coalition of civil rights and voting rights groups, said the number of volunteers has quadrupled since the 2016 presidential election and the 2018 midterm elections. They’re bracing for even more calls as Election Day nears and in the days and weeks following.
The Election Protection hotline (866-OUR-VOTE) is available all year, but calls have ramped up in recent weeks as millions started casting ballots early in some states. The hotline has received more than 100,000 calls since July, averaging about 7,000 a day, organizers said. At this point in 2016, the group had fielded 21,000 calls since January of that year.
– Deborah Barfield Berry
From ProPublica : Their Electionland project goes deep on issues that can affect eligible voters' ability to cast a ballot.
: Their Electionland project goes deep on issues that can affect eligible voters' ability to cast a ballot. From Pew/Stateline : The Barriers to the Ballot Box project takes on how changes to polling places impact communities.
: The Barriers to the Ballot Box project takes on how changes to polling places impact communities. Ballotopedia : Resources and guides to not just the election, but also voting.
: Resources and guides to not just the election, but also voting. From the Associated Press: More voting headlines that should be on your radar.
☑How to make sure your mail-in ballot is counted and not discarded.
🗳 USA TODAY's Voter Guide has everything you need on registering to vote, when your state begins voting and what the candidates think about the issues.
📧For updates to your inbox, subscribe to our daily On Politics newsletter.
Contributing: Ryan Miller, Associated Press


usatoday--2020-10-31--Hospitals overwhelmed: Exhausted staffs, surging COVID-19 cases push nation's limits

As the United States adds a new coronavirus case every second , hospitals from West Texas to Wisconsin are overwhelmed with the soaring number of critically ill Americans .
In many cases , it ’ s not a lack of hospital beds , therapies or equipment that worry managersamid the surge , with someone dying from COVID-19 in the U.S. nearly every two minutes .
It ’ s the depleted and exhausted hospitals staffs needed to care for those who need life-sustaining therapies .
The head of the Utah Hospital Association this week warned the situation is getting so dire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care .
Hospitals in North and South Dakota are seeking staff reinforcements to care for patients in crowded intensive care units .
And in Wisconsin , hospitals are opening makeshift ICU wings even as they desperately look for nurses and other clinicians to staff the facilities .
“ We can keep converting ICU space , ” said Jeffrey Pothof , an emergency room doctor in Madison , Wisconsin .
“ But the constraint will be the staffing … that ’ s the thing that worries us the most right now.
” More than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a 7-day period ending Thursday , a new one-week record .
Another 46,000-plus were hospitalized as of Thursday .
And perhaps more troubling , the share of positive cases is increasing in 41 states – a sign cases are on the upswing .
The worsening outbreak , fueled by Americans ' coronavirus fatigue and inconsistent mask wearing and distancing , means hospitals need more doctors , nurses and therapists to fill shifts .
Not only do hospitals need extra workers to handle the surge , they also need to replace shifts when their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But with the virus accelerating in so many states at the same time , hospitals nationwide are tapping the same limited pool of travel nurses , therapists and other clinicians who sign contracts to fill shifts on a temporary basis .
Rising cases in Phoenix , Arizona , in June and July made the nation ’ s fifth-largest city the epicenter of a summer surge that spilled over to other Sunbelt states .
Because cases were largely under control elsewhere , Arizona recruited out-of-state travel nurses and respiratory therapists to temporarily fill shifts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ working side by side with full-time staffers , Arizona hospitals averted the deadly initial surge that overwhelmed New York hospitals during the early days of the pandemic .
Banner Health , Arizona ’ s largest health system , recruited more than 1,000 contract nurses and respiratory therapists from June through mid-July .
Without those extra trained workers , the hospital might have used similar measures that Utah hospitals are now considering – rationing care .
“ The real issue is staff burnout , ” Fine said .
“ It ’ s a very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we no longer can count on contracted staff to save us.
” 'More jobs than we could ever fill' Staffing agencies that place travel nurses in hospitals and clinics say they ’ ve never been busier .
In the past four weeks , RN Network , part of Salt Lake City-based CHG Healthcare , has fielded a 130 % increase in staffing requests , said spokesman Chad Saley .
Hospitals in nearly every state are recruiting contract nurses to fill shifts .
And those pandemic-driven jobs often pay “ crisis rates ” that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ normal rates , especially for in-demand jobs like nurses with ICU experience .
Even full-time nurses are leaving hospital jobs to take lucrative gigs with travel companies , Saley said .
They can earn extra pay and covet the adventure without the long-term commitment of a staff position .
“ There are many more jobs than we could ever fill by ourselves , ” Saley said .
Host Healthcare , a health care staffing agency based in La Jolla , Calif. , said requests from hospitals have doubled from a year ago .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ for COVID tests , stressed labs delay results as demand spikes Not only do hospitals need to recruit workers to take care of the sickest patients , some are seeing demand in other areas of the hospital .
Hospitals halted non-emergency operations during the early weeks of the pandemic .
When those elective surgeries resumed as states relaxed restrictions , hospitals needed more workers .
In addition to ICU positions , Host is filling jobs at medical-surgical , post-operation recovery and telemetry units to remotely monitor patients vital signs .
All these extra @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pay .
Travelers can earn in five to six months what a staff nurse earns in a year , according to Gerald Cohen , Host 's executive director of training and development .
`` I ’ ve never seen demand like this , '' Cohen said .
In North Dakota , where COVID-19 cases per capita are among the highest in the nation , the state directed $ 10 million in federal funds to the state ’ s six largest hospital systems .
The purpose : aid hospitals that must pay lucrative travel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ staffing expenses , said Tim Blasl , president of the North Dakota Hospital Association .
Nearly one in five patients in North Dakota hospitals has COVID-19 , the largest share of such patients in the nation .
South Dakota has the second highest share of hospitalized coronavirus patients , followed by Montana and Wisconsin , according to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services data .
Because North Dakota was among the first states hit with the current surge , hospitals mobilized early to hire travel nurses , therapists and other contact workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and worked long hours to keep up with the demands .
This early jump on hiring contract workers means the state might have an advantage securing enough workforce , Blasl said .
Still , travelers have options , and will the extreme winter conditions of the Upper Plains states compel nurses and clinicians to look to other states ?
`` We do compete with other hospitals , other states , in terms of staff .
It ’ s very , very expensive , '' Blasl said .
`` When you get into the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more of a challenge ?
It could .
We are spending a lot of dollars on contracted labor .
Probably no different than other hospitals across the country . ''
Hospitals in Wisconsin are struggling to keep pace with the surge in cases there .
The state opened a field hospital near Milwaukee to handle excess cases .
Pothof , an assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and chief quality officer at UW Health in Madison , said his hospital is seeking to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
About one in three COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital are `` super sick '' and need ICU care , he said .
The hospital planned to open a new ICU unit in November , but with cases mounting , the hospital began moving patients to the new unit this week .
It also converted another medical unit into ICU space .
Beyond space and equipment , these units need workers .
A nurse in a normal ICU unit can take care of two patients , but the sickest COVID-19 patients need @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heart and lung bypass machines and must be constantly monitored , so there is one nurse for every ICU patient with COVID .
The hospital has contacted travel nursing agencies and also looked within its own ranks .
Some nurses who work in outpatient units have hospital experience and can fill some shifts .
Still , finding ICU nurses and other health workers limits the number of critically ill patients the hospital can handle .
`` Pretty much every nurse who wants a job right now in the United States has a job @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the one that keeps me up the most at night . ''
In El Paso , Texas , a judge sought to force the community 's hand by ordering a two-week shutdown of nonessential businesses .
The city 's hospitals are at capacity and medical workers are exhausted as the county grapples with a record number of cases .
Infectious disease experts say the relentless pressure of new cases and fatigued hospital staffs represents a new phase of the pandemic .
Unlike earlier days of COVID-19 , fewer hospitals will be able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` It is something more widespread than the outbreaks that occurred in the Sunbelt episode in the summer or the Northeast in the spring , '' said Dr. Amesh Adalja , a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security .
`` This just underscores the need to get control of this virus . ''
Ken Alltucker is on Twitter as @ kalltucker or can be emailed at alltuck @ usatoday.com

Hospitals overwhelmed: Exhausted staffs, surging COVID-19 cases push nation's limits
Show Caption Hide Caption COVID-19: How Herd Immunity works, why you still need to wear a mask Without masks and a vaccine, we could reach Herd Immunity from COVID-19, but deaths would skyrocket. We break down the science of it. Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
As the United States adds a new coronavirus case every second, hospitals from West Texas to Wisconsin are overwhelmed with the soaring number of critically ill Americans.
In many cases, it’s not a lack of hospital beds, therapies or equipment that worry managers amid the surge, with more than 229,000 deaths from COVID-19 in the U.S. It’s the depleted and exhausted hospitals staffs needed to care for those who need life-sustaining treatment.
The head of the Utah Hospital Association this week warned the situation is getting so dire that hospitals there might soon need to ration care. Hospitals in North and South Dakota are seeking staff reinforcements to care for patients in crowded intensive care units. And in Wisconsin, hospitals are opening makeshift ICU wings even as they desperately look for nurses and other clinicians to staff the facilities.
“We can keep converting ICU space,” said Jeffrey Pothof, an emergency room doctor in Madison, Wisconsin. “But the constraint will be the staffing … that’s the thing that worries us the most right now.”
More than 536,000 Americans tested positive for the coronavirus over a seven-day period ending Thursday, a new one-week record. Another 46,000-plus were hospitalized as of Thursday. And perhaps more troubling, the share of positive cases is increasing in 41 states – a sign cases are on the upswing.
The worsening outbreak, fueled by Americans' coronavirus fatigue and inconsistent mask wearing and distancing, means hospitals need more doctors, nurses and therapists to fill shifts. Not only do hospitals need extra workers to handle the surge, but they also need to replace shifts when their own staffers are sick or quarantined.
But with the virus accelerating in so many states at the same time, hospitals nationwide are tapping the same limited pool of travel nurses, therapists and other clinicians who sign contracts to fill shifts on a temporary basis.
Rising cases in Phoenix in June and July made the nation’s fifth-largest city the epicenter of a summer surge that spilled over to other Sunbelt states. Because cases were largely under control elsewhere, Arizona recruited out-of-state travel nurses and respiratory therapists to temporarily fill shifts in crowded ICU units
With contract workers working side by side with full-time staffers, Arizona hospitals averted the deadly initial surge that overwhelmed New York hospitals during the early days of the pandemic.
Banner Health, Arizona’s largest health system, recruited more than 1,000 contract nurses and respiratory therapists from June through mid-July. Without those extra trained workers, the hospital might have used similar measures that Utah hospitals are now considering – rationing care.
Banner Health CEO Peter Fine worries hospitals can’t depend on stopgap staffing again.
“The real issue is staff burnout,” Fine said. “It’s a very real phenomenon, and with a countrywide breakout we no longer can count on contracted staff to save us.”
Virus pushes El Paso and Juarez to the brink A record surge in coronavirus cases is pushing hospitals to the brink in the border cities of El Paso and Ciudad Juarez, confronting health officials in Texas and Mexico with twin disasters in the closely knit metropolitan area. (Oct. 28) AP
'More jobs than we could ever fill'
Staffing agencies that place travel nurses in hospitals and clinics say they’ve never been busier. In the past four weeks, RN Network, part of Salt Lake City-based CHG Healthcare, has fielded a 130% increase in staffing requests, said spokesman Chad Saley.
Hospitals in nearly every state are recruiting contract nurses to fill shifts. And those pandemic-driven jobs often pay “crisis rates” that swell compensation 20% to 30% above normal rates, especially for in-demand jobs like nurses with ICU experience.
Even full-time nurses are leaving hospital jobs to take lucrative gigs with travel companies, Saley said. They can earn extra pay and covet the adventure without the long-term commitment of a staff position.
“There are many more jobs than we could ever fill by ourselves,” Saley said.
Host Healthcare, a health care staffing agency based in La Jolla, Calif., said requests from hospitals have doubled from a year ago.
'Pushing the frontiers': Long lines for COVID tests, stressed labs delay results as demand spikes
Not only do hospitals need to recruit workers to take care of the sickest patients, some are seeing demand in other areas of the hospital. Hospitals halted non-emergency operations during the early weeks of the pandemic. When those elective surgeries resumed as states relaxed restrictions, hospitals needed more workers.
In addition to ICU positions, Host is filling jobs at medical-surgical, post-operation recovery and telemetry units to remotely monitor patients vital signs.
All these extra requests mean travel nurses can command higher pay. Travelers can earn in five to six months what a staff nurse earns in a year, according to Gerald Cohen, Host's executive director of training and development.
"I’ve never seen demand like this," Cohen said.
Staffing limits care for sick patients
In North Dakota, where COVID-19 cases per capita are among the highest in the nation, the state directed $10 million in federal money to the state’s six largest hospital systems. The purpose: help hospitals that must pay lucrative travel nursing fees, as well as other staffing expenses, said Tim Blasl, president of the North Dakota Hospital Association.
Nearly one in five patients in North Dakota hospitals has COVID-19, the largest share of such patients in the nation. South Dakota has the second highest share of hospitalized coronavirus patients, followed by Montana and Wisconsin, according to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services data.
Because North Dakota was among the first states hit with the current surge, hospitals mobilized early to hire travel nurses, therapists and other contact workers. Existing hospital staffers took extra shifts and worked long hours to keep up with the demands.
This early jump on hiring contract workers means the state might have an advantage securing enough workforce, Blasl said.
Still, travelers have options, and will the extreme winter conditions of the Upper Plains states compel nurses and clinicians to look to other states?
"We do compete with other hospitals, other states, in terms of staff. It’s very, very expensive," Blasl said. "When you get into the winter season, does it become maybe more of a challenge? It could. We are spending a lot of dollars on contracted labor. Probably no different than other hospitals across the country."
'Difficult situation': Nation's top infectious disease expert warns of a surge in coronavirus cases
Hospitals in Wisconsin are struggling to keep pace with the surge in cases there. The state opened a field hospital near Milwaukee to handle excess cases.
Pothof, an assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and chief quality officer at UW Health in Madison, said his hospital is seeking to handle a growing number of sick patients. About one in three COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital are "super sick" and need ICU care, he said.
The hospital planned to open a new ICU unit in November, but with cases mounting, the hospital began moving patients to the new unit this week. It also converted another medical unit into ICU space.
Beyond space and equipment, these units need workers. A nurse in a normal ICU unit can take care of two patients, but the sickest COVID-19 patients need round-the-clock attention. Some are hooked to heart and lung bypass machines and must be constantly monitored, so there is one nurse for every ICU patient with COVID.
The hospital has contacted travel nursing agencies and also looked within its own ranks. Some nurses who work in outpatient units have hospital experience and can fill some shifts.
Still, finding ICU nurses and other health workers limits the number of critically ill patients the hospital can handle.
"Pretty much every nurse who wants a job right now in the United States has a job," Pothof said. "Staffing is the one that keeps me up the most at night."
'A growing state of emergency': El Paso County orders 2-week shutdown amid COVID-19 surge
In El Paso, Texas, a judge sought to force the community's hand by ordering a two-week shutdown of nonessential businesses. The city's hospitals are at capacity and medical workers are exhausted as the county grapples with a record number of cases.
Infectious disease experts say the relentless pressure of new cases and fatigued hospital staffs represents a new phase of the pandemic. Unlike earlier days of the pandemic, fewer hospitals will be able to take patient transfers from hard-hit communities.
"It is something more widespread than the outbreaks that occurred in the Sunbelt episode in the summer or the Northeast in the spring," said Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. "This just underscores the need to get control of this virus."
Ken Alltucker is on Twitter as @kalltucker or can be emailed at alltuck@usatoday.com


usatoday--2020-10-31--Kirstie Alley told not to 'downplay' loss of life after slamming CNN's COVID-19 coverage

Kirstie Alley took to Twitter Friday morning to share a strong , negative opinion on CNN 's coverage of COVID-19 , which has infected more than 9 million people nationwide and killed nearly 230,000 according to Johns Hopkins data .
CNN clapped back in a reply tweet .
`` I now Know why my personal friends who walk around in SHEER TERROR of contracting Covid are simply CNN viewers ! ''
Alley wrote .
`` I decided to watch CNN myself to get a their viewpoint and oh my God DID I EVER !
!
!
!
IF YOU TOO @ @ @ @ @ @ @ !
! ''
She continued in all caps : `` FEAR OF DYING IS THEIR MANTRA !
OMG ! ''
CNN 's communications team responded to the actress shortly after she tweeted on Friday adding their own comment on Alley 's work in `` Veronica 's Closet , '' the three-season sitcom in which Alley starred .
`` Kirstie , you are welcome to change the channel - just like countless viewers did every time 'Veronica ’ s Closet ' came on TV , '' CNN wrote .
`` But don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lives . ''
They also reminded Alley to wear a mask .
Her tweet was met with a flurry of replies from Twitter users , who had their own opinions on Alley 's take .
Walter Shaub , former director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics , was among the responders .
`` You should be ashamed , '' he wrote .
`` We 're one of the hardest hit countries because irresponsible science-denying fools like you do n't care about hundreds of thousands of Americans who 've died or millions who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a question for Alley .
`` Do you ever reflect on how many deaths you personally may have caused ? ''
And other users shared personal anecdotes — one man , a Twitter user identified by the handle @ james_r_p_III , even posted an image of an intubated woman who he wrote was his wife , who thankfully had recovered from the virus after being hospitalized .
`` It ’ s not fear , it ’ s our reality , '' he wrote .
`` This is my wife in Dallas 8 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ downplaying the virus .
She spent 5 days in a coma .
Thankfully , she somehow survived but doesn ’ t want to do it again .
So , thanks to dumb comments like this , she can ’ t leave the house . ''
He also shared a photo of his wife , recovered , and of the device that he wrote saved her life when a ventilator could n't .
And user @ kshering shared a personal story , too .
`` Downplay this ... .
My son was only 36 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ image of an obituary .
`` People have lost all ability to think for themselves , '' @ misschellerene wrote .
Alley 's tweet received a massive amount of attention garnering more than 23,000 retweets and upwards of 74,000 favorites by Saturday morning .
CNN 's tweet received even more attention with more than 24,000 retweets and around 105,000 favorites by Saturday morning .

Kirstie Alley told not to 'downplay' COVID-19 deaths by CNN, makes offer to undecided voters
Show Caption Hide Caption Kirstie Alley talks Twitter backlash, Trump vote, new podcast Kirstie Alley responds to criticism after supporting President Trump. She also promoted her new podcast, "Kirstie Alley... On the Verge." Entertain This!, USA TODAY
Kirstie Alley took to Twitter Friday morning to share a strong, negative opinion on CNN's coverage of COVID-19, which has infected more than 9 million people nationwide and killed nearly 230,000 according to Johns Hopkins data. CNN clapped back in a reply tweet.
"I now Know why my personal friends who walk around in SHEER TERROR of contracting Covid are simply CNN viewers!" Alley wrote. "I decided to watch CNN myself to get a their viewpoint and oh my God DID I EVER!!!! IF YOU TOO WANT TO LIVE IN TERROR WATCH CNN!!"
She continued in all caps: "FEAR OF DYING IS THEIR MANTRA! OMG!"
CNN's communications team responded to the actress shortly after she tweeted on Friday adding their own comment on Alley's work in "Veronica's Closet," the three-season sitcom in which Alley starred.
"Kirstie, you are welcome to change the channel - just like countless viewers did every time 'Veronica’s Closet' came on TV," CNN wrote. "But don’t downplay the loss of nearly 230K American lives."
They also reminded Alley to wear a mask.
I now Know why my personal friends who walk around in SHEER TERROR of contracting Covid are simply CNN viewers! I decided to watch CNN myself to get a their viewpoint and oh my God DID I EVER!!!! IF YOU TOO WANT TO LIVE IN TERROR WATCH CNN!!
FEAR OF DYING IS THEIR MANTRA! OMG! — Kirstie Alley (@kirstiealley) October 30, 2020
Her tweet was met with a flurry of replies from Twitter users, who had their own opinions on Alley's take.
Walter Shaub, former director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, was among the responders.
"You should be ashamed," he wrote. "We're one of the hardest hit countries because irresponsible science-denying fools like you don't care about hundreds of thousands of Americans who've died or millions who are sick."
Shaub followed up with a question for Alley. "Do you ever reflect on how many deaths you personally may have caused?"
And other users shared personal anecdotes — one man, a Twitter user identified by the handle @james_r_p_III, even posted an image of an intubated woman who he wrote was his wife, who thankfully had recovered from the virus after being hospitalized.
"It’s not fear, it’s our reality," he wrote. "This is my wife in Dallas 8 months ago when Fox and Trump were downplaying the virus. She spent 5 days in a coma. Thankfully, she somehow survived but doesn’t want to do it again. So, thanks to dumb comments like this, she can’t leave the house."
He also shared a photo of his wife, recovered, and of the device that he wrote saved her life when a ventilator couldn't.
And user @kshering shared a personal story, too. "Downplay this.... My son was only 36," they wrote, sharing an image of an obituary.
Others agreed with Alley.
Twitter user @misschellerene called CNN's coverage "propaganda."
"People have lost all ability to think for themselves," @misschellerene wrote.
Alley's tweet received a massive amount of attention garnering more than 23,000 retweets and upwards of 74,000 favorites by Saturday morning. CNN's tweet received even more attention with more than 24,000 retweets and around 105,000 favorites by Saturday morning.
Despite the controversy, Alley has remained unfazed in expressing her Trump support on Twitter. On Monday, she even made a cheeky offer to anyone still deciding between the candidates.
"If you haven’t voted and you aren’t sure who to vote for... I will give you 3 billion doooiidrdas to vote for TRUMP," she wrote. "that’s how Biden says dollars"


usatoday--2020-10-31--Due to Big Ten policy, Wolverines fan says he will miss first game at Michigan Stadium since 1964

As years passed and his attendance streak grew longer , John Levinson used to joke with friends about his commitment to watching Michigan footballin person .
“ The only reason I am not at the game , ” he ’ d say , “ is because I am 6 feet under somewhere.
” But Levinson is very much alive , ruing the sad reality wrought by a global pandemic and how life as we now know it is preventing him from occupying his reserved spot in Section 22 , Row 76 , just below the press box on the west @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , against rival Michigan State of all teams , Levinson claims that for the first time since 1964 , he will not walk through the Big House ’ s gates to take the seat that has been in his family ’ s name dating to the Eisenhower administration .
The fall tradition he had created and religiously abided by has been interrupted .
Last weekend , for the first time since Jan. 1 , 1976 , he watched the Wolverines live on television instead of on-site and in living color .
As Levinson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 543 straight games with ripped , punched and scanned Michigan football tickets from stadiums all over the country ended because of a dang virus .
It ’ s enough to make Levinson just a little “ ticked , ” as he put it .
Levinson , who is 69 and in good health , understands the Big Ten ’ s decision to bar fans from games this season as the country continues to grapple with COVID-19 .
He just doesn ’ t like it .
After the conference reinstated football last monthand prohibited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Levinson tried to find a way around the ruling .
He contacted officials inside Michigan ’ s athletic department , emailing and calling multiple times to see whether he and his wife , Kathy , could gain admission .
“ I have been trying to twist arms , ” he said .
There had to be a way , he thought .
Shoot , his grandfather once told him he made it to each of the four Michigan home games at Ferry Field during the 1918 Spanish flu .
Levinson was similarly persistent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Michigan Stadium after his father denied him a ticket to see the Wolverines shut out Roger Staubach and Navy 56 years ago .
From that point forward , through years spent in the student section while obtaining multiple Michigan degrees and later at his perch in Row 76 , Levinson said he always showed up at the coliseum at 1201 S. Main in Ann Arbor whenever the Wolverines were set to take the field .
But this year , barring any special exemption granted by Michigan , he ’ ll stay home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has come to accept , the Big House will be hollow on the inside when the Wolverines play there four times this fall .
Levinson has tried to picture what the bizarre scene will look like , visualizing Michigan ’ s players racing onto the turf and touching the “ M ” Club banner in silence .
“ Who is going to cheer ?
” he asked .
It ’ s a crazy question considering Michigan ’ s records show the football team has attracted at least 100,000 people to each of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since an Oct. 25 , 1976 victory over Indiana .
That attendance streak , which will end this Saturday when a small group of family supporters turn out , has become synonymous with the image of a program that has a devoted legion of followers .
After all , the big crowds carried through the dark days of Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke , abetted at one time by a promotion tied to the sale of carbonated beverages .
Every Saturday , no matter what , people would come out in droves to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ College football 's bowl lineup released with fewer games and an altered schedule The large attendance figures , Jeff Holzhausen said , are “ a huge part of who we are and who we like to be.
” “ It ’ s definitely a part of our identity , ” he continued .
“ The Big House is our home away from home.
” It has been that way for Holzhausen since 1985 .
He hasn ’ t missed a game at Michigan Stadium since that year , advancing through adolescence , college @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a devotee of everything Maize and Blue .
During that time , Holzhausen developed an alter ego known as SuperFan , showing up to his seat with a cape before trading that in for a water buffalo hat .
Weekends in the fall were always blocked out for Michigan games .
Weddings were missed .
Funerals , too .
Girlfriends came and went as Holzhausen indulged in his passion .
In Section 20 , Row 7 , near the goal line on the west side , memories were made through Michigan football .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ part of our social structure , ” said Holzhausen .
At the corner of South Main and Hill St. , Holzhausen would post up on game days before 7 a.m. to get the party started , welcoming hundreds to his tailgate .
Over the years , he took hundreds of photos from those gatherings .
But this year , he plans to stay home and watch Michigan ’ s home games in his man cave , as he likes to call it .
Family and some close friends will be beside him and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through a virtual platform .
But it won ’ t be the same , he knows .
“ It ’ s going to be like walking downstairs Christmas morning and seeing that Santa hadn ’ t come , ” he said .
But like Levinson , Holzhausen gets why this is the way it has to be .
The 46-year-old father of two has a pair of master ’ s degrees from Michigan , including one in public health .
His dad , who has had Michigan season tickets since 1974 , is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ point he ’ s not certain he will ever attend another Wolverines game .
“ It ’ s a small price to pay to keep everyone safe or to make everyone feel safer , ” Holzhausen said .
It still hurts , though .
Levinson , a self-described workaholic and president of the Whitmore Lake plastics company RheTech , Inc. , made time for little else but Michigan football .
When he interviewed at the company he now leads , he told the owner he would not work Saturdays in the fall .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ would build their lives around the Wolverines ’ schedule — joining U-M Club of Greater Detroit for road trips and rolling out to games in cars , buses and motor homes .
Flights were also arranged .
`` A lot of people that have traveled with us for all the years have known they have always gone , '' said Roger Simmons , a former president of the club .
Only once , for a visit to Iowa ’ s Kinnick Stadium in 1978 , did the couple not travel together .
She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wedding , so Levinson went with his father to see the Wolverines beat the Hawkeyes , 34-0 .
But that was the last time she didn ’ t accompany him .
Ever since , they ’ ve been side by side at every Michigan game — witnessing Anthony Carter ’ s famed touchdown catch a year later , Desmond Howard ’ s Heisman pose in 1991 , Colorado ’ s Hail Mary in 1994 , Charles Woodson ’ s leaping one-hand interception against Michigan State in 1997 and that infamous loss to Appalachian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in person had become a rite of fall for Levinson and something he could count on in a chaotic world .
“ It was always something I would plan on , people could plan on , ” he said .
“ And that ’ s part of the problem with the pandemic ; you can ’ t plan on anything right now.
” Still , Levinson isn ’ t ready to wave the white flag just yet .
He wonders whether somehow , some way , he ’ ll have the opportunity to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keep some semblance of his fall routine alive .
His personal home-game attendance streak can ’ t end like this , can it ?
“ Hoping beyond hope something might change , ” he said .
“ But if not , I am going to have to sit here in front of the TV set.
” And live 2020 out like every other Michigan fan .

Due to Big Ten policy, Wolverines fan says he will miss first game at Michigan Stadium since 1964
As years passed and his attendance streak grew longer, John Levinson used to joke with friends about his commitment to watching Michigan football in person.
“The only reason I am not at the game,” he’d say, “is because I am 6 feet under somewhere.”
But Levinson is very much alive, ruing the sad reality wrought by a global pandemic and how life as we now know it is preventing him from occupying his reserved spot in Section 22, Row 76, just below the press box on the west side of Michigan Stadium.
On Saturday, against rival Michigan State of all teams, Levinson claims that for the first time since 1964, he will not walk through the Big House’s gates to take the seat that has been in his family’s name dating to the Eisenhower administration.
The fall tradition he had created and religiously abided by has been interrupted. Last weekend, for the first time since Jan. 1, 1976, he watched the Wolverines live on television instead of on-site and in living color. As Levinson explained with chagrin, a streak of 543 straight games with ripped, punched and scanned Michigan football tickets from stadiums all over the country ended because of a dang virus. It’s enough to make Levinson just a little “ticked,” as he put it.
Levinson, who is 69 and in good health, understands the Big Ten’s decision to bar fans from games this season as the country continues to grapple with COVID-19. He just doesn’t like it. After the conference reinstated football last month and prohibited the public from entering its venues, Levinson tried to find a way around the ruling. He contacted officials inside Michigan’s athletic department, emailing and calling multiple times to see whether he and his wife, Kathy, could gain admission.
“I have been trying to twist arms,” he said.
There had to be a way, he thought. Shoot, his grandfather once told him he made it to each of the four Michigan home games at Ferry Field during the 1918 Spanish flu. Levinson was similarly persistent, determined to never miss another moment at Michigan Stadium after his father denied him a ticket to see the Wolverines shut out Roger Staubach and Navy 56 years ago. From that point forward, through years spent in the student section while obtaining multiple Michigan degrees and later at his perch in Row 76, Levinson said he always showed up at the coliseum at 1201 S. Main in Ann Arbor whenever the Wolverines were set to take the field.
But this year, barring any special exemption granted by Michigan, he’ll stay home in Commerce Township. As Levinson begrudgingly has come to accept, the Big House will be hollow on the inside when the Wolverines play there four times this fall. Levinson has tried to picture what the bizarre scene will look like, visualizing Michigan’s players racing onto the turf and touching the “M” Club banner in silence.
“Who is going to cheer?” he asked.
It’s a crazy question considering Michigan’s records show the football team has attracted at least 100,000 people to each of the 293 home games that have been held since an Oct. 25, 1976 victory over Indiana. That attendance streak, which will end this Saturday when a small group of family supporters turn out, has become synonymous with the image of a program that has a devoted legion of followers. After all, the big crowds carried through the dark days of Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke, abetted at one time by a promotion tied to the sale of carbonated beverages. Every Saturday, no matter what, people would come out in droves to pack Michigan Stadium.
College football's Week 9: Five games with College Football Playoff impact
Bowl Season: College football's bowl lineup released with fewer games and an altered schedule
The large attendance figures, Jeff Holzhausen said, are “a huge part of who we are and who we like to be.”
“It’s definitely a part of our identity,” he continued. “The Big House is our home away from home.”
It has been that way for Holzhausen since 1985. He hasn’t missed a game at Michigan Stadium since that year, advancing through adolescence, college years, marriage and now parenthood as a devotee of everything Maize and Blue. During that time, Holzhausen developed an alter ego known as SuperFan, showing up to his seat with a cape before trading that in for a water buffalo hat. Weekends in the fall were always blocked out for Michigan games. Weddings were missed. Funerals, too. Girlfriends came and went as Holzhausen indulged in his passion. In Section 20, Row 7, near the goal line on the west side, memories were made through Michigan football.
“It’s also a huge part of our social structure,” said Holzhausen.
At the corner of South Main and Hill St., Holzhausen would post up on game days before 7 a.m. to get the party started, welcoming hundreds to his tailgate.
Over the years, he took hundreds of photos from those gatherings.
But this year, he plans to stay home and watch Michigan’s home games in his man cave, as he likes to call it. Family and some close friends will be beside him and there are plans to connect with others through a virtual platform.
But it won’t be the same, he knows.
“It’s going to be like walking downstairs Christmas morning and seeing that Santa hadn’t come,” he said.
But like Levinson, Holzhausen gets why this is the way it has to be. The 46-year-old father of two has a pair of master’s degrees from Michigan, including one in public health. His dad, who has had Michigan season tickets since 1974, is also spooked by the virus to the point he’s not certain he will ever attend another Wolverines game.
“It’s a small price to pay to keep everyone safe or to make everyone feel safer,” Holzhausen said.
It still hurts, though.
Levinson, a self-described workaholic and president of the Whitmore Lake plastics company RheTech, Inc., made time for little else but Michigan football. When he interviewed at the company he now leads, he told the owner he would not work Saturdays in the fall. Each year, he and his wife would build their lives around the Wolverines’ schedule — joining U-M Club of Greater Detroit for road trips and rolling out to games in cars, buses and motor homes. Flights were also arranged.
"A lot of people that have traveled with us for all the years have known they have always gone," said Roger Simmons, a former president of the club.
Only once, for a visit to Iowa’s Kinnick Stadium in 1978, did the couple not travel together. She had to attend a friend’s wedding, so Levinson went with his father to see the Wolverines beat the Hawkeyes, 34-0.
“I am going,” he remembers telling Kathy.
But that was the last time she didn’t accompany him. Ever since, they’ve been side by side at every Michigan game — witnessing Anthony Carter’s famed touchdown catch a year later, Desmond Howard’s Heisman pose in 1991, Colorado’s Hail Mary in 1994, Charles Woodson’s leaping one-hand interception against Michigan State in 1997 and that infamous loss to Appalachian State in 2007. Seeing Michigan play in person had become a rite of fall for Levinson and something he could count on in a chaotic world.
“It was always something I would plan on, people could plan on,” he said. “And that’s part of the problem with the pandemic; you can’t plan on anything right now.”
Still, Levinson isn’t ready to wave the white flag just yet. He wonders whether somehow, some way, he’ll have the opportunity to see the Wolverines play in person and keep some semblance of his fall routine alive. His personal home-game attendance streak can’t end like this, can it?
“Hoping beyond hope something might change,” he said. “But if not, I am going to have to sit here in front of the TV set.”
And live 2020 out like every other Michigan fan.


usatoday--2020-10-30--As views on marijuana shift, Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley says punishment 'not right' for suspended

NORMAN , Okla. — It ’ s hard for James Allen to remember a time when he wasn ’ t around marijuana .
“ Cannabis was always floating around at my family reunions and everything , ” the former OU and NFL running back said .
“ So it wasn ’ t bad until you see the criminal offense being placed on it , especially for people of color — let ’ s just look at the numbers .
“ Then you see it from that perspective .
‘ Oh my God , I can ’ t get caught with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — and possible punishment — Allen still used marijuana during high school , college and in the NFL .
“ I don ’ t think there was a medicinal knowledge of when I would use cannabis , ” Allen said .
“ It was more just the culture I grew up in .
We smoked weed .
That ’ s just what everybody was doing whether it was secretly or out in the open.
” The NCAA ’ s treatment of marijuana users has been in the crosshairs in recent months .
Three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defensive end Ronnie Perkins and running back Rhamondre Stevenson — were supsended earlier this season due to positive marijuana tests , persons with knowledge of the situation confirmed to The Oklahoman , a part of the USA TODAY Network .
The persons spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the nature of the offenses pubicly .
As first time offenders , the three were suspended for half of a season — six games .
They are eligible to return for Saturday ’ s game at Texas Tech ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it remains unclear if one or all will be in uniform for the Sooners .
OU coach Lincoln Riley said hard-and-fast answers have eluded him and everyone else inside the program .
“ It ’ s been really , really hard on those three kids , ” Riley said Thursday .
“ I got ta watch what I say .
But I mean , it ’ s been agonizing for those three kids .
It ’ s not right.
” A year ago , the NCAA increased the threshold to trigger a positive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the primary psychoactive component of cannabis , from 15 to 35 nanograms per milliliter .
Two years prior , the threshold was raised from just five nanograms per milliliter .
But with states continuing to legalize the substance , at least for medical purposes , there ’ s been an even greater push to further change the NCAA ’ s testing and punishment structures .
Only three states fully ban any marijuana use , though South Dakota residents are set to vote on the legalization or the substance next week in two separate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the recreational use of marijuana .
According to federal law , though , marijuana remains a Schedule I drug , considered a high potential for abuse with no accepted medical use .
That designation , even with laws that prohibit federal officials from interfering with state cannabis laws , makes major change difficult for the NCAA , though not impossible , Allen said .
“ We need more federal clarity on where we 're gon na go with cannabis , ” Allen said .
Count Riley among those whose views on marijuana have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grew up , and even as a young coach , looking at it like this is just a lazy , dumb thing people do , and if they do they should get punished , ” Riley said Thursday .
“ That ’ s kind of how I was raised .
That ’ s how I was raised as a coach.
” In recent years , as use of the drug has gained more popularity for treating a wider variety of ailments — from anxiety and depression to nausea and pain to helping patients @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and legalization has spread including to Oklahoma , Riley ’ s view of marijuana has continued to evolve .
“ For a lot of people — not saying everybody — but for a lot of people this isn ’ t performance-enhancing .
This isn ’ t a party deal , ” Riley said .
“ For a lot of people , it ’ s a major mental-health issue .
Major .
And as I finally woke up and paid attention , with that realization in me finally being able to learn that and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ long , honestly — it shifted everything about how we handle that issue in our program.
” Riley wouldn ’ t give specifics about how marijuana use is treated internally but said there have been significant shifts .
“ We ’ ve had just a remarkable turnaround in a short time in our program on that whole issue , ” Riley said .
“ And then the NCAA needs to wake up and figure that out too .
Unfortunately , they haven ’ t yet for these kids .
Now , it ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ soon enough for these three guys.
” Allen said during his time at OU , from 1993-96 , a significant number of his teammates smoked marijuana , but it wasn ’ t any more than teams before or since .
“ I didn ’ t know how many other people — athletes — smoked weed , ” Allen said of his transition from Wynnewood High School to college at OU .
“ That ’ s when I realized , ‘ Holy ( expletive ) , everybody smokes weed . '
” Allen said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year when Howard Schnellenberger coached the Sooners , both due to the internal turmoil inside the team and the different way Schnellenberger carried himself compared to Gary Gibbs before him and John Blake after him .
“ I ’ m not trying to sound like a saint here , but I really didn ’ t do a lot in college , ” Allen said .
“ I mean , I ’ d drink and do this but that year , I smoked a lot.
” That was the year when Allen first failed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of his teammates failed tests as well , which he said wasn ’ t surprising given how often the substance was available .
“ We ’ d get together , hang out as teammates and there ’ d be a blunt there , ” Allen said .
During the season , though , Allen said he avoided marijuana .
So despite his views on marijuana , Allen ’ s sympathy for Bridges , Perkins and Stevenson only goes so far .
“ When you have that much on the line , even though @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their thing , at that moment it ’ s all hands on deck — no drinking , no smoking , no kicking it .
We ’ re here for a reason , ” Allen said .
“ If you can ’ t sacrifice that for the national championship , then you ’ re supposed to get suspended .
“ It ’ s bigger than you .
It ’ s bigger than weed.
” When Oklahoma voters approved medical marijuana legalization in 2018 , Allen considered getting into the business .
“ It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a taboo surrounding it , ” Allen said .
“ So I ( was thinking ) if I did do it , how would that play with me as a former athlete and with my influence on younger athletes.
” That concern hasn ’ t completely disappeared for Allen , but a visit to Urban Wellness , a black-owned dispensary in Oklahoma City , helped push him in the direction of exploring the idea further .
“ Instead of seeing it as an abusive ( substance ) , you learn to use it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Allen said .
“ A lot of people come into this thing just wanting to get the card just so they can indulge .
But then you come across the right people.
” Allen is now in the cannabis business , opening Crimson Greenery dispensary in Ardmore which he hopes will expand elsewhere and diversify into growing and processing as well .
But he wants to make sure young athletes know they have to be responsible if they decide to use marijuana .
“ I want to show them that you can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ don ’ t have to be a hippie smoker and smoke your life away or your career away , ” Allen said .
“ That ’ s not what James Allen is trying to show you .
That still is very important to me .
How I ’ m going to do that , I don ’ t know just yet but there are a lot of athletes all over the country are involved in cannabis .
I ’ m one of the many .
”

As views on marijuana shift, Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley says punishment 'not right' for suspended Sooners
Show Caption Hide Caption Tim Tebow on what he’s expecting from college football this season Sports Pulse: From Georgia to Florida, Tim Tebow on what teams he expects to win SportsPulse, USA TODAY
NORMAN, Okla. — It’s hard for James Allen to remember a time when he wasn’t around marijuana.
“Cannabis was always floating around at my family reunions and everything,” the former OU and NFL running back said. “So it wasn’t bad until you see the criminal offense being placed on it, especially for people of color — let’s just look at the numbers.
“Then you see it from that perspective. ‘Oh my God, I can’t get caught with that.’”
Even with that stigma — and possible punishment — Allen still used marijuana during high school, college and in the NFL.
“I don’t think there was a medicinal knowledge of when I would use cannabis,” Allen said. “It was more just the culture I grew up in. We smoked weed. That’s just what everybody was doing whether it was secretly or out in the open.”
The NCAA’s treatment of marijuana users has been in the crosshairs in recent months.
Three Sooners — wide receiver Trejan Bridges, defensive end Ronnie Perkins and running back Rhamondre Stevenson — were supsended earlier this season due to positive marijuana tests, persons with knowledge of the situation confirmed to The Oklahoman, a part of the USA TODAY Network. The persons spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the nature of the offenses pubicly.
As first time offenders, the three were suspended for half of a season — six games. They are eligible to return for Saturday’s game at Texas Tech (7 p.m., Fox), though it remains unclear if one or all will be in uniform for the Sooners.
OU coach Lincoln Riley said hard-and-fast answers have eluded him and everyone else inside the program.
“It’s been really, really hard on those three kids,” Riley said Thursday. “I gotta watch what I say. But I mean, it’s been agonizing for those three kids. It’s not right.”
A year ago, the NCAA increased the threshold to trigger a positive test for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive component of cannabis, from 15 to 35 nanograms per milliliter. Two years prior, the threshold was raised from just five nanograms per milliliter.
But with states continuing to legalize the substance, at least for medical purposes, there’s been an even greater push to further change the NCAA’s testing and punishment structures.
Only three states fully ban any marijuana use, though South Dakota residents are set to vote on the legalization or the substance next week in two separate ballot measures. Eleven states have legalized the recreational use of marijuana.
According to federal law, though, marijuana remains a Schedule I drug, considered a high potential for abuse with no accepted medical use.
That designation, even with laws that prohibit federal officials from interfering with state cannabis laws, makes major change difficult for the NCAA, though not impossible, Allen said.
“We need more federal clarity on where we're gonna go with cannabis,” Allen said.
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Count Riley among those whose views on marijuana have changed in recent years.
“I grew up, and even as a young coach, looking at it like this is just a lazy, dumb thing people do, and if they do they should get punished,” Riley said Thursday. “That’s kind of how I was raised. That’s how I was raised as a coach.”
In recent years, as use of the drug has gained more popularity for treating a wider variety of ailments — from anxiety and depression to nausea and pain to helping patients handle the side effects from chemotherapy — and legalization has spread including to Oklahoma, Riley’s view of marijuana has continued to evolve.
“For a lot of people — not saying everybody — but for a lot of people this isn’t performance-enhancing. This isn’t a party deal,” Riley said.
“For a lot of people, it’s a major mental-health issue. Major. And as I finally woke up and paid attention, with that realization in me finally being able to learn that and understand that — which took me too long, honestly — it shifted everything about how we handle that issue in our program.”
Riley wouldn’t give specifics about how marijuana use is treated internally but said there have been significant shifts.
“We’ve had just a remarkable turnaround in a short time in our program on that whole issue,” Riley said. “And then the NCAA needs to wake up and figure that out too. Unfortunately, they haven’t yet for these kids. Now, it’ll get changed soon, but not soon enough for these three guys.”
Allen said during his time at OU, from 1993-96, a significant number of his teammates smoked marijuana, but it wasn’t any more than teams before or since.
“I didn’t know how many other people — athletes — smoked weed,” Allen said of his transition from Wynnewood High School to college at OU. “That’s when I realized, ‘Holy (expletive), everybody smokes weed.'”
Allen said it was even more pronounced his junior year when Howard Schnellenberger coached the Sooners, both due to the internal turmoil inside the team and the different way Schnellenberger carried himself compared to Gary Gibbs before him and John Blake after him.
“I’m not trying to sound like a saint here, but I really didn’t do a lot in college,” Allen said. “I mean, I’d drink and do this but that year, I smoked a lot.”
That was the year when Allen first failed a marijuana test and he said plenty of his teammates failed tests as well, which he said wasn’t surprising given how often the substance was available.
“We’d get together, hang out as teammates and there’d be a blunt there,” Allen said.
During the season, though, Allen said he avoided marijuana.
So despite his views on marijuana, Allen’s sympathy for Bridges, Perkins and Stevenson only goes so far.
“When you have that much on the line, even though we used to party and everyone did their thing, at that moment it’s all hands on deck — no drinking, no smoking, no kicking it. We’re here for a reason,” Allen said. “If you can’t sacrifice that for the national championship, then you’re supposed to get suspended.
“It’s bigger than you. It’s bigger than weed.”
When Oklahoma voters approved medical marijuana legalization in 2018, Allen considered getting into the business.
“It’s still cannabis and it still has a taboo surrounding it,” Allen said. “So I (was thinking) if I did do it, how would that play with me as a former athlete and with my influence on younger athletes.”
That concern hasn’t completely disappeared for Allen, but a visit to Urban Wellness, a black-owned dispensary in Oklahoma City, helped push him in the direction of exploring the idea further.
“Instead of seeing it as an abusive (substance), you learn to use it as a medicative (substance),” Allen said. “A lot of people come into this thing just wanting to get the card just so they can indulge. But then you come across the right people.”
Allen is now in the cannabis business, opening Crimson Greenery dispensary in Ardmore which he hopes will expand elsewhere and diversify into growing and processing as well.
But he wants to make sure young athletes know they have to be responsible if they decide to use marijuana.
“I want to show them that you can do business in these areas but you don’t have to be a hippie smoker and smoke your life away or your career away,” Allen said.
“That’s not what James Allen is trying to show you. That still is very important to me. How I’m going to do that, I don’t know just yet but there are a lot of athletes all over the country are involved in cannabis. I’m one of the many.”


usatoday--2020-11-01--Poll: Donald Trump leads Joe Biden by 7 points among Iowa voters

Republican President Donald Trump has taken over the lead in Iowa as Democratic former Vice President Joe Biden has faded , a new Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll shows just days before Election Day .
The president now leads by 7 percentage points over Biden , 48 % to 41 % .
Three percent say they will vote for someone else , 2 % are n't sure and 5 % do n't want to say for whom they will vote .
In September 's Iowa Poll , the candidates were tied at 47 % to 47 % .
The poll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Selzer & Co. of Des Moines from Oct. 26-29 .
It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points .
J. Ann Selzer , president of Selzer & Co. , said while men are more likely to support Trump and women to support Biden , the gender gap has narrowed , and independents have returned to supporting the president , a group he won in 2016 .
More : With Florida a big prize , Biden , Trump slug it out in final , frenzied days of coronavirus-altered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ groups that he won in Iowa four years ago , and that would give someone a certain level of comfort with their standing , '' she said .
`` There 's a consistent story in 2020 to what happened in 2016 . ''
But , she said , “ Neither candidate hits 50 % , so there ’ s still some play here.
” Trump carried Iowa by 9.4 percentage points in 2016 , but his chances at a repeat 2020 win here appeared to be in doubt in recent polling .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just 1 percentage point before Biden climbed into the September tie .
Biden , though , does not appear to have given up on the state .
He was in Des Moines Friday for a drive-in rally where he told voters : `` I 'll work as hard for those who do n't support me as those who do .
In my administration , there will be no red states or blue states , just the United States of America . ''
Trump was in Iowa earlier this month and has scheduled another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the universe of persuadable voters is rapidly diminishing .
Ninety-four percent of likely voters say their minds are made up , including 98 % of Biden ’ s supporters and 95 % of Trump ’ s supporters .
Just 4 % of likely voters say they could still be persuaded , and 2 % say they have no first choice for president .
In fact , many of their votes have already been cast .
As early and mail-in voting surges because of the pandemic , 51 % of likely voters say they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Among those who have already voted , Biden leads 55 % to 32 % .
And among those who have yet to vote , Trump leads 64 % to 28 % .
Both candidates largely hold onto voters within their own parties .
Ninety-three percent of Democrats support Biden , along with 4 % of self-described Republicans .
And 89 % of Republicans support Trump , along with 2 % of Democrats .
But Trump has regained an edge with those who identify as independents — a bloc key to his 2016 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Election Pool exit polling published by CNN , independent voters favored Trump 51 % to 38 % over Democrat Hillary Clinton that year .
In the Register ’ s September Iowa Poll , Biden led with independents 50 % to 38 % .
But today , Trump wins them back and leads 49 % to 35 % .
“ I think that the key to what 's happening with President Trump is that he is leading with independents , ” Selzer said .
“ That is a group that in Iowa in our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Joe Biden , and it 's come back to be a Trump asset.
” In addition to fading with independents , Biden has lost ground with women .
In September , he held a 20-point lead among women , which balanced out Trump ’ s 21-point lead among men .
But today , Biden ’ s lead with women has shrunk to 9 percentage points , 50 % to 41 % .
“ We saw a huge gender gap that benefited Biden in September , ” Selzer said .
“ And while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ men — they ’ re going for Trump by a 24-point margin — it 's just a 9-point margin for Biden with women .
And so there 's just an imbalance there .
Before , we saw mirror images of each other.
” More : More than 90 million people have already voted .
Here 's how that compares with past elections .
Biden is leading with two groups of voters that Trump carried in 2016 : those with a college degree ( 50 % to 40 % ) and women without a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % ) .
Biden is also leading in the suburbs ( 47 % to 43 % ) .
But Trump has mostly maintained the support of demographic groups he carried in Iowa in 2016 .
Today , he leads with men 56 % to 32 % ; with whites 48 % to 43 % ; with those without a college degree 54 % to 35 % ; and with white evangelicals 72 % to 20 % .
Economy is top of mind for many Trump voters Trump ’ s supporters are most likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on their minds as they think about how to vote for president , with 37 % naming it as their top issue .
Just 7 % of Biden supporters say the same .
Iowa has regained about 60 % of the jobs it lost after the pandemic shut down businesses earlier this year .
The state ’ s unemployment rate improved to 4.6 % in September , the fifth-lowest in the country .
Among all likely voters supporting either Trump or Biden , 23 % say they ’ re thinking most about a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and taxes , 22 % say a candidate ’ s “ ability to restore what ’ s good about America ; '' 19 % say a candidate ’ s “ demonstrated leadership ; '' 9 % say his approach to the pandemic ; 7 % say his vision for how to address future challenges ; 4 % say his approach to Supreme Court appointments ; and 10 % say something else .
Five percent are not sure .
Also on Trump supporters ' minds : a candidate 's ability to restore what ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ % ) , a candidate ’ s demonstrated leadership ( 18 % ) , his approach to the Supreme Court ( 5 % ) , his vision for the future ( 4 % ) and his approach to the pandemic ( 2 % ) .
Nine percent say something else , and 5 % are unsure .
Sonja Bloomquist , a 77-year-old Fort Dodge resident and poll participant , identifies as a Republican and already has cast her vote for Trump .
Bloomquist , who is a farmer , said Trump has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Our country , as far as I was concerned , was going in the wrong direction with ( Barack ) Obama , ” she said .
“ You don ’ t go around bowing to other countries ’ leaders and apologizing for our country like he did.
” Bloomquist said Trump is a strong leader who has regained respect around the world for the United States .
“ He takes pride that this is America , ” she said .
She said the president has done what he could to control the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all the blame on him , she said .
“ China ’ s at fault — no doubt about it , '' she said .
The issue most on Biden supporters ' minds is a candidate ’ s “ ability to restore what ’ s good about America ” ( 26 % ) .
That ’ s followed by a candidate 's demonstrated leadership ( 20 % ) , his approach to the pandemic ( 18 % ) , his vision for the future ( 11 % ) , his proposals for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and his approach to the Supreme Court ( 3 % ) .
Eleven percent say something else , and 5 % are unsure .
Kay Leary , a 63-year-old Waterloo resident and poll respondent , is a Democrat who already has voted for Biden .
The retired sixth-grade teacher believes Biden would bring a welcome change from Trump-induced turmoil .
“ He ’ s civil , ” Leary said of the former vice president .
“ He ’ s able to talk with people rather than talking to people.
” Leary said Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
She thinks he could engage productively with other foreign leaders .
She knows that others have questioned electing someone as old as Biden , who is 77 .
She doesn ’ t think his age is an issue now , “ but if it becomes one , then I think Kamala Harris would be fine to fit right in , ” she said , referring to the Democrats ’ vice presidential nominee .

Brianne Pfannenstiel, Des Moines Register

Poll: Donald Trump leads Joe Biden by 7 points among Iowa voters
Show Caption Hide Caption Iowa Poll: Donald Trump leads Joe Biden among likely voters In the last Iowa Poll before the Nov. 3 election, voters were asked who they were likely to support for president — Donald Trump or Joe Biden. Des Moines Register
Copyright 2020, Des Moines Register and Tribune Co.
Republican President Donald Trump has taken over the lead in Iowa as Democratic former Vice President Joe Biden has faded, a new Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll shows just days before Election Day.
The president now leads by 7 percentage points over Biden, 48% to 41%. Three percent say they will vote for someone else, 2% aren't sure and 5% don't want to say for whom they will vote.
In September's Iowa Poll, the candidates were tied at 47% to 47%.
The poll of 814 likely Iowa voters was conducted by Selzer & Co. of Des Moines from Oct. 26-29. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.
J. Ann Selzer, president of Selzer & Co., said while men are more likely to support Trump and women to support Biden, the gender gap has narrowed, and independents have returned to supporting the president, a group he won in 2016.
More: With Florida a big prize, Biden, Trump slug it out in final, frenzied days of coronavirus-altered election
"The president is holding demographic groups that he won in Iowa four years ago, and that would give someone a certain level of comfort with their standing," she said. "There's a consistent story in 2020 to what happened in 2016."
But, she said, “Neither candidate hits 50%, so there’s still some play here.”
Trump carried Iowa by 9.4 percentage points in 2016, but his chances at a repeat 2020 win here appeared to be in doubt in recent polling. The June Iowa Poll showed Trump leading by just 1 percentage point before Biden climbed into the September tie.
Biden, though, does not appear to have given up on the state. He was in Des Moines Friday for a drive-in rally where he told voters: "I'll work as hard for those who don't support me as those who do. In my administration, there will be no red states or blue states, just the United States of America."
Trump was in Iowa earlier this month and has scheduled another rally in Dubuque on Sunday.
But the universe of persuadable voters is rapidly diminishing. Ninety-four percent of likely voters say their minds are made up, including 98% of Biden’s supporters and 95% of Trump’s supporters. Just 4% of likely voters say they could still be persuaded, and 2% say they have no first choice for president.
In fact, many of their votes have already been cast. As early and mail-in voting surges because of the pandemic, 51% of likely voters say they have already voted, surpassing previous milestones.
Among those who have already voted, Biden leads 55% to 32%. And among those who have yet to vote, Trump leads 64% to 28%.
Trump wins back independents; Biden loses ground with women
Both candidates largely hold onto voters within their own parties. Ninety-three percent of Democrats support Biden, along with 4% of self-described Republicans. And 89% of Republicans support Trump, along with 2% of Democrats.
But Trump has regained an edge with those who identify as independents — a bloc key to his 2016 win in Iowa. According to National Election Pool exit polling published by CNN, independent voters favored Trump 51% to 38% over Democrat Hillary Clinton that year.
In the Register’s September Iowa Poll, Biden led with independents 50% to 38%. But today, Trump wins them back and leads 49% to 35%.
“I think that the key to what's happening with President Trump is that he is leading with independents,” Selzer said. “That is a group that in Iowa in our September poll looked like it was swinging to Joe Biden, and it's come back to be a Trump asset.”
In addition to fading with independents, Biden has lost ground with women. In September, he held a 20-point lead among women, which balanced out Trump’s 21-point lead among men. But today, Biden’s lead with women has shrunk to 9 percentage points, 50% to 41%.
“We saw a huge gender gap that benefited Biden in September,” Selzer said. “And while there is still a big gap among men — they’re going for Trump by a 24-point margin — it's just a 9-point margin for Biden with women. And so there's just an imbalance there. Before, we saw mirror images of each other.”
More: More than 90 million people have already voted. Here's how that compares with past elections.
Biden is leading with two groups of voters that Trump carried in 2016: those with a college degree (50% to 40%) and women without a college degree (49% to 43%). Biden is also leading in the suburbs (47% to 43%).
But Trump has mostly maintained the support of demographic groups he carried in Iowa in 2016. Today, he leads with men 56% to 32%; with whites 48% to 43%; with those without a college degree 54% to 35%; and with white evangelicals 72% to 20%.
Economy is top of mind for many Trump voters
Trump’s supporters are most likely to say the economy and taxes are on their minds as they think about how to vote for president, with 37% naming it as their top issue. Just 7% of Biden supporters say the same.
Iowa has regained about 60% of the jobs it lost after the pandemic shut down businesses earlier this year. The state’s unemployment rate improved to 4.6% in September, the fifth-lowest in the country.
Among all likely voters supporting either Trump or Biden, 23% say they’re thinking most about a candidate’s proposals for the economy and taxes, 22% say a candidate’s “ability to restore what’s good about America;" 19% say a candidate’s “demonstrated leadership;" 9% say his approach to the pandemic; 7% say his vision for how to address future challenges; 4% say his approach to Supreme Court appointments; and 10% say something else. Five percent are not sure.
Also on Trump supporters' minds: a candidate's ability to restore what’s good about the country (19%), a candidate’s demonstrated leadership (18%), his approach to the Supreme Court (5%), his vision for the future (4%) and his approach to the pandemic (2%). Nine percent say something else, and 5% are unsure.
Sonja Bloomquist, a 77-year-old Fort Dodge resident and poll participant, identifies as a Republican and already has cast her vote for Trump. Bloomquist, who is a farmer, said Trump has been a big improvement over his predecessor.
“Our country, as far as I was concerned, was going in the wrong direction with (Barack) Obama,” she said. “You don’t go around bowing to other countries’ leaders and apologizing for our country like he did.”
Bloomquist said Trump is a strong leader who has regained respect around the world for the United States.
“He takes pride that this is America,” she said.
She said the president has done what he could to control the coronavirus pandemic. Critics are unfairly placing all the blame on him, she said.
“China’s at fault — no doubt about it," she said.
The issue most on Biden supporters' minds is a candidate’s “ability to restore what’s good about America” (26%). That’s followed by a candidate's demonstrated leadership (20%), his approach to the pandemic (18%), his vision for the future (11%), his proposals for the economy and taxes (7%) and his approach to the Supreme Court (3%). Eleven percent say something else, and 5% are unsure.
Kay Leary, a 63-year-old Waterloo resident and poll respondent, is a Democrat who already has voted for Biden. The retired sixth-grade teacher believes Biden would bring a welcome change from Trump-induced turmoil.
“He’s civil,” Leary said of the former vice president. “He’s able to talk with people rather than talking to people.”
Leary said Biden listens to others and reads people well. She thinks he could engage productively with other foreign leaders.
She knows that others have questioned electing someone as old as Biden, who is 77. She doesn’t think his age is an issue now, “but if it becomes one, then I think Kamala Harris would be fine to fit right in,” she said, referring to the Democrats’ vice presidential nominee.
Contributing: Tony Leys


usatoday--2020-11-01--Police bust New York City party with nearly 400 people on Halloween

Police charged nine organizers in a bust of an `` illegal bar/party '' that had nearly 400 people in attendance in New York City , the NYC sheriff announced Saturday .
Police shut down the gathering held inside a Brooklyn warehouse early in the morning on Halloween .
New York Gov .
Andrew Cuomo on Saturday warned against Halloween gatherings that increase the risk of transmitting COVID-19 , tweeting `` Halloween should be spooky , not scary . ''
The guidelines tweeted by Cuomo say parties are particularly risky because they can bring together people from different areas for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you do go to an event and see a large crowd , or if there are others there who are not wearing face coverings or staying socially distanced , you should leave and find another way to celebrate Halloween , '' the guidelines say .
New York City officials have said outdoor trick-or-treating is fine as long as children wear face coverings in addition to masks that may be part of their costumes .
“ You can be outdoors celebrating , but small groups , smart precautions , ” Mayor Bill de Blasio @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But no indoor gatherings .
That ’ s just too dangerous .
”

Police bust New York City party with nearly 400 people on Halloween
Police charged nine organizers in a bust of an "illegal bar/party" that had nearly 400 people in attendance in New York City, the NYC sheriff announced Saturday.
Police shut down the gathering held inside a Brooklyn warehouse early in the morning on Halloween.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Saturday warned against Halloween gatherings that increase the risk of transmitting COVID-19, tweeting "Halloween should be spooky, not scary."
The guidelines tweeted by Cuomo say parties are particularly risky because they can bring together people from different areas for a long period of time.
"If you do go to an event and see a large crowd, or if there are others there who are not wearing face coverings or staying socially distanced, you should leave and find another way to celebrate Halloween," the guidelines say.
10/31/20 @ 0100HRS: Deputy Sheriffs shut down illegal bar/party inside warehouse at 23 Meadow Street, Brooklyn: 387+ people violation of emergency orders, 9 organizers charged with multiple misdemeanors, Administrative Code, Health Code & Alcoholic Beverage Control Law offenses. pic.twitter.com/qKxvqRtpWt — NYC SHERIFF (@NYCSHERIFF) October 31, 2020
New York City officials have said outdoor trick-or-treating is fine as long as children wear face coverings in addition to masks that may be part of their costumes.
“You can be outdoors celebrating, but small groups, smart precautions,” Mayor Bill de Blasio told WNYC radio on Friday. “But no indoor gatherings. That’s just too dangerous.”
Contributing: Erin Jensen, USA TODAY; The Associated Press