mercurynews--2020-05-10--Coronavirus: Alameda reports more new cases than other Bay Area counties

Alameda County reported 62 new coronavirus cases on Saturday , more than anywhere else in the Bay Area .
The county also recorded one of the region ’ s four deaths reported Saturday .
The other three fatalities occurred in Contra Costa County .
Contra Costa County reported 22 new cases Saturday , fewer than anywhere but Santa Clara County , which showed 17 new cases .
All together , the five-county Bay Area reported 167 new cases for a total of 8,682 cases to date .
More than 65,000 cases of the deadly disease have been reported across the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Angeles County .
As of Saturday , Santa Clara County had reported 2,307 cases and 128 deaths .
Alameda County showed 2,023 cases and 71 total deaths , followed by San Francisco County with 1,891 cases and 33 deaths .
San Mateo County reported 1,425 cases and 56 deaths , while Contra Costa County showed the fewest number of total cases in the Bay Area , 1,036 , and 32 total deaths .
Parts of the state have begun permitting some retail and hospitality businesses to reopen after weeks of shuttering amid a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like grocery stores to remain open .
But in the Bay Area , tighter local restrictions mean many businesses must remain closed .

Alameda County reported 62 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, more than anywhere else in the Bay Area. The county also recorded one of the region’s four deaths reported Saturday. The other three fatalities occurred in Contra Costa County.
Contra Costa County reported 22 new cases Saturday, fewer than anywhere but Santa Clara County, which showed 17 new cases.
San Mateo County reported 28 new cases, while San Francisco County recorded 38.
All together, the five-county Bay Area reported 167 new cases for a total of 8,682 cases to date. More than 65,000 cases of the deadly disease have been reported across the state, the vast majority in Los Angeles County.
As of Saturday, Santa Clara County had reported 2,307 cases and 128 deaths.
Alameda County showed 2,023 cases and 71 total deaths, followed by San Francisco County with 1,891 cases and 33 deaths.
San Mateo County reported 1,425 cases and 56 deaths, while Contra Costa County showed the fewest number of total cases in the Bay Area, 1,036, and 32 total deaths.
Parts of the state have begun permitting some retail and hospitality businesses to reopen after weeks of shuttering amid a shelter-in-place order that only permitted essential businesses like grocery stores to remain open. But in the Bay Area, tighter local restrictions mean many businesses must remain closed.


mercurynews--2020-05-09--The Latest: New Mexico officials want health orders reviewed

By The Associated Press The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic .
The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people .
For some , especially older adults and people with existing health problems , it can cause more severe illness or death .
RIO RANCHO , N.M. — New Mexico Republicans and sheriffs are asking U.S. Attorney General William Barr to look into Gov .
Michelle Lujan Grisham ’ s health orders aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19 .
State Republican Party Chairman Steve Pearce and New Mexico Sheriffs ’ Association President Tony Mace each sent letters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into the health orders that have shuttered some businesses since late March .
They say the orders , which have closed several small businesses , violate residents ’ civil rights .
“ We want to express our fears and frustrations regarding New Mexico Gov .
Lujan Grisham ’ s public health order , a policy many in our state believe to be a blatant violation of peoples ’ civil rights , liberties and their right to conduct free commerce , ” Pearce wrote .
“ The situation in New Mexico is one that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Cibola County sheriff and a frequent critic of fellow Democrat Lujan Grisham , said the health order was unfairly hurting residents .
“ The governor has been discriminatory in her policies , keeping big box corporate giants open — draining New Mexico dollars out of state — while shutting down mom and pop locally owned establishments , ” Mase wrote .
“ This is not only preferential treatment for the big box stores but a violation of the civil rights of our small business owners whose livelihoods are now in free fall.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Press , Pearce said he wanted Barr to look at New Mexico to see if the U.S. Constitution “ is being respected ” during the health order .
GATLINBURG , Tenn. — The reopening of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was a little too tempting a draw Saturday as scores of nature lovers from dozens of states crowded trails and trekked into blocked-off areas , a spokeswoman said .
Even with some of the most popular trails closed , parking lots were packed and lines of cars snaked down tree-lined streets , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leading up to a waterfall path , according to park spokeswoman Dana Soehn .
Many people did not wear masks .
“ It seemed like people were not respecting our suggestion that they avoid crowded areas , ” said Soehn , adding that she counted license plates from 24 states in one visitor center parking lot .
Visitors also walked past heavy barricades on one of the park ’ s most trafficked trails , Laurel Falls , which was closed off to heed federal social distancing guidelines , she said .
On the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mountains is the county ’ s most visited national park .
It was closed March 24 after officials said it was becoming too congested during the coronavirus pandemic .
LIHUE , Hawaii — Environmental groups in Hawaii have joined a campaign to bring attention to discarded personal protective equipment that ’ s adding to plastic pollution on shorelines worldwide amid the coronavirus pandemic .
Surfrider Foundation Kauai chapter scientist Carl Berg said the campaign is aimed at reducing the environmental and public health impacts of improperly discarded PPE .
PPE can be mistaken @ @ @ @ @ @ @ marine mammals and can put animals at risk , the foundation said in a statement .
It added that the used items could also be carrying pathogens and contributing to the spread of COVID-19 .
Federal and state governments have advised people to wear masks in public to protect themselves and others against the coronavirus , but masks , gloves and other equipment are not always properly disposed of .
Millions of pounds of plastic pollution wash ashore on Hawaii beaches each year .
WASHINGTON — Former President Barack Obama harshly criticized President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus pandemic as an “ absolute chaotic disaster ” during a conversation with ex-members of his administration , according to a recording obtained by Yahoo News .
Obama ’ s comments Friday came during a call with 3,000 people who served in his administration .
He said combating the virus would have been bad even for the best of governments , but it ’ s been “ an absolute chaotic disaster ” when the mindset of “ what ’ s in it for me ” infiltrates government .
White House press secretary Kayleigh @ @ @ @ @ @ @ response “ has been unprecedented and saved American lives.
” The United States has suffered nearly 80,000 deaths from COVID-19 , the most of any nation .
WASHINGTON — A trade group representing major airlines says its members support having the government do temperature checks of passengers as long as necessary during the coronavirus crisis .
Airlines for America said Saturday that the checks will add a layer of protection for passengers as well as airline and airport employees .
Airline workers who come in contact with the public also would be checked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the responsibility of the Transportation Security Administration .
“ Having temperature checks performed by the TSA will ensure that procedures are standardized , providing consistency across airports so that travelers can plan appropriately.
” Last week , the group announced that airlines would require customer-facing employees and passengers to wear cloth face masks from check-in through the end of the trip .
LAS VEGAS — Restaurants , hair salons and other Nevada businesses that closed or had their operations reduced under state-imposed restrictions to slow the spread of the coronavirus were able to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ establishments .
Gov .
Steve Sisolak on Thursday had said restaurants , salons and other nonessential businesses could reopen Saturday with limited capacity .
He said hospitalization rates and positive tests had stabilized .
The state reported over 300 deaths from the coronavirus outbreak as of Saturday , with over 6,000 cases of COVID-19 .
ROME — At least two people have died in separate avalanches in northern Italy on the first weekend Italians have been allowed to venture far afield after a two-month coronavirus lockdown .
The Trento Alpine Rescue service said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ late Saturday on the Folgaria plateau after an avalanche separated him from his dog .
The pet was found unharmed .
At the ski resort of Cortina , the body of a skier was found after a separate avalanche .
His brother was rescued , the ANSA news agency said .
Italian authorities closed ski lifts early on in Italy ’ s lockdown and they remain closed , but skiers can still venture out on ungroomed , unmarked terrain .
MOSCOW — A fire at a Moscow hospital treating people infected by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the evacuation of about 200 others .
News reports said the fire at the facility in the northern part of the city has been extinguished .
No cause was immediately determined for the fire , which affected a ward of the hospital that had been repurposed for treating victims of the new coronavirus .
Mayor Sergei Sobyanin confirmed reports that a patient had died and said those evacuated would be transferred to other hospitals .
It was not clear how many of the evacuees were suffering from COVID-19 .
NEW YORK — Two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in New York state from a possible complication from the coronavirus involving swollen blood vessels and heart problems , Gov .
Andrew Cuomo said Saturday .
More than 70 children in New York have been diagnosed with symptoms similar to Kawasaki disease — a rare inflammatory condition in children — and toxic shock syndrome .
Most of them are toddlers and elementary-age children .
Cuomo announced the deaths of a 7-year old in Westchester County and a teenager in Suffolk County a day after discussing the death of a 5-year-old boy Thursday at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is no proof that the virus causes the mysterious syndrome .
WASHINGTON — U.S. regulators have approved a new type of coronavirus test that administration officials have promoted as a key to opening the country .
The Food and Drug Administration on Saturday announced emergency authorization for antigen tests developed by Quidel Corp. of San Diego .
The test can rapidly detect fragments of virus proteins in samples collected from swabs swiped inside the nasal cavity , the FDA said in a statement .
The antigen test is the third type of test @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Antigen tests can diagnose active infections by detecting the earliest toxic traces of the virus rather than the genetic code of the virus itself .
Currently , the only way to diagnose active COVID-19 is to test a patient ’ s nasal swab for the genetic material of the virus .
While considered highly accurate , the tests can take hours and require expensive , specialized equipment mainly found at commercial labs , hospitals or universities .
ROME — Italy says a near-record 4,008 people were released from hospitals in the past day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country continues its cautious reopening after a two-month national lockdown .
Another 1,083 people tested positive , half of them in hard-hit Lombardy , bringing Italy ’ s confirmed number of cases to 218,268 .
Officials say the real number is as much as 10 times that .
Another 194 people died , one of the lowest day-to-day death tolls in recent weeks .
The confirmed COVID-19 toll in the onetime European epicenter is 30,395 .
Another 134 intensive care beds were freed up , bringing the total number close to 1,000 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ there were more than 4,000 people in ICUs , and the wards in Lombardy were nearly saturated .
LONDON — The British government is making $ 3.1 billion ( 2 billion pounds ) available to boost cycling and walking once lockdown restrictions are eased .
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said at the government ’ s daily briefing that the package to put cycling and walking at “ the heart of our transport policy ” will be necessary , even after public transport networks get back to normal during the coronavirus pandemic .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ distancing guidelines , trains and buses will operate at only 10 % of capacity .
Shapps also said another 346 people who tested positive for COVID-19 have died in the U.K. in all settings , including hospitals and care homes .
That increases the death toll in the U.K. to 31,587 , the highest in Europe .
ISTANBUL — Turkey reported 50 new COVID-19 deaths and 1,546 fresh cases Saturday as it prepared steps to return to normal life .
Total fatalities stand at 3,739 , while infections number 137,115 .
According to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fahrettin Koca , 89,480 patients have recovered .
Shopping malls , barber shops , hairdressers and beauty salons will open for business on Monday as Turkey starts easing restrictions .
Meanwhile , one of Turkey ’ s biggest soccer clubs , Besiktas , announced a player and a club employee had tested positive for the new coronavirus .
Earlier this week , the Turkish Football Federation said matches behind closed doors would resume next month , prompting the resumption of limited training sessions .
WASHINGTON — The federal government is sending supplies of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ speed the recovery of some COVID-19 patients to six states , where it will be distributed by health departments .
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Saturday that it is delivering 140 cases of the drug remdesivir to Illinois , 110 cases to New Jersey , 40 cases to Michigan , 30 cases each to Connecticut and Maryland and 10 cases to Iowa .
Each case contains 40 vials of the drug , the department said in a statement .
“ State and local health departments have the greatest insights @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” the statement said .
Earlier this week the government sent 565 cases to New York , 117 to Massachusetts , 94 to New Jersey , 38 to Indiana , 33 to Virginia , 30 to Rhode Island , and seven to Tennessee .
The company that makes the antiviral drug , California-based Gilead Sciences , has said it is donating its entire current stockpile to help in the U.S. pandemic response .
Remdesivir was cleared for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration last week .
The department says the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patients including those on ventilators or in need of supplemental oxygen .
Follow AP news coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at https : //apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https : //apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak .

By The Associated Press
The Latest on the coronavirus pandemic. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death.
TOP OF THE HOUR:
— South Korea president says citizens shouldn’t panic over rise in new virus cases.
— 3 members of White House coronavirus task force place themselves in quarantine.
— Obama criticizes Trump on handling of coronavirus.
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SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea’s president is urging citizens not to lower their guard down, but said there’s no reason to be panicked amid worries about a new surge in the coronavirus outbreak in the country.
President Moon Jae-in made the comments in a speech Sunday as his health authorities detected a slew of new cases linked to nightclubs in Seoul’s Itaewon district in recent days. Earlier, South Korea’s caseload had been waning for weeks, prompting authorities to relax their social distancing rules.
“The infection cluster which recently occurred in entertainment facilities,” Moon said, “has raised awareness that, even during the stabilization phase, similar situations can arise again anytime, anywhere in an enclosed, crowded space.”
Moon added that, “We must never lower our guard regarding epidemic prevention.” But he also said “there’s no reason to stand still out of fear. “
Moon says South Korea has “the right quarantine and medical systems combined with experience to respond quickly to any unexpected infection clusters that might occur.”
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SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea reported 34 additional cases of COVID-19 over the past 24 hours as a spate of transmissions linked to clubgoers threatens the country’s hard-won gains in its fight against the virus.
Figures released Sunday by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention increased national totals to 10,874 with 256 deaths. The agency said 9,610 have recovered and 10,128 others were undergoing tests to determine whether they’ve contracted the virus.
The agency said a tentative assessment showed 26 of the 34 new patients were locally transmitted cases, while the rest were imported. South Korean media reported it was the first time that South Korea’s daily jump has marked above 30 in about a month.
The agency didn’t immediately provide further details. But most of the new cases in the past few days were linked to nightclubs in Seoul’s Itaewon entertainment neighborhood.
Officials on Friday said they detected at least 15 infections linked to a 29-year-old man who had visited three Itaewon clubs before testing positive Wednesday.
The infections raised worries about a new surge in South Korea, which had for weeks recorded a continuously declining number of new cases after having once had hundreds of new cases each day until early March.
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CANBERRA, Australia — Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt says the government supports a European Union motion for an independent investigation into the origins of COVID-19 in China.
The Australian government has called for such an inquiry for some weeks to better understand how the coronavirus started in Wuhan, China, to be able counter such pandemics in the future. The move has resulted in a critical response from China, Australia’s No. 1 trading partner.
“We support the EU motion which includes an independent investigation, regulatory work on wet markets and also the potential for independent inspection powers,” Hunt told Sky News on Sunday.
Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the EU’s executive arm, said last week she would like to see China work together with her organization, and others, to determine how the virus emerged.
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BEIJING — China reported its first double-digit rise in new rises cases in 10 days Sunday, saying 14 new cases had been detected, 12 of them domestic infections and two brought from abroad.
Eleven of those domestic cases were in the northeastern province of Jilin and 1 in Hubei province, whose capital Wuhan is considered to have been the epicenter of the global pandemic. Jilin shares a border with North Korea, where the virus situation is unclear but whose vastly inadequate health system has been offered help by China in dealing with any outbreak.
No new virus deaths have been reported in China for almost 1 month and the number of people in treatment for COVID-19 nationwide fell to 148, with another 798 people under isolation and observation as either suspected cases or for having tested positive for the virus while showing no symptoms. China has reported a total of 4,633 total death 82,901 cases.
The jump in new cases could fuel concerns over how quickly to lift strict social distancing measures and re-open schools and other public institutions. Widely disseminated photos of people socializing in Shanghai’s bar district over the weekend drew some criticism online. China last reported more than 10 cases on May, with 12, half of them imported. Reports cover the number of new cases recorded over the previous 24 hours.
Having downgraded all counties in districts to low risk from the virus, China has raised one of them, Shulan, in Jilin, after the province on May 10 reported a jump in cases to 11, bringing a tightening of social distancing and quarantine measures.
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WASHINGTON — Three members of the White House coronavirus task force, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, placed themselves in quarantine after contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, another stark reminder that not even one of the nation’s most secure buildings is immune from the virus.
Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a leading member of the task force, has become nationally known for his simple and direct explanations to the public about the coronavirus and COVID-19, the disease it causes. Also quarantining are Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Stephen Hahn.
Fauci’s institute said he has tested negative for COVID-19 and will continue to be tested regularly. It added that he is considered at “relatively low risk” based on the degree of his exposure, and that he would be “taking appropriate precautions” to mitigate the risk to personal contacts while still carrying out his duties. While he will stay at home and telework, Fauci will go to the White House if called and take every precaution, the institute said.
Redfield will be “teleworking for the next two weeks” after it was determined he had a “low risk exposure” to a person at the White House, the CDC said in a statement Saturday evening. The statement said he felt fine and has no symptoms.
Just a few hours earlier, the Food and Drug Administration confirmed that Hahn had come in contact with someone who tested positive and was in self-quarantine for the next two weeks. He tested negative for the virus.
Vice President Mike Pence’s press secretary tested positive for the coronavirus Friday, making her the second person who works at the White House complex known to test positive for the virus this week. White House officials had confirmed Thursday that a member of the military serving as one of Trump’s valets tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday.
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OLYMPIA, Wash. — Opponents of Washington’s stay-at-home order to slow the coronavirus rallied again Saturday at the state Capitol.
Meanwhile, some residents who reported stay-at-home violators said they’ve received threats after far-right groups posted their personal information on Facebook.
Some of the complainants who reported to the state businesses allegedly violating the order say the Facebook posts have generated threats of violence and harassment against them, The Seattle Times reported. One group publicizing the names, the far-right Washington Three Percenters, has promoted the stay-at-home protests and one of its leaders spoke at Saturday’s demonstration.
State officials said the groups likely acquired the information through public records requests. Saturday’s rally drew roughly 1,500 people, according to the Washington State Patrol. That was fewer than the more than 2,000 who attended a similar protest last month.
Gov. Jay Inslee has extended stay-at-home restrictions, but has been allowing some retail and recreational activity to resume with modifications designed to impede the spread of COVID-19.
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LOS ANGELES — Hiking to the Hollywood sign and hitting the links is being allowed Saturday as the California county hardest hit by the coronavirus cautiously reopened some sites to recreation-starved stay-at-homers.
Los Angeles County permitted the reopening of trails and golf courses, but with social distancing restrictions. For those interested in retail therapy, there was even better news as Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday allowed tens of thousands of stores to reopen, including florist shops, just in time for Mother’s Day.
The city of Los Angeles announced it also was reopening some public spaces, including sprawling Griffith Park, which includes popular paths to the Hollywood sign.
But mounted police and park rangers would be keeping hikers to small, distant groups wearing face coverings. Mayor Eric Garcetti urged “good judgment” and said the city would rely on education and encouragement rather than heavy-handed enforcement.
It was “not our vision to make this like a junior high school dance with people standing too close to each other,” he said.
County beaches could reopen next week with restrictions designed to keep people from thronging the shore and possibly spreading COVID-19.
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DENVER — Colorado has reached 967 deaths from the coronavirus, and more than 19,300 people have tested positive for the illness, state health officials said.
The state Department of Public Health and Environment said Saturday more than 100,000 have been tested for COVID-19.
State data show more than 3,600 have been hospitalized since the outbreak. Fewer than 600 people were in Colorado hospitals with symptoms of the illness as of Friday.
On Saturday, a host of Denver businesses — from clothing stores to hair salons — opened their doors for the first time in nearly two months as Mayor Michael Hancock’s stay-at-home order expired, The Denver Post reported. Business owners who have been hard hit financially say it’s the only way to stay afloat as they try to recoup lost sales while giving their employees a much-needed paycheck.
But despite the go-ahead from city leaders, many business owners are choosing to keep their stores shut for now. Those who have made the choice not to resume walk-in business say there is simply not enough evidence yet that bringing workers and customers back into their spaces is safe and won’t contribute to the spread of COVID-19.
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RIO RANCHO, N.M. — New Mexico Republicans and sheriffs are asking U.S. Attorney General William Barr to look into Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s health orders aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19.
State Republican Party Chairman Steve Pearce and New Mexico Sheriffs’ Association President Tony Mace each sent letters to Barr last week seeking a review into the health orders that have shuttered some businesses since late March. They say the orders, which have closed several small businesses, violate residents’ civil rights.
“We want to express our fears and frustrations regarding New Mexico Gov. Lujan Grisham’s public health order, a policy many in our state believe to be a blatant violation of peoples’ civil rights, liberties and their right to conduct free commerce,” Pearce wrote. “The situation in New Mexico is one that is unjust and inequitable.”
Mace, the Cibola County sheriff and a frequent critic of fellow Democrat Lujan Grisham, said the health order was unfairly hurting residents.
“The governor has been discriminatory in her policies, keeping big box corporate giants open — draining New Mexico dollars out of state — while shutting down mom and pop locally owned establishments,” Mase wrote. “This is not only preferential treatment for the big box stores but a violation of the civil rights of our small business owners whose livelihoods are now in free fall.”
In an interview with The Associated Press, Pearce said he wanted Barr to look at New Mexico to see if the U.S. Constitution “is being respected” during the health order.
A spokeswoman for Lujan Grisham declined to comment.
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GATLINBURG, Tenn. — The reopening of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was a little too tempting a draw Saturday as scores of nature lovers from dozens of states crowded trails and trekked into blocked-off areas, a spokeswoman said.
Even with some of the most popular trails closed, parking lots were packed and lines of cars snaked down tree-lined streets, in one case for about a mile leading up to a waterfall path, according to park spokeswoman Dana Soehn. Many people did not wear masks.
“It seemed like people were not respecting our suggestion that they avoid crowded areas,” said Soehn, adding that she counted license plates from 24 states in one visitor center parking lot.
Visitors also walked past heavy barricades on one of the park’s most trafficked trails, Laurel Falls, which was closed off to heed federal social distancing guidelines, she said.
On the Tennessee-North Carolina border, the Great Smoky Mountains is the county’s most visited national park. It was closed March 24 after officials said it was becoming too congested during the coronavirus pandemic.
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WASHINGTON — Former President Barack Obama harshly criticized President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic as an “absolute chaotic disaster” during a conversation with ex-members of his administration, according to a recording obtained by Yahoo News.
Obama’s comments Friday came during a call with 3,000 people who served in his administration. He said combating the virus would have been bad even for the best of governments, but it’s been “an absolute chaotic disaster” when the mindset of “what’s in it for me” infiltrates government.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said that President Trump’s response “has been unprecedented and saved American lives.”
The United States has suffered nearly 80,000 deaths from COVID-19, the most of any nation.
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Follow AP news coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak.


mercurynews--2020-05-09--Coronavirus: Here’s what it’s really like to get a nasal swab test

Nasal swab tests , the somewhat clinical name for the primary way to check for COVID-19 , are almost universally described with one word : But thousands of Bay Area residents will have to come to terms with having a long Q-tip-like swab put far deeper inside a nostril than they would expect , or hope , if the region is to meet Gov .
Gavin Newsom ’ s goal of 1.5 tests for every 1,000 residents every day — among the preconditions for easing shelter-in-place rules .
How easy is it to find a testing site and get tested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ set out to see .
In San Francisco , the county has made testing available for free to any essential workers who live or work in the city , as well as to anyone who has come in close contact with a COVID-19 patient or who is experiencing symptoms .
The fact has been advertised via some 80,000 fliers posted in neighborhoods including the Mission District , Bayview and Bernal Heights — several were taped up near my home .
The Bay Area considers journalists , who have to interact with the public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of their reporting , essential workers .
On Friday night , I scheduled an appointment for a test at one of the two CityTestSF locations operated in conjunction with Color , a genetic testing firm that hopes to process up to 10,000 tests a day at its Burlingame lab .
There was no Saturday availability at the testing site in the South of Market neighborhood , but plenty of open appointment slots in the Embarcadero ’ s Pier 30 parking lot .
Quickly finding a test on Saturday proved more difficult across the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ website where users can find testing sites near them showed 33 such locations within 10 miles of a reporter ’ s ZIP code in Oakland .
But half of those sites weren ’ t open on weekends , and several more had not yet started offering testing .
Some sites were open only to those experiencing possible COVID-19 symptoms or required a referral from a doctor .
The city of Oakland offered same-day appointments on Saturdays at the free testing site it has set up outside the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ late Saturday morning was not returned .
A commercial testing center at a nearby urgent care clinic was booked for the day and didn ’ t have any test appointments available until Sunday .
In San Francisco , I arrived around 9 a.m. to the test site , which is next to Red ’ s Java House , a longstanding favorite in the city .
Most test-takers chose to get swabbed from inside their car , checking in with staff without even rolling down their window .
About a dozen cars waited in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Faster , but less popular , was the option for a walk-up test , which I chose .
Coming out of the testing area as I entered was Doreen Horstin , a San Francisco employee who said she was about to go on a two-week break from disaster work and wanted to know if she was positive for COVID-19 .
“ They shove a Q-tip up your nose farther than you ’ d ever do , ” she said .
“ But it ’ s quick.
” Horstin said she had been apprehensive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told her it ’ s painless , if uncomfortable , so she decided to go for it once the city made it available for all its employees .
At the appointed time , I entered the pedestrian testing area , and was checked in by a worker in full personal protective equipment .
After verbally consenting to have a swab put inside my nose — can ’ t say they don ’ t warn you — I sat down in a plastic chair and prepared for the worst .
The swab went up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enough .
The second nostril yielded better results , and as the woman in full PPE waited a few seconds , there was an incomparable sensation like someone itching the back of my eye socket , deeper than one would even think the nasal canal goes .
• Sheriffs ask AG Barr to review New Mexico health orders The process , although unsettling , was otherwise painless , and soon after the swab was removed , this watery-eyed reporter was told he would receive a text message within 24 to 48 hours that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my results .
The whole procedure took just a few minutes .
Departing not long after me was George Fornero , a school principal who has been involved with handing out food to students during school closures .
He had considered getting a $ 119 commercial test but opted for the free city one .
“ I just thought I should be tested , ” he said , adding that he timed the whole procedure at less than four minutes .
And for now , Forner , Horstin and I — none of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ symptoms — will have to wait and see if our results are added to the nearly 9,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Bay Area , or if they ’ ll simply help tick up the test rate and push the region one step closer to reopening .

Nasal swab tests, the somewhat clinical name for the primary way to check for COVID-19, are almost universally described with one word:
Uncomfortable.
But thousands of Bay Area residents will have to come to terms with having a long Q-tip-like swab put far deeper inside a nostril than they would expect, or hope, if the region is to meet Gov. Gavin Newsom’s goal of 1.5 tests for every 1,000 residents every day — among the preconditions for easing shelter-in-place rules.
How easy is it to find a testing site and get tested? Two Bay Area News Group reporters set out to see.
In San Francisco, the county has made testing available for free to any essential workers who live or work in the city, as well as to anyone who has come in close contact with a COVID-19 patient or who is experiencing symptoms. The fact has been advertised via some 80,000 fliers posted in neighborhoods including the Mission District, Bayview and Bernal Heights — several were taped up near my home. The Bay Area considers journalists, who have to interact with the public and go outside their homes as part of their reporting, essential workers.
On Friday night, I scheduled an appointment for a test at one of the two CityTestSF locations operated in conjunction with Color, a genetic testing firm that hopes to process up to 10,000 tests a day at its Burlingame lab. There was no Saturday availability at the testing site in the South of Market neighborhood, but plenty of open appointment slots in the Embarcadero’s Pier 30 parking lot.
Quickly finding a test on Saturday proved more difficult across the bay.
A search of a state website where users can find testing sites near them showed 33 such locations within 10 miles of a reporter’s ZIP code in Oakland. But half of those sites weren’t open on weekends, and several more had not yet started offering testing. Some sites were open only to those experiencing possible COVID-19 symptoms or required a referral from a doctor.
The city of Oakland offered same-day appointments on Saturdays at the free testing site it has set up outside the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center, but a call to schedule an appointment late Saturday morning was not returned. A commercial testing center at a nearby urgent care clinic was booked for the day and didn’t have any test appointments available until Sunday.
In San Francisco, I arrived around 9 a.m. to the test site, which is next to Red’s Java House, a longstanding favorite in the city. Most test-takers chose to get swabbed from inside their car, checking in with staff without even rolling down their window. About a dozen cars waited in a line through the parking lot. Faster, but less popular, was the option for a walk-up test, which I chose.
Coming out of the testing area as I entered was Doreen Horstin, a San Francisco employee who said she was about to go on a two-week break from disaster work and wanted to know if she was positive for COVID-19.
“They shove a Q-tip up your nose farther than you’d ever do,” she said. “But it’s quick.”
Not too encouraging.
Horstin said she had been apprehensive about the test, but some co-workers told her it’s painless, if uncomfortable, so she decided to go for it once the city made it available for all its employees.
At the appointed time, I entered the pedestrian testing area, and was checked in by a worker in full personal protective equipment. After verbally consenting to have a swab put inside my nose — can’t say they don’t warn you — I sat down in a plastic chair and prepared for the worst.
The swab went up one nostril, but apparently not far enough. The second nostril yielded better results, and as the woman in full PPE waited a few seconds, there was an incomparable sensation like someone itching the back of my eye socket, deeper than one would even think the nasal canal goes.
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Long Covid cases in US adults are on the decline, but many continue to struggle with symptoms Health | COVID Q&A: Can I use an expired test? Time to get boosted? How to cope with California’s sneaky summer surge The process, although unsettling, was otherwise painless, and soon after the swab was removed, this watery-eyed reporter was told he would receive a text message within 24 to 48 hours that would direct me to a website for my results. The whole procedure took just a few minutes.
Departing not long after me was George Fornero, a school principal who has been involved with handing out food to students during school closures. He had considered getting a $119 commercial test but opted for the free city one.
“I just thought I should be tested,” he said, adding that he timed the whole procedure at less than four minutes.
And for now, Forner, Horstin and I — none of us reported having any of the common symptoms — will have to wait and see if our results are added to the nearly 9,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Bay Area, or if they’ll simply help tick up the test rate and push the region one step closer to reopening.
Mercury News Staff Writer Nico Savidge contributed to this report.


mercurynews--2020-05-09--Obama calls Trump’s handling of coronavirus crisis an ‘absolute chaotic disaster’

WASHINGTON ( AP ) — Former President Barack Obama harshly criticized President Donald Trump ’ s handling of the coronavirus pandemic as an “ absolute chaotic disaster ” during a conversation with ex-members of his administration , according to a recording obtained by Yahoo News .
Obama also reacted to the Justice Department dropping its criminal case against Trump ’ s first national security adviser , Michael Flynn , saying he worried that the “ basic understanding of rule of law is at risk.
” More than 78,400 people with COVID-19 have died in the United States and more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to the latest estimates from the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University .
Obama ’ s comments came during a Friday call with 3,000 members of the Obama Alumni Association , people who served in his administration .
Obama urged his supporters to back his former vice president , Joe Biden , who is trying to unseat Trump in the Nov. 3 election .
“ What we ’ re fighting against is these long-term trends in which being selfish , being tribal , being divided , and seeing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ become a stronger impulse in American life .
And by the way , we ’ re seeing that internationally as well .
It ’ s part of the reason why the response to this global crisis has been so anemic and spotty , ” Obama said , according to Yahoo News .
“ It would have been bad even with the best of governments .
It has been an absolute chaotic disaster when that mindset — of ‘ what ’ s in it for me ’ and ‘ to heck with everybody else @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in our government , ” he said .
Trump has consistently defended and boasted of his response to the virus , saying that travel restrictions from China and Europe as well as social distancing guidelines have prevented far greater damage .
“ I think we saved millions of lives , ” he said earlier this week .
Trump has criticized the Obama administration in relation to his own administration ’ s response to the outbreak .
Yet Trump ’ s contention that his administration inherited “ a broken system and a broken test @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; the novel coronavirus did not exist until late last year .
In fact , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention struggled to develop its own test in January and then discovered problems in its kits in February .
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany did not mention Obama directly in her response to his remarks .
“ President Trump ’ s coronavirus response has been unprecedented and saved American lives , ” she said .
“ While Democrats were pursuing a sham witch hunt against President Trump , President Trump was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ added : “ While Democrats encouraged mass gatherings , President Trump was deploying PPE , ventilators , and testing across the country.
” Obama has generally kept a low profile on current political events , even when Trump would disparage him or his administration on Twitter .
But Friday ’ s call indicates that he ’ ll be playing an active role in the coming election .
He told supporters that he would be “ spending as much time as necessary and campaigning as hard as I can for Joe Biden .
”

By KEVIN FREKING
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Barack Obama harshly criticized President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic as an “absolute chaotic disaster” during a conversation with ex-members of his administration, according to a recording obtained by Yahoo News.
Obama also reacted to the Justice Department dropping its criminal case against Trump’s first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, saying he worried that the “basic understanding of rule of law is at risk.”
More than 78,400 people with COVID-19 have died in the United States and more than 1.3 million people have tested positive, according to the latest estimates from the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
[vemba-video id=”politics/2020/05/09/obama-trump-administration-coronavirus-pandemic-response-bts-ndwknd-vpx.cnn”]
Obama’s comments came during a Friday call with 3,000 members of the Obama Alumni Association, people who served in his administration. Obama urged his supporters to back his former vice president, Joe Biden, who is trying to unseat Trump in the Nov. 3 election.
“What we’re fighting against is these long-term trends in which being selfish, being tribal, being divided, and seeing others as an enemy — that has become a stronger impulse in American life. And by the way, we’re seeing that internationally as well. It’s part of the reason why the response to this global crisis has been so anemic and spotty,” Obama said, according to Yahoo News.
“It would have been bad even with the best of governments. It has been an absolute chaotic disaster when that mindset — of ‘what’s in it for me’ and ‘to heck with everybody else’ — when that mindset is operationalized in our government,” he said.
Trump has consistently defended and boasted of his response to the virus, saying that travel restrictions from China and Europe as well as social distancing guidelines have prevented far greater damage. “I think we saved millions of lives,” he said earlier this week.
Trump has criticized the Obama administration in relation to his own administration’s response to the outbreak. Yet Trump’s contention that his administration inherited “a broken system and a broken test” from Obama’s is false; the novel coronavirus did not exist until late last year. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention struggled to develop its own test in January and then discovered problems in its kits in February.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany did not mention Obama directly in her response to his remarks.
“President Trump’s coronavirus response has been unprecedented and saved American lives,” she said. “While Democrats were pursuing a sham witch hunt against President Trump, President Trump was shutting down travel from China.”
She added: “While Democrats encouraged mass gatherings, President Trump was deploying PPE, ventilators, and testing across the country.”
Obama has generally kept a low profile on current political events, even when Trump would disparage him or his administration on Twitter. But Friday’s call indicates that he’ll be playing an active role in the coming election. He told supporters that he would be “spending as much time as necessary and campaigning as hard as I can for Joe Biden.”


mercurynews--2020-05-09--Divorcing parents have a right to post their stories online, court says

The acrimonious split of Masha and Ronnie Shak ended up where many divorces do these days — on Facebook .
As the proceedings unfolded , Ronnie Shak offered a running commentary on social media , shared with the couple ’ s rabbi , assistant rabbi and members of their synagogue , court documents show .
He created a GoFundMe page titled “ Help me KEEP MY SON.
” He called his ex-wife an “ evil liar.
” He illustrated the posts with a video of their 1-year-old son , and told their friends to unfriend her .
That was until @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from posting on social media about his divorce , a common practice known as a nondisparagement order .
A ruling this past week by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court , stemming from the Shaks ’ divorce , found such bans to be unconstitutional , a decision that could have broad implications in the state .
“ As important as it is to protect a child from the emotional and psychological harm that might follow from one parent ’ s use of vulgar or disparaging words about the other , merely reciting that interest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ burden ” of restricting speech , Justice Kimberly S. Budd wrote in a 13-page ruling .
Jennifer M. Lamanna , a lawyer who represented Ronnie Shak in the appeal , called the ruling a “ game changer ” because family and probate judges in the state frequently give such orders , and treat violations as contempt of court , carrying severe penalties .
“ There are thousands of these out there , which is why this is , for Massachusetts purposes , a landmark ruling , ” she said .
“ People ask @ @ @ @ @ @ @ handed out.
” She said the orders , used for decades to control disparaging speech , have been expanded in recent years to focus on social media .
Under such orders , she said , “ my client could write a nasty letter to everyone he knows , but he ’ s not allowed to put it up on social media .
You can whisper in your synagogue , make nasty remarks about your ex-wife , but you can ’ t put it up on Facebook.
” Masha Shak ’ s attorney , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had an immediate , negative effect , prompting Ronnie Shak to resume his postings on social media .
“ Within the last 24 hours of the Shak case being issued by the SJC , he ’ s right back at it , blowing up on social media , ” he said .
“ There ’ s nothing that stops him.
” While Novitch called the decision “ constitutionally sound , ” he said that “ common sense would suggest that children should be insulated from the combat between parents.
” “ It will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actors to say what they want , regardless of where and when and the circumstances , ” he said .
The case underscored the role social media can play in modern divorce , as dueling parties try to win support from their circle of acquaintances .
Shortly after filing for divorce and seeking to remove Ronnie Shak from their shared home , Masha Shak filed a motion to prohibit him from posting disparaging remarks about her on social media .
Two family court judges complied , with the second , George F. Phelan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Masha Shak from posting “ any disparagement of the other party ” on social media until their son reached the age of 14 .
Phelan ’ s ruling prevented both spouses from using four specific expletives , as well as “ other pejoratives involving any gender , ” noting that “ the Court acknowledges the impossibility of listing herein all of the opprobrious vitriol and their permutations within the human lexicon.
” It also banned the parents from posting photographs of their son in poses the judge considered inappropriate .
“ The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ posing , taking and posting of the photo of the parties ’ child ( then less than 1 year old ) with a cigarette in his mouth was in poor taste , even if intended as a joke , and causes the Court to question the father ’ s maturity , ” the judge wrote .
But Phelan also put the order on hold , to be reviewed on constitutional grounds by the Supreme Judicial Court .
And this past week , the court found it unconstitutional .
An order preventing someone from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , known as “ prior restraint , ” is legal in the United States when the threat of damage caused by that speech is compelling .
But though the state does have an interest in protecting children from “ being exposed to disparagement between their parents , ” it is not grave enough to justify restricting freedom of speech , the ruling said .
The ruling noted that one spouse , if offended by the other ’ s speech , has the option of suing for defamation or seeking a harassment prevention order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ruling does not apply to voluntary nondisparagement agreements .
“ What are people with common sense going to do ?
They ’ re going to go out in the hallway and reach an accord in which each agrees not to disparage the other , ” said Novitch , Masha Shak ’ s attorney .
“ It will be based on the agreement of the parties , not on judicial fiat.
” Ruth A. Bourquin , a senior attorney from the American Civil Liberties Union , the co-author of an amicus brief supporting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling .
“ We ’ re so grateful that the SJC reiterated the First Amendment principles , and recognized that they applied here , ” she said , comparing social media to “ the new town square.
” “ That ’ s what it is , ” she said .
“ Just because it ’ s bigger doesn ’ t mean we can say that the rights of free speech don ’ t apply .
Having a government actor say you can say this , and not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alternative .
”

The New York Times News Service Syndicate

The acrimonious split of Masha and Ronnie Shak ended up where many divorces do these days — on Facebook.
As the proceedings unfolded, Ronnie Shak offered a running commentary on social media, shared with the couple’s rabbi, assistant rabbi and members of their synagogue, court documents show.
He created a GoFundMe page titled “Help me KEEP MY SON.” He called his ex-wife an “evil liar.” He illustrated the posts with a video of their 1-year-old son, and told their friends to unfriend her.
That was until a probate court judge banned Ronnie Shak from posting on social media about his divorce, a common practice known as a nondisparagement order.
A ruling this past week by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, stemming from the Shaks’ divorce, found such bans to be unconstitutional, a decision that could have broad implications in the state.
“As important as it is to protect a child from the emotional and psychological harm that might follow from one parent’s use of vulgar or disparaging words about the other, merely reciting that interest is not enough to satisfy the heavy burden” of restricting speech, Justice Kimberly S. Budd wrote in a 13-page ruling.
Jennifer M. Lamanna, a lawyer who represented Ronnie Shak in the appeal, called the ruling a “game changer” because family and probate judges in the state frequently give such orders, and treat violations as contempt of court, carrying severe penalties.
“There are thousands of these out there, which is why this is, for Massachusetts purposes, a landmark ruling,” she said. “People ask for them routinely and they are just handed out.”
She said the orders, used for decades to control disparaging speech, have been expanded in recent years to focus on social media.
Under such orders, she said, “my client could write a nasty letter to everyone he knows, but he’s not allowed to put it up on social media. You can whisper in your synagogue, make nasty remarks about your ex-wife, but you can’t put it up on Facebook.”
Masha Shak’s attorney, Richard M. Novitch, said the ruling had an immediate, negative effect, prompting Ronnie Shak to resume his postings on social media. “Within the last 24 hours of the Shak case being issued by the SJC, he’s right back at it, blowing up on social media,” he said. “There’s nothing that stops him.”
While Novitch called the decision “constitutionally sound,” he said that “common sense would suggest that children should be insulated from the combat between parents.”
“It will give license to a lot of bad actors to say what they want, regardless of where and when and the circumstances,” he said.
The case underscored the role social media can play in modern divorce, as dueling parties try to win support from their circle of acquaintances.
Shortly after filing for divorce and seeking to remove Ronnie Shak from their shared home, Masha Shak filed a motion to prohibit him from posting disparaging remarks about her on social media. Two family court judges complied, with the second, George F. Phelan, issuing an order preventing both Ronnie and Masha Shak from posting “any disparagement of the other party” on social media until their son reached the age of 14.
Phelan’s ruling prevented both spouses from using four specific expletives, as well as “other pejoratives involving any gender,” noting that “the Court acknowledges the impossibility of listing herein all of the opprobrious vitriol and their permutations within the human lexicon.”
It also banned the parents from posting photographs of their son in poses the judge considered inappropriate.
“The court finds that the father’s posing, taking and posting of the photo of the parties’ child (then less than 1 year old) with a cigarette in his mouth was in poor taste, even if intended as a joke, and causes the Court to question the father’s maturity,” the judge wrote.
But Phelan also put the order on hold, to be reviewed on constitutional grounds by the Supreme Judicial Court. And this past week, the court found it unconstitutional. An order preventing someone from carrying out a certain kind of speech, known as “prior restraint,” is legal in the United States when the threat of damage caused by that speech is compelling. But though the state does have an interest in protecting children from “being exposed to disparagement between their parents,” it is not grave enough to justify restricting freedom of speech, the ruling said.
The ruling noted that one spouse, if offended by the other’s speech, has the option of suing for defamation or seeking a harassment prevention order. It also noted that the judges’ ruling does not apply to voluntary nondisparagement agreements.
“What are people with common sense going to do? They’re going to go out in the hallway and reach an accord in which each agrees not to disparage the other,” said Novitch, Masha Shak’s attorney. “It will be based on the agreement of the parties, not on judicial fiat.”
Ruth A. Bourquin, a senior attorney from the American Civil Liberties Union, the co-author of an amicus brief supporting Ronnie Shak, said she was relieved by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling. “We’re so grateful that the SJC reiterated the First Amendment principles, and recognized that they applied here,” she said, comparing social media to “the new town square.”


mercurynews--2020-05-09--Surfer killed in shark attack at Santa Cruz County beach

A surfer was killed in a shark attack on Saturday at Manresa State Beach in Santa Cruz County .
The 26-year-old man was attacked around 1:30 p.m. by an unknown shark species about a mile south of the main parking lot , California State Parks said in a statement .
The surfer was pronounced dead at the scene and the Santa Cruz County Sheriff ’ s Office has notified his family .
According to the sheriff ’ s office , the attack occurred within 100 yards of shore near Sand Dollar Beach .
Gabe McKenna , public safety superintendent with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flagged down a lifeguard patrolling the area to report the attack .
The water a mile south and a mile north of the attack will be closed for five days .
It will not reopen until Thursday , May 14 .
Officials are urging people to avoid the area .
Signs have been posted at beach entrances and access points warning beachgoers about the attack .
Santa Cruz County closed all of its parks and beaches and banned surfing as part of the shelter-in-place order put in place to stem the coronavirus pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surfing again in mid-April .
Shark attacks are very rare .
According to the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum , which tracks shark attacks , there were just 64 unprovoked attacks on humans worldwide in 2019 .
Three occurred in California .
In March , a shark bit the board of a paddle boarder near Capitola , narrowly missing him , according to the sheriff ’ s office .

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A surfer was killed in a shark attack on Saturday at Manresa State Beach in Santa Cruz County.
The 26-year-old man was attacked around 1:30 p.m. by an unknown shark species about a mile south of the main parking lot, California State Parks said in a statement.
The surfer was pronounced dead at the scene and the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office has notified his family.
According to the sheriff’s office, the attack occurred within 100 yards of shore near Sand Dollar Beach.
Gabe McKenna, public safety superintendent with California State Parks, said a person flagged down a lifeguard patrolling the area to report the attack.
Terri Tucker lives just off the beach and saw the attack unfold from her window. She was reading a book and looked up to see a large dorsal fin.
“At the time, my thought was my goodness that’s one huge dolphin,” she said.
Then, a flurry of black. Tucker’s phone rang and when she stepped back minutes later, crews surrounded the man on the shore. A couple of other surfers who had been in the water stood nearby, she said.
“It happened so quickly,” she said.
Hours later, Tucker and her husband made their way down to the sand.
“I’m a Christian and I just had to go down there and say a prayer before tomorrow,” Tucker said, before the wind and water erase any signs the surfer was there.
“I hope he gave his mom a hug this morning,” Tucker said, noting that Sunday is Mother’s Day.
She is a mother of five and a grandmother to nine, Tucker said, and aches for her family.
The water a mile south and a mile north of the attack will be closed for five days. It will not reopen until Thursday, May 14.
Officials are urging people to avoid the area. Signs have been posted at beach entrances and access points warning beachgoers about the attack.
Santa Cruz County closed all of its parks and beaches and banned surfing as part of the shelter-in-place order put in place to stem the coronavirus pandemic. But it reopened them and allowed surfing again in mid-April.
Related Articles Crashes and Disasters | Santa Cruz surfer killed in shark attack identified Shark attacks are very rare. According to the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum, which tracks shark attacks, there were just 64 unprovoked attacks on humans worldwide in 2019. Three occurred in California.
In March, a shark bit the board of a paddle boarder near Capitola, narrowly missing him, according to the sheriff’s office.
Tucker has had her home near the water for 20 years, she said, and has never seen anything like Saturday’s shark attack.
She’s seen sharks take down harbor seals, but never a human life.
Tucker said she takes comfort, though, in the idea that when people die in such a way, they’re “doing what they enjoy most in life.”
A shark attack happened at Sand Dollar Beach in Santa Cruz County today. My friend Eric Mailander has been observing dozens of great white sharks swimming near shore lately and shot these photos. Shark attacks against people are extremely rarehttps://t.co/9yrsS2tRWf @kron4news pic.twitter.com/2Lzw3Kkypj — Amy Larson (@AmyLarson25) May 9, 2020
The Santa Cruz Sentinel contributed reporting.


mercurynews--2020-05-09--Russia, Belarus mark Victory Day in contrasting events

MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin marked Victory Day , the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II , in a ceremony shorn of its usual military parade and pomp by the coronavirus pandemic .
In neighboring Belarus , however , the ceremonies went ahead in full , with tens of thousands of people in the sort of proximity that has been almost unseen in the world for months .
Putin on Saturday laid flowers at the tomb of the unknown soldier just outside the Kremlin walls and gave a short address honoring the valor and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ war .
Victory Day is Russia ’ s most important secular holiday and this year ’ s observance had been expected to be especially large because it is the 75th anniversary , but the Red Square military parade and a mass procession called The Immortal Regiment were postponed as part of measures to stifle the spread of the virus .
The only vestige of the conventional show of military might was a flyover of central Moscow by 75 warplanes and helicopters .
The ceremony was the first public appearance in about a month @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the virus took hold .
In his speech , he did not mention the virus — Russia has nearly 200,000 confirmed cases — or how its spread had blocked the observances that were to be a prestige project for him .
But he promised that full commemorations would take place .
“ We will , as usual , widely and solemnly mark the anniversary date , do it with dignity , as our duty to those who have suffered , achieved and accomplished the victory tells us , ” he said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Red Square , and the national march of the Immortal Regiment — the march of our grateful memory and inextricable , vital , living communication between generations.
” The sharply reduced observances this year left a hole in Russia ’ s civic and emotional calendar .
The war , in which the Soviet Union lost an estimated 26 million people including 8.5 million soldiers , has become a fundamental piece of Russian national identity .
Beyond the stern formalities of the Red Square military parade and smaller parades in other cities , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in huge numbers for the Immortal Regiment processions , when civilians crowd the streets displaying photographs of relatives who died in the war or endured it .
Russian officials routinely bristle at criticism of the Red Army ’ s actions in the war , denouncing the comments as attempts to “ rewrite history.
” An online substitute for the processions took place Saturday , showing streams of photos of veterans submitted by relatives .
A full military parade of some 3,000 soldiers was held Saturday in Minsk , the capital of Belarus , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virus ’ spread despite sharply rising infection figures .
Tens of thousands of spectators , few of them wearing masks , watched the event .
President Alexander Lukashenko , who has dismissed concerns about the virus as a “ psychosis , ” said at the parade that Belarus ’ ordeal in the war “ is incomparable with any difficulties of the present day.
” Belarus ’ s more than 21,000 recorded infections are higher than in neighboring Ukraine and Poland , both with populations about four times the size .
The former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not reported any coronavirus infections , held a large parade and procession late Saturday in the capital Ashgabat — the first time the country has marked Victory Day with a large public display .
Among the guests was deputy Russian Defense Minister Alexander Fomin , whose speech at the ceremony underlined Russia ’ s sensitivity about interpretations of World War II .
“ Now , unfortunately , in a number of countries we see attempts to revive Nazi ideology , falsify the common history , exalt traitors and revise the role of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” he said .
None of those at the parade wore masks or observed social distancing .
• Stranded onboard during pandemic , cruise crews beg to go home • Trump : ‘ No rush ’ on more financial assistance In the capitals of Latvia and Estonia , both former Soviet republics with large ethnic Russian populations , small groups were seen arriving throughout the day to lay flowers on Soviet war memorials .
Yuras Karmanau in Minsk , Belarus ; Alexander Vershinin in Ashgabat , Turkmenistan and Jari Tanner in Helsinki @ @ @ @ @

By Jim Heintz | Associated Press
MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin marked Victory Day, the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, in a ceremony shorn of its usual military parade and pomp by the coronavirus pandemic.
In neighboring Belarus, however, the ceremonies went ahead in full, with tens of thousands of people in the sort of proximity that has been almost unseen in the world for months.
Putin on Saturday laid flowers at the tomb of the unknown soldier just outside the Kremlin walls and gave a short address honoring the valor and suffering of the Soviet army during the war.
Victory Day is Russia’s most important secular holiday and this year’s observance had been expected to be especially large because it is the 75th anniversary, but the Red Square military parade and a mass procession called The Immortal Regiment were postponed as part of measures to stifle the spread of the virus.
The only vestige of the conventional show of military might was a flyover of central Moscow by 75 warplanes and helicopters.
The ceremony was the first public appearance in about a month for Putin, who has worked remotely as the virus took hold.
In his speech, he did not mention the virus — Russia has nearly 200,000 confirmed cases — or how its spread had blocked the observances that were to be a prestige project for him.
But he promised that full commemorations would take place.
“We will, as usual, widely and solemnly mark the anniversary date, do it with dignity, as our duty to those who have suffered, achieved and accomplished the victory tells us,” he said. “There will be our main parade on Red Square, and the national march of the Immortal Regiment — the march of our grateful memory and inextricable, vital, living communication between generations.”
[vemba-video id=”tv/2020/05/08/amanpour-hastings-goodwin-ve-day.cnn”]
The sharply reduced observances this year left a hole in Russia’s civic and emotional calendar. The war, in which the Soviet Union lost an estimated 26 million people including 8.5 million soldiers, has become a fundamental piece of Russian national identity.
Beyond the stern formalities of the Red Square military parade and smaller parades in other cities, Russians in recent years have turned out in huge numbers for the Immortal Regiment processions, when civilians crowd the streets displaying photographs of relatives who died in the war or endured it. Russian officials routinely bristle at criticism of the Red Army’s actions in the war, denouncing the comments as attempts to “rewrite history.”
An online substitute for the processions took place Saturday, showing streams of photos of veterans submitted by relatives.
A full military parade of some 3,000 soldiers was held Saturday in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, which has not imposed restrictions to block the virus’ spread despite sharply rising infection figures. Tens of thousands of spectators, few of them wearing masks, watched the event.
President Alexander Lukashenko, who has dismissed concerns about the virus as a “psychosis,” said at the parade that Belarus’ ordeal in the war “is incomparable with any difficulties of the present day.”
Belarus’s more than 21,000 recorded infections are higher than in neighboring Ukraine and Poland, both with populations about four times the size.
The former Soviet republic of Turkmenistan, which has not reported any coronavirus infections, held a large parade and procession late Saturday in the capital Ashgabat — the first time the country has marked Victory Day with a large public display.
Among the guests was deputy Russian Defense Minister Alexander Fomin, whose speech at the ceremony underlined Russia’s sensitivity about interpretations of World War II.
“Now, unfortunately, in a number of countries we see attempts to revive Nazi ideology, falsify the common history, exalt traitors and revise the role of the Soviet people in the victory over fascism,” he said.
None of those at the parade wore masks or observed social distancing.
In the capitals of Latvia and Estonia, both former Soviet republics with large ethnic Russian populations, small groups were seen arriving throughout the day to lay flowers on Soviet war memorials.
Yuras Karmanau in Minsk, Belarus; Alexander Vershinin in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan and Jari Tanner in Helsinki contributed to this report.


mercurynews--2020-05-09--Little Richard, flamboyant rock ‘n’ roll pioneer, dead at 87

NASHVILLE , Tenn. ( AP ) — Little Richard , one of the chief architects of rock ‘ n ’ roll whose piercing wail , pounding piano and towering pompadour irrevocably altered popular music while introducing black R & B to white America , died Saturday after battling bone cancer .
He was 87 .
Pastor Bill Minson , a close friend of Little Richard ’ s , told The Associated Press that Little Richard died Saturday morning .
His son , Danny Jones Penniman , also confirmed his father ’ s death , which was first reported by Rolling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s attorney for more than three decades , told the AP in an email that the musician died of bone cancer at a family home in Tullahoma , Tennessee .
“ He was not only an iconic and legendary musician , but he was also a kind , empathetic , and insightful human being , ” Sobel said .
Born Richard Penniman , Little Richard was one of rock ‘ n ’ roll ’ s founding fathers who helped shatter the color line on the music charts , joining Chuck Berry and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ called “ race music ” into the mainstream .
Richard ’ s hyperkinetic piano playing , coupled with his howling vocals and hairdo , made him an implausible sensation — a gay , black man celebrated across America during the buttoned-down Eisenhower era .
He sold more than 30 million records worldwide , and his influence on other musicians was equally staggering , from the Beatles and Otis Redding to Creedence Clearwater Revival and David Bowie .
In his personal life , he wavered between raunch and religion , alternately embracing the Good @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mascara-lined eyes , pencil-thin mustache and glittery suits .
“ Little Richard ?
That ’ s rock ‘ n ’ roll , ” Neil Young , who heard Richard ’ s riffs on the radio in Canada , told biographer Jimmy McDonough .
“ Little Richard was great on every record.
” It was 1956 when his classic “ Tutti Frutti ” landed like a hand grenade in the Top 40 , exploding from radios and off turntables across the country .
It was highlighted by Richard ’ s memorable call of “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , providing the foundation of rock music : “ Lucille , ” “ Keep A Knockin ’ , ” “ Long Tall Sally , ” “ Good Golly Miss Molly.
” More than 40 years after the latter charted , Bruce Springsteen was still performing “ Good Golly Miss Molly ” live .
The Beatles ’ Paul McCartney imitated Richard ’ s signature yelps — perhaps most notably in the “ Wooooo !
” from the hit “ She Loves You.
” Ex-bandmate John Lennon covered Richard ’ s “ Rip It Up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 1975 “ Rock and Roll ” album .
When the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame opened in 1986 , he was among the charter members with Elvis Presley , Berry , Buddy Holly , Jerry Lee Lewis , Sam Cooke and others .
“ It is with a heavy heart that I ask for prayers for the family of my lifelong friend and fellow rocker Little Richard , ” said Lewis , 84 , in a statement provided by his publicist .
“ He will live on always in my heart @ @ @ @ @ @ @ !
He was one of a kind and I will miss him dearly .
God bless his family and fans.
” Mick Jagger called Little Richard “ t he biggest inspiration of my early teens ” in a social media post Saturday .
“ His music still has the same raw electric energy when you play it now as it did when it first shot through the music scene in the mid 50 ’ s , ” Jagger wrote .
“ When we were on tour with him I would watch his moves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to entertain and involve the audience and he was always so generous with advice to me .
He contributed so much to popular music .
I will miss you Richard , God bless.
” Few were quicker to acknowledge Little Richard ’ s seminal role than Richard himself .
The flamboyant singer claimed he paved the way for Elvis , provided Mick Jagger with his stage moves and conducted vocal lessons for McCartney .
“ I am the architect of rock ‘ n ’ roll !
” Little Richard crowed at the 1988 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a standing ovation .
“ I am the originator !
” Richard Wayne Penniman was born in Macon , Georgia , during the Great Depression , one of 12 children .
He was ostracized because he was effeminate and suffered a small deformity : his right leg was shorter than his left .
The family was religious , and Richard sang in local churches with a group called the Tiny Tots .
The tug-of-war between his upbringing and rock ‘ n ’ roll excess tormented Penniman throughout his career .
Penniman was performing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but there were problems at home over his sexual orientation .
His father beat the boy and derided him as “ half a son.
” Richard left home to join a minstrel show run by a man known as Sugarloaf Sam , occasionally appearing in drag .
In late 1955 , Little Richard recorded the bawdy “ Tutti Frutti , ” with lyrics that were sanitized by a New Orleans songwriter .
It went on to sell 1 million records over the next year .
When Little Richard ’ s hit was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ white performers like Pat Boone and Elvis Presley did cover versions that topped the charts .
Little Richard went Hollywood with an appearance in “ Don ’ t Knock the Rock.
” But his wild lifestyle remained at odds with his faith , and a conflicted Richard quit the business in 1957 to enroll in a theological school and get married .
Richard remained on the charts when his label released previously recorded material .
And he recorded a gospel record , returning to his roots .
A 1962 arrest for a sexual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ station restroom led to his divorce and return to performing .
He mounted three tours of England between 1962 and 1964 , with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones serving as opening acts .
Back in the States , he put together a band that included guitarist Jimi Hendrix — and later fired Hendrix when he was late for a bus .
In 1968 , Richard hit Las Vegas and relaunched his career .
Within two years , he had another hit single and made the cover of Rolling Stone .
By the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1,000-a-day cocaine problem and once again abandoned his musical career .
He returned to religion , selling Bibles and renouncing homosexuality .
For more than a decade , he vanished .
“ If God can save an old homosexual like me , he can save anybody , ” Richard said .
But he returned , in 1986 , in spectacular fashion .
Little Richard was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame , and appeared in the movie “ Down and Out in Beverly Hills.
” A Little Richard song from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ Mighty , ” even put him back on the charts for the first time in more than 15 years .
Little Richard was back to stay , enjoying another dose of celebrity that he fully embraced .
Macon , Georgia , named a street after its favorite son .
And Little Richard was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame .
In August 2002 , he announced his retirement from live performing .
But he continued to appear frequently on television , including a humorous appearance on a 2006 commercial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surgery in November 2009 at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville , and asked fans at the time to pray for him .
He lived in the Nashville area at the time .
Former Associated Press writer Larry McShane ; AP writer Anthony Izaguirre in Charleston , West Virginia ; and AP Music Writer Mesfin Fekadu in New York contributed to this report .

By KRISTIN M. HALL
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Little Richard, one of the chief architects of rock ‘n’ roll whose piercing wail, pounding piano and towering pompadour irrevocably altered popular music while introducing black R&B to white America, died Saturday after battling bone cancer. He was 87.
Pastor Bill Minson, a close friend of Little Richard’s, told The Associated Press that Little Richard died Saturday morning. His son, Danny Jones Penniman, also confirmed his father’s death, which was first reported by Rolling Stone.
Bill Sobel, Little Richard’s attorney for more than three decades, told the AP in an email that the musician died of bone cancer at a family home in Tullahoma, Tennessee.
“He was not only an iconic and legendary musician, but he was also a kind, empathetic, and insightful human being,” Sobel said.
Born Richard Penniman, Little Richard was one of rock ‘n’ roll’s founding fathers who helped shatter the color line on the music charts, joining Chuck Berry and Fats Domino in bringing what was once called “race music” into the mainstream. Richard’s hyperkinetic piano playing, coupled with his howling vocals and hairdo, made him an implausible sensation — a gay, black man celebrated across America during the buttoned-down Eisenhower era.
He sold more than 30 million records worldwide, and his influence on other musicians was equally staggering, from the Beatles and Otis Redding to Creedence Clearwater Revival and David Bowie. In his personal life, he wavered between raunch and religion, alternately embracing the Good Book and outrageous behavior and looks – mascara-lined eyes, pencil-thin mustache and glittery suits.
“Little Richard? That’s rock ‘n’ roll,” Neil Young, who heard Richard’s riffs on the radio in Canada, told biographer Jimmy McDonough. “Little Richard was great on every record.”
[vemba-video id=”entertainment/2020/05/09/rock-n-roll-legend-little-richard-dead-at-87.cnn”]
It was 1956 when his classic “Tutti Frutti” landed like a hand grenade in the Top 40, exploding from radios and off turntables across the country. It was highlighted by Richard’s memorable call of “wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-lop-bam-boom.”
A string of hits followed, providing the foundation of rock music: “Lucille,” “Keep A Knockin’,” “Long Tall Sally,” “Good Golly Miss Molly.” More than 40 years after the latter charted, Bruce Springsteen was still performing “Good Golly Miss Molly” live.
The Beatles’ Paul McCartney imitated Richard’s signature yelps — perhaps most notably in the “Wooooo!” from the hit “She Loves You.” Ex-bandmate John Lennon covered Richard’s “Rip It Up” and “Ready Teddy” on the 1975 “Rock and Roll” album.
When the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame opened in 1986, he was among the charter members with Elvis Presley, Berry, Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Sam Cooke and others.
“It is with a heavy heart that I ask for prayers for the family of my lifelong friend and fellow rocker Little Richard,” said Lewis, 84, in a statement provided by his publicist. “He will live on always in my heart with his amazing talent and his friendship! He was one of a kind and I will miss him dearly. God bless his family and fans.”
Mick Jagger called Little Richard “t he biggest inspiration of my early teens” in a social media post Saturday.
“His music still has the same raw electric energy when you play it now as it did when it first shot through the music scene in the mid 50’s,” Jagger wrote. “When we were on tour with him I would watch his moves every night and learn from him how to entertain and involve the audience and he was always so generous with advice to me. He contributed so much to popular music. I will miss you Richard, God bless.”
Few were quicker to acknowledge Little Richard’s seminal role than Richard himself. The flamboyant singer claimed he paved the way for Elvis, provided Mick Jagger with his stage moves and conducted vocal lessons for McCartney.
“I am the architect of rock ‘n’ roll!” Little Richard crowed at the 1988 Grammy Awards as the crowd rose in a standing ovation. “I am the originator!”
Richard Wayne Penniman was born in Macon, Georgia, during the Great Depression, one of 12 children. He was ostracized because he was effeminate and suffered a small deformity: his right leg was shorter than his left.
The family was religious, and Richard sang in local churches with a group called the Tiny Tots. The tug-of-war between his upbringing and rock ‘n’ roll excess tormented Penniman throughout his career.
Penniman was performing with bands by the age of 14, but there were problems at home over his sexual orientation. His father beat the boy and derided him as “half a son.”
Richard left home to join a minstrel show run by a man known as Sugarloaf Sam, occasionally appearing in drag.
In late 1955, Little Richard recorded the bawdy “Tutti Frutti,” with lyrics that were sanitized by a New Orleans songwriter. It went on to sell 1 million records over the next year.
When Little Richard’s hit was banned by many white-owned radio stations, white performers like Pat Boone and Elvis Presley did cover versions that topped the charts.
Little Richard went Hollywood with an appearance in “Don’t Knock the Rock.” But his wild lifestyle remained at odds with his faith, and a conflicted Richard quit the business in 1957 to enroll in a theological school and get married.
Richard remained on the charts when his label released previously recorded material. And he recorded a gospel record, returning to his roots.
A 1962 arrest for a sexual encounter with a man in a bus station restroom led to his divorce and return to performing.
He mounted three tours of England between 1962 and 1964, with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones serving as opening acts. Back in the States, he put together a band that included guitarist Jimi Hendrix — and later fired Hendrix when he was late for a bus.
In 1968, Richard hit Las Vegas and relaunched his career. Within two years, he had another hit single and made the cover of Rolling Stone.
By the mid-1970s, Richard was battling a $1,000-a-day cocaine problem and once again abandoned his musical career. He returned to religion, selling Bibles and renouncing homosexuality. For more than a decade, he vanished.
“If God can save an old homosexual like me, he can save anybody,” Richard said.
But he returned, in 1986, in spectacular fashion. Little Richard was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and appeared in the movie “Down and Out in Beverly Hills.”
A Little Richard song from the soundtrack, “Great Gosh A’Mighty,” even put him back on the charts for the first time in more than 15 years. Little Richard was back to stay, enjoying another dose of celebrity that he fully embraced.
Macon, Georgia, named a street after its favorite son. And Little Richard was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In August 2002, he announced his retirement from live performing. But he continued to appear frequently on television, including a humorous appearance on a 2006 commercial for GEICO insurance.
Richard had hip surgery in November 2009 at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, and asked fans at the time to pray for him. He lived in the Nashville area at the time.
_____
Former Associated Press writer Larry McShane; AP writer Anthony Izaguirre in Charleston, West Virginia; and AP Music Writer Mesfin Fekadu in New York contributed to this report.


mercurynews--2020-05-09--Sheriffs ask AG Barr to review New Mexico health orders

RIO RANCHO , N.M. — New Mexico Republicans and sheriffs are asking U.S. Attorney General William Barr to look into Gov .
Michelle Lujan Grisham ’ s health orders aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19 .
State Republican Party Chairman Steve Pearce and New Mexico Sheriffs ’ Association President Tony Mace each sent letters to Barr last week seeking a review into the health orders that have shuttered some businesses since late March .
They allege the order , which has closed several small businesses , violates residents ’ civil rights .
“ We want to express our fears @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lujan Grisham ’ s public health order , a policy many in our state believe to be a blatant violation of peoples ’ civil rights , liberties and their right to conduct free commerce , ” Pearce wrote .
“ The situation in New Mexico is one that is unjust and inequitable.
” Mace , Cibola County sheriff and a frequent critic of fellow Democrat Lujan Grisham , said the health order was unfairly hurting residents .
“ The governor has been discriminatory in her policies , keeping big box corporate giants open @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state — while shutting down mom and pop locally owned establishments , ” Mase wrote .
“ This is not only preferential treatment for the big box stores but a violation of the civil rights of our small business owners whose livelihoods are now in free fall.
” New Mexico GOP House Minority Leader James Townsend also sent a similar letter .
In an interview with The Associated Press , Pearce said he wanted Barr to look at New Mexico to see if the U.S. Constitution “ is be respected ” during the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issued late March , state officials told all nonessential businesses to close their doors .
First-time lockdown offenders can be given warnings , second citations for the same offenders are petty misdemeanors with a fine of up to $ 100 , and third-time violators can be fined up to $ 5,000 .
The health order has been extended to May 15 .
Lujan Grisham said the order will be lifted in phases .
Gallup , a popular supply stop for rural residents of the nearby Navajo Nation , has been on lockdown for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to stay at home except for emergencies .
State health officials on Sunday reported more than 4,600 positive tests of the virus in the state .
More than 200 people are hospitalized and 181 have died .
McKinley County in western New Mexico is the county leading the state with the highest number of cases despite its small population .
It includes parts of the Navajo Nation , which has some of the highest infection rates in the country .
• Coronavirus : Here ’ s what it ’ s really like to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people , the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms , such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks .
For some , especially older adults and people with existing health problems , it can cause more severe illness , including pneumonia , and death .

By Russell Contreras | Associated Press
RIO RANCHO, N.M. — New Mexico Republicans and sheriffs are asking U.S. Attorney General William Barr to look into Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s health orders aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19.
State Republican Party Chairman Steve Pearce and New Mexico Sheriffs’ Association President Tony Mace each sent letters to Barr last week seeking a review into the health orders that have shuttered some businesses since late March. They allege the order, which has closed several small businesses, violates residents’ civil rights.
“We want to express our fears and frustrations regarding New Mexico Gov. Lujan Grisham’s public health order, a policy many in our state believe to be a blatant violation of peoples’ civil rights, liberties and their right to conduct free commerce,” Pearce wrote. “The situation in New Mexico is one that is unjust and inequitable.”
Mace, Cibola County sheriff and a frequent critic of fellow Democrat Lujan Grisham, said the health order was unfairly hurting residents.
“The governor has been discriminatory in her policies, keeping big box corporate giants open — draining New Mexico dollars out of state — while shutting down mom and pop locally owned establishments,” Mase wrote. “This is not only preferential treatment for the big box stores but a violation of the civil rights of our small business owners whose livelihoods are now in free fall.”
New Mexico GOP House Minority Leader James Townsend also sent a similar letter.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Pearce said he wanted Barr to look at New Mexico to see if the U.S. Constitution “is be respected” during the health order.
A spokeswoman for Lujan Grisham declined to comment.
Under a health order issued late March, state officials told all nonessential businesses to close their doors. First-time lockdown offenders can be given warnings, second citations for the same offenders are petty misdemeanors with a fine of up to $100, and third-time violators can be fined up to $5,000.
The health order has been extended to May 15. Lujan Grisham said the order will be lifted in phases.
Gallup, a popular supply stop for rural residents of the nearby Navajo Nation, has been on lockdown for nearly a week. Residents were ordered to stay at home except for emergencies.
State health officials on Sunday reported more than 4,600 positive tests of the virus in the state. More than 200 people are hospitalized and 181 have died.
McKinley County in western New Mexico is the county leading the state with the highest number of cases despite its small population. It includes parts of the Navajo Nation, which has some of the highest infection rates in the country.


mercurynews--2020-05-10--Letter: You cannot treat Livermore and Oakland the same

It ’ s time to apply common sense to our precautions I do believe the shelter-in-place order was the right @ @ @ @ @ a big help .
The governor has insisted all his decisions are based on science @ @ @ @ @ to share what that science is or where he is getting it .
When we @ @ @ @ @ are more willing to accept .
This science shows that , with social distancing , @ @ @ @ @ we can go to the supermarket , hardware store and liquor store and minimize the @ @ @ @ @ apparently says with the same precautions , we are at high risk if going to @ @ @ @ @ local business or to church .
Isn ’ t it time to apply some common @ @ @ @ @ This is a big country ; we must recognize that one size does not fit @ @ @ @ @ treat Livermore and Oakland the same .
Make rules fit the location .
Submit your @ @ @ @ @ this form Read more Letters to the Editor

It’s time to apply common
sense to our precautions
I do believe the shelter-in-place order was the right thing to do and was a big help.
The governor has insisted all his decisions are based on science. He has been reluctant to share what that science is or where he is getting it. When we understand the source, we are more willing to accept.
This science shows that, with social distancing, masks and good sense, we can go to the supermarket, hardware store and liquor store and minimize the risk.
This same science apparently says with the same precautions, we are at high risk if going to a clothing store, other local business or to church.
Isn’t it time to apply some common sense to our precautions? This is a big country; we must recognize that one size does not fit all. You cannot treat Livermore and Oakland the same. Make rules fit the location.
Roy Cavellini
Livermore
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