washingtontimes--2020-12-22--Biden to address COVID bill, holiday pandemic precautions

WILMINGTON , Del .
( AP ) - President-elect Joe Biden will speak Tuesday as the nation deals with a COVID-19 surge that ’ s casting a shadow over the Christmas holiday this week .
Biden will deliver remarks in Wilmington , Delaware on Tuesday afternoon , where he ’ s expected to speak on the $ 900 billion coronavirus aid bill passed by Congress on Monday .
It ’ s a package he supports but one he ’ s said is just a “ down payment ” for a broader relief bill he plans to introduce when he takes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did prior to Thanksgiving , Biden will express sympathy for the struggles American families are facing as they head into Christmas dealing with the emotional and economic impacts of the pandemic .
But he ’ ll encourage the nation to continue to take precautions to try to stem the spread of the virus , which has now killed more than 320,000 people in the United States .
Earlier this month , Biden said Americans “ can not be traveling during these holidays , ” and acknowledged that “ Christmas is going to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the day after Biden himself got vaccinated on live television as part of an effort to reassure people that the COVID-19 vaccine is safe .
After a quick prick in the arm , Biden urged Americans to continue wearing masks and socially distance if possible during the holidays .
“ If you don ’ t have to travel , don ’ t travel , ” he said .
“ It ’ s really important.
” On Tuesday , Biden ’ s team also announced a new round of White House staff appointments , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deputy chief of staff .
Reed served as Biden ’ s chief of staff during his first term as vice president , as has long been a close member of Biden ’ s inner circle of advisers .
But throughout the weeks of speculation over Biden ’ s Cabinet selections , progressives have expressed concerns about what they see as Reed ’ s moderate political views and fiscal conservatism .
Progressives notched a win in the latest round of staff announcements , however , with the appointment of Gautam Raghavan as deputy director @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Raghavan served as chief of staff to Rep. Pramila Jayapal , who chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus , and in his new role he ’ ll help evaluate applicants for thousands of federal jobs and appointments throughout the administration .
Biden has also appointed Anne Filipic as director of management & administration , Ryan Montoya as director of scheduling & advance , Vinay Reddy as director of speechwriting and Elizabeth Wilkins as a senior advisor to the chief of staff .
All are alumni of the Obama-Biden Administration , and Montoya and Reddy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well .

WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) - President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday assailed the Trump administration for failing to fortify the nation’s cyber defenses, and called on President Donald Trump to publicly identify the perpetrator of a massive breach of U.S. government agencies - a hack some of Trump’s top allies have blamed on Russia.
Biden, who is being briefed on high-level intelligence in preparation for taking office next month, said planning for the hack began as early as 2019. Several federal agencies, including the Treasury Department, have said they were targeted.
“There’s still so much we don’t know,” Biden said during a news conference in Wilmington, Delaware. “But we know this much: This attack constitutes a grave risk to our national security. It was carefully planned and carefully orchestrated.”
The U.S. government has not made a formal assessment of who was behind the attack, but both Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Attorney General William Barr have said all signs point to Russia. But Trump, who has long sidestepped blaming Moscow for its provocations, has not followed suit and has instead suggested - without evidence - that China may have carried out the hack.
The breach of the Treasury Department began in July, but experts believe the overall hacking operation began months earlier when malicious code was slipped into updates to popular software that monitors computer networks of businesses and governments.
“The truth is, the Trump administration failed to prioritize cybersecurity,” Biden said. “This assault happened on Donald Trump’s watch, while he wasn’t watching.”
Given Trump’s reluctance to publicly blame Russia, it appears likely that any formal U.S. retaliation for the hacking will fall to Biden. The president-elect said he would work with allies to set up international rules to hold nation states accountable for cyberattacks and vowed that his administration would make cybersecurity a top priority.
Biden spoke a day after Congress passed a $900 billion coronavirus aid bill that includes direct payments to many Americans and aid for struggling small businesses. He called the bill a “down payment” on a broader relief bill he plans to introduce when he takes office in January.
“Like all compromises, this is far from perfect,” Biden said. “Congress did their job this week, and I can and I must ask them to do it again next year.”
The president-elect also expressed empathy for families who have struggled this year through the pandemic and resulting economic uncertainty. He singled out in particular frontline workers, scientists, researchers, clinical trial participants and those with deployed family members during the holiday season.
“Our hearts are always with you - keep the faith,” said Biden, even as he warned that the nation faces a “dark winter” as COVID-19 cases rise across the country. More than 320,000 people have died from the virus in the United States.
He urged Americans to continue to take precautions, particularly during the holidays when many typically come together with family and friends. Noting the ways that the pandemic has altered his own holiday celebrations, which typically include up to two dozen relatives, Biden said “not this year.”
On Monday, Biden was vaccinated on live television as part of an effort to reassure people that the COVID-19 vaccine is safe.
“I look forward to the second shot, and I have absolute confidence in the vaccine,” Biden said. “But we’re in short supply.”
With about a month to go until his inauguration, Biden is working through the holiday to build out his Cabinet and White House team. He’s expected to nominate Miguel Cardona, Connecticut’s education chief, to serve as education secretary, according to people familiar with the matter.
Biden’s transition team on Tuesday also announced a new round of White House staff appointments, led by longtime aide Bruce Reed as deputy chief of staff. Reed served as Biden’s chief of staff during his first term as vice president and has long been a close member of Biden’s inner circle of advisers.
But throughout the weeks of speculation over Biden’s Cabinet selections, progressives have expressed concerns about what they see as Reed’s moderate political views and fiscal conservatism.
Progressives notched a win in the latest round of staff announcements, however, with the appointment of Gautam Raghavan as deputy director of the office of presidential personnel. Raghavan served as chief of staff to Rep. Pramila Jayapal, who chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and in his new position he’ll help evaluate applicants for thousands of federal jobs and appointments throughout the administration.
Biden has also appointed Anne Filipic as director of management and administration, Ryan Montoya as director of scheduling and advance, Vinay Reddy as director of speechwriting and Elizabeth Wilkins as a senior adviser to the chief of staff. All are alumni of the Obama-Biden administration, and Montoya and Reddy worked on Biden’s campaign as well.
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Kinnard reported from Columbia, South Carolina.


washingtontimes--2020-12-22--U.S. Navy again sails in South China Sea, through disputed territory

Less than a week after the United States sent a Navy destroyer through the hotly contested Taiwan Strait between Taiwan and the People ’ s Republic of China , another U.S. military vessel passed through a disputed archipelago in the South China Sea to “ challenge restrictions on innocent passage ” imposed by China and other nations in the region .
The USS John McCain on Tuesday went through the Spratly Island chain because “ unlawful and sweeping maritime claims ” pose a serious threat to freedom of navigation and commerce for all nations , Pentagon officials said .
China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over sections of the Spratly Islands and require permission or advanced notice from other nations before they can pass through .
U.S. officials say such restrictions on innocent passage violates international law .
“ The United States upholds freedom of navigation as a principle .
As long as some countries continue to assert maritime claims that are inconsistent with international law as reflected in the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention and that purport to restrict unlawfully the rights and freedoms guaranteed to all states , the United States will continue to defend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Navy officials said in a statement .
The latest steps come after the Navy released its new China-focused maritime strategy , “ Advantage at Sea , ” which says the U.S. will be more assertive with Beijing in day-to-day operations .
On Saturday , the U.S.S .
Mustin conducted what the Navy called a “ routine Taiwan Strait passage ” to demonstrate its commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region .
“ U.S .
forces operate in the South China Sea on a daily basis , as they have for more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ The United States will fly , sail and operate whenever international law allows — regardless of the location of excessive maritime claims and regardless of current events .
”

Less than a week after the United States sent a Navy destroyer through the hotly contested Taiwan Strait between Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China, another U.S. military vessel passed through a disputed archipelago in the South China Sea to “challenge restrictions on innocent passage” imposed by China and other nations in the region.
The USS John McCain on Tuesday went through the Spratly Island chain because “unlawful and sweeping maritime claims” pose a serious threat to freedom of navigation and commerce for all nations, Pentagon officials said.
China, Taiwan and Vietnam each claim sovereignty over sections of the Spratly Islands and require permission or advanced notice from other nations before they can pass through.
U.S. officials say such restrictions on innocent passage violates international law.
“The United States upholds freedom of navigation as a principle. As long as some countries continue to assert maritime claims that are inconsistent with international law as reflected in the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention and that purport to restrict unlawfully the rights and freedoms guaranteed to all states, the United States will continue to defend those rights and freedoms,” U.S. Navy officials said in a statement.
The latest steps come after the Navy released its new China-focused maritime strategy, “Advantage at Sea,” which says the U.S. will be more assertive with Beijing in day-to-day operations. On Saturday, the U.S.S. Mustin conducted what the Navy called a “routine Taiwan Strait passage” to demonstrate its commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
“U.S. forces operate in the South China Sea on a daily basis, as they have for more than a century,” the Navy said. “The United States will fly, sail and operate whenever international law allows — regardless of the location of excessive maritime claims and regardless of current events.”
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-12-22--With virus drop, North Dakota bars can resume normal hours

BISMARCK , N.D. ( AP ) - Gov .
Doug Burgum signed an amended executive order that paved the way for bars and restaurants in North Dakota to return to regular hours of operation on Tuesday , as the active number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have declined in the state .
The food service establishments had been closed to in-person service between 10 a.m. and 4 a.m. since Nov. 16 .
The order Burgum signed Monday allows them to return to normal hours , consistent with any local requirements .
But to keep the virus in check , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and local rules , including limiting capacity to 50 % and allowing no more than 150 people inside until Jan. 8 .
Social distancing , mask wearing and other precautions also remain in place .
“ With the great efforts and personal responsibility of North Dakotans , the combination of the other mitigation measures we still have in place , and the promise and expanding deployment of vaccines , rapid tests and therapeutics , we can allow restaurants and bars to resume normal operating hours and still continue to protect the vulnerable , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the classroom , ” Burgum said in a statement .
A state order requiring masks to be worn in indoor businesses , indoor public settings and outdoor public settings where physical distancing isn ’ t possible remains in effect until Jan. 18 .
Banquet , ballroom and event venues also remain limited to 25 % percent of maximum occupancy until Jan. 8 .
Hospitalizations due to COVID-19 in North Dakota have decreased to 158 from a peak of 341 on Nov. 11 , while active cases have decreased to 2,655 since peaking at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Department of Health .
To avoid another surge , the governor urges residents to continue to take precautions and limit holiday gatherings .
“ The next 10 days over the holidays are a period of high risk for transmission , and it ’ s up to all North Dakotans to ensure we continue trending in the right direction , ” Burgum said .

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - The North Dakota Department of Health said Tuesday it is reinstating contact tracing for all people who test positive for the coronavirus.
The department had cut back on much of its contact tracing among the general public in October as the virus surged, focusing on health care facilities, schools and universities. Officials asked other people to self-notify their close contacts.
Contact tracers notify individuals who have been within 6 feet of someone who tested positive for COVID-19 for more than 15 minutes in a 24-hour period, so they can quarantine.
“Active cases and hospitalizations across North Dakota continue to decrease, and that’s promising,” Disease Control Director Kirby Kruger said in a statement. “To keep our numbers and hospital capacity manageable, we need individuals to continue to isolate when they test positive and quarantine when they are a close contact.”
The announcement comes after Gov. Doug Burgum signed an amended executive order that paved the way for bars and restaurants in North Dakota to return to regular hours of operation on Tuesday.
The food service establishments had been closed to in-person service between 10 a.m. and 4 a.m. since Nov. 16. The order Burgum signed Monday allows them to return to normal hours, consistent with any local requirements.
But to keep the virus in check, the bars and restaurants must follow other state and local rules, including limiting capacity to 50% and allowing no more than 150 people inside until Jan. 8. Social distancing, mask wearing and other precautions also remain in place.
“With the great efforts and personal responsibility of North Dakotans, the combination of the other mitigation measures we still have in place, and the promise and expanding deployment of vaccines, rapid tests and therapeutics, we can allow restaurants and bars to resume normal operating hours and still continue to protect the vulnerable, preserve hospital capacity and keep students in the classroom,” Burgum said in a statement.
A state order requiring masks to be worn in indoor businesses, indoor public settings and outdoor public settings where physical distancing isn’t possible remains in effect until Jan. 18. Banquet, ballroom and event venues also remain limited to 25% percent of maximum occupancy until Jan. 8.
Hospitalizations due to COVID-19 in North Dakota have decreased to 135 from a peak of 341 on Nov. 11, while active cases have decreased to 2,439 on Tuesday since peaking at 10,293 on Nov. 13, according to the Department of Health.
State health officials on Tuesday also reported five additional deaths, bringing the statewide death toll to 1,238.
The death count is the 41st highest in the country overall and the fourth highest per capita at 162 deaths per 100,000 people, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins.
There were 891 new cases per 100,000 people in North Dakota over the past two weeks, which ranks 22nd in the country for new cases per capita, the researchers said. One in every 371 people in North Dakota tested positive in the past week.
North Dakota had held the top spot for coronavirus spread for many weeks until recently.
To avoid another surge, the governor urges residents to continue to take precautions and limit holiday gatherings.
“The next 10 days over the holidays are a period of high risk for transmission, and it’s up to all North Dakotans to ensure we continue trending in the right direction,” Burgum said.


washingtontimes--2020-12-22--Man charged in fatal accident in Omaha

Man charged in fatal accident in Omaha

OMAHA , Neb .
( AP ) - A Nebraska man is facing a charge of manslaughter after allegedly admitting @ @ @ @ @ causing a deadly accident .
KETV-TV reports that 39-year-old George Plofkin III of Freemont was @ @ @ @ @ accident that killed 38-year-old Timothy R. Compton of Omaha .
A criminal complaint says Plofkin @ @ @ @ @ when it crossed the center line and struck Compton ’ s car .
Paramedics said @ @ @ @ @ smoked meth earlier that day and was “ telling jokes ” while they treated him @ @ @ @ @ immediately clear if Plofkin had an attorney .

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - A Nebraska man is facing a charge of manslaughter after allegedly admitting he had smoked methamphetamine before causing a deadly accident.
KETV-TV reports that 39-year-old George Plofkin III of Fremont was charged in the Dec. 8 accident that killed 38-year-old Timothy R. Compton of Omaha.
A criminal complaint says Plofkin was driving a pickup truck when it crossed the center line and struck Compton’s car. Paramedics said Plofkin told them he had smoked meth earlier that day and was “telling jokes” while they treated him.
It wasn’t immediately clear if Plofkin had an attorney.


washingtontimes--2020-12-22--Man convicted under new law against leaving guns near kids

CHESTERFIELD , Va. ( AP ) - A Virginia man has been convicted of leaving a loaded firearm near his young son , who accidentally shot himself in the hand .
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported Monday that the case is one of the first to be prosecuted under a new Virginia law that boosts the penalty for “ recklessly ” leaving guns near children .
Radell J. Bolden , 36 , of Chesterfield , was sentenced to a year in jail with all 12 months suspended .
Bolden also got 24 hours of community service .
He must forfeit his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Bolden told authorities he was cleaning his firearm and left it on his dresser when he went to the bathroom , prosecutors said .
Bolden said his son , 8 , was not in the bedroom at the time .
But a short time later , Bolden said he heard a gunshot and found his son suffering from a hand wound , prosecutors said .
Bolden is said to be one of the first people charged under a new state law that makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor to leave a loaded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a manner that endangers their life or safety .
The old state law for the crime was a Class 3 misdemeanor that carried a fine of up to $ 250 but no jail time .

CHESTERFIELD, Va. (AP) - A Virginia man has been convicted of leaving a loaded firearm near his young son, who accidentally shot himself in the hand.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported Monday that the case is one of the first to be prosecuted under a new Virginia law that boosts the penalty for “recklessly” leaving guns near children.
Radell J. Bolden, 36, of Chesterfield, was sentenced to a year in jail with all 12 months suspended. Bolden also got 24 hours of community service. He must forfeit his gun and complete a firearm safety class.
Bolden told authorities he was cleaning his firearm and left it on his dresser when he went to the bathroom, prosecutors said. Bolden said his son, 8, was not in the bedroom at the time. But a short time later, Bolden said he heard a gunshot and found his son suffering from a hand wound, prosecutors said.
Bolden is said to be one of the first people charged under a new state law that makes it a Class 1 misdemeanor to leave a loaded, unsecured firearm around children under 14 in a manner that endangers their life or safety.
The old state law for the crime was a Class 3 misdemeanor that carried a fine of up to $250 but no jail time.


washingtontimes--2020-12-22--Currier Museum closed until at least mid-January

New Hampshire ’ s largest art museum has closed until at least mid-January because of the coronavirus pandemic .
Officials @ @ @ @ @ Art in Manchester said they will reopen the museum when COVID-19 infection rates start to @ @ @ @ @ many museums around New England have taken similar steps .
“ Our region has recently @ @ @ @ @ cases and the Currier Museum is doing all it can to contain the spread of @ @ @ @ @ health resources , ” officials said .
In the meantime , the museum will expand @ @ @ @ @ the family-friendly “ Noon Year ’ s Eve ” event .
More than 37,000 people @ @ @ @ @ virus in New Hampshire , with 847 cases announced Monday that included results from several @ @ @ @ @ number of deaths stood at 656 .
The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases @ @ @ @ @ over the past two weeks from 613 new cases per day on Dec. 6 to @ @ @ @ @ on Dec. 20 .

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - New Hampshire’s first shipment of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine have arrived, and will be split between hospitals and sites serving other health care providers and first responders, officials said Tuesday.
The 13 sites, along with mobile units, will start offering vaccines Dec. 29, said Beth Daly, chief of the state Bureau of Infectious Disease Control. In addition to 24,200 doses of the Moderna vaccine, the state was allocated 8,875 doses of the Pfizer vaccine this week, with most of those going to nursing homes, she said.
While the numbers are in flux, the state expects to get about 9,000 doses of each vaccine each week. Officials hope provide the initial shots to the 100,000 people in the first priority group - health care workers, nursing home residents and staff and first responders - by the end of January, she said.
“It’s going to take us several months to get all who want to be vaccinated vaccinated, and this means we must remain vigilant in the steps we take as individuals to prevent COVID-19,” she said.
Daly said the Department of Health and Human Services is working with first responder agencies to register workers for the vaccine, and will communicate more broadly when it is ready to begin vaccinating ambulatory care providers. For future phases, there also will be detailed communication about eligibility and an online registration process, she said.
In other coronavirus developments:
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SCHOOLS TESTING
Students, teachers and school staff will be given priority when it comes to testing for the virus after the holidays, Gov. Chris Sununu said Tuesday.
“We want to make sure that students that may require a test to get back into school aren’t being held back three, four, five, six days or even a week while they’re awaiting those results,” he said. “We want to make sure those kids can get back to class as quickly as possible.”
Appointments will be available within 24 hours for symptomatic staff, students and teachers, he said.
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HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
In their last news conference before Christmas, public health officials and Sununu urged residents to stay disciplined in preventing the spread of the virus.
Dr. Ben Chan, the state epidemiologist, cautioned against gatherings that extend beyond one’s household, and said those who do gather for the holidays should wear masks and stay 6 feet (2 meters) apart. Sununu said he has only been visiting his parents for five or 10 minutes at a time, and “Christmas and Christmas Eve will be the same way.”
We’re not going to mandate, we’re not going to force people to celebrate their holiday in a certain way in their own homes. We don’t do that here,” he said. “But we are asking them to be disciplined and make good choices for themselves and their loved ones.”
The state has deemed a certain out-of-state visitor as an “essential worker,” however.
“We did it for the Easter Bunny, and we want to make sure Santa knows that there will be nothing holding back here,” he said. “He will be here on time, much like the vaccine has been.”
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MUSEUM CLOSED
New Hampshire’s largest art museum has closed until at least mid-January because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Officials at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester said they will reopen the museum when COVID-19 infection rates start to decrease, and noted that many museums around New England have taken similar steps.
“Our region has recently experienced an alarming spike in cases and the Currier Museum is doing all it can to contain the spread of COVID-19 and avoid burdening local health resources,” officials said.
In the meantime, the museum will expand its online programs, including the family-friendly “Noon Year’s Eve” event.
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THE NUMBERS
More than 37,000 people have tested positive for the virus in New Hampshire, with 624 cases announced Tuesday that included results from several days previous days. The number of deaths stood at 656.
The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in New Hampshire has risen over the past has risen over the past two weeks from 689 new cases per day on Dec. 7 to 788 new cases per day on Dec. 21.


washingtontimes--2020-12-22--Iowa Democrat asks House to review 6-vote race, cites errors

Democrat Rita Hart is asking the U.S. House to investigate and overturn the race that Iowa says she lost by six votes , arguing that 22 ballots were wrongly excluded and others weren ’ t examined during the recount .
In an election contest released Tuesday , Hart argues that she would have netted 15 votes and defeated Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks had the 22 ballots been tallied in Iowa ’ s 2nd Congressional District .
Hart is asking the Democratic-led House to count those votes and conduct a uniform recount throughout the district ’ s 24 counties , saying she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that process and declared the winner .
“ Although it is admittedly tempting to close the curtain on the 2020 election cycle , prematurely ending this contest would disenfranchise Iowa voters and award the congressional seat to the candidate who received fewer lawful votes , ” Hart lawyer Marc Elias writes in the 176-page notice , which includes affidavits from several voters who say their ballots were improperly rejected .
The campaign provided the notice to The Associated Press and was set to announce its filing Tuesday morning .
Iowa ’ s canvassing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a vote margin of 196,964 to 196,958 , the closest congressional race since 1984 .
Her victory would narrow the Democratic House majority , which is currently 222-211 with two races uncalled .
The certification followed a recount in which Hart nearly erased the 47-vote lead that Miller-Meeks held after the initial canvass .
The lead had earlier flipped back and forth between the candidates after the discovery and correction of two major tabulation errors .
Hart announced earlier this month that she would not challenge the outcome in Iowa ’ s courts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a contest to be decided within days and did not allow for adequate time to examine thousands of ballots .
Instead , she is filing her challenge under a 1969 law , the Federal Contested Elections Act , which will trigger an investigation by the House Administration Committee that could last months .
To prevail , Hart must show by a preponderance of evidence that she got the most votes .
Republicans have reacted with outrage to Hart ‘ s maneuver , saying she is bypassing a review by Iowa judges while attempting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the winner .
But Hart and her supporters have argued that every legal vote must be counted in a race so close .
According to a 2010 report by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service , the House reviewed 107 contested elections between 1933 and 2009 and seated the candidate the state had certified as the winner in the overwhelming majority of cases .
The report says the House declared the challenger the winner in at least three cases , most recently after a 1984 Indiana race in which majority Democrats overturned the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ McCloskey won by four votes .
During the process , candidates can take sworn depositions and subpoena witnesses .
The committee can impound ballots and voting records and does not have to follow state law about which votes are counted , which could be crucial in Hart ’ s challenge .
In her filing , Hart notes that 11 ballots weren ’ t counted because of mistakes by poll workers , including nine ballots discovered during the recount in Marion County and two curbside votes that weren ’ t put into a tabulation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agree those were valid votes .
But under Iowa law , they could not be considered during the recount since they were not included in the initial canvass .
Hart would have picked up seven votes , Miller-Meeks three .
In addition , Hart outlines 11 other ballots that she says were wrongly excluded for a variety of reasons from voters who tried to support her .
Those included absentee ballots that were rejected because secrecy envelopes were not sealed properly or were resealed using tape after they arrived in the mail sealed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was signed but not in the right spot .
Two of those voters say they were wrongly assured their votes would count .
Johnson County apologized to another voter whose provisional ballot was excluded after an election worker ’ s error .
Two others ballots were not counted after they were left at a drop box outside the district in Cedar Rapids , where the voters attend school .
Hart also argues that the recount failed to comply with Iowa law and the constitution because each county used a different method - machine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ballots that were marked by machines as overvotes - meaning the voter selected more than one candidate - weren ’ t reviewed by hand for intent during the recount , the filing says .
An expert hired by Hart ‘ s campaign estimated that , based on a 40 % inclusion rate in counties that examined votes by hand , intent can likely be determined for dozens of them .
In addition , more than 5,400 ballots marked by machines as undervotes in which the voter did not pick any candidate were not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were hundreds of write-in votes , Hart says .

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) -
Democrat Rita Hart asked the U.S. House on Tuesday to investigate and overturn the race that Iowa says she lost by six votes, arguing that 22 ballots were wrongly excluded and others weren’t examined during the recount.
In a notice of contest, Hart argued that she would have netted 15 votes and defeated Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks had the 22 ballots been tallied in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District.
Hart’s filing asks the Democratic-led House to nullify the state-certified results, count the excluded ballots and conduct a uniform hand recount in the district’s 24 counties. She expressed confidence she will be the winner after that process.
“Although it is admittedly tempting to close the curtain on the 2020 election cycle, prematurely ending this contest would disenfranchise Iowa voters and award the congressional seat to the candidate who received fewer lawful votes,” Hart lawyer Marc Elias wrote in the 176-page filing.
Elias, a veteran of election contests nationwide, called it “an exceptionally unlikely scenario” for a candidate to be able to identify enough specific wrongly-rejected ballots that could change an election’s outcome.
But Miller-Meeks and other Republicans accused Hart of seeking to be installed through a partisan power grab after losing a close election involving nearly 400,000 voters.
“Hart now wants a process run by one Californian, Nancy Pelosi, and decided in Washington’s hyper-partisan, dysfunctional atmosphere and not according to Iowa law,” said Miller-Meeks, who has 30 days to respond to Hart’s filing.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Hart “an excellent candidate” earlier this month, and said the chamber will decide who it will seat after the contest process. House Administration Committee chairperson Zoe Lofgren said the panel had started reviewing Hart’s filing.
Hart’s challenge is potentially awkward for both parties. Many Republicans supported or were silent as President Donald Trump waged a baseless drive to overturn results in several states he lost in an unsuccessful bid to reverse his reelection defeat. They stressed that every legal vote should count, the same argument Hart is making. Democrats, meanwhile, cited state certification of vote results among many reasons why Trump should concede.
Iowa’s canvassing board certified Miller-Meeks as the winner by a vote margin of 196,964 to 196,958, the closest congressional race since 1984. Her victory would narrow the Democratic House majority, which is 222-211 with two races uncalled.
The certification followed a recount in which Hart nearly erased the 47-vote lead that Miller-Meeks held after the initial canvass. The lead had earlier flipped back and forth between the candidates after the discovery and correction of major tabulation errors.
Hart announced this month that she would not challenge the outcome in Iowa’s courts, saying state law would have required a contest to be decided within days and didn’t allow for adequate time to examine thousands of ballots.
Instead, she filed her challenge under a 1969 law, the Federal Contested Elections Act, which will trigger an investigation by the House Administration Committee that could last months. To prevail, Hart must show by a preponderance of evidence she got the most votes.
Republicans have reacted with outrage to Hart’s maneuver, saying she is bypassing a review by Iowa judges while attempting to have Democrats declare her the winner.
Hart has argued that every vote must be counted in a race so close, and she called for a fair review in the House.
“Iowans deserve to know that the candidate who earned the most votes is seated,” Hart said.
It’s not clear whether the House will allow Miller-Meeks to take office Jan. 3. If she is sworn in, the House could still later declare Hart the winner.
According to a 2010 report by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, the House reviewed 107 contested elections between 1933 and 2009 and seated the candidate the state had certified as the winner in the overwhelming majority of cases.
The report says the House declared the challenger the winner in at least three cases, most recently after a 1984 Indiana race in which majority Democrats overturned the state outcome and ruled that incumbent Democrat Frank McCloskey won by four votes.
During the process, candidates can take sworn depositions and subpoena witnesses. The committee can impound ballots and voting records and does not have to follow state law about which votes are counted, which could be crucial in Hart’s challenge.
Hart’s filing notes that 11 ballots weren’t counted because of mistakes by poll workers, including nine ballots discovered during the recount in Marion County and two curbside votes that weren’t put into a tabulation machine in Scott County.
Elections officials agree those were valid votes. But under Iowa law, they could not be considered during the recount since they were not included in the initial canvass. Hart would have picked up seven votes, Miller-Meeks three.
In addition, Hart outlines 11 other ballots that she says were wrongly excluded from voters who supported her.
Those included absentee ballots that were rejected because return envelopes were not sealed properly or were resealed using tape after they arrived in the mail sealed. One envelope was ripped; another was signed but not on the signature line.
Johnson County apologized to another voter whose provisional ballot was excluded after an election worker’s error. Two others ballots were not counted after they were left at a drop box outside the district in Cedar Rapids, where the voters attend school.
All signed affidavits saying they voted for Hart, and Elias said their ballots should be available for investigators to confirm.
Hart also argues that the recount was unconstitutional because each county used a different method - machine, hand or a combination.
Ninety-seven ballots marked by machines as overvotes - meaning the voter selected more than one candidate - weren’t visually inspected for intent during the recount, the filing says. An expert hired by Hart’s campaign estimated that, based on patterns in other counties, intent can likely be determined for dozens of them.
In addition, thousands of ballots marked as undervotes in which voters didn’t pick any candidate weren’t reviewed during the recount.
__
AP reporter Alan Fram contributed to this report.


washingtontimes--2020-12-22--Governor signs $12.7B Rhode Island budget into law

PROVIDENCE , R.I. ( AP ) - Rhode Island ’ s $ 12.7 billion budget for the fiscal year that started in July has been signed into law by Gov .
Gina Raimondo .
The budget approved Monday by the Democratic governor comes about a week after the state House and Senate approved the spending plan to address both one-time pandemic expenses and the routine operations of state government , The Providence Journal reported .
Much of the budget relies on one-time federal coronavirus relief money .
“ In the face of historic challenges and economic uncertainty , it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in education , job training , and economic development that will help us recover from this recession , ” Raimondo said in a statement .
She added that the budget “ will lay the foundation we need to create a more resilient , inclusive and equitable Rhode Island.
” The budget includes $ 400 million in proposed new borrowing , via sale of bonds , that will go to voters in March and is meant to address needed investments in housing , pre-K classrooms , beaches and parks , higher education , roads @ @ @ @ @ @ @

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - Rhode Island’s $12.7 billion budget for the fiscal year that started in July has been signed into law by Gov. Gina Raimondo.
The budget approved Monday by the Democratic governor comes about a week after the state House and Senate approved the spending plan to address both one-time pandemic expenses and the routine operations of state government, The Providence Journal reported.
Much of the budget relies on one-time federal coronavirus relief money.
“In the face of historic challenges and economic uncertainty, it is critical that we continue to make investments in education, job training, and economic development that will help us recover from this recession,” Raimondo said in a statement.
She added that the budget “will lay the foundation we need to create a more resilient, inclusive and equitable Rhode Island.”
The budget includes $400 million in proposed new borrowing, via sale of bonds, that will go to voters in March and is meant to address needed investments in housing, pre-K classrooms, beaches and parks, higher education, roads, bridges, and other infrastructure.


washingtontimes--2020-12-22--Vermont VA hospital gets Moderna vaccine

WHITE RIVER JUNCTION , Vt. ( AP ) - The veterans hospital in White River Junction has started vaccinations with @ @ @ @ @ Brett Rusch , executive director of the White River Junction VA Healthcare System , said @ @ @ @ @ on Monday that “ hope arrived in a box containing frigid vials of a highly @ @ @ @ @ is one of 113 VA medical centers around the country to get the first limited @ @ @ @ @ after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized it for emergency use , officials said @ @ @ @ @ need to continue our vigilance in battling this virus – social distancing , hand washing @ @ @ @ @ .
But rest assured , hope really is on the horizon , ” Rusch said @ @ @ @ @ goal is offer vaccines to all veterans and employees who want it as supplies in @ @ @ @ @

Gov. Phil Scott announced a slight relaxation of the restrictions on social gatherings to allow two trusted households to gather over the holidays as Vermont’s coronavirus case numbers have stabilized, although they are still higher than the administration would like to see.
“It’s been a little over a month since we took significant steps to slow the rising spread of the virus. And it’s clearly working,” Scott said at his bi-weekly virus briefing on Friday.
The state has seen several days of fewer than 100 cases, which is still high but shows vast improvement, he said.
Gathering with only one trusted household will be allowed from Dec. 23 to Jan. 2, with other stringent measures still in place, Scott said. Gathering with more than one trusted household on different days is not permitted, he said. And if one of the two households is from out of state, everyone must quarantine for seven days and get a negative test or quarantine for 14 days afterward, he said.
There is a risk of virus transmission when people gather, especially indoors without masks, he said. Following the state’s guidance, being smart and using common sense is the best way to limit the risk, he said.
“While we’re providing a narrow path to very small holiday gatherings, you really need to think about whether it fits your family or your situation, especially if you’re over 65, have preexisting conditions or work with vulnerable populations such as in health care,” Scott said.
Scott also announced that residents may participate in outdoor recreation with others outside of their households provided that they can physically distance and wear a mask.
“But you’ve got to follow the ‘arrive, play, leave’ approach, meaning mingling afterwards is not allowed,” he said. “You don’t have to look any further than the hockey outbreak in central Vermont to see how dangerous one tailgate party can be.”
Starting on Dec. 26, school-based and youth recreational sports teams may begin practices with skills, strength and conditioning drills with no contact and physically distancing and mask-wearing at all times, Scott said. Adult recreational leagues and spectators are still prohibited.
In other pandemic related developments:
____
VETERANS HOSPITAL VACCINATIONS
The veterans hospital in White River Junction has started vaccinations with the Moderna vaccine.
Dr. Brett Rusch, executive director of the White River Junction VA Healthcare System, said in an email to staff on Monday that “hope arrived in a box containing frigid vials of a highly effective vaccine.”
The hospital is one of 113 VA medical centers around the country to get the first limited supply of the Moderna vaccine after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized it for emergency use, officials said.
“Yes, we need to continue our vigilance in battling this virus – social distancing, hand washing, masks, avoiding gatherings. But rest assured, hope really is on the horizon,” Rusch said in the email. The goal is offer vaccines to all veterans and employees who want it as supplies in increase, he said.
____
THE NUMBERS
Vermont reported more than 60 new cases of the coronavirus on Tuesday, bringing the statewide total to date to more than 6,600.
A total of 36 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 with nine in intensive care. The state reported one new death for a total of 112.
The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Vermont did not increase over the past two weeks, going from 112 new cases per day on Dec. 7 to 96.71 new cases per day on Dec. 21.
The latest average positivity rate in Vermont is 1.97%. State health departments are calculating positivity rate differently across the country, but for Vermont, the AP calculates the rate by dividing new cases by test specimens using data from The COVID Tracking Project.
The seven-day rolling average of the positivity rate in Vermont did not increase over the past two weeks, going from 2.35% on Dec. 7 to 1.97% on Dec. 21.


washingtontimes--2020-12-22--Police chief apologizes to Black man detained in Virginia

VIRGINIA BEACH , Va. ( AP ) - A viral video showing an officer handcuffing a Black man at Virginia mall as he and his family were eating has prompted a review of the incident by the city ’ s police department and a public apology from the police chief .
The video shared Sunday on Instagram by activist and writer Shaun King shows an officer detaining the man as he was eating with his family at Virginia Beach ’ s Lynnhaven Mall .
It has since garnered more than 2 million views .
The city ’ s police department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” at the mall , and that man had “ matched the description of the reported suspect.
” Another man was subsequently arrested and charged with credit card fraud and receiving stolen goods , Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate said Monday during a news conference .
A woman who was with the detained man could be heard telling police they got the wrong person .
“ What did he do ?
” she asked during the encounter , and tells police the two were at the mall with their children .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the handcuffed man asked the officer as he was escorted out of the building before being released a short time later .
“ I know everyone is looking for immediate answers , ” The Virginian-Pilot quotes Neudigate as saying .
“ But it is imperative we get as much information as possible.
” The review will see if the arresting officer followed department policy and whether detaining the man was appropriate under the circumstances , the police chief said .
He said officers are in the early stages of the investigation and it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to “ say right or wrong.
” “ We just want to let the community know that their voices are being heard , ” Neudigate said .
The officer who handcuffed the Black man apologized to the pair after releasing him .
“ I understand it ’ s embarrassing , I sincerely apologize , ” he said .
“ You have the right to be upset , sir , ” he added as the man shouted in anger .
When the woman asked for an explanation during the incident , the officer told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Black male with dreads that was wearing all black and was with a boy that was wearing red.
” “ Certainly , anyone would be upset about being detained for something they didn ’ t do , ” Neudigate said in a Sunday statement announcing the review .
“ While the video shows the officer stayed calm and respectful throughout the brief encounter , we must ensure the situation merits the response .
We are gathering all the facts to evaluate the incident so we can address the concerns people have raised.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heard saying this kind of treatment is why people say “ Black Lives Matter .
”

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) - A viral video showing an officer handcuffing a Black man at Virginia mall as he and his family were eating has prompted a review of the incident by the city’s police department and a public apology from the police chief.
The video shared Sunday on Instagram by activist and writer Shaun King shows an officer detaining the man as he was eating with his family at Virginia Beach’s Lynnhaven Mall. It has since garnered more than 2 million views.
The city’s police department said officers were investigating an “offense” at the mall, and that man had “matched the description of the reported suspect.” Another man was subsequently arrested and charged with credit card fraud and receiving stolen goods, Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate said Monday during a news conference.
A woman who was with the detained man could be heard telling police they got the wrong person. “What did he do?” she asked during the encounter, and tells police the two were at the mall with their children.
“Are you serious right now?” the handcuffed man asked the officer as he was escorted out of the building before being released a short time later.
“I know everyone is looking for immediate answers,” The Virginian-Pilot quotes Neudigate as saying. “But it is imperative we get as much information as possible.”
The review will see if the arresting officer followed department policy and whether detaining the man was appropriate under the circumstances, the police chief said. He said officers are in the early stages of the investigation and it was “too early” for them to “say right or wrong.”
“We just want to let the community know that their voices are being heard,” Neudigate said.
The officer who handcuffed the Black man apologized to the pair after releasing him. “I understand it’s embarrassing, I sincerely apologize,” he said. “You have the right to be upset, sir,” he added as the man shouted in anger.
When the woman asked for an explanation during the incident, the officer told her police were looking for a “Black male with dreads that was wearing all black and was with a boy that was wearing red.”
“Certainly, anyone would be upset about being detained for something they didn’t do,” Neudigate said in a Sunday statement announcing the review. “While the video shows the officer stayed calm and respectful throughout the brief encounter, we must ensure the situation merits the response. We are gathering all the facts to evaluate the incident so we can address the concerns people have raised.”
The man who was detained could be heard saying this kind of treatment is why people say “Black Lives Matter.”


washingtontimes--2020-12-22--Walz to provide update on vaccine distribution in Minnesota

ST. PAUL , Minn. ( AP ) - Gov .
Tim Walz and Department of Health officials are planning to provide an update Tuesday on how COVID-19 vaccinations are being distributed in Minnesota .
Minnesota began giving the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to healthcare workers last week after it received emergency approval earlier this month .
The state ’ s initial shipment last week contained 46,800 doses , and state health officials said earlier that they expect to receive more than 33,000 this week .
Also Monday , CVS Health announced that it will begin vaccinating more than 63,000 long-term care residents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Health officials reported 1,998 new infections and 22 deaths on Monday , the lowest number of single-day cases reported since late October .
According to The COVID Tracking Project , the seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Minnesota continued to decrease over the past two weeks , Hospitalizations across the state have trended downward as well .
But even with the declining numbers , state health officials are urging people to continue taking precautions and restrict group gatherings .
They say large gatherings over the holidays could cause another surge in @ @

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - More than 4,000 frontline health care workers in Minnesota have already received their first coronavirus vaccinations, and the state expects to have received nearly 250,000 doses from the two approved manufacturers by the end of the month, officials said Tuesday.
Minnesota last week started administering its first 46,800 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, which are reserved for the most essential health care workers, and more is on the way. Kris Ehresmann, the infectious disease director at the Minnesota Department of Health, said the state expects to receive its first 94,800 doses of the Moderna vaccine this week, with most of it arriving Wednesday.
Most of the Moderna shipments will go to residents and staff at long-term care facilities, starting with skilled nursing facilities followed by assisted living and other congregate care settings, Ehresmann said at a briefing for reporters.
Most people in the top priority group, known as Phase 1A, will get both their doses by the end of January, she said. But she indicated that Minnesotans eligible under federal guidelines for Phase 1B - which is expected to include people over age 75 and essential workers - could start getting their shots in January depending on availability.
“We will eventually get to the point where vaccine is widely available, and we’re all anxious to get there. And we will. It’s just going to take time,” she said.
Gov. Tim Walz, who spoke with Pfizer distribution officials Monday evening, said at the briefing that he came away from the call confident that problems last week with delivering the second round of shipments to Minnesota and other states were just a “hiccup” that has been solved and that “their supply chain is strong.”
Officials delivered the vaccine news on a day when Minnesota’s coronavirus case count topped the 400,000 mark with the state closing in on 5,000 COVID-19 deaths. The health department reported 1,714 new infections and 24 deaths to raise the state’s totals to 401,011 cases and 4,896 deaths.
According to The COVID Tracking Project, the seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Minnesota and the state’s positivity rate have continued to decrease over the past two weeks. Hospitalizations across the state have also trended downward.
Even though Minnesota is in a “better spot” than it was a few weeks ago, Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm said transmission rates are still very high. The best way to help the vaccines work is to continue to wear masks, practice social distancing and limit gatherings, she said.
“Whether trends that we’ve seen in the last month continue, or whether they reverse, depends for now on us keeping up the care that so many Minnesotans have been taking to minimize potential exposures,” she said. “Vaccination is starting, and it’s truly a critical next phase in the full journey. But as we start to vaccinate, it’s just as important as ever that we all continue to follow the basic public health recommendations that are the key to controlling the spread of the disease.”


washingtontimes--2020-12-22--Missouri couple accused in torture death of 4-year-old girl

COLE CAMP , Mo .
( AP ) - A west-central Missouri couple face multiple charges accusing them of torturing and killing a 4-year-old girl and torturing the child ’ s mother and 2-year-old brother .
Deputies were called just before 1 a.m. Sunday to a rural home near the town of Cole Camp , the Benton County Sheriff ’ s Department said in a news release .
A 4-year-old girl had been beaten , submerged in a pond and left to freeze on the bank before being taken back to her home , where she died , authorities said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mary Mast , 28 , and her 2-year-old son also were badly beaten .
They are hospitalized in Sedalia .
The names of the two children were not released .
Deputies on Monday arrested the family ’ s neighbors , Ethan Mast , 35 , and Kourtney Aumen , 21 .
Both are charged with second-degree murder , sexual abuse and three counts of assault .
They do not yet have attorneys .
It wasn ’ t immediately known whether Ethan Mast was related to the family , despite sharing the same last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

COLE CAMP, Mo. (AP) - A 4-year-old girl died after being dunked in an icy pond and beaten by two neighbors who claimed it was necessary to remove a “demon,” a Missouri sheriff said Tuesday.
Ethan Mast, 35, and Kourtney Aumen, 21, are charged with second-degree murder and other offenses. Both are jailed without bond and don’t yet have attorneys, according to court records.
“Based on what I know, I think this could be some kind of honest-to-goodness religious-type episode,” Benton County Sheriff Eric Knox said in a phone interview. The suspects and the victimized family belonged to the same church, but Knox declined to name the church or its denomination.
Deputies were called around 1 a.m. Sunday to a rural home near the town of Cole Camp and found the 4-year-old wrapped in a blanket on a bedroom floor. A probable cause statement from Sgt. Chris Wilson said the girl was already dead and had “severe purple bruising” over her body, along with ruptured blisters.
Knox said the girl’s parents also had been beaten along with a 2-year-old child. An infant son of the couple was apparently unharmed. The mother, 28-year-old Mary Mast, and the toddler are hospitalized. Their conditions weren’t immediately available. The father of the children, James Mast, did not require hospitalization.
Despite having the same last names, Mary and James Mast are not related to Ethan Mast, Knox said.
Ethan Mast and Aumen live across the road from the family. James Mast told investigators that the beatings had occurred over several days and that he and his wife observed them but were told they would be beaten or shot if they tried to intervene.
Still, Wilson asked James Mast “how he could let people do this to his family and he stated they were told (his wife) had a ‘Demon’ inside her and her children would end up just like her if it was not taken care of,” Wilson wrote in the probable cause statement.
Ethan Mast told investigators that on Saturday, he and Aumen used a leather belt to beat the girl, the statement said. She was then taken to a pond behind the home where she was “dunked” in the water on a day when high temperatures were in the 40s.
Ethan Mast said everyone then returned to the victims’ home. It wasn’t clear when the child died. An autopsy will determine the cause of death. Knox said evidence indicated she was beaten to death.
Benton County, with about 19,000 residents, is about 100 miles (161 kilometers) southeast of Kansas City, Missouri.
“To have something of this magnitude happen in our sleepy little community is insane,” Knox said.


washingtontimes--2020-12-22--Huntsville schools still recovering from cyberattack

HUNTSVILLE , Ala. ( AP ) - One of Alabama ’ s largest school systems said it is still recovering @ @ @ @ @ might have exposed some information about workers and students .
City school officials in Huntsville @ @ @ @ @ it hasn ’ t paid a ransom following the computer attack that occurred around Nov. @ @ @ @ @ still working with contractors to recover files , issue new devices to employees and students @ @ @ @ @ information including Social Security numbers for some workers and students going back more than a @ @ @ @ @ , the system said .
But experts have yet to find evidence that any files @ @ @ @ @ said .
With almost 23,000 students , more than 2,000 employees and about 40 schools @ @ @ @ @ closed for days after the attack was discovered .

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) - One of Alabama’s largest school systems said it is still recovering from a November cyberattack that might have exposed some information about workers and students.
City school officials in Huntsville told news outlets Monday that it hasn’t paid a ransom following the computer attack that occurred around Nov. 29, and it is still working with contractors to recover files, issue new devices to employees and students and enhance security.
Personal information including Social Security numbers for some workers and students going back more than a decade could have been exposed, the system said. But experts have yet to find evidence that any files were stolen, the system said.
With almost 23,000 students, more than 2,000 employees and about 40 schools, Huntsville’s schools closed for days after the attack was discovered.


washingtontimes--2020-12-22--Pair of passengers exit NYC flight via slide before takeoff

A Delta flight out of New York City was halted after a man and a woman carrying a service dog @ @ @ @ @ emergency slide , an airline spokesman said Tuesday .
The incident occurred on Monday as @ @ @ @ @ the flight from La Guardia airport to Atlanta , said the spokesman , Morgan Durrant @ @ @ @ @ man appeared agitated before standing up and refusing a flight atttendant ’ s orders to @ @ @ @ @ the cabin door and used a slide leading down to the runway , quickly followed @ @ @ @ @ dog .
The aircraft was forced to return to the gate where the remaining customers @ @ @ @ @ on alternate flights .
It wasn ’ t clear if the two passegers would face @ @ @

NEW YORK (AP) - A Delta flight out of New York City was halted after a Florida couple traveling with a Great Dane puppy fled the aircraft with the pet using an emergency slide, an airline spokesperson and authorities said Tuesday.
The incident involving Antonio Murdock and Brianna Greco occurred on Monday as the jet was on a runway leaving for a flight from LaGuardia Airport to Atlanta, said the spokesperson, Morgan Durrant.
Witnesses reported seeing a panicky Murdock force open a cabin door and jump out using the emergency chute leading to the runway. He was quickly followed by Greco with the puppy in tow.
Murdock, 31, and Greco, 27, of Lake Worth, Florida, were taken into custody on charges including criminal mischief and trespassing, among others.
Murdock was released without bail at an arraignment on Tuesday, while Greco was released on a desk appearance ticket. The dog, who The New York Post reported was named Rain, was turned over to an animal shelter.
Outside court, Murdock said he was having a panic attack, the New York Post reported.
“I asked them three or four times to let me off,” he said. “They said they were stopping the plane and they never stopped the plane, and I got to the point where I was just feeling dizzy. I didn’t even know there was a slot to go down the slide. I just thought it was a regular door.”
A message was left with an attorney for Murdock.
Passenger Brian Plummer told The New York Times that before the couple exited the plane, the pair had changed seats several times on a flight that wasn’t full.
Murdock finally stood up and ignored a flight attendant’s order to take a seat for takeoff, telling the attendant that he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, Plummer added.
“If I sit down, I’ll freak out,” the man said, according to Plummer.
According to court papers, the flight attendant told police she heard a similar comment by Murdock before he pushed past her toward an emergency exit. She then saw the man deploy the emergency exit and “pick up his dog and exit the plane by using the slide,” the papers say.
Security video captured the couple using the chute, the papers add.
The aircraft was forced to return to the gate where the remaining customers got off and were later put on alternate flights.
The incident recalled the 2010 case of Steven Slater, a JetBlue flight attendant who activated a chute during a tantrum on a plane landing at Kennedy Airport. He went on the public address system, swore at a passenger who he claimed treated him rudely, grabbed a beer and slid down onto the tarmac.
Slater was sentence to a year of probation after completing a court-ordered treatment program.


washingtontimes--2020-12-22--Q3 GDP estimate gets a slight upgrade to 33.4% growth

WASHINGTON ( AP ) - The U.S. economy expanded at a record 33.4 % annual pace from July through September , the Commerce Department said Tuesday , delivering the last of three estimates on the economy ’ s third-quarter performance .
But it ’ s likely that a resurgence in coronavirus cases slowed growth sharply during the last three months of 2020 .
The July-September growth spurt - upgraded slightly from Commerce ’ s previous estimate of 33.1 % , announced last month — marked a sharp recovery from the second quarter ’ s 31.4 % drop , the worst @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The American economy went into freefall when the pandemic hit hard in mid-March .
Consumer spending surged at an annual rate of 41 % and private investment sht up by 86.3 % to lead the third-quarter rebound .
Employers slashed 22 million jobs in March and April , then began to steadily recall furloughed workers .
But the United States is still 9.8 million short of the jobs it had February , and hiring has slowed every month since June .
But an uptick in new COVID-19 cases — now averaging about 220,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 35,000 in early September — is causing governments to issue lock down orders and keeping Americans at home to avoid infection .
Growth in gross domestic product — the broadest measure of economic output — is expected to slow to just 2.8 % in the fourth quarter , according to the Conference Board , a business research group .
The outlook would have been bleaker if Congress hadn ’ t passed a $ 900 billion economic relief package that includes $ 600 direct stimulus payment to most Americans , an extra $ 300 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ subsidies for hard-hit businesses and renters facing eviction .

WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. economy expanded at a record 33.4% annual pace from July through September, the Commerce Department said Tuesday, delivering the last of three estimates on the economy’s third-quarter performance. But it’s likely that a resurgence in coronavirus cases slowed growth sharply during the last three months of 2020.
The July-September growth spurt - upgraded slightly from Commerce’s previous estimate of 33.1%, announced last month — marked a sharp recovery from the second quarter’s 31.4% drop, the worst in records dating back to 1947. The American economy went into freefall when the pandemic hit hard in mid-March.
Consumer spending surged at an annual rate of 41% and private investment sht up by 86.3% to lead the third-quarter rebound.
Employers slashed 22 million jobs in March and April, then began to steadily recall furloughed workers. But the United States is still 9.8 million short of the jobs it had February, and hiring has slowed every month since June.
But an uptick in new COVID-19 cases — now averaging about 220,000 a day, up from fewer than 35,000 in early September — is causing governments to issue lock down orders and keeping Americans at home to avoid infection.
Growth in gross domestic product — the broadest measure of economic output — is expected to slow to just 2.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the Conference Board, a business research group.
The outlook would have been bleaker if Congress hadn’t passed a $900 billion economic relief package that includes $600 direct stimulus payment to most Americans, an extra $300 a week in unemployment benefits and new subsidies for hard-hit businesses and renters facing eviction.


washingtontimes--2020-12-23--Season's greetings: Cards solicited for COVID-19 patients

SOMERS POINT , N.J. ( AP ) - Joseph Johnson was going about his life , getting ready for the holidays at the Jersey Shore , when he started to feel ill and wound up in a hospital .
It turned out he had diabetes , and it was threatening his life .
The shock of a sudden illness and hospitalization was compounded by the coronavirus pandemic .
To slow its spread , most hospitals are forbidding visitors , meaning patients like Johnson find themselves alone during what is supposed to be a joyous season .
“ Because of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ come visit ; all she can do is call and text , ” he said .
“ It ’ s pretty depressing.
” Then one day a small bit of cheer came his way .
Tucked next to the covered dish on his meal tray at Shore Medical Center in Somers Point were two Christmas cards , handmade by local children , wishing him a speedy recovery and a happy holiday season .
It was part of a wave of greeting cards being collected independently by hospitals this December for patients cut off @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does not appear to have any central coordination ; many hospitals just decided on their own that it would be a kind thing to do .
Realizing this year ’ s unique dynamic , hospitals asked adults , organizations and schoolchildren to either make or buy holiday cards and send them to the institutions for distribution to patients .
The goal is for everyone in the hospital to get a card and at least a tiny bit of holiday cheer .
“ It was definitely a surprise , ” Johnson said of his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plastic jewels glued to it .
“ It was really cute , and quite enjoyable , and it made me feel a little better.
” He has since been released from the hospital .
It put out a request for cards in late November and had received nearly 1,000 by early December .
They range from elaborate store-bought cards to hand-drawn construction-paper creations from grade-school children , several wishing the recipient “ Happy Hoildays !
” or a “ Meery Christmas !
” A more somber note came tucked inside a box of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the point .
“ If you could give these to people on the top floor where my husband died , I would appreciate it , ” a woman named Lori wrote .
The holidays arrive as the nation undergoes a grim December , with the virus surging to record levels in many parts of the country .
Hospital beds are filling up and some facilities are opening overflow centers in parking lot tents or buildings used for other purposes .
One of them is a 353-bed field hospital in Cranston , Rhode Island @ @ @ @ @ @ @ call center .
Its operator , Care New England , asked the community to send cards to patients , as well as health care workers caring for them ; more than 5,000 have been received so far .
“ I was expecting an outpouring of support from the community , but 5,000 really is a huge response , and we are so grateful , ” said Raina Smith , a company spokesperson .
In Arizona , a 12-year-old boy and his 15-year-old brother started Project Smile , a drive to collect and send @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2,400 on their own and are encouraging others to send in more .
In Cincinnati , a doctor at The Christ Hospital , his three children , 10 neighborhood children and a kindergarten class wrote 120 Thanksgiving cards to COVID-19 patients there .
Young patients at Arkansas Children ’ s Hospital created Christmas cards to sell and raise money for the hospital .
A nurse at Lexington , Virginia ’ s Carilion Stonewall Jackson Hospital started a holiday card drive for patients , and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway in New Jersey @ @ @ @ @ @ @ local Girl Scout troops .
And Southeast Health in Dohan , Alabama , is collecting cards to lift the spirits of health care workers dealing with the pandemic .
“ One Good Thing ” is a series that highlights individuals whose actions provide glimmers of joy in hard times - stories of people who find a way to make a difference , no matter how small .
Read the collection of stories at https : //apnews.com/hub/one-good-thing

SOMERS POINT, N.J. (AP) - Joseph Johnson was going about his life, getting ready for the holidays at the Jersey Shore, when he started to feel ill and wound up in a hospital. It turned out he had diabetes, and it was threatening his life.
The shock of a sudden illness and hospitalization was compounded by the coronavirus pandemic. To slow its spread, most hospitals are forbidding visitors, meaning patients like Johnson find themselves alone during what is supposed to be a joyous season.
“Because of the plague, my wife can’t come visit; all she can do is call and text,” he said. “It’s pretty depressing.”
Then one day a small bit of cheer came his way. Tucked next to the covered dish on his meal tray at Shore Medical Center in Somers Point were two Christmas cards, handmade by local children, wishing him a speedy recovery and a happy holiday season.
It was part of a wave of greeting cards being collected independently by hospitals this December for patients cut off from the support of visitors. It does not appear to have any central coordination; many hospitals just decided on their own that it would be a kind thing to do.
Realizing this year’s unique dynamic, hospitals asked adults, organizations and schoolchildren to either make or buy holiday cards and send them to the institutions for distribution to patients. The goal is for everyone in the hospital to get a card and at least a tiny bit of holiday cheer.
“It was definitely a surprise,” Johnson said of his two cards, one of which had plastic jewels glued to it. “It was really cute, and quite enjoyable, and it made me feel a little better.”
He has since been released from the hospital.
It put out a request for cards in late November and had received nearly 1,000 by early December. They range from elaborate store-bought cards to hand-drawn construction-paper creations from grade-school children, several wishing the recipient “Happy Hoildays!” or a “Meery Christmas!”
A more somber note came tucked inside a box of Christmas cards that was short and to the point.
“If you could give these to people on the top floor where my husband died, I would appreciate it,” a woman named Lori wrote.
The holidays arrive as the nation undergoes a grim December, with the virus surging to record levels in many parts of the country. Hospital beds are filling up and some facilities are opening overflow centers in parking lot tents or buildings used for other purposes.
One of them is a 353-bed field hospital in Cranston, Rhode Island, that opened in a former bank call center. Its operator, Care New England, asked the community to send cards to patients, as well as health care workers caring for them; more than 5,000 have been received so far.
“I was expecting an outpouring of support from the community, but 5,000 really is a huge response, and we are so grateful,” said Raina Smith, a company spokesperson.
In Arizona, a 12-year-old boy and his 15-year-old brother started Project Smile, a drive to collect and send cards to hospitalized patients. They made 2,400 on their own and are encouraging others to send in more.
In Cincinnati, a doctor at The Christ Hospital, his three children, 10 neighborhood children and a kindergarten class wrote 120 Thanksgiving cards to COVID-19 patients there.
Young patients at Arkansas Children’s Hospital created Christmas cards to sell and raise money for the hospital. A nurse at Lexington, Virginia’s Carilion Stonewall Jackson Hospital started a holiday card drive for patients, and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway in New Jersey has gotten 300 cards from schools and local Girl Scout troops.
And Southeast Health in Dohan, Alabama, is collecting cards to lift the spirits of health care workers dealing with the pandemic.
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Follow Wayne Parry at http://twitter.com/WayneParryAC
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“One Good Thing” is a series that highlights individuals whose actions provide glimmers of joy in hard times - stories of people who find a way to make a difference, no matter how small. Read the collection of stories at https://apnews.com/hub/one-good-thing


washingtontimes--2020-12-23--State agency to aid in down payments for Native Hawaiians

HONOLULU ( AP ) - The state agency that helps administer land for Native Hawaiians has approved a new program that will provide a small number of Native residents with down-payment assistance .
The new program approved on Monday by the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands would provide funds for some on a waitlist who are looking to buy homes that are not within established homesteading communities on the island of Oahu .
The state agency will provide up to $ 1.5 million for the down payment program .
The approval is the first time the state agency has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 821-square-kilometer ) area Congress authorized for Native Hawaiians in 1921 , the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported .
The state agency has been tasked with managing the land trust since .
The waitlist for houses under the trust on Oahu is as high as 11,000 people .
The program is intended to address the growing waitlist on an island with a great demand for housing but where the state agency has the least amount of land .
The state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands has faced issues keeping up with demand in past years .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s focus on developing expensive homes in large subdivisions have priced out many low-income Native Hawaiians and has used much of the remaining land the trust owns on Oahu .

HONOLULU (AP) - The state agency that helps administer land for Native Hawaiians has approved a new program that will provide a small number of Native residents with down-payment assistance.
The new program approved on Monday by the state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands would provide funds for some on a waitlist who are looking to buy homes that are not within established homesteading communities on the island of Oahu.
The state agency will provide up to $1.5 million for the down payment program.
The approval is the first time the state agency has invested in housing outside a 317-square-mile (821-square-kilometer) area Congress authorized for Native Hawaiians in 1921, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported. The state agency has been tasked with managing the land trust since.
The waitlist for houses under the trust on Oahu is as high as 11,000 people. The program is intended to address the growing waitlist on an island with a great demand for housing but where the state agency has the least amount of land.
The state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands has faced issues keeping up with demand in past years. The Star-Advertiser also reported that the agency’s focus on developing expensive homes in large subdivisions have priced out many low-income Native Hawaiians and has used much of the remaining land the trust owns on Oahu.


washingtontimes--2020-12-23--Maryland suspends jury trials as coronavirus cases rise

BALTIMORE ( AP ) - Maryland has suspended jury trials until the end of April because coronavirus cases continue to @ @ @ @ @ The Baltimore Sun reports that state ’ s chief judge issued the administrative order Tuesday @ @ @ @ @ Chief Judge Mary Ellen Barbera said in the order that jury trials won ’ t @ @ @ @ @ District Court and circuit courts can still hear specific case types remotely or in-person are @ @ @ @ @ .
Clerks ’ offices throughout the state will remain open to the public for emergency @ @ @ @ @ other matters .
“ We will continue to monitor the public health emergency and adjust @ @ @ @ @ , to protect the safety of the public , judges , and Judiciary personnel , @ @ @ @ @ letter .
“ We will also ensure that as many of the judiciary ’ s @ @ @ @ @ extent the emergency conditions allow .
”

BALTIMORE (AP) — Maryland has suspended jury trials until the end of April because coronavirus cases continue to rise in the state.
The Baltimore Sun reports that state’s chief judge issued the administrative order Tuesday.
Maryland Court of Appeals Chief Judge Mary Ellen Barbera said in the order that jury trials won’t resume until April 23.
District Court and circuit courts can still hear specific case types remotely or in-person are using technology for remote proceedings. Clerks’ offices throughout the state will remain open to the public for emergency purposes and by appointment for other matters.
“We will continue to monitor the public health emergency and adjust court operations, as necessary, to protect the safety of the public, judges, and Judiciary personnel,” Barbera wrote in her letter. “We will also ensure that as many of the judiciary’s core functions continue to the extent the emergency conditions allow.”


washingtontimes--2020-12-23--Republican state Sen. Bob Giuda recovering from COVID-19

CONCORD , N.H. ( AP ) - A state senator from Warren has tested positive for the coronavirus .
Republican Sen. Bob Giuda began exhibiting symptoms Saturday and is at home recovering , according to a news release late Tuesday .
There is no concern for possible staff exposure because he hasn ’ t been at the Statehouse since Dec. 7 , and all family members and friends he had close contact with have been notified .
“ We take this situation very seriously , ” said Senate President Chuck Morse .
“ Bob has my support and I am @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sen. Martha Fuller Clark , D-Portsmouth , recovered from COVID-19 in April .
House Speaker Dick Hinch , R-Merrimack , died of COVID-19 earlier this month , and at least several other House members recently tested positive for the virus .
More than 37,000 people have tested positive for the virus in New Hampshire , with 624 cases announced Tuesday that included results from several days previous days .
The number of deaths stood at 656 .
The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in New Hampshire has risen over the past @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from 689 new cases per day on Dec. 7 to 788 new cases per day on Dec. 21 .

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - A state senator from Warren has tested positive for the coronavirus.
Republican Sen. Bob Giuda began exhibiting symptoms Saturday and is at home recovering, according to a news release late Tuesday. There is no concern for possible staff exposure because he hasn’t been at the Statehouse since Dec. 7, and all family members and friends he had close contact with have been notified.
“We take this situation very seriously,” said Senate President Chuck Morse. “Bob has my support and I am wishing him a very speedy recovery.”
Sen. Martha Fuller Clark, D-Portsmouth, recovered from COVID-19 in April. House Speaker Dick Hinch, R-Merrimack, died of COVID-19 this month, and at least several other House members recently tested positive.
In other coronavirus developments:
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TAX SPAT
A legal fight continues over the collection of income taxes from New Hampshire residents who are employed by Massachusetts companies but have been working from home during the pandemic.
New Hampshire asked the U.S. Supreme Court in October to block Massachusetts from collecting such taxes from roughly 80,000 people. On Wednesday, New Hampshire filed a brief responding to an earlier filing in which Massachusetts argued the court should not hear the case.
“Massachusetts’ current position is a far cry from our country’s rallying call of ‘no taxation without representation,’ – which they seem to have forgotten originated in their state,” said New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu. “We remain confident that the Supreme Court of the United States will take up this case of national importance and that the State of New Hampshire will prevail.”
Under a temporary rule enacted by the Massachusetts Department of Revenue, residents of other states who were working in Massachusetts before the pandemic remain subject to Massachusetts’ 5.05% income tax while they work from home.
While the regulation will expire Dec. 31 or 90 days after the coronavirus state of emergency in Massachusetts is lifted, New Hampshire officials argue it represents a permanent shift in underlying policy and amounts to an “aggressive attempt to impose Massachusetts income tax” beyond its borders.
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THE NUMBERS
More than 38,000 people have tested positive for the virus in New Hampshire, with 571 cases announced Wednesday that included results from several days previous days. More than 300 people are hospitalized, and the state announced 22 additional deaths, bringing the total to 677.
The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in New Hampshire rose over the past two weeks from 693 on Dec. 8 to 780 on Tuesday.


washingtontimes--2020-12-23--Soldiers' home resident dies at hospital after positive test

HOLYOKE , Mass .
( AP ) - A resident of the Holyoke Soldiers ’ Home who had lived at an off-site skilled nursing facility since April died last week after testing positive for the coronavirus earlier this month , state officials said .
The man died at Holyoke Medical Center on Dec. 16 , marking the first COVID-19-related death of veteran who had lived at the home since June , Masslive.com reported Tuesday .
The virus has been blamed for the deaths of 76 veterans who lived at the state-run care center , one of the worst outbreaks at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Some residents who tested negative for the virus were moved to Holyoke Medical Center in April in an attempt to control the outbreak .
Two former top administrators at the Holyoke home have pleaded not guilty to criminal negligence charges connected to the deaths .
Brooke Karanovich , a spokeswoman for the state ’ s Executive Office of Health and Human Services , said Tuesday that 21 veterans remain at Holyoke Medical Center .
Her statement did not say how the veteran who died contracted the virus .
Residents are now being @ @ @ @ @

BOSTON (AP) - Help is on the way for Massachusetts small businesses struggling during the coronavirus pandemic.
Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday announced $668 million in new state funding for restaurants, retailers, and other small businesses.
The Republican said the state will begin rolling out assistance to businesses as soon as next week, regardless of what happens with the federal COVID-19 relief bill recently passed by Congress.
He said the state effort builds on a program run by the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation, which awarded nearly $49 million in grants to more than 1,100 small businesses earlier this week.
Baker said thousands of applicants that sought but didn’t receive those initial funds will be prioritized and won’t have to reapply for the new round of state funding.
The $668 million will also be used to create a new program targeting industries hit hardest during the pandemic, he said.
Among them: restaurants, bars and catering companies; indoor recreation and entertainment establishments; gyms and fitness centers; photographers, videographers, and other event-support professionals; personal services and retail.
Baker said the new program will provide grants of up to $75,000 to help businesses cover employee salaries, rent, utilities and debts. Applications will be accepted starting Dec. 31; the winners will be announced in February.
A look at other coronavirus developments in Massachusetts:
VETERANS’ HOME
A resident of the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home who had lived at an off-site skilled nursing facility since April died last week after testing positive for the coronavirus this month, state officials said.
The man died at Holyoke Medical Center on Dec. 16, marking the first COVID-19-related death of a veteran who had lived at the home since June, Masslive.com reported Tuesday.
The virus had been blamed for the deaths in spring of 76 veterans who lived at the state-run care center, one of the country’s worst outbreaks at a long-term care facility. Some residents who tested negative for the virus were moved to Holyoke Medical Center in April in an attempt to control the outbreak.
Two former top administrators at the Holyoke home have pleaded not guilty to criminal negligence charges connected to the deaths.
Brooke Karanovich, a spokesperson for the state’s Executive Office of Health and Human Services, said Tuesday that 21 veterans remain at Holyoke Medical Center. Her statement did not say how the veteran who died contracted the virus.
Residents are now being vaccinated, she said.
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COMMUTER RAIL SERVICE
The company that operates the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s commuter rail system is extending its reduced service schedule through at least Jan. 8, officials said Wednesday.
Keolis Commuter Services said the service reduction originally announced on Dec. 14 that was supposed to continue until Dec. 27 is needed because so many employees were out because of pandemic-related reasons.
Instead of 541 trains per weekday, there will be only 246 trains per weekday. All lines and stations are affected.
Commuter rail ridership has been approximately 13% of its pre-pandemic levels, and during the holiday weeks in December, ridership is historically low.
Keolis has made several safety changes during the pandemic, including enhanced sanitization and air filtration on rail cars.
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WORCESTER BUILDINGS CLOSE
Worcester City Hall and several other municipal facilities are closing to the public in response to the continued rise of COVID-19 cases in the city, City Manager Edward Augustus Jr. announced Wednesday.
The closures begin Thursday and will run until Jan. 11.
The Senior Center, Worcester Public Library, Department of Public Works and Parks offices, and the building that houses Inspectional Services, the Division of Public Health and Fire Prevention are also being closed to the public.
“We all have a role to play and city government must lead by example in mitigating the risk of exposure and further community spread of the COVID-19 virus,” Augustus said in a statement.
Most city employees will be working remotely during this period and bills can be paid online.
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VIRUS CASES
Massachusetts health officials reported 81 additional deaths and about 4,500 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday.
The state Department of Public Health also said more than 81,000 people are currently infected, with more than 2,000 of them hospitalized.
Massachusetts has reported 11,630 deaths and more than 322,000 cases of the virus since the pandemic started.
The state’s seven-day rolling average of the positivity rate has remained steady at just over 5% for the past two weeks, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
Its seven-day rolling average of daily new cases has declined, from about 4,892 new cases a day on Dec. 8 to 4,716 on Dec. 22.


washingtontimes--2020-12-23--Landlords sue over Oregon eviction bans

Landlords sue over Oregon eviction bans

PORTLAND , Ore. ( AP ) - Landlords in Oregon are suing Gov .
Kate Brown , the state , Multnomah County and Portland for the newly extended eviction bans as they see non-payment from tenants .
Moe Farhoud , and Tyler and Crystal Sherman filed the lawsuit in federal court on Monday as state lawmakers approved pandemic-related bills during a one-day special session , KOIN-TV reported .
The bills included rent relief for landlords and an extension on the statewide eviction moratorium through June .
Farhoud owns about 1,200 apartment units , while the Shermans have 22 units , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be owed more than $ 1 million in back rent from March on , according to the lawsuit , while the Shermans say they are owed more than $ 8,000 .
The filing says the $ 200 million included in the “ landlord assistance ” bill passed by lawmakers Monday comes up short to an estimated $ 800 to $ 900 million owed in the state ; however , the lawsuit did not cite where it found the estimated figure .
The lawsuit claims the moratorium on rent “ exceed the bounds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are instead an attempted exercise of eminent domain.
” The plaintiffs want the eviction moratoriums put in place by Brown , the state and the municipalities to be declared as unconstitutional or have an injunction put in place that would require Brown , lawmakers and other key players “ to design and implement a plan to adequately compensate ” them and other landlords for their losses incurred by the moratorium .
In a statement to KOIN , a spokesperson for Gov .
Brown ’ s office said the office generally doesn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , I will point out that one of the Governor ’ s priorities for yesterday ’ s special session was relief for tenants and landlords , ” Liz Merah wrote , adding that Brown “ looks forward to signing this bill into law when it reaches her desk.
” Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury also said in a statement that while the county doesn ’ t comment on pending lawsuits , “ that in a state of emergency caused by a once-in-a-century pandemic , it is smart public health policy to prevent tens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their homes due to the impacts of COVID-19.
” Kafoury added : “ And to be clear , the $ 26.4 million in COVID rent relief the County has been working to distribute goes directly to landlords .
”

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Landlords in Oregon are suing Gov. Kate Brown, the state, Multnomah County and Portland for the newly extended eviction bans as they see non-payment from tenants.
Moe Farhoud, and Tyler and Crystal Sherman filed the lawsuit in federal court on Monday as state lawmakers approved pandemic-related bills during a one-day special session, KOIN-TV reported. The bills included rent relief for landlords and an extension on the statewide eviction moratorium through June.
Farhoud owns about 1,200 apartment units, while the Shermans have 22 units, according to the lawsuit. Farhoud claims to be owed more than $1 million in back rent from March on, according to the lawsuit, while the Shermans say they are owed more than $8,000.
The filing says the $200 million included in the “landlord assistance” bill passed by lawmakers Monday comes up short to an estimated $800 to $900 million owed in the state; however, the lawsuit did not cite where it found the estimated figure.
The lawsuit claims the moratorium on rent “exceed the bounds of the State’s police power are instead an attempted exercise of eminent domain.”
The plaintiffs want the eviction moratoriums put in place by Brown, the state and the municipalities to be declared as unconstitutional or have an injunction put in place that would require Brown, lawmakers and other key players “to design and implement a plan to adequately compensate” them and other landlords for their losses incurred by the moratorium.
In a statement to KOIN, a spokesperson for Gov. Brown’s office said the office generally doesn’t comment on pending litigation.
“However, I will point out that one of the Governor’s priorities for yesterday’s special session was relief for tenants and landlords,” Liz Merah wrote, adding that Brown “looks forward to signing this bill into law when it reaches her desk.”
Multnomah County Chair Deborah Kafoury also said in a statement that while the county doesn’t comment on pending lawsuits, “that in a state of emergency caused by a once-in-a-century pandemic, it is smart public health policy to prevent tens of thousands of our neighbors from losing their homes due to the impacts of COVID-19.”
Kafoury added: “And to be clear, the $26.4 million in COVID rent relief the County has been working to distribute goes directly to landlords.”


washingtontimes--2020-12-23--New whale watching rules to take effect in 2021

MOUNT VERNON , Wash. ( AP ) - New regulations for whale watching in Washington waters will take effect in 2021 in an effort to protect endangered orcas , according to the state Fish and Wildlife Commission .
According to the rules approved by the commission last week , from July through September , commercial whale watching companies can view orcas during two , two-hour periods daily , The Skagit Valley Herald reported .
The rules restrict the number of commercial vessels to three within a half-mile of the whales and include penalties for violations .
The commission ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 4 and a special meeting to discuss details Dec. 15 .
The state Legislature directed the commission , which oversees the state Department of Fish & Wildlife , to develop new rules after Gov .
Jay Inslee convened a Southern Resident orca task force to study issues harming the species .
The orcas were federally listed as endangered in 2005 .
While whale watching boats aren ’ t the only vessels that create underwater noise in the Salish Sea , and underwater noise isn ’ t the only issue .
Other top concerns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but the consensus is that regulating some boats is a starting point .
“ Our intention with this rule-making is not to place the sole burden of reducing underwater noise on whale watch operators , it ’ s to try to hit this cumulative target - combined with the prey availability work , combined with the contaminants work - to try to give the ( whales ) a chance , ” Fish & Wildlife ’ s orca policy lead Julie Watson said .
Commissioner Brad Smith Smith said the rules are similar to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wildlife populations for the long term .
“ Extinction is hovering , ” Smith said of the 74 Southern Resident orcas remaining in the wild .
“ Business as usual will not be any business , in my estimation , in the future.
” The Southern Resident orcas are fish-eating whales that live along the West Coast of North America , including in the Salish Sea .
The population includes three family groups called J , K and L pods .
They are the only whale population that frequents the Salish Sea that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ orcas , gray whales and humpback whales are increasing .
Marine scientists suggest the Southern Resident orcas face problems centered on their diet .
There are fewer fish available for them to eat , more noise in the water affecting their ability to find the fish , and more pollution in the water that impacts their health when they are not well fed .
“ We really want to limit the number of days and hours … that vessels are interrupting foraging time , ” Watson said .
The 38 speakers who commented @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Some urged a full ban on whale watching , while others said whale watching boats help protect the species from other vessels .
The state commission released an environmental impact statement in September and released draft rules in October .

MOUNT VERNON, Wash. (AP) - New regulations for whale watching in Washington waters will take effect in 2021 in an effort to protect endangered orcas, according to the state Fish and Wildlife Commission.
According to the rules approved by the commission last week, from July through September, commercial whale watching companies can view endanged Southern Resident orcas during two, two-hour periods daily, The Skagit Valley Herald reported.
The rules restrict the number of commercial vessels to three within a half-mile of the whales and include penalties for violations. The new regulations do not restrict the viewing of other whales or marine mammals
The commission’s decision follows a public comment session Dec. 4 and a special meeting to discuss details Dec. 15.
The state Legislature directed the commission, which oversees the state Department of Fish & Wildlife, to develop new rules after Gov. Jay Inslee convened a Southern Resident orca task force to study issues harming the species. The orcas were federally listed as endangered in 2005.
While whale watching boats aren’t the only vessels that create underwater noise in the Salish Sea, and underwater noise isn’t the only issue. Other top concerns include food supply and water pollution, but the consensus is that regulating some boats is a starting point.
“Our intention with this rule-making is not to place the sole burden of reducing underwater noise on whale watch operators, it’s to try to hit this cumulative target - combined with the prey availability work, combined with the contaminants work - to try to give the (whales) a chance,” Fish & Wildlife’s orca policy lead Julie Watson said.
Commissioner Brad Smith Smith said the rules are similar to hunting and fishing regulations meant to preserve wildlife populations for the long term.
“Extinction is hovering,” Smith said of the 74 Southern Resident orcas remaining in the wild. “Business as usual will not be any business, in my estimation, in the future.”
The Southern Resident orcas are fish-eating whales that live along the West Coast of North America, including in the Salish Sea. The population includes three family groups called J, K and L pods.
They are the only whale population that frequents the Salish Sea that is declining. Populations of mammal-eating transient orcas, gray whales and humpback whales are increasing.
Marine scientists suggest the Southern Resident orcas face problems centered on their diet. There are fewer fish available for them to eat, more noise in the water affecting their ability to find the fish, and more pollution in the water that impacts their health when they are not well fed.
“We really want to limit the number of days and hours … that vessels are interrupting foraging time,” Watson said.
The 38 speakers who commented earlier this month shared conflicting perspectives. Some urged a full ban on whale watching, while others said whale watching boats help protect the species from other vessels.
The state commission released an environmental impact statement in September and released draft rules in October.