washingtontimes--2020-12-18--Ohio governor delays more executions amidst drug shortage

COLUMBUS , Ohio ( AP ) - Ohio Gov .
Mike DeWine on Friday delayed three more death row inmates ’ 2021 executions as the state ’ s unofficial death penalty moratorium continues .
The announcement came days after DeWine said lethal injection is no longer an option for the state .
The Republican governor ’ s warrants of reprieve were issued for condemned prisoners Elwood Jones , Gregory Lott and Archie Dixon .
The reprieves moved Jones ’ execution from April 21 , 2021 , to Dec. 6 , 2023 ; Lott ’ s from May 27 , 2021 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Dixon ’ s from June 23 , 2021 , to April 17 , 2024 .
Jones was sentenced to die for killing 67-year-old Rhoda Nathan in the Embassy Suites Hotel in Blue Ash in 1994 .
Lott was sentenced to die for killing 82-year-old John McGrath , who died 10 days after Lott set him on fire in East Cleveland during a 1986 break-in .
Dixon was sentenced to die for killing his roommate , 22-year-old Christopher Hammer , at a park in Toledo in 1993 .
DeWine also issued reprieves in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ told The Associated Press on Dec. 8 that lawmakers must choose a different method of capital punishment before any inmates can be put to death in the future , and it ’ s “ pretty clear ” there won ’ t be any executions next year .

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Friday delayed three more death row inmates’ 2021 executions as the state’s unofficial death penalty moratorium continues. The announcement came days after DeWine said lethal injection is no longer an option for the state.
The Republican governor’s warrants of reprieve were issued for condemned prisoners Elwood Jones, Gregory Lott and Archie Dixon.
The reprieves moved Jones’ execution from April 21, 2021, to Dec. 6, 2023; Lott’s from May 27, 2021, to Feb. 15, 2024; and Dixon’s from June 23, 2021, to April 17, 2024.
Jones was sentenced to die for killing 67-year-old Rhoda Nathan in the Embassy Suites Hotel in Blue Ash in 1994. Lott was sentenced to die for killing 82-year-old John McGrath, who died 10 days after Lott set him on fire in East Cleveland during a 1986 break-in. Dixon was sentenced to die for killing his roommate, 22-year-old Christopher Hammer, at a park in Toledo in 1993.
DeWine also issued reprieves in September, June and April.
DeWine told The Associated Press on Dec. 8 that lawmakers must choose a different method of capital punishment before any inmates can be put to death in the future, and it’s “pretty clear” there won’t be any executions next year.


washingtontimes--2020-12-18--Moukoko, 16, sets Bundesliga record but Union beats Dortmund

BERLIN ( AP ) - Youssoufa Moukoko became the Bundesliga ’ s youngest ever goal-scorer on Friday but couldn ’ t prevent Borussia Dortmund losing at Union Berlin 2-1 .
Moukoko , aged 16 years , 28 days , equalized with a fierce strike on the hour-mark for his first goal in his sixth league appearance and on his second start under new Dortmund coach Edin Terzić .
“ We have to congratulate the young 16-year-old on his goal .
It ’ s something special , ” Union captain Christopher Trimmel said .
It was Moukoko ’ s second milestone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had my Bundesliga debut in Berlin ( vs. Hertha on Nov. 21 ) and today also my first goal .
The feeling is indescribable , ” Moukoko said in an Instagram post .
Union recovered , and Marvin Friedrich scored the winner with a header to a corner in the 78th minute for the home side to move just a point behind Dortmund after 13 games played .
“ We ’ re on the right path , ” said Trimmel , who drew with Bayern Munich 1-1 last weekend and followed on Tuesday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Many people said we ’ d struggle with the absences of ( injured forwards ) Max Kruse and Joel Pohjanpalo .
But we ’ re a team .
It ’ s fun.
” Dortmund had been hoping for its second win in two games under Terzić , who replaced the fired Lucien Favre on Sunday .
Terzić started with a 2-1 win at Werder Bremen on Tuesday but his team was forced to make mistakes by Urs Fischer ’ s well-organized home side .
Fischer had two empty spots on his substitutes ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ big chance fell to Union ’ s Taiwo Awoniyi when Mats Hummels did just enough to put him off .
Terzić evidently told his players to pressure their opponents for they pressed and harried any time Union ’ s players had the ball .
Gio Reyna ’ s pressure on Friedrich set Moukoko on his way .
He teed up the unmarked Jadon Sancho but the England forward fired off-target .
A mistake from Thomas Meunier almost proved costly for the visitors .
Awoniyi was thwarted by a fine save from Roman Bürki @ @ @ @ @ @ @ goal on the rebound .
Sheraldo Becker had another great chance some 10 minutes later but shot weakly at Bürki .
Moukoko came closer than anyone before the break when he crashed a shot off the right post .
Awoniyi finally broke the deadlock from close range in the 57th when Grischa Prömel headed on a corner , but Moukoko equalized three minutes later with a rocket inside the left post after being played in by Raphaël Guerreiro .
Then Dortmund ’ s defense left Friedrich free to head in the winner .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ our defeats , ” Hummels said after his team ’ s fifth league loss .
Union fans outside set off fireworks to celebrate .
The game – like all others in the Bundesliga – was played without supporters present due to coronavirus restrictions .

BERLIN (AP) - Youssoufa Moukoko became the Bundesliga’s youngest ever goal-scorer on Friday but couldn’t prevent Borussia Dortmund losing at Union Berlin 2-1.
Moukoko, aged 16 years, 28 days, equalized with a fierce strike on the hour-mark for his first goal in his sixth league appearance and on his second start under new Dortmund coach Edin Terzić.
“We have to congratulate the young 16-year-old on his goal. It’s something special,” Union captain Christopher Trimmel said.
It was Moukoko’s second milestone in the German capital.
“I had my Bundesliga debut in Berlin ( vs. Hertha on Nov. 21 ) and today also my first goal. The feeling is indescribable,” Moukoko said in an Instagram post.
Union recovered, and Marvin Friedrich scored the winner with a header to a corner in the 78th minute for the home side to move just a point behind Dortmund after 13 games played.
“We’re on the right path,” said Trimmel, who drew with Bayern Munich 1-1 last weekend and followed on Tuesday by drawing at Stuttgart 2-2. “Many people said we’d struggle with the absences of (injured forwards) Max Kruse and Joel Pohjanpalo. But we’re a team. It’s fun.”
Dortmund had been hoping for its second win in two games under Terzić, who replaced the fired Lucien Favre on Sunday. Terzić started with a 2-1 win at Werder Bremen on Tuesday but his team was forced to make mistakes by Urs Fischer’s well-organized home side. Fischer had two empty spots on his substitutes’ bench due to injuries.
The first big chance fell to Union’s Taiwo Awoniyi when Mats Hummels did just enough to put him off.
Terzić evidently told his players to pressure their opponents for they pressed and harried any time Union’s players had the ball.
Gio Reyna’s pressure on Friedrich set Moukoko on his way. He teed up the unmarked Jadon Sancho but the England forward fired off-target.
A mistake from Thomas Meunier almost proved costly for the visitors. Awoniyi was thwarted by a fine save from Roman Bürki and Cedric Teuchert fired over the unguarded goal on the rebound. Sheraldo Becker had another great chance some 10 minutes later but shot weakly at Bürki.
Moukoko came closer than anyone before the break when he crashed a shot off the right post.
Awoniyi finally broke the deadlock from close range in the 57th when Grischa Prömel headed on a corner, but Moukoko equalized three minutes later with a rocket inside the left post after being played in by Raphaël Guerreiro.
Then Dortmund’s defense left Friedrich free to head in the winner.
“We have ourselves to blame for our defeats,” Hummels said after his team’s fifth league loss.
Union fans outside set off fireworks to celebrate. The game – like all others in the Bundesliga – was played without supporters present due to coronavirus restrictions.
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More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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Ciarán Fahey on Twitter: https://twitter.com/cfaheyAP


washingtontimes--2020-12-18--Fed finds big US banks in solid shape; keeps dividend limits

WASHINGTON ( AP ) - The Federal Reserve said Friday that the 33 largest U.S. banks are in strong shape despite the pandemic ’ s economic shock .
The banks have ample capital cushions girding them against unexpected losses and that will also enable them to keep lending even under the most severe straits , the central bank said .
The Fed disclosed the results from a special second round of “ stress tests ” that it added this year because of damage to the economy from the virus outbreak .
The pandemic has killed more than 300,000 Americans , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pushed unemployment to levels not seen since the Great Depression .
Nine months after the pandemic paralyzed the economy , a resurgence of coronavirus cases threatens its recovery just as the first vaccines are starting to be administered around the country .
The tests showed that all 33 banks remain above their minimum requirements for capital - money they don ’ t have to pay back to creditors or depositors - to protect against risk , the Fed said .
Still , the regulators decided to maintain restrictions on banks paying out dividends @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , however , will be permitted again , with some limits .
“ The banking system has been a source of strength during the past year , and today ’ s stress test results confirm that large banks could continue to lend to households and businesses even during a sharply adverse future turn in the economy , ” Randal Quarles , the Fed ’ s vice chair for supervision , said in a statement .
In September , the Fed extended the restrictions on dividends and share buybacks through year ’ s end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ June that showed how the banks would perform under severe economic conditions if they took those dividend or stock actions .
Increasing dividends costs money .
The regulators don ’ t want banks to shrink their capital reserves and leave the financial system vulnerable during this precarious time for the economy .
It was the first time U.S. regulators had ordered such restrictions since the aftermath of the Great Recession a decade ago .
Under the Fed ’ s latest action , the amount a bank is allowed to pay shareholders or buy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the income earned by the bank over the past year .
A bank earning no income would not be able to pay dividends or buy back shares in the first quarter of 2021 .
A senior Democratic senator objected to the Fed allowing the banks to pay any dividends in the current economic climate or bonuses to executives .
“ This public health and economic crisis is getting worse , not better , ” Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio , the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee , said in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ focused on making our financial system safer , not helping Wall Street and big corporations.
” The 33 banks include JPMorgan Chase & Co. , Bank of America Corp. , Wells Fargo and Co. and Citigroup Inc. - the four biggest U.S. banks by assets .
The tested banks all have at least $ 50 billion in assets .
The Fed said it applied two severe scenarios for the economy in the latest tests to see how the banks would fare .
In one hypothetical scenario , the U.S. unemployment rate spikes to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 7.5 % , compared with the current 6.7 % .
The other calls for a peak jobless rate of 11 % followed by a more modest decline , to 9 % .
Under both scenarios , the 33 banks would have a total of more than $ 600 billion in losses on loans , the tests showed .
The tests were mandated by Congress in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis that plunged the U.S. into what was then the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930s .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the U.S. financial system .
During the crisis , the government created a $ 700 billion bailout fund to stabilize hundreds of banks , large and small , across the U.S. Once the economy healed , banking industry profits began steadily rising over the subsequent years and banks were lending more freely .
The banks tested by the Fed were : Ally Financial , American Express , Bank of America , Bank of New York Mellon , Barclays , BMO Financial , BNP Paribas USA , Capital One , Citigroup , Citizens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ USA , Discover Financial , Fifth Third , Goldman Sachs , HSBC North America , Huntington Bancshares , JPMorgan Chase , KeyCorp , M & T ; Bank , Morgan Stanley , MUFG Americas , Northern Trust , PNC Financial , Regions Financial , Royal Bank of Canada US , Santander USA , State Street , TD Group US , Truist Financial , UBS Americas , U.S. Bancorp and Wells Fargo .
This story has been corrected to reflect that restrictions on dividends are maintained while stock buybacks are now permitted with some @ @

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Federal Reserve said Friday that the 33 largest U.S. banks are in strong shape despite the pandemic’s economic shock.
The banks have ample capital cushions girding them against unexpected losses and that will also enable them to keep lending even under the most severe straits, the central bank said.
The Fed disclosed the results from a special second round of “stress tests” that it added this year because of damage to the economy from the virus outbreak. The pandemic has killed more than 300,000 Americans, closed hundreds of thousands of businesses and pushed unemployment to levels not seen since the Great Depression.
Nine months after the pandemic paralyzed the economy, a resurgence of coronavirus cases threatens its recovery just as the first vaccines are starting to be administered around the country.
The tests showed that all 33 banks remain above their minimum requirements for capital - money they don’t have to pay back to creditors or depositors - to protect against risk, the Fed said.
Still, the regulators decided to maintain restrictions on banks paying out dividends through March. Buybacks of company stock, however, will be permitted again, with some limits.
“The banking system has been a source of strength during the past year, and today’s stress test results confirm that large banks could continue to lend to households and businesses even during a sharply adverse future turn in the economy,” Randal Quarles, the Fed’s vice chair for supervision, said in a statement.
In September, the Fed extended the restrictions on dividends and share buybacks through year’s end, based on stress test results in June that showed how the banks would perform under severe economic conditions if they took those dividend or stock actions.
Increasing dividends costs money. The regulators don’t want banks to shrink their capital reserves and leave the financial system vulnerable during this precarious time for the economy. It was the first time U.S. regulators had ordered such restrictions since the aftermath of the Great Recession a decade ago.
Under the Fed’s latest action, the amount a bank is allowed to pay shareholders or buy back in its stock will be based on the income earned by the bank over the past year. A bank earning no income would not be able to pay dividends or buy back shares in the first quarter of 2021.
A senior Democratic senator objected to the Fed allowing the banks to pay any dividends in the current economic climate or bonuses to executives.
“This public health and economic crisis is getting worse, not better,” Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, said in a statement. “The Fed should be focused on making our financial system safer, not helping Wall Street and big corporations.”
The 33 banks include JPMorgan Chase & Co., Bank of America Corp., Wells Fargo and Co. and Citigroup Inc. - the four biggest U.S. banks by assets. The tested banks all have at least $50 billion in assets.
The Fed said it applied two severe scenarios for the economy in the latest tests to see how the banks would fare. In one hypothetical scenario, the U.S. unemployment rate spikes to 12.5% and then declines to about 7.5%, compared with the current 6.7%. The other calls for a peak jobless rate of 11% followed by a more modest decline, to 9%.
Under both scenarios, the 33 banks would have a total of more than $600 billion in losses on loans, the tests showed.
The tests were mandated by Congress in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis that plunged the U.S. into what was then the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression of the 1930s. They were designed to restore badly shaken confidence in the U.S. financial system. During the crisis, the government created a $700 billion bailout fund to stabilize hundreds of banks, large and small, across the U.S.
Once the economy healed, banking industry profits began steadily rising over the subsequent years and banks were lending more freely.
The banks tested by the Fed were: Ally Financial, American Express, Bank of America, Bank of New York Mellon, Barclays, BMO Financial, BNP Paribas USA, Capital One, Citigroup, Citizens Financial, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank USA, Discover Financial, Fifth Third, Goldman Sachs, HSBC North America, Huntington Bancshares, JPMorgan Chase, KeyCorp, M&T Bank, Morgan Stanley, MUFG Americas, Northern Trust, PNC Financial, Regions Financial, Royal Bank of Canada US, Santander USA, State Street, TD Group US, Truist Financial, UBS Americas, U.S. Bancorp and Wells Fargo.
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This story has been corrected to reflect that restrictions on dividends are maintained while stock buybacks are now permitted with some limits.


washingtontimes--2020-12-18--VIRUS TODAY: 1 in 5 prisoners tests positive for COVID-19

Here ’ s what ’ s happening Friday with the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. : THREE THINGS TO KNOW TODAY - The U.S. added a second COVID-19 vaccine to its arsenal , boosting efforts to beat back an outbreak so dire that the nation is regularly recording more than 3,000 deaths a day .
The Food and Drug Administration authorized an emergency rollout of the vaccine developed by Moderna Inc. and the National Institutes of Health .
The move marks the world ’ s first authorization for Moderna ’ s shots .
- One in every five state and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tested positive for the coronavirus , a rate more than four times as high as the general population .
In some states , more than half of prisoners have been infected , according to data collected by The Associated Press and The Marshall Project .
- U.S. health officials are seeing an astonishing lack of demand for COVID-19 medicines that may help keep infected people out of the hospital , drugs they rushed out to states over the past few weeks as deaths set new records .
THE NUMBERS : The seven-day rolling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. rose over the past two weeks from 1,834 on Dec. 3 to 2,633 on Thursday , according to data from Johns Hopkins University .
DEATH TOLL : The U.S. death toll stands at almost 312,000 people , up from about 300,000 when the week began .
QUOTABLE : “ I think we know this isn ’ t going to be perfect .
We don ’ t have vaccine for everyone right away , so we ’ re going to have to make difficult decisions.
” - Claire Hannan , executive director of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vaccination programs .
ICYMI : Vice President Mike Pence became the highest-ranking U.S. official to receive the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Friday in a live-television event aimed at reassuring Americans the shot is safe .
He celebrated the milestone as “ a medical miracle ” that could eventually contain the pandemic .
ON THE HORIZON : Doses of the Moderna vaccine are set to arrive Monday .
The vaccine is similar to one from Pfizer Inc. and Germany ’ s BioNTech that ’ s now being dispensed to millions of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Find AP ’ s full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at https : //apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

Here’s what’s happening Friday with the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S.:
THREE THINGS TO KNOW TODAY
- The U.S. added a second COVID-19 vaccine to its arsenal, boosting efforts to beat back an outbreak so dire that the nation is regularly recording more than 3,000 deaths a day. The Food and Drug Administration authorized an emergency rollout of the vaccine developed by Moderna Inc. and the National Institutes of Health. The move marks the world’s first authorization for Moderna’s shots.
- One in every five state and federal prisoners in the United States has tested positive for the coronavirus, a rate more than four times as high as the general population. In some states, more than half of prisoners have been infected, according to data collected by The Associated Press and The Marshall Project.
- U.S. health officials are seeing an astonishing lack of demand for COVID-19 medicines that may help keep infected people out of the hospital, drugs they rushed out to states over the past few weeks as deaths set new records.
THE NUMBERS: The seven-day rolling average for daily new deaths in the U.S. rose over the past two weeks from 1,834 on Dec. 3 to 2,633 on Thursday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
DEATH TOLL: The U.S. death toll stands at almost 312,000 people, up from about 300,000 when the week began.
QUOTABLE: “I think we know this isn’t going to be perfect. We don’t have vaccine for everyone right away, so we’re going to have to make difficult decisions.” - Claire Hannan, executive director of an organization that represents managers of state vaccination programs.
ICYMI: Vice President Mike Pence became the highest-ranking U.S. official to receive the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Friday in a live-television event aimed at reassuring Americans the shot is safe. He celebrated the milestone as “a medical miracle” that could eventually contain the pandemic.
ON THE HORIZON: Doses of the Moderna vaccine are set to arrive Monday. The vaccine is similar to one from Pfizer Inc. and Germany’s BioNTech that’s now being dispensed to millions of health care workers and nursing home residents.
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Find AP’s full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic


washingtontimes--2020-12-18--California hospitals 'crushed' as virus patients flood ICUs

LOS ANGELES ( AP ) - Increasingly desperate California hospitals are being “ crushed ” by soaring coronavirus infections , with one Los Angeles emergency doctor predicting Friday that rationing of care is imminent .
The most populous state recorded more than 41,000 new confirmed cases and 300 deaths , both among the highest single-day totals during the pandemic .
In the last week , California has reported more than a quarter-million cases and 1,500 deaths .
“ I ’ m not going to sugarcoat this .
We are getting crushed , ” said Dr. Brad Spellberg , chief medical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which has more than 600 beds and is one of the largest in the county .
It ’ s a scene playing out across California .
According to state data Friday , all of Southern California and the 12-county San Joaquin Valley to the north had exhausted their regular intensive care unit capacity and some hospitals have begun using “ surge ” space .
Statewide , the available ICU capacity on Friday was a miniscule 2.1 % .
Dr. Anthony Fauci , the country ’ s top infectious-disease expert , discussed California @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the California State University system .
He warned that unless people curtail their holiday travels and gatherings , “ it is very likely we ’ re going to get what I call a surge upon a surge ” that is particularly dangerous “ in the state of California , which is just right at that cusp of getting overrun in some areas of the state.
” Many emergency rooms already have been using outdoor tents to make more space , said Dr. Marc Futernick , an emergency room physician in Los Angeles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ California chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians .
One hospital that has maxed out its outdoor overflow tent is expanding into a nearby gym , he said .
Yet coronavirus cases have not reached their peak in this third and most devastating wave , and that means more drastic measures are on the horizon .
Statewide , about 16,000 coronavirus victims are hospitalized - more than double the previous peak reached in July - and a state model that uses current data to forecast future trends shows the number could reach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Even though it is true that I don ’ t think anyone is doing this kind of rationing of care , or feeling truly overwhelmed in this exact moment , there ’ s no doubt it is right around the corner , ” Futernick said .
“ There ’ s no feasible way for this to be avoided .
The numbers are too big.
” Corona Regional Medical Center southeast of Los Angeles has converted an old emergency room to help handle nearly double the usual number of ICU patients .
It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to triage ER patients because the emergency room is filled with patients who need to be hospitalized .
Ambulances can sit for two hours unless they are bringing in patients with critical , life-or-death emergencies .
“ There ’ s no room at the inn , so to speak , ” hospital chief executive Mark Uffer said .
“ Literally every nook and cranny of the hospital is being used.
” He and Spellberg said it only feeds health workers ’ angst when they see people not following state-mandated safety precautions to slow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ imminent .
“ Whatever ’ s coming , I don ’ t think any of us are going to be able to manage it , ” Uffer said .
“ You have a dam that ’ s about to break , and you ’ ve got to stop putting water into the dam.
” Spellberg said that every day for the last week at his hospital has begun with no available intensive care beds and a scramble to find room in spaces that don ’ t usually handle critical patients , like post-surgery @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Services Director Dr. Christina Ghaly said hospitals “ are adding three beds to a room that maybe was a double room , or turning a single room into a double room , ” dangerously stretching staff .
John Chapman , president and chief executive at San Antonio Regional Hospital in Upland , said telemetry nurses who monitor vital signs of patients should be overseeing no more than four people but could wind up taking on five or six because of the crush of cases .
“ It definitely increases the risk of something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nearly all of California is under a new health order that includes an overnight curfew for all but essential workers and errands , and shutters or restricts operations in virtually all businesses .
Newsom and health officials have implored people to stay home and wear masks and socially distance whenever around others outside their household .
“ We are battling our way through the peak of this third wave , ” Newsom said in a 14-minute video posted on his Facebook page Friday .
He said the state expects to receive 672,000 doses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ next week , on top of 233,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine .
“ We need the public to listen to these mitigation strategies to slow the spread or we will completely run out of beds , ” Spellberg said .
Meanwhile , emergency rooms are filling up with patients who should be hospitalized but can ’ t be because there ’ s no space .
Ambulance providers are planning for how to handle the rising caseload and may have to start triaging patients in the field rather than bringing them in except in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ I am fearful it will be worse than what we saw in New York , ” he said .
“ When New York ’ s hospitals became overwhelmed , health care providers poured in from around the country.
” “ None of that is happening right now , and there ’ s no way for it to happen because every place is busy , ” Futernick said .
“ There ’ s no cavalry coming.
” Taxin reported from Orange County .
Associated Press writers Adam Beam and Don Thompson contributed @ @ @

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Increasingly desperate California hospitals are being “crushed” by soaring coronavirus infections, with one Los Angeles emergency doctor predicting Friday that rationing of care is imminent.
The most populous state recorded more than 41,000 new confirmed cases and 300 deaths, both among the highest single-day totals during the pandemic. In the last week, California has reported more than a quarter-million cases and 1,500 deaths.
“I’m not going to sugarcoat this. We are getting crushed,” said Dr. Brad Spellberg, chief medical officer at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, which has more than 600 beds and is one of the largest in the county.
It’s a scene playing out across California. According to state data Friday, all of Southern California and the 12-county San Joaquin Valley to the north had exhausted their regular intensive care unit capacity and some hospitals have begun using “surge” space.
Statewide, the available ICU capacity on Friday was a miniscule 2.1%.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country’s top infectious-disease expert, discussed California’s predicament during an event organized by the California State University system.
He warned that unless people curtail their holiday travels and gatherings, “it is very likely we’re going to get what I call a surge upon a surge” that is particularly dangerous “in the state of California, which is just right at that cusp of getting overrun in some areas of the state.”
Many emergency rooms already have been using outdoor tents to make more space, said Dr. Marc Futernick, an emergency room physician in Los Angeles who is on the board of the California chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians. One hospital that has maxed out its outdoor overflow tent is expanding into a nearby gym, he said.
Yet coronavirus cases have not reached their peak in this third and most devastating wave, and that means more drastic measures are on the horizon. Statewide, about 16,000 coronavirus victims are hospitalized - more than double the previous peak reached in July - and a state model that uses current data to forecast future trends shows the number could reach an unfathomable 75,000 by mid-January.
“Even though it is true that I don’t think anyone is doing this kind of rationing of care, or feeling truly overwhelmed in this exact moment, there’s no doubt it is right around the corner,” Futernick said. “There’s no feasible way for this to be avoided. The numbers are too big.”
Corona Regional Medical Center southeast of Los Angeles has converted an old emergency room to help handle nearly double the usual number of ICU patients. It’s using space in two disaster tents to triage ER patients because the emergency room is filled with patients who need to be hospitalized. Ambulances can sit for two hours unless they are bringing in patients with critical, life-or-death emergencies.
“There’s no room at the inn, so to speak,” hospital chief executive Mark Uffer said. “Literally every nook and cranny of the hospital is being used.”
He and Spellberg said it only feeds health workers’ angst when they see people not following state-mandated safety precautions to slow the virus’ spread when disaster seems imminent.
“Whatever’s coming, I don’t think any of us are going to be able to manage it,” Uffer said. “You have a dam that’s about to break, and you’ve got to stop putting water into the dam.”
Spellberg said that every day for the last week at his hospital has begun with no available intensive care beds and a scramble to find room in spaces that don’t usually handle critical patients, like post-surgery recovery areas.
Los Angeles County Health Services Director Dr. Christina Ghaly said hospitals “are adding three beds to a room that maybe was a double room, or turning a single room into a double room,” dangerously stretching staff.
John Chapman, president and chief executive at San Antonio Regional Hospital in Upland, said telemetry nurses who monitor vital signs of patients should be overseeing no more than four people but could wind up taking on five or six because of the crush of cases.
“It definitely increases the risk of something going wrong,” he said.
Nearly all of California is under a new health order that includes an overnight curfew for all but essential workers and errands, and shutters or restricts operations in virtually all businesses. Newsom and health officials have implored people to stay home and wear masks and socially distance whenever around others outside their household.
“We are battling our way through the peak of this third wave,” Newsom said in a 14-minute video posted on his Facebook page Friday. He said the state expects to receive 672,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine as early as next week, on top of 233,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine.
“We need the public to listen to these mitigation strategies to slow the spread or we will completely run out of beds,” Spellberg said.
Meanwhile, emergency rooms are filling up with patients who should be hospitalized but can’t be because there’s no space. Ambulance providers are planning for how to handle the rising caseload and may have to start triaging patients in the field rather than bringing them in except in the most critical cases, Futernick said.
“I am fearful it will be worse than what we saw in New York,” he said. “When New York’s hospitals became overwhelmed, health care providers poured in from around the country.”
“None of that is happening right now, and there’s no way for it to happen because every place is busy,” Futernick said. “There’s no cavalry coming.”
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Taxin reported from Orange County. Associated Press writers Adam Beam and Don Thompson contributed from Sacramento.


washingtontimes--2020-12-18--Police found justified in killing of knife-wielding man

HARTFORD , Conn. ( AP ) - A Connecticut police officer who shot a knife-wielding man to death in January was justified in using deadly force , but police agencies should take steps to improve how they deal with mentally ill people , a prosecutor said in a report released Friday .
Ansonia police Officer Brendon Nelson opened fire on 30-year-old Michael Gregory in the apartment of Gregory ’ s girlfriend on Jan. 2 .
At the time , Gregory was charging with a knife at three officers after they had repeatedly ordered him to drop the knife and Nelson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stun gun , which had no effect .
The events were recorded by officers ’ body cameras .
Gregory had told officers that they were going to have to shoot him .
His mother later told police that her son had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder , had been in and out of psychiatric care since he was 13 , did not take his medicine and had attempted suicide several times .
Danbury State ’ s Attorney Stephen Sedensky III said in his report that Nelson believed deadly force was necessary to defend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he cleared Nelson of wrongdoing .
“ It was reasonable for Officer Nelson to have believed that had Mr. Gregory reached the officers with his knife he would have seriously injured or killed one of them , ” Sedensky wrote .
Gregory ’ s girlfriend , who has not been named , had left her apartment before the shooting and drove to the police department , where she asked officers to go to her home .
She said Gregory , who was not supposed to be there because of a no-contact order related @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assaulted her and taken her phone .
Sedensky said the girlfriend did not mention Gregory ’ s mental health problems .
But the girlfriend told investigators that police knew of Gregory ’ s mental illness , and she and Gregory ’ s mother said they believed police didn ’ t do enough to de-escalate the situation before the shooting , according to the report .
Gregory was shot just over two minutes after officers had entered the apartment .
The American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut said it appeared police escalated the events @ @ @ @ @ @ @ try to diffuse the situation , but Gregory refused to follow orders to drop the knife and ran at the officers .
Sedensky said in his report that he felt compelled to make recommendations on how police can improve how they deal with mentally ill people , because incidents like the one involving Gregory keep happening .
He recommended that police dispatchers ask callers about any mental health background of which officers should be aware , that police departments have protocols and policies on how to handle people with mental illness and that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decide to allow a person to remain alone or be handled by a social worker .
Contact information for Gregory ’ s relatives could not immediately be found Friday .
His father , Miguel Gregory , initially told Hearst Connecticut Media in January that his son should not have been killed .
Then he watched the police body camera videos .
“ I had to see the video to answer my questions , ” Miguel Gregory said .
“ I ’ m at peace now .
… The boy was troubled .
”

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - A Connecticut police officer who shot a knife-wielding man to death in January was justified in using deadly force, but police agencies should take steps to improve how they deal with mentally ill people, a prosecutor said in a report released Friday.
Ansonia police Officer Brendon Nelson opened fire on 30-year-old Michael Gregory in the apartment of Gregory’s girlfriend on Jan. 2. At the time, Gregory was charging with a knife at three officers after they had repeatedly ordered him to drop the knife and Nelson had tried to subdue him with a stun gun, which had no effect. The events were recorded by officers’ body cameras .
Gregory had told officers that they were going to have to shoot him. His mother later told police that her son had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, had been in and out of psychiatric care since he was 13, did not take his medicine and had attempted suicide several times.
Danbury State’s Attorney Stephen Sedensky III said in his report that Nelson believed deadly force was necessary to defend himself and the other officers, and he cleared Nelson of wrongdoing.
“It was reasonable for Officer Nelson to have believed that had Mr. Gregory reached the officers with his knife he would have seriously injured or killed one of them,” Sedensky wrote.
Gregory’s girlfriend, who has not been named, had left her apartment before the shooting and drove to the police department, where she asked officers to go to her home. She said Gregory, who was not supposed to be there because of a no-contact order related to a previous domestic incident, had assaulted her and taken her phone.
Sedensky said the girlfriend did not mention Gregory’s mental health problems. But the girlfriend told investigators that police knew of Gregory’s mental illness, and she and Gregory’s mother said they believed police didn’t do enough to de-escalate the situation before the shooting, according to the report.
Gregory was shot just over two minutes after officers had entered the apartment. The American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut said it appeared police escalated the events.
Ansonia police officials said officers did try to diffuse the situation, but Gregory refused to follow orders to drop the knife and ran at the officers.
Sedensky said in his report that he felt compelled to make recommendations on how police can improve how they deal with mentally ill people, because incidents like the one involving Gregory keep happening.
He recommended that police dispatchers ask callers about any mental health background of which officers should be aware, that police departments have protocols and policies on how to handle people with mental illness and that officers should not be liable if they decide to allow a person to remain alone or be handled by a social worker.
Contact information for Gregory’s relatives could not immediately be found Friday.
His father, Miguel Gregory, initially told Hearst Connecticut Media in January that his son should not have been killed. Then he watched the police body camera videos.
“I had to see the video to answer my questions,” Miguel Gregory said. “I’m at peace now. … The boy was troubled.”


washingtontimes--2020-12-18--Idaho virus dose reduction has 'significant implications'

BOISE , Idaho ( AP ) - An unexpected cut in the number of coronavirus vaccine doses Idaho will receive next week will disrupt distribution plans , a state immunization official said Friday .
State Department of Health and Welfare Immunization Program Manager Sarah Leeds said that the state had expected 17,550 but will only get 9,750 .
“ That has some pretty significant implications for our vaccination program , ” Leeds said during a meeting of the Idaho COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Committee .
State officials have detailed plans for distributing the vaccine , and will now have to recalibrate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the reduced amount isn ’ t clear .
Leeds said the state has received all 13,950 doses they expected this week .
Nearly 1,000 people have been vaccinated so far .
Healthcare workers who have direct contact with COVID-19 patients are receiving the initial doses .
The vaccine Idaho has received so far is from Pfizer-BioNTech .
Officials during the meeting said the state could get another 28,000 doses from a different company next week .
The Food and Drug Administration was evaluating a shot developed by Moderna Inc. and the National Institutes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it the green light soon , clearing the way for its use to begin as early as Monday .
Moderna ’ s vaccine is easier to handle , since it does not need to be kept at ultra-frozen temperatures like the Pfizer-BioNTech shot .
Both require two doses for full protection .
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare said the virus has infected more than 126,000 residents and killed 1,259 .
The Vaccine Advisory Committee has set up a priority list for groups of people to get the vaccine .
On Friday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the priority for workers getting the vaccine .
In general , healthcare workers who come in direct contact with COVID-19 patients are followed on the list by outpatient staff essential for maintaining hospital capacity .
Others high on the list include staff at long-term care facilities , home-care providers , and emergency medical responders .
Residents of long-term care facilities are also in the initial category of those receiving the shots .
Older adults are much more susceptible to serious illness or death from the virus .
The next category eligible to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That category leads off with firefighters and police , followed by school teachers and daycare workers .
Prison workers , workers in the food processing industry , and workers at grocery stores and convenience stores are also on that list .

BOISE, Idaho (AP) - An unexpected cut in the number of coronavirus vaccine doses Idaho will receive next week will disrupt distribution plans, a state immunization official said Friday.
State Department of Health and Welfare Immunization Program Manager Sarah Leeds said that the state had expected 17,550 but will only get 9,750.
“That has some pretty significant implications for our vaccination program,” Leeds said during a meeting of the Idaho COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Committee.
State officials have detailed plans for distributing the vaccine, and will now have to recalibrate. Health officials said the reason for the reduced amount isn’t clear.
Leeds said the state has received all 13,950 doses they expected this week. Nearly 1,000 people have been vaccinated so far. Healthcare workers who have direct contact with COVID-19 patients are receiving the initial doses.
The vaccine Idaho has received so far is from Pfizer-BioNTech.
Officials during the meeting said the state could get another 28,000 doses from a different company next week.
The Food and Drug Administration was evaluating a shot developed by Moderna Inc. and the National Institutes of Health and was expected to give it the green light soon, clearing the way for its use to begin as early as Monday.
Moderna’s vaccine is easier to handle, since it does not need to be kept at ultra-frozen temperatures like the Pfizer-BioNTech shot. Both require two doses for full protection.
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare said the virus has infected more than 126,000 residents and killed 1,259.
The Vaccine Advisory Committee has set up a priority list for groups of people to get the vaccine. On Friday, the committee made some slight shifts in the priority for workers getting the vaccine.
In general, healthcare workers who come in direct contact with COVID-19 patients are followed on the list by outpatient staff essential for maintaining hospital capacity. Others high on the list include staff at long-term care facilities, home-care providers, and emergency medical responders.
Residents of long-term care facilities are also in the initial category of those receiving the shots. Older adults are much more susceptible to serious illness or death from the virus.
The next category eligible to get the vaccine is essential workers. That category leads off with firefighters and police, followed by school teachers and daycare workers.
Prison workers, workers in the food processing industry, and workers at grocery stores and convenience stores are also on that list.


washingtontimes--2020-12-18--'First Cow' named 2020's best film by New York Film Critics

NEW YORK ( AP ) - The New York Film Critics Circle on Friday voted Kelly Reichardt ’ s Western fable “ First Cow ” the best film of 2020 , while also giving special honors to Spike Lee and the art-house distributor Kino Lorber for their roles in a movie year deeply marred by the pandemic .
The film critics , assembling virtually , gave its top award to “ First Cow , ” a delicate tale of friendship and capitalism in mid-1800s Oregon Territory .
Reichardt ’ s film , released in theaters in March just days before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ close nationwide , hasn ’ t been widely seen but remains one of the year ’ s most critically acclaimed film .
The Associated Press also named “ First Cow ” its No .
1 film .
The critics also gave out awards to “ Borat Subsequent Movie Film ” co-star Maria Bakalova for best supporting actress , and Chadwick Boseman for best supporting actor , for his final performance in the August Wilson adaptation “ Ma Rainey ’ s Black Bottom.
” Boseman died in August .
Best actor went to Delroy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ War veteran in Spike Lee ’ s “ Da Five Bloods.
” Best actress was given to Sidney Flanigan who plays a Pennsylvania teenager who travels to New York for an abortion in “ Never Rarely Sometimes Always.
” Eliza Hittman , who wrote and directed “ Never Rarely Sometimes Always , ” won best screenplay .
Chloe Zhao , the filmmaker of “ Nomadland , ” took best director .
Spike Lee released two features in 2020 - “ Da Five Bloods ” and “ David Byrne ’ s American Utopia ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ award for a three-minute short he released on Instagram : “ New York New York , ” a brief documentary tribute to his home city , made during the pandemic ’ s first wave .
The group ’ s other special citation went to Kino Lorber for creating the virtual cinema service Kino Marquee , which shares proceeds with independent theaters closed by COVID-19 .
The critics pointedly said the honor was for a service “ designed to help support movie theaters , not destroy them.
” The New York Film Critics Circle @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of critics group honors that can occasionally influence awards season .
Such awards would typically be a drumbeat this time of year , but little is normal about this year ’ s awards season .
The Oscars and the Golden Globes , along with many other awards shows , postponed by about two months .
Other NYFCC picks include : “ Time ” for best non-fiction film ; “ Bacurau ” for best foreign language film ; “ The Forty-Year-Old Version ” for best first film ; “ Wolfwalkers ” for best animated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Small Axe ” for best cinematography .

NEW YORK (AP) - The New York Film Critics Circle on Friday voted Kelly Reichardt’s Western fable “First Cow” the best film of 2020, while also giving special honors to Spike Lee and the art-house distributor Kino Lorber for their roles in a movie year deeply marred by the pandemic.
The film critics, assembling virtually, gave its top award to “First Cow,” a delicate tale of friendship and capitalism in mid-1800s Oregon Territory. Reichardt’s film, released in theaters in March just days before the onset of COVID-19 forced cinemas to close nationwide, hasn’t been widely seen but remains one of the year’s most critically acclaimed film. The Associated Press also named “First Cow” its No. 1 film.
The critics also gave out awards to “Borat Subsequent Movie Film” co-star Maria Bakalova for best supporting actress, and Chadwick Boseman for best supporting actor, for his final performance in the August Wilson adaptation “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” Boseman died in August.
Best actor went to Delroy Lindo for his performance as a Vietnam War veteran in Spike Lee’s “Da Five Bloods.” Best actress was given to Sidney Flanigan who plays a Pennsylvania teenager who travels to New York for an abortion in “Never Rarely Sometimes Always.” Eliza Hittman, who wrote and directed “Never Rarely Sometimes Always,” won best screenplay. Chloe Zhao, the filmmaker of “Nomadland,” took best director.
Spike Lee released two features in 2020 - “Da Five Bloods” and “David Byrne’s American Utopia” - but he was given a special award for a three-minute short he released on Instagram: “New York New York,” a brief documentary tribute to his home city, made during the pandemic’s first wave.
The group’s other special citation went to Kino Lorber for creating the virtual cinema service Kino Marquee, which shares proceeds with independent theaters closed by COVID-19. The critics pointedly said the honor was for a service “designed to help support movie theaters, not destroy them.”
The New York Film Critics Circle Awards are usually part of a wave of critics group honors that can occasionally influence awards season. Such awards would typically be a drumbeat this time of year, but little is normal about this year’s awards season. The Oscars and the Golden Globes, along with many other awards shows, postponed by about two months.
Other NYFCC picks include: “Time” for best non-fiction film; “Bacurau” for best foreign language film; “The Forty-Year-Old Version” for best first film; “Wolfwalkers” for best animated film; and the five-film anthology “Small Axe” for best cinematography.


washingtontimes--2020-12-18--Amazon announces plans for South Dakota fulfillment center

SIOUX FALLS , S.D .
( AP ) - Amazon announced Friday that it plans to open a fulfillment center @ @ @ @ @ expected to bring 1,000 full-time jobs to the area .
The 640,000-square-foot fulfillment center is @ @ @ @ @ in South Dakota .
Amazon.com said in a news release that the center is expected @ @ @ @ @ The fulfillment center will have robotics working alongside employees to pick , pack and ship @ @ @ @ @ The jobs are expected to start at $ 15 per hour , and include benefits @ @ @ @ @ to have been selected by Amazon as their next fulfillment center location .
Amazon ’ @ @ @ @ @ our community reflects the company ’ s confidence in Sioux Falls ’ economic climate and @ @ @ @ @ Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken said in a statement .
U.S. Sen. John Thune said that @ @ @ @ @ , the center will bring millions of investment dollars to the city of Sioux Falls @ @ @ @

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) - Amazon announced Friday that it plans to open a fulfillment center in Sioux Falls that is expected to bring 1,000 full-time jobs to the area.
The 640,000-square-foot fulfillment center is the company’s first in South Dakota. Amazon.com said in a news release that the center is expected to open in 2022.
The fulfillment center will have robotics working alongside employees to pick, pack and ship small items to customers. The jobs are expected to start at $15 per hour, and include benefits.
“We are proud to have been selected by Amazon as their next fulfillment center location. Amazon’s decision to invest in our community reflects the company’s confidence in Sioux Falls’ economic climate and excellent workforce,” Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken said in a statement.
U.S. Sen. John Thune said that in addition to high-paying jobs, the center will bring millions of investment dollars to the city of Sioux Falls and the region.


washingtontimes--2020-12-18--Brian Kemp, Georgia governor, lashes out over election attacks

ATLANTA — Georgia Gov .
Brian Kemp is blasting attacks on his wife and daughters by people who want him to overturn Joe Biden ’ s victory in Georgia and says conspiracy theories about the election need to stop .
President Donald Trump has excoriated Kemp for not calling a special legislative session to give him the state ’ s electoral votes .
Kemp on Thursday did not blame Trump for the attacks on his family and him , but said “ people need to deal with facts , ” news outlets reported .
“ If anybody has an issue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they can come to me , and I will talk to them about it , ” Kemp said , according to WSB-TV .
“ They don ’ t need to bother my wife and my children or another elected official ’ s wife and children .
I can assure you I can handle myself .
And if they ’ re brave enough to come out from underneath that keyboard or behind it , we can have a little conversation if they would like to.
” The Republican governor said his children have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ daughter Lucy has received hate-filled messages with wild conspiracies about the death of her longtime boyfriend , Harrison Deal , who was killed in a traffic accident this month west of Savannah .
Kemp said his relationship with Trump is “ fine ” and though he understood the president ’ s frustration , he had to follow the laws and Constitution of Georgia .

ATLANTA — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is blasting attacks on his wife and daughters by people who want him to overturn Joe Biden’s victory in Georgia and says conspiracy theories about the election need to stop.
President Donald Trump has excoriated Kemp for not calling a special legislative session to give him the state’s electoral votes. Kemp on Thursday did not blame Trump for the attacks on his family and him, but said “people need to deal with facts,” news outlets reported.
“If anybody has an issue with something I’ve done, they can come to me, and I will talk to them about it,” Kemp said, according to WSB-TV. “They don’t need to bother my wife and my children or another elected official’s wife and children. I can assure you I can handle myself. And if they’re brave enough to come out from underneath that keyboard or behind it, we can have a little conversation if they would like to.”
The Republican governor said his children have been targeted in social media posts. His daughter Lucy has received hate-filled messages with wild conspiracies about the death of her longtime boyfriend, Harrison Deal, who was killed in a traffic accident this month west of Savannah.
Kemp said his relationship with Trump is “fine” and though he understood the president’s frustration, he had to follow the laws and Constitution of Georgia.


washingtontimes--2020-12-18--Irving leads rout of Celtics in return to Boston Garden

Kyrie Irving circled the Boston Garden parquet floor performing an apparent spiritual ritual by waving a burning substance in his hands before tipoff , then proceeded to torch his former team .
After receiving hugs and high-fives at midcourt before tipoff from former teammates Tristan Thompson , Marcus Smart and others , Irving got down to business and handed out some punishment to the Boston Celtics .
He scored 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting and had seven rebounds , five assists and two steals helping the Brooklyn Nets rout the Celtics 113-89 on Friday night in the final preseason game @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a 3-pointer over Semi Ojeleye from the left wing after creating a smidgeon of space with a pump fake .
He drove the lane and knocked down a 15-foot step-back jumper with Jaylen Brown draped over him .
And he delivered a picture-perfect pass to teammate Kevin Durant for another bucket .
Kyrie ’ s mother , Elizabeth Irving , was a member of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and Kyrie was welcomed into the tribe in a 2018 ceremony .
Native Americans practice “ smudging , ” which is a spiritual ritual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and to promote healing and wisdom , ” according to WebMD .
Irving opted out in the summer of 2019 and was heckled persistently when he returned to Boston with the Nets , though he didn ’ t play because of a sore shoulder .
There were no fans in the new Boston Garden on Friday night , and his introduction was greeted with a faint , fake cheer .
At Boston , Kevin Durant was 9 of 16 from the floor and scored 25 points and Caris LeVert had 18 points @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 62-44 halftime lead and didn ’ t look back .
Jarrett Allen had nine points and 11 rebounds in the victory .
“ Those guys are in a good position to start the season , ” coach Steve Nash said of Durant and Irving .
“ Obviously it ’ s not ideal .
But considering what we ’ ve been able to put together here in 18 days , couldn ’ t ask for much more.
” Jayson Tatum had 19 points and Jaylen Brown added 16 but the Celtics couldn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anyone else and continued to struggle without injured point guard Kemba Walker on the court .
In Tampa , Fla. , the Raptors made their debut in their temporary home , but KZ Okpala scored 24 points and Max Strus added 22 as the Heat pulled away in the second half to win .
Okpala and Strus both made six 3 ’ s for Miami .
Precious Achiuwa scored 13 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for the Heat , while Bam Adebayo scored 13 points and Tyler Herro scored 10 .
Miami played @ @ @ @ @ @ @ both Heat preseason games .
Kyle Lowry made his preseason debut and scored 25 points in 27 minutes for the Raptors .
Pascal Siakam scored 14 and Chris Boucher had 11 for Toronto .
A handful of fans were at the game , some waving Canadian flags in tribute .
The Raptors ’ 2019 NBA championship banner was hanging from the rafters when they walked onto the floor of Amalie Arena .
At Indianapolis , the 76ers got 15 points and five assists from Shake Milton and defeated the Pacers without Joel Embiid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ points and eight assists .
Furkah Korkmaz and Dwight Howard each added 14 points for Philadelphia .
Domantas Sabonis had 26 points and 11 rebounds in 26 minutes to lead to the Pacers .
Malcolm Brogdon scored 21 points and Victor Oladipo added 20 for Indiana , which was limited to 37 % percent shooting from the field .
In New York , Immanuel Quickley scored 22 points and Kevin Knox knocked down 6 of 7 3-pointers and finished with 20 points as the Knicks routed the Cavaliers .
New York shot 51.7 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ early .
Quickly and Reggie Bullock combined to hit 6 of 9 3-point attempts in the win .
The Cavaliers got 19 points from Cedi Osman but finished with 21 turnovers while shooting 39.1 % .
At Oklahoma City , Lauri Markkanen had 22 points and Zach Levine added 20 and the Bulls outscored the Thunder 34-13 in the fourth quarter to pull out the win .
Al Horford led the Thunder with 17 points and Aleksej Pokusevski had 12 points and 13 rebounds for Oklahoma City .
The Bulls won despite shooting @ @ @ @ @ @

Kyrie Irving circled the Boston Garden parquet floor performing a spiritual cleansing ritual by waving burning sage in his hands before tipoff, then proceeded to torch his former team.
After receiving hugs and high-fives at midcourt before tipoff from former teammates Tristan Thompson, Marcus Smart and others, the Nets point guard got down to business and handed out some punishment to the Boston Celtics. Irving scored 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting and had seven rebounds, five assists and two steals helping the Nets rout the Celtics 113-89 Friday night in the final preseason game for both teams.
“Coming here is easy,” Irving said. “Basketball’s the easy part. It’s the external stuff.”
Irving’s full game was on display.
He knocked down a 3-pointer over Semi Ojeleye from the left wing after creating a smidgeon of space with a pump fake. He drove the lane and canned a 15-foot step-back jumper with Jaylen Brown draped over him. And he delivered a picture-perfect pass to teammate Kevin Durant for another bucket.
“It’s like going to another day at the job,” Irving said. “I’m grateful to have relationships with guys here.”
Kyrie’s mother, Elizabeth Irving, was a member of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and Kyrie was welcomed into the tribe in a 2018 ceremony. Native Americans practice “smudging,” which is a spiritual ritual to “cleanse a person or space, and to promote healing and wisdom,” according to WebMD.
“Just to cleanse the energy,” Irving said after the game.
Irving opted out in the summer of 2019 and was heckled persistently when he returned to Boston with the Nets, though he didn’t play because of a sore shoulder. There were no fans in the new Boston Garden on Friday night, and his introduction was greeted with a faint, fake cheer.
NETS 113, CELTICS 89
At Boston, Kevin Durant was 9 of 16 from the floor and scored 25 points and Caris LeVert had 18 points as the Nets jumped out to a 62-44 halftime lead and didn’t look back. Jarrett Allen had nine points and 11 rebounds in the victory.
“Those guys are in a good position to start the season,” coach Steve Nash said of Durant and Irving. “Obviously it’s not ideal. But considering what we’ve been able to put together here in 18 days, couldn’t ask for much more.”
Jayson Tatum had 19 points and Jaylen Brown added 16 but the Celtics couldn’t get much of a contribution with from anyone else and continued to struggle without injured point guard Kemba Walker on the court.
HEAT 117, RAPTORS 105
In Tampa, Fla., the Raptors made their debut in their temporary home, but KZ Okpala scored 24 points and Max Strus added 22 as the Heat pulled away in the second half to win.
Okpala and Strus both made six 3’s for Miami. Precious Achiuwa scored 13 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for the Heat, while Bam Adebayo scored 13 points and Tyler Herro scored 10.
Miami played without Jimmy Butler, who sat out both Heat preseason games.
Kyle Lowry made his preseason debut and scored 25 points in 27 minutes for the Raptors. Pascal Siakam scored 14 and Chris Boucher had 11 for Toronto. A handful of fans were at the game, some waving Canadian flags in tribute.
The Raptors’ 2019 NBA championship banner was hanging from the rafters when they walked onto the floor of Amalie Arena.
76ERS 113, PACERS 107
At Indianapolis, the 76ers got 15 points and five assists from Shake Milton and defeated the Pacers without Joel Embiid. Ben Simmons chipped in with nine points and eight assists.
Furkah Korkmaz and Dwight Howard each added 14 points for Philadelphia.
Domantas Sabonis had 26 points and 11 rebounds in 26 minutes to lead to the Pacers. Malcolm Brogdon scored 21 points and Victor Oladipo added 20 for Indiana, which was limited to 37% percent shooting from the field.
KNICKS 119, CAVALIERS 83
In New York, Immanuel Quickley scored 22 points and Kevin Knox knocked down 6 of 7 3-pointers and finished with 20 points as the Knicks routed the Cavaliers.
New York shot 51.7% from 3-point range to run away early. Quickly and Reggie Bullock combined to hit 6 of 9 3-point attempts in the win.
The Cavaliers got 19 points from Cedi Osman but finished with 21 turnovers while shooting 39.1%.
BULLS 105, THUNDER 103
At Oklahoma City, Lauri Markkanen had 22 points and Zach LaVine added 20 and the Bulls outscored the Thunder 34-13 in the fourth quarter to pull out the win.
Al Horford led the Thunder with 17 points and Aleksej Pokusevski had 12 points and 13 rebounds for Oklahoma City.
The Bulls won despite shooting 26.8% from 3-point range.
PELICANS 127, BUCKS 113
At New Orleans, Kris Middleton made 9 of 16 shots and finished with 29 points, but the Bucks still lost to the Pelicans without Giannis Antetokounmpo, who sat out with a sore back.
Zion Williamson was dominant with 31 points and nine rebounds for the Pelicans, creating even more anticipation for the start of his second NBA season. Lonzo Ball had 19 points and eight assists and Eric Bledsoe added 14 points to help lead the Pelicans to a strong outing in their final preseason game.
“It’s just tight, just a little bit of starting camp and getting in shape and all kind of the normal stuff,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said of Antetokounmpo’s back. “I think we’re very hopeful it will resolve and not be any issue.”
NUGGETS 129, TRAIL BLAZERS 96
At Denver, the Nuggets got 24 points from Paul Millsap and 20 points and nine rebounds from Michael Porter Jr. in a rout of the Trail Blazers.
Millsap was 9 of 13 from the field and Nuggets had just nine turnovers. Bol Bol had a big game for Denver with 16 points and eight rebounds. Nikola Jokic scored 14 points and six rebounds in just 16 minutes of action in his final tuneup before the start of the regular season.
C.J. McCollum led the Blazers with 26 points on 8-of-20 shooting and Gary Trent Jr. added 18 points in the loss.
LAKERS 114, SUNS 113
At Phoenix, Anthony Davis scored 35 points, LeBron James added 20 and Los Angeles finished the preseason undefeated with a win over the Suns..
Davis shot 11 of 16 from the field, including 6 of 7 from 3-point range. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 15 points for the Lakers.
The Suns were winless in four preseason games. Devin Booker led Phoenix with 27 points.
The Suns jumped out to a 39-21 lead in the first quarter and led by as many 21 points during the first half. But the reigning NBA champs slowly cut into the deficit, pulling within 69-56 at halftime and 92-91 by the end of the third quarter when Davis hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
New Suns point guard Chris Paul, who was acquired in a trade with the Thunder last month, missed the game because of right ankle soreness.
___
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washingtontimes--2020-12-18--Devon Dalio, son of billionaire Ray Dalio, dies in car crash

GREENWICH , Conn. ( AP ) - Devon Dalio , the 42-year-old son of hedge fund founder Ray Dalio , died in a car crash this week , a family spokesperson said Friday .
The family spokesperson confirmed the death in a Thursday afternoon crash to Hearst Connecticut Media .
An Audi had crashed into a Verizon store at a shopping center and burst into flames , Greenwich police and Fire Chief Joseph McHugh said .
The cause of the crash is still under investigation , Greenwich Police Department Public Information Officer Mark Zuccerella said .
The Verizon store was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In a tweet , Ray Dalio - the billionaire founder of Westport , Connecticut ’ s Bridgewater Associates , known as the world ’ s largest hedge fund - said his family was “ mourning and processing and would prefer to be incommunicado for the time being.
” “ We know that the terrible pain we are feeling has been and continues to be felt by so many others so our sympathies go out to them , ” he said in a follow-up tweet .
“ May God be with you and may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this time of year.
” According to Devon Dalio ’ s LinkedIn page , he worked as a project manager at Bridgewater Associates .
He also served as a board member of the Dalio Foundation , according to the foundation ’ s tax filings .
In addition to his parents Ray and Barbara Dalio , he ’ s survived by a wife , daughter and three brothers , the newspaper reported .
Connecticut Gov .
Ned Lamont , a Greenwich resident , released a statement in which he said he was “ devastated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ death .
“ As parents , we can not imagine the grief and sadness of their loss , ” Lamont said .
“ Our prayers are with Ray and Barbara , who have been champions for Connecticut ’ s children .
”

GREENWICH, Conn. (AP) - Devon Dalio, the 42-year-old son of hedge fund founder Ray Dalio, died in a car crash this week, a family spokesperson said Friday.
The family spokesperson confirmed the death in a Thursday afternoon crash to Hearst Connecticut Media. An Audi had crashed into a Verizon store at a shopping center and burst into flames, Greenwich police and Fire Chief Joseph McHugh said.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation, Greenwich Police Department Public Information Officer Mark Zuccerella said. The Verizon store was largely destroyed, the newspaper reported.
In a tweet, Ray Dalio - the billionaire founder of Westport, Connecticut’s Bridgewater Associates, known as the world’s largest hedge fund - said his family was “mourning and processing and would prefer to be incommunicado for the time being.”
“We know that the terrible pain we are feeling has been and continues to be felt by so many others so our sympathies go out to them,” he said in a follow-up tweet. “May God be with you and may you cherish your blessings, especially at this time of year.”
According to Devon Dalio’s LinkedIn page, he worked as a project manager at Bridgewater Associates. He also served as a board member of the Dalio Foundation, according to the foundation’s tax filings. In addition to his parents Ray and Barbara Dalio, he’s survived by a wife, daughter and three brothers, the newspaper reported.
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, a Greenwich resident, released a statement in which he said he was “devastated” by the Devon Dalio’s death.
“As parents, we cannot imagine the grief and sadness of their loss,” Lamont said. “Our prayers are with Ray and Barbara, who have been champions for Connecticut’s children.”


washingtontimes--2020-12-18--Hitler parody video circulates among San Diego police

SAN DIEGO ( AP ) - The San Diego Police Department is investigating after a video clip depicting Adolf Hitler but containing insults about the city ’ s gay mayor and other leaders circulated among department members .
The department launched an internal investigation after the “ extremely disturbing and offensive ” video surfaced on Saturday , a police spokesman , Lt. Shawn Takeuchi , told the San Diego Union-Tribune .
Several people who received it via text notified their supervisors , he said .
The video clip is from the 2004 film “ Downfall , ” which depicts Hitler @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of World War II .
But subtitles were added that “ negatively portrays the community and department leadership , ” Takeuchi said .
“ The video also makes a homophobic comment regarding the mayor.
” Todd Gloria , who took office on Dec. 10 , is San Diego ’ s first openly gay mayor .
Takeuchi said the video was an angry reaction to an investigation ordered by Police Chief David Nisleit after five police officers were photographed last week inside a La Jolla coffee shop , apparently violating a county ban on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ The department will not tolerate hateful speech of any kind , ” he said .
“ If the video was created by a department member , Chief Nisleit will take swift action .
This is not who we are as a department .
This is not who we are as San Diegans .
”

SAN DIEGO (AP) - The San Diego Police Department is investigating after a video clip depicting Adolf Hitler but containing insults about the city’s gay mayor and other leaders circulated among department members.
The department launched an internal investigation after the “extremely disturbing and offensive” video surfaced on Saturday, a police spokesman, Lt. Shawn Takeuchi, told the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Several people who received it via text notified their supervisors, he said.
The video clip is from the 2004 film “Downfall,” which depicts Hitler and his staff in the final days of World War II. But subtitles were added that “negatively portrays the community and department leadership,” Takeuchi said. “The video also makes a homophobic comment regarding the mayor.”
Todd Gloria, who took office on Dec. 10, is San Diego’s first openly gay mayor.
Takeuchi said the video was an angry reaction to an investigation ordered by Police Chief David Nisleit after five police officers were photographed last week inside a La Jolla coffee shop, apparently violating a county ban on in-person dining because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“The department will not tolerate hateful speech of any kind,” he said. “If the video was created by a department member, Chief Nisleit will take swift action. This is not who we are as a department. This is not who we are as San Diegans.”


washingtontimes--2020-12-18--Montana regulators force $285M cleanup bond on coal company

BILLINGS , Mont .
( AP ) - Montana environmental regulators have forced the owners of a power plant to provide a $ 285 million cleanup bond , a move some local organizations hailed as a victory for conservation .
But Talen Energy , the owner of the Colstrip Power Plant , filed an objection Thursday to dispute the regulators ’ decision , calling it “ grossly excessive.
” There is disagreement between Talen and the environmental community as to whether the 6.7 million cubic yards ( 5.1 million cubic meters ) of toxic coal ash in the facility should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported .
Talen wrote in its objection that the state environmental regulators picked the “ most expensive and invasive remedy ” when there are other options at lower costs .
The Northern Plains Resource Council has long advocated for completely removing the coal ash and storing it in a landfill away from groundwater .
The group has also said the large-scale cleanup would create jobs for residents in the area .
“ This is another example of a corporation trying to serve its bottom line , regardless of what ’ s good for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Clint McRae , a rancher and member of the council who lives outside Colstrip .
“ The science is clear on this one .
Excavation is the only way to ensure clean water for the future of Colstrip .
Talen ’ s decision is a major blow to adjacent landowners and agriculture , and puts a lot of cleanup jobs at risk .
”

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) - Montana environmental regulators have forced the owners of a power plant to provide a $285 million cleanup bond, a move some local organizations hailed as a victory for conservation.
But Talen Energy, the owner of the Colstrip Power Plant, filed an objection Thursday to dispute the regulators’ decision, calling it “grossly excessive.”
There is disagreement between Talen and the environmental community as to whether the 6.7 million cubic yards (5.1 million cubic meters) of toxic coal ash in the facility should be completely removed, the Billings Gazette reported.
Talen wrote in its objection that the state environmental regulators picked the “most expensive and invasive remedy” when there are other options at lower costs.
The Northern Plains Resource Council has long advocated for completely removing the coal ash and storing it in a landfill away from groundwater. The group has also said the large-scale cleanup would create jobs for residents in the area.
“This is another example of a corporation trying to serve its bottom line, regardless of what’s good for workers or the community,” said Clint McRae, a rancher and member of the council who lives outside Colstrip.
“The science is clear on this one. Excavation is the only way to ensure clean water for the future of Colstrip. Talen’s decision is a major blow to adjacent landowners and agriculture, and puts a lot of cleanup jobs at risk.”


washingtontimes--2020-12-18--Rare inquest held into man's shooting by LA County deputy

LOS ANGELES ( AP ) - The Los Angeles County coroner ’ s department will hold a rare inquest into the death of a man who was shot by a sheriff ’ s deputy during a chase as he jumped a fence with a gun in his hand , the office announced Friday .
A retired judge will oversee next month ’ s hearing into the Oct. 16 killing of Fred Williams III , the Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner said .
It would be only the second time in more than 30 years that such an inquest has been held @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Willowbrook neighborhood after he was spotted with a gun in a group of people and ran from sheriff ’ s deputies who were patrolling an area where there had been a recent shooting that killed two teenage boys , authorities said .
Video from a deputy-worn body camera showed Williams being shot after he climbed on top of a backyard shed and jumped a fence into another yard .
The deputy who fired radioed that Williams had pointed a gun at him .
“ We see the video , we all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shot in the back , ” Williams ’ father , Fred Williams Jr. , told the Los Angeles Times after the Sheriff ’ s Department released the video in October .
“ The video clearly shows there was never a gun pointed in ( the deputy ’ s ) direction.
” The coroner ’ s office initially said that Williams died from a gunshot wound to the back .
Last month , the coroner ’ s office began an inquest into the deputy-involved death of Andres Guardado , 18 .
Guardado was shot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after deputies said they saw him with a gun near a Gardena auto shop and he ran .
Guardado ’ s family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the county , the Sheriff ’ s Department and deputies involved in the shooting .
“ As with the previous inquest , this proceeding supports the department ’ s mission and purpose to provide independent , evidence-based death investigations , addresses the public ’ s interest in the death , and is in accord with a motion approved by the Board of Supervisors , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ The department will subpoena relevant witnesses to testify and documents to present at the inquest .
After hearing testimony , the hearing officer will make findings related to the cause and manner of death , ” the statement said .

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The Los Angeles County coroner’s department will hold a rare inquest into the death of a man who was shot by a sheriff’s deputy during a chase as he jumped a fence with a gun in his hand, the office announced Friday.
A retired judge will oversee next month’s hearing into the Oct. 16 killing of Fred Williams III, the Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner said.
It would be only the second time in more than 30 years that such an inquest has been held.
Williams, 25, was shot in the Willowbrook neighborhood after he was spotted with a gun in a group of people and ran from sheriff’s deputies who were patrolling an area where there had been a recent shooting that killed two teenage boys, authorities said.
Video from a deputy-worn body camera showed Williams being shot after he climbed on top of a backyard shed and jumped a fence into another yard.
The deputy who fired radioed that Williams had pointed a gun at him.
“We see the video, we all see the video, and he was shot in the back,” Williams’ father, Fred Williams Jr., told the Los Angeles Times after the Sheriff’s Department released the video in October. “The video clearly shows there was never a gun pointed in (the deputy’s) direction.”
The coroner’s office initially said that Williams died from a gunshot wound to the back.
Last month, the coroner’s office began an inquest into the deputy-involved death of Andres Guardado, 18.
Guardado was shot five times in the back in June after deputies said they saw him with a gun near a Gardena auto shop and he ran. Guardado’s family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the county, the Sheriff’s Department and deputies involved in the shooting.
“As with the previous inquest, this proceeding supports the department’s mission and purpose to provide independent, evidence-based death investigations, addresses the public’s interest in the death, and is in accord with a motion approved by the Board of Supervisors,” a coroner’s department statement said.
“The department will subpoena relevant witnesses to testify and documents to present at the inquest. After hearing testimony, the hearing officer will make findings related to the cause and manner of death,” the statement said.


washingtontimes--2020-12-18--Appeals court blocks San Diego restaurant reopenings

SAN DIEGO — A California appeals court has blocked a judge ’ s order that allowed San Diego County restaurants @ @ @ @ @ dining .
The brief order issued Friday by the Fourth Appellate Court keeps Gov .
@ @ @ @ @ edict in full effect .
The three-judge panel gave no explanation for its decision , @ @ @ @ @ requested emergency intervention with California ’ s health care system “ on the brink of @ @ @ @ @ a judge in San Diego allowed thousands of restaurants to offer full service .
Those @ @ @ @ @ have to go back to just takeout and delivery .

SAN DIEGO — A California appeals court has blocked a judge’s order that allowed San Diego County restaurants to resume indoor and outdoor dining.
The brief order issued Friday by the Fourth Appellate Court keeps Gov. Gavin Newsom’s stay-at-home edict in full effect.
The three-judge panel gave no explanation for its decision, which came after the state requested emergency intervention with California’s health care system “on the brink of collapse.”
On Wednesday, a judge in San Diego allowed thousands of restaurants to offer full service. Those that resumed dining service will have to go back to just takeout and delivery.


washingtontimes--2020-12-18--California inmate dies naturally after 37 years on death row

SACRAMENTO , Calif. ( AP ) - A California inmate condemned to death nearly four decades ago for killing a police officer died Friday of natural causes at age 71 , prison officials said .
James Odle died at an outside hospital 37 years after he was sent to the nation ’ s largest death row at San Quentin State Prison , which has 709 condemned inmates .
California hasn ’ t executed anyone since 2006 .
Gov .
Gavin Newsom has halted executions so long as he is governor .
Odle was sentenced to death in Contra Costa County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Rena Aguilar and Pinole Police Officer Floyd “ Bernie ” Swartz .
He also was convicted of vehicle theft , assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer and weapons possession .
According to the state Supreme Court , Odle beat Aguilar with a tire iron , stabbed and strangled her because he was afraid she would “ snitch ” that he had stolen a van that he and others used for a day-long beer-drinking party .
Bystanders found her crying for help , partially propped up against a stack of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ house .
She died at a hospital .
Swartz died three days later when he was hit by a single bullet from Odle ‘ s sawed-off rifle during the first of two shootouts with police before Odle was arrested .

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - A California inmate condemned to death nearly four decades ago for killing a police officer died Friday of natural causes at age 71, prison officials said.
James Odle died at an outside hospital 37 years after he was sent to the nation’s largest death row at San Quentin State Prison, which has 709 condemned inmates.
California hasn’t executed anyone since 2006. Gov. Gavin Newsom has halted executions so long as he is governor.
Odle was sentenced to death in Contra Costa County in August 1983 for the first-degree murders of Rena Aguilar and Pinole Police Officer Floyd “Bernie” Swartz.
He also was convicted of vehicle theft, assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer and weapons possession.
According to the state Supreme Court, Odle beat Aguilar with a tire iron, stabbed and strangled her because he was afraid she would “snitch” that he had stolen a van that he and others used for a day-long beer-drinking party.
Bystanders found her crying for help, partially propped up against a stack of newspapers on the front porch of a house. She died at a hospital.
Swartz died three days later when he was hit by a single bullet from Odle’s sawed-off rifle during the first of two shootouts with police before Odle was arrested.


washingtontimes--2020-12-18--NY neighborhood gets historical race restrictions off deeds

BRIGHTON , N.Y. ( AP ) - An effort from a neighborhood group in a western New York town to correct historical discrimination has led to the amending of close to 300 home deeds to remove the original 1929 racial restrictions that barred home sales to buyers who weren ’ t white .
The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reported Friday that the CORD Initiative , which stands for Confronting Our Racist Deeds and was formed earlier this year , had filed for the amendment to be made in the deeds of homes in the Meadowbrook neighborhood of Brighton , New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were originally written close to a century ago with the line , “ No lot or dwelling shall be sold to or occupied by a colored person.
” Those types of restrictive covenants were used regularly around the country in the earlier parts of the 20th century .
While it has been decades since racial covenants have been enforceable , the language still being in place inspired the group ’ s efforts .
“ The reality is that the impact of these deed restrictions is felt for generations , ” Johnita Anthony , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In order to have the change made , the group needed signatures from 75 % of the 288 homeowners in the neighborhood .
On a website the group created to help other communities if they want to make similar efforts , CORD said it met and exceeded that goal through signing events and an education campaign for the community .
It also raised funds to cover the fees for the filing .
Brighton Town Supervisor Bill Moehle praised the effort , saying the group “ has shown real grassroots leadership in organizing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ neighborhood deeds .
”

BRIGHTON, N.Y. (AP) - An effort from a neighborhood group in a western New York town to correct historical discrimination has led to the amending of close to 300 home deeds to remove the original 1929 racial restrictions that barred home sales to buyers who weren’t white.
The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reported Friday that the CORD Initiative, which stands for Confronting Our Racist Deeds and was formed earlier this year, had filed for the amendment to be made in the deeds of homes in the Meadowbrook neighborhood of Brighton, New York, near Rochester.
The deeds were originally written close to a century ago with the line, “No lot or dwelling shall be sold to or occupied by a colored person.”
Those types of restrictive covenants were used regularly around the country in the earlier parts of the 20th century.
While it has been decades since racial covenants have been enforceable, the language still being in place inspired the group’s efforts.
“The reality is that the impact of these deed restrictions is felt for generations,” Johnita Anthony, a member of the group, said.
In order to have the change made, the group needed signatures from 75% of the 288 homeowners in the neighborhood.
On a website the group created to help other communities if they want to make similar efforts, CORD said it met and exceeded that goal through signing events and an education campaign for the community. It also raised funds to cover the fees for the filing.
Brighton Town Supervisor Bill Moehle praised the effort, saying the group “has shown real grassroots leadership in organizing to eliminate racist restrictive covenants from their neighborhood deeds.”


washingtontimes--2020-12-18--Asia Today: Sydney beach suburbs in lockdown as cases rise

SYDNEY ( AP ) - Sydney ’ s northern beaches will enter a lockdown similar to the one imposed during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March as a cluster of cases in the area increased to 41 .
From late Saturday afternoon until midnight Wednesday , residents will only be permitted to leave their homes for five basic reasons : medical care , exercise , grocery shop , work or for compassionate care reasons .
An additional 23 cases were recorded in the 24 hours , including 10 already announced , taking the new cases to 41 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the so-called Avalon cluster , named after a community of about 10,000 people on the northern beaches about 40 kilometers ( 25 miles ) from downtown Sydney .
New South Wales state Premier Gladys Berejiklian says the restrictions are essential if Sydney has any hope of a semi-normal Christmas .
“ We ’ re hoping that will give us sufficient time to get on top of the virus , so that we can then ease up for Christmas and the New Year , ” she said .
The new cases came as health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sydney ’ s northern beaches to get tested and isolate immediately .
The gym adds to a lengthy list of venues , including a lawn bowling club , visited by confirmed cases published by authorities on Friday .
Other states acted to prevent the cases jumping borders , with more barriers for New South Wales residents put in place by Western Australia , Victoria , Queensland , Tasmania and the Northern Territory .
Most of those involved 14-day quarantine periods for people from the northern beaches who travel to those states .
Elsewhere @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lines snaked around coronavirus testing sites in the South Korean capital of Seoul , as the country reported another 1,053 cases , the fourth straight day of over 1,000 .
The viral resurgence has raised questions about the government ’ s handling of the outbreak .
Authorities are still deciding whether to increase social distancing to maximum levels , fearing it may further strain the economy .
The numbers released by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Saturday brought the national caseload to 48,570 , with nearly 7,000 cases added over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ patients died in the past 24 hours to bring the death toll to 659 .
There are concerns that fatalities will continue to rise because of a shortage of intensive care beds in the hardest-hit Seoul metropolitan area .
The KDCA said at least 275 among 13,577 active patients are in serious or critical condition , the most since the emergence of the pandemic .
Officials say at least six have died at their homes or long-term care facilities because hospitals ran out of beds .
Thousands of people have been lining up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ City Hall and other public spaces as health authorities expand a massive testing program to detect more virus carriers .
Authorities are temporarily providing free tests to anyone in the capital area regardless of whether they have symptoms or clear reasons to suspect infection .

SYDNEY (AP) - Sydney’s northern beaches will enter a lockdown similar to the one imposed during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March as a cluster of cases in the area increased to 41.
From late Saturday afternoon until midnight Wednesday, residents will only be permitted to leave their homes for five basic reasons: medical care, exercise, grocery shop, work or for compassionate care reasons.
An additional 23 cases were recorded in the 24 hours, including 10 already announced, taking the new cases to 41. All but two of those are from the so-called Avalon cluster, named after a community of about 10,000 people on the northern beaches about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from downtown Sydney.
New South Wales state Premier Gladys Berejiklian says the restrictions are essential if Sydney has any hope of a semi-normal Christmas.
“We’re hoping that will give us sufficient time to get on top of the virus, so that we can then ease up for Christmas and the New Year,” she said.
The new cases came as health officials asked hundreds of gym goers on Sydney’s northern beaches to get tested and isolate immediately. The gym adds to a lengthy list of venues, including a lawn bowling club, visited by confirmed cases published by authorities on Friday.
Other states acted to prevent the cases jumping borders, with more barriers for New South Wales residents put in place by Western Australia, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania and the Northern Territory. Most of those involved 14-day quarantine periods for people from the northern beaches who travel to those states.
Elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region:
- Thailand has reported more than 500 new coronavirus cases, the country’s highest daily tally. The 548 new cases, most of them connected with an outbreak at a wholesale seafood market on the outskirts of Bangkok, come after the country saw only a small number of infections over the past several months due to strict border and quarantine controls. Health officials said 516 of the new cases were found in connection with the outbreak at the Klang Koong shrimp market in Samut Sakhon province. The first case at the market was confirmed on Thursday, followed by 13 more on Friday. Samut Sakhon Gov. Veerasak Vichitsangsri said late Saturday that strict measures, including a 10 p.m.-5 a.m. curfew, will be taken in the province to combat the outbreak. The restrictions will be in effect until Jan. 3.
- Long lines snaked around coronavirus testing sites in the South Korean capital of Seoul, as the country reported another 1,053 cases, the fourth straight day of over 1,000. The viral resurgence has raised questions about the government’s handling of the outbreak. Authorities are still deciding whether to increase social distancing to maximum levels, fearing it may further strain the economy. The numbers released by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency on Saturday brought the national caseload to 48,570, with nearly 7,000 cases added over the past week alone. Fourteen COVID-19 patients died in the past 24 hours to bring the death toll to 659. There are concerns that fatalities will continue to rise because of a shortage of intensive care beds in the hardest-hit Seoul metropolitan area. The KDCA said at least 275 among 13,577 active patients are in serious or critical condition, the most since the emergence of the pandemic. Officials say at least six have died at their homes or long-term care facilities because hospitals ran out of beds. Thousands of people have been lining up at testing centers in front of Seoul City Hall and other public spaces as health authorities expand a massive testing program to detect more virus carriers. Authorities are temporarily providing free tests to anyone in the capital area regardless of whether they have symptoms or clear reasons to suspect infection.
- India’s coronavirus cases have crossed 10 million with new infections dipping to their lowest levels in three months, as the country prepares for a massive COVID-19 vaccination in the new year. Additional cases in the past 24 hours dropped to 25,152 from a peak of nearly 100,000 in mid-September. The epidemic has infected nearly 1% of India’s more than 1.3 billion people, second to the worst-hit United States. A government health expert says India is keeping its fingers crossed as the cases tend to increase in winter months. India is home to some of the world’s biggest vaccine-makers and there are five vaccine candidates under different phases of trial in the country. India aims to provide vaccines to 250 million people by July 2021.
- China says it will soon begin coronavirus inoculations for workers in health care, transport and border control. The vice minister of the National Health Commission says the government is prioritizing those most at risk. Workers in logistics and in markets selling fresh meat and seafood would also be placed higher on the list of those receiving vaccines, along with the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions. Vaccines produced by Chinese companies are now pending approval in Turkey, Indonesia and Brazil, as manufacturers continue testing the vaccines in more than a dozen countries including Russia, Egypt and Mexico. The United Arab Emirates last week announced the vaccine was 86% effective in the first public release of such information. Even before final market approval, more than a million people have received vaccine shots in a program critics say has not been transparent about safety, efficacy or scientific merit.
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