washingtontimes--2020-12-10--Mexico president wants central bank to buy up dirty cash

MEXICO CITY ( AP ) - The party of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador raised a storm of criticism Thursday with legislation aimed at forcing Mexico ’ s central bank to be buyer of last resort for all the U.S. cash that enters the country .
The Bank of Mexico and opposition groups expressed concern such a requirement would violate the bank ’ s autonomy and also leave it open to acquiring dirty cash from drug cartels .
The bill comes amid a series of legislative moves by López Obrador that have both unnerved the business community and sought to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Mexico .
The measure was approved late Wednesday by the Senate and must still be approved by the lower house of Congress .
López Obrador ’ s Morena party says it is meant to ensure migrants can send money home in cash .
The party says that if foreign cash builds up in Mexico , it might disrupt foreign currency markets and encourage illicit trading in which migrants get worse exchange rates .
But the central bank voiced its opposition in a rare public statement Thursday .
The bank said less than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ send home to their families comes as U.S. dollars or other foreign currency , with the overwhelming majority of remittances handled by bank or wire transfers .
As for other sources of such cash , foreign tourists sometimes spend dollars in Mexico , but there is enormous evidence that Mexican drug cartels ship in huge amounts of dirty cash from U.S. drug sales .
The Bank of Mexico said that in the first nine months of 2020 , the country ’ s private banks were able to either trade or send back to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the $ 4.7 billion in foreign cash that entered the country .
Only about $ 100 million remained stuck in Mexico , it said .
It is that money that López Obrador ’ s party wants the central bank to buy and add to its reserves .
But the bank warned such a move would raise the risk that once private banks knew they could unload all their cash on the central bank , they might start relaxing their anti-money laundering standards and start accepting deposits of dirty cash .
That , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bank of Mexico ‘ s relations with other central banks and lead to other countries imposing restrictions on Mexico ‘ s whole banking sector .
“ The bill will cause substantial risks and impacts ” on the central bank ’ s work , the Bank of Mexico statement said .
The bank also worried that the measure could be a first step toward the government telling it what to do , as was the case in decades past .
From the 1970s to the early 1990s , Mexico lurched from economic crisis to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ corruption and lack of transparency , all enabled by the presidency ’ s complete control over the central bank .
To combat that , the central bank was granted autonomy in 1994 , allowing it to decide free of political influence how to keep inflation and currency markets stable .

MEXICO CITY (AP) - The party of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador raised a storm of criticism Thursday with legislation aimed at forcing Mexico’s central bank to be buyer of last resort for all the U.S. cash that enters the country.
The Bank of Mexico and opposition groups expressed concern such a requirement would violate the bank’s autonomy and also leave it open to acquiring dirty cash from drug cartels.
The bill comes amid a series of legislative moves by López Obrador that have both unnerved the business community and sought to limit anti-drug activities by foreign government agents in Mexico.
The measure was approved late Wednesday by the Senate and must still be approved by the lower house of Congress. López Obrador’s Morena party says it is meant to ensure migrants can send money home in cash. The party says that if foreign cash builds up in Mexico, it might disrupt foreign currency markets and encourage illicit trading in which migrants get worse exchange rates.
But the central bank voiced its opposition in a rare public statement Thursday. The bank said less than 1% of the money that migrants send home to their families comes as U.S. dollars or other foreign currency, with the overwhelming majority of remittances handled by bank or wire transfers.
As for other sources of such cash, foreign tourists sometimes spend dollars in Mexico, but there is enormous evidence that Mexican drug cartels ship in huge amounts of dirty cash from U.S. drug sales.
The Bank of Mexico said that in the first nine months of 2020, the country’s private banks were able to either trade or send back to the U.S. and other countries 98% of the $4.7 billion in foreign cash that entered the country. Only about $100 million remained stuck in Mexico, it said.
It is that money that López Obrador’s party wants the central bank to buy and add to its reserves.
But the bank warned such a move would raise the risk that once private banks knew they could unload all their cash on the central bank, they might start relaxing their anti-money laundering standards and start accepting deposits of dirty cash. That, in turn, could risk tainting the Bank of Mexico’s relations with other central banks and lead to other countries imposing restrictions on Mexico’s whole banking sector.
“The bill will cause substantial risks and impacts” on the central bank’s work, the Bank of Mexico statement said.
The bank also worried that the measure could be a first step toward the government telling it what to do, as was the case in decades past.
From the 1970s to the early 1990s, Mexico lurched from economic crisis to crisis because of excessive government borrowing, corruption and lack of transparency, all enabled by the presidency’s complete control over the central bank. To combat that, the central bank was granted autonomy in 1994, allowing it to decide free of political influence how to keep inflation and currency markets stable.


washingtontimes--2020-12-10--Ken Paxton, Texas AG, served with subpoena amid Supreme Court election challenge: Report

Federal law enforcement officials served a subpoena this week on the office of the Texas attorney general , according to an Austin newspaper .
The FBI , according to a report Thursday in the Austin American Statesman , came Wednesday to the office of Attorney General Ken Paxton in an investigation over claims that Mr. Paxton abused his office by helping a friend and campaign donor .
The paper cited “ three sources ” as saying the request for information was delivered on Mr. Paxton ‘ s office , though they did not know what the FBI sought or got @ @ @ @ @ @ @ subpoena on a state agency , and especially involving the state ’ s top attorney , is a highly unusual move that likely would have required higher level approval from the U.S. Department of Justice , ” the American Statesman wrote .
Earlier this week , Mr. Paxton initiated what likely will be President Trump ’ s last chance to reverse the apparent victory of Democrat Joseph R. Biden in the presidential election — a lawsuit filed directly with the Supreme Court accusing four swing states of having “ tainted ” the election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unconstitutional manner .
The federal case centers on claims by former top Paxton aides that the attorney general used his power to aid Austin investor Nate Paul after an FBI raid on the financier ’ s offices .
The ex-officials sent a letter to the Texas attorney general in October saying they had solicited a federal investigation after Mr. Paxton hired an outside attorney to probe Mr. Paul ’ s claims that the feds had violated his constitutional rights during the raid .
Their letter said Mr. Paxton acted against their recommendation and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s claims and dismissed them .
The letter said they had asked the FBI to investigate such potential crimes as improper influence , abuse of office and bribery .
Mr. Paxton ‘ s office had no comment Thursday to the American Statesman but has denied wrongdoing , claiming he is a “ fierce investigator and defender of individual rights in the face of potentially unreasonable and authoritarian actions .
”

Federal law enforcement officials served a subpoena this week on the office of the Texas attorney general, according to an Austin newspaper.
The FBI, according to a report Thursday in the Austin American Statesman, came Wednesday to the office of Attorney General Ken Paxton in an investigation over claims that Mr. Paxton abused his office by helping a friend and campaign donor.
The paper cited “three sources” as saying the request for information was delivered on Mr. Paxton’s office, though they did not know what the FBI sought or got.
“The issuance of a federal subpoena on a state agency, and especially involving the state’s top attorney, is a highly unusual move that likely would have required higher level approval from the U.S. Department of Justice,” the American Statesman wrote.
Earlier this week, Mr. Paxton initiated what likely will be President Trump’s last chance to reverse the apparent victory of Democrat Joseph R. Biden in the presidential election — a lawsuit filed directly with the Supreme Court accusing four swing states of having “tainted” the election by changing their election laws in an unconstitutional manner.
Legal analysts consider the lawsuit a long shot.
The federal case centers on claims by former top Paxton aides that the attorney general used his power to aid Austin investor Nate Paul after an FBI raid on the financier’s offices.
The ex-officials sent a letter to the Texas attorney general in October saying they had solicited a federal investigation after Mr. Paxton hired an outside attorney to probe Mr. Paul’s claims that the feds had violated his constitutional rights during the raid. Their letter said Mr. Paxton acted against their recommendation and after they already had investigated Mr. Paul’s claims and dismissed them.
The letter said they had asked the FBI to investigate such potential crimes as improper influence, abuse of office and bribery.
Mr. Paxton’s office had no comment Thursday to the American Statesman but has denied wrongdoing, claiming he is a “fierce investigator and defender of individual rights in the face of potentially unreasonable and authoritarian actions.”
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.


Editorial Roundup: Idaho

We are done listening to wrong message from Idaho ’ s pro-virus , anti-mask protesters The behavior of the anti-mask protesters has become unacceptable .
Protesters showed up at the houses of Central District Health board members Diana Lachiondo and Dr. Ted Epperly , and in Lachiondo ’ s case when she wasn ’ t home and her 12-year-old son was home alone .
Anyone who is a parent could identify with the terror in Lachiondo ’ s voice as she tearfully told the board that she had to leave because protesters were at her house with her son there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the hundreds at the Central District Health office to protest any and all actions that might be taken by board members , who had been scheduled to vote on a new health order mandating masks , limiting gatherings to 10 or fewer people , and limiting visits to correctional facilities and long-term care facilities .
It allowed high school sports to continue and basically laid out some pretty loose rules for restaurants , bars and nightclubs while keeping them open .
Many reasonable people are convinced that the health order actually wouldn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ slow the spread of coronavirus .
And yet , here were the anti-maskers , who apparently just won ’ t be happy unless we have absolutely no regulations at all .
They won ’ t stop their faux-patriot temper tantrum unless we have complete and unfettered spread of coronavirus in the community .
Even more than anti-mask , they really seem to be pro-virus .
Out of safety concerns , the Boise police chief and mayor asked the health district to shut down the meeting .
Bravo , anti-maskers , you got what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of debate or discussion .
We ’ re not convinced that authorities did the right thing by kowtowing to protesters and essentially allowing them to shut down government business - which , by the way , they cheered when they heard the meeting was canceled .
To those pro-virus , anti-mask protesters : We hear you .
We ’ ve heard you .
We ’ ve been hearing you loud and clear for the past nine months .
It ’ s not that your message isn ’ t being heard .
It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And that ’ s why the adults in the room aren ’ t listening to you .
They shouldn ’ t listen to you .
Your screeds about gut health and vitamin C , masks causing low oxygen , misinformation and disinformation about COVID-19 and comorbidities , are just nonsense .
Just because an elected body comes to a decision that you disagree with does not mean that you have a right to bully and intimidate them until they finally give into your tactics and make a bad decision for the rest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to talk about how the United States is a republic and not a democracy .
That ’ s correct .
In a democracy , we ’ d all get together in the parking lot , like you ’ re doing , and take a popular vote for every decision made .
But we ’ re not a democracy like that .
We ’ re a democratic republic , as so many of you like to point out .
In a republic , laws are made by representatives who are charged with making thoughtful @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the experts so that they can come to a decision that protects public health .
It ’ s not mob rule , which is what you ’ ve turned this into .
Public officials sometimes make decisions that you may not agree with .
( Now you know how the Democrats feel every January when they come to the Capitol . )
That does not give you the right to intimidate them until they rule in your favor .
And showing up at people ’ s houses to “ protest ” is beyond @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and it certainly doesn ’ t win anyone over to your side of the argument .
In fact , your irresponsible and infantile behavior only proves that the adults in the room should ignore you .
Shouting and spitting in a big group without any masks shows that you ’ re not responsible enough and not worthy to help make decisions for the health of our community .
Your actions , in fact , prove why we need a mask mandate .
You ’ ve had your say .
You sent in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your tirades on social media .
Board members hear you .
Now let them make the right decision for the good of public health and for the sustainability of our health care system .
Gov .
Brad Little , this is what happens when you avoid tough calls and leave major decisions - decisions that you and your team should be making - to these local boards .
We ’ ve seen it at the district health level and the school board level .
Your strategy of pushing decisions off on someone else @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s clearly not working .
At the very least , you need to condemn these actions as forcefully as you can , and you need to tell these pro-virus , anti-mask protesters that they need to abide by the process and heed the decisions made by the people put in this difficult situation , not bully and threaten them .
We can ’ t even hold a virtual meeting safely .
This is not governing .
Who would even want to hold public office after this kind of display ?
We ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrong , and no amount of foot-stomping , pouting , yelling and temper tantrums is going to make you right .
McGeachin ’ s undermining is harmful to safety of Idahoans Lt. Gov .
Janice McGeachin ’ s undermining of Idaho ’ s efforts to confront COVID-19 have gone from puzzling to dangerously irresponsible .
In April , McGeachin spent her time criticizing the governor ’ s actions to mitigate COVID-19 ’ s spread , both in a letter and a rally .
She started May by attending the reopening of a brewery @ @ @ @ @ @ @ governor ’ s phased reopening plan .
The brewery was later fined for violating the emergency order .
Later that month , she distributed an opinion piece further encouraging people to defy public health orders .
In August , McGeachin criticized Gov .
Brad Little ’ s stay-at-home order in a speech given for a rally organized by the John Birch Society in Twin Falls titled “ Freedom is the Cure.
” McGeachin , part of the governor ’ s Coronavirus Financial Advisory Committee , asked for a delay on a vote to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ budget holdbacks in September .
She then skipped the vote entirely .
Based on a Twitter post from the day of the vote , she appeared to attend a fundraiser headlined by Donald Trump Jr. in Stanley , according to IdahoEdNews .
To cap off a chaotic year , McGeachin touted a proposal last month to purchase “ walk-through disinfectant tunnels ” using the state ’ s CARES Act funds .
Multiple studies have said “ disinfection tunnels ” or “ sanitization tunnels ” are dangerous and useless for preventing the spread of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inhaled droplets , according to reporting from the Idaho Press .
She also made several suggestions on nurses and staffing , most of which we found either unhelpful or had already been implemented by the state .
We have scratched our heads all year at McGeachin ’ s actions , but the promotion of debunked science at the expense of people ’ s health ?
Well , that ’ s crossing the line .
“ Being a loose cannon doesn ’ t get you anywhere .
I ’ m all about solving problems @ @ @ @ @ @ @ got into this race .
I care about our state , ” McGeachin said just before her election in 2018 A loose cannon is defined as a “ dangerously uncontrollable person or thing , ” according to Merriam Webster .
In the Urban Dictionary , a glossary for pop-culture terms , loose cannon is described as “ a person lacking prudence or insight , whose actions and/or speech jeopardizes the safety of people in their proximity or under their authority .
By neglecting her responsibility , and contradicting the governor , McGeachin has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s executive branch .
At one point during the pandemic , the top two leaders of Idaho ’ s executive branch went weeks without speaking .
That is unacceptable during normal times , and even more senseless during a time of crisis .
We can all agree that government works best when our leaders operate together in good faith .
If Little and McGeachin can ’ t even speak , we doubt there ’ s much problem-solving happening .
Idaho is rarely spoken about on a national scale .
So for McGeachin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disinfectant tunnel proposal is embarrassing , and makes Idaho look like a backward , uneducated state .
It ’ s also difficult to watch her wield her authority in a way that takes advantage of people ’ s fears and desire to return to a more normal society .
We understand how desperate people are for answers , and how appealing her brand is to many Idahoans .
If there were a quick fix , we would have found it already .
We would be on to the next issue , COVID-19 in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being a responsible civil servant , she would be educating herself far more than she is .
She would be a student of the problem and search for fact-based information from knowledgeable experts , then introduce solutions using her statewide platform .
If she had followed those steps , she wouldn ’ t be advocating spending millions on junk science or suggesting changes to nursing licensure that were implemented months ago by Little .
During the weekend , the Associated Press used a real word to describe Idaho ’ s efforts to contain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what failure looks like : - By its own numbers , the state says its positivity index - the proportion of people who test positive for COVID-19 - reached 19.2 percent between Nov. 15 and Nov. 21 .
Anything more than 5 percent means the virus is spreading out of control - and Idaho has not been at 5 percent since mid-June .
Johns Hopkins University uses a different model , which at one point this week reported the Gem State had the nation ’ s highest positivity rate - with South Dakota @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nearly 10 times greater than Washington state .
- The state ’ s seven-day moving average of new infectins per 100,000 population stood at 64.8 - down from the most recent peak of mid-November but still well above the summer surge .
But how reliable are those numbers ?
It ’ s anyone ’ s guess because the health care system is overwhelmed and the state is weeks behind on contact tracing .
- Plagued by a finite number of overworked staff , Idaho ’ s health care system is already rationing treatment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ instituting formal crisis care standards that will decide who will get life-saving treatment - or not - based on the individual ’ s likelihood of recovery .
“ We start by getting a list from the respiratory therapists of who on the wards is on high-flow oxygen , the most support we can provide short of intubation , ” Dr. Ken Krell of Idaho Falls , a member of the State of Idaho Disaster Medical Advisory Committee , told the Eastern Idaho Public Health Board .
“ We take the list and go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ward , try to get a sense of who is likely to crash and transport them to the ICU before they need emergent intubation on the ward .
But it ’ s a judgment .
There aren ’ t ICU beds for everyone who is worrisome , so we try to estimate who is most likely to crash .
And we get it wrong sometimes.
” - The state is awash with non-compliance , whether it ’ s refusing to wear face masks , practice social distancing or engaging in social gatherings .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ neighbors with tighter restrictions , notably Washington , which has about half the Gem State ’ s per capita average of new infections .
As of this week , Idaho became a regional outlier .
With Wyoming Gov .
Mark Gordon ’ s order on Monday , Idaho is surrounded by states operating under face mask mandates and other restrictions .
Blame the Trump administration ’ s inadequate response for the pandemic surging everywhere and all at once , but why is it so much worse in Idaho ?
If persuasion had worked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some success in holding the infection in check .
Nor can anyone point to delegating the decision-making to regional health districts , cities , counties or school districts as a winning formula .
The virus is equally harsh on communities large and small - many of which have limited health care resources .
The result is a patchwork scheme .
Where local officials are willing to stand up to pressure , some preventive steps have been taken .
Where they ’ re not - as was the case Tuesday when a mob of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Boise and carried the protests to the homes of district board members - admonitions to practice caution go unheeded .
What sounded harsh and undiplomatic when Krell testified last week has now , tragically , acquired the ring of authenticity : These COVID-19 deniers are “ the lunatic , delusional fringe … a small faction of the population who either can not , or will not , see the consequence of their reckless , life-endangering behavior.
” By encouraging them , high-profile leaders such as Ammon Bundy of Emmett , Diego Rodriguez @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Janice McGeachin of Idaho Falls and Idaho Freedom Foundation President Wayne Hoffman of Boise bear responsibility for the calamity , too .
But interference that resorts to fear tactics marks the boundary of their influence .
They were not elected governor .
Little remains unwilling to stand up to them .
And it ’ s on his watch this ongoing failure is metastasizing .

Recent editorials from Idaho newspapers:
We are done listening to wrong message from Idaho’s pro-virus, anti-mask protesters
Dec. 8
Idaho Statesman
The behavior of the anti-mask protesters has become unacceptable.
Protesters showed up at the houses of Central District Health board members Diana Lachiondo and Dr. Ted Epperly, and in Lachiondo’s case when she wasn’t home and her 12-year-old son was home alone.
Anyone who is a parent could identify with the terror in Lachiondo’s voice as she tearfully told the board that she had to leave because protesters were at her house with her son there by himself.
Protesters also showed up in the hundreds at the Central District Health office to protest any and all actions that might be taken by board members, who had been scheduled to vote on a new health order mandating masks, limiting gatherings to 10 or fewer people, and limiting visits to correctional facilities and long-term care facilities. It allowed high school sports to continue and basically laid out some pretty loose rules for restaurants, bars and nightclubs while keeping them open.
Many reasonable people are convinced that the health order actually wouldn’t have done nearly enough to slow the spread of coronavirus. And yet, here were the anti-maskers, who apparently just won’t be happy unless we have absolutely no regulations at all. They won’t stop their faux-patriot temper tantrum unless we have complete and unfettered spread of coronavirus in the community. Even more than anti-mask, they really seem to be pro-virus.
Out of safety concerns, the Boise police chief and mayor asked the health district to shut down the meeting. Bravo, anti-maskers, you got what you wanted, shutting down any kind of debate or discussion. We’re not convinced that authorities did the right thing by kowtowing to protesters and essentially allowing them to shut down government business - which, by the way, they cheered when they heard the meeting was canceled.
To those pro-virus, anti-mask protesters: We hear you. We’ve heard you. We’ve been hearing you loud and clear for the past nine months.
It’s not that your message isn’t being heard. It’s that your message is dead wrong.
And that’s why the adults in the room aren’t listening to you. They shouldn’t listen to you. Your screeds about gut health and vitamin C, masks causing low oxygen, misinformation and disinformation about COVID-19 and comorbidities, are just nonsense.
Just because an elected body comes to a decision that you disagree with does not mean that you have a right to bully and intimidate them until they finally give into your tactics and make a bad decision for the rest of us.
Many of you like to talk about how the United States is a republic and not a democracy. That’s correct. In a democracy, we’d all get together in the parking lot, like you’re doing, and take a popular vote for every decision made. But we’re not a democracy like that. We’re a democratic republic, as so many of you like to point out. In a republic, laws are made by representatives who are charged with making thoughtful decisions based on facts and listening to the experts so that they can come to a decision that protects public health.
It’s not mob rule, which is what you’ve turned this into.
Public officials sometimes make decisions that you may not agree with. (Now you know how the Democrats feel every January when they come to the Capitol.) That does not give you the right to intimidate them until they rule in your favor.
And showing up at people’s houses to “protest” is beyond the pale. It’s deplorable, and it certainly doesn’t win anyone over to your side of the argument. In fact, your irresponsible and infantile behavior only proves that the adults in the room should ignore you. Shouting and spitting in a big group without any masks shows that you’re not responsible enough and not worthy to help make decisions for the health of our community. Your actions, in fact, prove why we need a mask mandate.
You’ve had your say. You sent in your emails and you’ve posted your tirades on social media. Board members hear you. Now let them make the right decision for the good of public health and for the sustainability of our health care system.
Gov. Brad Little, this is what happens when you avoid tough calls and leave major decisions - decisions that you and your team should be making - to these local boards. We’ve seen it at the district health level and the school board level. Your strategy of pushing decisions off on someone else has led to this, and it’s clearly not working.
At the very least, you need to condemn these actions as forcefully as you can, and you need to tell these pro-virus, anti-mask protesters that they need to abide by the process and heed the decisions made by the people put in this difficult situation, not bully and threaten them.
We can’t even hold a virtual meeting safely. This is not governing. Who would even want to hold public office after this kind of display?
Enough.
We’ve heard you. Your message is wrong, and no amount of foot-stomping, pouting, yelling and temper tantrums is going to make you right.
Online: Idaho Statesman
___
McGeachin’s undermining is harmful to safety of Idahoans
Dec. 6
Idaho Press
Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin’s undermining of Idaho’s efforts to confront COVID-19 have gone from puzzling to dangerously irresponsible.
In April, McGeachin spent her time criticizing the governor’s actions to mitigate COVID-19’s spread, both in a letter and a rally.
She started May by attending the reopening of a brewery in Kendrick, which went against the governor’s phased reopening plan. The brewery was later fined for violating the emergency order. Later that month, she distributed an opinion piece further encouraging people to defy public health orders.
In August, McGeachin criticized Gov. Brad Little’s stay-at-home order in a speech given for a rally organized by the John Birch Society in Twin Falls titled “Freedom is the Cure.”
McGeachin, part of the governor’s Coronavirus Financial Advisory Committee, asked for a delay on a vote to spend federal fund to offset state education budget holdbacks in September. She then skipped the vote entirely. Based on a Twitter post from the day of the vote, she appeared to attend a fundraiser headlined by Donald Trump Jr. in Stanley, according to IdahoEdNews.
To cap off a chaotic year, McGeachin touted a proposal last month to purchase “walk-through disinfectant tunnels” using the state’s CARES Act funds. Multiple studies have said “disinfection tunnels” or “sanitization tunnels” are dangerous and useless for preventing the spread of COVID-19, which spreads through exhaled and inhaled droplets, according to reporting from the Idaho Press. She also made several suggestions on nurses and staffing, most of which we found either unhelpful or had already been implemented by the state.
We have scratched our heads all year at McGeachin’s actions, but the promotion of debunked science at the expense of people’s health? Well, that’s crossing the line.
“Being a loose cannon doesn’t get you anywhere. I’m all about solving problems, and that’s why I got into this race. I care about our state,” McGeachin said just before her election in 2018
A loose cannon is defined as a “dangerously uncontrollable person or thing,” according to Merriam Webster. In the Urban Dictionary, a glossary for pop-culture terms, loose cannon is described as “a person lacking prudence or insight, whose actions and/or speech jeopardizes the safety of people in their proximity or under their authority.
By neglecting her responsibility, and contradicting the governor, McGeachin has created a tense work environment within Idaho’s executive branch. At one point during the pandemic, the top two leaders of Idaho’s executive branch went weeks without speaking. That is unacceptable during normal times, and even more senseless during a time of crisis. We can all agree that government works best when our leaders operate together in good faith. If Little and McGeachin can’t even speak, we doubt there’s much problem-solving happening.
Idaho is rarely spoken about on a national scale. So for McGeachin to be making national news for her disinfectant tunnel proposal is embarrassing, and makes Idaho look like a backward, uneducated state.
It’s also difficult to watch her wield her authority in a way that takes advantage of people’s fears and desire to return to a more normal society. We understand how desperate people are for answers, and how appealing her brand is to many Idahoans. If there were a quick fix, we would have found it already. We would be on to the next issue, COVID-19 in the rearview mirror.
If McGeachin was being a responsible civil servant, she would be educating herself far more than she is. She would be a student of the problem and search for fact-based information from knowledgeable experts, then introduce solutions using her statewide platform. If she had followed those steps, she wouldn’t be advocating spending millions on junk science or suggesting changes to nursing licensure that were implemented months ago by Little.
Online: Idaho Press
___
Failure describes Idaho’s COVID-19 response
Dec. 10
The Lewiston Tribune
During the weekend, the Associated Press used a real word to describe Idaho’s efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.
The word was failure.
That’s no opinion. It’s a statement of fact.
Here’s what failure looks like:
- By its own numbers, the state says its positivity index - the proportion of people who test positive for COVID-19 - reached 19.2 percent between Nov. 15 and Nov. 21. Anything more than 5 percent means the virus is spreading out of control - and Idaho has not been at 5 percent since mid-June.
Johns Hopkins University uses a different model, which at one point this week reported the Gem State had the nation’s highest positivity rate - with South Dakota and Kansas not far behind - and nearly 10 times greater than Washington state.
- The state’s seven-day moving average of new infectins per 100,000 population stood at 64.8 - down from the most recent peak of mid-November but still well above the summer surge. But how reliable are those numbers? It’s anyone’s guess because the health care system is overwhelmed and the state is weeks behind on contact tracing.
- Plagued by a finite number of overworked staff, Idaho’s health care system is already rationing treatment - and is on the verge of instituting formal crisis care standards that will decide who will get life-saving treatment - or not - based on the individual’s likelihood of recovery.
“We start by getting a list from the respiratory therapists of who on the wards is on high-flow oxygen, the most support we can provide short of intubation,” Dr. Ken Krell of Idaho Falls, a member of the State of Idaho Disaster Medical Advisory Committee, told the Eastern Idaho Public Health Board. “We take the list and go see each of those patients on the ward, try to get a sense of who is likely to crash and transport them to the ICU before they need emergent intubation on the ward. But it’s a judgment. There aren’t ICU beds for everyone who is worrisome, so we try to estimate who is most likely to crash. And we get it wrong sometimes.”
- The state is awash with non-compliance, whether it’s refusing to wear face masks, practice social distancing or engaging in social gatherings. It’s getting pushback from its neighbors with tighter restrictions, notably Washington, which has about half the Gem State’s per capita average of new infections. As of this week, Idaho became a regional outlier. With Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon’s order on Monday, Idaho is surrounded by states operating under face mask mandates and other restrictions.
Blame the Trump administration’s inadequate response for the pandemic surging everywhere and all at once, but why is it so much worse in Idaho?
If persuasion had worked. Gov. Brad Little could claim some success in holding the infection in check.
Nor can anyone point to delegating the decision-making to regional health districts, cities, counties or school districts as a winning formula. The virus is equally harsh on communities large and small - many of which have limited health care resources.
The result is a patchwork scheme. Where local officials are willing to stand up to pressure, some preventive steps have been taken. Where they’re not - as was the case Tuesday when a mob of hundreds intimidated the Central Health District board in Boise and carried the protests to the homes of district board members - admonitions to practice caution go unheeded.
What sounded harsh and undiplomatic when Krell testified last week has now, tragically, acquired the ring of authenticity: These COVID-19 deniers are “the lunatic, delusional fringe … a small faction of the population who either cannot, or will not, see the consequence of their reckless, life-endangering behavior.”
By encouraging them, high-profile leaders such as Ammon Bundy of Emmett, Diego Rodriguez of Boise, Idaho Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin of Idaho Falls and Idaho Freedom Foundation President Wayne Hoffman of Boise bear responsibility for the calamity, too. But interference that resorts to fear tactics marks the boundary of their influence. They were not elected governor.
Little remains unwilling to stand up to them. And it’s on his watch this ongoing failure is metastasizing.
Online: The Lewiston Tribune


washingtontimes--2020-12-10--Arkansas governor to give address on growing COVID-19 surge

LITTLE ROCK , Ark .
( AP ) - Gov .
Asa Hutchinson on Thursday evening implored Arkansans to take precautions during the upcoming holidays as coronavirus cases surge but declined to implement any additional restrictions .
“ More restrictions on businesses would add a whole host of additional challenges , from increased unemployment to closed business and bankruptcies , all right during the holiday season , ” he said .
In the statewide address , he told residents that the state is seeing a surge in cases after Thanksgiving , and reminded them that Christmas is just two weeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ right precautions , science tells us the cases will continue to rapidly accelerate , ” he said .
He told Arkansans : “ We must do a few things differently this year.
” Hutchinson suggested Arkansans travel less for the holiday , and if they do travel out of state to take rapid tests before and after .
He noted he liked one family ’ s idea to do their Christmas gathering outside .
He also suggested businesses forgo a holiday party this year , and if not have the state health department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his office is doing .
Earlier in the week , a report from the White House Coronavirus Task Force said the state ’ s positivity rate on coronavirus tests and the number of new cases put Arkansas in the “ red zone ” and more limitations should be placed on bars and indoor dining until those rates drop .
Hutchinson said Thursday evening that he didn ’ t see a need for additional restrictions , noting the state already had several measures in place , including a mask mandate .
“ The real @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is people being self-disciplined by wearing a mask , socially distancing and limiting our indoor gatherings to those we know are safe , ” Hutchinson said .
“ Those are the steps that will make a difference versus putting additional restrictions on businesses that are already complying with all of the health guidance.
” The Arkansas Department of Health on Thursday reported 2,202 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases , for a total since the pandemic began of over 178,000 .
The department reported 34 more deaths , for a total of 2,820 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus patients were hospitalized .
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University say that over the past two weeks , the rolling average number of daily new cases in Arkansas has increased by 353 , an increase of 19.5 % .
It was announced Thursday that another Arkansas lawmaker has tested positive for COVID-19 .
State Rep. Carlton Wing , a Republican , has tested positive , the Arkansas House spokeswoman Cecillea Pond-Mayo said .
She said he was recovering at home .
Wing is at least the 15th Arkansas lawmaker over the past two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Four Arkansas legislators tested positive earlier in the year .
The true number of infections in Arkansas is likely higher because many haven ’ t been tested , and studies suggest people can be infected and not feel sick .
For most people , the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up within weeks .
But for others , especially older adults and people with existing health problems , the virus can cause severe symptoms and be fatal .

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Thursday evening implored Arkansans to take precautions during the upcoming holidays as coronavirus cases surge but declined to implement any additional restrictions.
“More restrictions on businesses would add a whole host of additional challenges, from increased unemployment to closed business and bankruptcies, all right during the holiday season,” he said.
In the statewide address, he told residents that the state is seeing a surge in cases after Thanksgiving, and reminded them that Christmas is just two weeks away.
“Unless we take the right precautions, science tells us the cases will continue to rapidly accelerate,” he said.
He told Arkansans: “We must do a few things differently this year.”
Hutchinson suggested Arkansans travel less for the holiday, and if they do travel out of state to take rapid tests before and after. He noted he liked one family’s idea to do their Christmas gathering outside. He also suggested businesses forgo a holiday party this year, and if not have the state health department approve their social distancing gathering, as his office is doing.
Earlier in the week, a report from the White House Coronavirus Task Force said the state’s positivity rate on coronavirus tests and the number of new cases put Arkansas in the “red zone” and more limitations should be placed on bars and indoor dining until those rates drop.
Hutchinson said Thursday evening that he didn’t see a need for additional restrictions, noting the state already had several measures in place, including a mask mandate.
“The real solution to getting life back to normal is people being self-disciplined by wearing a mask, socially distancing and limiting our indoor gatherings to those we know are safe,” Hutchinson said. “Those are the steps that will make a difference versus putting additional restrictions on businesses that are already complying with all of the health guidance.”
The Arkansas Department of Health on Thursday reported 2,202 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases, for a total since the pandemic began of over 178,000. The department reported 34 more deaths, for a total of 2,820 so far.
The department said 1,005 coronavirus patients were hospitalized.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University say that over the past two weeks, the rolling average number of daily new cases in Arkansas has increased by 353, an increase of 19.5%.
It was announced Thursday that another Arkansas lawmaker has tested positive for COVID-19. State Rep. Carlton Wing, a Republican, has tested positive, the Arkansas House spokeswoman Cecillea Pond-Mayo said. She said he was recovering at home.
Wing is at least the 15th Arkansas lawmaker over the past two months to test positive for the coronavirus. Four Arkansas legislators tested positive earlier in the year.
The true number of infections in Arkansas is likely higher because many haven’t been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected and not feel sick.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up within weeks. But for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the virus can cause severe symptoms and be fatal.


washingtontimes--2020-12-10--College applications down from 2019 as interest lags amid pandemic

A new national survey finds that college applications have declined 22 % since 2019 , as students show lagging interest in higher education during the pandemic .
The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center information from more than 2,000 high schools for the report it released Thursday showing a 21.7 % decline in applications from high school seniors , with even more drastically lower levels of interest from poor , urban , and minority students .
Nearly one-third of low-income , minority , and urban high school graduates who would have gone to college in a previous year stayed home this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ director of the research center .
“ They ’ re struggling with unemployed family breadwinners , with homelessness , child care , lack of broadband and internet devices , and higher rates of COVID cases and deaths in those families and communities , ” Mr. Shapiro said during a webinar .
The research center stressed that Thursday ’ s results remain preliminary but could be replicated by the class of 2021 without some massive shift in priorities .
Slight declines in college attendance is nothing new .
Even 2019 ’ s graduating high @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in college-bound students compared to 2018 .
Four-year institutions have been accused of liberal bias and unfair selection processes , underscored by the admissions scandal in which wealthy parents paid a third party to fabricate application materials to get their children into elite colleges .
The cost of college , too , has risen sharply .
Between 2008 and 2018 , the College Board estimated a 25 % increase in the cost of college , while all but only 9 states slashed higher education budgets .
Kim Cook , executive director of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wealthier students may have taken a gap year , but that ’ s not the case for most , such as those in Riverside County , California , where 65 % of schools are in low-income areas .
“ That gap year means a full-time job that mom and dad get used to the income , and the likelihood of you going back is slim-to-none , ” said Catalina Cifuentes , executive director of College and Career Readiness at Riverside County Office of Education .
“ They ’ re getting further stuck in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2020 represent a college-bound class in the throes of a public health emergency , strained family finances due to joblessness , and lagging academic attention , Thursday ’ s report said .
And the troubles may have started early , education experts say .
While high school graduation rates in 2020 remained on par with those of past years , many schools spent the final two months in remote learning situations with pass-fail or “ no fault ” grades , meaning students took on part-time work .
“ If they ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , they ’ re working full-time , ” Ms. Cifuentes said .
College hasn ’ t been the same in 2020 , either .
Many students now are home from Thanksgiving until the spring semester , many college football games were played without fans in attendance , and overall enrollment at colleges in the fall of 2020 is down 4.4 % , with a 1.9 % drop at four-year schools , according to the research center .
Unlike the economic downturn a decade ago , when community college attendance skyrocketed , many education @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a similar boom at less-expensive , two-year or for-profit schools .

A new national survey finds that college enrollment among this spring’s high school graduates has declined 22% since 2019, as students show lagging interest in higher education during the coronavirus pandemic.
The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center information from more than 2,000 high schools for the report it released Thursday showing a 21.7% decline in enrollment from high school seniors, with even more drastically lower levels of enrollment from poor, urban and minority students.
Nearly one-third of low-income, minority, and urban high school graduates who would have gone to college in a previous year stayed home this year, said Doug Shapiro, executive director of the research center.
“They’re struggling with unemployed family breadwinners, with homelessness, child care, lack of broadband and internet devices, and higher rates of COVID cases and deaths in those families and communities,” Mr. Shapiro said during a webinar.
The research center stressed that Thursday’s results remain preliminary but could be replicated by the class of 2021 without some massive shift in priorities.
Slight declines in college attendance is nothing new. Even 2019’s graduating high school class saw a 2% decrease in college-bound students compared to 2018.
Four-year institutions have been accused of liberal bias and unfair selection processes, underscored by the admissions scandal in which wealthy parents paid a third party to fabricate application materials to get their children into elite colleges.
The cost of college, too, has risen sharply. Between 2008 and 2018, the College Board estimated a 25% increase in the cost of college, while all but only 9 states slashed higher education budgets.
Kim Cook, executive director of the National College Attainment Network, said some wealthier students may have taken a gap year, but that’s not the case for most, such as those in Riverside County, California, where 65% of schools are in low-income areas.
“That gap year means a full-time job that mom and dad get used to the income, and the likelihood of you going back is slim-to-none,” said Catalina Cifuentes, executive director of College and Career Readiness at Riverside County Office of Education. “They’re getting further stuck in that cycle of poverty.”
The numbers in 2020 represent a college-bound class in the throes of a public health emergency, strained family finances due to joblessness, and lagging academic attention, Thursday’s report said.
And the troubles may have started early, education experts say. While high school graduation rates in 2020 remained on par with those of past years, many schools spent the final two months in remote learning situations with pass-fail or “no fault” grades, meaning students took on part-time work.
“If they’re not going to school or working part-time, they’re working full-time,” Ms. Cifuentes said.
College hasn’t been the same in 2020, either. Many students now are home from Thanksgiving until the spring semester, many college football games were played without fans in attendance, and overall enrollment at colleges in the fall of 2020 is down 4.4%, with a 1.9% drop at four-year schools, according to the research center.
Unlike the economic downturn a decade ago, when community college attendance skyrocketed, many education officials say they have yet to see a similar boom at less-expensive, two-year or for-profit schools.
• Christopher Vondracek can be reached at cvondracek@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-12-10--Tommy 'Tiny' Lister, who played Deebo in 'Friday,' dies

LOS ANGELES ( AP ) - Tommy “ Tiny ” Lister , a former wrestler who was known for his Deebo character in the “ Friday ” films , has died .
He was 62 .
Lister ’ s manager , Cindy Cowan , said Lister was found unconscious in his home in Marina Del Rey , California , on Thursday afternoon .
He was pronounced dead at the scene .
Cowan said Lister was diagnosed with COVID-19 earlier this year .
She said the actor overcame the virus , but he became sick about a week ago and recently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ death has not been released , and the coroner ’ s office is investigating .
“ He was a gentle giant , ” Cowan said .
“ He had a smile as broad as you could imagine .
He ’ s going to be missed by so many .
We ’ re all devastated.
” Lister started his career as a wrestler , standing 6-foot-5 with broad shoulders at about 275 pounds .
His early roles included HBO football series “ 1st & Ten ” along with appearances in “ Beverly Hills Cop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and “ No Holds Barred , ” the 1989 film where his character Zeus challenged Hulk Hogan in a wrestling match .
However , Lister ’ s most notable role came in the 1995 film “ Friday ” and its sequel five years later .
He portrayed the role of Deebo , a felon who was known as the neighborhood bully that terrorized his neighbors with intimidation and fear .
His character was known for his infamous line “ Get knocked out like your father used to.
” Lister also appeared in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Dark Knight ” and “ Austin Powers in Goldmember.
” “ RIP Tiny “ Deebo ” Lister , ” Ice Cube said Thursday night on Instagram .
“ America ’ s favorite bully was a born entertainer who would pop into character at the drop of a hat terrifying people on and off camera .
Followed by a big smile and laugh .
Thank you for being a good dude at heart .
I miss you already.
” The death was first reported by celebrity website TMZ .

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Tommy “Tiny” Lister, a former professional wrestler who was known for his bullying Deebo character in the “Friday” films, has died. He was 62.
Lister’s manager, Cindy Cowan, said he was found unconscious in his home in Marina Del Rey, California, on Thursday afternoon. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Cowan said Lister was diagnosed with COVID-19 earlier this year. She said the actor overcame the virus, but he became sick about a week ago and recently had trouble breathing.
The cause of death has not been released, and the coroner’s office is investigating.
“He was a gentle giant,” Cowan said. “He had a smile as broad as you could imagine. He’s going to be missed by so many. We’re all devastated.”
Lister started his career as a pro wrestler, standing 6-foot-5 with broad shoulders at about 275 pounds. His early roles included HBO football series “1st & Ten” along with movie appearances in “Beverly Hills Cop II,” which starred Eddie Murphy, and “No Holds Barred,” the 1989 film where his character Zeus challenged Hulk Hogan in a wrestling match.
The actor, who was blind in his right eye since birth, wrestled Hogan in the World Wrestling Federation in an actual match after the “No Holds Barred” film release. He also had a short stint in the World Championship Wrestling under the name Z-Gangsta.
However, Lister’s most notable role came in the 1995 film “Friday” and its sequel five years later. He portrayed the role of Deebo, a felon who was known as the neighborhood bully who terrorized his neighbors with intimidation and fear. His character was known for his infamous line “Get knocked out like your father used to.”
“RIP Tiny “Deebo” Lister,” Ice Cube said Thursday night on Instagram. “America’s favorite bully was a born entertainer who would pop into character at the drop of a hat terrifying people on and off camera. Followed by a big smile and laugh. Thank you for being a good dude at heart. I miss you already.”
Lister also appeared in “The Fifth Element,” “The Dark Knight” and “Austin Powers in Goldmember.”
“WWE is saddened to learn that Tom “Tiny” Lister, known as Zeus to the WWE Universe, passed away today,” the WWE said in a tweet.
The Compton, California, native was a track and field star who became the 1982 NCAA Division II shotput champion while he attended Cal State University Los Angeles. He briefly played football with the New Orleans Breakers of the United States Football League.
“One of the nicest bullies we’ve come across. RIP Deebo,” the San Francisco 49ers said on Twitter. Deebo Samuel, a 49ers wide receiver, got his nickname from Lister’s character.
The death was first reported by celebrity website TMZ.


washingtontimes--2020-12-10--Gun purchases spike in Illinois amid pandemic, civil unrest

SPRINGFIELD , Ill. ( AP ) - Illinois residents shopped for more guns and applied for firearm permits more than any other time in the state ’ s history as the COVID-19 pandemic raged and Chicago dealt with civil unrest , according to state police data .
There have been more than 500,000 inquiries about gun purchases through November , according to Illinois State Police statistics .
That is a 45 % increase from 2019 .
The department also received 445,945 applications for firearm owner ’ s identification cards , a 167 % increase from 166,649 applications in 2017 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Firearm Owners Identification cards .
Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly told the Chicago Tribune the increases were a reflection on the unease and tension seen in the state and across the country .
The first spike in gun purchases came in March , as COVID-19 spread across the United States , and Illinois Gov .
J.B. Pritzker issued a stay-at-home order aimed at slowing the spread .
There were 64,000 background checks performed in anticipation of a firearm sale , according to state police .
Federally licensed dealers reported more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there was widespread social unrest stemming from killings of Black people by police and the country ’ s reckoning with systemic racism .
“ It was a fear-driven surge of purchasing , ” said Mark Jones , a former Bureau of Alcohol , Tobacco , Firearms and Explosives special agent .
“ Nobody knows ( for sure ) what is going to happen , but if history is a guide , they are going to find their way into the hands of people who shouldn ’ t have them.
” State police has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and now has a processing period of about 121 days .
The average processing time for a concealed carry license is 145 days .
The agency has about 144,476 pending FOID applications .
Republican state lawmakers , some longtime critics of FOID cards , are calling on the state to suspend the permitting process until the agency can improve its response time .

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - Illinois residents shopped for more guns and applied for firearm permits more than any other time in the state’s history as the COVID-19 pandemic raged and Chicago dealt with civil unrest, according to state police data.
There have been more than 500,000 inquiries about gun purchases through November, according to Illinois State Police statistics. That is a 45% increase from 2019. The department also received 445,945 applications for firearm owner’s identification cards, a 167% increase from 166,649 applications in 2017. There are more than 2.2 million Illinoisans with Firearm Owners Identification cards.
Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly told the Chicago Tribune the increases were a reflection on the unease and tension seen in the state and across the country.
The first spike in gun purchases came in March, as COVID-19 spread across the United States, and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued a stay-at-home order aimed at slowing the spread. There were 64,000 background checks performed in anticipation of a firearm sale, according to state police.
Federally licensed dealers reported more than 65,000 serious inquiries in June, when there was widespread social unrest stemming from killings of Black people by police and the country’s reckoning with systemic racism.
“It was a fear-driven surge of purchasing,” said Mark Jones, a former Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives special agent. “Nobody knows (for sure) what is going to happen, but if history is a guide, they are going to find their way into the hands of people who shouldn’t have them.”
State police has struggled to keep up with FOID applications and now has a processing period of about 121 days. The average processing time for a concealed carry license is 145 days. The agency has about 144,476 pending FOID applications.
Republican state lawmakers, some longtime critics of FOID cards, are calling on the state to suspend the permitting process until the agency can improve its response time.


washingtontimes--2020-12-10--Murder suspect mistakenly released from prison in custody

URBANA , Ill. ( AP ) - A central Illinois man accused of murder who was mistakenly released from prison last month is back in custody , authorities said Thursday .
Champaign County Sheriff Dustin Heuerman says Darrion White was arrested Thursday in the Chicago suburb of Glenwood by the U.S .
Marshals Service .
White , 20 , was released from Stateville Correctional Center in Joliet on Nov. 13 .
White is accused in the Aug. 28 , 2018 fatal shooting of 16-year-old David Sankey of Champaign .
Also charged in Sankey ’ s death is Jaquaveon Faust , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ White ’ s mistaken release , Heuerman said his department neglected to place a detainer on White with the Department of Corrections for his return to Champaign County once he completed a sentence for illegal gun possession .
However , on Thursday , the sheriff said a further internal review of their processes showed the pending murder charge had been relayed to the Department of Corrections .
Although an internal miscommunication meant a detainer letter wasn ’ t included with the paperwork , Heuerman said a corrections representative told him the pending charge @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enough to keep White from being released .

URBANA, Ill. (AP) - A central Illinois man accused of murder who was mistakenly released from prison last month is back in custody, authorities said Thursday.
Champaign County Sheriff Dustin Heuerman says Darrion White was arrested Thursday in the Chicago suburb of Glenwood by the U.S. Marshals Service. White, 20, was released from Stateville Correctional Center in Joliet on Nov. 13.
White is accused in the Aug. 28, 2018 fatal shooting of 16-year-old David Sankey of Champaign. Also charged in Sankey’s death is Jaquaveon Faust, 24, of Champaign.
Shortly after White’s mistaken release, Heuerman said his department neglected to place a detainer on White with the Department of Corrections for his return to Champaign County once he completed a sentence for illegal gun possession. However, on Thursday, the sheriff said a further internal review of their processes showed the pending murder charge had been relayed to the Department of Corrections.
Although an internal miscommunication meant a detainer letter wasn’t included with the paperwork, Heuerman said a corrections representative told him the pending charge listed on the paperwork should have been enough to keep White from being released.


washingtontimes--2020-12-10--Brandon Bernard executed despite appeals from Kim Kardashian West, Democrats

A Texas man convicted of killing married youth ministers before setting their car on fire while they were inside was executed Thursday night , despite last-minute appeals from Democratic officials and Kim Kardashian West .
Brandon Bernard , 40 , was pronounced dead after getting a lethal injection at the federal prison complex in Terre Haute , Indiana .
The execution came after the Supreme Court denied last-minute legal challenges from Bernard ’ s attorneys , who had argued that newly-discovered evidence suggested he did not play an active role in the murder of Todd and Stacie Bagley in Killeen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ refused to postpone the execution , Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented , saying had the new evidence been presented to a jury , Bernard would have most likely been spared the death penalty .
The evidence defense attorneys say was withheld by prosecutors was the testimony of an expert who was prepared to testify that Bernard was a low-level member of a gang that killed the Bagleys and he did not plan the carjacking and robbery that led to their deaths .
“ Many things went wrong to put Brandon on death row , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and misleading the jury , which the courts refused to remedy , ” Bernard ’ s attorney Robert C. Owen said in a statement after his death .
“ Brandon ’ s execution is a stain on America ’ s criminal justice system , ” he continued .
Earlier Thursday , a federal appeals court also denied a last-minute emergency request to halt the execution , the ninth inmate death sentence carried out this year by the Trump administration .
In a brief , one-page order , the 7th U.S .
Circuit Court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Bernard ’ s case attracted attention from Democratic lawmakers and celebrity activists , who pleaded with President Trump to commute his sentence to life in prison .
Since the Trump administration resumed federal executions after a 17-year hiatus , Democrats have largely been mum about the eight federal inmates put to death so far .
But they say Bernard ’ s case is different because of the newly uncovered evidence .
In a joint statement , Democratic Sens .
Cory A. Booker of New Jersey and Richard J. Durbin of Illinois called @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s sentence .
“ Since he was sentenced to death , new evidence has come to light and a number of deficiencies in his initial defense have been exposed , ” they said .
“ Mr .
Bernard ’ s post-conviction attorneys have continued to seek legal relief in the courts and Mr. Bernard should be allowed to keep pursuing available legal avenues to challenge his death sentence.
” Rep. Ayanna Pressley , Massachusetts Democrat , flanked by Sister Helen Prejean , a Roman Catholic nun and noted death-penalty activist , urged supporters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Bernard ’ s execution .
“ We need to fight for Brandon like he is our own son , ” Ms. Pressley said in a media appearance with The Appeal .
“ We need to fight for him like he is a member of our family because he is .
We are all one human family.
” “ Murdering Brandon will only further the cycles of trauma and harm , ” she continued .
Lawmakers aren ’ t the only ones advocating for Bernard .
Kim Kardashian West also issued a public plea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sentence .
On Thursday night , she detailed her final moments on the phone with Bernard before he was killed .
“ Just spoke to Brandon for what will likely be the last time .
Hardest call I ’ ve ever had , ” she tweeted .
“ Brandon , selfless as always , was focused on his family and making sure they are OK .
He told me not to cry because our fight isn ’ t over.
” Although Bernard was not involved in the carjacking , he participated in burning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it .
Mr. Bagley ’ s death came as a result of gunshot wounds , but Mrs. Bagley died of smoke inhalation while unconscious from the gunshot wound , according to autopsies .
Bernard and his three accomplices were convicted , but two have been released .
A third , Christopher Vialva , was executed earlier this year .

A Texas man convicted of killing married youth ministers before setting their car on fire while they were inside was executed Thursday night, despite last-minute appeals from Democratic officials and Kim Kardashian West.
Brandon Bernard, 40, was pronounced dead at 9:27 p.m. after getting a lethal injection at the federal prison complex in Terre Haute, Indiana. He is the ninth federal inmate executed this year.
The execution came after the Supreme Court denied last-minute legal challenges from Bernard’s attorneys, who had argued that newly-discovered evidence suggested he did not play an active role in the murder of Todd and Stacie Bagley in Killeen, Texas.
Although the Supreme Court refused to postpone the execution, Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented, saying had the new evidence been presented to a jury, Bernard would have most likely been spared the death penalty.
The evidence defense attorneys say was withheld by prosecutors was the testimony of an expert who was prepared to testify that Bernard was a low-level member of a gang that killed the Bagleys and he did not plan the carjacking and robbery that led to their deaths.
“Many things went wrong to put Brandon on death row, including egregious government misconduct in concealing evidence and misleading the jury, which the courts refused to remedy,” Bernard’s attorney Robert C. Owen said in a statement after his death.
“Brandon’s execution is a stain on America’s criminal justice system,” he continued.
In a statement, the family of Stacie Bagley said their lives were changed forever with her death.
“I pray that Brandon has accepted Christ as his Savior, because if he has, Todd and Stacie will welcome him into Heaven with love and forgiveness. God will forgive us of our sins, but the consequences of our sin will always play out,” her father, Charles Woodward, said.
Todd Bagley’s mother, Georgia, asked Bernard’s supporters to remember her family’s pain and suffering.
“When someone deliberately takes the lives of others, they suffer the consequences of their actions,” she said. “This senseless act of unnecessary evil was premeditated and had many opportunities to be stopped at any time during a 9-hour period. This was torture, as they pleaded for their lives from the trunk of their own car.”
Earlier Thursday, a federal appeals court also denied a last-minute emergency request to halt the execution, the ninth inmate death sentence carried out this year by the Trump administration.
In a brief, one-page order, the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the request without explanation.
Bernard’s case attracted attention from Democratic lawmakers and celebrity activists, who pleaded with President Trump to commute his sentence to life in prison.
Since the Trump administration resumed federal executions after a 17-year hiatus, Democrats have largely been mum about the eight federal inmates put to death so far. But they say Bernard’s case is different because of the newly uncovered evidence.
In a joint statement, Democratic Sens. Cory A. Booker of New Jersey and Richard J. Durbin of Illinois called on the president to commute Bernard’s sentence.
“Since he was sentenced to death, new evidence has come to light and a number of deficiencies in his initial defense have been exposed,” they said. “Mr. Bernard’s post-conviction attorneys have continued to seek legal relief in the courts and Mr. Bernard should be allowed to keep pursuing available legal avenues to challenge his death sentence.”
Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Massachusetts Democrat, flanked by Sister Helen Prejean, a Roman Catholic nun and noted death-penalty activist, urged supporters to petition the White House to stop Bernard’s execution.
“We need to fight for Brandon like he is our own son,” Ms. Pressley said in a media appearance with The Appeal. “We need to fight for him like he is a member of our family because he is. We are all one human family.”
“Murdering Brandon will only further the cycles of trauma and harm,” she continued.
Lawmakers aren’t the only ones advocating for Bernard. Kim Kardashian West also issued a public plea aimed at Mr. Trump to commute the sentence.
On Thursday night, she detailed her final moments on the phone with Bernard before he was killed.
“Just spoke to Brandon for what will likely be the last time. Hardest call I’ve ever had,” she tweeted. “Brandon, selfless as always, was focused on his family and making sure they are OK. He told me not to cry because our fight isn’t over.”
Although Bernard was not involved in the carjacking, he participated in burning the vehicle while the Bagleys were inside it.
Mr. Bagley’s death came as a result of gunshot wounds, but Mrs. Bagley died of smoke inhalation while unconscious from the gunshot wound, according to autopsies.
Bernard and his three accomplices were convicted, but two have been released. A third, Christopher Vialva, was executed earlier this year.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-12-10--Mexico's COVID-19 deaths average 55 years vs. 75 in Europe

MEXICO CITY ( AP ) - Mexico ’ s coronavirus spokesman said Thursday the country ’ s median age of @ @ @ @ @ shockingly young 55 , as compared to an average of 75 in many European countries @ @ @ @ @ López-Gatell said that nonetheless , Mexico ’ s future coronavirus vaccination program would target the @ @ @ @ @ said the country ’ s high rates of obesity , diabetes and hypertension explained Mexico @ @ @ @ @ of death .
He said Mexico has among the highest rate of obesity in the @ @ @ @ @ s approval for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine could come Friday .
But he said all acquisitions @ @ @ @ @ the federal level , and that individual state governments could not purchase their own .
@ @ @ @ @ state governor said some fellow governors were weighing acquiring vaccines on their own .
Mexico @ @ @ @ @ 1,217,126 test-confirmed coronavirus cases and 112,326 confirmed deaths , although official estimates of deaths are @ @ @ @

MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexico’s coronavirus spokesman said Thursday the country’s median age of death from COVID-19 was a shockingly young 55, as compared to an average of 75 in many European countries.
Assistant Health Secretary Hugo López-Gatell said that nonetheless, Mexico’s future coronavirus vaccination program would target the oldest Mexicans first.
López-Gatell said the country’s high rates of obesity, diabetes and hypertension explained Mexico’s lower average age of death. He said Mexico has among the highest rate of obesity in the world
López-Gatell said Mexico’s approval for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine could come Friday. But he said all acquisitions of vaccines would be at the federal level, and that individual state governments could not purchase their own.
That came after one opposition-party state governor said some fellow governors were weighing acquiring vaccines on their own.
Mexico has seen a total of 1,217,126 test-confirmed coronavirus cases and 112,326 confirmed deaths, although official estimates of deaths are closer to 150,000.
Not even man’s best friend has escaped the pandemic.
Mexico’s Agriculture Department confirmed Thursday a total of four dogs that had been in contact with humans infected with the coronavirus had tested positive for the virus.
None of the four Mexico City-area dogs have COVID-19 symptoms. But the department urged people who have the coronavirus to isolate themselves from their pets as a protective measure, though it added there is no indication that humans are at risk of getting infected from their dogs or cats. Infections in animals have previously been documented in other countries.


washingtontimes--2020-12-10--State reduces virus death toll, cases linked to wedding up

SEATTLE ( AP ) - The state Department of Health has reported 2,550 new cases and reduced the number of COVID-19 deaths by 166 .
The state removes deaths from the statewide total when the primary cause of death is determined not to have been COVID-19 .
The Seattle Times reports the update brings the state ’ s totals to 192,413 cases and 2,850 deaths , meaning that 1.5 % of people diagnosed in Washington have died , according to the state .
The data is as of 11:59 p.m. Wednesday .
In Washington ’ s most populous King County @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the number of deaths was reduced by 50 , to 894 .
The DOH also reported 88 new hospitalizations as of Wednesday because of the virus and said 12,084 people have been hospitalized in the state since the pandemic began .
In Moses Lake , contact tracing has connected additional COVID-19 cases and possible deaths to a 300-person wedding near the Adams County-Grant County line in November , KXLY-TV reported .
The Grant County Health District said Thursday evening it has linked 47 cases in its county to wedding attendees .
Of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ members at Lake Ridge Center , a nursing home in Moses Lake .
Since the wedding , 65 COVID-19 cases have been reported at Lake Ridge and 15 residents have died .
The agency also found potential links to health care workers including one person who worked at Samaritan Hospital and one nursing student .
Contact tracing also revealed 11 Moses Lake School District staff members attended the wedding and tested positive for COVID-19 , the county said .
Grant County found 14 additional cases in people with a family member who attended @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with someone who went to the wedding .
One of those cases involved a person employed by Moses Lake School District , the county said .
Seven cases in Adams County and five in the Tri-Cities area stemming from the wedding have also been reported .

SEATTLE (AP) - The state Department of Health has reported 2,550 new cases and reduced the number of COVID-19 deaths by 166.
The state removes deaths from the statewide total when the primary cause of death is determined not to have been COVID-19.
The Seattle Times reports the update brings the state’s totals to 192,413 cases and 2,850 deaths, meaning that 1.5% of people diagnosed in Washington have died, according to the state. The data is as of 11:59 p.m. Wednesday.
In Washington’s most populous King County, 755 new cases were reported, and the number of deaths was reduced by 50, to 894.
The DOH also reported 88 new hospitalizations as of Wednesday because of the virus and said 12,084 people have been hospitalized in the state since the pandemic began.
In Moses Lake, contact tracing has connected additional COVID-19 cases and possible deaths to a 300-person wedding near the Adams County-Grant County line in November, KXLY-TV reported.
The Grant County Health District said Thursday evening it has linked 47 cases in its county to wedding attendees. Of those cases, two people were staff members at Lake Ridge Center, a nursing home in Moses Lake. Since the wedding, 65 COVID-19 cases have been reported at Lake Ridge and 15 residents have died.
The agency also found potential links to health care workers including one person who worked at Samaritan Hospital and one nursing student. Contact tracing also revealed 11 Moses Lake School District staff members attended the wedding and tested positive for COVID-19, the county said.
Grant County found 14 additional cases in people with a family member who attended the wedding or had a social gathering with someone who went to the wedding. One of those cases involved a person employed by Moses Lake School District, the county said.
Seven cases in Adams County and five in the Tri-Cities area stemming from the wedding have also been reported.


washingtontimes--2020-12-10--AP sources: Phillies hire Dombrowski to lead baseball ops

PHILADELPHIA ( AP ) - The Philadelphia Phillies have hired longtime baseball executive Dave Dombrowski as president of baseball operations , according to two people familiar with the decision .
The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday night because the team hadn ’ t announced the move .
An official announcement is expected Friday , according to one of the people .
Andy MacPhail is the Phillies ‘ current president and has planned to retire after the 2021 season .
He said in October he would be willing to step aside sooner to make way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The 64-year-old Dombrowski has led baseball operations for four teams over more than three decades , taking a trio of franchises to the World Series .
His teams have won four pennants and two Series titles .
Dombrowski was the youngest general manager in baseball history when he took over the Montreal Expos in 1988 at 31 years old , and he quickly turned the small-market club first into a competitor - then a legitimate contender - on the strength of a fruitful farm system .
He joined the expansion Florida Marlins in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their 1997 World Series championship team , then oversaw an ownership-mandated fire sale before the next season .
He helped rebuild a Marlins club that won another title in 2003 , although Dombrowski had left for Detroit by then .
Best known for aggressively pursuing major league talent , Dombrowski has also overseen the drafting and development of a number of stars , including Rondell White , Cliff Floyd , Josh Beckett , Justin Verlander and Rick Porcello .
Dombrowski won AL pennants with Detroit in 2006 and 2012 before the Tigers cut @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He joined the Red Sox as president of baseball operations the following August and made a number of key acquisitions - including ace Chris Sale , slugger J.D .
Martinez and manager Alex Cora - that led to Boston ’ s 2018 World Series championship .
Dombrowski was fired by the Red Sox in September 2019 amid a disappointing follow-up to the championship run .
Known for his ability to land top-level major league talent - both by spending on free agents and trading away top prospects - Dombrowski is taking over a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spend freely due to existing big contracts and the burden of the coronavirus pandemic .
Phillies owner John Middleton has spent aggressively in recent seasons , most notably signing slugger Bryce Harper to a $ 330 million , 13-year deal in 2019 .
The team has millions more tied up in deals for Zack Wheeler , Andrew McCutchen , Jean Segura and Aaron Nola .
The spending spree could be at an end , at least for now .
A person familiar with the Phillies ’ finances told the AP last week the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic-shortened 2020 season played without fans .
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team hadn ’ t officially released the figures .
Philadelphia finished 28-32 last season , one win shy of ending a nine-year playoff drought .
The Phillies haven ’ t had a winning season since taking five straight division titles , two National League pennants and one World Series crown from 2007-11 .
The Phillies fired general manager Matt Klentak after the season and reassigned him within the organization .

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Whether rebuilding or reloading, small market or large, Dave Dombrowski has been a big success at every major league stop.
His next challenging project: a Philadelphia Phillies team that’s gone nine years without a winning record.
Dombrowski joined the Phillies as president of baseball operations on Friday.
“This is a great day for the Philadelphia Phillies,” managing partner John Middleton said in a statement. “David Dombrowski is one of the most accomplished executives this great game has ever seen, and we are thrilled to welcome him to Philadelphia.”
Andy MacPhail is the Phillies’ current president and has planned to retire after the 2021 season. He said in October he would be willing to step aside sooner to make way for a new baseball operations boss.
Philadelphia reassigned general manager Matt Klentak within the organization after finishing 28-32 last season. Joe Girardi remains as manager.
“Between David and Joe Girardi, we now have two of the best people in place to set us on the path back to where we want to be, and that is the postseason and contending for world championships,” Middleton said.
The 64-year-old Dombrowski has led baseball operations for four teams over more than three decades in the majors, taking a trio of franchises to the World Series. His clubs have won four pennants and two Series titles.
Dombrowski was the youngest general manager in baseball history when he took over the Montreal Expos in 1988 at 31 years old, and he played a major role in putting the small-market club on a path to contention with its fruitful farm system.
He joined the expansion Florida Marlins in 1991, two years before their first game, and was the chief architect of their 1997 World Series championship. Then he oversaw an ownership-mandated fire sale, helping to ultimately rebuild a Marlins squad that won another title in 2003, although Dombrowski had left for Detroit by then.
Dombrowski turned a Tigers team that lost an American League-record 119 games in 2003 into a perennial winner. Detroit won four straight division titles from 2011-14 and AL pennants in 2006 and 2012 before cutting him loose after the 2015 season.
He joined the Red Sox as president of baseball operations the following August and made a number of key acquisitions - including ace Chris Sale, slugger J.D. Martinez and manager Alex Cora - that led to Boston’s 2018 World Series championship.
Dombrowski was fired by the Red Sox in September 2019 amid a disappointing follow-up to the championship run.
Known for aggressively pursuing major league talent, Dombrowski has also overseen the drafting and development of a number of stars, including Rondell White, Cliff Floyd, Josh Beckett, Justin Verlander and Rick Porcello.
While he’s always been able to land top players - both by buying free agents and trading away prospects - Dombrowski is taking over a franchise that might not be positioned to spend freely due to existing big contracts and the burden of the coronavirus pandemic.
Middleton has spent aggressively in recent seasons, most notably signing slugger Bryce Harper to a $330 million, 13-year deal in 2019. The team has millions more tied up in deals for Zack Wheeler, Andrew McCutchen, Jean Segura and Aaron Nola.
The spending spree could be at an end, at least for now. A person familiar with the Phillies’ finances told the AP last week the club lost $145 million during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season played without fans. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team hadn’t officially released the figures.
Philadelphia finished four games below .500 last season in Girardi’s first season, one win shy of ending a nine-year playoff drought. The Phillies haven’t had a winning season since taking five straight division titles, two National League pennants and one World Series crown from 2007-11.
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AP Sports Writers Jake Seiner and Mike Fitzpatrick contributed to this report.
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More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports


washingtontimes--2020-12-10--Utah ordinances to prohibit targeted residential protests

PROVO , Utah ( AP ) - A pair of Utah cities passed ordinances prohibiting targeted protesting or picketing close to private homes .
The Lehi City Council and Spanish Fork City Council separately approved ordinances barring demonstrations aimed at a specific person within 100 feet ( 30 meters ) of their home , The Provo Daily Herald reports .
The ordinances followed protests outside the homes of state officials , including Republican Gov .
Gary Herbert and Department of Health Director Joseph Miner .
The Lehi ordinance makes targeted picketing within the restricted area a class B misdemeanor .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ class B misdemeanor charge , but only after a second violation .
Ana Burgi of the Spanish Fork legal department told the city council the ordinance was narrowly tailored to balance two competing interests .
“ The residents ’ rights to free speech and peacefully protest on public sidewalks and streets , and the people ’ s right to feel secure and safe at home , ” Burgi said .
Spanish Fork Police Chief Steven Adams said officers “ need to have the tools on our belt in the event that something like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can separate and educate , and if push comes to shove , then we can refer them to the court .
”

PROVO, Utah (AP) - A pair of Utah cities passed ordinances prohibiting targeted protesting or picketing close to private homes.
The Lehi City Council and Spanish Fork City Council separately approved ordinances barring demonstrations aimed at a specific person within 100 feet (30 meters) of their home, The Provo Daily Herald reports.
The ordinances followed protests outside the homes of state officials, including Republican Gov. Gary Herbert and Department of Health Director Joseph Miner.
The Lehi ordinance makes targeted picketing within the restricted area a class B misdemeanor.
The Spanish Fork ordinance also carries a class B misdemeanor charge, but only after a second violation.
Ana Burgi of the Spanish Fork legal department told the city council the ordinance was narrowly tailored to balance two competing interests.
“The residents’ rights to free speech and peacefully protest on public sidewalks and streets, and the people’s right to feel secure and safe at home,” Burgi said.
Spanish Fork Police Chief Steven Adams said officers “need to have the tools on our belt in the event that something like this does take place so that we can separate and educate, and if push comes to shove, then we can refer them to the court.”


washingtontimes--2020-12-10--Hawaii expects 81,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses by end of month

HONOLULU ( AP ) - Hawaii is expected to receive enough first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine for 81,000 people by the end of the month , officials said Thursday .
The first shipments could arrive as early as next week .
First in line to receive the vaccine will be front-line healthcare workers and people who live in nursing homes and other group settings .
Dr. Elizabeth Char , the director of the state Department of Health , said she expects the state will be well into vaccinating the general population by summer , or possibly even sooner .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that authorities are aiming to get at least 70 % of the population vaccinated to reach a level of herd immunity that will prevent the coronavirus from easily spreading .
Hawaii authorities released the figure on the same day a U.S. government advisory panel endorsed widespread use of Pfizer ’ s coronavirus vaccine .
In a 17-4 vote with one abstention , the Food and Drug Administration panel concluded that the vaccine from Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech appears safe and effective for emergency use in adults and teenagers 16 and over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 36,000 first doses of a vaccine created by Moderna and the National Institutes of Health .
The FDA is expected to review the Moderna vaccine next week .
Both vaccines are administered over two shots .
Second doses of both vaccines for the 81,000 initial recipients will be shipped later .
The second dose of the Pfizer vaccine is administered Char said Hawaii has 35,000 front-line healthcare workers and another 35,000 people living in long-term care and other close-quarter settings .
First responders whose jobs put @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the disease are also expected to receive the vaccine with the first group .
Both Gov .
David Ige and Lt. Gov .
Josh Green said they would get the vaccine when it ’ s their turn to receive it .

HONOLULU (AP) - Hawaii is expected to receive enough first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine for 81,000 people by the end of the month, officials said Thursday. The first shipments could arrive as early as next week.
First in line to receive the vaccine will be front-line healthcare workers and people who live in nursing homes and other group settings.
Dr. Elizabeth Char, the director of the state Department of Health, said she expects the state will be well into vaccinating the general population by summer, or possibly even sooner.
Char told reporters at a news conference that authorities are aiming to get at least 70% of the population vaccinated to reach a level of herd immunity that will prevent the coronavirus from easily spreading.
Hawaii authorities released the figure on the same day a U.S. government advisory panel endorsed widespread use of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine. In a 17-4 vote with one abstention, the Food and Drug Administration panel concluded that the vaccine from Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech appears safe and effective for emergency use in adults and teenagers 16 and over.
Char said Hawaii expected nearly 46,000 first doses of the Pfizer vaccine and 36,000 first doses of a vaccine created by Moderna and the National Institutes of Health. The FDA is expected to review the Moderna vaccine next week.
Both vaccines are administered over two shots. Second doses of both vaccines for the 81,000 initial recipients will be shipped later. The second dose of the Pfizer vaccine is administered
Char said Hawaii has 35,000 front-line healthcare workers and another 35,000 people living in long-term care and other close-quarter settings. First responders whose jobs put them at high risk of exposure to the disease are also expected to receive the vaccine with the first group.
Both Gov. David Ige and Lt. Gov. Josh Green said they would get the vaccine when it’s their turn to receive it.


washingtontimes--2020-12-10--Police: Shots ring out in southwest Atlanta, 2 men wounded

ATLANTA ( AP ) - Gunfire erupted near a southwest Atlanta shopping plaza on Thursday afternoon , and two men @ @ @ @ @ taken to a hospital , authorities say .
An Atlanta Police Department spokeswoman , TaSheena @ @ @ @ @ Journal Constitution that the shots rang out near an area of shops and businesses .
@ @ @ @ @ one man was found afterward with a gunshot wound to the abdomen along a major @ @ @ @ @ found shot about a block away .
The report said police later found 21 bullet @ @ @ @ @ men were stable , but she did not elaborate on their injuries .
Police said @ @ @ @ @ questioning , and authorities are continuing to investigate the incident .

ATLANTA (AP) - Gunfire erupted near a southwest Atlanta shopping plaza on Thursday afternoon, and two men were founded wounded afterward and taken to a hospital, authorities say.
An Atlanta Police Department spokeswoman, TaSheena Brown, told the Atlanta Journal Constitution that the shots rang out near an area of shops and businesses.
She told the newspaper that one man was found afterward with a gunshot wound to the abdomen along a major thoroughfare and another man was found shot about a block away. The report said police later found 21 bullet casings.
Brown said both men were stable, but she did not elaborate on their injuries.
Police said one man was detained for questioning, and authorities are continuing to investigate the incident.


washingtontimes--2020-12-10--Texas county gets trucks to hold bodies amid COVID-19 surge

FORT WORTH , Texas ( AP ) - A North Texas medical examiner ’ s office has brought in two refrigerated trucks to store dead bodies in response to low capacity amid a surge in coronavirus cases .
Many of the hospitals and larger funeral homes in the Fort Worth area have reached their storage capacity or will soon , said Nizam Peerwani , Tarrant County ’ s chief medical examiner .
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner ’ s Office , which has a capacity normally of 100 bodies , said each truck can store 50 bodies .
Officials expect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ next few days .
Also Thursday , a South Texas county that has been hit especially hard by the pandemic announced that its county judge , the county ’ s highest elected official , tested positive for COVID-19 .
Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez , 77 , has worked from home for most of the pandemic , and learned of his positive test after a family member tested positive .
So far he hasn ’ t had symptoms .
“ I have taken all the precautions that I could to prevent infection , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ virus , ” Cortez said .
“ This goes to show you how contagious this virus can be.
” For a third day in a row , COVID-19 hospitalizations in Texas surpassed 9,000 .
The Texas Department of State Health Services said that 9,045 people with the coronavirus were hospitalized Thursday .
Last week marked the first time Texas surpassed a daily count of 9,000 hospitalizations since a deadly summer outbreak .
State health officials on Thursday reported 12,211 new confirmed cases and 244 new deaths .
The state says almost 1.3 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There have been more than more than 23,600 COVID-19-related deaths in Texas , the second highest in the country , researchers at Johns Hopkins University have determined .
Over the past two weeks , the rolling average number of daily new cases has remained mostly constant around 13,000 per day , according to Johns Hopkins .
The true number of infections in Texas is likely higher because many haven ’ t been tested , and studies suggest people can be infected and not feel sick .
Because of the ongoing disruptions caused by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Thursday that A-F ratings would be paused the school year , though students will still have to take standardized tests .
The TEA said the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness , also known as STAAR , helps provide teachers and parents with information about what a student has learned .
The agency said if schools incorporate STAAR results into teacher evaluations , it will allow them to remove that component this year .
For most people , the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up within weeks .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and people with existing health problems , the virus can cause severe symptoms and be fatal .

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - A North Texas medical examiner’s office has brought in two refrigerated trucks to store dead bodies in response to low capacity amid a surge in coronavirus cases.
Many of the hospitals and larger funeral homes in the Fort Worth area have reached their storage capacity or will soon, said Nizam Peerwani, Tarrant County’s chief medical examiner.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office, which has a capacity normally of 100 bodies, said each truck can store 50 bodies.
Officials expect to start using the trucks in the next few days.
Also Thursday, a South Texas county that has been hit especially hard by the pandemic announced that its county judge, the county’s highest elected official, tested positive for COVID-19.
Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez, 77, has worked from home for most of the pandemic, and learned of his positive test after a family member tested positive. So far he hasn’t had symptoms.
“I have taken all the precautions that I could to prevent infection, but I still have contracted this awful virus,” Cortez said. “This goes to show you how contagious this virus can be.”
For a third day in a row, COVID-19 hospitalizations in Texas surpassed 9,000. The Texas Department of State Health Services said that 9,045 people with the coronavirus were hospitalized Thursday. Last week marked the first time Texas surpassed a daily count of 9,000 hospitalizations since a deadly summer outbreak.
State health officials on Thursday reported 12,211 new confirmed cases and 244 new deaths. The state says almost 1.3 million people have tested positive in Texas.
There have been more than more than 23,600 COVID-19-related deaths in Texas, the second highest in the country, researchers at Johns Hopkins University have determined.
Over the past two weeks, the rolling average number of daily new cases has remained mostly constant around 13,000 per day, according to Johns Hopkins.
The true number of infections in Texas is likely higher because many haven’t been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected and not feel sick.
Because of the ongoing disruptions caused by the pandemic, the Texas Education Agency said Thursday that A-F ratings would be paused the school year, though students will still have to take standardized tests.
The TEA said the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, also known as STAAR, helps provide teachers and parents with information about what a student has learned. The agency said if schools incorporate STAAR results into teacher evaluations, it will allow them to remove that component this year.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up within weeks. But for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the virus can cause severe symptoms and be fatal.