COVID-19

Tracking Coronavirus Is a Challenge in Rural Areas

Published by Nikki Palmer on Wed, 08/19/2020 - 1:00am

Lincoln – Federal officials need to figure out better ways to track the coronavirus in rural, sparsely populated areas where fewer people are getting tested, a top White House coronavirus official said Friday in an appearance in Nebraska.

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Sleepy Lions, Empty Bars, Lost Jobs: A World Without Tourism

Published by Scott Stewart on Sun, 08/09/2020 - 5:00am

Paris – With no American visitors to show around the D-Day beaches or the Loire Valley’s chateaux, and no work on the immediate horizon, Paris tour guide Linda Zenou frets about how she’ll pay off a loan and continue to care for her ailing mother in the achingly lean months ahead.

“My situation is going to become completely inextricable,” she said. “We have nothing to live on.”

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Third of Douglas County Engineer’s Office Out Because of Virus Concerns

Published by Scott Stewart on Fri, 08/07/2020 - 12:00am

One-third of the staff of the Douglas County Engineer’s office is at home on quarantine after four people who work there tested positive for COVID-19.

Officials said last Wednesday that 23 of the 70 people in the office are isolating themselves at home.

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Metro Schools Still Setting Virus Plans as Return Looms

Published by Scott Stewart on Tue, 08/04/2020 - 2:00am

Nebraska schools are still scrambling to set attendance and safety policies in the wake of a global pandemic, with the start of the new school year less than a month away, even as the number of cases of COVID-19 continue to climb in Nebraska.

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Record Economic Plunge, Bleak Jobs Report Reveal Virus Toll

Published by Scott Stewart on Tue, 08/04/2020 - 1:00am

Washington — The coronavirus pandemic sent the U.S. economy plunging by a record-shattering 32.9% annual rate last quarter and is still inflicting damage across the country, squeezing already struggling businesses and forcing a wave of layoffs that shows no sign of abating.

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Ricketts: ‘We Can’t Get Cocky’ With COVID-19 Response

Published by Scott Stewart on Wed, 07/01/2020 - 1:00am

Lincoln – Nebraska is seeing fewer new cases of the coronavirus and its hospitals are well-positioned to treat patients, but that could change quickly if residents don’t continue to take safety precautions, Gov. Pete Ricketts said last Thursday.

Ricketts said the state is likely to see another uptick in virus cases due to relaxed social distancing restrictions and recent mass protests.

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Eighth Nebraska Prison Inmate Tests Positive for Coronavirus

Published by Scott Stewart on Wed, 06/24/2020 - 7:51am

Lincoln – Another Nebraska prison inmate has tested positive for the coronavirus.

The Nebraska Department of Correctional Services said the case was reported at the Nebraska State Penitentiary in Lincoln. So far, a total of eight inmates and 20 employees in the state prison system have tested positive for COVID-19.

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How America’s Hospitals Survived First Wave of Coronavirus

Published by Scott Stewart on Thu, 06/18/2020 - 4:00am

The prediction from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was grim. In late March, as the number of COVID-19 cases was growing exponentially in the state, Cuomo said New York hospitals might need twice as many beds as they normally have. Otherwise there could be no space to treat patients seriously ill with the new coronavirus.

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Small Cities Facing Fiscal Calamity From Coronavirus

Published by Scott Stewart on Wed, 06/17/2020 - 12:00am

A cyclist pedals up a hill in Allentown, Pa., Friday, May 29, 2020. Allentown predicts a budget deficit of over $10 million, a number officials say could go higher if the economy doesn’t rebound quickly. (AP)

Allentown, Pa. – Unfilled potholes, uncollected trash, unmown grass and, most significantly, fewer police on the street are some of what Allentown says it’s contemplating unless Washington helps it plug a multimillion-dollar budget hole left by the coronavirus pandemic.

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No Butter Cow This Summer As Iowa State Fair Canceled

Published by Scott Stewart on Tue, 06/16/2020 - 1:00pm

Des Moines, Iowa – Hold the pork chop on a stick and get a butter cow rain check.

This summer’s Iowa State Fair was cancelled Wednesday due to concerns about the coronavirus, marking the first time since World War II that the annual gathering won’t be held in Des Moines.