Health Effects Of Wildfires Rattle Residents In San Francisco

KQED: Bay Area Residents Alarmed As Wildfire Smoke Blocks Sun 
Bay Area residents woke to ominous orange skies Wednesday, brought on by multiple wildfires across Northern California.  As a layer of heavy smoke all but blocked the sun, and as ash covered sidewalks, cars and houses, many are raising concerns about the health effects of going outside. We talk with a meteorologist and air quality expert about how long the darkened skies will last and the status of the region’s air quality. (Krasny, 9/10)

San Francisco Chronicle: Calif. Supreme Court Lets 2018’s Prop. C Stand, Frees Up $300 Million In Homeless Funds For SF 
The state Supreme Court cleared the way Wednesday for San Francisco to fund programs for the homeless with hundreds of millions of dollars in business taxes approved by a majority of city voters in 2018 — it’s an important case for tax measures on local ballots throughout California. Proposition C, which would raise $250 million to $300 million per year with a tax on gross receipts of corporations with annual revenue above $50 million, received 61% of the vote in November 2018. It was immediately challenged by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and other business-supported groups, which argued that Proposition 218, a 1996 state ballot measure, required a two-thirds majority for any tax increase proposed by a local government for specific purposes. (Egelko, 9/9)

AP: Los Angeles Eases Up On Pandemic-Driven Halloween Guidance
A day after issuing guidelines that restricted trick-or-treating and other Halloween traditions because of the coronavirus pandemic, Los Angeles County health officials walked back some of the rules on Wednesday.The county Department of Health initially said Tuesday that trick-or-treating, haunted houses and parades would be banned because those activities make it difficult to maintain social distancing. Not letting kids trick-or-treat is “an overreaction,” said Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, professor of medicine and public health at University of California, Los Angeles. “It doesn’t surprise me, but it’s disappointing that we continue to make policy recommendations that are not based on the evidence,” Klausner said Wednesday. (Weber, 9/9)

In news from New York, Massachusetts and Maine —

The Hill: Cuomo Says NYC To Allow Indoor Dining Later This Month 
Indoor dining can resume in New York City at limited capacity later this month, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said Wednesday. Restaurants will be able to reopen indoors on Sept. 30 at 25 percent capacity with additional restrictions in place, the governor announced. All patrons must have their temperature checked at the door, and one member of each party will be required to provide the restaurant with information for potential contact tracing. Tables will need to be 6 feet apart, and patrons will have to wear masks when they're not seated. (Klar, 9/9)

Boston Globe: Healey Warns Medical Marijuana Nonprofit Over Failure To Disclose Finances 
The Massachusetts Patient Advocacy Alliance (MPAA) has long held a special place among cannabis groups in the state. For one thing, it’s the successor to the coalition that sponsored the successful voter ballot initiative on legalizing medical cannabis here in 2012. It’s also the only non-government group besides the ACLU guaranteed a seat — actually, two seats — on the official Massachusetts Cannabis Advisory Board, which advises the state’s Cannabis Control Commission on policy. Essentially, the MPAA is enshrined in state law as the emissary of medical marijuana patients. (Adams, 9/9)

Boston Globe: AG Healey Announces $1.5 Million Grant Program To Expand Opioid Treatment Access For People Of Color
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey on Thursday morning announced a new grant program intended to provide more equitable care for Black, Latino, and other people of color struggling with opioid use. The $1.5 million program, called Promoting Cultural Humility in Opioid Use Disorder Treatment, will “support more inclusive recovery programs and behavioral health services for communities of color,” Healey said in an interview Wednesday. (Fox, 9/10)

Bangor Daily News: Bangor Hotel To Serve As Homeless Shelter Through End Of Year
A Bangor hotel will serve as shelter space for the city’s homeless population for the rest of the year under an arrangement that will reserve half of the hotel for those suffering from COVID-19 and the other half for clients without the disease. Penobscot Community Health Care, which manages the Hope House shelter in Bangor, will manage the Ramada Inn on Odlin, which has been housing some homeless clients during the pandemic so they can remain socially distanced from others. (Sambides Jr., 9/9)

In news from Indiana, Georgia and Texas —

AP: Northern Indiana Prison On Lockdown Amid COVID-19 Outbreak
A northern Indiana prison has been placed on lockdown after weekend testing found nearly 60 inmates and several prison workers were positive for COVID-19, a prison official said Wednesday. After new coronavirus cases were found last week at the Miami Correctional Facility, a team from the Indiana State Department of Health visited the prison over the weekend to do rapid testing, said prison spokesman James Frye. (9/9)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Family Of Man Who Died In Cobb County Jail Files Lawsuit
The family of a man who died while in custody at the Cobb County Adult Detention Center has filed a federal lawsuit alleging his constitutional rights were violated by sheriff’s deputies and medical staff who did not treat him while he was in medical distress. Kevil Wingo’s family filed the civil suit last week in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia against Wellstar Health System, six nurses and three Cobb County Sheriff’s Office deputies. (Dixon, 9/10)

Dallas Morning News: Texas Proposes To Cut Millions From Safety Net Programs As Officials Brace For COVID-19 Budget Impact
Health care and food assistance programs that benefit low-income Texans would be slashed under proposed budget cuts that top state leaders say are necessary to weather the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. Documents obtained by The Dallas Morning News show state agencies are proposing to pull back money for women’s health programs, trim funds for food banks and slim the workforce that helps people sign up for health insurance, even as demand for those services grows amid the downturn. (McGoughy and Morris, 9/9)