Advocates Worried About Food Supply Vow To Protect Georgia Farmland; Sanctioned Homeless Tent Areas Spark Debate In San Francisco

Atlanta Journal Constitution: New Report Says Georgia Farms Are Under Threat
Georgia farmland is among the most threatened in the nation according to a new report from the American Farmland Trust. Between 2001 and 2016, about 544,000 acres of agricultural land in Georgia were developed or used for purposes other than farming or ranching, 195,000 acres of which are considered the best land for growing food and crops. (Rhone, 5/20)

CNN: San Francisco's Camp Sites For Homeless Spark Debate Amid Covid-19 Outbreak 
While thousands of people remain unsheltered in San Francisco amid the coronavirus pandemic, a controversial proposal to allow the homeless to pitch tents in the city's parks has sparked debate among lawmakers and residents in a city famous for its liberal politics. Frustrated business owners and residents alike, already under enormous stress from the economic shutdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, have found their patience tested as tents spring up in doorways and human waste becomes an ever-present concern in parts of the city. (Martin, 5/21)

Boston Globe: How Three Doctors ⁠— From The Same Family ⁠— Beat The Coronavirus 
When Dr. Charles Lowney got sick from the coronavirus, he made one thing clear to his family: he did not want to go to the hospital. The 82-year-old Milton resident was sidelined in March when he and his two sons, who are also physicians, became ill with COVID-19. Both sons made a full recovery, but the elder Lowney had it much worse. There were times when they wondered if he would make it. (Sweeney, 5/20)

Boston Globe: Raimondo To Rhode Islanders: Please Don’t Party In Big Groups On Memorial Day 
Even with two state beaches set to reopen on Memorial Day, Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo said Wednesday that residents should avoid large gatherings this holiday weekend so that the state doesn’t see a spike in coronvirus infections several weeks from now. Raimondo said the state is still limiting gatherings to no more than five people, so “this is not the weekend to have a big party.” (McGowan, 5/20)

The Washington Post: Hawaii Warns Tourists: Broken Quarantines Punishable By Arrest, Fines
Monday’s “wanted” post on the Maui Police Department Facebook page included all the information one would expect: a photo, physical description, phone number to call with information. And a description of the Colorado woman’s alleged offense: “violating the Rules and Orders for failure to quarantine." According to police, the 31-year-old tourist arrived on Maui on Friday, acknowledged the state’s mandatory 14-day quarantine and said she would be at a hostel. (Sampson, 5/20)

Reuters: California To Give Guidelines For Restarting TV And Movie Production
California on Monday will roll out guidelines for the resumption of production of Hollywood movies and TV shows, but Governor Gavin Newsom warned that Los Angeles County would likely be excluded in the first phase. Newsom told a film and TV industry roundtable on Wednesday that the guidelines would “allow counties that are in better condition than some of the others, to be able to move forward and ... allow some movement in your industry.” (5/20)

Capital Public Radio: California Could See A 'Massive Wave' Of Cancer Patients If People Don’t Get Screened And Treated 
In late April, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a plan to return to some standard medical services after weeks of telling people to avoid clinics and hospitals. But almost a month later, many physicians say they’re seeing far fewer patients than normal. The new allowance for medical visits came after hospitals postponed all non-emergency procedures to save staff and equipment for a potential COVID-19 surge that, in most cases, never came. (Caiola, 5/19)

The Hill: Illinois House Removed GOP Rep From Legislative Session After He Refused To Wear A Mask: 'A Callous Disregard For Life' 
The Illinois state House reportedly voted to remove a Republican lawmaker from a legislative session Wednesday after he refused to comply with a requirement for lawmakers to wear a mask during the special session. The state House voted 81-27 to remove Rep. Darren Bailey after he refused to put a face mask on following the chamber voting to adopt the rule, NBC Chicago reported. “I can not sit in there and be part of just a puppet game,” Bailey told reporters after he was removed from the session. (Klar, 5/20)

Bangor Daily News: Maine Sees Largest Single-Day Spike With 78 More Coronavirus Cases Detected
Maine saw the largest single-day increase in new coronavirus cases Wednesday when health officials reported another 78 cases. There have now been 1,819 cases across all of Maine’s counties since the outbreak began here in March, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s up from 1,741 on Tuesday. (Burns, 5/20)

Bangor Daily News: Top Maine Official Hints At Broader Rural Reopenings, New Approach To Tourist Quarantine
Maine’s top economic development official on Wednesday teased additional early business openings in rural counties and a broader approach to the 14-day quarantine requirement aimed at stemming coronavirus transmission. (Valigra, 5/20)

San Francisco Chronicle: A Breath Away From Death: After Weeks On A Ventilator SF Man Walks Away From ICU And COVID-19 
It started with a cough. It was just a little one, but Ron Temko tended to cough sometimes, so the family wasn’t worried. By all accounts, everything was normal. His family could never have anticipated that just a few days later, Ron would be admitted into the intensive care unit at UCSF Parnassus, where he would spend 21 days in a medically induced coma, 34 days on a ventilator and 40 days on a feeding tube. He was hospitalized for over 61 days due to COVID-19 symptoms, during which he could barely talk and had to relearn to walk and sit up by himself. He was a breath away from death. (Vainshtein, 5/20)

Las Vegas Review-Journal: Coronavirus Testing: Only 1.5% Test Positive At Las Vegas Location
Just 1.5 percent of tests for COVID-19 have come back positive in the first major program in the Las Vegas area to offer tests to those without symptoms. Of 7,778 diagnostic tests conducted at a site at The Orleans, just 119 had come back positive for the new coronavirus as of Monday, officials with University Medical Center said. (Hynes, 5/19)

Boston Globe: Colleges Plan For On-Campus Classes, Even As Scientists Warn Of Risk For COVID-19
The leaders of major Boston-area colleges and universities say they are hoping to hold some or all of their courses on campus this fall, even as epidemiologists warn that colleges by their very nature might put students and faculty at risk for COVID-19. “We are going to have to be more flexible than we’ve ever been in the way that we offer education,” Boston University president Robert Brown said Wednesday, speaking on a panel hosted by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce where he and other campus leaders outlined how they plan to create safe campus environments this fall. (Krantz and Fernandes, 5/20)