Alabama Apologizes To ‘Fifth Girl’ In 1963 Church Bombing For Inflicting Pain, Suffering
Sarah Collins Rudolph, 69, was 12 when a bomb planted by the KKK tore through 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. Her sister and three other young girls were killed. Rudolph survived but lost an eye. She says medical bills and trauma have haunted her ever since.
NPR:
Alabama Gov. Apologizes To Surviving '5th Girl' Of 1963 KKK Bombing
Sarah Collins Rudolph was 12 years old when the explosion of a bomb, planted by the Ku Klux Klan, ripped through the basement of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala., in 1963.Her sister and three other young girls were killed by the dynamite blast, and although she survived, she lost an eye and was hospitalized for months. Since then, the medical bills and the trauma of that violent Sunday have haunted her. On Tuesday, after 57 years, 15 days and multiple pleas for an apology and compensation, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey tried to make amends for the hateful attack. (Romo, 9/30)
In news from the Midwest and West —
AP:
Task Force: Oklahoma Among Worst In Nation In Coronavirus
Oklahoma remains among the worst states in the United States for positive coronavirus tests per 100,000 people and the number of new reported cases, according to a report released this week by the White House Coronavirus Task Force. Oklahoma is in the red zone for virus cases, meaning 101 or more new cases per 100,000 population, with a rate of 201 new cases per 100,000, an increase of 15% from a week ago, according to the federal report dated Sept. 27 and released Wednesday by the Oklahoma State Department of Health. The report recommends increased testing to identify those with COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus, and to isolate those infected to limit the spread of the virus. (Miller, 9/30)
ABC News:
South Dakota Seeing Surge In COVID-19 Transmission As Cases Rise In Midwest
South Dakota has one of the highest rates of COVID-19 spread in the country, several reports show, as the Midwest experiences a surge in cases. The state ranked second in the country for both rates of new cases and test positivity in the latest report from the White House Coronavirus Task Force. According to the report, dated Sept. 27, both numbers increased over the last week amid greater testing, "indicating increasing transmission." (Deliso, 9/30)
AP:
Idaho Is Entering 3rd Coronavirus Wave, Health Experts Say
Idaho now has more than 40,500 confirmed cases of the new coronavirus, and some health experts are warning that the state is entering its third wave of new infections. “I think we are a week into our third spike that is going to be bigger than either of the ones before,” Dr. David Pate, a member of the state’s coronavirus task force and the former CEO of St. Luke’s Health System said, Boise television station KTVB reported Sunday. (9/30)
Las Vegas Review-Journal:
Sisolak Loosens COVID-19 Rules On Indoor, Outdoor Gatherings
Nevada is substantially loosening its COVID-19 rules on large gatherings for both indoor and outdoor events and will allow for a limited number of spectators at sporting and other live entertainment events as part of a continued relaxation of restrictions announced by Gov. Steve Sisolak on Tuesday. Starting Thursday, the gathering limit for indoor and outdoor events will be raised to no more than 250 people, up from the 50-person limit implemented in May. (9/29)
Cronkite News:
COVID-19 Puts Spotlight On State’s Lacking Mental Health Care
Arizona ranks close to last in the nation when it comes to available mental health care providers – a problem that’s been underscored during a pandemic that is increasing anxiety and depression. Heather Ross, a clinical assistant professor at Arizona State University who advises Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego on health policy issues, said the state also lacks sufficient beds and inpatient facilities to treat patients with mental health challenges. Still, she added: “You can build a building, you can stick a bed in a room, but unless you have the professionals to deliver the care, those beds almost don’t matter.” (Engstrom, 9/30)
Bloomberg:
Mapping The Disparities Of Chicago's Unequal Pandemic
Just as the coronavirus has an accomplice in health conditions like diabetes and asthma, it is also aided and abetted by the stark inequality that makes such conditions possible. A century of racist housing practices — from redlining to contract buying to the grossly unequal lending that persists today — have denied Black Chicagoans generations of wealth. The series of maps below shows the results. Black neighborhoods see more poverty, air pollution, extreme heat and flood damage, and less access to health care and food — all factors that make residents more vulnerable to the coronavirus. The maps are of Chicago, but they reflect the reality of numerous other American cities where coronavirus has devastated communities of color. (Deaton and Oladipo, 9/30)
The Salt Lake Tribune:
State Auditors Say Utah Did ‘Not Adequately Anticipate Or Prepare’ For COVID-19
A newly released review of the state’s early response to COVID-19 found that Utah leaders were unprepared for a global pandemic and that in the scramble to adapt, they spent millions of dollars in no-bid contracts with little documentation of due diligence. “From our high-level review, we conclude that the State did not adequately anticipate or prepare for this type of statewide, national, and global pandemic,” stated the review released Wednesday by the Office of the State Auditor. (Rodgers and Stevens, 9/30)
CNN:
Disinfecting The Texas Water Supply From A Brain-Eating Amoeba Could Take Months, Officials Say
Texas officials said that it could take months to disinfect the brain-eating amoeba contaminated water that claimed the life of a 6-year-old boy. Gov. Greg Abbott held a news conference Tuesday to address what he called "the total tragedy" of the death of Josiah McIntyre, who CNN previously reported died from single-celled brain eating amoeba Naegleria fowleri found in the Lake Jackson water supply earlier this month. (Johnson, 9/30)
Politico:
California To Ban Chokeholds, Independently Review Police Shootings Under Newly Signed Laws
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday signed policing bills that ban chokeholds, allow the state Department of Justice to investigate police shootings and give counties more oversight of sheriff's departments. The signings represent a win for police reform advocates and Democrats who introduced a wave of bills after the May police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. (Nieves, 9/30)
In news from the East —
CNN:
US Coronavirus: Several New York Zip Codes Are Reporting Infection Rates Five Times Higher Than Statewide Rate
New York has reported several Covid-19 clusters that have created "hotspot" zip codes, the governor said, with a positivity rate about five times more than statewide. The new clusters are a "stark reminder" that the state is still not out of the woods when it comes to the pandemic, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. (Maxouris, 10/1)
NH Times Union:
Listeria Found In Wild Gray Foxes In New Hampshire
Listeria has been found in two New Hampshire wild gray foxes by investigators at the New Hampshire Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at the University of New Hampshire. The disease can sicken both people and farm animals, researchers said in a UNH news release. Some strains can be particularly important if they are resistant to multiple antibiotics and carry genes that lead to more severe diseases in infected people or animals. According to Patrick Tate, a wildlife biologist with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, antibiotic resistance is an important measure to track because some pathogens are zoonotic diseases or can become zoonotic.
“Zoonotic pathogens have the ability to significantly impact human health, impact agricultural animals and cause significant impact to the food supply chain. To effectively respond to outbreaks requires the utmost understanding of viruses, fungi, parasites and bacteria,” Tate said in the news release. (9/28)
