‘It’s Time’: Data Support Reopening Washington Schools, Governor Says

The Hill: Washington State Eyes Reopening Schools No Matter The Rate Of COVID-19 Infections
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) on Wednesday released updated plans for returning to in-person learning at schools across the state, regardless of a community’s COVID-19 infection rates. "I know some would have liked to see this sooner, but we have data and research now that we did not have six months ago," Inslee said during a press briefing Wednesday, where he was joined by state Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal, as well as other education and health leaders. (Castronuovo, 12/16)

The Washington Post: Kansas Mayor Joyce Warshaw Resigns After Receiving Threats Over Mask Mandate 
The emails and voice mails to Dodge City, Kan., Mayor Joyce Warshaw began pouring in last month, after the city commission voted to require everyone in town to wear masks indoors. Some anonymous messages told her that she was restricting civil liberties, Warshaw told The Washington Post. Others said she should go to jail over her vote. But after the western Kansas city’s uphill battle against the coronavirus pandemic was highlighted in a USA Today feature Friday, the messages grew more frequent and aggressive: Burn in hell. Get murdered. One person simply wrote, “We’re coming for you.” So after nearly eight years in government, she called it quits Tuesday. (Armus, 12/16)

AP: Farmers Ordered To Pay Back Wages Over COVID-19 Quarantines
Three area farmers have been ordered to pay more than $11,000 in back wages after denying paid sick leave to employees who were advised to self-quarantine following potential COVID-19 exposure. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division ordered Coleman Agriculture in Gervais to pay seven employees $8,878; St. Joseph Orchard Inc. in McMinnville to pay four employees $1,820 and J Farms LLC to pay one employee $720, the Statesman Journal reported. (12/16)

AP: Oklahoma Puts Hold On Planned $400 Lost Wages Payments
Planned payments of $400 to some Oklahoma residents who lost wages amid the coronavirus pandemic are being put on hold due to the potential approval of additional federal unemployment payments, Oklahoma Employment Security Commission director Shelley Zumwalt said Wednesday. “If new federal legislation is passed and a new federal unemployment relief package reaches Oklahomans, it will be clear that OESC will return the funds,” said Zumwalt, who announced Dec. 10 that the payments would begin this week. (Miller, 12/16)

Tribune News Service: Tyson Foods Fires 7 Managers Accused Of Betting On Employee COVID-19 Infections At Iowa Plant
Seven Tyson Foods plant managers who were accused of betting on how many employees would get coronavirus were fired Wednesday, the company said. The suspected pool at Tyson’s pork plant in Waterloo, Iowa, was first reported in a November lawsuit filed by the son of a Isidro Fernandez, a plant employee who died from COVID-19. The lawsuit also accused of Tyson of disregarding worker safety while keeping the plant open and pressuring sick employees to keep working. (12/17)

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Des Moines Register: Iowa Water Lead Levels Expose Thousands Of Iowans, UI Researchers Say
Thousands of Iowans, especially children, are being exposed to high levels of lead in their drinking water, a threat that should push Iowa lawmakers to increase testing and lower how much lead the state allows, University of Iowa researchers said Tuesday. An indication of the severity of the threat: One in five infants in Iowa is born with elevated levels of lead, said Michelle Scherer, a University of Iowa civil and environmental engineering professor, pointing to a 2017 study of blood samples from newborns. (Eller, 12/15)

Courier-Journal: Louisville Overdoses Climb As COVID-19 Cuts Access To Support Groups
As drug users have been cut off from some in-person support services because of the pandemic, overdose deaths in Louisville have skyrocketed this year, according to Dr. Martin Huecker, an emergency room physician. "It's very challenging to get people with addiction the treatment they need when we have these barriers," said Huecker, who noted that the increase has come as the number of overall emergency room visits has dropped. (Aulbach, 12/16)