Lawsuit Claims Fired N.J. Health Official Was Asked To Get A Test For Top Aide’s Family; Concerns At Mississippi Capitol Lead To Free Testing

The Associated Press: Ex-Official Says He Was Asked To Give COVID-19 Test As Favor
New Jersey’s state police chief asked a former health official to get a relative of a top Murphy administration aide tested for COVID-19 as a favor while the tests were in short supply, a lawsuit claims. Chris Neuwirth said he was fired from his job as assistant health commissioner last month in retaliation for refusing to do the test. He is asking for the court to reinstate him to his old job and award back pay and damages. (Catalini, 6/16)

The Wall Street Journal: Fired N.J. Health Official Sues Murphy Administration, Alleges Unethical Request For Coronavirus Tests
Col. Callahan asked him or a member of his staff to collect specimens from family members of George Helmy, Gov. Phil Murphy’s chief of staff, for the purpose of conducting coronavirus tests. Mr. Neuwirth, who didn’t collect the specimens, believed the request was unethical and attempted to file an ethics complaint against Col. Callahan and Mr. Helmy, according to the lawsuit. But an ethics liaison officer implied that Mr. Neuwirth could face criminal repercussions if he proceeded, and advised him to speak to a criminal-defense lawyer before he filed the complaint, the lawsuit said. (De Avila, 6/16)

The Associated Press: Testing Offered At Mississippi Capitol Amid COVID-19 Concern
Free coronavirus testing was being conducted Tuesday at the Mississippi Capitol, a day after lawmakers were told that an employee in the building had tested positive for COVID-19. The Legislature remained in session. Some lawmakers, lobbyists and others in the Capitol have been wearing masks, but some have not. The Health Department said Tuesday that Mississippi has had at least 20,152 cases and 915 deaths from the coronavirus as of Monday evening. (6/16)

The Associated Press: Illinois Attorney General Tests Positive For COVID-19
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced Tuesday that he has tested positive for COVID-19, has mild symptoms and was self-isolating on the advice of his doctor. Raoul, a first-term Democrat, said he was tested a day earlier after experiencing symptoms. “I am fortunate to be otherwise healthy and am following recommendations to protect those around me,” he said in a statement.Raoul’s disclosure comes as the number of cases in Illinois has been falling and state has been taking gradual steps to reopen amid stay-at-home orders. (6/16)

Kaiser Health News: Citing COVID, Sutter Pushes To Revisit Landmark Antitrust Settlement
Six months after agreeing to a $575 million settlement in a closely watched antitrust case filed by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, Sutter Health has yet to pay a single dollar, and no operational changes have gone into effect. The nonprofit health care giant was accused of using its market dominance in Northern California to illegally drive up prices. Late last week, lawyers for Sutter filed a motion requesting that San Francisco Superior Court Judge Anne-Christine Massullo delay approval of the settlement for an additional 90 days, due to “catastrophic” losses stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. (Gold, 6/17)

Los Angeles Times: As Vegas Reawakens From COVID Closure, Baker Struggles Back
Lazarus Dabour used to arrive at the Mad Greek Cafe before the sun rose above the desert sky. He’d scan the 24-hour restaurant’s parking lot, clean the bathrooms, monitor the cash register, and prep fan-favorite breakfast items such as strawberry shakes or La Bomba breakfast burritos. On a busy day, the restaurant’s 29-year-old general manager could serve as many as 1,200 customers before straggling off after a 16-hour shift. (Lai, 6/16)

The Associated Press: Arkansas AG Sues TV Pastor Over Virus Treatment Claims
Arkansas’ attorney general on Tuesday sued Missouri-based TV pastor Jim Bakker over his promotion of a product falsely touted as a cure for the illness caused by the coronavirus. Attorney General Leslie Rutledge filed the lawsuit in Arkansas against Bakker and Morningside Church Productions, less than three months after the state of Missouri filed a similar lawsuit. Rutledge’s lawsuit says 385 Arkansans made purchases from Bakker’s company totaling approximately $60,524 for colloidal silver, a product often sold on the internet as a dietary supplement. (DeMillo, 6/17)

Los Angeles Times: Renegade Restaurants And Maskless Partying At Bars Set Off New Coronavirus Alarm
California has been aggressively reopening businesses in recent weeks, with health officials saying social distancing and other safety rules are essential in preventing the further spread of the coronavirus. New cases continue to increase in California, but health officials say that’s because of more testing and not community spread from reopened businesses. But they fear new outbreaks, especially if people take part in risky behavior. (Shalby, Wigglesworth, Sisson and Szabo, 6/16)

Los Angeles Times: Groups Clash In Orange County Over Mask Requirements
A small group opposed to Orange County’s relaxed rules on face coverings amid the COVID-19 pandemic was met Tuesday by a much louder crowd intent on drowning out their message. About 25 Orange County union leaders gathered on the steps of the county administration building to call on health officials to reinstate an order requiring that residents wear masks when conducting essential business. (Fry, 6/16)

The Associated Press: 18 People Arrested Over Quarantine Remain Jailed In Hawaii
Most of the 21 people who call themselves a misunderstood, nature-loving family remained jailed Tuesday over allegedly violating Hawaii’s traveler quarantine, even after they agreed to return to Los Angeles. Eligio Bishop, leader of the group known as Carbon Nation, was released with two others Monday after he pleaded no contest to violating Hawaii’s quarantine, which is meant to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the islands. (6/16)

Kaiser Health News: California Taps Libraries And Tax Offices To Recruit 20,000 New Disease Detectives
After more than two months at home, librarian Lisa Fagundes misses managing her sci-fi book collection so much, she feels she’s in withdrawal, longing to see new books, touch them, smell them. “It’s like a disease,” she said, laughing. Instead, she’s been learning to combat a different disease: COVID-19. While libraries are closed, Fagundes is one of dozens of librarians training to become a contact tracer, calling people who have been exposed to the coronavirus and asking them to self-quarantine at home so they don’t spread it further. (Dembosky, 6/17)

KQED: San Francisco Mayor, Supervisors Introduce Tax Measures To Fill Budget Holes 
San Francisco Mayor London Breed and a group of supervisors advanced dueling plans on Tuesday to place business tax hikes in front of voters in November. With the city facing a $1.7 billion budget shortfall over the next two years, the mayor and members of the board are also working on additional ideas that could help fund city services, including changes to the city’s business tax structure and maneuvers to tap existing tax revenue held up in litigation. (Marzorati, 6/16)

KQED: San Francisco Considers Making Public Health Emergency Leave Permanent 
Under a newly proposed ballot measure, many San Francisco workers would be able to receive additional paid sick leave benefits during future public health crises or unhealthy air days. The measure, introduced Tuesday by Supervisor Gordon Mar, seeks to make permanent the city's current emergency benefit, which requires large San Francisco employers to grant two weeks of paid leave per year to some 200,000 workers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. (Green, 6/16)

KQED: Things Are Getting Really Ugly For California Public Health Officers 
Local public health officers haven’t been this important in a century. They’re also being second-guessed, harassed and threatened by residents, and sometimes local leaders, angry about pandemic shutdowns. Some have simply quit. (Feder Ostrov, 6/16)

San Jose Mercury News: California's COVID-19 Cases Are Getting Younger
As California’s economy opens up, coronavirus cases are getting younger and younger. An analysis released this week reveals that more than 44% of new diagnoses are in people age 34 or younger, up from 29% a month ago. (Krieger, 6/16)

Houston Chronicle: Pandemic Challenges Part Of San Jac Nursing Students’ Virtual Lessons 
For students enrolled in the nursing program at San Jacinto College, the coronavirus pandemic is providing a virtual lesson in what it means to participate in the community as a healthcare worker. During the initial phase of COVID-19 response when the classes were shut down, the college began developing virtual course study for online learning through new software. (Orozco. 6/16)

Sacramento Bee: Butte County CA Church Thwarted COVID-19 Contact Tracing
Last month, a Butte County church defied Gov. Gavin Newsom’s statewide order and opened its doors for services, despite warnings that people without symptoms could unwittingly spread the disease to others in crowded spaces. When health officials discovered that one of the parishioners had indeed tested positive for COVID-19, potentially exposing more than 160 people at the church, they dispatched a team to track and contain the disease. They didn’t get far. The county’s efforts were stymied almost immediately because the church and most of its members refused to share information with health officials, a Sacramento Bee review of county emails and interviews with officials show. (Sabalow and Bizjak, 6/16)

New Orleans Times-Picayune: Filing Evictions In Metro New Orleans: Some Places 'Hectic,' But A Different Story At Other Spots
One court in the New Orleans area had a flood of eviction filings and others a trickle as a statewide moratorium came to a close in recent days, providing landlords their first opportunity since March to kick out renters. On the east bank of New Orleans, Clerk of 1st City Court Austin Badon said landlords lined up by the dozens to file for evictions on Tuesday, the first day he accepted filings after Gov. John Bel Edwards lifted the moratorium. (Sledge, 6/16)

The Washington Post: Amtrak Is Ending Daily Service To Hundreds Of Stations. Blame The Coronavirus Pandemic, The Railroad Says.
Amtrak is ending daily service to hundreds of stations outside the Northeast, and you can blame the coronavirus pandemic, the railroad said this week. Starting Oct. 1, most Amtrak long-distance trains will operate three times a week instead of daily, the company said in a memo to employees Monday. The carrier is also planning to enter fiscal year 2021 with reduced train frequencies in the Northeast Corridor, the busiest in its network, and on its state-funded routes, the company said. (Lazo, 6/16)

The Washington Post: D.C., Maryland, Virginia Report 58 New Coronavirus Deaths
More than 400 samples collected at coronavirus testing sites in the District cannot be processed because they were exposed to heat, city officials said Tuesday. The D.C. health department confirmed the problems with samples collected at Judiciary Square and Anacostia testing sites after residents reported delays in receiving test results. Officials say they will hold “special testing sessions” for the affected residents on Wednesday and Thursday. (Hedgpeth and Nirappil, 6/16)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: DeKalb County Health Opens Coronavirus Testing Site In Doraville
The DeKalb County Health Department has recently opened a testing location for COVID-19 in Doraville. The site opened Monday, June 15, in the parking lot of the former Kmart store at 5597 Buford Highway, near Interstate 285 in Doraville. Hours of operation will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. The site doesn’t operate on weekends. Anyone above the age of eighteen can be screened for testing, including those who are asymptomatic but suspect they have come in contact with the virus. Those under eighteen must be accompanied by a parent. (Love, 6/16)

Atlanta Journal Constitution: Georgia Veterans Get New Community Healthcare Providers
A new agency will begin this month handling community healthcare for veterans in Georgia and other parts of the Southeast. Community healthcare is when veterans go to doctors or businesses outside of the Veterans Affairs system, and was set up to speed veterans’ access to medical care. (Quinn, 6/16)

Boston Globe: Congresswoman Katherine Clark Seeks Billions For Child Care Infrastructure 
Representative Katherine Clark on Tuesday unveiled a new bill aimed at helping child care facilities safely reopen after coronavirus lockdowns and supporting early educators who work for them. Called the Child Care is Infrastructure Act, the bill would invest $10 billion in child care over five years through competitive grants that help centers renovate their facilities and adapt to the pandemic. It would also reauthorize $200 million in grants to campus-based child care programs to better support students who are parents. (Ebbert, 6/16)

The Arkansas Democrat: ACLU Of Arkansas Sues Over Law Allowing Courts To Jail Tenants With Unpaid Rent
The American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas filed suit in federal court Monday to overturn the state law that allows courts to jail tenants who don’t pay their rent. The civil rights group, joined by the Bowen Law School Legal Clinic, the Center for Arkansas Legal Services and Legal Aid of Arkansas, contend that Arkansas Code 18-16-101 denies renters their right to due process in violation of state and federal constitutions. (Lynch, 6/15)

The Associated Press: Maine To Get Boost Addressing Substance Use, Mental Health
The federal government has awarded the state of Maine nearly $1.5 million to support mental health and substance abuse treatment plans. The money is from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Center for Mental Health Services. U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, a Republican, and Angus King, an independent, said the money will help the state treat “heartbreaking disorders that have taken a toll on far too many of our peers, friends, and neighbors.” (6/16)

The New York Times: Cuomo Announces Support Of U.S. Open In New York
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced Tuesday that the United States Open would be held as originally scheduled but without spectators at the U.S.T.A. Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, approving a plan by the United States Tennis Association to salvage the Grand Slam tournament, one of the biggest sporting events in New York. “It will be held without fans, but we can watch it on TV, and I’ll take that,” the governor said. (Clarey, 6/16)

San Jose Mercury News: Hundreds Of Southern California Schools Vulnerable To Outbreaks Because Of Vaccine Reluctance, Data Suggests
Officials are concerned that vaccine resistance might pose a problem if and when a COVID-19 vaccination finally becomes available. The magic number public health officials want to see is 95 percent fully vaccinated — a level where “herd immunity” is reached, which prevents disease from spreading. But there were 661 schools in the four counties with vaccination rates lower than that — and some were a great deal lower, according to a Southern California News Group analysis. (Sforza, 6/16)

Dallas Morning News: Texas Foster Care Ignores Harm To Kids, Remains ‘Dangerous,’ Report To Federal Judge Says
Texas callously subjects children who’ve already suffered abuse and neglect to “unreasonable risk of serious harm” in a long-term foster care system that’s fragmented and poorly run, two court-appointed monitors said in their first comprehensive report to a federal judge Tuesday. While Texas claims it’s come close to complying with the judge’s remedial orders, and state GOP leaders say they’ve increased funding in recent years, monitors Deborah Fowler and Kevin Ryan debunked suggestions that there have been massive improvements. (Garrett, 6/16)