OMAHA, Neb.-United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced that Annette Eubanks, 62, of Omaha, Nebraska was sentenced today in federal court in Omaha for Theft from the Mail. Senior United States District Court Judge Laurie Smith Camp sentenced Eubanks to a 2-year term of probation. Eubanks was also ordered to pay $1,456 in restitution to 44 victims that were identified in the investigation.

Eubanks was an employee of the United States Postal Service working in the postal sorting facility in Omaha. Between December 31, 2018 and July of 2019, Eubanks would knowingly open greeting cards that had been sent in the United States mail. Eubanks would identify these cards typically by the colored envelopes. During this approximate seven-month time period, Eubanks stole a total of more than $1,400 from more than 50 envelopes. Eubanks was caught in the act of opening envelopes by the United States Postal Service Office of the Inspector General.

Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Jeffery Krafels said, “The public served by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) places enormous trust in the men and women of the USPS who honorably fulfill their duties daily. However, when that trust is betrayed, the public can rest assured the USPS Office of Inspector General (USPS OIG), and its law enforcement partners, will be vigilant in their pursuit of accountability and criminal prosecution; these crimes will not be tolerated. Today’s sentencing is an example of the dedication and determination exhibited by the legal and investigative teams of the USPS OIG and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, in the District of Nebraska. The USPS OIG will continue to vigorously investigate these types of crimes to protect the sanctity of the Postal Service.”

This case was investigated by the United States Postal Service Office of the Inspector General.

News Release US Attorney's OfficeOMAHA, Neb.-United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced that Annette Eubanks, 62, of Omaha, Nebraska was sentenced today in federal court in Omaha for Theft from the Mail. Senior United States District Court Judge Laurie Smith Camp sentenced Eubanks to a 2-year term of probation. Eubanks was also ordered to pay $1,456 in restitution to 44 victims that were identified in the investigation.Eubanks was an employee of the United States Postal Service working in the postal sorting facility in Omaha. Between December 31, 2018 and July of 2019, Eubanks would knowingly open greeting cards that had been sent in the United States mail. Eubanks would identify these cards typically by the colored envelopes. During this approximate seven-month time period, Eubanks stole a total of more than $1,400 from more than 50 envelopes. Eubanks was caught in the act of opening envelopes by the United States Postal Service Office of the Inspector General.Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Jeffery Krafels said, “The public served by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) places enormous trust in the men and women of the USPS who honorably fulfill their duties daily. However, when that trust is betrayed, the public can rest assured the USPS Office of Inspector General (USPS OIG), and its law enforcement partners, will be vigilant in their pursuit of accountability and criminal prosecution; these crimes will not be tolerated. Today’s sentencing is an example of the dedication and determination exhibited by the legal and investigative teams of the USPS OIG and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, in the District of Nebraska. The USPS OIG will continue to vigorously investigate these types of crimes to protect the sanctity of the Postal Service.”This case was investigated by the United States Postal Service Office of the Inspector General.

Omaha postal employee gets probation for stealing money from greeting cards

The 23rd annual Omaha Women's Health and Wellness Conference is Oct. 9, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the conference will be held online via Zoom.

General attendance for the conference is free. Continuing nursing education credit is available for select sessions at a cost of $30.

The conference theme is "Pouring From an Empty Cup: Prioritizing Self-Care While Caring for Others," and features three main sessions, six health education breakout sessions and a closing session. The conference offers health insights, as well as encouraging and empowering messages and meaningful information that attendees can immediately apply in their own lives.&nbsp;

The conference is hosted by the Olson Center for Women's Health, UNMC, Nebraska Medicine, the University of Nebraska at Omaha and The WellBeing Partners.

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sheritta Strong, MD, UNMC Department of Psychiatry and UNMC Office of Inclusion, whose talk is titled, “Losses Due to COVID-19: What Stages of Grief Are You In?” Dr. Strong will address the current state of affairs surrounding COVID-19, in particular, the dimensions of wellness and ways to cope with grief and loss.

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Meghan McLarney, Nebraska Medicine Outpatient Nutrition, who will discuss what a plant-based diet is, tips to use plants in your diet and how this may benefit health conditions. Her talk is titled, “The Power of Plants: How Eating ‘Plant-based’ Can Fight Disease.”

·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Ashley Farrens, Nebraska Medicine Trauma Program, and Charity Evans, MD, UNMC Department of Surgery, who will discuss the behavioral and physiologic changes traumatic experiences have on the body, brain and health outcomes and how to promote empathetic and caring experiences in our lives. The talk is titled “Understanding Trauma Informed Care, Resiliency and Your Health.”

Conference attendees can choose two of six breakout sessions.

Rachael Schmidt, DNP, UNMC Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Oncology, and Gwen Reiser of the Munroe-Meyer Institute Hereditary Cancer Clinic, will discuss common risk factors of cancer among women including the role genetics plays in the session “Cancer Risk and Prevention: What Women Need to Know.” Speakers also will discuss prevention and management options for at-risk women.

In a session titled “Midlife Mood Swings: Connecting Perimenopause and Mental Health,” Dana Raml, MD, UNMC Department of Psychiatry, will address menopause transition and how it can impact mental health, including risks, symptoms and potential treatment options.

In “Pouring From an Empty Cup: Can CAM Help You to Help Others?” Ally Dering-Anderson, PharmD, UNMC College of Pharmacy, will talk about complementary alternative medicine therapies and remedies. This program will explore several therapies and discuss their safety, including: yoga, acupuncture, massage and essence oils, among others.

“The Nourished Life – Finding Health at Every Size” by Emily Estes of Sage Nutrition, LLC, will discuss the emerging philosophy encouraging the health care industry to promote safe, equal opportunities and a judgement-free environment for patients of all body types. The talk will define the principles of “Health at Every Size” and offer strategies for clinicians and patients to utilize in defining health.

Depression affects one in five women in postpartum, with nearly half of women experiencing symptoms even during pregnancy. “This is Not What I Expected: When Depression Affects Pregnancy and Postpartum,” by Marley Doyle, MD, UNMC Department of Psychiatry, will discuss the prevalence, symptoms and treatment of depression in pregnancy and postpartum.

Christine Allmon of UNMC’s iEXCEL Visualization Program, will talk about the importance of using technology in a constructive and targeted way in “Technology for Women, by Women.” She will provide resources that women can use to advocate for their own health and understand the myriad of changes experienced throughout the lifetime.

The closing session speaker, Chad Boukal, is a husband, father and caregiver. In a talk titled, “The Alchemy of Turning Courage into Water,” Boukal will discuss his experience in helping his wife through breast cancer.

Platinum financial sponsors of the conference are the Heartland Center for Reproductive Medicine, P.C., Country House Residence, Conceive Nebraska and The Meriwether.&nbsp;

Register for the conference online at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nebraskamed.com/womens_conference" target="_blank">https://www.nebraskamed.com/womens_conference</a>. For more information, contact the Olson Center for Women's Health at 402-559-6345.&nbsp;

The 23rd annual Omaha Women's Health and Wellness Conference is Oct. 9, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the conference will be held online via Zoom.General attendance for the conference is free. Continuing nursing education credit is available for select sessions at a cost of $30.The conference theme is "Pouring From an Empty Cup: Prioritizing Self-Care While Caring for Others," and features three main sessions, six health education breakout sessions and a closing session. The conference offers health insights, as well as encouraging and empowering messages and meaningful information that attendees can immediately apply in their own lives.&nbsp;The conference is hosted by the Olson Center for Women's Health, UNMC, Nebraska Medicine, the University of Nebraska at Omaha and The WellBeing Partners.Three keynote presentations feature:·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sheritta Strong, MD, UNMC Department of Psychiatry and UNMC Office of Inclusion, whose talk is titled, “Losses Due to COVID-19: What Stages of Grief Are You In?” Dr. Strong will address the current state of affairs surrounding COVID-19, in particular, the dimensions of wellness and ways to cope with grief and loss.·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Meghan McLarney, Nebraska Medicine Outpatient Nutrition, who will discuss what a plant-based diet is, tips to use plants in your diet and how this may benefit health conditions. Her talk is titled, “The Power of Plants: How Eating ‘Plant-based’ Can Fight Disease.”·&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Ashley Farrens, Nebraska Medicine Trauma Program, and Charity Evans, MD, UNMC Department of Surgery, who will discuss the behavioral and physiologic changes traumatic experiences have on the body, brain and health outcomes and how to promote empathetic and caring experiences in our lives. The talk is titled “Understanding Trauma Informed Care, Resiliency and Your Health.”Conference attendees can choose two of six breakout sessions.Rachael Schmidt, DNP, UNMC Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Oncology, and Gwen Reiser of the Munroe-Meyer Institute Hereditary Cancer Clinic, will discuss common risk factors of cancer among women including the role genetics plays in the session “Cancer Risk and Prevention: What Women Need to Know.” Speakers also will discuss prevention and management options for at-risk women.In a session titled “Midlife Mood Swings: Connecting Perimenopause and Mental Health,” Dana Raml, MD, UNMC Department of Psychiatry, will address menopause transition and how it can impact mental health, including risks, symptoms and potential treatment options.In “Pouring From an Empty Cup: Can CAM Help You to Help Others?” Ally Dering-Anderson, PharmD, UNMC College of Pharmacy, will talk about complementary alternative medicine therapies and remedies. This program will explore several therapies and discuss their safety, including: yoga, acupuncture, massage and essence oils, among others.“The Nourished Life – Finding Health at Every Size” by Emily Estes of Sage Nutrition, LLC, will discuss the emerging philosophy encouraging the health care industry to promote safe, equal opportunities and a judgement-free environment for patients of all body types. The talk will define the principles of “Health at Every Size” and offer strategies for clinicians and patients to utilize in defining health.Depression affects one in five women in postpartum, with nearly half of women experiencing symptoms even during pregnancy. “This is Not What I Expected: When Depression Affects Pregnancy and Postpartum,” by Marley Doyle, MD, UNMC Department of Psychiatry, will discuss the prevalence, symptoms and treatment of depression in pregnancy and postpartum.Christine Allmon of UNMC’s iEXCEL Visualization Program, will talk about the importance of using technology in a constructive and targeted way in “Technology for Women, by Women.” She will provide resources that women can use to advocate for their own health and understand the myriad of changes experienced throughout the lifetime.The closing session speaker, Chad Boukal, is a husband, father and caregiver. In a talk titled, “The Alchemy of Turning Courage into Water,” Boukal will discuss his experience in helping his wife through breast cancer.Platinum financial sponsors of the conference are the Heartland Center for Reproductive Medicine, P.C., Country House Residence, Conceive Nebraska and The Meriwether.&nbsp;Register for the conference online at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nebraskamed.com/womens_conference" target="_blank">https://www.nebraskamed.com/womens_conference</a>. For more information, contact the Olson Center for Women's Health at 402-559-6345.&nbsp;

Free Omaha Women's Health & Wellness Conference set for Oct. 9

United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced that Eric Bland, 37, of Laredo, Missouri was sentenced Friday, September 11, 2020, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for coercion or enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Bland to 120 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal prison system. After his release from prison, Bland will serve a 5-year term of supervised release and will be required to register as a sex offender.

In early 2019, a woman working as a prostitute in Nebraska provided law enforcement with a screenshot of a conversation with a potential client. The client, later identified as Bland, asked the woman if she knew any “young skinny little black girls” wanting to make money and offered to pay the woman $50 per year under age 18 if the woman would find him an underage girl to have sex with, or $100 per year under age 18 if the underage girl would have unprotected sex. Law enforcement provided the woman with a phone number to give to Bland. In March 2019, Bland contacted the phone number by text message and engaged in a conversation with an FBI Task Force Officer posing as a fifteen-year-old female. Bland made arrangements to travel from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Omaha for the purposes of engaging in oral sex with the fifteen-year-old girl. Bland arrived in Omaha as scheduled and was arrested by officers.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.projectsafechildhood.gov/" target="_blank">www.projectsafechildhood.gov</a>.

This case was investigated by the Omaha FBI's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.

United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced that Eric Bland, 37, of Laredo, Missouri was sentenced Friday, September 11, 2020, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for coercion or enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Bland to 120 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal prison system. After his release from prison, Bland will serve a 5-year term of supervised release and will be required to register as a sex offender.In early 2019, a woman working as a prostitute in Nebraska provided law enforcement with a screenshot of a conversation with a potential client. The client, later identified as Bland, asked the woman if she knew any “young skinny little black girls” wanting to make money and offered to pay the woman $50 per year under age 18 if the woman would find him an underage girl to have sex with, or $100 per year under age 18 if the underage girl would have unprotected sex. Law enforcement provided the woman with a phone number to give to Bland. In March 2019, Bland contacted the phone number by text message and engaged in a conversation with an FBI Task Force Officer posing as a fifteen-year-old female. Bland made arrangements to travel from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Omaha for the purposes of engaging in oral sex with the fifteen-year-old girl. Bland arrived in Omaha as scheduled and was arrested by officers.This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit&nbsp;<a href="http://www.projectsafechildhood.gov/" target="_blank">www.projectsafechildhood.gov</a>.This case was investigated by the Omaha FBI's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.

Missouri man gets 10 years for child enticement in Nebraska

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A former Omaha TV weatherman and mayoral spokesman has taken a plea deal months after being accused of emailing death threats to a local health department director over her handling of the coronavirus outbreak.

 The Omaha World-Herald reports that Ronald Penzkowski pleaded no contest Friday to two misdemeanor counts of third-degree assault. 

He initially had been charged with a felony count of making terroristic threats. 

Penzkowski was arrested March 31 after investigators said he sent several emails to Dr. Adi Pour, threatening to “lynch” her and slit her throat. 

Penzkowski once worked as a spokesman for former Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle and as a weatherman for Omaha television stations under the name Ron Gerard.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A former Omaha TV weatherman and mayoral spokesman has taken a plea deal months after being accused of emailing death threats to a local health department director over her handling of the coronavirus outbreak. The Omaha World-Herald reports that Ronald Penzkowski pleaded no contest Friday to two misdemeanor counts of third-degree assault. He initially had been charged with a felony count of making terroristic threats. Penzkowski was arrested March 31 after investigators said he sent several emails to Dr. Adi Pour, threatening to “lynch” her and slit her throat. Penzkowski once worked as a spokesman for former Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle and as a weatherman for Omaha television stations under the name Ron Gerard.

Ex-Omaha weatherman accused of targeting health director

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — An old movie theater in downtown Cheyenne is getting new life as a live music venue. 

The Lincoln Cheyenne dates to 1928 and was originally built for live acting. 

The Lincoln was a full-time movie theater from the 1980s until 2018. Now, owners Jon Jelinek and his wife, Renee, plan to bring in major music acts. 

Wyoming native Jalan Crossland broke in the stage with a sold-out first show Aug. 14. 

The venue seats 1,250 but the Casper Star-Tribune reports coronavirus restrictions limit capacity to just 250. 

The capacity is similar to some of the larger venues in the Front Range region.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — An old movie theater in downtown Cheyenne is getting new life as a live music venue. The Lincoln Cheyenne dates to 1928 and was originally built for live acting. The Lincoln was a full-time movie theater from the 1980s until 2018. Now, owners Jon Jelinek and his wife, Renee, plan to bring in major music acts. Wyoming native Jalan Crossland broke in the stage with a sold-out first show Aug. 14. The venue seats 1,250 but the Casper Star-Tribune reports coronavirus restrictions limit capacity to just 250. The capacity is similar to some of the larger venues in the Front Range region.

Old Cheyenne theater gets new life as live music venue

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota health officials  confirmed 201 new positive tests for the conoranvirus, raising the state’s total to 16,639 cases. The update released Sunday showed a 15% percent positivity rate on 1,347 tests. 

South Dakota ranks second in the country in the number of cases per capita in the last two weeks, according to the COVID Tracking Project. 

The number of active cases are down 54 from Saturday, for a total of 2,461. 

The report shows 110 people hospitalized across the state, an increase of one from Saturday.

 Minnehaha County reported 35 new cases, raising the county’s total to 5,874.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota health officials confirmed 201 new positive tests for the conoranvirus, raising the state’s total to 16,639 cases. The update released Sunday showed a 15% percent positivity rate on 1,347 tests. South Dakota ranks second in the country in the number of cases per capita in the last two weeks, according to the COVID Tracking Project. The number of active cases are down 54 from Saturday, for a total of 2,461. The report shows 110 people hospitalized across the state, an increase of one from Saturday. Minnehaha County reported 35 new cases, raising the county’s total to 5,874.

South Dakota confirms 201 new cases of the coronavirus

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota  Gov. Kristi Noem says state Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg was involved in a traffic accident that led to a fatality. 

Authorities say the accident happened about 10:30 p.m. Saturday in Hyde County.

 Noem announced Sunday that Secretary of Public Safety Craig Price will oversee an investigation into the accident. 

Price did not release any further details on the crash. 

Ravnsborg says in a statement, “I am shocked and filled with sorrow following the events of last night.” 

He says he will cooperate with the investigation.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem says state Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg was involved in a traffic accident that led to a fatality. Authorities say the accident happened about 10:30 p.m. Saturday in Hyde County. Noem announced Sunday that Secretary of Public Safety Craig Price will oversee an investigation into the accident. Price did not release any further details on the crash. Ravnsborg says in a statement, “I am shocked and filled with sorrow following the events of last night.” He says he will cooperate with the investigation.

South Dakota's attorney general involved in fatal crash

WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s unemployment safety net is looking increasingly shaky, with a $300-a-week federal jobless benefit from the Trump administration running out just weeks after it began and millions of laid-off Americans nearing an end to their state unemployment aid.

Most Americans who exhaust their state’s unemployment benefits — typically after six months — will transition to an emergency federal program that provides an additional 13 weeks of aid. Yet they still face a looming deadline: By year’s end, nearly all the federal unemployment supports will expire. Unless Congress extends those programs, millions of jobless Americans could be cut off.

Their struggles come against the backdrop of an ailing job market with 13 million unemployed people and the pace of layoffs still elevated six months after the viral pandemic flattened the economy. Applications for unemployment benefits first spiked in the week of March 21, when they reached 3.3 million, then more than doubled the next week to a record 6.9 million. That means that anyone who began receiving state unemployment benefits then will have to shift to an emergency federal program in the coming weeks.

Separately, a spokesman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is administering the $300-a-week federal benefit, said Thursday that the agency is providing money to cover six weeks, from the start of August through the end of this week, with no extension in sight.

Nearly all states have applied for the $300-a-week benefit. But only 17 have managed to upgrade their computers systems to actually distribute the payments. As a result, while many states will likely issue checks for several weeks, the money will be retroactive to early August and will cover only through mid-September.

Trump’s $300-a-week jobless aid program was created by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/f67dd310113355f4effe13dfcf4ac3b8?utm_source=piano&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=morningwire&amp;pnespid=huUw9P9VBF2N3gQRJP9rReQYsCZixU6HOEfit00g">an executive order last month</a>&nbsp;after a more generous version adopted by Congress expired and Trump and Congress failed to reach agreement on a new aid package.

Through July, people out of work amid the coronavirus pandemic were receiving $600 a week in federal aid on top of their state unemployment benefits. For many recipients, the $600 federal check exceeded their state benefits and kept them afloat as the economy crumbled. But Republicans in Congress opposed the $600, arguing that it was so high as to discourage many of the unemployed from looking for a job.

On Thursday, Senate Democrats&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/3588901312dec9607b6cd22bc83029c2">blocked legislation</a>&nbsp;that would have extended the extra $300 payment and provided more money for schools. The Democrats favored restoring the full $600-a-week jobless benefit as well as more money for states, localities and small businesses.

Also Thursday, the Labor Department&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dol.gov/ui/data.pdf" target="_blank">reported&nbsp;</a>that applications for unemployment aid were unchanged last week at 884,000, and the number of laid-off workers who applied for aid under a separate program for the self-employed and contract workers increased. The figures indicated that companies are still cutting an unusually large number of jobs.

Other recent evidence also suggests that the job market’s improvement may be weakening after solid gains through spring and most of summer. The number of people seeking jobless aid each week still far exceeds the number who did so in any week on record before this year.

Hiring has slowed since June, and a rising number of laid-off workers now say they regard their job loss as permanent. The number of people who are continuing to receive state unemployment benefits rose last week, after five weeks of declines, to 13.4 million, evidence that employers aren’t hiring enough to offset layoffs.

For those who have run out of state unemployment benefits, the next step will be to transition to a federal program known as Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, or PEUC. It’s among the alphabet soup of additional supports that were established by the $2 trillion aid package that Congress approved this spring. The emergency program lasts for 13 weeks and is now paying benefits to 1.4 million people.

One of them is Mike Walsh, who lives in Orlando, and is receiving PEUC because Florida’s state unemployment benefits last only 12 weeks. Along with North Carolina, that’s the fewest number of weeks provided by any state.

Before the pandemic, Walsh, 53, worked as a transportation manager for conventions and gatherings in Orlando and around the country. If a trade group brought 40,000 of its members to Orlando for an annual convention, Walsh would coordinate the buses needed to shuttle them from dozens of hotels to the convention center and theme parks. He traveled to Washington, D.C. to manage 2,200 buses that arrived for President Barack Obama’s inaugural in 2009.

Walsh doesn’t know when the convention business, where he has worked for 33 years, will return. Yet that might not be until next spring, likely long after his unemployment checks will have run out. His current $244 payment and savings are covering his expenses for now, but he doesn’t want to run through all his savings. If his money runs too low he’ll take any job.

“I’ll be the one standing at the door, telling you, ‘Welcome to Walmart,’ ” he said.

If the PEUC program expires, unemployed workers can then apply for what’s called Extended Benefits, which lasts from 13 to 20 weeks in most states, though only six weeks in Florida. Extended Benefits kick in when a state’s unemployment rate crosses a specific threshold. All states are currently paying these benefits, which is providing checks to 241,000 people.

Then there is the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, or PUA. It is a new source of support set up by the government’s relief package and is now providing aid to 14.6 million of the unemployed, more than the regular state programs are covering. Its coverage lasts for 39 weeks.

But not necessarily for those who have been laid off more recently. On Dec. 31, the PEUC and PUA will expire. That will leave only state benefits and the Extended Benefits programs. With unemployment likely to remain high until then, many of the jobless could be left desperate.

“There will still be a need for unemployment benefits then,” said Elizabeth Pancotti, a policy analyst at Employ America, an advocacy group.

WASHINGTON (AP) —The temporary $300-a-week unemployment insurance boost implemented by President Donald Trump will end, with no extension in sight.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency said Thursday in an email to The Associated Press that it has distributed $30 billion of the $44 billion it had set aside for the benefit. The agency said the fund was enough to cover six weeks of additional jobless aid starting Aug. 1, so unemployed workers won't receive any more after this week.

FEMA emphasized that all eligible recipients will get the $300 boost to cover six weeks, a period that ended Sept. 5.

Some states had technical obstacles that have delayed the payments, and the federal government is still in the process of approving other states' plans to distribute the money. Eligible workers who have not yet received the $300-a-week supplement or have received less than six weeks' worth, will receive payments for their full share, according to FEMA. After that, the fund will be dry.

The program was designed to leave money to deal with natural disasters, such as the wildfires now sweeping the West, even after the unemployment boost was gone.

Trump created the program after a more generous $600-a-week benefit adopted by Congress expired. The federal government initially did not have an estimate of how long the money would last, but six weeks is in line with what experts expected.

The Trump administration and congressional Republicans and Democrats have been unable to agree on a new coronavirus relief package that would include an extension of the unemployment supplement.

Recipients have said the extra jolt of money from the federal government kept them afloat as the economy cratered amid stay-at-home orders and business closings. On Thursday, the government reported that 13.4 million Americans continue to receive state unemployment benefits, although not all of them are receiving the additional $300.

The extra weekly payments came with a significant string attached: It was available only to people receiving at least $100 a week in other unemployment insurance benefits. That cut out hundreds of thousands of low-wage earners, people who had jobs for short periods and gig workers.

One of them is Philip Tuley of Clearlake Oaks, California.

His unemployment benefits come to $65 a week, or $260 a month. It was so low because Tuley, 63, had previously taken a year off after spending two decades as an assistant educator at a school district in rural Northern California. He had been substituting recently and was about to return to his district full time when the pandemic struck.

His unemployment benefit was so small because it was based on his average earnings over a two-year period. He said he’s been turned away from a local food bank because its shelves were bare.

Tuley said Trump’s order is to blame for the predicament he and other low-wage workers are in.

"To have him choose that people who didn’t get $100 were excluded, that’s just -- forgive me — it seems sheer evil,” Tuley said.

A handful of states kicked in an additional $100 per person to enhance the payment. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican, was the lone governor to decline the additional weekly benefit, according to an AP tally of the states.

FEMA’s announcement came as Democrats in the U.S. Senate scuttled a scaled-back GOP coronavirus aid plan, arguing that it was too stingy. That bill includes continuing a $300 weekly unemployment supplement until late December.

Paula Ridenti, 33, who lives in Waltham, Massachusetts, gets $202 a week in regular unemployment benefits since she stopped working at a grocery store in March when her children's schools closed, so the $600 supplement was a major help.

But she’s still waiting for her checks with the $300 boost. She should get that money eventually, but in the meantime she has been trying to figure out how to make do on an income that adds up to just about half her monthly $1,600 rent.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s unemployment safety net is looking increasingly shaky, with a $300-a-week federal jobless benefit from the Trump administration running out just weeks after it began and millions of laid-off Americans nearing an end to their state unemployment aid.Most Americans who exhaust their state’s unemployment benefits — typically after six months — will transition to an emergency federal program that provides an additional 13 weeks of aid. Yet they still face a looming deadline: By year’s end, nearly all the federal unemployment supports will expire. Unless Congress extends those programs, millions of jobless Americans could be cut off.Their struggles come against the backdrop of an ailing job market with 13 million unemployed people and the pace of layoffs still elevated six months after the viral pandemic flattened the economy. Applications for unemployment benefits first spiked in the week of March 21, when they reached 3.3 million, then more than doubled the next week to a record 6.9 million. That means that anyone who began receiving state unemployment benefits then will have to shift to an emergency federal program in the coming weeks.Separately, a spokesman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is administering the $300-a-week federal benefit, said Thursday that the agency is providing money to cover six weeks, from the start of August through the end of this week, with no extension in sight.Nearly all states have applied for the $300-a-week benefit. But only 17 have managed to upgrade their computers systems to actually distribute the payments. As a result, while many states will likely issue checks for several weeks, the money will be retroactive to early August and will cover only through mid-September.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/8/1596920200204.png" alt="President Trump signed the executive order at his New Jersey golf club- photo courtesy White House" />
 <figcaption>President Trump signed the executive order at his New Jersey golf club- photo courtesy White House</figcaption>
 </figure>Trump’s $300-a-week jobless aid program was created by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/f67dd310113355f4effe13dfcf4ac3b8?utm_source=piano&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_campaign=morningwire&amp;pnespid=huUw9P9VBF2N3gQRJP9rReQYsCZixU6HOEfit00g">an executive order last month</a>&nbsp;after a more generous version adopted by Congress expired and Trump and Congress failed to reach agreement on a new aid package.Through July, people out of work amid the coronavirus pandemic were receiving $600 a week in federal aid on top of their state unemployment benefits. For many recipients, the $600 federal check exceeded their state benefits and kept them afloat as the economy crumbled. But Republicans in Congress opposed the $600, arguing that it was so high as to discourage many of the unemployed from looking for a job.On Thursday, Senate Democrats&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/3588901312dec9607b6cd22bc83029c2">blocked legislation</a>&nbsp;that would have extended the extra $300 payment and provided more money for schools. The Democrats favored restoring the full $600-a-week jobless benefit as well as more money for states, localities and small businesses.Also Thursday, the Labor Department&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dol.gov/ui/data.pdf" target="_blank">reported&nbsp;</a>that applications for unemployment aid were unchanged last week at 884,000, and the number of laid-off workers who applied for aid under a separate program for the self-employed and contract workers increased. The figures indicated that companies are still cutting an unusually large number of jobs.Other recent evidence also suggests that the job market’s improvement may be weakening after solid gains through spring and most of summer. The number of people seeking jobless aid each week still far exceeds the number who did so in any week on record before this year.Hiring has slowed since June, and a rising number of laid-off workers now say they regard their job loss as permanent. The number of people who are continuing to receive state unemployment benefits rose last week, after five weeks of declines, to 13.4 million, evidence that employers aren’t hiring enough to offset layoffs.For those who have run out of state unemployment benefits, the next step will be to transition to a federal program known as Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, or PEUC. It’s among the alphabet soup of additional supports that were established by the $2 trillion aid package that Congress approved this spring. The emergency program lasts for 13 weeks and is now paying benefits to 1.4 million people.One of them is Mike Walsh, who lives in Orlando, and is receiving PEUC because Florida’s state unemployment benefits last only 12 weeks. Along with North Carolina, that’s the fewest number of weeks provided by any state.Before the pandemic, Walsh, 53, worked as a transportation manager for conventions and gatherings in Orlando and around the country. If a trade group brought 40,000 of its members to Orlando for an annual convention, Walsh would coordinate the buses needed to shuttle them from dozens of hotels to the convention center and theme parks. He traveled to Washington, D.C. to manage 2,200 buses that arrived for President Barack Obama’s inaugural in 2009.Walsh doesn’t know when the convention business, where he has worked for 33 years, will return. Yet that might not be until next spring, likely long after his unemployment checks will have run out. His current $244 payment and savings are covering his expenses for now, but he doesn’t want to run through all his savings. If his money runs too low he’ll take any job.“I’ll be the one standing at the door, telling you, ‘Welcome to Walmart,’ ” he said.If the PEUC program expires, unemployed workers can then apply for what’s called Extended Benefits, which lasts from 13 to 20 weeks in most states, though only six weeks in Florida. Extended Benefits kick in when a state’s unemployment rate crosses a specific threshold. All states are currently paying these benefits, which is providing checks to 241,000 people.Then there is the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, or PUA. It is a new source of support set up by the government’s relief package and is now providing aid to 14.6 million of the unemployed, more than the regular state programs are covering. Its coverage lasts for 39 weeks.But not necessarily for those who have been laid off more recently. On Dec. 31, the PEUC and PUA will expire. That will leave only state benefits and the Extended Benefits programs. With unemployment likely to remain high until then, many of the jobless could be left desperate.“There will still be a need for unemployment benefits then,” said Elizabeth Pancotti, a policy analyst at Employ America, an advocacy group.________WASHINGTON (AP) —The temporary $300-a-week unemployment insurance boost implemented by President Donald Trump will end, with no extension in sight.The Federal Emergency Management Agency said Thursday in an email to The Associated Press that it has distributed $30 billion of the $44 billion it had set aside for the benefit. The agency said the fund was enough to cover six weeks of additional jobless aid starting Aug. 1, so unemployed workers won't receive any more after this week.FEMA emphasized that all eligible recipients will get the $300 boost to cover six weeks, a period that ended Sept. 5.Some states had technical obstacles that have delayed the payments, and the federal government is still in the process of approving other states' plans to distribute the money. Eligible workers who have not yet received the $300-a-week supplement or have received less than six weeks' worth, will receive payments for their full share, according to FEMA. After that, the fund will be dry.The program was designed to leave money to deal with natural disasters, such as the wildfires now sweeping the West, even after the unemployment boost was gone.Trump created the program after a more generous $600-a-week benefit adopted by Congress expired. The federal government initially did not have an estimate of how long the money would last, but six weeks is in line with what experts expected.The Trump administration and congressional Republicans and Democrats have been unable to agree on a new coronavirus relief package that would include an extension of the unemployment supplement.Recipients have said the extra jolt of money from the federal government kept them afloat as the economy cratered amid stay-at-home orders and business closings. On Thursday, the government reported that 13.4 million Americans continue to receive state unemployment benefits, although not all of them are receiving the additional $300.The extra weekly payments came with a significant string attached: It was available only to people receiving at least $100 a week in other unemployment insurance benefits. That cut out hundreds of thousands of low-wage earners, people who had jobs for short periods and gig workers.One of them is Philip Tuley of Clearlake Oaks, California.His unemployment benefits come to $65 a week, or $260 a month. It was so low because Tuley, 63, had previously taken a year off after spending two decades as an assistant educator at a school district in rural Northern California. He had been substituting recently and was about to return to his district full time when the pandemic struck.His unemployment benefit was so small because it was based on his average earnings over a two-year period. He said he’s been turned away from a local food bank because its shelves were bare.Tuley said Trump’s order is to blame for the predicament he and other low-wage workers are in."To have him choose that people who didn’t get $100 were excluded, that’s just -- forgive me — it seems sheer evil,” Tuley said.A handful of states kicked in an additional $100 per person to enhance the payment. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican, was the lone governor to decline the additional weekly benefit, according to an AP tally of the states.FEMA’s announcement came as Democrats in the U.S. Senate scuttled a scaled-back GOP coronavirus aid plan, arguing that it was too stingy. That bill includes continuing a $300 weekly unemployment supplement until late December.Paula Ridenti, 33, who lives in Waltham, Massachusetts, gets $202 a week in regular unemployment benefits since she stopped working at a grocery store in March when her children's schools closed, so the $600 supplement was a major help.But she’s still waiting for her checks with the $300 boost. She should get that money eventually, but in the meantime she has been trying to figure out how to make do on an income that adds up to just about half her monthly $1,600 rent.

$300 in US jobless aid ends as more seek help

By DANIEL C. VOCK, <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/09/10/immigration-agency-cuts-of-800-kansas-city-jobs-expected-to-trigger-backlogs-delays-nationwide/'">Kansas Reflector</a>

WASHINGTON
 — Members of Congress from the Kansas City region scored a victory last
 month when a federal immigration agency backed off plans that would 
have led to thousands of layoffs of government employees in the metro 
area.

But
 their relief was short lived, as the agency now intends to furlough 800
 of its local private contractors instead — a move expected to set off 
immigration backlogs and processing delays throughout the nation.

The
 Kansas City furloughs are the latest result of budget shortfalls at 
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which earlier this summer <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/08/11/covid-19-stimulus-deal-us-immigration-services-plans-furloughs/3344178001/">threatened to furlough two-thirds of all its workers</a> across the country, raising the specter of a severely damaged immigration system and outraging lawmakers.

The
 news that Kansas City still could sustain an 800-job hit has produced 
fresh objections from bipartisan members of Congress from both Missouri 
and Kansas, who wrote the agency saying “the economic impact of such a 
reduction will be felt for years to come.”

But
 the job cuts also more broadly could further delay the ability of USCIS
 to process green cards, work authorizations and other 
immigration-related documents nationwide.&nbsp;

Those
 backlogs, immigration advocates say, could slow any economic recovery, 
if companies in fields like technology and health care cannot hire the 
workers they need quickly.

The
 800 people who are being furloughed work for a contractor at the 
National Benefit Center in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. USCIS uses the 
processing center to collect information, conduct background checks and 
prepare a variety of applications for local field offices.&nbsp;

But
 the agency says demand for immigration paperwork has dropped 
dramatically this year, as the COVID-19 pandemic has prevented many 
people from traveling and the Trump administration has raised more 
procedural obstacles to legal immigration.&nbsp;

That
 has caused a financial crisis for USCIS, because 96% of its revenue 
comes from application fees — not general tax revenues.&nbsp;

“USCIS
 has seen a 50% drop in receipts and incoming fees starting in March and
 estimates that application and petition receipts will stay well below 
plan through the end of (September). This dramatic drop in revenue has 
made it impossible for our agency to operate at full capacity,” a USCIS 
spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

The
 immigration agency has been threatening to issue mass layoffs since 
late spring and, until recently, said it would have to send 13,000 of 
its 20,000 employees home at the end of August.&nbsp;

A week before the cutbacks were set to take place, though, USCIS deputy director for policy Joseph Edlow <a href="https://www.uscis.gov/news/news-releases/uscis-averts-furlough-of-nearly-70-of-workforce">announced</a> the agency would avoid such widespread furloughs.

Members
 of Congress from the Kansas City area, particularly Sen. Roy Blunt, a 
Missouri Republican, and Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Missouri Democrat, 
worked across party lines to avoid the threatened furloughs, which would
 have hit the bi-state area hard. USCIS employs 3,100 people in the 
region.&nbsp;

The U.S. House unanimously passed <a href="https://cleaver.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-cleaver-s-bipartisan-bill-to-prevent-uscis-furloughs-passes-house-of">legislation authored by Cleaver</a>
 in late August that would have helped the agency halt the furloughs by 
immediately increasing the agency’s revenue from so-called premium 
processing, or special faster services. The agency announced its own 
plan to fend off furloughs before the Senate could take up the measure.

To
 cancel the furloughs, though, Edlow said the agency had to make other 
cuts in the short term. To get things back on track for the long term, 
USCIS wants Congress to provide $1.2 billion in emergency funding.&nbsp;

“Averting
 this furlough comes at a severe operational cost that will increase 
backlogs and wait times across the board, with no guarantee we can avoid
 future furloughs. A return to normal operating procedures requires 
congressional intervention to sustain the agency through fiscal year 
2021,” which ends in September 2021, Edlow said.

One
 of the ways USCIS is saving money is by reducing the number of contract
 employees it uses in the Kansas City area. Before the pandemic, the 
agency used 1,300 workers from contracting business Pacific Architects 
and Engineers to help process applications. Now it will use just 500. 
The move is expected to save $9 million through the end of November.&nbsp;

The
 agency expects the cutbacks will increase backlogs and processing 
delays throughout the country. They also come at a time when the 
agency’s 86 field offices have scaled back their operations. The field 
offices were closed from March until July because of the pandemic.&nbsp;

Now
 that they’re open again, they are still conducting half as many 
interviews as they were before the March closures for health reasons.&nbsp;

The
 slowdown at the field offices, though, means that fewer cases need to 
be prepared for them. Cutting the size of the contract at the National 
Benefit Center will better meet the current workload, a USCIS 
spokesperson said.

Those moves have not gone over well with the Kansas City area’s congressional delegation.

“The
 jobs at the National Benefit Center support the livelihoods of many 
Kansas families and allow legal immigration applications to be processed
 without interruption,” said Rep. Sharice Davids, a Kansas Democrat. “I 
am very disappointed that the USCIS would end these jobs without working
 with Congress on possible solutions.”

Davids was one of several area lawmakers to criticize USCIS for the furlough of contract employees in <a href="https://www.blunt.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/USCIS%20Contract%20Letter%20Final.pdf">a letter last week.</a>&nbsp;

Davids,
 Blunt and Cleaver were joined by Republican Sens. Josh Hawley of 
Missouri and Jerry Moran and Pat Roberts of Kansas and Republican Rep. 
Sam Graves of Missouri in signing the letter.

They asked for a briefing from the agency, which USCIS held on Friday.

Diane
 Rish, the associate director of government relations for the American 
Immigration Lawyers Association, said the delays USCIS is predicting as a
 result of furloughing the private contractors will only make things 
worse for a system that has been experiencing longer and longer delays 
in processing key immigration documents.

The Trump administration has repeatedly slowed down those processes, she said.

One
 of the most significant changes came in the fall of 2017, just a few 
months after the president took office. That’s when USCIS started 
requiring in-person interviews for applicants seeking work permits, 
along with several other categories of potential immigrants.&nbsp;

Trump
 administration officials acknowledged at the time that the new steps 
would increase processing times, but said they were necessary to prevent
 fraud.

Now
 that USCIS says its capacity to handle in-person interviews is reduced,
 Rish said, the agency could simply rescind the interview requirement.

“The
 administration is saying they’re enforcing a legal immigration system,”
 she said, “(but) people in line who are trying to comply with the law 
are being thrown into a system that is now taking longer and longer, 
making it almost impossible to comply with the law.”

Rish also questioned USCIS’ claim that its budget troubles are related to the slowdown in cases brought on by the coronavirus.&nbsp;

The
 agency proposed raising several fees — some by as much as 80% — last 
November, citing budget concerns. Recently, USCIS finalized those fee 
hikes, which are now set to take effect in October.

Immigration
 lawyers did see a dip in cases when the coronavirus pandemic first 
struck the United States in March and April, but the number of cases has
 returned to “similar levels” to pre-pandemic levels since then, Rish 
said. USCIS caseloads usually climb right before fee hikes, so there 
will likely be even more applications filed in the coming weeks, she 
added.

USCIS officials said the higher fees would not be enough to cover the drop in revenue it faced this year.&nbsp;

In
 fact, USCIS has to periodically revise its fees to keep up with its 
expenses. The fee hikes scheduled to take effect next month will amount 
to a weighted average increase of 20%, compared to 21% increases the 
last time the agency changed its fees in December 2016.

“USCIS
 is required to examine incoming and outgoing expenditures and make 
adjustments based on that analysis. These overdue adjustments in fees 
are necessary to efficiently and fairly administer our nation’s lawful 
immigration system, secure the homeland and protect Americans,” Edlow, 
the agency’s deputy director, said in a statement.

With
 the rising number of applications and fewer people to process them, 
Rish predicted that the effects of the furloughs in the Kansas City area
 would be far-reaching.&nbsp;

“These
 are applications that are filed from all over the country,” she said, 
“so all states and all cities are going to feel the impacts of these 
furloughs.”

Daniel C. Vock is a correspondent for the States Newsroom Washington, D.C., bureau.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599756953779.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By DANIEL C. VOCK, <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2020/09/10/immigration-agency-cuts-of-800-kansas-city-jobs-expected-to-trigger-backlogs-delays-nationwide/'">Kansas Reflector</a>WASHINGTON
 — Members of Congress from the Kansas City region scored a victory last
 month when a federal immigration agency backed off plans that would 
have led to thousands of layoffs of government employees in the metro 
area.But
 their relief was short lived, as the agency now intends to furlough 800
 of its local private contractors instead — a move expected to set off 
immigration backlogs and processing delays throughout the nation.The
 Kansas City furloughs are the latest result of budget shortfalls at 
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, which earlier this summer <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/08/11/covid-19-stimulus-deal-us-immigration-services-plans-furloughs/3344178001/">threatened to furlough two-thirds of all its workers</a> across the country, raising the specter of a severely damaged immigration system and outraging lawmakers.The
 news that Kansas City still could sustain an 800-job hit has produced 
fresh objections from bipartisan members of Congress from both Missouri 
and Kansas, who wrote the agency saying “the economic impact of such a 
reduction will be felt for years to come.”But
 the job cuts also more broadly could further delay the ability of USCIS
 to process green cards, work authorizations and other 
immigration-related documents nationwide.&nbsp;Those
 backlogs, immigration advocates say, could slow any economic recovery, 
if companies in fields like technology and health care cannot hire the 
workers they need quickly.The
 800 people who are being furloughed work for a contractor at the 
National Benefit Center in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. USCIS uses the 
processing center to collect information, conduct background checks and 
prepare a variety of applications for local field offices.&nbsp;But
 the agency says demand for immigration paperwork has dropped 
dramatically this year, as the COVID-19 pandemic has prevented many 
people from traveling and the Trump administration has raised more 
procedural obstacles to legal immigration.&nbsp;That
 has caused a financial crisis for USCIS, because 96% of its revenue 
comes from application fees — not general tax revenues.&nbsp;“USCIS
 has seen a 50% drop in receipts and incoming fees starting in March and
 estimates that application and petition receipts will stay well below 
plan through the end of (September). This dramatic drop in revenue has 
made it impossible for our agency to operate at full capacity,” a USCIS 
spokesperson said in an emailed statement.<h2>Threats of mass layoffs</h2>The
 immigration agency has been threatening to issue mass layoffs since 
late spring and, until recently, said it would have to send 13,000 of 
its 20,000 employees home at the end of August.&nbsp;A week before the cutbacks were set to take place, though, USCIS deputy director for policy Joseph Edlow <a href="https://www.uscis.gov/news/news-releases/uscis-averts-furlough-of-nearly-70-of-workforce">announced</a> the agency would avoid such widespread furloughs.Members
 of Congress from the Kansas City area, particularly Sen. Roy Blunt, a 
Missouri Republican, and Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Missouri Democrat, 
worked across party lines to avoid the threatened furloughs, which would
 have hit the bi-state area hard. USCIS employs 3,100 people in the 
region.&nbsp;The U.S. House unanimously passed <a href="https://cleaver.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-cleaver-s-bipartisan-bill-to-prevent-uscis-furloughs-passes-house-of">legislation authored by Cleaver</a>
 in late August that would have helped the agency halt the furloughs by 
immediately increasing the agency’s revenue from so-called premium 
processing, or special faster services. The agency announced its own 
plan to fend off furloughs before the Senate could take up the measure.To
 cancel the furloughs, though, Edlow said the agency had to make other 
cuts in the short term. To get things back on track for the long term, 
USCIS wants Congress to provide $1.2 billion in emergency funding.&nbsp;“Averting
 this furlough comes at a severe operational cost that will increase 
backlogs and wait times across the board, with no guarantee we can avoid
 future furloughs. A return to normal operating procedures requires 
congressional intervention to sustain the agency through fiscal year 
2021,” which ends in September 2021, Edlow said.One
 of the ways USCIS is saving money is by reducing the number of contract
 employees it uses in the Kansas City area. Before the pandemic, the 
agency used 1,300 workers from contracting business Pacific Architects 
and Engineers to help process applications. Now it will use just 500. 
The move is expected to save $9 million through the end of November.&nbsp;The
 agency expects the cutbacks will increase backlogs and processing 
delays throughout the country. They also come at a time when the 
agency’s 86 field offices have scaled back their operations. The field 
offices were closed from March until July because of the pandemic.&nbsp;Now
 that they’re open again, they are still conducting half as many 
interviews as they were before the March closures for health reasons.&nbsp;The
 slowdown at the field offices, though, means that fewer cases need to 
be prepared for them. Cutting the size of the contract at the National 
Benefit Center will better meet the current workload, a USCIS 
spokesperson said.<h2>Kansas City delegation</h2>Those moves have not gone over well with the Kansas City area’s congressional delegation.“The
 jobs at the National Benefit Center support the livelihoods of many 
Kansas families and allow legal immigration applications to be processed
 without interruption,” said Rep. Sharice Davids, a Kansas Democrat. “I 
am very disappointed that the USCIS would end these jobs without working
 with Congress on possible solutions.”Davids was one of several area lawmakers to criticize USCIS for the furlough of contract employees in <a href="https://www.blunt.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/USCIS%20Contract%20Letter%20Final.pdf">a letter last week.</a>&nbsp;Davids,
 Blunt and Cleaver were joined by Republican Sens. Josh Hawley of 
Missouri and Jerry Moran and Pat Roberts of Kansas and Republican Rep. 
Sam Graves of Missouri in signing the letter.They asked for a briefing from the agency, which USCIS held on Friday.Diane
 Rish, the associate director of government relations for the American 
Immigration Lawyers Association, said the delays USCIS is predicting as a
 result of furloughing the private contractors will only make things 
worse for a system that has been experiencing longer and longer delays 
in processing key immigration documents.The Trump administration has repeatedly slowed down those processes, she said.One
 of the most significant changes came in the fall of 2017, just a few 
months after the president took office. That’s when USCIS started 
requiring in-person interviews for applicants seeking work permits, 
along with several other categories of potential immigrants.&nbsp;Trump
 administration officials acknowledged at the time that the new steps 
would increase processing times, but said they were necessary to prevent
 fraud.Now
 that USCIS says its capacity to handle in-person interviews is reduced,
 Rish said, the agency could simply rescind the interview requirement.“The
 administration is saying they’re enforcing a legal immigration system,”
 she said, “(but) people in line who are trying to comply with the law 
are being thrown into a system that is now taking longer and longer, 
making it almost impossible to comply with the law.”<h2>Blaming the pandemic</h2>Rish also questioned USCIS’ claim that its budget troubles are related to the slowdown in cases brought on by the coronavirus.&nbsp;The
 agency proposed raising several fees — some by as much as 80% — last 
November, citing budget concerns. Recently, USCIS finalized those fee 
hikes, which are now set to take effect in October.Immigration
 lawyers did see a dip in cases when the coronavirus pandemic first 
struck the United States in March and April, but the number of cases has
 returned to “similar levels” to pre-pandemic levels since then, Rish 
said. USCIS caseloads usually climb right before fee hikes, so there 
will likely be even more applications filed in the coming weeks, she 
added.USCIS officials said the higher fees would not be enough to cover the drop in revenue it faced this year.&nbsp;In
 fact, USCIS has to periodically revise its fees to keep up with its 
expenses. The fee hikes scheduled to take effect next month will amount 
to a weighted average increase of 20%, compared to 21% increases the 
last time the agency changed its fees in December 2016.“USCIS
 is required to examine incoming and outgoing expenditures and make 
adjustments based on that analysis. These overdue adjustments in fees 
are necessary to efficiently and fairly administer our nation’s lawful 
immigration system, secure the homeland and protect Americans,” Edlow, 
the agency’s deputy director, said in a statement.With
 the rising number of applications and fewer people to process them, 
Rish predicted that the effects of the furloughs in the Kansas City area
 would be far-reaching.&nbsp;“These
 are applications that are filed from all over the country,” she said, 
“so all states and all cities are going to feel the impacts of these 
furloughs.”Daniel C. Vock is a correspondent for the States Newsroom Washington, D.C., bureau.

Immigration agency's job cuts expected to trigger nat'l backlogs

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A man who fired shots at employees outside Arrowhead Stadium was arrested Saturday after a daylong standoff.

Kansas City police spokesman Capt. David Jackson said the man arrived at the Truman Sports Complex around 10:30 a.m. Saturday and fired several shots at employees but did not hit anyone. The man was arrested shortly after 6 p.m. on suspicion of several charges related to the shooting.

Jackson said the man pointed guns during the standoff and at some times he placed the guns in his waistband as he moved around a parking lot. Jackson said the man didn’t appear to have any connection to the Kansas City Chiefs or Royals.

During the standoff, some stadium employees took shelter inside the complex.

The Kansas City Royals’ game against the Pittsburgh Pirates was delayed about half an hour because of the standoff but was able to be played after the man was arrested.

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect arrested after a standoff Saturday afternoon at Truman Sports Complex in Kansas City.

At about 6:30pm tactical officers developed a plan to use less lethal devices to secure the armed individual. The plan was successful and he was taken into custody without further incident. He was not injured. Two hand guns and a knife were recovered from the suspect.

The suspect, who police have not identified, is under arrest on requested criminal charges associated with the initial shots fired, according to Kansas City Police.

Normal stadium access and operations continued Saturday evening. The start of the game between the Royals and Pirates was delayed for approximately 30 minutes.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599960494639.png" alt="Police on the scene of the standoff Saturday -photo courtesy KCTV" />
 <figcaption>Police on the scene of the standoff Saturday -photo courtesy KCTV</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A man who fired shots at employees outside Arrowhead Stadium was arrested Saturday after a daylong standoff.Kansas City police spokesman Capt. David Jackson said the man arrived at the Truman Sports Complex around 10:30 a.m. Saturday and fired several shots at employees but did not hit anyone. The man was arrested shortly after 6 p.m. on suspicion of several charges related to the shooting.Jackson said the man pointed guns during the standoff and at some times he placed the guns in his waistband as he moved around a parking lot. Jackson said the man didn’t appear to have any connection to the Kansas City Chiefs or Royals.During the standoff, some stadium employees took shelter inside the complex.The Kansas City Royals’ game against the Pittsburgh Pirates was delayed about half an hour because of the standoff but was able to be played after the man was arrested.--------KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect arrested after a standoff Saturday afternoon at Truman Sports Complex in Kansas City.At about 6:30pm tactical officers developed a plan to use less lethal devices to secure the armed individual. The plan was successful and he was taken into custody without further incident. He was not injured. Two hand guns and a knife were recovered from the suspect.The suspect, who police have not identified, is under arrest on requested criminal charges associated with the initial shots fired, according to Kansas City Police.Normal stadium access and operations continued Saturday evening. The start of the game between the Royals and Pirates was delayed for approximately 30 minutes.

Update: Gunman arrested after standoff outside Arrowhead stadium

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican said Saturday it was “necessary and urgent” to return to in-person Masses as soon as anti-coronavirus measures permit.

The head of the Vatican’s liturgy office, Cardinal Robert Sarah, said in a letter to bishops conferences that virtual liturgies, while useful, were no replacement for the real thing. He said physical presence by the faithful in churches was “vital, indispensable, irreplaceable.”

While some Catholic priests claimed coronavirus lockdowns that shuttered churches infringed on religious liberties, Pope Francis has adhered to Italy’s strict lockdown.

He halted all public Masses at the Vatican, livestreamed his morning liturgies during the peak of Italy’s outbreak, and at one point even admonished priests who balked at the measures for their “adolescent resistance.”

The Vatican said Saturday that Francis had approved Sarah’s letter to bishops conferences, which makes clear that government authorities cannot dictate liturgical practices.

Francis had urged the Catholic faithful to obey anti-COVID measures, saying government authorities were responsible for public health. He was seen this week wearing a face mask for the first time, and has been using hand sanitizer.

In recent weeks Francis has resumed public gatherings and has celebrated a handful of public Masses before limited, socially distanced groups.

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican said Saturday it was “necessary and urgent” to return to in-person Masses as soon as anti-coronavirus measures permit.The head of the Vatican’s liturgy office, Cardinal Robert Sarah, said in a letter to bishops conferences that virtual liturgies, while useful, were no replacement for the real thing. He said physical presence by the faithful in churches was “vital, indispensable, irreplaceable.”While some Catholic priests claimed coronavirus lockdowns that shuttered churches infringed on religious liberties, Pope Francis has adhered to Italy’s strict lockdown.He halted all public Masses at the Vatican, livestreamed his morning liturgies during the peak of Italy’s outbreak, and at one point even admonished priests who balked at the measures for their “adolescent resistance.”The Vatican said Saturday that Francis had approved Sarah’s letter to bishops conferences, which makes clear that government authorities cannot dictate liturgical practices.Francis had urged the Catholic faithful to obey anti-COVID measures, saying government authorities were responsible for public health. He was seen this week wearing a face mask for the first time, and has been using hand sanitizer.In recent weeks Francis has resumed public gatherings and has celebrated a handful of public Masses before limited, socially distanced groups.___

Vatican urges return to in-person Mass as soon as possible

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Hundreds gathered along a processional route Saturday with flags waving to pay their respects to a slain Nebraska police officer.

The Lincoln Journal-Star&nbsp;<a href="https://journalstar.com/news/local/live-updates-lincoln-honors-fallen-officer-mario-herrera-during-procession-funeral/article_0c261e02-20c0-57b9-a2ad-6f8ec0835170.html#tracking-source=home-top-story" target="_blank">reports&nbsp;</a>that the procession for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/8f18479d96f13b742d8bf0e551b44798" target="_blank">Luis "Mario" Herrera</a>&nbsp;left shortly after 8:30 a.m. from a Lincoln funeral home with police motorcycles in the lead. The procession arrived about 45 minutes later at Pinnacle Bank Arena, where officers from dozens of agencies were waiting. After the funeral, a procession took Herrera to Calvary Cemetery, where a private burial was held.

Herrera, a 23-year veteran of the Lincoln Police Department, died on Monday, nearly two weeks after he was shot as he sought to serve an arrest warrant on 17-year-old Felipe Vazquez in the March stabbing death of 36-year-old Edward Varejcka. Authorities have tied at least three people to Varejcka's death.

Vazquez was charged Tuesday with first-degree murder in Herrera's death.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599963785875.png" alt="Photo: Nebraska State Patrol" />
 <figcaption>Photo: Nebraska State Patrol</figcaption>
 </figure>LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - Hundreds gathered along a processional route Saturday with flags waving to pay their respects to a slain Nebraska police officer.The Lincoln Journal-Star&nbsp;<a href="https://journalstar.com/news/local/live-updates-lincoln-honors-fallen-officer-mario-herrera-during-procession-funeral/article_0c261e02-20c0-57b9-a2ad-6f8ec0835170.html#tracking-source=home-top-story" target="_blank">reports&nbsp;</a>that the procession for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/8f18479d96f13b742d8bf0e551b44798" target="_blank">Luis "Mario" Herrera</a>&nbsp;left shortly after 8:30 a.m. from a Lincoln funeral home with police motorcycles in the lead. The procession arrived about 45 minutes later at Pinnacle Bank Arena, where officers from dozens of agencies were waiting. After the funeral, a procession took Herrera to Calvary Cemetery, where a private burial was held.Herrera, a 23-year veteran of the Lincoln Police Department, died on Monday, nearly two weeks after he was shot as he sought to serve an arrest warrant on 17-year-old Felipe Vazquez in the March stabbing death of 36-year-old Edward Varejcka. Authorities have tied at least three people to Varejcka's death.Vazquez was charged Tuesday with first-degree murder in Herrera's death.

Hundreds gather to mourn slain Nebraska police officer

NEW YORK (AP) — Children who caught the coronavirus at day cares and a day camp spread it to their relatives, according to a new report that underscores that kids can bring the germ home and infect others.

Scientists already know children can spread the virus. But&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6937e3.htm?s_cid=mm6937e3_w" target="_blank">the study published Friday</a>&nbsp;by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “definitively indicates — in a way that previous studies have struggled to do — the potential for transmission to family members,” said William Hanage, a Harvard University infectious diseases researcher.

The findings don’t mean that schools and child-care programs need to close, but it does confirm that the virus can spread within those places and then be brought home by kids. So, masks, disinfection and social distancing are needed. And people who work in such facilities have to be careful and get tested if they think they may be infected, experts said.

<a href="https://apnews.com/2fcde558e46b4d304d27ed0957960d66">Earlier research</a>&nbsp;from the U.S., China and Europe has found that children are less likely than adults to be infected by the virus and are less likely to become seriously ill when they do get sick.

There also was data suggesting that young children don’t spread the virus very often, though older kids are believed to spread it as easily as adults.

In the new study, researchers from Utah and the CDC focused on three outbreaks in Salt Lake City child care facilities between April and July. Two were child-care programs for toddlers, and the other was a camp for older kids. The average age of kids at all three programs was about 7.

At two of the facilities, investigators were able to establish that an infected adult worker unknowingly introduced the virus.

The study concluded 12 children caught the coronavirus at the facilities, and spread it to at least 12 of the 46 parents or siblings that they came in contact at home. Three of the infected children had no symptoms, and one of them spread it to a parent who was later hospitalized because of COVID-19, the researchers said.

That kind of rate of spread — about 25% — is on par with studies of spread in households that have included both children and adults. It also shows that children with no symptoms, or very mild symptoms, can spread the infection, just like adults can.

Hanage cautioned that it’s not clear whether the findings at the three programs are broadly applicable. Also, the study didn’t involve genetic analysis of individual infections that might have given a clearer picture of how the disease spread.

But many infected kids experience mild illnesses and testing of children has been very limited, so it’s likely that more than 25% of the outside contacts were infected, Hanage added.

The epidemic could get worse and more complicated this fall, said Dr. David Kimberlin, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

“This should be another wake up call to all of us that we need to be diligent and all do our part,” he said.

NEW YORK (AP) — Children who caught the coronavirus at day cares and a day camp spread it to their relatives, according to a new report that underscores that kids can bring the germ home and infect others.Scientists already know children can spread the virus. But&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6937e3.htm?s_cid=mm6937e3_w" target="_blank">the study published Friday</a>&nbsp;by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “definitively indicates — in a way that previous studies have struggled to do — the potential for transmission to family members,” said William Hanage, a Harvard University infectious diseases researcher.The findings don’t mean that schools and child-care programs need to close, but it does confirm that the virus can spread within those places and then be brought home by kids. So, masks, disinfection and social distancing are needed. And people who work in such facilities have to be careful and get tested if they think they may be infected, experts said.<a href="https://apnews.com/2fcde558e46b4d304d27ed0957960d66">Earlier research</a>&nbsp;from the U.S., China and Europe has found that children are less likely than adults to be infected by the virus and are less likely to become seriously ill when they do get sick.There also was data suggesting that young children don’t spread the virus very often, though older kids are believed to spread it as easily as adults.In the new study, researchers from Utah and the CDC focused on three outbreaks in Salt Lake City child care facilities between April and July. Two were child-care programs for toddlers, and the other was a camp for older kids. The average age of kids at all three programs was about 7.At two of the facilities, investigators were able to establish that an infected adult worker unknowingly introduced the virus.The study concluded 12 children caught the coronavirus at the facilities, and spread it to at least 12 of the 46 parents or siblings that they came in contact at home. Three of the infected children had no symptoms, and one of them spread it to a parent who was later hospitalized because of COVID-19, the researchers said.That kind of rate of spread — about 25% — is on par with studies of spread in households that have included both children and adults. It also shows that children with no symptoms, or very mild symptoms, can spread the infection, just like adults can.Hanage cautioned that it’s not clear whether the findings at the three programs are broadly applicable. Also, the study didn’t involve genetic analysis of individual infections that might have given a clearer picture of how the disease spread.But many infected kids experience mild illnesses and testing of children has been very limited, so it’s likely that more than 25% of the outside contacts were infected, Hanage added.The epidemic could get worse and more complicated this fall, said Dr. David Kimberlin, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.“This should be another wake up call to all of us that we need to be diligent and all do our part,” he said.___

Study: Kids infected at day care spread coronavirus at home

LINCOLN— Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol have arrested two people following a pursuit in north Lincoln early Friday morning. During the pursuit, the suspect struck two troopers’ cruisers.

At approximately 1:30 a.m. Friday, a trooper attempted to make a traffic stop on a Dodge Durango for failure to maintain its lane, just north of downtown Lincoln on 14th&nbsp;street. The vehicle refused to stop and fled northbound. The trooper initiated a pursuit.

The Durango fled north on 14th&nbsp;street before eventually continuing eastbound on Arbor Road. During the pursuit, the Durango drove on the wrong side of the road at times. While on Arbor Road, troopers were able to successfully deploy stop sticks to slow the vehicle. The vehicle then turned southbound onto 56th&nbsp;street, while driving on multiple flat tires.

While on 56th&nbsp;street, the suspect swerved toward troopers’ cruisers on multiple occasions, striking two of them. Moments later, a trooper was able to successfully perform a tactical vehicle intervention to bring the Durango to a stop. The suspect then fled on foot, but was quickly apprehended without further incident.

The entire pursuit lasted approximately 10 minutes. Troopers found methamphetamine in the vehicle following the pursuit.

The driver, Thomas Mallory, 26, of Lincoln, was arrested for willful reckless driving, flight to avoid arrest, third degree assault, obstructing a peace officer, possession of a controlled substance, criminal mischief, and numerous traffic violations. The passenger, Amanda Ironcloud, 40, of Lincoln, was arrested for possession of a controlled substance. Both were lodged in Lancaster County Jail.

LINCOLN— Troopers with the Nebraska State Patrol have arrested two people following a pursuit in north Lincoln early Friday morning. During the pursuit, the suspect struck two troopers’ cruisers.At approximately 1:30 a.m. Friday, a trooper attempted to make a traffic stop on a Dodge Durango for failure to maintain its lane, just north of downtown Lincoln on 14th&nbsp;street. The vehicle refused to stop and fled northbound. The trooper initiated a pursuit.The Durango fled north on 14th&nbsp;street before eventually continuing eastbound on Arbor Road. During the pursuit, the Durango drove on the wrong side of the road at times. While on Arbor Road, troopers were able to successfully deploy stop sticks to slow the vehicle. The vehicle then turned southbound onto 56th&nbsp;street, while driving on multiple flat tires.While on 56th&nbsp;street, the suspect swerved toward troopers’ cruisers on multiple occasions, striking two of them. Moments later, a trooper was able to successfully perform a tactical vehicle intervention to bring the Durango to a stop. The suspect then fled on foot, but was quickly apprehended without further incident.The entire pursuit lasted approximately 10 minutes. Troopers found methamphetamine in the vehicle following the pursuit.The driver, Thomas Mallory, 26, of Lincoln, was arrested for willful reckless driving, flight to avoid arrest, third degree assault, obstructing a peace officer, possession of a controlled substance, criminal mischief, and numerous traffic violations. The passenger, Amanda Ironcloud, 40, of Lincoln, was arrested for possession of a controlled substance. Both were lodged in Lancaster County Jail.

Suspects arrested after striking cruisers in Lincoln pursuit   

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - The owner of a Lincoln bowling alley who has been at loggerheads with city officials for weeks over orders intended to slow the spread of the coronavirus is suing to stop the mandates from being enforced.

Benjamin Madsen, general manager of Madsen's Bowling &amp; Billiards, filed the lawsuit Thursday against the city and its mayor, police chief and health director, the Lincoln Journal Star&nbsp;<a href="https://journalstar.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/elections/madsens-gm-follows-through-on-pledge-to-sue-over-health-directive/article_710b1064-b3f2-5c38-8a7b-3a8a9120758d.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-1" target="_blank">reported</a>. The lawsuit alleges they have no legal authority to issue civil penalties or shut down businesses that don't follow the mandates. The bowling alley has also filed a $10 million claim against the city making the same allegations.

City officials and Madsen have been in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/888f9410799a1c8d3f9647d73f1ff64e" target="_blank">tug-of-war</a>&nbsp;over the mandates. Police have issued citations against the bowling alley and the city briefly shut it down last month for violating coronavirus-related restrictions. City officials said the business wasn't requiring employees or patrons to wear masks or enforcing social distancing requirements.

Madsen's attorney, Christopher Ferdico, said city employees have been engaged in a policy of harassment "designed to stifle and discourage legitimate public debate," while attempting to delegate police powers to businesses and to punish businesses for failing to enforce the mandate. The lawsuit seeks to suspend all enforcement of the city's mandates, find them unlawful and award damages for lost profits.

Also Thursday, Gov. Pete Ricketts announced plans&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/e280640ba95931e6020e21a974b11396" target="_blank">to end nearly all of his state's social-distancing restrictions</a>&nbsp;next week, even as the number of new coronavirus cases trended upward.

On Friday, the&nbsp;<a href="https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/ece0db09da4d4ca68252c3967aa1e9dd" target="_blank">state's online virus tracker</a>&nbsp;showed 37,373 confirmed cases and 430 deaths in Nebraska since the start of the outbreak.

Over the past seven days, the state averaged more than 274 new confirmed cases a day, compared with a seven-day average of 241 the week prior, according to an Associated Press analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University's COVID-19 tracking project. The state averaged more than three COVID-19 deaths per day in the last seven days, compared with just over two deaths per day for the seven days prior.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/9/1599844276570.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) - The owner of a Lincoln bowling alley who has been at loggerheads with city officials for weeks over orders intended to slow the spread of the coronavirus is suing to stop the mandates from being enforced.Benjamin Madsen, general manager of Madsen's Bowling &amp; Billiards, filed the lawsuit Thursday against the city and its mayor, police chief and health director, the Lincoln Journal Star&nbsp;<a href="https://journalstar.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/elections/madsens-gm-follows-through-on-pledge-to-sue-over-health-directive/article_710b1064-b3f2-5c38-8a7b-3a8a9120758d.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-1" target="_blank">reported</a>. The lawsuit alleges they have no legal authority to issue civil penalties or shut down businesses that don't follow the mandates. The bowling alley has also filed a $10 million claim against the city making the same allegations.City officials and Madsen have been in a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/888f9410799a1c8d3f9647d73f1ff64e" target="_blank">tug-of-war</a>&nbsp;over the mandates. Police have issued citations against the bowling alley and the city briefly shut it down last month for violating coronavirus-related restrictions. City officials said the business wasn't requiring employees or patrons to wear masks or enforcing social distancing requirements.Madsen's attorney, Christopher Ferdico, said city employees have been engaged in a policy of harassment "designed to stifle and discourage legitimate public debate," while attempting to delegate police powers to businesses and to punish businesses for failing to enforce the mandate. The lawsuit seeks to suspend all enforcement of the city's mandates, find them unlawful and award damages for lost profits.Also Thursday, Gov. Pete Ricketts announced plans&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/e280640ba95931e6020e21a974b11396" target="_blank">to end nearly all of his state's social-distancing restrictions</a>&nbsp;next week, even as the number of new coronavirus cases trended upward.On Friday, the&nbsp;<a href="https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/ece0db09da4d4ca68252c3967aa1e9dd" target="_blank">state's online virus tracker</a>&nbsp;showed 37,373 confirmed cases and 430 deaths in Nebraska since the start of the outbreak.Over the past seven days, the state averaged more than 274 new confirmed cases a day, compared with a seven-day average of 241 the week prior, according to an Associated Press analysis of data from Johns Hopkins University's COVID-19 tracking project. The state averaged more than three COVID-19 deaths per day in the last seven days, compared with just over two deaths per day for the seven days prior.