WASHINGTON — A member of the military serving as one of President Donald Trump’s valets has tested positive for the coronavirus, the White House said Thursday. It said Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have since tested negative for the virus and “remain in good health.” It marked the latest...
As We Reopen, We Can’t Let Our Guard Down Against This Virus
We are at the point in the pandemic where the cracks in California's unified response to COVID-19 are showing. Three northern counties reopened in defiance of Gov. Gavin Newsom's stay-at-home orders. And, closer to home, the city of Parlier allowed barbershops and hair salons to reopen last week. People, of course,...
Governor Softens Order Over Jailed Texas Hair Salon Owner
AUSTIN, Texas — Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday removed jail as a punishment for violating his coronavirus restrictions following outcry by conservatives over a Dallas salon owner who was locked up for refusing to keep her business closed. In a swift relaxing of his own rules, Abbott said...
33 Million Have Sought US Unemployment Aid Since Virus Hit
WASHINGTON — Nearly 3.2 million laid-off workers applied for unemployment benefits last week as the business shutdowns caused by the viral outbreak deepened the worst U.S. economic catastrophe in decades. Roughly 33.5 million people have now filed for jobless aid in the seven weeks since the coronavirus began forcing millions...
California Restaurants Envision Big Changes in Reopening
LOS ANGELES — California restaurants have drafted a plan to allow the industry to reopen for sit-down dining with an array of safeguards while avoiding possible requirements imposed in other states that customers have their temperature taken or the number of tables be dramatically limited. The recommendations, obtained by The...
Newsom to Reveal Guidelines for Reopening
SACRAMENTO — Business owners across California anxiously awaited new guidelines Thursday from Gov. Gavin Newsom that will outline the first widespread changes to a statewide stay-at-home order that shut most retail shops to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Newsom was expected allow businesses such as clothing stores, florists, bookstores...
California’s Billion-Dollar Mask Deal Hits Snag
SACRAMENTO — Millions of protective masks that were to arrive in California this week as part of the state's nearly $1 billion deal with a Chinese company have been delayed, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday. The governor said the N95 masks made by BYD, an electric vehicle manufacturer with a...
Mall Reopens as Rural California Counties Defy Virus Order
YUBA CITY — Several dozen shoppers streamed into the first mall in California to reopen Wednesday, despite Gov. Gavin Newsom's orders restricting businesses because of the coronavirus pandemic. Doors opened just before 11 a.m. at Yuba Sutter Mall in Yuba City, the county seat of rural Sutter County, which along...
Dropouts, Dropped Classes at State Center Soar in COVID-19 Semester
More than twice as many State Center Community College District students dropped all their courses this spring semester compared to a year ago, and the number of courses dropped this semester is up 15% compared to spring 2019, officials report. At Fresno City College, 1,000 students dropped courses after mid-March,...
Exclusive: California Wires Mask Dealer Half a Billion Dollars, Then Claws It Back
On March 26, as the coronavirus pandemic was mounting and governors across America scrambled to secure medical supplies, the state of California wired almost a half-billion dollars to a company that had been in business for just three days. The recipient: Blue Flame Medical LLC, a Delaware-based company headed by...