NED LAMONT

An increasing number of municipal, county and state governments are using federal pandemic relief funds to pay residents’ burdensome medical debt.

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont has announced a series of proposed gun laws in a state already considered one of the strictest for firearms ownership.

In cities and suburbs across the U.S., Republicans up and down the ballot have overwhelmingly focused on sending a message that violent crime is out of control.

Gun rights groups and firearms owners have launched another attempt to overturn Connecticut’s ban on certain semiautomatic rifles that was enacted in response to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

When the U.S. Supreme Court in June overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that established a right to abortion, it sparked legal changes and court challenges in states nationwide.

The U.S. Supreme Court's landmark abortion ruling overturning Roe v. Wade is prompting efforts in liberal states to protect providers and patients who have traveled for a legal procedure.

The Supreme Court's ruling allowing states to regulate abortion has set off a travel scramble in some parts of the U.S., as abortion providers redirect patients to states that still allow the procedure.

The nation's governors are diverging over how to respond to mass shootings such as the one that killed 19 students and two teachers at a Texas elementary school.

The U.S. energy secretary and Danish wind developer Orsted say they want American union workers to build offshore wind farms to dot the U.S. coastlines — the building trades workers who could otherwise be left out of a transition to renewable resources.

Gun control measures are likely going nowhere in Congress, and they have also become increasingly scarce in most states.

President Joe Biden says the nation owes the families of those killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School nine years ago “more than our prayers.

While many workers deemed essential in their respective states have already pandemic hazard pay or hero pay, there are thousands more are still waiting for the same financial pat-on-the-back.

As pandemic-era traffic fatalities spike, the U.S. agency in charge of auto safety is struggling with a backlog of safety rules ordered by Congress that are years overdue.

The proportion of coronavirus infections and hospitalizations among vaccinated Pennsylvania residents has risen sharply in the past month, although the shots remain broadly protective.

Tales of selflessness and heroism — and of deadly delays and heartbreaking missed opportunities — are emerging after the remnants of Hurricane Ida pummeled the Northeast with record-breaking rain that flooded roads and houses, killing dozens.

Residents across the waterlogged Northeast are clearing mud and tearing out soggy carpets after deluges dropped by Tropical Storm Henri.

The tropical storm system Henri brought heavy winds and rain to the Northeast U.S. as it began pummeling the New England coast early Sunday.

Henri is now a hurricane.

The Denver Post is reporting that its top public safety leader says he is prepared to discipline police officers, sheriff’s deputies and firefighters who don’t follow the mandate that all city employees get vaccinated.

Connecticut has become the latest state to mandate that workers in nursing homes be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Parents and policy makers across the nation have been plunged anew into a debate over whether face coverings should be optional or a mandate when schools reopen.

The nation’s reckoning on race has given new momentum to efforts to help U.S. homeowners somehow disassociate their properties with historic, racially restrictive property covenants.

Nursing homes across the country are still reporting scattered COVID-19 outbreaks and COVID-associated deaths, albeit at much smaller rates than during the height of the pandemic.

The Las Vegas Strip and surroundings will fully reopen to vaccinated diners, dancers, shoppers and club-goers beginning June 1.

Some states are making plans to spend billions of dollars from President Joe Biden's pandemic relief act, though the money has yet to arrive.

A court ruling striking down a national eviction moratorium has placed additional pressure on the federal and state governments to deliver tens of billions of dollars in promised rental aid.

In state legislatures across the country, lawmakers of color are seizing on the nation’s reckoning with racial injustice.

A U.S. health panel says it’s time to resume use of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine, despite a very rare risk of blood clots.

And both rank in the middle among states for COVID-19 death rates — Florida was 27th as of Friday; California was 28th. Ned Lamont, a Democrat, imposed numerous statewide restrictions over the past year after an early surge in deaths, while South Dakota Gov. “Even in a pandemic, public health policy needs to take into account people’s economic and social well-being,” Noem said during a recent conservative convention. Like Florida, Missouri had no statewide mask mandate, ended business restrictions last June and has a cumulative COVID-19 death rate similar to California's. Public health experts said individual choices could help explain the similar outcomes among some states with loose or strict orders from the governor.

Eric Holcomb received his COVID-19 vaccine shot Friday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the opening of the state’s first mass vaccination clinic. Holcomb wore a face mask in the front passenger seat of an SUV while getting the shot of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine at the drive-through clinic. Ad___TORONTO — Canada is getting a fourth vaccine to prevent COVID-19, approving the Johnson & Johnson shot that works with just one dose. Canada has pre-purchased 10 million Johnson & Johnson doses, with options to buy another 28 million. The U.S. approved the Johnson & Johnson vaccine last month.

Tom Moore, the 100-year-old World War II veteran who captivated the British public in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic with his fundraising efforts died, Tuesday Feb. 2, 2021. Commercial applicants will be required to provide evidence that the coronavirus pandemic caused them to lose at least 35% of revenue in 2020. ___RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Palestinian government announced a 12-day lockdown in the Israeli-occupied West Bank after a surge in coronavirus cases, including new variants. The death toll stands at 3,685, with more than a dozen deaths reported Friday. ___WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — The Navajo Nation has continued on a downward trend in the number of daily coronavirus cases.

(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. -- The Navajo Nation has continued on a downward trend in the number of daily coronavirus cases. Canada regulators have approved AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine. Gavin Newsom expects California to start administering the new Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine next week. Addition of the J&J vaccine would come as California is seeing dramatic drops in virus cases and hospitalizations after record highs in early January. While they only comprise about 48% of coronavirus cases, they account for 74% of vaccinations.

Health officials say the first shipments of the Chinese and Russian vaccines will be used in low-income neighborhoods of Mexico City or its suburbs. — Millions of vulnerable U.S. residents will need COVID-19 vaccines brought to them because they rarely or never leave their homes. Johnson & Johnson in December agreed to provide up to 500 million doses of its vaccine to COVAX through 2022. Ad“If we are to end the global pandemic, life-saving innovations like vaccines must be within reach for all countries,” Johnson & Johnson Chief Scientific Officer Dr. Paul Stoffels said in a statement. The state health department has scheduled vaccination clinics during the weekend to replace those postponed due to a winter storm.

A sprawling, lumbering winter storm has walloped the Eastern U.S., shutting down coronavirus vaccination sites, closing schools and halting transit. In its second day in the Northeast, a snow storm left nearly 15 inches (38 centimeters) of snow piled up in parts of New Hampshire. The Yale New Haven Health system, which runs several hospitals in southern Connecticut, said its vaccination sites were closed Tuesday and staff were contacting people to reschedule appointments. In New England, nearly 15 inches (38 centimeters) of snow piled up in southeast New Hampshire, and the mountains were getting heavy snow as well. The National Weather Service reported 30 inches of snow fell in parts of Sussex and Morris counties on Monday.

Coronavirus vaccination sites across the Northeastern U.S. are getting back up and running after a two-day snowstorm that also shut down public transport, closed schools and canceled flights. Some vaccination sites in New York City remained closed, but others, including those run by the public hospital system, were open Tuesday. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)Coronavirus vaccination sites across the Northeast ramped back up Tuesday after a two-day snowstorm that also shut down public transport, closed schools and stranded travelers with canceled flights. Some vaccination sites in the city remained closed, but others, including those run by the public hospital system, were open Tuesday. Tom Wolf declared a disaster emergency after snowfall of up to 30 inches (76 centimeters) throughout central and eastern regions.

The winter weather prompted school districts to cancel in-person learning on Monday, and many COVID-19 vaccination sites were closed and rescheduling appointments. As much as 2 feet (61 centimeters) of snow was predicted to fall in areas throughout the day Monday and overnight. 11:30 a.m.BOSTON — The second phase of Massachusetts’ coronavirus vaccine rollout is being disrupted by a winter storm that’s causing schedule changes and at least one vaccination location to shutdown. A winter storm warning remained in effect until Tuesday for much of the state. Most of the state remained under winter storm warnings or winter weather advisories that were expected to remain in effect through Tuesday morning.

Although the heaviest parts of the storm had moved through the metropolitan area by Monday evening, lighter snow showers were expected to continue virtually all day Tuesday, forecaster James Tomasini said. “We’re looking at a long two days here,” New York Gov. Across the Northeast, many coronavirus vaccination sites closed Monday. AdHundreds of flights and many trains and were canceled, and aboveground New York City subway service stopped at 2 p.m. In recent days, a storm system blanketed parts of the Midwest, with some areas getting the most snow in several years.

Military leaders spent chunks of Thursday evening and Friday calling states in an unprecedented appeal for more National Guard troops to help lock down much of the city in the days before President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration. Kate Brown said she turned down the federal request to send at least 100 more National Guard troops to D.C. “I didn’t think that we could safely fill that commitment,” Brown said. Oregon has already agreed to send 30 to Washington, but state leaders are worried about violence at the state capitol in Salem. At that point, the new round of calls to the state governors and military leaders began. Roy Cooper initially agreed to send 200 Guard, and on Friday spokesman Ford Porter said the state will send 100 more.

Brad Little says people 65 and over will be able to get the coronavirus vaccine starting Feb. 1. Overall, Illinois has reported more than 1 million cases and 17,743 deaths. Ontario reported 2,903 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, including eight new cases of a variant from the United Kingdom. ___MADRID — Spain is reporting 25,438 coronavirus cases and more than 400 deaths for the second day in a row. Italy added 14,242 coronavirus infections on Tuesday, increasing the tally to 2.3 million cases.

President-elect Joe Biden introduced Miguel Cardona as his pick for education secretary on Wednesday, saying Connecticut's education chief and life-long champion of public schools is the right pick to lead the department as the nation struggles to educate students safely during the pandemic. The selection delivers on Biden’s promise to nominate someone with experience working in public education and would fulfill his goal of installing an education chief who stands in sharp contrast to President Donald Trump's Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. In introducing Cardona, Biden noted his focus to broaden remote learning across communities in need and ensure schools in his state had appropriate safety gear. But despite their occasional conflict with him, a coalition of Connecticut education unions supported his candidacy as Biden's education secretary. Beyond the pandemic, Biden's education secretary will also be tasked with reversing an array of policies enacted by DeVos.

FILE - In this Aug. 9, 2017, photo, flags decorate a space outside the office of the Education Secretary at the Education Department in Washington. President-elect Joe Biden has chosen the education commissioner for Connecticut and a former public school teacher to serve as education secretary. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)President-elect Joe Biden has chosen Miguel Cardona, Connecticut's education chief and a lifelong champion of public schools, to serve as education secretary. The selection delivers on Biden’s promise to nominate someone with experience working in public education and would fulfill his goal of installing an education chief who stands in sharp contrast to Secretary Betsy DeVos. Despite their occasional conflict with him, a coalition of Connecticut education unions supported his candidacy as Biden's education secretary.

FILE - In this March 23, 2019 file photo, Bridgewater Associates Chairman Ray Dalio speaks during the Economic Summit held for the China Development Forum in Beijing, China. A family spokesperson says the 42-year-old son of hedge fund founder Ray Dalio died in a car crash this week. The family spokesperson on Friday, Dec. 18, 2020 confirmed Devon Dalio's death in a Thursday afternoon crash to Hearst Connecticut Media. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)GREENWICH, Conn. – Devon Dalio, the 42-year-old son of hedge fund founder Ray Dalio, died in a car crash this week, a family spokesperson said Friday. The family spokesperson confirmed the death in a Thursday afternoon crash to Hearst Connecticut Media.

Hanson, a student at Hanover College, is one of several college students being recruited to work as substitute teachers in schools during the pandemic. Coming to the rescue in many cases are college students who are themselves learning online or home for extended winter breaks. Over a dozen college students answered the call including his own daughter, 19-year-old Grace Kern, who is studying medical imaging technology at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis. College students have been tapped in growing numbers this year by Kelly Education, which contracts with districts to provide substitutes. In the past districts could manage by dividing an absent teacher’s students among the other teachers in the building.

(AP Photo/Elise Amendola)NEW YORK – The latest developments on the winter storm moving across the Northeast (all times local):7:45 p.m.Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont announced Wednesday he is banning tractor trailer and tandem trailers from all limited access highways, beginning at 9 p.m. due to the severe winter snow storm. ___2 p.m.PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Rhode Island has closed all state-run coronavirus testing sites as the region braces for a major winter storm. A winter storm warning has been issued for Providence and Kent counties from 7 p.m. Wednesday through 1 p.m. Thursday. Meanwhile, New Jersey is poised to restrict commercial traffic from some highways because of the impending snow storm.

And we must act as though anyone we are around may be infected.”The cases reported Saturday trailed only the record 10,322 cases reported Tuesday. ___ROME — Italy had more than 21,000 daily coronavirus cases and added 662 deaths in the last 24 hours. There were 14 more deaths reported Saturday, bringing the total to 1,874 confirmed deaths. Russia’s 2.4 million confirmed cases is the fourth-largest caseload in the world behind the United States, India and Brazil. ___NEW DELHI — India has registered 36,652 confirmed coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours.

The state expects to get enough doses of new coronavirus vaccines by the end of the year to inoculate more than 383,000 health care workers and long-term care facility residents, the state’s health director said Friday. Ned Lamont said nursing home residents, along with front-line health care workers, will get the first doses in his state. Laura Kelly said the state’s vaccine plan calls for the first shots to go to front-line health care workers with a high risk of coronavirus exposure, including workers in nursing homes, as well as nursing home residents. In Ohio, health care workers and others caring for COVID-19 patients and emergency medical responders will be first in line for the vaccine, Republican Gov. “We’re in a very dangerous situation and ... we can’t let our hospitals get to the point where health care is threatened,” DeWine said.

It said the country was showing a trend of declining average daily cases over the last two months. Worldwide, more than 54 million coronavirus cases have been reported with more than 1.3 million deaths. ___CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia has set another weekly record for the number of confirmed coronavirus cases, even with one day left to count. The state set three daily marks for confirmed cases in the past week, including a record 821 cases on Friday. The seven-day rolling average for new daily cases stood at 145,400 on Saturday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Washington state and county health officials have warned of a spike in coronavirus cases across the state, and pleaded with the public to take the pandemic more seriously heading into the winter holidays. The number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care beds reached 362 on Friday, the most since late August. ___KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine has introduced tight weekend restrictions as the number of new confirmed coronavirus cases hit a national record. Health Minister Maxim Stepanov said Saturday that Ukraine registered 12,524 new confirmed cases, about 800 more than the previous day. Overall, Russia has reported 1,903.000 confirmed virus cases and 32,834 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

WEST HAVEN, Conn. – Two workers were killed in an explosion Friday while repairing a steam pipe in a maintenance building at a Veterans Affairs hospital in Connecticut, officials said. Alfred Montoya Jr., director of the VA Connecticut Healthcare System, said the men were in the basement of the small outer building and had just finished routine maintenance on a leaky pipe. He said the explosion occurred just after 8 a.m. as the pipe was being refilled with steam. “Our prayers are with the families of the victims of this explosion," VA Secretary Robert Wilkie said. The explosion occurred in a building that houses the hospital’s labor shops, such as carpentry and plumbing, a spokesperson for the hospital said.

Ned Lamont is self-quarantining after his chief spokesperson tested positive for COVID-19, his administration announced late Friday, Nov. 13, 2020. Ned Lamont is self-quarantining after his chief spokesperson tested positive for COVID-19. Another governor, Democrat Steve Sisolak of Nevada, announced Friday that he had tested positive for COVID-19. DeWine tested positive using a rapid test before testing negative later that day after using a more sensitive laboratory-developed test. The latest state health department figures also show hospitalizations have edged back up statewide — hitting 684 after dipping to 676 a day earlier.

Gary Herbert speaks as he joins state epidemiologist Dr. Angela Dunn at a press conference at the Capitol in Salt Lake City, clarifying the state's mask mandate on Monday, Nov. 9, 2020. Minnesota’s per-capita new case counts are better than neighboring Wisconsin and the Dakotas, which have some of the country’s highest transmission rates, but have still raised alarm with the state's health officials. In Idaho, where 1 of every 223 residents tested positive for the virus over the last week, Republican Gov. With Trump still not conceding the race, some Republican governors have greeted Biden’s efforts in a more measured way. In Oklahoma, where cases also are on the rise, Republican Gov.

Spain has a national 14-day cumulative number of 527 coronavirus cases per 100,000 population, one of the highest in Europe. The rolling average of daily deaths rose from 10.1 to 15.3 and the positivity average increased from 8.9% to 11.8%. ___THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The Netherlands reported coronavirus cases fell by 5%, the first decrease in weeks. Dutch public health institute says confirmed coronavirus cases in the past seven days went from 67,542 to 64,087. It lays out new rules for what are considered “essential” items during a monthlong lockdown effort to slow coronavirus infections.

Nearly 550 students have tested positive for the virus since in-person classes resumed last month. The reservation is located on parts of six counties that accounted for 62 new coronavirus cases and one death in Tuesday’s update. J.B. Pritzker will quarantine for two weeks after a member of his administration tested positive for the coronavirus. Naidu recently attended a session of India’s Parliament that was cut short after more than 20 lawmakers tested positive. India’s Home Minister Amit Shah tested positive last month and recovered in a hospital.

(AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy)HONOLULU -- Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell says the city plans to allow some activities that were shut down last month to control the spread of the coronavirus to resume under new guidelines. Gary Herbert will increase pandemic restrictions in two Utah cities as COVID-19 cases continue to surge in the state. The county accounted for 42% of the state’s cases despite having only 20% of state’s population. Eric Holcomb’s statewide mask mandate and other coronavirus restrictions poses a possible disruption to his reelection campaign. But the real toll is thought to be much higher, in part because many COVID-19 deaths were probably ascribed to other causes, especially early on, before widespread testing.

___WASHINGTON — The White House is urging U.S. governors to put politics aside and help the Trump administration promote future coronavirus vaccines as safe and effective. Trump has escalated his promise for a coronavirus vaccine before Election Day. ___ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s president, who has long called for a reform of the United Nations, said the world body has failed in its response to the coronavirus pandemic. ___BOISE, Idaho — Idaho school districts vary widely when it comes to letting the public know about coronavirus cases in classrooms. Greek authorities say the fire was started by residents angry at a lockdown order after 35 COVID-19 cases were recorded at Moria.

A much more unified plan is in place for the college basketball season. Add the effective safety measures of the pro leagues, find suitable sites and bubble basketball could work. The NBA has the ideal setup at Disney World, but college basketball might be better suited to follow the NHL's lead. In other words, basketball bubbles could pop up all over the country. "Its possible, but its not going to be easy.Pulling off a college basketball bubble, however, comes with a caveat.

The Silver family went to Colorado instead of to Ohio because Connecticut for a time required travelers to Ohio to quarantine upon their return. We weren't going to do that, especially at the beginning of the school year, Silver said. In Connecticut, where infection numbers are among the lowest in the country, more than half of schools are planning to open for in-person learning. New Jersey's school reopening plan doesn't directly address students who are in quarantine when the year begins. Some school districts, like Willingboro, have reminded families to quarantine if they're returning from states listed on the advisory.

Police departments nationwide are showing new interest in training officers how they should stop, or try to stop, abuse in their own ranks. Minneapolis adopted a policy in 2016 requiring officers to intervene when colleagues are using inappropriate force. In New Orleans, all officers have to take the peer intervention training, called Ethical Policing Is Courageous, or EPIC. Dallas, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Louisville, Kentucky, are among the cities that have implemented duty to intervene policies in recent months. New York City has had an intervention policy since 2016.

Equally up in the air is whether states, which are necessary partners in Trump's plan to bypass Congress, will sign on. Many Republicans have expressed concern that a $600 weekly benefit, on top of existing state benefits, gives people an incentive to stay unemployed. But under Trump's plan, the $400 a week requires a state to commit to providing $100. Asked at a news conference how many governors had signed on to participate, Trump answered: If they don't, they don't. I dont think there will be a huge delay.

Arriving passengers await their bags in the baggage claim area at LaGuardia Airport's Terminal B baggage claim area, Thursday, June 25, 2020, in New York. New York, Connecticut and New Jersey are asking visitors from states with high coronavirus infection rates to quarantine for 14 days. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

New York, Connecticut and New Jersey are asking visitors from states with high coronavirus infection rates to quarantine for 14 days. New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are the latest states to enact 14-day visitor quarantines to try to check the spread of the coronavirus. In Florida, travelers from the three states arriving on commercial flights or via Interstate-95 fill out a form that includes their phone number and address where they will be staying. Now, as pandemic hotspots shift, states in the New York City region are asking travelers to quarantine if they come from states with high infection rates. Messages are also posted throughout the terminal building, said Kevin Dillon, executive director of the Connecticut Airport Authority.

India records the highest spike of more than 15,000 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, with Mumbai and New Delhi as the worst-hit cities in the country. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)NEW DELHI India has registered another record daily high in new virus cases as New Delhi emerged as its worst-hit city. Steve Sisolak says the state will begin mandating the use of face-coverings in public places in an effort to stem a rise in coronavirus cases four weeks after casinos, restaurants and other businesses started reopening. Nevada has reported more than 14,300 coronavirus cases and 494 deaths from COVID-19 since the onset of the pandemic. Of the new cases reported Thursday, 13 were in Beijing and one in the neighboring province of Hebei.

Indonesia was expected to pass the 50,000 mark for confirmed infections on Thursday. India reported a record high 16,922 cases on Thursday, taking the national total to 473,105, with nearly 15,000 deaths. China reporting 19 newly confirmed cases nationwide amid mass testing in the capital. The virus has been blamed for over 120,000 U.S. deaths the highest toll in the world and more than 2.3 million confirmed infections nationwide. ___Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

Both tribal casinos, Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, closed since March 17, opened despite opposition from Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont has been constrained when dealing with the sovereign tribal nations that own two of the world's largest casinos. In Florida, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez took to social media after the tribal casino Miccosulkee Resort & Gaming reopened early. That same tribe resisted pleas from state and local officials in late March to close entirely, as other tribal casinos, restaurants, movie theaters, parks and beaches had. As of Tuesday, the American Gaming Association website identified 280 tribal casinos that have so far reopened, while 244 remained closed.

Republicans say it's too much and want to move slowly in the Senate, preferring to see how states spend the first batch of money. The AP survey found that at least 32 states are considering sharing a portion of the federal aid with local governments. Several states including California, the most populous are projecting deficits equal to about 20% of the budgets they proposed before the virus took hold. Arkansas and North Dakota have considered using the federal money for hazard pay for front-line workers. Tate Reeves, a Republican, said he had the authority to spend the $1.2 billion under a 40-year-old state law.

In some U.S. states, golf, guns and ganja have been ruled essential, raising eyebrows and — in the case of guns — a good deal of ire. Ned Lamont added gun shops to his list of essential businesses, generating shock and dismay among families of gun violence victims. In France, shops specializing in pastry, wine and cheese have been declared essential businesses. Mayors of five other Arizona cities pushed back, telling Ducey that including golf courses and payday lenders was taking the definition of essential too far. Like Britain, some U.S. states allowed liquor stores to remain open, including New Mexico, which routinely ranks first in alcohol-related deaths per capita.