Bangor Daily News: A searchable database of 5 years of punishments for county officers in Maine. “Now, the public can see five years of discipline for the worst patrol and corrections officer misconduct at the county level. In these public records, you can see which sheriff’s offices have been open about their misconduct and which have opted to share as little detail as possible. In total, a third of records for serious discipline, where someone was suspended, terminated, demoted or resigned in lieu of discipline, did not provide enough information to determine what actually happened.”
local government
Governments around the world weigh thorny question: Who gets the vaccine first? (Politico)
Politico: Governments around the world weigh thorny question: Who gets the vaccine first?. “In theory, everyone in the world who wants it should eventually be able to get immunized. But for much of 2021, demand for the coronavirus vaccine will outstrip supply, presenting a massive dilemma for governments, which must decide who gets the vaccine first or early, and who must wait.”
Daily Herald: Algonquin’s virtual inspection program catching on
Daily Herald: Algonquin’s virtual inspection program catching on. “Brian Martin spent his week inspecting house wrapping, windows and solar panels for the Village of Algonquin, all while sitting comfortably in his chair watching a computer monitor at the municipal center. In the new world created by the COVID-19 pandemic, Algonquin officials have taken the opportunity to start a program that not only keeps residents and staff members safe from contracting the virus but also serves the community more efficiently.”
The Atlantic: The Logic of Pandemic Restrictions Is Falling Apart
The Atlantic: The Logic of Pandemic Restrictions Is Falling Apart. “Two weeks ago, I staged a reluctant intervention via Instagram direct message. The subject was a longtime friend, Josh, who had been sharing photos of himself and his fiancé occasionally dining indoors at restaurants since New York City, where we both live, had reopened them in late September. At first, I hadn’t said anything. Preliminary research suggests that when people congregate indoors, an infected person is almost 20 times more likely to transmit the virus than if they were outside. But restaurants are open legally in New York, and I am not the COVID police. Josh and I had chatted several times in the early months of the pandemic about safety, and I felt sure that he was making an informed decision, even if it wasn’t the one I’d make. As weeks passed, my confidence began to slip.”
New York Times: Cuomo Invited His Mother for Thanksgiving. New Yorkers Noticed.
New York Times: Cuomo Invited His Mother for Thanksgiving. New Yorkers Noticed.. “For days, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has been preaching a message of sacrifice during the holidays, warning New Yorkers that Thanksgiving gatherings could be dangerous as virus cases spike across the nation, and beseeching them to reconsider their plans to help stem the rising tide. So it was surprising when Mr. Cuomo announced on Monday afternoon that he had invited his 89-year-old mother, Matilda, and two of his daughters to celebrate a very Cuomo Thanksgiving with him this week in Albany.”
The Mayor: Finnish town offers a free home in exchange for social media marketing
The Mayor: Finnish town offers a free home in exchange for social media marketing. “In a bid to make a name for the city they govern, officials in the Finnish municipality of Luumäki have come up with an ingenious marketing scheme – offering a rent-free home to a family that is willing to promote the town on social media. The winning family will be telling the story of their life in Luumäki through its official Facebook and Instagram accounts, bringing some much-needed attention to its area.”
AP: Los Angeles orders more restrictions as coronavirus surges
AP: Los Angeles orders more restrictions as coronavirus surges. “Los Angeles County announced a new stay-home order Friday as coronavirus cases surged out of control in the nation’s most populous county, banning most gatherings but stopping short of a full shutdown on retail stores and other non-essential businesses.”
Vox: Social distancing is a luxury many can’t afford. Vermont actually did something about it.
Vox: Social distancing is a luxury many can’t afford. Vermont actually did something about it.. “Researchers studying Covid-19 policy say Vermont’s successes are inextricably linked to its approach to helping at-risk groups avoid the virus. ‘Vermont’s prioritization of its vulnerable populations has helped both to protect those [people] from the worst outcomes we’ve seen in other settings but also contributed to the much lower transmission rates in the state,’ said Anne Sosin, the program director of Dartmouth College’s Center for Global Health Equity.”
El Paso Matters: El Paso Mayor Dee Margo says Hispanics have higher COVID-19 hospital rates than “normal Caucasians”
El Paso Matters: El Paso Mayor Dee Margo says Hispanics have higher COVID-19 hospital rates than “normal Caucasians”. “In a nationally televised interview, El Paso Mayor Dee Margo said El Paso is facing a COVID-19 crisis because Hispanics are far more likely to be hospitalized than ‘normal Caucasians.'”
New York Times: Wisconsin Medical Examiner Prepared for the Worst. It Wasn’t Enough.
New York Times: Wisconsin Medical Examiner Prepared for the Worst. It Wasn’t Enough.. “The pandemic was a faraway nightmare — a catastrophe on the coasts — when Patty Schachtner, the medical examiner in St. Croix County, Wis., began preparing. In March, she counted up all of her county’s hospitals, ventilators and nursing homes, including the one where her beloved 88-year-old father lived. If the coronavirus reached this mostly rural place on Wisconsin’s western edge, full of dairy farms and snowmobile trails, would residents be ready? She had spent 31 years working in public health — the last nine as the county’s chief medical examiner — but she could not be sure. So she kept going.”
Reuters: California, Ohio order nightly curfews on gatherings as coronavirus surges
Reuters: California, Ohio order nightly curfews on gatherings as coronavirus surges. “California’s governor on Thursday imposed a curfew on social gatherings and other non-essential activities in one of the most intrusive of the restrictions being ordered across the country to curb an alarming surge in novel coronavirus infections.”
AL .com: Tennessee mayor won’t require COVID masks until Holy Spirit says so
AL .com: Tennessee mayor won’t require COVID masks until Holy Spirit says so. “The mayor of a Tennessee county on Alabama’s northern border says COVID-19 cases are increasing there, but he won’t order residents and visitors to wear masks until ‘the Holy Spirit’ moves him to do so. It isn’t that he’s anti-science, Lincoln County Mayor Bill Newman said today. He’s an Auburn University-trained veterinarian and understands science, he said.”
Florida Legislature: Not our role to contain the coronavirus (Tampa Bay Times)
Tampa Bay Times: Florida Legislature: Not our role to contain the coronavirus. “In speeches before their mostly masked colleagues, both Wilton Simpson and Chris Sprowls acknowledged the pandemic that has taken the lives of more than 17,500 Floridians, but neither of them suggested the Legislature has any role to address it.”
Miami Herald: Facing COVID surge, Florida mayors ask DeSantis for mask mandate, more local control
Miami Herald: Facing COVID surge, Florida mayors ask DeSantis for mask mandate, more local control. “As the holidays approach — and threaten to worsen a nationwide coronavirus surge — the mayors of five Florida cities and municipalities met Wednesday to request that Gov. Ron DeSantis impose a statewide mask mandate, ramp up the state’s testing effort and reinstate the authority of local governments to impose coronavirus restrictions as needed.”
Texas Tribune: Coronavirus cases in Texas are soaring again. But this time Gov. Greg Abbott says no lockdown is coming.
Texas Tribune: Coronavirus cases in Texas are soaring again. But this time Gov. Greg Abbott says no lockdown is coming.. “This week, more than 7,400 Texans are hospitalized for COVID-19, and the positivity rate has exceeded 10% for over three weeks. But the governor’s strategy as the state heads into the holidays is to stay the course, relying on a 2-month-old blueprint to claw back reopenings regionally based on hospitalizations. The mask order remains in place, but last week he ruled out ‘any more lockdowns,’ and tensions are again rising with local officials who want more authority to impose safety restrictions.”