Following the Coronavirus

C.A.R.E.S. Act Funding Coming Along Slowly

While state-level politicians have concerns over how funding through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act is being disbursed, a Marshall County official said the funding is being distributed somewhat slowly, but it’s coming. Marshall County Administrator Betsy Frohnapfel said the county has been submitting monthly reports to the state since March. Funds from the March request have already been disbursed to the county, and the April and May reports are under review. “They’re reviewing them,” Frohnapfel said. “We get calls to clarify and to get additional ...

Justice: Mask-Wearing Could Become Mandatory

CHARLESTON — As cases of the coronavirus spike across the country and in West Virginia, Gov. Jim Justice said Thursday he is seriously considering mandating face masks and covering in buildings. “I am very seriously considering that at the beginning of next week we may very well have to ...

Local Health Officials Hopeful Of Mask Mandate

WHEELING — Local health officials said they would overwhelmingly support a statewide mandate requiring people to wears masks indoors after West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice floated the idea Thursday. While Justice said he has not made a final decision about requiring masks to be worn in ...

Ohio County Schools Considering Five-Day In-School Week

WHEELING — Administrators with Ohio County Schools still want students back in the classroom five days each week when classes start next month, but they acknowledge that plan could change if local coronavirus threats continue to increase. Students spent the last nine weeks of this past school year doing remote learning at home via computer. They are presently set to return to their school buildings for in-person learning and traditional classes beginning Aug. 20. Superintendent Kim Miller said Wednesday school officials will decide “within the next two weeks” whether to ...

DeWine Unveils Color-Coded Alert System

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio has new guidelines for returning to classrooms this fall, as well as a new color-coded, county-by-county coronavirus alert and advisory system to assess which areas may be seeing flare-ups of cases and should take additional precautions. Gov. Mike DeWine made the ...

Confirmed Cases Are Rising in 40 of 50 States

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Four U.S. states — Arizona, California, Florida and Texas — reported a combined 25,000 new confirmed coronavirus cases Thursday as the infection curve rose in 40 of the 50 states heading into the July Fourth holiday weekend. With the number of daily confirmed coronavirus cases nationwide climbing past 50,000, an alarming 36 states saw an increase in the percentage of tests coming back positive for the virus. “What we’ve seen is a very disturbing week,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious-disease expert, said in a livestream with ...