Category: states

As More Red States Legalize Marijuana, Some Officials Try to Nip It in the Bud

Recreational marijuana may face resistance from GOP-dominated state governments despite being voted into law in Montana, South Dakota and Arizona.

With Pandemic Surging, Ohio Gov. DeWine Dials Back His Aggressive Response

The governor won praise around the state for his early efforts to combat the coronavirus, but as the crisis wore on and President Donald Trump played down the threat, Ohio Republicans began to grow restless with DeWine’s stance, and concerns for his reelection campaign in 2022 are rising.

It’s Time to Scare People About COVID

Our public messaging about the virus should explain the real costs — in graphic terms — of catching the virus.

Tracking COVID’s Spread Inside a Tight-Knit Latino Community

Contact tracing for COVID-19 in a Latino immigrant community has some unique challenges. But as public health officials in Telluride, Colorado, are showing, using resources from inside those communities can help track and contain the coronavirus.

A Child’s Death in the Heartland Changes Community Views About COVID

As America enters a dark winter with no national directives against COVID-19, Washington, Missouri, faced the same dilemma numerous other communities are grappling with: enact restrictions to curb the pandemic or leave people to their own will? Then a local 13-year-old died.

Xavier Becerra in His Own Words: ‘Health Care Is a Right’

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra is President-elect Joe Biden’s pick for U.S. Health and Human Services secretary. As attorney general and during his 24 years in Congress, he has staked progressive positions on health care issues, fighting the Trump administration on contraception, suing a major California health system for monopolistic behavior and calling himself a supporter of single-payer health care.

Last Call for COVID: To Avoid Bar Shutdowns, States Serve Up Curfews

Authorities are ordering early closures — generally around 10 p.m. — to curb the spread of COVID-19. But will the coronavirus observe this curfew?

What Happened When the Only ER Doctor in a Rural Town Got COVID

Hospitals across the country are struggling as staffers get infected with the coronavirus. It’s especially tough for small, rural hospitals, where even one doctor out sick can upend patient capacity.

After a Deadly COVID Outbreak, Maryland County Takes Steps to Protect Health Workers

Prince George’s County in Maryland is taking action after a coronavirus outbreak left veteran public health worker Chantee Mack dead and several colleagues with lasting medical problems. But some staffers say more still needs to be done to keep public health workers on the front lines of the COVID fight safe.

NYC Hospital Workers, Knowing How Bad It Can Get, Brace for COVID 2nd Wave

Hospitals are in better shape now than in the spring, with more knowledge of how to handle COVID-19 and bigger stockpiles of protective equipment. Still, nurses worry about staffing shortages and unfilled jobs.