WEKU

Planning To Celebrate The 4th? What To Know About The Risks Of Parties And Bars

By Will Stone • 10 hours ago

Wanting to get together with friends and family to celebrate this holiday weekend but nervous about the coronavirus?

With new infections climbing in most states, infectious disease experts discourage group get-togethers, especially one that involves drinking. Bottom line: Watch out for parties or bars.

Drill Down To County Level And The U.S. COVID-19 Outbreak Looks Even Worse

By Nurith Aizenman • 12 hours ago

Across the United States the coronavirus is once again on the march. On Wednesday alone there were nearly 50,000 new cases — a record. The case counts for each state suggest the disease is mainly spreading in a band stretching from Florida across much of the southernmost states and westward to California, with Idaho and Iowa also in trouble.

But when you use tools to drill down to more local data, the picture gets more complicated — and even more concerning. Here are five takeaways:

It may be time for a statewide lockdown in Arizona and Florida

On The Brink, Rural Hospitals Brace For New Surge In COVID-19 Cases

By Kirk Siegler • 14 hours ago

In the Idaho mountain town of Grangeville, population 3,200, signs in windows on Main Street advertise that Border Days "is on."

The annual Fourth of July celebration boasts street dances, Idaho's longest-running rodeo and even the world's largest egg toss. Like in a lot of small towns, Grangeville's economy has been struggling throughout this pandemic.

Border Days planners decided to go ahead with an altered, if slightly scaled back version of the festival this year amid worries about a possible spike in coronavirus cases.

Overdose Incidents Rose Sharply Around Ohio Valley During Pandemic

By Aaron Payne • Jul 2, 2020

West Virginia Office of Drug Control Policy

Emergency response data from across the Ohio Valley show sharp increases in suspected drug overdoses since March, when health measures including school and business closures and stay-at-home orders increased social isolation. For public health officials, it’s a grim reminder that another epidemic is ongoing and possibly worsening during the isolation associated with the coronavirus pandemic.

Six EKU Student-Athletes And Athletic Staff Members Test Positive For COVID-19

By Stu Johnson • Jul 2, 2020

Eastern Kentucky University Athletics Director Matt Roan has announced three student-athletes and three athletics staff members have tested positive for COVID-19.

In a campus-wide email, Roan said the infected individuals have been isolated and the athletics department is amending voluntary workout schedules. In recognition of the entire campus community privacy, the individuals are not being identified.

Keeneland President To Retire-Historic Transition Planned

By Stu Johnson • Jul 2, 2020

Keeneland President and CEO Bill Thomason will retire the end of this year after leading the historic horse racing track for eight years. His announcement Thursday paves the way for an historic transition with Keeneland’s legal counsel Shannon Bishop Arvin taking the reins in January. She will become Keeneland’s eighth president and the first woman to serve in that role.

2020 Fourth Of July Includes An Emphasis On Health

By Stu Johnson • Jul 2, 2020

This weekend’s Fourth of July celebration in central Kentucky will be quite different because of coronavirus activity.

Eastern Standard for July 2, 2020

By Tom Martin • Jul 2, 2020

The education and training of police officers takes place at EKU, and calls for police reform are not going unnoticed | Teaching in pandemic conditions | Builder of giant greenhouse expands the vision | UK historian Tracy Campbell on his new book: "The Year of Peril: America in 1942" and how those times relate to the present.

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Kentucky's Second Largest City Sees Doubling Of Coronavirus Cases In June

By Stu Johnson • Jul 1, 2020

Lexington’s mayor and public health commissioner are concerned about increases in coronavirus cases over the past few weeks. Mayor Linda Gorton and Dr. Kraig Humbaugh participated in a council COVID-19 update Wednesday.

Gorton said the central Kentucky community has seen 29 deaths. “Half of those occurred in June. To me that’s startling. So, we went March, April, May and then half of those deaths have been in June,” said Gorton.

Lexington Mayor Names 70 Members To Commission On Racial Justice And Equality

By Stu Johnson • Jul 1, 2020

Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton has announced the appointment of 70 citizens to the new Commission for Racial Justice and Equality. The mayor wants the large panel to work quickly to develop recommendations.

The mayor is charging the commission to seek solutions to dismantle systemic racism in Fayette County. Officials say the 70 participants include long standing community leaders, emerging leaders, and grassroots advocates.

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Eastern Standard

Eastern Standard for July 2, 2020

By Tom Martin • Jul 2, 2020

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MORE EASTERN STANDARD SHOWS

Ohio Valley ReSource

Coal Towns Were Counting On Tourism For New Jobs. Then Coronavirus Hit.

By Brittany Patterson • Jun 29, 2020

On a recent sunny weekday, Bill Currey proudly walks among 30 neatly stacked, brightly colored plastic kayaks. Birds chirp merrily, and the soothing sounds of the meandering Coal River permeate the background — nature’s version of a white noise machine.

For the tanned Currey, who also owns an industrial real estate company, being here, on the river, is as good as it gets. His goal is to share this slice of paradise with as many people as will listen.

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