Tuesday, April 28
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Good morning,
Today we have stories about rural Nebraska counties continuing to be national coronavirus hotspots, a pork plant closing in Crete as food processors warn of shortages and stories from the children of doctors and nurses facing fact they may never see their parents again.
Your top local stories
Check out an interactive version of this map on our website.
In Omaha
- An Alzheimer’s facility in Omaha has seen an outbreak in coronavirus cases.
- Economic strife caused by the coronavirus pandemic may explain a rise in shootings and gang activity, the Omaha Police Department said.
- After walking back a soft opening last week, Nebraska Crossing is slated to partially open this Friday.
- The annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting will go on this Saturday. However, those seeking Warren Buffett’s wisdom will have to crowd around laptops instead of packing into a large arena.
- Three candidates are running for the metro-area seat on the Nebraska University Board of Regents.
Around the State
- Nebraska saw its largest one-day increase in coronavirus cases as the state reported yesterday that 330 new people have the virus.
- Dakota County has surpassed Douglas County in total cases, despite having a population 30 times smaller. It’s across the Missouri River from Sioux City, Iowa, another meatpacking town leading the country in coronavirus infections.
- Food processors warn of massive food shortages and waste if they close plants where the coronavirus has spread quickly and severely. A Smithfield pork plant in Crete announced it would close Wednesday.
- Plant closures have Nebraska farmers worried they will have to euthanize their animals.
- The state is forming a new task force to guide businesses as they reopen, Gov. Pete Ricketts announced yesterday. The reopening process will start May 4 as the state relaxes some restrictions while maintaining others.
- Yesterday Ricketts announced Grand Island and Omaha would be the first testing sites for people who took health assessments on TestNebraska.
- Nursing homes have been hit hard by the coronavirus. How severely is unknown as Nebraska’s DHHS, unlike other states, does not release those facilities’ names.
- Gov. Ricketts to hold daily press briefing at 2 p.m.
What to do during quarantine?
From our list of things to do during quarantine:
Research Your Family Tree
The Omaha Public Library is opening up family history research (normally allowed only on site) to patrons to use from home. You must have an OPL card and PIN to get started. Ancestry Library Edition will open your world to the largest general collection of genealogical information.
What’s happening in the United States?
- As nurses and doctors fight on the front lines, their children are writing goodbye letters and making detailed plans for what to do if they never see mom and dad again.
- On Monday, President Donald Trump proposed expanded testing capacities after weeks of pressure from health and government officials. One official said under this proposal, states could test at least 2% of their populations a month, roughly three million Americans a day. Health officials at Harvard University have called for five million tests a day by June and 20 million by late July.
- Parents are struggling to keep their kids focused and learning as schools remain closed due to the pandemic.
GOP Falling Behind in Mail-in Voting Push, Strategists Say
- Some worry the Republican Party is letting Democrats lead the mail-in voting charge, spending millions in advertising to draw remote voters as the coronavirus limits social activity.
What’s happening across the world?
Make China Pay for it, Trump says
- On Monday, Trump said China could have done more to stop the spread of the coronavirus and suggested the U.S. would seek damages. On Tuesday a Chinese official accused American politicians of “lying through their teeth.”
Check out more coverage online at TheReader.com
The Omaha Reader
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