National

National

Michigan Town's Residents Are Thrilled About Town's Role In Fighting The Pandemic

3:58pm December 24, 2020

by Sehvilla Mann

Residents of Portage, Mich., are bursting with civic pride as the Pfizer plant there produces COVID-19 vaccines. And they're showing that pride in some unusual ways.

Misinformation Spread By Anti-Science Groups Endangers COVID-19 Vaccination Efforts

3:58pm December 24, 2020

by Kirk Siegler

In some parts of the U.S., the biggest challenge surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine isn't distribution, but convincing people to get it, as anti-science groups are spreading misinformation.

Can Employers Require Workers To Get A COVID-19 Vaccine?

3:58pm December 24, 2020

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with Johnny Taylor Jr., CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management, about whether employers can require workers to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.

James Harden of the Houston Rockets was fined $50,000 for violating the NBA's health and safety protocols. He's seen on the court during a preseason game against the San Antonio Spurs on Dec. 17.

How The Rockets-Thunder Delay Could Foreshadow Challenges To This NBA Season

3:42pm December 24, 2020

by Brakkton Booker

The NBA postponed the Wednesday game after three Rockets players had positive or inconclusive coronavirus tests and four others were in quarantine. It left the team without enough players to play.

Sisters Dorothy Cassaro (left), Bernadette Sohler and Angie Kociolek with their mother, Annette, in happier times in 2006.

The Tragedy Of 'St. Joe's'

3:25pm December 24, 2020

by Dina Temple-Raston

Back in March, a coronavirus outbreak at St. Joseph's Senior Home in Woodbridge, N.J., led state officials to evacuate all 78 of its residents. Within weeks, nearly half of them were dead.

In Bucksport, Maine, the smokestack of a closed mill can be seen in this waterfront view along the Penobscot River.

In Rural America, Fears About The Future Abound As Fewer Students Go To College

2:53pm December 24, 2020

by Jon Marcus

The isolation and uncertainty of the pandemic are driving the dramatic drop in numbers, threatening the already precarious economies of these areas and widening their socioeconomic drift.

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In March of 2020, Robbie Dennis was transferred to the Louisiana State Penitentiary, known as Angola. The CDC first recommended that Americans wear masks on April 3; prisoners at Angola didn't receive them until June or July, Dennis says.

Correctional Facilities Are COVID-19 Hot Spots. Why Don't They Get Vaccine Priority?

1:00pm December 24, 2020

Prisons, jails and detention centers have much higher coronavirus case and fatality rates than the general public. But attitudes toward inmates mean bank tellers may get vaccinated before they do.

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Teaneck Volunteer Ambulance Corps Chief Jacob Finklestein responding to calls on Dec. 10 in New Jersey. He said the ambulance crew has not seen a dramatic increase in 911 calls even as cases surge across the state and hospitalizations double in the last m

New Jersey EMTs In Early Epicenter Of Coronavirus Outbreak Brace For Surge

8:05am December 24, 2020

by Karen Yi

The state's hospitalizations have reached levels not seen since mid-May, but the Teaneck Volunteer Ambulance Corps crew say they're only getting a handful of COVID-19-related calls.

National

New York Couple Finds Bootlegger's 100-Year-Old Stash

5:57am December 24, 2020

Bootleggers were rumored to have used the house, built in 1915, during Prohibition. Under the floorboards was stash of about 100 bottles with labels that read: "Old Smuggler" whiskey of Scotland.

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The far-reaching SolarWinds hack has hit not only federal agencies such as the Department of the Treasury, but computer systems for local U.S. governments as well.

National

U.S. Cyber Agency: SolarWinds Attack Hitting Local Governments

3:54am December 24, 2020

by Jaclyn Diaz

The malware-infused SolarWinds software update, blamed on Russian state actors, appears to have infected computers more broadly than previously acknowledged.