Coronavirus In Colorado; The Numbers

According to today's data release, in Colorado there have been 194,697 people tested, 27,060 positive cases, 4,443 hospitalized, 1,494 deaths among cases (1,254 deaths due to COVID), 292 outbreaks at residential and non-hospital health care facilities, 60 of 64 counties with positive cases. In Adams County we have 3,379 cases and 127 deaths. Read More from CDPHE HERE

Governor Polis, COVID Relief Fund Announce Fourth Round of Grants

Gov. Polis and the COVID Relief Fund today announced the fourth round of grants. This round of funding provided a total of $2.97 million to 145 community-based organizations serving Coloradans who are being disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Funds were distributed for this round in the Impact and Recovery priority areas. Read More from Governor Jared Polis HERE

State Lawmakers Return To A Boarded-Up Capitol As Police Brutality Protests Rock Downtown Denver

State lawmakers returned to work Monday in a state Capitol battered by four days of protests. The building and surrounding monuments have been defaced with graffiti, and windows along the lowest floor were boarded up with plywood. Some windows on the second floor of the Capitol were also smashed with rocks. Lawmakers in both chambers held a moment of silence for George Floyd, the Minneapolis man whose death in police custody has touched off national unrest. Read More from CPR HERE

New Bill Would Require Colorado Police To Wear Body Cams, Ban Chokeholds

Colorado law enforcement agencies may see sweeping changes to how they operate and investigate shootings or cases of serious injury by police if an accountability bill Democrats plan to introduce Wednesday passes. The draft bill calls for all police be equipped with body-worn cameras and for recordings to be released to the public within seven days. Read More from The Denver Post HERE

Governor Polis Provides Update on COVID-19 Response, Discusses Recent Demonstrations

Yesterday Governor Jared Polis provided an update on the state’s response to COVID-19 and discussed Safer at Home and In the Vast, Great Outdoors. The Governor also addressed the murder of George Floyd and demonstrations in Denver and across the country. The Governor provided an update on Safer at Home and in the Vast, Great Outdoors, encouraging Coloradans to enjoy the state’s incredible outdoor spaces, where people are better able to follow social distancing requirements. Read More from Governor Jared Polis HERE

As Protests Continue, Denver To Start Conversation About Role Of Police In Schools

Following nationwide protests of racist policing, the Denver school district is expected to begin a conversation about the role of police officers in Denver schools — with some district leaders pushing to remove them entirely. Currently, the school district and the city split the cost of providing 18 police officers to work as “school resource officers” in some of the district’s secondary schools. Read More from Chalkbeat Colorado HERE

Huge Crowd Marches Through Denver As Protests Prompt Legislative Action

A massive crowd, stretching as long as six city blocks, moved through and around downtown Tuesday night, the sixth night of protests following the May 25 death of George Floyd. As they marched, they called out to residents to join them and it seemed to work, as hundreds became thousands. State Rep. Leslie Herod and Senate President Leroy Garcia came to the west steps Tuesday afternoon to announce they will propose legislation today that would strip immunity from lawsuits from individual law enforcement officers if they engage in misconduct. Read More from Denverite HERE

Colorado Sets Goal Of At Least 10,000 COVID-19 Tests A Day By Flu Season

Colorado is aiming for at least 10,000 COVID-19 tests per day by the time flu season starts in October, though the exact right number may fluctuate over time, state health officials said. As of Wednesday, sites around the state conduct between 7,000 and 8,000 tests per day. That’s enough to test everyone with respiratory symptoms at this point, but they may need to do more tests each day as more people start developing flu-like symptoms in the fall. Read More from The Denver Post HERE  

800 AmeriCorps, Senior Corps Members To Assist With Contact Tracing

More than 800 AmeriCorps and Senior Corps members will assist with contact tracing and other COVID-19 related activities in Colorado. The Corporation for National and Community Service, which oversees the country’s service programs, has provided $2 million to deploy participants in the National Civilian Community Corps, AmeriCorps VISTA and Senior Corps programs. Participants typically receive small stipends for several months of work, which in the case of AmeriCorps VISTA amounts to between $1,800 and $6,000. Read More from Colorado Politics HERE

Gallagher Led To $35 Billion In Residential Property Tax Cuts. Now Colorado Lawmakers Want Voters To Repeal It

In a desperate attempt to stave off further budget calamity, state lawmakers are fast-tracking a landmark ballot measure that would ask voters to repeal the Gallagher Amendment — the property tax-limiting constitutional provision that has provided an estimated $35 billion in tax relief to Colorado homeowners since 1983. The bipartisan proposal represents the nuclear option for tackling Gallagher, a sign that the growing economic crisis is upending long-held assumptions about what is politically feasible in tax-averse Colorado. Read More from The Colorado Sun HERE

Resolution To Repeal Gallagher Amendment On Fast-Track Through The General Assembly

Facing a nearly 18% drop in property tax revenue, largely due to the pandemic, a Senate committee on Tuesday gave unanimous approval to a resolution that will ask voters to repeal the Gallagher Amendment, a move that would allow property taxes to again contribute more to school districts and local governments. The measure, Senate Concurrent Resolution 1, has bipartisan support, and likely enough votes to get the two-thirds required in the House. In the Senate, it’s a little less certain, given that at least five Republican senators would have to support it. Read More from Colorado Politics HERE

For Protestors, It's Worth It -- But Large Gatherings Are Indeed 'Super-Spreader Events'

For a breezy Denver day in late May 2020, it was a familiar scene: large and loud protests. Chants of “Black lives matter! Black lives matter!” rang out. On the west steps of the state Capitol, a group of young people held up signs. One is 24-year-old Sabre Morris of Denver. It wasn’t lost on her that she is protesting in the midst of a pandemic. Nearly everyone here wears a mask. One demonstrator walked around giving others a squirt of hand sanitizer, but social distancing is pretty spotty. Morris said she knows she risks catching it by coming here, but it’s worth it to her. Read More from CPR HERE

A Coronavirus Shift To Online Shopping Has Helped Save Some Retail Sales -- And Tax Revenue -- In Colorado

When Erika Righter saw foot traffic at Hope Tank vanish in March as coronavirus safety measures went into place, she temporarily closed her Broadway gift store and reopened online. Selling online offset some lost sales, though not enough to cover her rent. Like many local shopkeepers, she’s struggling with uncertainty — are shoppers ready to return, will employees come back to work and is the city or state going to come to her aid with financial support or, specifically, reserve two spots on every block in both directions so customers can park to pick up orders curbside? Read More from The Colorado Sun HERE 

CBI Saw Increase In Firearm Denials, Nearly Half Million Offender DNA Entries in 2019

The state’s database of DNA profiles reached nearly half a million entries by the end of 2019, and the number of firearm purchase denials rose compared to the year prior, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation reports. These findings were part of the CBI’s 2019 annual report, which the agency released in April. Read More from Colorado Politics HERE

Some Colorado Child Care Providers May Return To Licensed Capacity

Beginning June 4 child care centers, family child care homes and building-based school-age child care programs may return to regular group sizes and licensed capacity, Governor Polis announced on Wednesday. School-age day camps and license-exempt youth programs are still required to operate with smaller ratios guidance required by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). Resident camps are still not allowed to operate. Read More from Fox31 HERE

Black Leaders Recommend These Books And More For White Coloradans

On day six of protests in Colorado over the death of George Floyd and police brutality, Colorado Matters asked five black leaders in the state about the books or works of art that have shaped them and that they’d recommend during this moment in America. Here’s how they answered. Read More from CPR HERE

U.S. Postal Service, Denver Health Department Still At Odds Over If Distribution Center Had COVID-19 Outbreak

Two weeks after Denver officials attempted to shut down a mail distribution center, the local health department and the U.S. Postal Service are still at odds about whether the facility ever had a COVID-19 outbreak. The Denver Department of Public Health and Environment sent a letter to the postal service on May 20, ordering it to close a large distribution center at 7550 E. 53rd Place for disinfecting. USPS refused to comply with the order, saying the city hadn’t taken the facility’s efforts to prevent the new virus’ spread into account. Read More from The Denver Post HERE

Grad Requirements, Seat Time And Other Statewide School Issues To Watch In Colorado

As school districts in Colorado spend the next weeks planning for how students might return to schools this fall, state leaders will have to provide guidance on several issues. Although they haven’t issued final rules yet, it is likely many students in Colorado will not attend school in person every day of the school week. When students moved to learning online in March, state leaders passed executive orders to quickly address policy implications as a result. But now, there will be more time to plan, consider those policy changes and get more input. Read More from Chalkbeat Colorado HERE

Can I Or Can't I? What's Allowed Under Colorado Public Health Orders During The Coronavirus Pandemic

Keeping up with the can's and can'ts of activities and behaviors during the coronavirus pandemic can be confusing. To make it easier, Colorado Politics has compiled a list of what is currently allowed and what's still prohibited by state public health orders. Counties may seek variances to enact stricter or looser control. Read More from Colorado Politics HERE 

Polis And Other Governors Ask For More Clarity And Strategy With Coronavirus Testing Moving Forward

It was a little bit of a virtual homecoming Tuesday morning for Jared Polis, who served in the House until being elected Colorado’s governor two years ago. Now, he was one of three governors testifying via a teleconference to fellow Coloradan, Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette, and her Congressional Oversight and Investigations subcommittee to talk about how governors are responding to the coronavirus pandemic. DeGette noted that governors and states are on the front lines when it comes to dealing with the pandemic, and focused the hearing on how states have coped, as well as on the issue of testing. Read More from CPR HERE

Protests, Donations, Lesson Plans: How The Education World Is Responding To George Floyd's Killing

As the country convulses after the latest incident of police violence against a black American — and the protests and unrest that have followed — schools and education organizations are responding. Teachers are hosting classroom discussions as school district leaders denounce racism and activists renew calls for schools to cut ties with police. Here’s what Chalkbeat has seen. Read More from Chalkbeat HERE 

Coronavirus Cases Rise In US South And West As Crowded Protests Spark Worries

Coronavirus cases continued to spread in parts of the American south and west in the past week as experts warn that packed protests could exacerbate the pandemic. The early parts of the American coronavirus outbreak struck hardest in the dense metropolitan areas on the coasts, such as New York, New Jersey, Boston, and California. But the last few weeks have seen wider spread in inland states, including Arkansas, Texas and Arizona. Read More from CNN HERE

"We've Been Here Before"; Why Congress Will Struggle To Act On Police Killings

Joe Biden wants Congress to end chokeholds and military transfers to police. Nancy Pelosi is talking about “historic” opportunities to reform police policies. Chuck Grassley says it’s time to “address police use of force.” But the smart bet is on Congress accomplishing little in response to nationwide protests decrying the killing of George Floyd and other black Americans at the hands of U.S. police. The House and Senate can’t even agree right now on a relatively modest reform to a small-business loan program, let alone how to plunge into a debate over race and cops. Read More from Politico HERE

The Defense Secretary Says He Does Not Want Active-Duty Troops Used On The Streets For Now

Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper said Wednesday that he does not think the current state of unrest in American cities warrants the deployment of active-duty troops to confront protesters, just days after President Trump said he was considering use of the Insurrection Act to do exactly that. In a Pentagon news conference, Mr. Esper said ordering active-duty troops to police American cities should be a “last resort and only in the most urgent and dire of situations.” He said that, for now, this was not warranted. Read More from The New York Times HERE

Esper Catches White House Off Guard With Opposition To Military Use, Photo Op

Defense Secretary Mark Esper said at a press briefing Wednesday that he does not currently support invoking the Insurrection Act, an 1807 law that permits the president to use active-duty troops on U.S. soil, in order to quell protests against racial injustice. Why it matters; President Trump threatened this week to deploy military forces if state and local governments aren't able to squash violent protests. Read More from Axios HERE

All Four Former Officers Involved In George Floyd's Killing Now Faces Charges, Sen. Klobuchar Says

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is increasing charges against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin to second-degree murder in George Floyd's killing and also charging the other three officers involved in the incident, according to a tweet from US Sen. Amy Klobuchar. Ellison's official announcement is expected to come Wednesday afternoon, more than a week after Floyd was killed while in police custody in Minneapolis, sparking nationwide protests that call for the end to police violence against black citizens. Read More from CNN HERE

How U.S. Cities Lost Precious Time To Protect Black Residents From The Coronavirus

Interviews with nearly 60 public health experts, lawmakers and community leaders show that many of the first coronavirus testing sites went up in areas that happened to be whiter and more affluent, despite the requests of black leaders. Local governments — sometimes ignoring the pleas of community activists — targeted few of their education campaigns about prevention and social distancing specifically to African Americans, even as conspiracy theories spread that black people were immune to the disease. Read More from The Washington Post HERE

Minneapolis Police Use Force Against Black People At 7 Times The Rate of Whites

Video of George Floyd’s last conscious moments horrified the nation, spurring protests that have led to curfews and National Guard interventions in many large cities. But for the black community in Minneapolis, seeing the police use some measure of force is disturbingly common. About 20 percent of Minneapolis’s population of 430,000 is black. But when the police get physical, nearly 60 percent of the time the person subject to that force is black. And that is according to the city’s own figures. Read More from The New York Times HERE

The Hunt To Understand COVID-19's Connection To Kawasaki Disease

Dr. Jane C. Burns has studied Kawasaki disease for four decades. It took only four months for COVID-19 to turn her life’s work upside down. Unusual numbers of children and teenagers living in COVID-19 hotspots like Lombardy, Italy and New York City have developed an inflammatory condition (officially called Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children, or MIS-C) that looks a lot like Kawasaki disease. In many cases, the children have also tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies, suggesting the syndrome followed a viral infection. Read More from Time HERE  

Jails Are Coronavirus Hotbeds. How Many People Be Released To Slow The Spread?

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, epidemiologists warned that jails and prisons would be breeding grounds for infectious disease, thanks to their densely packed populations and uncertain access to hygiene products and medical care. And, sure enough, the four biggest known clusters of outbreaks in the U.S. on June 3 were all linked to correctional facilities, according to a tracking project by The New York Times. But while experts are unsurprised by the outbreaks in correctional facilities, it’s less obvious what should be done about it. Read More from FiveThirtyEight HERE

Federal Prison Bureau Falling Behind On Evaluating Drug Treatment Programs

The U.S. Bureau of Prisons is falling behind on the plan to evaluate its drug treatment programs and is missing key logistical elements for a medication-assisted treatment initiative, a federal auditing office has found. The report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office stemmed from a request that a bipartisan group of senators made in 2018 to evaluate drug treatment in federal prisons. The percentage at the end of May 2020 remained virtually unchanged, at 45.9% of the more than 155,000 prisoners. Read More from Colorado Politics HERE

Downturns Tend To Reduce Gender Inequality. Not Under COVID-19

Hair salons tend to be recession-proof. People always need haircuts. During the financial crisis of 2007-09, the number of hairdressers in America even rose. Women have borne the brunt of the economic disruption caused by lockdowns. In America, despite making up less than half of the workforce, they accounted for 55% of jobs lost in April. In Britain, mothers are one-and-a-half times as likely as fathers to have lost or quit their jobs during lockdown, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), a think-tank. Read More from The Economist HERE 

No Evidence Hydroxychloroquine Is Helpful In Preventing COVID-19, Study Finds

Taking hydroxychloroquine after being exposed to someone with COVID-19 does not protect someone from getting the disease. That's the conclusion of a study published Wednesday involving 821 participants. All had direct exposure to a COVID-19 patient, either because they lived with one, or were a health care provider or first responder. The study had an unusual design. Read More from NPR HERE

Army Scientists; All Strains of COVID-19 Can Be Covered By One Vaccine

Army scientists say that they are “very optimistic” that they will have a vaccine by the end of the year that will be effective against any COVID-19 strain. The vaccine candidate, currently being tested in hundreds of mice, was developed by Army scientists. The Army is also working to accelerate and evaluate candidates being produced by AstraZeneca and other pharmaceutical companies under the White House’s “Operation Warp Speed” program, which aims to have a vaccine ready by year’s end. Read More from Government Executive HERE

Why A Vaccine May Not Be Enough To End The Pandemic

Without a vaccine or treatment, the world has been forced to adopt severe tactics to slow the spread of COVID-19: social distancing, shutdowns, closures, and cancellations. As states in the US begin to reopen, it’s clear there is still much hardship to come — for those laid off, for businesses forced to implement costly new health measures, for those still at risk of infection. But the global race to develop a COVID-19 vaccine to shield people from the infection is now well underway, and gaining ground by the week. Read More from Vox HERE

How Do U.S. Employment And Health Outcomes Compare To Other OECD Countries?

In response to the COVID-19 crisis, the US chose to lock down its economy around mid-March, quite a bit later than many other countries; and then Congress passed (and President Trump signed) the CARES Act and other relief bills in late March and after, with a variety of measures (like payments to individuals, loans to affected businesses, and an expanded safety net) in some ways similar to and in other ways different from other countries. Given these decisions, how well has the US performed, in both employment and health outcomes, relative to other countries during the crisis? Read More from Brookings HERE

Chinese Coronavirus Test Maker Agreed To Build A Xinjiang Gene Bank

A leading Chinese gene sequencing and biomedical firm that said it would build a gene bank in Xinjiang is supplying coronavirus tests around the world. Why it matters; U.S. officials are worried that widespread coronavirus testing may provide an opportunity for state-connected companies to compile massive DNA databases for research as well as genetics-based surveillance. Read More from Axios HERE

The Global Race For A Coronavirus Vaccine Could Lead To This Generation's Sputnik Moment

With testing underway on five experimental vaccines in China and four in the United States, the race to produce a vaccine for COVID-19 has taken on political dimensions that echo jockeying for technological dominance during the Cold War, including the space race after the launch of Sputnik in 1957. The same day in mid-March that the United States launched human testing of its first experimental coronavirus vaccine, scientists in China announced their own trial would begin. Read More from The Washington Post HERE