Tag: Associated Press

Murphy administration has blocked some information from the public during COVID pandemic, AP finds

Mary Pat Campbell

Link: https://www.nj.com/politics/2021/03/murphy-administration-has-blocked-some-information-from-the-public-during-covid-pandemic-ap-finds.html

Excerpt:

Associated Press requests last year for written and electronic communications among officials about the coronavirus were denied as “overbroad,” a kind of catch-all under the state’s Open Public Records Act that permits officials to shield certain information.

The administration also cited emails among the governor’s staff as privileged under the law because they were “inter-agency” and “consultative or deliberative,” additional carve-outs that prevent the release of documents under the law.

The administration also denied public records requests seeking payment vouchers for personal protective equipment it bought, saying it would be disruptive. Asked about it late last year, Murphy said he wasn’t sure why the information was withheld and soon afterward, the state divulged a list of expenditures showing about $220 million in expenses.

Author(s): Associated Press

Publication Date: 14 March 2021

Publication Site: nj.com

Wisconsin Teamsters happy with pension funds in virus bill

Mary Pat Campbell
Wisconsin Teamsters happy with pension funds in virus bill

Excerpt:

Thousands of Wisconsin Teamsters are celebrating after President Joe Biden signed the coronavirus relief bill into law.

That’s because the move ensures that the workers no longer have to worry about their pensions being cut in half.

The American Rescue Plan includes the Butch Lewis Emergency Pension Plan Relief Act of 2021. The act directs the Pension Guaranty Benefit Corp. to allocate billions of dollars to avoid the drastic cuts.

Author(s): Associated Press

Publication Date: 14 March 2021

Publication Site: KBJR6

EXPLAINER: Why rising rates are unsettling Wall Street

Mary Pat Campbell

Link: https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-financial-markets-stock-markets-inflation-prices-96e01a1db876bd4ad7e183e8cb4874e8

Excerpt:

WHY ARE INFLATION AND GROWTH EXPECTATIONS RISING?

Coronavirus vaccines will hopefully get economies humming this year, as people feel comfortable returning to shops, businesses reopen and workers get jobs again. The International Monetary Fund expects the global economy to grow 5.5% this year following last year’s 3.5% plunge.

A stronger economy often coincides with higher inflation, though it’s been generally trending downward for decades. Congress is also close to pumping another $1.9 trillion into the U.S. economy, which could further boost growth and inflation.

Author(s): STAN CHOE and ALEX VEIGA

Publication Date: 26 February 2021

Publication Site: Associated Press

US life expectancy drops a year in pandemic, most since WWII

Mary Pat Campbell

Link: https://apnews.com/article/us-life-expectancy-huge-decline-f4caaf4555563d09e927f1798136a869

Graphic:

Excerpt:

Life expectancy in the United States dropped a staggering one year during the first half of 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic caused its first wave of deaths, health officials are reporting.

Minorities suffered the biggest impact, with Black Americans losing nearly three years and Hispanics, nearly two years, according to preliminary estimates Thursday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“This is a huge decline,” said Robert Anderson, who oversees the numbers for the CDC. “You have to go back to World War II, the 1940s, to find a decline like this.”

Author(s): MARILYNN MARCHIONE

Publication Date: 17 February 2021

Publication Site: Associated Press

Tensions over vaccine equity pit rural against urban America

Mary Pat Campbell

Link: https://nypost.com/2021/03/01/tensions-over-vaccine-equity-pit-rural-against-urban-america/

Excerpt:

The U.S. vaccine campaign has heightened tensions between rural and urban America, where from Oregon to Tennessee to upstate New York complaints are surfacing of a real — or perceived — inequity in vaccine allocation.

In some cases, recriminations over how scarce vaccines are distributed have taken on partisan tones, with rural Republican lawmakers in Democrat-led states complaining of “picking winners and losers,” and urbanites traveling hours to rural GOP-leaning communities to score COVID-19 shots when there are none in their city.

In Oregon, state GOP lawmakers walked out of a Legislative session last week over the Democratic governor’s vaccine plans, citing rural vaccine distribution among their concerns. In upstate New York, public health officials in rural counties have complained of disparities in vaccine allocation and in North Carolina, rural lawmakers say too many doses were going to mass vaccine centers in big cities.

Author(s): Associated Press

Publication Date: 1 March 2021

Publication Site: NY Post

Puerto Rico governor rejects key deal with creditors to reduce debt due to pension cuts

Mary Pat Campbell

Link: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/puerto-rico-governor-rejects-key-deal-creditors-reduce-debt-due-n1258610

Excerpt:

The impasse between the governor and a board that oversees Puerto Rico’s finances threatens to throw into limbo attempts to end a bankruptcy-like process for a government that six years ago declared unpayable its more than $70 billion public debt load.

The deal was reached with creditors who hold general obligation bonds and Public Building Authority bonds sold by Puerto Rico’s government and would resolve $35 billion worth of debt and non-debt claims, according to the board. It also would reduce debt held by those creditors from $18.8 billion to $7.4 billion, a 61 percent reduction, and would provide them with $7.4 billion in bonds and $7 billion in cash, among other things.

The board said the deal would free up more than $300 million a year for government services, and that instead of 30 cents for every dollar in taxes and fees that Puerto Rico’s government collects going to creditors, it would be less than 8 cents.

Author(s): Associated Press

Publication Date: 23 February 2021

Publication Site: NBC News

Government investigating massive counterfeit N95 mask scam

Mary Pat Campbell

Link: https://apnews.com/article/government-investigation-n95-scam-1694ed85d6ef99cdb6662f67d823c271/

Excerpt:

Federal authorities are investigating a massive counterfeit N95 mask operation in which fake 3M masks were sold in at least five states to hospitals, medical facilities and government agencies. The foreign-made knockoffs are becoming increasingly difficult to spot and could put health care workers at grave risk for the coronavirus.

These masks are giving first responders “a false sense of security,” said Steve Francis, assistant director for global trade investigations with the Homeland Security Department’s principal investigative arm. He added, “We’ve seen a lot of fraud and other illegal activity.”

Author(s): Colleen Long

Publication Date: 10 February 2021

Publication Site: Associated Press

AP: Over 9,000 virus patients sent into NY nursing homes

Mary Pat Campbell

Link: https://apnews.com/article/new-york-andrew-cuomo-us-news-coronavirus-pandemic-nursing-homes-512cae0abb55a55f375b3192f2cdd6b5

Excerpt:

More than 9,000 recovering coronavirus patients in New York state were released from hospitals into nursing homes early in the pandemic under a controversial directive that was scrapped amid criticism it accelerated outbreaks, according to new records obtained by The Associated Press.

The new number of 9,056 recovering patients sent to hundreds of nursing homes is more than 40% higher than what the state health department previously released. And it raises new questions as to whether a March 25 directive from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration helped spread sickness and death among residents, a charge the state disputes.

Author(s): BERNARD CONDON and JENNIFER PELTZ

Publication Date: 12 February 2021

Publication Site: Associated Press

Study finds smaller cars may be why crashes injure women more

Mary Pat Campbell

Link: https://nypost.com/2021/02/11/study-smaller-cars-may-be-why-crashes-injure-women-more/

Excerpt:

The smaller, lighter vehicles that women more often drive and the types of crashes they get into, may explain why they are much more likely to suffer a serious injury in a collision than men, a new study published Thursday found.

Researchers from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a research group supported by auto insurers, looked into whether there was some sort of gender bias in the research into vehicle crashes or whether body type had anything to do with the injuries.

Author(s): Associated Press

Publication Date: 11 February 2021

Publication Site: NY Pose

Retirement age? Super Bowl coaches just getting started

Mary Pat Campbell
Retirement age? Super Bowl coaches just getting started

Excerpt:

There’s no retirement age in the NFL, and that’s a good thing for Super Bowl-bound Kansas City and Tampa Bay.

Andy Reid and Bruce Arians are two of the league’s five oldest coaches. Reid is closing in on 63; Arians turned 68 last October. They have a combined 55 years of NFL experience and spent nearly another three decades working at the college level.

Neither seems close to calling it a career. Instead, they’re showing that bald heads and gray facial hair might be a better choice than young and spry at football’s most important leadership position. These guys might just be getting started, too.

Author: Associated Press

Publication Date: 28 January 2021

Publication Site: ABC27

Pension official: Firm facing lawsuit tried to influence Missouri lawmakers

Mary Pat Campbell
Pension official: Firm facing lawsuit tried to influence Missouri lawmakers

Excerpt:

A Canadian firm that is being sued by Missouri’s largest public pension system for allegedly mishandling investments has hired a lobbyist who tried to influence legislators and put pressure on the pension outside of court proceedings, a pension official said in court testimony.

The private equity firm Catalyst Capital Group hired a lobbyist after the Missouri State Employees’ Retirement System filed its lawsuit in October. Pension system executive director Ronda Stegmann testified in a court hearing last week that lobbyist Richard McIntosh tried to set up a meeting with Stegmann, two legislators and Catalyst executives, The Kansas City Star reported.

Original Source: Associated Press

Publication Date: 28 January 2021

Publication Site: Missouri Lawyers Media