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Raptors small-ball lineup's familiarity is key to cohesion
The small-ball lineup Nick Nurse rolled with against Milwaukee have played with each other for a number of years and know how to get it done on both ends of the floor.
The small-ball lineup Nick Nurse rolled with against Milwaukee have played with each other for a number of years and know how to get it done on both ends of the floor.
Thousands of Paraguayans gathered around Congress in downtown Asunción on Monday, marking the fourth day of protests amid calls to impeach President Mario Abdo over the government's handling of the COVID-19 health crisis. The protesters, many wearing soccer jerseys and carrying national flags, chanted "Out Marito" and "Everyone out", while criticizing the authorities for the lack of medicines and intensive care beds amid a spike in coronavirus cases. "In the hospitals there are no syringes, there are no beds," a young man who identified himself as Dudu Dávalos told local television after traveling from the city of Hernandarias, 340 km (210 miles) east of Asunción.
Now that Hyundai has shown its E-GMP electric car with the creased Ioniq 5, it's Kia's turn to show what it can do. The first of its E-GMP cars is called the EV6, and we're getting our first clear glimpse of it with these teaser images. From what we can see, it looks drastically different from the Hyundai.
The slower growth was mainly due to a sharper contraction in private inventories and capital expenditure expanding less than previously thought in the fourth quarter, even as exports remained solid. Separate data showed household spending was hit by a bigger annual drop in January than in the prior month, a sign the COVID-19 pandemic was keeping consumers cautious about shopping. Private inventories, including raw materials and manufactured products, subtracted 0.6 percentage point from revised growth domestic product growth (GDP), worse than a negative preliminary contribution of 0.4 percentage point.
A second member of the regulator that oversees Texas' utilities resigned on Monday in a continuation of the political fallout over a weather-driven crisis in the state's power market. Shelly Botkin resigned effective immediately, the Public Utility Commission of Texas said in a one sentence notice. Electricity and natural gas prices surged as an arctic air mass brought subzero temperatures, killing dozens of people and leaving much of its power market in the throes of a deep financial crisis.
His personal wealth soared as the video conferencing platform became a household name during the pandemic.
The Dallas Cowboys will officially announced a long-term contract with quarterback Dak Prescott on Wednesday.
Leon Gast, the veteran filmmaker who won a Documentary Feature Oscar for helming the 1996 “Rumble in the Jungle” pic When We Were Kings, died Monday. He was 85. The news was confirmed by the Woodstock Film Festival, of which Gast was a founding advisory board member and a 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award honoree. Gast […]
When a huge earthquake and tsunami struck Japan on March 11, 2011, devastating towns and triggering nuclear meltdowns in Fukushima, a stunned world watched the chaotic struggle to contain the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. At the time, some - including Prime Minister Naoto Kan - feared Tokyo would need to be evacuated, or worse. "Fukushima is stamped for the rest of the history of nuclear energy," said Kiyoshi Kurokawa, head of an investigation that concluded the disaster was "profoundly man-made".
Prescott got off to a sensational start last season before suffering a gruesome injury in Week 5, fracturing and dislocating his right ankle. The 27-year-old, who was selected by the Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2016 draft, is expected to be fully recovered by the start of next season. "When your little brother gets the call," Prescott's brother Tad posted on Twitter with a photo of the two men hugging.
RADNOR, Pa., March 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The law firm of Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP announces that a securities fraud class action lawsuit has been filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California against Velodyne Lidar, Inc. (NASDAQ: VLDR, VLDRW) (“Velodyne”) on behalf of those who purchased or acquired Velodyne securities between November 9, 2020 and February 19, 2021, inclusive (the “Class Period”). Investor Deadline Reminder: Investors who purchased or acquired Velodyne securities during the Class Period may, no later than May 3, 2021, seek to be appointed as a lead plaintiff representative of the class. For additional information or to learn how to participate in this litigation please contact Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP: James Maro, Esq. (484) 270-1453 or Adrienne Bell, Esq. (484) 270-1435; toll free at (844) 887-9500; via e-mail at info@ktmc.com; or click https://www.ktmc.com/velodyne-lidar-inc-securities-fraud-class-action?utm_source=PR&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=velodyne According to the complaint, Velodyne provides solutions to develop safe automated systems including real-time surround view lidar sensors. Velodyne became a public entity on September 29, 2020 when it merged with Graf Industrial Corp., a special purpose acquisition company. The Class Period commences on November 9, 2020, when Velodyne filed its quarterly report on a Form 10-Q with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for the period ended September 30, 2020. The report stated “[b]ased on the evaluation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, our chief executive officer and chief financial officer concluded that, as of such date, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective at the reasonable assurance level.” However, the truth began to be revealed on February 22, 2021, before the market opened, when Velodyne announced that its Board of Directors had “removed David Hall as Chairman of the Board and terminated Marta Hall’s employment as Chief Marketing Officer of the Company” after the Audit Committee’s investigation “concluded that Mr. Hall and Ms. Hall each behaved inappropriately with regard to certain Board and Company processes, and failed to operate with respect, honesty, integrity, and candor in their dealings with [Velodyne] officers and directors.” In addition, Velodyne’s Board formally censured Mr. Hall and Ms. Hall, but they would remain directors of Velodyne. Following this news, Velodyne’s common stock fell $3.14, or approximately 15%, to close at $17.97 per share on February 22, 2021. Additionally, Velodyne’s warrants fell $1.47, or approximately 20%, to close at $5.90 per warrant on February 22, 2021. The complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, the defendants failed to disclose to investors that: (1) certain of Velodyne’s directors had failed to operate with respect, honesty, integrity, and candor in their dealings with Velodyne’s officers and directors; (2) Velodyne was investigating the foregoing matters; and (3) as a result of the foregoing, the defendants’ positive statements about Velodyne’s business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis. Velodyne investors may, no later than May 3, 2021, seek to be appointed as a lead plaintiff representative of the class through Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP or other counsel, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. A lead plaintiff is a representative party who acts on behalf of all class members in directing the litigation. In order to be appointed as a lead plaintiff, the Court must determine that the class member’s claim is typical of the claims of other class members, and that the class member will adequately represent the class. Your ability to share in any recovery is not affected by the decision of whether or not to serve as a lead plaintiff. Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP, prosecutes class actions in state and federal courts throughout the country involving securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duties and other violations of state and federal law. Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP is a driving force behind corporate governance reform, and has recovered billions of dollars on behalf of institutional and individual investors from the United States and around the world. The firm represents investors, consumers and whistleblowers (private citizens who report fraudulent practices against the government and share in the recovery of government dollars). The complaint in this action was not filed by Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP. For more information about Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP, please visit www.ktmc.com. CONTACT:Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLPJames Maro, Jr., Esq.Adrienne Bell, Esq.280 King of Prussia RoadRadnor, PA 19087(844) 887-9500 (toll free)info@ktmc.com
VANCOUVER — British Columbia's health minister promised to "do better" on Monday after call centres to schedule vaccine appointments were overwhelmed on the first day of booking. Adrian Dix said there were 1.7 million calls in less than three hours after the phone lines opened for people over 90 and Indigenous elders over 65 to book their appointments. Dix said he believed that people who were not yet eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine were flooding the lines, but he also acknowledged that more staffing was needed. "It's really important in order to allow those over 90 to get their appointments that we only call when our age group becomes open for calling," he told the province's COVID-19 briefing. "It's also important that we do better. I know that people have called in and have waited a long time today." Dix said that more resources would be added in the coming weeks, as more age groups become eligible to call to book their vaccines. People born in 1936 or earlier can start calling for appointments on March 15 and those born in 1941 or earlier can start to schedule their immunizations March 22. Fraser Health was the only authority to launch an online booking platform on Monday, but Dix said a web-based system would become widely available on April 12. Some residents with elderly parents said they spent hours redialing their health authority's number and only got a busy signal or a recorded message telling them to call back later. Julie Tapley, whose 90-year-old father lives in the Vancouver Coastal Health region, said she was frustrated that the authority had not yet established an online booking system. "I just want to get in the queue and start the process so that (my parents) can return to their normal lives." B.C.'s provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, said creating an online booking system is "quite a large project" and Fraser Health was the only authority with an existing platform. Of about 80,000 people eligible to book appointments this week, roughly 26,000 have already received a shot, so a relatively small number of people should be calling, Dix said. He said about 10,000 appointments were booked as of Monday afternoon and a "significant number" of those were scheduled through the Fraser Health online site. Dix urged eligible residents and their families to keep calling in the coming days. There are plenty of appointments available and it is not a "first-come, first-serve" system, he said. Although B.C.'s case numbers have been on the rise, Henry said some restrictions would be eased in the coming weeks as the weather warms and immunizations ramp up. Outdoor gatherings, larger meeting places and layers of protection such as masks will still be recommended, she said. "I like to think of it as slowly turning up the dial again rather than flicking a switch," she said. She also said she hopes to see the return of sports and in-person religious ceremonies within weeks. Officials have been developing a plan with faith leaders to enable the gradual return of in-person services, as there are important dates in many religions coming up, Henry said. A B.C. Supreme Court judge reserved his decision on Friday on a petition filed by three Fraser Valley churches who argued that a ban on in-person services violates charter rights. Henry reported on Monday 1,462 new COVID-19 cases and 11 deaths over three days, pushing the death toll to 1,391 in the province. She said there was one new outbreak in a long-term care home, the Cottonwoods Care Centre in Kelowna, where a high number of residents and staff had already been vaccinated. The flare-up serves as a reminder that while vaccines are effective and prevent severe illness and death, they don’t necessarily mean that all transmission will be stopped, she said. There have been 144 new cases that are variants of concern, bringing the total to 394 confirmed cases. Officials still do not know how about a quarter of the cases were acquired. Henry became emotional when quoting Chief Robert Joseph, a knowledge-keeper with the Assembly of First Nations. "We will celebrate our lives again, dream our dreams again and watch our children regain their hope," Henry quoted him as saying, with tears in her eyes. "That's what we can look forward to in the coming months." This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 8, 2021. Laura Dhillon Kane, The Canadian Press
TORONTO, March 08, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Digihost Technology Inc. (“Digihost” or the “Company”) (TSXV: DGHI; OTCQB: HSSHF) announces that it will not be proceeding with the proposed non-brokered private placement of units of the Company (the “Offering”), which was announced on February 23, 2021. Given the recent volatility in trading activity, the Company has decided not to proceed with the Offering at this time, but may consider a non-brokered private placement at a later date with revisions to the number of units and the price per unit. Michel Amar, the Company’s CEO, stated: “We remain focused on our mining operations at our highly efficient mining facility, and continue to be excited by the general strength of the blockchain sector. The Company is pleased with its increase to its hashrate to approximately 189 Petahash last month, and believe we are well positioned to maintain our strong Bitcoin mining operations. We remain dedicated to our ongoing efforts to continue to increase our hashrate, and our team is committed to evaluating every opportunity to create value for the Company and the shareholders through continued investment in, and expansion of, our productive asset base.” About Digihost Technology Inc. Digihost Technology Inc. is a growth-oriented blockchain company primarily focused on Bitcoin mining. The Company's mining facility is located in Buffalo, N.Y., and is equipped with an 18.7MVA 115,000-kilovolt-ampere outdoor substation with an option to increase the power output to 42MVA. The Company is currently mining approximately 1.2 Bitcoins per day, subject to difficulty. Digihost’s strategy is to focus on continually increasing its hashrate with a concurrent reduction in energy costs. For further information, please contact: Digihost Technology Inc.www.digihost.caMichel Amar, Chief Executive OfficerEmail: michel@digihost.ca Cautionary Statement Trading in the securities of the Company should be considered highly speculative. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Forward-Looking StatementsExcept for the statements of historical fact, this news release contains “forward-looking information” within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation that is based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. “Forward-looking information” in this news release includes information about potential further improvements to profitability and efficiency across mining operations, potential for the Company’s long-term growth, and the business goals and objectives of the Company. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to: continued effects of the COVID19 pandemic may have a material adverse effect on the Company’s performance as supply chains are disrupted and prevent the Company from operating its assets; a decrease in cryptocurrency pricing, volume of transaction activity or generally, the profitability of cryptocurrency mining; further improvements to profitability and efficiency may not be realized; the digital currency market; the Company’s ability to successfully mine digital currency on the cloud; the Company may not be able to profitably liquidate its current digital currency inventory, or at all; a decline in digital currency prices may have a significant negative impact on the Company’s operations; the volatility of digital currency prices; and other related risks as more fully set out in the Annual Information Form of the Company and other documents disclosed under the Company’s filings at www.sedar.com. The forward-looking information in this news release reflects the current expectations, assumptions and/or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available to the Company. In connection with the forward-looking information contained in this news release, the Company has made assumptions about: the current profitability in mining cryptocurrency (including pricing and volume of current transaction activity); profitable use of the Company’s assets going forward; the Company’s ability to profitably liquidate its digital currency inventory as required; historical prices of digital currencies and the ability of the Company to mine digital currencies on the cloud will be consistent with historical prices; and there will be no regulation or law that will prevent the Company from operating its business. The Company has also assumed that no significant events occur outside of the Company's normal course of business. Although the Company believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking information are reasonable, forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such information due to the inherent uncertainty therein.
Biles is out here living her best life.
New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - March 8, 2021) - The following statement is being issued by Levi & Korsinsky, LLP:To: All persons or entities who purchased or otherwise acquired securities of Renewable Energy Group, Inc. ("Renewable Energy") (NASDAQ: REGI) between May 3, 2018 and February 25, 2021. You are hereby notified that a securities class action lawsuit has been commenced in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. ...
Today's best Amazon deals include a Le Creuset Dutch oven, a Wise Owl Outfitters hammock and more.
Decades of intensive farming and population growth have turned a huge swath of Southwestern Ontario into one of the country’s “crisis ecoregions,” a national conservation group warns. Lake Erie's north shore, extending hundreds of kilometres from Windsor to Brantford, is flagged in a massive new study by the Nature Conservancy of Canada as one of nine regions of Canada whose bio-diversity is most in need of protection. The southernmost part of Canada, with rare plants and wildlife more like that found in more temperate areas of the United States, Southwestern Ontario stands out for its diversity in ways few areas of Canada, with harsher climates, do. But intensive farming in the region and growing cities have combined to erode the region's natural areas and shrunk habitats for already at-risk wildlife, the study found. “Southwestern Ontario is one of the most important regions for protecting endangered species in Canada,” said Daniel Kraus, one of the study's authors and a senior conservation biologist with the Nature Conservancy. In the study, a first of its kind trying to stem the loss of bio-diversity, the organization took a comprehensive look at 77 regions in southern Canada to assess their needs to help protect nature amid habitat loss and climate change. Nine areas, the Lake Erie zone among them, were identified as crisis ecoregions, where wildlife and habitat are the most diverse but also under the greatest threat. Other areas pinpointed include the Manitoulin Island-Lake Simcoe area, the eastern part of Vancouver Island, the St. Lawrence River valley and forested and grassland areas of the Prairie provinces. While Canadians may think of other areas of the globe when they think of climate change and other threats to nature, the study — especially after a year of the COVID-19 pandemic, when many people turned to nature for escape — should be a wake-up call, the Nature Conservancy says. “Canadians are often really aware of things like the plight of the Amazon . . . (and other) international conservation issues,” Kraus said. “(But) there are species and ecosystems that are as endangered and threatened as anything else on the planet right in our backyard.” An area the group calls the Lake Erie lowlands, essentially Lake Erie's north shore — taking in Windsor, London, Chatham, Sarnia, Brantford, Hamilton and Toronto — ranked high in that analysis for both at-risk wildlife and threats to natural areas. The region is home to 138 at-risk species of wildlife, 36 species of plants and animals considered rare globally and one plant — called Hooker's bugseed — believed to be found almost nowhere else, the study found. The at-risk species include some you may not know, for example, the prothonotary warbler, a small songbird. Others include a minnow called the redside dace that leaps from the water to eat insects, and the eastern ratsnake. While it accounts for only a fraction of Canada's landmass, the Erie area of Southwestern Ontario, part of which is known as Canada's Carolinian zone, has a greater variety of plants and animals than any other ecosystem in the country, with 70 different species of trees alone, according to Carolinian Canada, a coalition of naturalists. You can chalk up that diversity, much of it on display in provincial parks and other protected areas, to geography and a relatively mild climate. But the Nature Conservancy study found much of the area that makes Southwestern Ontario stand out is also one of the most altered regions in Canada, with only 14 per cent natural land cover left in the area and few large, intact blocks of natural habitat. The group cites "agricultural intensification over the last 30 years" as a factor in that decline, but decades of urban growth also have contributed to the loss of forests. Agricultural and urban areas account for two-thirds of the ecoregion’s land use, the group found. Much of the land left in need of protection is privately owned, Kraus said. Some Southwestern Ontario naturalists said more needs to be done to save the region's ecological jewels. “You’re talking about a stewardship role that we have a moral and ethical responsibility to play,” said Gordon Neish, president of Nature London and the McIlwraith Field Naturalists. He called the study's findings "spot on," saying the area needs more protected land. "I've been at this for 50 years," said Paul Pratt, president of the Essex County Field Naturalists' Club, who wasn't surprised by the study's findings. "I see things continuing to decline, just because of the heavy threat that’s upon the landscape,” he said. “We have made some progress in some areas . . . but it’s still far short of what’s needed to just protect what’s left, let alone restore things back to the way they used to be.” Kraus said there are some positives amid the “doom and gloom" including that habitat loss in Ontario has slowed from historically high rates. The nine crisis regions account for just five per cent of Canada’s total land but fall in areas where 70 per cent of the population lives, highlighting the need for their protection. “We’re finding the places (where) we’ve lost the most nature are the places where we need nature the most,” Kraus said. “Having people in these regions, some could say that’s the problem, but ultimately it's part of the solution.” He said the group hopes its study can help shape future policies to preserve nature. The federal government has committed to protecting 30 per cent of Canadian land by 2030. At the end of 2019, Canada had 12.1 per cent of its land and freshwater conserved. Only about 10 per cent of land in Ontario is protected. maxmartin@postmedia.com Twitter.com/MaxatLFPress Max Martin, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, London Free Press
The case against Derek Chauvin has become a jigsaw puzzle, its prospects complicated by a separate appeals court ruling made in February.
A report finds 4 publications with ties to Russia have targeted Western-made COVID-19 vaccines with misleading coverage of risks and side effects.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- New Mexico is clearing the way for schools to reopen next month as vaccine eligibility is expanding to include shots for all teachers and other educators. State education officials announced Monday that five-day a week in-class programs would be open to those who want them. Districts also will be required to provide virtual learning options for students who opt out. As part of the vaccination effort, the state plans to get teachers their first shots by the end of March. The state is making the move as part of a directive by the Biden administration. State officials have acknowledged that meeting the goal depends on the federal government increasing vaccine shipments. ___ THE VIRUS OUTBREAK: — CDC: Fully-vaccinated people can gather without masks. The federal COVID bill will deliver big health insurance savings for many. Dutch prime minister extends country's pandemic lockdown. — Vaccine rollout offers hope but also prompts envy, judgement and distrust. The long game: Coronavirus changed the way we play, watch, cheer. — Follow AP’s pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic, https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak ___ HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING: OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma health officials plan to start offering coronavirus vaccines Tuesday to workers in a wide range of essential industries, immediately making a vast majority of Oklahomans eligible to receive a vaccine. Those eligible include child-care workers and students and employees at colleges, universities and vocational schools. “This is a big step,” said Oklahoma’s Deputy Health Commissioner Keith Reed. “By the time we roll this group in, we’ve practically covered everyone in the state.” He said the expansion should include all but about 500,000 Oklahomans. Oklahoma’s list of essential industries includes manufacturing, construction, communications, energy, finance, state and federal government, transportation and retail. Oklahoma currently ranks 10th in the nation with 20.9% of its population having received at least one dose of a vaccine, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The national average is 18.1%. Meanwhile, state health officials on Tuesday reported 165 confirmed new cases of coronavirus and no new deaths. That brings the total number of confirmed infections to nearly 430,000, while the state’s death count remains at 7,219. ___ CHEYANNE, Wyo. — Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon says the state will join a handful of others that have lifted mask-wearing mandates to limit the spread of the coronavirus. The changes take effect March 16. Also being lifted are requirements for bars, restaurants, theatres and gyms, where employees must wear masks and customers not seated in small groups have to keep 6 feet apart. Gordon cites Wyoming’s declining number of COVID-19 cases and its success in distributing vaccines as reasons to lift the restrictions. The statewide order in place since December was set to expire next week. States including Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota and Texas also have lifted mask mandates. ___ HELSINKI — Estonia’s government has decided on further coronavirus restrictions due to a rapid rise in cases, especially the variant first detected in Britain, and the Baltic country will effectively enter lockdown as of Thursday. Prime Minister Kaja Kallas unveiled the new measures in an interview with the Estonian public broadcaster ERR late Monday saying “the situation with COVID-19 in Estonia is extremely critical.” Kallas said Estonia’s pandemic situation needs to be addressed quickly to avoid further escalation and hence “we have decided to lock the country in as much as possible.” With exception of grocery and other essential stores such as pharmacies, all stores and restaurants throughout Estonia are required to remain closed and all indoor sport activities cease as of Thursday. Restaurants will, however, be able to serve food for take-away and drive-in customers. Kallas said the new restrictions would be in place for a minimum of one month. The nation of 1.3 million has seen a rapidly increasing number of COVID-19 cases n the past few weeks. The country on Monday reported 1,181 new confirmed cases putting total tally to over 76,183 cases with 667 deaths. ___ HONOLULU — Hawaii has detected a new COVID-19 variant in the islands, one that first emerged in South Africa. The state Department of Health said Monday the virus, which has technical name B.1.351 was found in an Oahu resident with no travel history. Some tests suggest the variant may be less susceptible to antibody drugs or antibody-rich blood from COVID-19 survivors. Acting State Epidemiologist Sarah Kemble said in a statement that a study conducted in South Africa, where the variant was predominant, showed that the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was effective in preventing serious disease requiring hospitalization and in preventing death. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that as of Sunday, 81 cases of the South African variant have been detected in 19 states and Washington, D.C. Hawaii has already detected eight cases of the U.K. or B.1.1.7 variant, including two more announced Monday in an Oahu resident who travelled to the U.S. mainland and a household contact of that person. ___ HARTFORD, Conn. — The first Connecticut resident to be diagnosed with COVID-19 says he is still coping with health problems one year later, but the experience has brought a new optimism to his life. Chris Tillett, a former Wilton, Connecticut, resident, tested positive for COVID-19 on March 8, 2020, and spent three weeks at Danbury Hospital, including 10 days in a coma and on a ventilator. Doctors used experimental treatments, including anti-malaria and anti-HIV drugs, in efforts to save his life. Tillett, who was 45 at the time, a husband and father of 4-month-old twin boys, got sick after returning from a professional conference in California. “This has been a tough year,” Tillett, who now lives in Virginia, told WVIT-TV. “I’m enjoying little aspects of life. Even when things go bad, I just choose to laugh at it now instead of letting it get me angry and upset, and like what is that gonna do for me, right? So I’ve just found, yes, definitely a new lease on life.” Tillett told Connecticut Public Radio he continues to experience muscle pain, stiffness and swelling in his legs. He also had to begin taking blood pressure medication, and may have to for the rest of his life. He said red spots still cover his feet, a common lingering symptom of the virus. Exactly one year after Tillett tested positive, more than 285,000 Connecticut residents have contracted the virus and more than 7,700 have died. ___ ATHENS, Greece – Greek authorities have registered the country’s youngest COVID-19 victim so far, a 37-day-old baby that had been in the hospital with the virus for the past three weeks. Athens hospital officials said the baby boy died just before midnight Sunday. He had been brought to the hospital on Feb. 13 with a nose infection and a high temperature and tested positive for the coronavirus. He was taken to an intensive care unit for COVID-19 on Feb. 18 and intubated a day later. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis tweeted his condolences to the baby’s family Monday. “Today, unfortunately, we had the youngest victim to the pandemic in our country,” he wrote. “The virus makes no distinctions, but today the sorrow is very hard to bear.” ___ GENEVA — A senior World Health Organization official said that so-called “vaccine passports” for COVID-19 should not be used for international travel because of numerous concerns, including ethical considerations that coronavirus vaccines are not easily available globally. At a press briefing on Monday, WHO emergencies chief Dr. Michael Ryan said there are “real practical and ethical considerations” for countries considering using vaccine certification as a condition for travel, adding the U.N. health agency advises against it for now. “Vaccination is just not available enough around the world and is not available certainly on an equitable basis,” Ryan said. WHO has previously noted that it’s still unknown how long immunity lasts from the numerous licensed COVID-19 vaccines and that data are still being collected. Ryan also noted the strategy might be unfair to people who cannot be vaccinated for certain reasons and that requiring vaccine passports might allow “inequity and unfairness (to) be further branded into the system.” ___ CARSON CITY, Nev. — One year into the pandemic, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak is still attempting to strike the right balance between keeping the state’s tourism industry afloat while also containing the coronavirus. Sisolak said in an interview with the Associated Press he plans to use Nevada’s safety protocols as a selling point to bring tourists, conventions and trade shows back to Las Vegas. About one in 10 Nevada residents, including the governor, have tested positive for COVID-19 over the past year. More than 5,000 people have died, 63% of whom have been 70 or older. Sisolak hopes vaccines will prevent future deaths, contain the virus and buoy the economy to pre-pandemic levels. ___ GENEVA — One of the Oxford University scientists who helped develop AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine disputed that simply making intellectual property rights freely available would significantly widen access to vaccines. Agencies, including the World Health Organization, have called for pharmaceuticals to waive patent rights. At a press briefing on Monday, Sarah Gilbert of Oxford University said freely available IP rights would not get the world “anywhere close to solving this problem” of limited vaccines, saying that “it’s not just the rights to the technology that’s needed.” Gilbert said other essential technical goods were needed, including cell banks and testing reagents. Last year, WHO began a patent pool that asked companies to share their COVID-19 technology and know how for vaccines, treatments and diagnostics. Not a single company has yet joined and Gilbert said she had never heard of the initiative, despite Oxford University’s pledge to make its vaccine available to countries globally. ___ MILAN — Italy surpassed 100,000 dead in the pandemic, a year after it became the first country in Europe to go on lockdown in a bid to stop the spread of COVID-19. The Italian Health Ministry on Monday said 318 people had died in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 100,103, the second highest in Europe after Britain. Italy recorded its first virus death on Feb. 21, 2020, when 78-year-old retired roofer Antonio Trevisan from a winemaking town west of Venice who had been hospitalized with heart issues died. Italy’s total virus cases surpassed 3 million last week, with a new surge powered by the highly contagious variant that was first identified in Britain. Nearly 14,000 new positives were recorded Monday as the number of people in ICUs rose to 2,700 -- 95 more than a day earlier. Italy imposed a draconian nationwide lockdown last March 9, which continued for seven weeks and included a shutdown of all non-essential manufacturing. ___ WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden will deliver his first primetime address to speak to the nation on Thursday to mark the one-year anniversary of COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday that Biden would note the sacrifices and losses suffered by Americans during the last 12 months. More than 525,000 Americans have died from the coronavirus. It was March 11, 2020 when the pandemic hit home for many Americans and lockdowns began. That was the night the NBA suspended play, actor Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson announced they had tested positive and then-President Donald Trump addressed the nation. The anniversary comes as the administration has bolstered vaccine supply, and some states have begun reopening even as worries remain about virus variants. ___ ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — New Mexico on Monday expanded eligibility for vaccinations to all school teachers, early childhood educators and other staff with the goal of getting the group its first shots by the end of March. The state is making the move as part of a directive by the Biden administration to get more schools reopened as the coronavirus pandemic continues. Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and state Health Secretary Dr. Tracie Collins said last week that the ability of New Mexico to meet the timeline will depend on the federal government increasing vaccine supplies. Collins said the state was in discussions with the White House last week about how the directive would affect vaccinations for other groups in the state. Under the plan, the state will start with educators outside of the Albuquerque area this week. The second week will involve those in the metro area, likely at a mass vaccination site. The state already has vaccinated more than 15,000 educators as some were eligible as part of New Mexico’s first phases of the vaccine rollout. ___ PHOENIX — Arizona is reporting a daily number of new COVID-19 cases below 1,000 for the first time in months along with no new deaths. State health officials on Monday said there are 783 new confirmed cases of the virus. With that latest figure, the state’s pandemic total number of cases is now at 827,237. The death toll remains 16,328. The number of vaccine doses administered around Arizona was up to 2.1 million with more than 1.3 million people having received at least one shot. That’s more than 19% of the state’s population. The number of confirmed or suspected COVID-19 patients hospitalized statewide dipped to 919, the fewest since Nov. 1. The number of ICU beds used by COVID-19 patients fell to 256, the fewest since Nov. 6. The Associated Press
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