Good morning, and happy Earth Day! Growing up, my parents forced my siblings and I to attend every Earth Day celebration until we graduated from high school, so now it’s ingrained and I look forward to it. Did you know this was the 50th year we’ve celebrated? Here are a few suggestions on how to celebrate at home:
- 24 Hours of Action (EarthDay.org)
- Earth Day 2020 50th Anniversary Toolkit (NASA)
- #EarthDayatHome with NASA (NASA)
- Earth Day (EPA)
- Act Now – Earth Day (UN)
And now, the news!
Pat Conroy
- Governor Kemp is facing some backlash, particularly from Albany, over his decision to reopen the state.
- Some talking heads on Fox News aren’t sure we should be reopening yet.
- On the other hand, President Trump believes Kemp knows what he’s doing.
- It’s the last week of spring semester before exams, prompting a new wave of students petitioning for pass-fail grading from University System of Georgia institutions.
- In case you were wondering, fear of contracting COVID-19 is not a reason to qualify for unemployment benefits in Georgia.
- There will be no early release for NSA leaker Reality Winner.
- A week after endorsing President Trump, Vernon Jones is resigning his seat in the state House.
Alice Walker
- Confirming what many of us already expected, the Santa Clara County (California) coroner announced yesterday that two deaths there on February 6th and 17th were due to COVID-19, much earlier than the first reported death out of the state of Washington.
- CDC Director Robert Redfield said yesterday that he expects a second wave of COVID-19 to be even more devastating than this first wave.
- One of the leading models has increased likely U.S. deaths due to COVID-19 by 10%, with a predicted death toll of 66,000 by August.
- Meanwhile, Attorney General Barr is threatening legal action against some states’ stay-at-home orders.
- USA Today has done a deep dive on the much-overlooked COVID-19 outbreaks at meat packing plants around the country. There are 32 plants in Georgia.
Flannery O’Connor
- A lady from Albany has recovered from COVID-19 just in time to celebrate her 100th birthday!