COVID-19

People line up outside a supermarket in a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, on Wednesday before a three-day lockdown goes into effect. Four new COVID-19 cases were diagnosed in Auckland, and an additional four probable cases have been identified.

New Outbreak In New Zealand Leads To New Rules And Supermarket Runs

4:20pm August 12, 2020

by Laurel Wamsley

Four new likely cases of COVID-19 are linked to a cluster in an Auckland family announced Tuesday. The country returns to tighter restrictions and is promoting an app to help with contact tracing.

Employers are supposed to stop withholding the payroll tax on Sept. 1. But companies need guidance from the IRS on exactly who is eligible to have their taxes suspended and how to keep track so those taxes can eventually be repaid.

Payroll Tax Delay To Boost Take-Home Pay, But Don't Spend It Yet

10:57am August 12, 2020

by Scott Horsley

President Trump has directed the Treasury Department to stop collecting payroll taxes this fall in an effort to boost workers' paychecks. But the move is temporary, and could spark headaches in 2021.

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Education

Some NC Teachers Head Back To Classrooms

9:40pm August 11, 2020

by Keri Brown

Guilford County is among many school districts welcoming teachers back into the buildings this week. They're preparing as the district begins the first nine weeks remotely.

Education

NC School Districts Scramble As Some Nutrition Waivers Near End

8:58pm August 11, 2020

by Keri Brown

Many state school districts are worried about reaching vulnerable students who qualify for free and reduced-price meals, as buildings remain closed because of COVID-19 concerns.

A photo posted to Twitter last week of a largely maskless crowd at North Paulding High School in Dallas, Ga., sparked a discussion about just how safe reopened Georgia schools really are.

Ga. School District Quarantines Hundreds Of Students Over Fears Of COVID-19 Exposure

6:13pm August 11, 2020

by Scott Neuman

Barely a week after Georgia reopens its public schools, a district north of Atlanta reports nearly 60 positive tests among students, teachers and staff, and closes one hard-hit high school.

Politics & Government

Cooper Wins Key Ruling In COVID-19 Legal Fight With Forest

5:49pm August 11, 2020

Care resource coordinator Luisa Schaeffer scrolls through her COVID-19 isolation case list for the day: One woman is out of milk, while another needs help finding a doctor and making an appointment. A man also asks about getting help to pay rent.

Health & Safety

Contact Tracers In Massachusetts Order Milk And Help With Rent. Here's Why

4:01pm August 11, 2020

by Martha Bebinger

The state offers support and resources for people isolating because of COVID-19 — helping them make choices that keep everyone safe. It's work more states need to fund, experts say.

Clark County Commission Vice Chairman Lawrence Weekly swabs his nose while giving a coronavirus test to himself during a tour of setup at a temporary coronavirus testing site in Las Vegas on Aug. 3.

National

Las Vegas Casinos Are Open At 50% Capacity. What About Las Vegas Hospitals?

3:52pm August 11, 2020

by Will Stone

Las Vegas is on shaky footing as it reopens with one of the nation's highest infection rates. An NPR analysis shows the city could run into trouble with hospital capacity if cases keep climbing.

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Health & Safety

North Carolina Dog That Tested Positive For Coronavirus Dies

3:36pm August 11, 2020

by Associated Press, Bryan Anderson

A North Carolina dog that tested positive for coronavirus has died, state health officials said Tuesday.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, seen here in May, said Tuesday that the country had four new cases of COVID-19. The government moved quickly to contain the outbreak and increased alert levels throughout the country.

New Zealand On Alert After 4 Cases Of COVID-19 Emerge From Unknown Source

12:53pm August 11, 2020

by Laurel Wamsley

The cases came after 102 days with no community spread. The four are members of the same family. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced a three-day period of high restrictions due to the new cluster.