14 family members contract COVID-19 after backyard barbecue

DALLAS -- A family is mourning and hoping for healing after 14 family members were infected by the virus.A one-time gathering has deeply affected the family and those who love them.After spending months apart, the family thought it was safe to get together for a small backyard BBQ.None of them felt sick at the time.

Parents agonize over back-to-school decisions amid pandemic

NOBLESVILLE, Ind. -- Joshua Claybourn is leaning toward sending his kindergarten daughter to in-person classes at a private school next month.

Medical worker greeted with cheers as he’s discharged from hospital after 3 months fighting COVID-19 in ICU

HULL, England - Front-line medical worker Neil McDonald, 52, received cheers and applause from his colleagues as he was finally discharged from the same hospital where he works in Hull, England.McDonald is a healthcare assistant at the Royal Hull Infirmary, where he was hospitalized on May 3 after testing positive for the novel coronavirus.Within a day of his positive test result, he was admitted to an intensive care unit where his condition fluctuated over the next several months.He spent a total of nine weeks in intensive care.According to a local news outlet, McDonald was sedated and put on a ventilator as his family and colleagues prepared for the worst.The day that he was released, the Twitter account for the hospital posted a video of him being greeted by friends and fellow medical workers cheering on his recovery as a bell rang in honor of his victory against COVID-19.

'Hodgepodge of negatives:' State senator says delayed virus test results paint inaccurate picture

MADISON -- One Wisconsin legislator on Friday, July 24 said that a backlog of negative COVID-19 test results is leading to an inaccurate picture of how the virus has spread in the state.Navigating through the coronavirus pandemic has brought people, in many ways, into uncharted territory.State Sen.

Racine Unified School District to start school year with remote learning

RACINE -- The Racine Unified School District (RUSD) announced on Friday, July 24 that its students will begin the 2020-2021 school year with remote learning in all grades.

DHS reports 1,018 new cases of COVID-19; 3rd day with 1K+ new cases this week

MADISON -- The number of positive cases of COVID-19 rose by more than 1,000 again on Friday, July 24, officials with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services reported.

National Guard coronavirus test site returning to Waukesha County Expo Center July 27-28

WAUKESHA -- Waukesha County Public Health and the Waukesha County Office of Emergency Management are partnering with the Wisconsin National Guard to open a two-day COVID-19 regional testing site.All Wisconsin residents or individuals who work in the state and are experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19 can get tested at The Waukesha County Expo Center on Monday, July 27 and Tuesday, July 28 from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m., or until 400 tests have been allocated each day.Individuals who want to be tested are asked to pre-register online in advance in order to reduce wait times at the testing site.

'Follow the science:' MATC gifted 10,000 masks ahead of fall semester

MILWAUKEE -- It will only be a small percentage of students actually in the classroom this fall, but a donation of 10,000 masks today means those students will be a little safer on campus.

AP sources: NFL owners offer opt-out guidelines for players concerned about COVID-19

NEW YORK -- NFL training camps are set to open after the league and the players' union reached agreement on several issues, including future salary cap mechanisms and how players can opt out of the upcoming season because of the coronavirus.The NFL Players Association's executive committee and 32 player representatives approved the offers Friday, two people with knowledge of the decisions told The Associated Press.Players who decide they want to opt out have until Aug. 3 to do so, and they will receive a stipend from the owners, the people said on condition of anonymity because the offer has not been made public.

No virus bill yet: White House, GOP at odds over jobless aid

WASHINGTON — Negotiations over a new COVID-19 rescue bill were in flux Friday after the White House floated cutting an unemployment benefits boost to as little as $100 and President Donald Trump turned to a new priority, adding money to build a new FBI headquarters.Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell sent senators home, promising a Republican proposal would be ready on Monday.

Going shopping? Here are the major retailers that are requiring customers to wear masks

LOS ANGELES -- Amid the sharp rise in COVID-19 cases in many states across the U.S., more national retailers have rolled out new policies that will require customers to wear facial coverings while shopping in stores.Here are some of the major retailers that have implemented facial covering requirements for shoppers:

Hurricane Douglas bears down on Hawaii as pandemic flares

HONOLULU — The first hurricane to threaten the United States since the start of the coronavirus pandemic is presenting new challenges to Hawaii officials long accustomed to tropical storms.For example, how do you secure enough shelter space when people have to stay at least 6 feet (1.8 meters) apart from one another?

Bears cancel season ticket packages due to COVID-19 pandemic

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Chicago Bears canceled season ticket packages on Friday because they’re not sure how many fans — if any — will be allowed at Soldier Field due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Team President Ted Phillips cited “a need to reduce the seating capacity to build a plan that allows for social distancing” in a letter to season ticket holders.

Humans are mutating COVID-19 virus, but it is fighting back, scientists say

NEW YORK -- Researchers say that SARS-CoV-2 is being mutated by human proteins that degrade it, although “natural selection” of the virus is enabling it to bounce back.Scientists at the U.K.’s University of Bath and the University of Edinburgh say their research could help in the design of vaccines to combat the virus.In a statement, the researchers note that all organisms mutate but this is usually a random process as a result of mistakes made when DNA is copied.“In the case of SARS-CoV-2, mutation may well not be a random process and that instead humans are mutating it, as part of a defence mechanism to degrade the virus,” they explain.The research is published in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution.After studying over 15,000 virus genomes from research projects around the world, the scientists identified 6,000 mutations.“They looked at how much each of the four letters that make up the virus' genetic code (A, C, U and G) were mutating and discovered that the virus had a very high rate of mutations generating U residues,” the scientists explained.

Military medical teams deployed to two Los Angeles-area hospitals amid coronavirus surge

LOS ANGELES, Calif.  -- Two Los Angeles-area hospitals are getting medical support from the U.S. Air Force amid a recent uptick in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations.The U.S. Air Force sent 40 medical personnel Friday to two of the county's largest public hospitals.

CDC releases updated guidelines calling the reopening of schools 'critically important'

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday released updated guidelines on schools amid the coronavirus pandemic, emphasizing the importance of reopening classrooms.