Coronavirus in Jacksonville: What you need to know for Tuesday, May 26
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6:45 p.m. | Homeland chief touts firefighter grants in Jacksonville visit
The acting secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security visited a Jacksonville fire station Tuesday promoting changes to a grant system the city has used to hire more firefighters.
The changes, including waiving a requirement for local governments to match part of the grant, will help cities that were financially hammered by the coronavirus pandemic keep protecting their communities despite hard times, said Acting Secretary Chad Wolf. | Read more
5:20 p.m. | NHL to call off regular season due to virus
The NHL will abandon the rest of the regular season due to the coronavirus pandemic and go straight into the playoffs with 24 teams instead of 16 if it is able to resume play.
The decision, announced Tuesday by Commissioner Gary Bettman, is not a guarantee that games are coming back. The NHL and the NHL Players’ Association must still figure out health and safety protocols and solve other issues, including where to play. | Read more
4:15 p.m. | Man arranges surprise wedding in St. Augustine despite coronavirus disruption
De-Shazo Wilkinson surprised his fiancee, Jacarra, with a wedding, celebrated with a handful of loved ones and members of the media who had been invited to attend — a sweet ending after regular plans were disrupted by the coronavirus. | Read more
3:50 p.m. | Florida NRA leader questions local coronavirus stats, suggests they’re ‘deliberately deceptive’
The woman who has personified the National Rifle Association in Florida is concerned that local coronavirus figures aren’t accurately telling the story of the virus in the state’s capital.
Marion P. Hammer, the NRA’s longtime lobbyist in Florida and a former NRA president, wrote an email to county officials, which she forwarded to the Tallahassee Democrat on Monday. | Read more
1:05 p.m. | Florida baseball stadium listed on Airbnb for $1,500 per night
With no minor league baseball games to be played, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos are getting creative and diving into the hospitality business.
The team, the Class AA affiliate of the Minnesota Twins that plays in the Southern League, listed Blue Wahoos Stadium on Airbnb, starting at $1,500 a night (plus fees). | Read more
1:05 p.m. | Facing death threats and no pay, mayors are the front-line commanders of the coronavirus pandemic
Mayors didn’t come up with the “locally executed, state managed and federally supported” approach that President Donald Trump has adopted for combating the coronavirus. But they’re the front-line commanders.
While governors have been in the spotlight, mayors have been seeing up close, every day, how much longer a neighborhood bar and grill can go without customers before it must permanently shutter, how many masks the senior center has left, how long the food bank lines are and how many of their own employees might soon be out of a job. | Read more
12:50 p.m. | Mayor Curry touts Jacksonville as possible destination for Republican National Convention
Mayor Lenny Curry on Tuesday morning suggested Jacksonville as a potential option for the Republican National Convention this summer, should the party elect to move the event from its scheduled location in Charlotte, N.C.
In a Twitter thread, Curry cited the city’s recent hosting of the UFC 249 mixed martial arts competition earlier this month as an example of Jacksonville’s ability to stage major events on short notice during the coronavirus pandemic. | Read more
12 p.m. | Duval County reports another COVID-19 death
Duval County recorded another death from the coronavirus pandemic in updated numbers from the Florida Department of Health.
In its Tuesday morning update, the department announced the 44th death in Duval County. The Northeast Florida death toll now stands at 84. | Read more
Statewide
Hospitalizations: 9,482
Deaths: 2,259
Cases in Northeast Florida
Duval: 1,484
Clay: 365
St. Johns: 241
Nassau: 70
Baker: 27
Putnam: 144 | Read more
11:45 a.m. | Lot J testing closes for day due to weather
COVID-19 testing at the drive-thru site at TIAA Bank Field’s Lot J is suspended for the day due to inclement weather, the city announced via Twitter. | Read more
9:40 a.m. | New Jacksonville mental-health clinic serving veterans, families via telehealth
On March 3, Cohen Veterans Network opened its 15th mental health clinic for post-9/11 veterans and their families in Jacksonville.
Then everything shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic. So the Steven A. Cohen Military Family Clinic at Centerstone went virtual. | Read more
7:45 a.m. | Message to Class of 2020: Duval Schools Superintendent Diana Greene
In today’s installment of the Florida Times-Union’s video series for this year’s graduating class, Duval County Public Schools Superintendent Diana Greene shares her words of encouragement with seniors. | Read more
EARLIER
Duval County lists two more deaths
Duval County listed two new deaths from COVID-19, while state hospitalizations linked to the coronavirus pandemic increased by the lowest daily number in nearly two months in the latest numbers released Monday by the Florida Department of Health. | Read more
Statewide
Cases: 51,746
Hospitalizations: 9,424
Deaths: 2,252
Cases in Northeast Florida
Duval: 1,467
Clay: 362
St. Johns: 240
Nassau: 70
Baker: 27
Putnam: 143 | Read more
‘As one nation, we mourn’: Trump marks Memorial Day during coronavirus pandemic
Amid a pandemic on the brink of claiming 100,000 American lives, President Donald Trump made Memorial Day visits to a military cemetery and a historic fort on Monday – and paid homage to service members responding to the coronavirus.
“I stand before you at this noble fortress of American liberty to pay tribute to the immortal souls who fought and died to keep us free,” Trump said at Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine in Baltimore, where he and first lady Melania Trump held their hands over their hearts as a fife and drum corps played the national anthem. | Read more
PHOTOS: Memorial Day at Jacksonville’s beaches
See photos from Memorial Day across Duval County’s beaches, where Atlantic and Neptune Beaches were spotted with groups of people trying to enjoy surf and sands while trying to maintain some sort of social distancing guidelines. | Read more
Child abuse query headed to Jacksonville City Council
While parents stay home with their children dealing with stresses from the coronavirus pandemic, a City Council member is asking what Jacksonville should do to discourage child abuse.
Children’s advocates have worried adults stressed by the pandemic could lash out violently against the young. | Read more
Small Memorial Day ceremony held in St. Augustine amid coronavirus
The normal Memorial Day crowds weren’t there because of the coronavirus. Plus skies were gray and rain drizzled all around.
Yet people still came to St. Augustine National Cemetery on Monday afternoon to honor those who have died while serving in the U.S. military. | Read more
Reopening Jacksonville: Adventure Landing set to reopen in Jacksonville Beach
Two months after closing due to the coronavirus pandemic, Jacksonville Beach’s Adventure Landing and Shipwreck Island Waterpark are set to reopen. | Read more
Memorial Day even more poignant as veterans die from virus
One was a 94-year-old veteran of World War II who was the first of his 11 brothers to enlist in the military. One was a Vietnam veteran who lost his leg overseas and was always touched when people thanked him for his service. Another was drafted into the military at 18 and was awarded a Purple Heart.
They are among the untold number of veterans who served and survived during times of war only to die in recent weeks from the coronavirus. | Read more
Memorial Day weekend draws crowds and triggers warnings
The Memorial Day weekend marking the unofficial start of summer in the U.S. meant big crowds at beaches and warnings from authorities Sunday about people disregarding the coronavirus social-distancing rules and risking a resurgence of the scourge that has killed nearly 100,000 Americans. | Read more
Reopening Jacksonville: Vacation rentals can reopen in Duval, Clay, St. Johns and Nassau
Vacation rentals, like Airbnb and VRBO, can begin renting again after the state approved plans from Northeast Florida counties. | Read more
White House goal on testing nursing homes unmet
Nearly two weeks ago the White House urged governors to ensure that every nursing home resident and staff member be tested for the coronavirus within 14 days. It’s not going to happen. | Read more
Reopening Northeast Florida: Live music making a comeback in St. Augustine restaurants
As local restaurants welcome customers to indoor dining, they’re also giving the green light to musicians and entertainers who have been out of work for months. | Read more
Map of coronavirus cases and deaths in the U.S.
Cowford Chophouse and egg company donate 300,000 chicken eggs
A tractor-trailer pulled up Friday morning at a Feeding Northeast Florida warehouse, full of boxes of donated chicken eggs — more than 300,000 of them — in an effort initiated by a Jacksonville restaurateur who spent much of his life as an egg farmer.
That’s a lot of eggs.
But they’ll be gone in a week, such is the demand now for food, especially protein-rich food, in the depths of the economic crisis that came with the coronavirus pandemic. | Read more
Reopening Jacksonville: The Bread & Board opens second area restaurant
The Bread & Board, known for its baked in-house artisan breads, meats and cheeses — served as sandwiches or sandwich boards — opens its second Jacksonville restaurant Tuesday at St. Johns Town Center North. | Read more
Reopening Jacksonville: Buffet restaurants struggle to recover from COVID-19
Buffets have long been a Southern tradition, ranging from down-home cafes in tiny rural towns to the sprawling spread billed as an “endless buffet” offered by Raleigh, N.C.-based Golden Corral.
Buffet restaurants survived the shutdown. But can they survive without the buffet? | Read more
Humans ‘not meant to be alone’: Many Americans haven’t seen or touched another person in 3 months because of COVID-19
As cities and states slowly re-open their economies and ease back on social distancing regulations, many Americans are skipping the rush back to restaurants and gyms and choosing to stay home instead, their isolation now stretching into a third month.
They’re doing so because they are elderly, medically vulnerable, skeptical of their local government’s re-opening plans or just too afraid to venture back out into society. | Read more
Lock your cars: Vehicle theft spikes in COVID-19 pandemic
The coronavirus hasn’t been kind to car owners. With more people than ever staying home to lessen the spread of COVID-19, their sedans, pickup trucks and SUVs are parked unattended on the streets, making them easy targets for opportunistic thieves.
Despite silent streets and nearly nonexistent traffic, vehicle larcenies shot up 63% in New York and nearly 17% in Los Angeles from Jan. 1 through mid-May, compared with the same period last year. | Read more
Trump says he’s finished hydroxychloroquine regimen to ward off COVID-19
President Donald Trump said he has finished taking his regimen of hydroxychloroquine, a controversial drug he has promoted as a treatment for the coronavirus despite warnings from his own U.S. Food and Drug Administration and medical professionals about its effectiveness and potentially dangerous side effects.
“Finished, just finished,” Trump said in an interview with Sinclair Broadcast’s program “Full Measure With Sharyl Attkisson,” which aired Sunday. “And by the way, I’m still here. To the best of my knowledge, here I am.” | Read more
Tracking the spread of coronavirus cases in the US and worldwide
Coronavirus in Jacksonville: Answers to your questions
Readers across the First Coast have questions about the COVID-19 outbreak. Now, the Times-Union has some answers. | Read more
Many restaurants remain open for take-out, delivery
Looking to support local businesses staying open during the coronavirus pandemic? Want a meal or a drink to take home?
Many restaurants in the Jacksonville area area offering takeout, curbside or drive-thru options to help reduce the spread of coronavirus. | Read more
Acts of kindness, good deeds, how area residents are helping others
When times are tough, Jacksonville’s people come through for each other.
While it’s important to read the latest news about coronavirus, it’s also good for us to read about the good deeds, the random acts of kindness and the stories about people helping those around them. These stories are sure to make you smile or inspire you on ways you give back to your community. | Read more
Testing site locations in Duval and Northeast Florida
More COVID-19 testing sites have recently opened - and more will soon open.
We’ll keep a list here of all testing sites for Jacksonville, Nassau, Clay, St. Johns, Baker and Putnam counties. | Read more
Laid off? 7 steps to take, and phone calls to make, now
The laid-off line cook was confused and tearful as she pondered the sudden loss of her $400-a-week job at a Lake Worth Beach restaurant.
Economists expect the crippling shutdown to put hundreds of thousands of Floridians — and millions of Americans — out of work. Mortgage lenders and others are stepping in to offer assistance. | Read more
Stimulus check: Calculate how much money you could get
The U.S. Senate approved a sweeping $2 trillion stimulus package that aims to help people affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
People who are still working, those who are unemployed, those who are self-employed and contractors would all benefit. Businesses also stand to get financial assistance to avoid closing down or laying off employees because of the economic effect of the pandemic. | Read more
Ticket Tracker: What’s canceled, postponed, rescheduled or still on?
Dozens of concerts were canceled due to the coronavirus — and more might still be coming — but many now have new dates. | Read more
FAQ: Coronavirus
Coronavirus is spreading in the U.S. Here's everything to know, from symptoms to how to protect yourself. [USA TODAY]
Worried about the coronavirus (COVID-19)? Here is what you should be aware of, from symptoms to best practices for avoiding the disease, including what you should do if you suspect you have contracted coronavirus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. | Read more