A look at major COVID-19 developments over the past week

Jul

10

2021

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By Troy Warren

A look at major COVID-19 developments over the past week

COVID-19, In The Newscovid-19, DeltaVariant

By Helena Oliviero - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution | Johnny Edwards - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Troy Warren for CNT As the highly contagious delta variant spreads in Georgia, the number of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations is ticking upward, particularly in pockets of the state with low vaccination rates. Though only slight so far, the increase mirrors trends seen in other states. Dr. Cherie Drenzek, Georgia Department of Public Health epidemiologist, said she was concerned about the rise of the delta variant. It was first identified in India in December and detected in Georgia in May. She said people who haven’t been vaccinated are most…

Jul

09

2021

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By Troy Warren

Billionaire Blastoff: Rich riding own rockets into space

Business, In The News, LifestyleJeffBezos, RichardBranson

By MARCIA DUNN, Associated Press Troy Warren for CNT 2 billionaires are putting everything on the line to ride own rockets into space CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Two billionaires are putting everything on the line this month to ride their own rockets into space. It’s intended to be a flashy confidence boost for customers seeking their own short joyrides. The lucrative, high-stakes chase for space tourists will unfold on the fringes of space — 55 miles to 66 miles up, pitting Virgin Galactic’s Richard Branson against the world’s richest man, Blue Origin’s Jeff Bezos. Branson is due to take off Sunday…

Jul

09

2021

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By Troy Warren

Spelling bee champ Zaila Avant-garde makes history with flair

Editors Picks, In The NewsSpellingBee, ZailaAvant-garde

By Ben Nuckols, The Associated Press Troy Warren for CNT LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Zaila Avant-garde understood the significance of what she was doing as she stood on the Scripps National Spelling Bee stage, peppering pronouncer Jacques Bailly with questions about Greek and Latin roots. Zaila knew she would be the first African American winner of the bee. She knew Black kids around the country were watching Thursday night’s ESPN2 telecast, waiting to be inspired and hoping to follow in the footsteps of someone who looked like them. She even thought of MacNolia Cox, who in 1936 became the first…

Jul

08

2021

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By Troy Warren

Forget overpopulation, many countries are running out of young people. Now what?

In The News, LifestyleUnderPopulation

Brian Cooley | CNET.Com Troy Warren for CNT Demographers are sounding the alarm that too few people will be as bad as too many. "Population problem" has always been synonymous with overpopulation, but the trendlines in many societies suggest the problem will soon be too few people, thanks to access to birth control, greater availability of education, increased affluence and women entering the workforce. Now what? "It's important to think about population decline not as necessarily good or bad. What it is is a big shift," says Damien Cave, the Sydney bureau chief for the New York Times and author…

Jul

08

2021

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By Troy Warren

Wells Fargo is shutting down all lines of personal credit

In The News, MoneyPersonalCredit, WellsFargo

Ry Crist | CNET.Com Troy Warren for CNT The bank warns customers that the account closures "may have an impact" on their credit scores. Wells Fargo told customers that it plans to shutter all lines of personal credit in the coming weeks, CNBC reported on Thursday. The bank reportedly sent a letter to customers saying it'll no longer offer the lines of credit, which range from $3,000 to $100,000 and serve to help fund things like home repairs and renovations or to consolidate credit card debt. The bank's letter to customers warned that account closures "may have an impact on your credit score," according to CNBC. Current…

Jul

08

2021

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By Troy Warren

U.S. jobless claims tick up to 373,000 from a pandemic low

Business, In The NewsUSJoblessClaims

By PAUL WISEMAN, Associated Press Troy Warren for CNT WASHINGTON — The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits rose slightly last week even while the economy and the job market appear to be rebounding from the coronavirus recession with sustained energy. Thursday’s report from the Labor Department showed that jobless claims increased by 2,000 from the previous week to 373,000. Weekly applications, which generally track the pace of layoffs, have fallen steadily this year from more than 900,000 at the start of the year. The rollout of vaccinations is driving a potent economic recovery as businesses reopen, employers struggle to…

Jul

08

2021

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By Troy Warren

$1 billion+ in marijuana seized in ‘historic’ LA County drug bust

Editors Picks, In The NewsLACountyDrugBust, marijuana

By Tim Darnell, Atlanta Journal-Constitution Troy Warren for CNT Police in Los Angeles County say they seized more than $1 billion in marijuana plants last month in what Sheriff Alex Villanueva described as a “historic” drug bust. Over a 10-day period in June, 131 people were arrested; 65 vehicles were seized; about $28,000 was seized; more than 33,000 pounds of harvested marijuana were seized; 30 locations were demolished; 33 firearms were seized; and 180 animals were rescued. The total estimated street value of the plants destroyed is $1.193 billion, Villanueva said. Villanueva said the Marijuana Eradication Operation began June 8 in…

Jul

07

2021

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By Troy Warren

Trump files lawsuits against Google, Facebook and Twitter

In The News, PoliticsDonaldTrump, Facebook, Google, Twitter

Erin Carson, Queenie Wong | CNET.Com Troy Warren for CNT After being banned earlier in the year, the former president is on the offensive. Former President Donald Trump said Wednesday he's filed lawsuits accusing Google, Facebook, Twitter and their CEOs of First Amendment violations for alleged censorship. The three lawsuits, which specifically name Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, come after Trump was banned from major social media platforms earlier this year. Facebook, Twitter and Google-owned YouTube booted Trump in the wake of the deadly US Capitol riot on Jan. 6, citing concerns that he would incite more…

Jul

07

2021

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By Troy Warren

Idea of 4-day workweek gains steam after ‘overwhelming success’ in Iceland

Business, Editors Picks, In The News, LifestyleFour-DayWorkWeek, Iceland

By ArLuther Lee, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Troy Warren for CNT Iceland tested a four-day workweek for several years that proved to be an “overwhelming success” as thousands of workers improved productivity while spending fewer hours on the job, according to results of the study published Sunday. The large-scale study, conducted between 2015 and 2019 in the Nordic island nation off the coast of Greenland in the Norwegian Sea, found “groundbreaking evidence for the efficacy of working time reduction.” About 2,500 workers were permitted to shorten their work week by a day and moved from a 40-hour week to a 35- or 36-hour week while…

Jul

07

2021

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By Troy Warren

Kaseya says 800 to 1,500 businesses hit by cyberattack

Business, In The NewsCyberAttack, Kaseya

By The Associated Press Troy Warren for CNT The software company targeted by a holiday weekend ransomware attack said between 800 and 1,500 small businesses managed by its customers were compromised. Still, Kaseya says the cyberattack it experienced over the July Fourth holiday weekend was never a threat and had no impact on critical infrastructure. The Dublin-based company said Tuesday that it was alerted on July 2 to a potential attack by internal and external sources. It immediately shut down access to the software in question. The incident impacted about 50 Kaseya customers. Many of Kaseya’s customers are managed service…

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