November 2020

Eta remains a tropical storm as Florida prepares for 2nd hit

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Eta remained a tropical storm Wednesday afternoon as it prepared to skirt past the heavily populated Tampa Bay region in Florida and crash ashore in the coming hours somewhere to the north along the Gulf of Mexico coast.

The storm’s maximum sustained winds remained at about 70 mph (110 kph) off Florida’s west coast as the storm moved northward, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Additional weakening was possible as Eta approaches the coast.

Veterans Day 2020: Quiet parades, somber virtual events

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Celebrations marking Veterans Day gave way to somber virtual gatherings Wednesday, with many of the nation’s veterans homes barring visitors to protect their residents from the surging coronavirus that has killed thousands of former members of the U.S. military.

Cemeteries decorated with American flags were silent as well, as many of the traditional ceremonies were canceled. With infections raging again nationwide, several veterans homes are fighting new outbreaks.

Nevada approves $2.8M for woman wrongly imprisoned 34 years

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — A state panel has finalized Nevada’s $2.85 million payment to a woman who spent almost 34 years in prison for a Reno killing she didn’t commit before she was exonerated by DNA evidence in 2015.

Attorney General Aaron Ford announced last month that a state judge in Reno had approved the settlement with Cathy Woods, who now is 70. She also received a Certificate of Innocence in the 1976 murder of Michelle Mitchell, a 19-year-old college student.

Closing prices for crude oil, gold, other commodities

(AP) – Benchmark U.S. crude oil for December delivery rose 9 cents to $41.45 a barrel Wednesday.

Brent crude oil for January delivery rose 19 cents to $43.80 a barrel.

Wholesale gasoline for December delivery fell 2 cents to $1.18 a gallon.

December heating oil fell 1 cent to $1.25 a gallon. December natural gas rose 8 cents to $3.03 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Gold for December delivery fell $14.80 to $1,861.60 an ounce.

Silver for December delivery fell 19 cents to $24.27 an ounce and December copper fell 2 cents to $3.13 a pound.

Future of business travel unclear as virus upends work life

(AP) – Brian Contreras represents the worst fears of the lucrative business travel industry.

A partner account executive at a U.S. tech firm, Contreras was used to traveling frequently for his company. But nine months into the pandemic, he and thousands of others are working from home and dialing into video conferences instead of boarding planes.

Contreras manages his North American accounts from Sacramento, California and doesn’t expect to travel for work until the middle of next year. Even then, he’s not sure how much he will need to.

Hurricane Zeta damages citrus, nurseries near New Orleans

BELLE CHASSE, La. (AP) — Hurricane Zeta hit Louisiana’s citrus growers right at harvest time, and hit them hard.

“We have some growers with up to 75% of their citrus laying on the ground,” LSU AgCenter horticulture agent Joe Willis said in a news release Wednesday.

Louisiana’s commercial citrus groves are centered in Plaquemines Parish just outside New Orleans, where the hurricane’s eye passed on Oct. 28. Some growers also are having a hard time finding materials to rebuild because of the coronavirus pandemic, Willis said.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

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School schedule no easy matter to decide

The topic of whether or not high school students should be in class five days a week is a touchy one. While many parents are concerned their children are not receiving regular classroom instruction, there is still the issue of COVID-19’s ever-growing presence in parish schools. Just this week, Lake Arthur Elementary was closed until Nov. 30 due to an outbreak there. Meanwhile, 75 children at Welsh-Roanoke Junior High were recently quarantined due to positive cases and exposure to positive patients.

There doesn’t have to be a sore loser

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Yeah, I know, they are still out there counting votes, but I won’t hold my breath waiting for it to change anything.

If you know someone or are related to someone who has threatened to arm up and burn down our country because they didn’t get their way, I suggest you find another group of friends. If it is your son or daughter, there is nothing left there to love. Violence and hatred are not the America that I know and love; is not the America built and broadened with the blood, sweat, and tears of those who came before us.

Lessons learned from the 2020 election

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Sure, we didn’t know who won right away, or the next day, or the day after that, but we still learned quite a bit from the election.

Among other things, I learned that “pollster” should no longer be considered a job.

Those who have made polling their life’s work need to pursue another vocation. They blew it “bigly” again, with an assist from a media that lapped up every flawed percentage point.