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In a call with reporters Thursday, Wolf said his administration planned to announce “a whole range” of counties would move to the yellow phase. He also hinted that he may announce some counties will move to the “green” phase, or the final phase of reopening under which there are no restrictions on which establishments can and can’t be open, but social-distancing guidelines and other safety precautions remain in place. The administration had established metrics to determine when counties would move from the red to the yellow phase, and the administration did so largely by region. Among those metrics were testing...

“We’re close. But, we’re not there yet,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said at a Thursday news conference. “I don’t think we’re gonna be ready by May 29. But, my hope is that soon in June, we will be ready.” Gov. Pritzker is allowing Illinois restaurants to open for outdoor dining on May 29. But Chicago won’t be taking advantage of it — at least not yet. “I don’t think we’re gonna be ready by May 29. But my hope is that soon in June, we will be ready,” Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Thursday. Lightfoot said there is “nothing magic about” May...

A Dallas salon owner – who was jailed for opening her shop during the coronavirus outbreak – called Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer a “tyrant” after traveling to the state in support of a barber who had his license suspended for defying “stay-at-home” orders. Shelley Luther arrived in Owosso, Mich., on Monday to back 77-year-old Karl Manke, who has attracted national attention as a symbol of resistance after reopening his barbershop despite Whitmer’s shutdown to curb the spread of COVID-19. Manke and Luther struck back at Whitmer during a press conference, calling on small business owners across the state to reopen....

The Chinese COVID virus has turned our country upside down. The unconstitutional lockdown is nothing more than martial law foisted upon us by the elitists and "experts" who pushed forth such outrageous numbers as to place fear into the American people. Using those who are elderly, infirm, or have conditions which can exacerbate the virus as unwilling hostages, the government on both a federal and local level has ignored the constitutional rights of the citizens The total lockdown of both the economic and social areas of society has done nothing more that extend the period where the virus can spread....

An organization called We Have Rights is in downtown Los Angeles and Huntington Beach, where beaches were closed by order of Gov. Gavin Newsom after large crowds descended last weekend. In Huntington Beach, the demonstrators were shoulder-to-shoulder with beachgoers defying the beach closure orders. Several people were spotted riding bicycles and carrying surfboards to the water in defiance of the governor’s orders. “I’m here because I want our salon open,” said protestor Tami Avants. “I think everybody is essential.” An estimated 2,500 to 3,000 people were just feet from the shores, calling for the governor to end shutdown orders. “The...

Sometimes, a good rant is all a writer can offer. Bear with me. Last Friday morning, some 3,500 New Yorkers lined up at a Catholic church in Queens to receive free food hours before it even opened, ­according to the New York Police Department. Catholic Charities has reported a 200 percent increase in demand over the past month and a half. By prolonging the coronavirus shutdown long after its core mission was accomplished, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio have plunged tens of thousands of New Yorkers into poverty. It needs to end. Now. In mid-March, we...

Minnesota Catholics and Lutherans tell @GovTimWalz they are reopening churches on May 26—after the Governor announced malls, salons, tattoo parlors, & casinos can open, but churches can’t. The leadership of over 700 Catholic and Lutheran churches, represented by @BECKETlaw & @SidleyLaw, told @GovTimWalz and AG @keithellison that the First Amendment doesn’t let the government put churches at the back of the line during reopening. Minnesota’s re-opening plan lets people seek retail therapy at the mall, but not spiritual solace at church. Today’s press conference underscored @GovTimWalz’s failure to appreciate the integral role of faith in the well-being of the community....

"Either we have liberty to worship or we have permission to worship," Shiflett told Fox News about his decision. "It has become abundantly clear that if we settle for permission, we will never have liberty again." . . . Baltimore Mayor Jack Young extended the stay-at-home orders limiting public gatherings, including "spiritual" and "religious," to no more than 10 people.

A Michigan barber who defied coronavirus stay-at-home orders from Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer stated Thursday that he remains rooted in his convictions. In an interview on "Fox & Friends First" with hosts Jillian Mele and Rob Schmitt, Karl Manke said he's not sure what will happen next. A Shiawassee County Circuit Court judge must rule by 5 p.m. EDT Thursday whether or not Manke's Owosso barbershop should be shut down. "I hope that there's a certain amount of sanity that will prevail," he remarked. "But, so far ... this governor, we've had nothing but trouble with her. The legislatures had...

<p>Red- and blue-state America was already divided before the coronavirus epidemic hit. Globalization had enriched the East Coast and West Coast corridors but hollowed out much in between.</p> <p>The traditional values of small towns and rural counties were increasingly at odds with postmodern lifestyles in the cities.</p>

On Wednesday, lawyers representing more than 1,200 California clergy sent a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.), declaring religious services essential during the coronavirus pandemic and announcing that churches will start meeting in person on May 31 — the Day of Pentecost referred to as the birthday of the Christian church — with or without the governor’s permission. “The Day of Pentecost is also known as the birthday of the Christian church. May 31, 2020 is the 1,990th anniversary of the original Day of Pentecost that occurred in the year A.D. 30. We declare that on May 31, 2020, we...

Minnesota is moving into the third phase of its reopening under Governor Tim Walz’s plan on June 1st. After plenty of comments from the public, however, he’s been making last-minute changes to the plan. The most recent update offered more opportunities for people to out for dinner and put some food in their bellies. Food for the soul, on the other hand, still won’t be quite as available. Restaurants will be allowed to host up to fifty customers on outdoor patio seating, but churches will remain limited to 10 congregants whether they are indoors or outdoors. (Washington Examiner) Democratic...

Raleigh, N.C. — Some North Carolina business owners eagerly awaiting the move to the second stage of a three-part plan to resume activities amid the coronavirus pandemic were stunned Wednesday when they were left out of Gov. Roy Cooper's "more modest" approach to reopening. "The increases in the COVID-19 cases signal a need to take a more modest step forward in Phase 2 than originally envisioned," Cooper said at a news conference. When Cooper first laid out his three-part plan in April, bars, gyms, movie theaters and other indoor entertainment venues pointed to Phase 2 as when they could resume...

Buoyed by a letter from the U.S. Justice Department to Gov. Gavin Newsom that emphasizes the right to worship, a lawyer for a church suing over California’s coronavirus ban on in-person services says he expects thousands of congregations to return to their churches a week from Sunday. The move comes as the fight over whether the state has the right to prohibit church services for now has moved to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, where a Lodi church is seeking an emergency injunction against the ban, and as hundreds of pastors have signed a petition declaring that their...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — As California moves through its methodical four-step process for reopening, some counties are pushing the boundaries by bypassing the state's orders or refusing to enforce rules against businesses that reopen without state permission. Tulare County, in the middle of the state's vast Central Valley agricultural region, was the latest. Its Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to move into “Phase 3" of reopening, giving barbershops, movie theaters and churches the go-ahead even before the county had been approved by the state to go deeper into Phase 2. The state called the county’s actions “hasty and careless” and...

Sometimes, a good rant is all a writer can offer. Bear with me. Last Friday morning, some 3,500 New Yorkers lined up at a Catholic church in Queens to receive free food hours before it even opened, ­according to the New York Police Department. Catholic Charities has reported a 200 percent increase in demand over the past month and a half. By prolonging the coronavirus shutdown long after its core mission was accomplished, Gov. Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio have plunged tens of thousands of New Yorkers into poverty. It needs to end. Now.

California reopening plan discriminates against churches, Justice Dept declares Gov. Gavin Newsom was informed that failure to accommodate religious worship could be a violation of the Constitution. PETITION: Tell politicians not to discriminate against churches when reopening society! Sign the petition here. May 20, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – California’s official roadmap for lifting its various COVID-19 lockdown orders violates the Constitution by holding organized religion to a different standard than various secular activities, according to a letter from the U.S. Department of Justice to California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom. The California Department of Public Health’s long-term reopening plan calls for a modest lifting...

LIVE STREAM of the Michigan protest at the State capitol building - hair cut rebellion! Police getting involved.

Los Angeles County Director of Public Health Dr. Barbara Ferrer announced on Tuesday that ‘Safer at Home,” will extend for at least three more months. In fact, Mayor Eric Garcetti recently said it might go on until 2021. There was serious blowback to her comments, and Ferrer and Mayor Eric Garcetti walked it back slightly and slyly. It was just a head fake. Ferrar announced a new order Wednesday – one with no expiration date... When there was an outbreak of typhus in Los Angeles in 2018 and 2019, infecting 20 people, including one Los Angeles Police Department officer, Ferrer...

Annie's Campground, near Gresham, Wisconsin, posted the new rule on the establishment's Facebook page: "Masks are NOT allowed in the buildings for safety sake. They are viewed as a robbery in progress and will be handled that way." The post goes on to list planned events and food items available to patrons for the May 15-17 weekend, before thanking patrons in its conclusion. "Thank you for your continued support as we all get through this thing called life! We have many new people on staff, please have patience as we are training and learning the next few weeks," the post...