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Most oppose political ads on social mediaU.S. adults on how many political

ads social media companies should

allow on their platforms:

ALLOW

ALL

ALLOW

SOME

ALLOW

NONE

26%19%

54%

SOURCE Pew Research Center survey, Sept. 8-13AMY BARNETTE, DAVID ANESTA/USA TODAY

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WASHINGTON – Democrats warned Wednesdaythat Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett’s al-most certain confirmation could launch a new chap-ter of conservative judicial activism, though the fed-eral appeals court judge sought to portray herself as amainstream jurist without any agenda.

As the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing drewtoward a close Wednesday, several Democrats ac-knowledged Barrett would be confirmed to succeedthe late liberal Associate Justice Ruth BaderGinsburg, most likely by a party-line vote before Election Day.

“It seems that the fix is in,”Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said.

That would be in time to hearthe latest legal challenge to theAffordable Care Act, whichDemocrats used as their leadingargument against Barrett, 48, ofIndiana. The Trump admini-stration and states governed byRepublicans seek to topple thelaw after Congress eliminatedits tax penalty for those wholack insurance.

“They are bringing this caseto the court, and you are going tobe sitting on the court,” said Sen.Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.

If Democrats were reconciledto President Donald Trump get-ting a third Supreme Courtjustice and creating a 6-3 con-servative majority, they were not sanguine about theprospects.

“Your confirmation may launch a new chapter ofconservative judicial activism,” said Sen. ChrisCoons, D-Del. “It could touch virtually every aspectof modern American life.”

Barrett, a Notre Dame Law School professor andprolific scholar, sailed through another day of ques-tioning with the same blank notepad before her. Withthe help of Republicans on the panel, she tried to al-lay fears that she might upend settled law on issuesranging from health care and abortion to gun controland voting rights.

After Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., walkedher through what he described as the SupremeCourt’s six-year campaign to crimp the power of pub-

Demswarn of‘activism’on court Amy Coney Barrett willalmost certainly fill seatRichard Wolf USA TODAY

Barrett

“I have

never

denigrated

the right

to vote.”

Amy ConeyBarrett

See BARRETT, Page 6A

After the long ride from Jackson,Mississippi, Kenneth Stokes stepped offthe bus wearing his favorite brown cow-boy boots and a two-piece suit, much

like the civil rights activ-ists of the 1960s dressedin their Sunday best.

He shivered in thechilly autumn morning ashe joined thousands ofother men heading downthe streets of Washing-ton, D.C. Two miles

through low-income housing and mil-lion-dollar row houses until, up ahead, amajestic view: the U.S. Capitol, seat ofAmerican power, built by slaves in largepart when the nation was only a fewdecades old.

Stokes looked out over the NationalMall, amazed at this ocean of Black

men. Most were elbow to elbow. Someperched on monuments or in trees. Kidssat on dads’ shoulders. All there for anevent called the Million Man March.

“It was packed, packed, packed,”Stokes recalls. “There were people ev-erywhere – from everywhere.”

RACE IN AMERICA

The controversial march was one of the largest ever in Washington. 1995 PHOTO BY MATT MENDELSOHN/USA TODAY

25 years later, legacy offirst Million Man March Four men look back onpower, unity of ’95 event

The march’s goal wasn’tto change America,says Kokayi Nosakhere,who attended when hewas a 21-year-oldstudent. “The goal wasto change us.” 1995

PHOTO BY TIM SLOAN/AFP

VIA GETTY IMAGES See MARCH, Page 8A

Dennis Wagner, Jordan Culver and Deborah Barfield BerryUSA TODAY

Stokes

Deep in the Democratic strongholdof Fairfax County, Virginia, about 50 ofPresident Donald Trump’s supportersgathered, wrapping themselves inAmerican flags and waving Trump2020 banners as they chanted, “Fourmore years! Four more years!”

It was Sept. 19, and the county hadbegun early voting. The Republicanvolunteers stood on the sidewalk out-side the county government building.Steps away, voters lined up on blue so-cial distancing markers.

As the crowd grew – along with thechants – county elections officials be-gan whisking the voters into the build-

ing, despite concerns of spreading CO-VID-19. County officials explained thatvoters felt threatened by the crowd andrequested escorts in and out of the poll-ing place, though the Trump volunteershad not violated any election laws.

“We were actually trying to encour-age people to vote,” said Sean Rastatter,23, a software engineer who helped or-ganize the event aimed at increasingGOP turnout. “The point of it was to re-mind people that early voting was tak-ing place, since it had started a few daysearlier. There wasn’t anything close tovoter intimidation.”

Trump’s call for an “army” of sup-porters to “monitor” voting has raisedconcerns during an already vitriolicpresidential election campaign aboutvoter intimidation and suppression ofminority groups.

ELECTION 2020

‘Army’ of poll watchersstirs fears of violence

Voting rights activists worry Trumpsupporters will intimidate or scare offpeople of color. KRISTOPHER RADDER VIA AP

Trump, Biden competingtown halls on TV tonight After a canceled debate, candidates to hold forums at the same time. 3A

Trump prods supportersto ‘monitor’ voting sites

Trevor HughesUSA TODAY

See VOTING, Page 3A

WASHINGTON – Treasury Secre-tary Steven Mnuchin said Wednesdaythat passing another COVID-19 reliefpackage before the election would be“difficult.”

“I’d say at this point, getting some-thing done before the election and exe-cuting on that would be difficult, justgiven where we are,” he said at the Mil-ken Institute Global Conference.

The Republican-controlled Senateis set to act on a roughly $500 billionrelief proposal next week, an amountrejected by congressional Democratsas insufficient to tackle the COVID-19pandemic. The last White House offerof about $1.8 trillion also was rejectedby House Democrats, who have heldfast to their $2.2 trillion proposal.

“There are money issues, butthere’s also policy issues,” Mnuchinsaid, adding that the Trump admini-stration supports “immediate help”through standalone bills for small-business loans and airline aid whiletalks over a large package continue.

Both sides have deadlocked over is-sues such as the amount of relief forstate and local governments or theamount of money to give in a federalunemployment benefit.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Mnuchin spoke on thephone for about an hour Wednesday,talks Pelosi spokesperson Drew Ham-mill called “productive.” One majorarea of disagreement was the “need fora national strategic testing plan,”Hammill said. Pelosi plans to speakwith Mnuchin again Thursday.

Pelosi faced some criticism fromDemocrats for refusing to budge on theproposal. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif.,urged Democrats to take the WhiteHouse’s $1.8 trillion deal and build onit if Democrats win the White House inNovember, rather than leaving beforethe election without a deal in hand.

Mnuchin: PassingCOVID-19 reliefwould be ‘difficult’before electionNicholas WuUSA TODAY

2A ❚ THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020 ❚ USA TODAY NEWS

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The nation’s top infectious diseaseexpert said the United States faces a“difficult situation” with a rise in posi-tive coronavirus tests through a wideswath of northern states as the weath-er cools.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of theNational Institute of Allergy and Infec-tious Diseases, said the share of posi-tive coronavirus tests is increasing inthe Northwest, Midwest and othernorthern states.

The share of tests that detect thevirus is a key indicator of whether thevirus is spreading or under control.Public health officials want to see lessthan 3% of all tests return positive. Anideal rate is less than 1%, Fauci saidTuesday during a College of AmericanPathologists meeting.

“We’re starting to see a number ofstates well above that, which is often,and in fact invariably, highly predic-tive of a resurgence of cases,” Faucisaid. A rise in the share of positivecases “we know leads to an increase inhospitalizations and then ultimatelyan increase in deaths.”

Data from the COVID Tracking Pro-ject shows 36 states have a higher rateof tests coming back positive than theprevious week. Another 41 states havehigher case counts in the past weekcompared to a week before, an analy-sis of Johns Hopkins University datashows.

As the fall weather cools and peoplespend more time indoors, publichealth experts hoped “we had rathergood control over infection dynamicsin the country,” Fauci said. “As a matterof fact, unfortunately, that’s not thecase.”

Fauci said the nation is averagingbetween 40,000 and 50,000 newcases every day. The United States hasreported more than 7.8 million casesand 215,085 deaths.

A USA TODAY analysis of JohnsHopkins data through late Mondayshows 16 states set records for newcases in a week, while Kansas, NorthDakota and South Dakota had a recordnumber of deaths in a week.

Fauci said shutting down the nationagain to slow the virus’ spread issomething “we do not want to do.” andurged Americans to commit to publichealth recommendations to slowSARS-CoV-2, the virus that causesCOVID-19. People should wear masks,maintain a distance of at least six feetfrom others, avoid crowds and washhands frequently.

The nation should know by the endof 2020 whether there is a safe and ef-fective vaccine. With five vaccine can-didates now in the late-stage clinicalstudies, Fauci said doses of any Foodand Drug Administration-authorizedvaccine could be shipped by the end ofthe year or early 2021, first to thosewho are most vulnerable.

And although the development hasbeen speedy, he said the public shouldbe confident any vaccine will be thor-oughly vetted.

An independent group of doctors,ethics experts and statisticians exam-ine data from each vaccine candidatebeing studied to determine whethertrials should continue. These datasafety monitoring boards investigateadverse events reported by patientsand doctors.

For example, Johnson & Johnson onMonday paused its COVID-19 vaccinetrial after an unexplained illness in avolunteer. Another study, run by As-traZeneca, was halted Sept. 8 after asecond participant was diagnosedwith a neurological condition.

Fauci said monitoring boards gen-erally can decide whether a vaccineappears to harm more people than ithelps or, conversely, whether the vac-cine appears to be safe and more effec-tive than a placebo.

Should a company advance to thenext step and seek FDA authorization,the regulatory agency also consultswith an independent body to reviewdata and decide whether the vaccine isready for widespread use.

“There are a lot of checkpoints inthat process that I believe the generalpublic should feel comfortable a vac-cine is not going to be made availableunless it was agreed upon in an inde-pendent way to be safe and effective,”Fauci said.

Contributing: Mike Stucka

Fauci said the nation is averaging 40,000 to 50,000 new cases every day. TheUS has reported more than 7.8 million cases and 215,085 deaths. AP

Fauci: Positive testrates signal surgeOfficials want to see lessthan 3% tests positive

Ken AlltuckerUSA TODAY

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

NEW YORK – Amy Cooper, thewhite woman in Central Park whocalled police on a Black manbird-watching, called authorities asecond time and falsely accused theman of trying to assault her, prosecu-tors say.

The woman was arraigned Wednes-day and is facing a misdemeanorcharge of falsely reporting an incidentto police after she called 911 in May andfalsely said Christian Cooper, the bird-watcher who asked her to leash herdog in an area that requires that dogsbe on leashes, was threatening andtried to attack her.

The two share a last name but arenot related.

In a previously unreported detail,Amy Cooper made a second call to 911in which she falsely said that “an Afri-can American man ‘tried to assault’her,” according to a criminal complaintagainst her.

After police arrived at the scene,she backtracked and told an officerthat the man did not try to assault heror touch her.

Christian Cooper recorded the inci-dent and shared video of it onFacebook, which quickly went viraland led to Amy Cooper’s firing from herasset management firm.

The video, however, only showedAmy Cooper falsely saying that Chris-tian Cooper was threatening her, notthat he “tried to assault her.”

The encounter occurred the sameday that George Floyd was killed inMinneapolis as a white police officerdug his knee into Floyd’s neck. Videoof Floyd’s death was also first sharedon social media and sparked weeks ofunrest across the country demandingracial justice and changes to policing.

“Amy Cooper engaged in racistcriminal conduct when she falsely ac-cused a Black man of trying to assaulther in a previously unreported secondcall with a 911 dispatcher,” ManhattanDistrict Attorney Cy Vance said in astatement Wednesday.

“Fortunately, no one was injured orkilled in the police response to Ms.Cooper’s hoax. Our Office will pursue aresolution of this case which holds Ms.Cooper accountable while healing ourcommunity, restoring justice, and de-terring others from perpetuating thisracist practice.”

Vance’s office first announced theywere pursuing charges in July. AmyCooper is facing a class A misdemean-or, which can carry up to a year in pris-on, according to New York law. Exec-utive Assistant District Attorney JoanIlluzzi said during the Wednesday ar-raignment that the DA’s office wouldwork with the defense on a programfor Cooper to take responsibility and“educate her and the community onthe harm caused by such actions.”

An attorney listed for Cooper didnot immediately respond to USA TO-DAY’s request for comment. Cooperdid not enter a plea to the misdemean-or charge and is to appear in courtagain in November.

Cooper quickly apologized for theincident, but her employer, FranklinTempleton, fired her the next day. Thevideo garnered national media atten-tion, and New York Mayor Bill de Blasiocondemned Cooper’s actions, sayingthey exemplified hatred that has “noplace in our city.”

NY womancharged inincidentwith birderWoman called 911 twiceduring run-in in May

Ryan W. MillerUSA TODAY

Amy Cooper denied accusationsof racism after the incident recordedon video in Central Park. AP

NEWS USA TODAY ❚ THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020 ❚ 3A

Voting rights activists and govern-ment officials said they worry Trump’ssupporters will scare away Democraticvoters fearful of confrontation, includ-ing voters from Hispanic, Black, Asianand indigenous communities who havebeen disproportionately hurt by thepandemic, police violence, immigrationenforcement and growing rates of hatecrimes under the Trump administra-tion.

“The rhetoric itself is suppressive,”said Colorado Secretary of State JenaGriswold, a Democrat. “All of that takentogether is aimed to suppress turnout.As elections officials, we have to clearlystate that voter suppression is systemicracism.”

Trump calls for an ‘army’

In tweets, speeches and paid adver-tisements, Trump and his campaignhave called for an “army” of poll watch-ers to monitor contested election areas.“Fight for President Trump,” reads an adon Twitter, directing supporters to thewebsite ArmyForTrump.com.

Trump has repeatedly called theelection “corrupt,” which some expertssaid is aimed at reducing confidence inthe results and dissuading some votersfrom even bothering to cast a ballot.That would favor Trump whose coresupporters – older, white Americans –are the most consistent voters, regard-less of circumstance.

Trump tweeted Friday that a mistakeby an elections board in Ohio in sendingout ballots to the wrong voters was fur-ther evidence of a “rigged election.” Theelections board said new ballots werebeing distributed.

“My biggest concern, and both sidesdo this, is undermining confidence inelections across the board,” Trey Gray-son, a Republican and former Kentuckysecretary of state, said Tuesday. “We’vegot to have people trust the outcome.The losers have to believe it was a fairfight.”

There have been few concrete exam-ples of voter intimidation at pollingsites, though the USA has a long historyof violence against people of color dur-ing elections, including lawmen attack-ing Black voting rights activists withnightsticks and tear gas in Alabama in1965, which resulted in the passage thatyear of the federal Voting Rights Act.

Rastatter said he’d never participatein anything that scared off voters. Hesaid voter intimidation is a seriouscharge, and police who investigated theincident declared no laws were broken.

“This is one of these elections wherepeople are so hyper partisan,” he said.

Experts said even subtle shifts in vot-ing patterns could change the outcomeof elections.

Voter suppression could shape racesfor state legislatures, which will use the2020 census results next session to mapout election boundaries. In most states,whatever party controls the legislaturedetermines how those boundaries aredrawn and can use them to gerryman-der favorable districts for Congress.

“This is all, in my mind, to deter peo-ple from showing up at the polls,” saidMyrna Perez, director of New York Uni-versity’s Brennan Center for Justice’sVoting Rights and Elections Program.“These statements are designed tomake people fearful to vote.”

Mary McCord, a professor at George-town Law School in Washington, saidher biggest fear is that armed groups ofTrump supporters will “self-activate” inresponse to his calls to watch pollingplaces.

Last week, Michigan state and feder-al prosecutors arrested 13 men they saidconspired to kidnap Gov. GretchenWhitmer. Prosecutors said the men dis-cussed trying Whitmer for treason overCOVID-19 closures that Trump opposed.On April 17, Trump tweeted, “LIBERATEMICHIGAN!” as part of a series of tweetscriticizing Whitmer, a Democrat, andpandemic-related lockdowns.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, anoth-er Democrat and frequent focus ofTrump criticism, was targeted by thesame group, the FBI said Tuesday.

“Some people are just not very smartand buy into conspiracy theories. Andsome people are smart, and they wouldhappily disenfranchise voters,” McCordsaid. “You can’t ignore the disinforma-tion coming straight from the president.He right now is the greatest threat to ourdemocracy. And people do act on thethings he says.”

The concerns are building at least inpart because of a rise in violent hatecrimes. The FBI said last year that al-though the overall number of hate

crimes dropped slightly in 2018, thenumber of violent hate crimes hit a 16-year high – from intimidation and as-sault to homicide.

A Department of Homeland Securityreport last month concluded that whitesupremacists “will remain the most per-sistent and lethal threat in the Home-land.”

During the first presidential debateSept. 29, Trump called for the far-rightProud Boys group to “stand back andstand by.” Though the White House saidTrump was condemning the group, itsmembers declared they were ready tofollow his orders.

“I’m concerned they’ll take the con-stant daily tweets about election fraud,that that’s their signal, in their view,their license to self-activate,” McCordsaid. “They put on this façade, theseright-wing groups, that they are patriotsand that they have an obligation to pro-tect the vote or protect the election orprotect the president.”

Elections experts said that there’s noevidence to support Trump’s com-plaints about widespread voter fraudbut that fair elections are under attack.

Grayson, who served as president ofthe National Association of Secretariesof State, said it’s no secret politicianswant to “shape the electorate.”

Until 2018, the Republican NationalCommittee had to submit all of its poll-watching plans for review by a judge af-ter getting caught hiring off-duty lawenforcement officers and stationingthem only in minority precincts duringthe New Jersey governor’s election in1981. Those armed officers wore “Na-tional Ballot Security Task Force” arm-bands and demanded Black or Latinovoters show registration cards.

The poll-watching consent decreeexpired in 2018. In 2013, the SupremeCourt eliminated a provision of the 1965Voting Rights Act requiring areas with ahistory of discrimination to get federalapproval before changing the rules.Fourteen states – all but one controlledby Republican legislatures – toughenedvoter ID laws.

Republican operatives were linked tothe data-mining firm Cambridge Ana-lytica during the 2016 presidential race,which targeted 3.5 million Black Amer-icans for “deterrence,” according to aninvestigation by Channel 4 News inLondon.

The report said operatives boughtFacebook advertisements aimed at dis-suading Black voters from casting a bal-lot, rather than trying to persuade themto pick one candidate over another.

Though the federal government hastypically taken the lead in enforcing theVoting Rights Act, some liberal activistsworry the Trump administration’s Jus-tice Department lacks the interest to ag-gressively protect voting rights.

“We understand there are folks whocame before us who were literally risk-ing their lives to vote,” said Jamal Wat-kins, the NAACP’s vice president of civ-ic engagement. “This notion that vio-lence is a ruse and not real – it scares alot of us.”

Watkins said that given the revela-tions about the role Cambridge Analyt-ica played in dissuading Black voters,it’s not surprising that turnout amongBlack voters dropped in 2016 for the firsttime in 20 years during a presidential

election, falling below 60%, accordingto the Pew Research Center. Black vot-er turnout had hit a record high of66.6% in 2012, when Democrat BarackObama, the nation’s only Black presi-dent, won a second term.

A Brennan Center study found thatwait times in 2018 for Black and His-panic voters averaged 45% longer thanfor white voters.

“We’re not blind. We see there’s anintentionality behind all of this. That’sthe sad truth,” Watkins said. “This isnot conspiracy theory. This is factual.We have seen it play out in what hap-pened in 2016.”

‘Every single vote does matter’

Michael Steele, former chairman ofthe Republican National Party, saidthere is a misunderstanding of what itmeans to be a certified poll watcher, alegally defined role at the county level.He said the president can’t just ordersupporters to look over voters’ shoul-ders.

“You’re not going to be allowed intothe voting booth area, and you’re notgoing to be allowed to intimidate vot-ers who are standing in line waiting togo vote. But when you have someoneof the president’s authority sayingsomething like that, rank-and-fileAmericans who support the presidentwant to be helpful and will show up onElection Day and go, ‘Well, I’m here towatch the polls,’ ” Steele said. “Andthen, of course, you run into the prob-lem of some thickheads who want tocome armed to the polls, which isnothing more than intimidation.”

Six states and the District of Colum-bia explicitly ban guns at polling sites,and weapons are generally banned in-side polling places at schools or otherpublic property.

Though using a firearm to intimi-date someone is illegal, simply carry-ing it in public doesn’t violate the lawas long as the carrier maintains a cer-tain distance from the polling site,usually 50 to 100 feet.

In Fairfax County, election officialssaid social media videos provided amisleading perspective on the Trumprally, whose participants never gotcloser than 100 feet to the polling site.

Voting rights advocates said whathappened offers a glimpse into poten-tial problems as more Americans votein person.

“We need to be ready. … Folks needto know their community, have a plan,be prepared for contingencies and per-sist,” Perez said.

Vanita Gupta, CEO of the Leader-ship Conference on Civil and HumanRights, said “targeted harassment” isvery much a concern this election.

“We have enough examples in re-cent memory where elections havebeen called in states on razor-thinmargins. We need to make sure every-one eligible is able to cast a vote andhave that vote counted,” said Gupta,who led the U.S. Department of Jus-tice’s Civil Rights Division under theObama administration. “Every singlevote does matter.”

That’s why it’s critically importantelections officials at all levels encour-age every qualified voter to vote, saidGriswold, the Colorado elections offi-cial. Like many of her colleagues, bothRepublican and Democrat, Griswoldhas reassured voters that the processis safe, secure and trustworthy.

Griswold said she gets calls fromBlack community leaders every timeTrump tweets or speaks about pollwatchers.

“Voting is supposed to be the greatequalizer for our communities,” shesaid. “Every American deserves a de-mocracy we can believe in. And thatstarts at the polls.”

VotingContinued from Page 1A

Monday was the first day for advance voting in Georgia, and hundreds showedup to cast their ballot early in Augusta. MICHAEL HOLAHAN/USA TODAY NETWORK

“We’ve got to have people

trust the outcome.

The losers have to believe

it was a fair fight.”Trey Grayson,Former Kentucky secretary of state

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ELECTION 2020

WASHINGTON – Their face-to-facedebate canceled, President DonaldTrump and Democratic challenger JoeBiden will instead hold dueling townhalls Thursday on competing televi-sion networks.

NBC announced Wednesday it willhost a Trump town hall at 8 p.m. EDTon Thursday – the same time at whichABC will be hosting a similar eventwith Biden in Philadelphia.

The Trump event will be in Miami,which was supposed to be the site of asecond debate between the two candi-dates. That showdown was canceledafter Trump refused to participateonce it was moved to a virtual formatbecause of his COVID-19 diagnosis.

The Commission on PresidentialDebates, which sponsored the firstTrump-Biden debate on Sept. 29 inCleveland, called for the second con-test to be virtual because of the threatof contagion from Trump. After Trumprejected the idea, the parties were un-able to agree on an alternate format.

The debate also fell apart at a timewhen Trump began trailing Biden insome polls by double digits, and as theDemocratic challenger builds leads inkey states like Pennsylvania, Michiganand Wisconsin.

Now Trump will meet with “a groupof Florida voters on critical issues im-pacting their vote less than threeweeks before Election Day,” NBC saidin announcing its Miami town hall as adebate replacement.

Coming two weeks after Trumptested positive for COVID-19, the event“will take place outdoors at the PérezArt Museum Miami in accordancewith guidelines set forth by health offi-cials and consistent with all govern-ment regulations,” NBC said.

Trump, NBC moderator SavannahGuthrie, and the crowd will be sociallydistanced, the network said.

NBC also released a statement byDr. Clifford Lane, clinical director atthe National Institutes of Health, say-ing that he and infectious diseases ex-pert Anthony Fauci have reviewed thepresident’s case and cleared him forthe public appearance.

ABC said its town hall will be held“in accordance with state and localgovernment health and safety regula-tions, as well as guidelines set forwardby health officials.”

The two candidates are still sched-uled to hold a final debate Oct. 22.

Trump,Biden holdcompetingtown hallsCandidates appeartonight on NBC, ABC

David JacksonUSA TODAY

4A ❚ THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020 ❚ USA TODAY NEWS

Robert Chody and his wife grinnedwidely in March 2001 as news camerasfilmed them receiving the largest-everTexas lottery check: $51 million andchange.

The windfall paved the path for theman who grew up in a Florida trailerpark with a single mother to fulfill hisboyhood dreams of becoming a law en-forcement hero. In recent years, he’sdone it with a camera crew at the readyand an adoring audience who loves lawenforcement as much as Chody hadcome to when, at 15, an officer rescuedhim from the terrifying fists of his moth-er’s boyfriend.

Since winning the lottery, Chody hasbuilt a reputation as a conservative law-man with a penchant for social mediaand a craving for celebrity. He quicklyquit his job patrolling weekend revelerson Austin’s rowdy Sixth Street and be-gan cultivating a political career thatwould lead him to the top law enforce-ment job in one of Texas’ most notori-ously tough-on-crime counties.

As police departments nationwidereexamine policies that contribute todeadly violence that disproportionatelyimpacts communities of color, William-son County Sheriff Chody stands instark contrast.

Under Chody’s leadership since 2017,Williamson County has hired deputieswith troubled pasts and dramaticallyincreased its use of force and high-speed chases, both of which dispropor-tionately involved Black civilians. Hisdepartment’s leaders reportedly doledout steakhouse gift cards to deputiesconsidered “badass” enough to useforce.

Much of Chody’s tenure has unfoldedon the TV reality show “Live PD.”

But when a violent incident with hisdeputies turned deadly, taking the life of40-year-old Black father Javier AmblerII, Chody’s star began to fade. The showthat made him a celebrity was canceledafter the Austin American-Statesmanrevealed details of the 2019 death thatwas captured on “Live PD” video.

Now, the cameras that propelledChody’s fame could be his undoing.

A grand jury last month indictedChody on a felony evidence tamperingcharge for his alleged role in the de-struction of footage of the incident.Chody denies breaking any laws.

His supporters say Chody has donewhat they elected him to do: preservelaw and order and serve as a symbol ofWilliamson County’s zero-tolerance forcrime.

Chody’s critics say he is using publicoffice to slake his thirst for fame.

As Chody faces reelection nextmonth, he contends not only with a felo-ny indictment but with fractured rela-tions with local Republican leaders andformer allies, several of whom have de-manded his resignation.

“I steadfastly support the good cops,but there is no place in law enforcementfor those who discredit and disgrace thebadge,” said County CommissionerCynthia Long, a Republican.

Chody declined to be interviewed forthis story.

A personal path to millions

Chody’s father killed himself whenChody was 8, leaving his mother to raisefour children in the Orlando suburbs.

Seven years later, a Florida sheriff’sdeputy, Paul Peterson, walked brieflyinto his life.

On that day, Chody said his mother’sboyfriend began beating her and histwin brother, so he ran down the streetto call for help.

“I’ve told the story 100 times, andsome of it I am finding out is not com-pletely accurate, but I will tell you whatis accurate, and that is the sense of se-curity I had,” he said.

The encounter inspired Chody tochase a career in law enforcement.

“Live PD” fans helped Chody reunitewith Peterson, who had retired andmoved to Tennessee. When Petersonand Chody met in person at a KnoxvilleCheddar’s restaurant on Aug. 2, 2019,the sheriff shared the moment with his35,000 Facebook followers in a video.

After graduating high school, Chodyserved four years in the U.S. Army. Hethen moved to North Texas to work as acorrections officer. He joined the AustinPolice Department in 1996.

He and his wife, Beverly, saw theirfortunes change in March 2001, whenshe bought $5 in Quick Pick tickets, in-cluding the matching numbers for the$85 million jackpot – $34 million ofwhich was withheld for taxes.

From officer to politician

Chody’s policing career took a violentturn early on.

In August 1998, he was dispatched toa call about a disturbance between aman and a woman. When he arrived onthe scene, Chody said he believed Mar-cus DeWayne Frank was the suspect.

But Frank had not been involved inthe disturbance. He was walking downthe street and disobeyed Chody’s com-mand to “come here.” Chody smashedthe teenager’s head on the hood of hispatrol car and put him in a “full nelson,”a wrestling position that places pres-sure on the neck. The force caused

Frank to convulse, his family argued in alawsuit.

The case was eventually settled for$30,000 – paid by Austin taxpayers.

Now 37, Frank is an insurance cus-tomer service representative and livesin Phoenix.

“I forgive him, but do I forget?” Frankasked. “Absolutely not. Do I think he is agood person? No, I do not. Do I think heshould be sheriff? Pardon my French,but hell to the no.”

The remainder of Chody’s Austin po-lice tenure was unremarkable, and hissupervisors would later praise his work.

Chody resigned not long after win-ning the lottery and settling the lawsuitwith Frank.

For the next six years, he served as avolunteer deputy constable in William-son County’s Precinct 2.

In 2007, Chody ran for constableagainst an embattled incumbent andwon handily.

Chody’s former chief deputy, RobertWoodring, said he and others believedChody viewed the constable position asa stepping stone to a larger political role.

“He makes a very good first impres-sion, but as time goes by, those layersstart to peel off and you start to see whothis person really is,” said Woodring,who now works for the Blanco County(Texas) Sheriff’s Office. “If you canmake him feel good about himself, youare going to do good. If you can kiss hisbutt, you are going to do great and, if youcan stroke his ego, you are going to doawesome.”

Chody’s term as sheriff

Chody spent almost a half-milliondollars of his own money and won hisrace for sheriff in 2016.

He immediately went to work wooinga TV show to highlight his agency.

In a January 2018 public pitch tocounty commissioners, he said “LivePD” would showcase Williamson Coun-ty as a national model for professionallaw enforcement.

Chody’s social media following sky-rocketed, with “Live PD” fans tweetingand commenting on his Facebook postsfrom across the nation.

As Chody’s TV stardom grew, troublewas brewing. With camera crews in tow,deputies engaged in more high-speedpursuits and used force more often, da-ta obtained by the American-Statesmanshows. More than one in five of the pur-suits and force incidents involved Blackindividuals, though they represent lessthan one in 10 county residents.

In addition to Ambler’s death, otherhigh-profile force incidents drew con-troversy. Last summer, county commis-sioners canceled the contract with “LivePD.” Angered, Chody drafted his owncontract to bring the show back. Thecommissioners sued Chody to stop him.

During Chody’s administration, thecounty has received what commission-ers say is a record number of lawsuitsand other complaints.

“We are having a tough time with ourinsurance company because of liabilitycreated at the (sheriff’s office),” CountyCommissioner Russ Boles, a Republi-can, said at a Sept. 15 meeting.

Thirteen days later, Chody was in-dicted on evidence tampering charges,alleging that he helped to destroy “LivePD” footage of Ambler’s death.

In a wide-ranging news conference,Chody said he was innocent. “I find itshocking and disgusting that our dis-trict attorney is using his office for hispolitical agenda,” Chody said.

Williamson County voters will decidenext month whether Chody will con-tinue to serve as their top cop.

Kim Jones, Ambler’s sister, said thatChody’s wealth won’t save him fromvoters who are ready for a change.

“You can have all the money in theworld, but if you are not a good person, itdoesn’t matter,” she said. “It doesn’tchange who you are.”

A record number of transgender andgender nonconforming people – 32 –have been killed by violence this year,according to the Human Rights Cam-paign.

Those statistics include five deathsin the past three weeks, said the LGBTQadvocacy group, which began keepingrecords in 2013.

But that number is likely even higher,“since many trans people killed by vio-lence are misgendered by police and canbe misreported in the media,” said Sa-rah Kate Ellis, president of LGBTQmedia advocacy group GLAAD.

“Violence facing transgender Ameri-cans, especially Black trans women, re-quires urgent resources and attentionfrom federal state, and local govern-ment agencies and elected officials,” shesaid.

On Oct. 7, Brooklyn Deshuna, a 20-

year-old Black transgender woman, wasfound fatally shot in Shreveport, Louisi-ana. Just a day before, Felycya Harris, a33-year-old Black transgender woman,was shot and killed in Augusta, Georgia.

Michelle Michellyn Ramos Vargas, atransgender woman from Puerto Rico inher mid-30s, was found fatally shotSept. 30 in San Germán, Puerto Rico.

Two days earlier, Mia Green, 29, a Blacktransgender woman was killed in Phila-delphia.

Aerrion Burnett, a 37-year-old Blacktransgender woman, was found dead ofa gunshot wound on Sept. 19 in Inde-pendence, Missouri.

“It is ridiculous that we have to con-tinue to hashtag our friends’ names andadd them to a list of names to be memo-rialized every year, and that we expectit,” Carter Brown, executive director ofNational Black Trans Advocacy Coali-tion, told USA TODAY in July.

“We expect it because too many transwomen of color are continuously beingmurdered and beaten with minimum orno consequence being brought to theassailants.”

A June 2020 report from Everytownfor Gun Safety Support Fund and Equal-ity Florida found that 2018 saw a 41% in-crease in reported crimes directedagainst transgender individuals.

While just 16% of the trans popula-tion in the U.S. is estimated to be Black,79% of known trans homicide victimswere Black, the report showed.

And in 2017, which held the previous

high of transgender murders of 29, 71%of victims of hate violence were peopleof color, 52% were transgender and 40%were transgender women of color, ac-cording to a report from the NationalCoalition of Anti-Violence Programsthat year.

Cabot Petoia, spokesman for Nation-al Black Justice Coalition, which is anAmerican civil rights organization, saidin a statement that these attacks “high-light the epidemic of violence that toomany members of the trans communityface – a problem that appears to be ac-celerating.”

The organization, which also recordstransgender homicides, has recorded 35murders of transgender people thisyear.

“The violence that Black trans wom-en and femmes experience at the inter-section of anti-Blackness, misogynyand transphobia is a public health issue– a sign of a society that needs to heal,”Petoia said. “We need urgent actionpushing for both legislative and com-munity-based protections for our Blacktrans, femme, and gender nonconform-ing siblings.”

Violent deaths of transgender people hit new highFive of the deaths wereduring past three weeks

Elinor AspegrenUSA TODAY

Civil rights groups say it appears that“the epidemic of violence” toward thetrans community appears to beaccelerating. JACK GRUBER/USA TODAY

‘Live PD’ flap could undo a Texas sheriffCritics say sheriff usingpublic office to gain fame

Tony PlohetskiAustin American-Statesman

USA TODAY NETWORK

Maritza and Javier Ambler lost their adult son, Javier Antonio Ambler II, when he was stopped by a Williamson County,Texas, sheriff’s deputy for not dimming his headlights, an incident filmed by “Live PD.” BRONTE WITTPENN/USA TODAY NETWORK

“Do I think he should be a

sheriff? Pardon my French,

but hell to the no.”

Marcus DeWayne Frank

NEWS USA TODAY ❚ THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020 ❚ 5A

GET NOTICED! Advertise in USA TODAY’s Marketplace Today Marketplace! Call: 1-800-397-0070

NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICE

IN THE UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURTFOR THE DISTRICT OF DELAWARE

In re:GLOBAL EAGLEENTERTAINMENT INC., et al.,1

Debtors.

))))

Chapter 11Case No. 20-11835 (JTD)(Jointly Administered)Re: Docket Nos. 391 & 449

YOU ARE RECEIVING THIS NOTICE (“NOTICE”) BECAUSEYOU MAY HAVE A CLAIM AGAINST THE DEBTORS IN THEABOVE-CAPTIONED CHAPTER 11 CASES. THEREFORE, YOUSHOULD READ THIS NOTICE CAREFULLY AND CONSULTAN ATTORNEY IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, INCLUDINGWHETHER YOU SHOULD FILE A PROOF OF CLAIM.

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE THAT:

On July 22,2020 (the“Petition Date”),Global Eagle Entertainment Inc.and certain of its debtor affiliates,as debtors and debtors in possession (col-lectively, the“Debtors”), filed voluntary cases under chapter 11 of title 11of the United States Code (the “Bankruptcy Code”) in the United StatesBankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware (the“Bankruptcy Court”).

On October 5, 2020, the Bankruptcy Court, having jurisdiction over thechapter 11 cases of the Debtors, entered an order [Docket No. 449] (the“Bar Date Order”) establishing the following Bar Dates:

a. November 9, 2020 at 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time), as the deadlinefor each person or entity (including individuals,partnerships,corporations,joint ventures, trusts, but not including governmental units (as defined insection 101(27) of the Bankruptcy Code) (“Governmental Units”)),to filea proof of claim (each,a“Proof of Claim”) in respect of a prepetition claim(as defined in section 101(5) of the Bankruptcy Code), including, for theavoidance of doubt, secured claims, unsecured priority claims, unsecurednon-priority claims, and claims arising under section 503(b)(9) of theBankruptcy Code against any of the Debtors (the“General Bar Date”);

b. January 19, 2021 at 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) as the deadlinefor Governmental Units to file a Proof of Claim in respect of a prepetitionclaim against any of the Debtors (the“Governmental Bar Date”);

c. the later of (i) the General Bar Date or the Governmental BarDate, as applicable, and (ii) 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on the datethat is 30 days from the date on which the Debtors provide noticeof an amendment or supplement to the Schedules (as definedbelow) (which notice will include a reference to the AmendedSchedules Bar Date) as the deadline by which claimants holding claimsaffected by such filing,amendment,or supplement must file Proofs of Claimwith respect to such claim (the“Amended Schedules Bar Date”); and

d. the later of (i) the General Bar Date or the Governmental BarDate, as applicable, and (ii) 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on the datethat is 30 days after service of an order authorizing rejectionof an executory contract or unexpired lease as the deadline bywhich claimants asserting claims resulting from the Debtors’ rejectionof an executory contract or unexpired lease must file Proofs of Claim fordamages arising from such rejection2 (the “Rejection Damages BarDate” and, together with the General Bar Date, Governmental Bar Date,and Amended Schedules Bar Date,the“Bar Dates”).

You may be a creditor of one or more of the Debtors.If you have any questions relating to this Notice, please feel

free to contact Prime Clerk LLC (“Prime Clerk”) at (877) 930-4318(U.S./Canada Toll Free) or (347) 897-4054 (International) or bye-mail at GEEinfo@primeclerk.com.

NOTE: The staff of the Bankruptcy Clerk’s Office,the Office of the UnitedStates Trustee for the District of Delaware, and Prime Clerk cannot givelegal advice.INSTRUCTIONS:

1. WHO MUST FILE A PROOF OF CLAIM. Except as otherwise setforth herein, the following entities holding claims against the Debtorsarising before the Petition Date MUST file Proofs of Claim on or before theapplicable Bar Date:

a. any entity whose claim against a Debtor is not listed in the appli-cable Debtor’s Schedules,or is listed as“contingent,”“unliquidated,”or“dis-puted,”if such entity desires to participate in any of the Debtors’chapter 11cases or share in any distribution in any of the Debtors’chapter 11 cases;

b. any entity that believes that its claim is improperly classified inthe Schedules or is listed in an incorrect amount and that desires to haveits claim allowed in a different classification or amount other than thatidentified in the Schedules;

c. any entity that believes that any prepetition claim as listed in theSchedules is not an obligation of the specific Debtor against which theclaim is listed and that desires to have its claim allowed against a Debtorother than the Debtor identified in the Schedules;and

d. any entity that believes that its claim against a Debtor is or may beentitled to priority under section 503(b)(9) of the Bankruptcy Code.

Pursuant to section 101(5) of the Bankruptcy Code and as used in thisNotice,the word“claim”means (a) a right to payment,whether or not suchright is reduced to judgment, liquidated, unliquidated, fixed, contingent,matured, unmatured, disputed, undisputed, legal, equitable, secured, orunsecured;or (b) a right to an equitable remedy for breach of performanceif such breach gives rise to a right to payment,whether or not such right toan equitable remedy is reduced to judgment, fixed, contingent, matured,unmatured, disputed, undisputed, secured, or unsecured. Further, claimsinclude unsecured claims,secured claims,and priority claims.

Pursuant to section 101(15) of the Bankruptcy Code and as used in thisNotice, the term “entity” has the meaning given to it in section 101(15)of the Bankruptcy Code, and includes all persons, estates, trusts, and gov-

ernmental units. In addition, the terms “persons” and “governmentalunits” are defined in sections 101(41) and 101(27) of the BankruptcyCode,respectively.

2. WHO NEED NOT FILE A PROOF OF CLAIM. Proofs of claim neednot be filed on or prior to the Bar Dates as to the following types of claims:

a. any claim that is listed on the Schedules filed by the Debtors; pro-vided, that: (i) the claim is not scheduled as “disputed,” “contingent,” or“unliquidated,”(ii) the claimant does not disagree with the amount,natureand priority of the claim as set forth in the Schedules,(iii) the claimant doesnot dispute that the claim is an obligation of the specific Debtor againstwhich the claim is listed in the Schedules, and (iv) the claimant does notseek priority for the claim under section 503(b)(9) of the Bankruptcy Code;provided further, that: notwithstanding the forgoing, no entity shall berequired to file a Proof of Claim with respect to any Second Lien SecuredNotes due 2023 listed on the Schedules solely as a result of such claimsbeing listed as“contingent”or“unliquidated,”so long as the claimant doesnot disagree with the amount,nature,or priority of the claim as set forth inthe Schedules;

b. any claim as to which the holder has already filed a Proof of Claimagainst the Debtors in the above-captioned cases in a form substantiallysimilar to the Proof of Claim form attached to the Bar Date Order as Exhibit2 (the “Proof of Claim Form”) or the Official Bankruptcy Form No. 410(the“Official Form”);3

c. any claim that heretofore has been allowed by order of this Court;d. any claim that has been paid in full by any of the Debtors;e. any claim for which different specific deadlines have previously been

fixed by this Court;f. any claim that asserts an equity security interest in the Debtors,

which interest is based exclusively upon the ownership of common orpreferred units, membership interests, partnership interests, or warrants,options,or rights to purchase,sell,or subscribe to such a security or interest;provided that if any holder asserts such a claim (as opposed to an ownershipinterest) against the Debtors (including a claim relating to an equityinterest or the purchase or sale of such equity interest),a Proof of Claim mustbe filed on or before the applicable Bar Date pursuant to the Procedures;

g. any claim based on indemnification,contribution,or reimbursementof a current officer or director of any of the Debtors;

h. any claim allowable under sections 503(b) and 507(a)(2) of theBankruptcy Code as an expense of administration (other than a claim aris-ing under section 503(b)(9) of the Bankruptcy Code); and

i. any claim held by a person or entity that is not required to file a Proofof Claim pursuant to the Final Order (I) Authorizing the Debtors to ObtainPostpetition Financing, (II) Authorizing the Debtors to Use Cash Collateral,(III) Granting Liens and Providing Superpriority Administrative ExpenseClaims, (IV) Granting Adequate Protection, (V) Modifying Automatic Stay,and (VI) Granting Related Relief [Docket No.233] (the“Final DIP Order”),solely with respect to the claims set forth in the Final DIP Order.

The fact that you have received this Notice does not mean thatyou have claim or that the Debtors or the Bankruptcy Court believethat you have a claim against the Debtors. You should not file aProof of Claim if you do not have a claim against any of the Debtors.

3. INSTRUCTIONS FOR FILING PROOFS OF CLAIM. Except as oth-erwise set forth herein,each entity that asserts a claim against the Debtorsthat arose before the Petition Date MUST file a Proof of Claim.

The following procedures with respect to preparing and filing of Proofsof Claim will apply:

a. Proofs of Claim must substantially conform to the Proof of ClaimForm or the Official Form;

b. Proofs of Claim must (i) be written in the English language; (ii) bedenominated in lawful currency of the United States as of the PetitionDate (using the exchange rate, if applicable, as of the Petition Date); (iii)specify by name and case number the Debtor against which the claimis filed; (iv) set forth with specificity the legal and factual basis for thealleged claim; (v) include supporting documentation for the claim or anexplanation as to why such documentation is not available; and (vi) besigned (electronic signature being acceptable) by the claimant or, if theclaimant is not an individual,by an authorized agent of the claimant underpenalty of perjury;

c. if a claimant asserts a claim against more than one Debtor or hasclaims against different Debtors,the claimant must file a separate Proof ofClaim,as applicable,against each Debtor;

d. Proofs of Claim must be filed either (i) electronically through thewebsite of the Debtors’ claims and noticing agent, Prime Clerk using theinterface available on such website located at http://cases.primeclerk.com/GEE under the link entitled“Submit a Claim”(the“Electronic FilingSystem”) or (ii) by delivering the original Proof of Claim form by hand,or mailing the original Proof of Claim form so as to be received on orbefore the applicable Bar Date as follows: If by First Class Mail: GlobalEagle Entertainment Inc. Claims Processing Center, c/o Prime Clerk LLC,850 3rd Avenue, Suite 412, Brooklyn, NY 11232; If by Hand Delivery orOvernight Mail: Global Eagle Entertainment Inc. Claims ProcessingCenter,c/o Prime Clerk LLC,850 3rd Avenue,Suite 412,Brooklyn,NY 11232.

e. Proofs of Claim will be deemed timely filed only if they are actuallyreceived by Prime Clerk as set forth in subparagraph (d) above,in each case,on or before the applicable Bar Date;

f. Proofs of Claim sent by facsimile, telecopy, or electronic mail trans-mission (other than Proofs of Claim filed electronically through theElectronic Filing System) will not be accepted;and

g. for the avoidance of doubt,a party to an executory contract or unex-pired lease who asserts a claim on account of unpaid amounts accrued

and outstanding of the Petition Date pursuant to such executory con-tract or unexpired lease (other than a rejection damages claim) must filea Proof of Claim for such amounts on or before the General Bar Date, theGovernmental Bar Date,or the Amended Schedules Bar Date,as applicable,unless an exception identified in this Notice applies.

4. CONSEQUENCES OF FAILURE TO TIMELY FILE A PROOF OFCLAIM BY THE APPLICABLE BAR DATE. Pursuant to the Bar DateOrder and Bankruptcy Rule 3003(c)(2),any holder of a claim who isrequired to timely file a Proof of Claim on or before the applicableBar Date as provided herein, but fails to do so will not be treatedas a creditor with respect to such claim for the purposes of votingand distribution in the Debtors’ chapter 11 cases on account ofsuch claim.

5. THE DEBTORS’ SCHEDULES, ACCESS THERETO, ANDCONSEQUENCES OF AMENDMENT THEREOF. You may be listed as theholder of a claim against the Debtors in the Debtors’ Schedules of Assetsand Liabilities and/or Schedules of Executory Contracts and UnexpiredLeases (collectively,the“Schedules”).

If you agree with the nature,amount,and status of your claim as listed inthe Schedules and if your claim is not listed in the Schedules as“disputed,”“contingent,” or “unliquidated,” you need not file a Proof of Claim.Otherwise,or if you decide to file a Proof of Claim,you must do so before theBar Date in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Notice.

Copies of the Schedules may be examined by interested parties on theCourt’s electronic docket for the Debtors’chapter 11 cases,which is posted(i) on the website established by Prime Clerk for the Debtors’ chapter 11cases at http://cases.primeclerk.com/GEE and (ii) on the BankruptcyCourt’s website at https://www.deb.uscourts.gov/ (a login and passwordto the Court’s Public Access to Electronic Court Records (“PACER”) arerequired to access the information on the Bankruptcy Court’s websiteand can be obtained through the PACER Service Center at www.pacer.psc.uscourts.gov). Copies of the Schedules also may be examined betweenthe hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday throughFriday at the Office of the Clerk of the Bankruptcy Court,824 Market StreetNorth, 3rd Floor,Wilmington, DE 19801. Copies of the Schedules also maybe obtained by written request to the Prime Clerk LLC at the address andtelephone number set forth below: Global Eagle Entertainment Inc.ClaimsProcessing Center,c/o Prime Clerk LLC,850 3rd Avenue,Suite 412,Brooklyn,NY 11232,Telephone:(877) 930-4318 (U.S./CanadaToll Free) or (347) 897-4054 (International).

In the event that the Debtors amend or supplement the Schedules afterthe entry of the Bar Date Order,the Debtors will give notice of any amend-ment or supplement to the holders of claims affected by such amend-ment or supplement, and such holders must file a Proof of Claim by thelater of (a) the General Bar Date or the Governmental Bar Date, asapplicable, and (b) 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on the date that is 30days from the date on which the Debtors provide notice of a pre-viously unfiled Schedule or an amendment or supplement to theSchedules (which notice will include a reference to the AmendedSchedules Bar Date), or be forever barred from so doing,and such dead-line will be contained in any notice of such amendment or supplement ofthe Schedules provided to the holders of claims affected thereby.

6. RESERVATION OF RIGHTS. Nothing contained in this Notice isintended to or should be construed as a waiver of the Debtors’right to:(a)dispute, or assert offsets or defenses against, any filed claim or any claimlisted or reflected in the Schedules as to the nature, amount, liability, orclassification thereof; (b) subsequently designate any scheduled claimas disputed, contingent, or unliquidated; and (c) otherwise amend orsupplement the Schedules.

If you require additional information regarding the filing ofa Proof of Claim, you may contact Prime Clerk by telephoneat (877) 930-4318 (U.S./Canada Toll Free) or (347) 897-4054(International) or by e-mail at GEEinfo@primeclerk.com.

A holder of a possible claim against the Debtors should consult anattorney if such holder has any questions regarding this Notice,including whether the holder should file a Proof of Claim1 The Debtors in these cases, along with the last four digits of eachDebtor’s federal tax identification number are: Global Eagle EntertainmentInc. (7800), Airline Media Productions, Inc. (2314), Emerging MarketsCommunications, LLC (0735), Entertainment in Motion, Inc. (3908),Global Eagle Entertainment Operations Solutions, Inc. (3375), GlobalEagle Services, LLC (7899), Global Eagle Telecom Licensing Subsidiary LLC(2547),IFE Services (USA),Inc.(2120),Inflight Productions USA Inc.(8493),Maritime Telecommunications Network, Inc. (9974), MTN GovernmentServices, Inc. (6069), MTN International, Inc. (8559), MTN License Corp.(0314), N44HQ, LLC (0570), Post Modern Edit, Inc. (6256), Row 44, Inc.(2959), and The Lab Aero, Inc. (9831). The Debtors’ address is 6080 CenterDrive,Suite 1200,Los Angeles,California 90045.2 For the avoidance of doubt, a party to an executory contract or unex-pired lease who asserts a claim on account of unpaid amounts accruedand outstanding of the Petition Date pursuant to such executory con-tract or unexpired lease (other than a rejection damages claim) must filea Proof of Claim for such amounts on or before the General Bar Date, theGovernmental Bar Date,or the Amended Schedules Bar Date,as applicable,unless an exception identified in this Motion applies.3 The Official Form can be found at www.uscourts.gov/forms/bankruptcy-forms, the official website for the United States Bankruptcy Courts. TheProof of Claim Form can be found at http://cases.primeclerk.com/GEE, thewebsite established by Prime Clerk for the Debtors’chapter 11 cases.

SAN FRANCISCO – Dry,windy weather posed an ex-treme wildfire risk Wednesdayin Northern California, wheremassive blazes have destroyedhundreds of homes and killedor injured dozens of people.

The National Weather Ser-vice issued a red-flag warningfor extreme fire danger from 5a.m. through Friday morning.Amid bone-dry conditions andwind gusts possibly hitting 55mph, Pacific Gas & Electricwarned that it might cut powerto as many as 54,000 custom-ers in 24 counties.

The dangerous weather con-ditions developed after most ofthe huge fires that erupted overthe past eight weeks have beenfully or significantly containedand skies once stained orangewere blue again.

Preemptive electricity cutsare a strategy aimed at pre-venting fires from being startedby power lines that have beendamaged or knocked down byhigh winds. “We really view itas a last resort option,” saidMark Quinlan, PG&E’s incidentcommander.

The utility deployed genera-tors to keep electricity flowingin areas that might lose power,Quinlan said.

About 200 people in Hum-boldt County in the far northernpart of the state could lose pow-er Thursday afternoon as windsaffect that area, PG&E said.

All power should be restoredby late Friday night, the utilitysaid.

The outages would includeregions hit by massive wild-fires. The Glass Fire that rav-aged the wine country of Napaand Sonoma counties wasnearly surrounded after de-stroying more than 1,500homes and other buildings.

PG&E said it could cut powerto more than 9,200 customersin Napa and about 1,800 in So-noma.

Farther north, the Zogg Firein Shasta and Tehama countieswas 99% contained. Four peo-ple died in that blaze. PG&Esaid its cuts could affect nearly4,700 customers in Shasta andabout 1,200 in Tehama.

More than 8,500 wildfireshave burned more than 6,406square miles in California sincethe start of the year – mostlysince mid-August. Thirty-onepeople died, and more than9,200 buildings were de-stroyed.

Studies have linked biggerwildfires in America to climatechange from the burning ofcoal, oil and gas. Scientists saidclimate change has made Cali-fornia much drier, meaningtrees and other plants are moreflammable.

PG&E said last month that itwould shorten power shutoffsafter receiving widespreadcriticism last year when itturned off electricity to 2 mil-lion people to prevent itsequipment from sparking wild-fires.

PG&E’s aging equipmenthas sparked some of the state’slargest wildfires, including the

fire that destroyed much ofthe town of Paradise andkilled 85 in 2018.

The utility pleaded guiltyin June to 84 felony counts ofinvoluntary manslaughter;one death was ruled a suicide.The utility paid $25.5 billionin settlements to cover thelosses from power-line-sparked catastrophes.

Wildfires will remain athreat in California indefinite-ly.

“We have had a historic fireseason this year,” PG&E mete-orologist Scott Strenfel said.“We are and will continue tobe in the peak of fire seasonuntil the rain and snow re-turns. And all of us here hopethat it returns sooner ratherthan later.”

Lights from a fire truck illuminate firefighters working the Bobcat Fire near Cedar Springs in the Angeles National Forest on Sept. 21 in Los Angeles. FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

California is bracingfor another fire threat Windy conditionscould prompt cutsin customer powerASSOCIATED PRESS

ANCHORAGE, Alaska –The mayor of Alaska’s largestcity submitted his resignationTuesday night, four days afteran anchorwoman at a localtelevision station threatenedto report he had posted nudephotos of himself on a web-site.

Ethan Berkowitz adamant-ly denied her allegations, buton Monday admitted he hadan inappropriate relationshipwith Maria Athens, the an-chor at a Fox/ABC combinedstation in Anchorage.

“It is with profound sad-ness and humility that I re-sign as mayor of the Munici-pality of Anchorage,” he saidin a statement read at the An-chorage Assembly meeting byhis chief of staff, Jason Bock-enstedt, and later emailed tothe media. “My resignationresults from unacceptablepersonal conduct that hascompromised my ability toperform my duties with thefocus and trust that is re-quired.”

Berkowitz, 58, noted thathis conduct did great injury tohis wife, their family, his staffand the people of Anchorage.

A small but vocal crowdstood and cheered the resig-nation, effective Oct. 23.

The saga that has been thebuzz of Anchorage startedwhen Athens posted a videoon her Facebook page Friday,the same day the stationbarred her from the studio. Inthe video, she claimed shewould break a story that nightclaiming Berkowitz postednude photos to an underage

website. She later also postedwhat she said was a photo ofthe mayor’s nude back side.

Berkowitz’s office immedi-ately denied the unsubstantiat-ed allegation. A day later, An-chorage police said they andthe FBI investigated and foundno evidence of criminal con-duct.

Audio of a profanity- andracist-laden voicemail also sur-faced late Monday, in which awoman who identified herselfas Athens and who rattled offher network affiliations threat-ened to kill Berkowitz, who isJewish, and his wife. The audioof the Friday morning phonecall to Berkowitz was obtainedby the online blog The AlaskaLandmine.

Athens was arrested laterFriday after trespassing in thestudio. She allegedly accostedthe station manager, who doc-uments identify as her boy-friend, and was arrested by po-lice. Her story never aired.

Athens was charged with as-sault, criminal mischief anddisorderly conduct. She was re-leased Monday after postingbail.

According to the city charter,Felix Rivera, chairman of theAnchorage Assembly, willserve as acting mayor until aspecial election is held.

A Democrat, Berkowitz waselected to his second three-year term as mayor in 2018

Anchorage, Alaskamayor steps down He acknowledges‘unacceptablepersonal conduct’Mark ThiessenASSOCIATED PRESS

Mayor Ethan Berkowitz admits to an inappropriaterelationship. VIA AP

INDIANAPOLIS – Apparent-ly, everything from the ‘80sdoes eventually make a come-back.

On Monday afternoon, anIndiana fisherman searchingfor a bite on Geist Reservoirroughly 20 miles outside of In-dianapolis found a 1987 Chev-rolet Camaro reported stolenmore than 30 years ago.

According to the Fishers Po-lice Department, the fishermanused sonar to find the retro rideupside down in several feet ofsilt.

The original stolen vehiclereport was filed in July of 1988,police said. The muscle car waspulled from the water with theassistance of a towing service.

“Sadly the owner is now de-ceased and never was able tofind out what happened to theircar,” Fishers police said in aFacebook post shared Tuesday

afternoon. “It is hard to imagine the ve-

hicle sat underwater over thirtyyears undetected. #hideand-seekchampion #teamwork.”

Camaro stolen in 1988is found in reservoirJustin L. MackIndianapolis Star

USA TODAY NETWORK

On Monday, a local fisherman using SONAR found a 1987 ChevroletCamaro that was reportedstolen in the summer of 1988.FISHERS POLICE DEPARTMENT

WASHINGTON

6A ❚ THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020 ❚ USA TODAY E2 NEWS

Five years after the Supreme Courtmade marriage equality the law of theland with Obergefell v. Hodges, two con-servative justices are calling that rulinginto question, perhaps previewing thecourt’s agenda if Republicans succeedin confirming Amy Coney Barrett.

In declining to hear an appeal fromKim Davis, a former Kentucky clerk whoturned away a same-sex couple seekinga marriage license, Justices ClarenceThomas and Samuel Alito suggestedthat marriage equality should be over-turned. The justices argued that thecourt decided a matter that should havebeen left to state legislatures and re-stricted religious freedoms.

“Obergefell enables courts and gov-ernments to brand religious adherentswho believe that marriage is betweenone man and one woman as bigots,making their religious liberty concernsthat much easier to dismiss,” Thomasadded.

The statement is an invitation tobring cases that would strip LGBTQcouples of the right to marry, accordingto LGBTQ legal experts.

“So much for precedent and judicialrestraint,” tweeted former Democraticpresidential candidate Pete Buttigieg.“Two justices now openly call for an endto marriage equality – knowing reinfor-cements are on the way.”

Camilla Taylor, a Lambda Legal attor-ney who fought the Obergefell case thatmade marriage equality legal nation-wide, says she is “absolutely” concernedabout the fate of the law as the Senateprepares to confirm Barrett.

“Marriage equality is one of the topissues targeted by the very wealthy far-right activists that we have battled allalong,” Taylor told The 19th.

Taylor said she now believes that allbets are off, and all LGBTQ rights are upfor grabs.

“It is hard to trust that the court willtreat our lives, our cases, in a mannerthat respects basic humanity,” she said.

Barrett, President Donald Trump’spick to replace the late Justice RuthBader Ginsburg, has been painted as afoe of LGBTQ equality. She has givenlectures to extreme anti-LGBTQ group

Alliance Defending Freedom, whichthe Southern Poverty Law Center hasdesignated as a hate group. Twenty-seven LGBTQ organizations opposedher confirmation to the Seventh Cir-cuit Court of Appeals in 2017.

In a 2016 lecture at JacksonvilleUniversity, Barrett said it would“strain” the text of Title IX to allowtransgender people to use public rest-rooms that match their genders, cate-gorizing trans women as “males.”

“People will feel passionately on ei-ther side about whether physiologicalmales who identify as females shouldbe permitted in bathrooms, especiallywhere there are young girls present,”Barrett said.

But despite Barrett’s record, somefeel that some basic LGBTQ rights aresafe. James Esseks, director of theACLU’s LGBT & HIV Project, does notexpect the court to overturn marriageequality outright.

“That said, there are definitelysome on the court who would overturnit,” Esseks said. “But look, the freedomto marry is something that has becomea part of American culture.”

What he anticipates are wide carve-outs for people of faith that substan-tially undermine the institution ofmarriage for LGBTQ people.

Alphonso David, president of theHuman Rights Campaign, has a namefor those marriages.

“From eliminating hospital visita-tion rights and medical decision-mak-ing in religiously affiliated medicalcenters to granting businesses a li-cense to discriminate against LGBTQcouples, ‘skim-milk marriage’ wouldhave a devastating effect on our com-munity’s ability to live freely andopenly,” he said in a statement.

This story was published in partner-ship with The 19th, a nonprofit, non-partisan newsroom reporting on gen-der, politics and policy.

High court mayend marriageequality in USConservative justices call2015 ruling into question

Kate SosinThe 19th

“Marriage equality is one

of the top issues targeted

by the very wealthy

far-right activists.”Camilla TaylorLambda Legal attorney

lic employee unions, she said, “I thinkthat judges should not have projects,and they should not have campaigns.They should decide cases.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.,opened the day by trying to show thatBarrett is unlikely to favor overturningthe Affordable Care Act. He and otherselicited responses from her indicatingthat a Supreme Court showdown Nov.10 over the law may erase the mandatethat people buy insurance but not therest of the law.

Severing an unconstitutional provi-sion rather than striking down the lawitself “serves a valuable function oftrying not to undo your work,” Barretttold Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.,the ranking Democrat on the panel.

Graham asked leading questionsabout issues dear to Democrats, in-cluding preserving Roe v. Wade’s abor-tion right and the high court ruling al-lowing same-sex marriage in 2015. Ifthose precedents came back to thecourt, he said, Barrett would take intoaccount the degree to which Ameri-cans rely on the Supreme Court’s earli-er judgment.

“I hope it’s OK that you can be pro-life and adhere to your faith and still beconsidered by your fellow citizensworthy of this job,” Graham said.

That still left plenty to argue about.Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., suggestedthat Barrett rates gun rights as more

important than voting rights, based onher appeals court dissent favoring anonviolent felon’s right to gun owner-ship. In many states, felons cannot voteor face restrictions on that right.

“I have never denigrated the right tovote,” Barrett said, accusing Durbin ofdistorting her record. “I think voting is afundamental right.”

But when Democratic vice presiden-tial nominee Kamala Harris asked Bar-rett to comment on the court’s 2013 rul-ing that weakened the Voting Rights Actor its ruling in April blocking expandedmail balloting in Wisconsin during theCOVID-19 pandemic, she refused.

“These are very charged issues,” Bar-rett said. “They have been litigated inthe courts. And so I will not engage onthat question.”

Democrats had only limited successwith an age-old tactic: seeking to putthe nominee on record in favor of estab-lished rights and prior rulings. She en-dorsed the court’s decisions on schoolintegration and interracial marriage butwould not say the same about the rightto birth control, gay and lesbian privacyrights or same-sex marriage.

“You are pushing me to try to violatethe judicial canons to offer advisoryopinions, and I won’t do that,” Barretttold Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.

“I think a lot of Americans will bescared by the idea that people who wantto simply marry or have a relationshipwith the person they love could find itcriminalized, could find marriage equal-ity cut back,” Blumenthal responded.

Contributing: Nicholas Wu, ChristalHayes

Judge Amy Coney Barrett enters the hearing room on the third day of SenateJudiciary Committee confirmation hearings. HANNAH GABER/USA TODAY

BarrettContinued from Page 1A

When President Donald Trumpnominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett toserve on the Supreme Court, Demo-crats – including former Vice PresidentJoe Biden – accused him of defyingprecedent and becoming the first presi-dent to nominate a justice while “apresidential election is already under-way.”

This was refuted in a tweet by con-servative author Douglas Karr, who list-ed 10 times presidents nominatedsomeone to the country’s highest courtduring an election year.

Attempts to reach Karr through hiswebsite and Twitter were unsuccessful.

The post used an excerpt from astatement Biden gave Sept. 27 in re-sponse to Trump’s announcement of hispick.

Biden’s full quote: “Never before inour nation’s history has a SupremeCourt justice been nominated and in-stalled while a presidential election isalready underway.

“It defies every precedent, every ex-pectation of a nation where the people,the people, are sovereign and the rule oflaw reigns.”

His campaign confirmed to FactCh-eck.org that “already underway” meantvoting had started.

Supreme Court nominations

The Senate keeps a comprehensivelist on its website of every nominationto the Supreme Court going all the wayback to 1789.

It includes the date of nomination,whom the nominee was to replace, arecord of the Senate vote and the confir-mation date if the nomination was suc-cessful.

When did the nominations listed inKarr’s tweet occur?

h 1988: President Ronald Reagannominated Justice Anthony Kennedyon Nov. 30, 1987. The Senate confirmedKennedy on Feb. 3, 1988.

h 1940: President Franklin Rooseveltnominated Justice Frank Murphy onJan. 2. The Senate confirmed him 12days later.

h 1932: President Herbert Hoovernominated Justice Benjamin Cardozoon Feb. 15, and the Senate confirmedhim Feb. 24.

h 1916: President Woodrow Wilsonnominated Justice John Clark on July14. He was confirmed July 24.

h 1916: Wilson nominated JusticeLouis Brandeis on Jan. 28. The Senateconfirmed him June 1.

h 1912: President William Taft nomi-nated Justice Mahlon Pitney on Feb. 19,and he was confirmed March 13.

h 1892: President Benjamin Harrisonnominated Justice George Shiras onJuly 19. The Senate confirmed Shiras onJuly 26.

h 1888: President Grover Clevelandnominated Justice Melville Fuller on

April 30. He was confirmed July 20. h 1796:President George Washington

nominated Oliver Ellsworth on March 3.The Senate confirmed Ellsworth thenext day.

h 1796: Washington nominated twomen on Jan. 26. One of them declined,and the other, Justice Samuel Chase,was confirmed Jan. 27.

Early voting

Congress passed the PresidentialElection Day Act in 1845 to create a uni-form date for presidential and vicepresidential elections.

It set the date as “the Tuesday afterthe first Monday in November.”

Before this law, states set their owndates, and elections could run the entiremonth of November.

Some even stretched into the firstweek of December.

USA TODAY could find no evidenceof voting before November during the1700s or 1800s.

This year, mail-in or absentee votingbegan in early September.

A a number of states began bothmail-in and in-person early voting Sept.18 – the day Justice Ruth Bader Gins-burg died.

Reed College Professor Paul Gronke,who runs the nonpartisan Early VotingInformation Center, said early votingdidn’t exist for the general public untilthe 1950s.

“Absentee ballots were first put inplace in the 1864 election. That is abso-lutely the earliest time you could have

people casting a ballot prior to an elec-tion date,” Gronke said.

“It was in place for soldiers during theCivil War and then stopped.”

The practice resumed for those serv-ing abroad during World War I andWorld War II.

But the process wasn’t formalizeduntil the Military and Overseas VotingEmpowerment Act in 2009.

The law created a “45-day transmis-sion period for military and overseasballots,” Gronke said.

That’s the window many states usefor their domestic absentee ballots andin-person early voting.

“The modern era of absentee votingdidn’t start until 1978,” Gronke said.

That’s when California became thefirst state in the nation to remove its re-quirement of a written excuse to cast anabsentee ballot.

When asked whether he’d heard ofany state casting a ballot in July (the lat-est any of these confirmations tookplace), Gronke said no.

Our rating: False

None of the nominations in Karr’stweet was made while Americans werevoting for president.

Taft and Hoover were running for re-election when they made their nomina-tions in 1912 and 1932.

Both men lost in November.

Our fact check work is supported inpart by a grant from Facebook, whichhas no say over their content.

FACT CHECK

Timing of Barrett choice draws scrutinyHistory shows claim byconservative is false

Anna StaverThe Columbus Dispatch

USA TODAY NETWORK

NEWS USA TODAY ❚ THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020 ❚ 7A

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Chief Revenue Officer, sales and service: Kevin Gentzel

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USA TODAYEditor in Chief

NICOLE CARROLL

“USA TODAY hopes to serve as a forum for better understanding and unity to help make the USA truly one nation.” – Allen H. Neuharth, Founder, Sept. 15, 1982

OPINION

MIKE THOMPSON/USA TODAY NETWORK

During her confirmation hearings,Judge Amy Coney Barrett was sur-rounded by huge pictures of sick indi-viduals. One would think that Barrettwas being confronted with the faces ofher victims. The pictures were meant topressure Barrett to either satisfy sena-tors that she would vote against an Af-fordable Care Act challenge or theywould vote against her confirmation.

The images captured an importantmessage: Senators had broken freefrom any pretense of principle in re-viewing the qualifications of a SupremeCourt nominee. Indeed, many areabout to create a new rule, the “BarrettRule,” allowing conditional voting.

There has long been debate over thelegitimate grounds for opposing a Su-preme Court nominee. While senatorscan vote under the Constitution for anyreason at all, for most of our history,senators followed a rule of senatorialdeference that held disagreement witha nominee’s jurisprudential views wasnot a basis to oppose confirmation.

A president was viewed as constitu-tionally entitled to appoint jurists re-flecting his own legal viewpoint. Theprimary basis for voting against anominee was on the lack of qualifica-tions or some disqualifying personal orprofessional controversy.

Politics by another means

Members began to chafe at the limi-tations of this principle in the secondhalf of the 20th century. With abortion,desegregation and other hot-button is-sues, confirmations became politics byanother means. Senators became moreopen about voting against nomineessolely on the basis of their expectedvotes. This trend was accelerated inOctober 1987 in the confirmation hear-ing of Judge Robert Bork, presided overby a senator from Delaware named JoeBiden. Bork was labeled “outside of themainstream” and rejected in a processthat is now called “Borking.”

Democratic members have strug-gled with changing rationales for vot-ing against Barrett, who has impecca-ble credentials as an accomplished ac-ademic and respected jurist.

Sen. Chris Coons claimed the nomi-nation “constitutes court packing.”Both Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris re-ferred to nominating conservatives ascourt packing, while refusing to tell vot-ers whether they will move to pack theSupreme Court if the Democrats retakeboth the Senate and the White House (aproposal once denounced by JusticeRuth Bader Ginsburg herself). Insistingthat Barrett’s nomination is court pack-ing allows Coons and others to voteagainst her without the need to consid-er her actual qualifications.

Court packing is the expansion ofthe court to create a dominant ideologi-cal majority. Biden once denouncedFranklin Delano Roosevelt’s proposal

to add seats to the court just to create amajority as “a bonehead idea ... a ter-rible, terrible mistake.”

Filling a vacancy on the SupremeCourt is not court packing under anyplausible definition. Otherwise, any-time you disagree with the choices of apresident, it would be court packingdespite leaving the court the same size.

With little traction on the packingpitch, senators were left with a rare mo-ment of clarity. Sen. Cory Booker cap-tured it best when, without waiting tohear from Barrett, Booker announcedthat he would vote against her becauseshe might vote against the AffordableCare Act in the upcoming case Califor-nia v. Texas. The suggestion is that, af-ter an election, Democrats hoped tonominate someone who clearly sup-ports the ACA.

ACB and the ACA

Thirty-three years after the Borkhearing, we have now reached the Rub-icon of confirmation politics. Senatorswill oppose Barrett because of her ex-pected votes on cases.

In reality, the ACA is unlikely to bestruck down. The court may uphold thelower court in declaring the individualmandate of the original ACA to be un-constitutional, but the real issue iswhether that provision can be “sev-ered” from the rest of the statute. Mostlegal experts believe that the court hasa clear majority favoring severance andpreserving the rest of the act.

The question before the court cutsacross the court’s ideological divisions.Indeed, conservatives like Justice BrettKavanaugh are expected to uphold therest of the law. Thus, the picture for theACA looks solid even with a JusticeBarrett on the court; and no one knowshow Barrett would vote on severability.

The more important decision in thehearing is that senators are now invok-ing the right to vote against a nomineeon the basis of her expected vote on apending case. It will be a uniquely iron-ic moment since it was Ginsburg whorefused to answer questions on pend-ing or expected cases as improper andunethical inquiries by the Senate. It be-came known as the “Ginsburg Rule.”We may now have the “Barrett Rule,”where a nomination can be rejectedwithout such assurances.

The “Barrett Rule” would allow forthe packing of the court with guaran-teed ideological drones. It is courtpacking without any pretense. Like ourcurrent politics, it would finally stripaway any nuance or nicety. The court,like Congress, would become subject toraw and brutal politics at its very worst.

Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro Pro-fessor of Public Interest Law at GeorgeWashington University and a memberof USA TODAY’s Board of Contributors.

Nominating Barrett is not court packingDemocrats bring rawpolitics to court vote

Jonathan Turley

WANT TO COMMENT? Have Your Say atletters@usatoday.com, @usatodayopinion onTwitter and facebook.com/usatodayopinion.Comments are edited for length and clarity. Con-tent submitted to USA TODAY may appear in print,digital or other forms. For letters, include name,address and phone number. Letters may be mailedto 7950 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, VA, 22108.

Texas is known for its bigness. Andone of its biggest features is the chasmbetween its enormous urban metropo-lises and its tiny rural communities.

Harris County, home to Houston andmany of its suburbs, has 4.7 millionpeople, making it more populous thannearby Louisiana. Harris County is, infact, bigger than 25 American statesand would rate eight, and possiblynine, electoral votes if it were a state it-self. Roughly evenly divided betweenthe parties as late as 2012, it has turneddecidedly blue in the era of DonaldTrump.

On the other extreme are Texas’ 184counties with populations of less than50,000. Of these, perhaps the mostchronicled is Loving County, a flat ex-panse of West Texas populated by oilwells, desert shrubs and 169 people. Itspolitics are evident in the number ofvotes for Hillary Clinton in 2016: four.

So, when the governor and attorneygeneral, both Republicans, announcethat they will limit mail ballot dropbox-es to one per county, it is not hard to seewhat they are after.

What’s harder to figure out is whythey have such a profound death wishfor the Republican Party. Do they notsee that this will only motivate Demo-crats and anger swing voters? Do theynot know that the future of Texas poli-tics will be determined in the state’shigh-growth suburbs that they areslapping in the face?

The state's argument that it is nowallowing people to go to their one drop-box location throughout October, andnot just on Election Day, only carries somuch weight. Large counties want tocreate more drop-off locales, and thestate is stopping them from doing so.

In addition to the one-per-countydropbox rule, which will largely impactseniors, the Republican Party has sued

Harris County (unsuccessfully so far)over in-person early voting, which be-gan in Texas on Tuesday with recordturnout and long lines.

Harris County’s offense was in doingthe right thing in a community that hassuffered more than 150,000 confirmedCOVID-19 cases, the fourth highest to-tal among the nation's counties as ofWednesday. It created 10 drive-throughearly-voting locations where peoplecan vote without having to go insidewith other people.

The voter suppression efforts in Tex-as are, regrettably, part of a nationaltrend. In Pennsylvania the Trump cam-paign sued the state in an effort to elim-inate all dropboxes. In Wisconsin, Re-publicans have even attacked voter in-formation booths, where people can getquestions answered and drop off bal-lots if they wish.

These efforts are particularly perni-cious as they come amid a pandemicthat has made people genuinely afraidof voting in person, and after theTrump administration sought to ham-string the U.S. Postal Service, raisingdoubts about whether ballots would bedelivered on time.

Moreover, these actions are just thelatest for a party that has trafficked infalse narratives of voter fraud, aggres-sively purged voter rolls and disenfran-chised multitudes through gerryman-dering.

Sadly, the party of Abe Lincoln andRonald Reagan, two great presidentswho expanded the Republican fran-chise, has been reduced to a sorry state.Having too closely associated itselfwith resistance to change, it is on thelosing side of a demographic shift.Now, struggling to hold on to the powerit once took for granted, it has lowereditself to the level of trying to make itharder for people to vote.

TODAY'S DEBATE: VOTING

Our view: In Texas, one dropboxin a county of 4.7 million people

Poll workers help as early voting kicks off in Austin. SERGIO FLORES/ GETTY IMAGES

To accommodate election chal-lenges posed by COVID-19, Texas hasmade voting easier than ever before.

Texans can vote in one of threeways: On Election Day, before ElectionDay during the early voting period, orby mail for eligible voters.

Election Day voting has been ex-panded by having more voting loca-tions than ever and by allowing thoselocations to operate longer hours.

In-person early voting is expandedby an additional week to make it easierfor Texans to vote in person in lesscrowded settings.

Texans eligible to vote by mail typi-cally submit their vote by mail. Texaslaw also allows mail-in ballots to behand-delivered, in person, only onElection Day.

To give Texans who want to submittheir mail-in ballot in person more flex-ibility, the time to do so was extendedfrom just one day to 40 days.

And as we make it easier for Texansto vote, we also have an obligation topreserve the integrity of elections.

That’s why Texas requires hand-de-livered mail-in ballots to be cast at asingle, designated location in eachcounty, while also allowing poll watch-ers to monitor these locations.

Some misconstrue the single loca-tion for mail-in ballots to also limit allearly voting to a single location. Farfrom it, there are more early voting lo-cations than ever before. And, obvious-ly, every mailbox in town is a locationwhere a mail-in ballot can be placed.

Combined, these actions expand ab-sentee voting in Texas while also pro-tecting against voter fraud.

A federal court of appeals agrees,stating that the Texas mail-in ballot de-cision is “an expansion of absentee vot-ing in Texas, not a restriction of it” andthat “one strains to see how it burdensvoting at all.”

Any suggestion that Texas has re-stricted voting is simply baseless. Thefacts tell a different story. In Texas, weexpanded voter access while protectingelection integrity and mitigating thespread of COVID-19.

Greg Abbott is governor of Texas.

Opposing view: We expandedaccess and protected integrityGreg Abbott

RACE IN AMERICA

8A ❚ THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020 ❚ USA TODAY E2 NEWS

h h h

Charles Hicks reached inside his suitjacket and pulled out a folded paperscrawled with his handwriting. A unionleader in Washington, Hicks studied thespeech he’d written the night before.

From his vantage on stage at the westfront of the Capitol, Hicks took in thesight of Black faces stretching a mile tothe Washington Monument. This wasthe heart of America, home of the brave,land of the free. And they were repeat-ing his chant: “We are here!”

h h h

Virgil Killebrew, a street poet fromChicago, arrived early enough to standdirectly in front of the stage. But the am-plifiers were so loud, and the crowd sosuffocating, he retreated to the fringes.

There were signs and flags. Musicblared between speeches. Black handsclenched together in prayer against ablue sky, clouds scudding overhead.

“I lost my mind,” recalls Killebrew,now 71. “It wasn’t the speeches. It wasthe excitement. ... You felt the truth of allthese people saying, ‘Black Power.’”

He realized, “This is bigger than us.”h h h

A chant arose with the introductionof Rosa Parks, a diminutive Black wom-an who in 1955 refused to sit at the backof an Alabama bus.

As she stepped to the microphone,hundreds of thousands of voiceschimed in. “Rosa! Rosa! Rosa!”

For Kokayi Nosakhere, then a 21-year-old college student from Anchor-age, it was the apex of a sublime experi-ence. He and 15 other Alaskans had trav-eled more than 4,000 miles to join theMillion Man March, which occurred 25years ago Friday.

Now a community organizer for so-cial justice, Nosakhere’s online bio says“his attendance at the Million ManMarch set the course of his life.”

An activist. A union leader. A citycouncilman. A poet.

That day in October 1995 has stayedwith these four men, though not neces-sarily as an inflection point. Life is morecomplicated than that.

‘I don’t back down’

The Million Man March was Nosak-here’s first political demonstration.Twenty-five years later, he’s still at it.

After returning to Alaska, he becamea community worker for the NAACP,staged a hunger strike for school nutri-tion funding and “played politics” toachieve social justice.

When Black Lives Matter marchedthrough Eugene, Oregon, this summerto protest police brutality, he was there.

Those who think the Million ManMarch was supposed to change Americagot it wrong, Nosakhere says: “The goalwas to change us. I raised my hand onOct. 16, 1995, and I have not taken itdown. I’ve fulfilled my oath to go back tomy community and make it a betterplace.

“I’m still here,” he says. “I don’t backdown from white supremacy.”

Black pain, power and humanity

In overhead photos, they were fourpixels in a panoply of African Americanmen.

There were 837,000 in all, or400,000, or 1.9 million. Even the num-ber of attendees remains in dispute, likeso many things about one of the largestdemonstrations ever to hit America’scapital.

They chanted, laughed, danced, lis-tened to speeches, sang, cried and madevows. Despite stereotypes and predic-tions, there was no violence, looting orarrests. Just an outpouring of heart andan intaking of hope.

The goals and leadership were con-troversial and divisive even then – notjust to white Americans, but to AfricanAmericans watching on television andeven there.

Some did not want to be affiliatedwith the Nation of Islam or its leader,Louis Farrakhan, whose preaching in-cludes Black nationalism and anti-Semitism.

Some saw the stated purpose – “ADay of Atonement” – as an acceptanceof guilt by Black men for conditions thatare a legacy of slavery, discriminationand white supremacy.

Some believed it was an affront, orpolitically shortsighted, not to invitewomen and non-Black sympathizers.

And yet the idea of uniting in a decla-ration of African American pain, powerand humanity caught fire.

There were many declarations thatday, perhaps a million takeaways. And

then, after a long speech by Farrakhan,it was over.

Men went home, full of energy andideas.

In the 25 years since, America haselected an African American as presi-dent, seen diversity become a work-place buzzword and watched NBA play-ers wear jerseys emblazoned with“Black Lives Matter.”

We’ve also witnessed videos of policekilling unarmed Black men, demonstra-tions veering into rioting and a presi-dent who urged a group critics say hasties to white supremacy to “stand backand stand by.”

Hicks, 75, says nationwide protestsagainst police abuses are a “new birth”of the Million Man March and the civilrights movement’s spirit and purpose.

“If I was 30 years younger, I’d be outthere,” he says. “I’m not young enoughto run and to dodge tear gas.”

‘We had to represent’

Killebrew started writing poetry longafter the drugs, lost jobs and prisonterms. He was in Chicago, asking for abed in a Salvation Army shelter. Thegatekeeper wanted him to fill out a formexplaining his circumstances.

He could have mentioned his experi-ences with racism or three stints in pris-on.

Instead, when Killebrew filled out theform, he impulsively wrote a poem —the first of his life. He titled it, “Power-less and Insane,” the way he felt after hewas introduced to heroin. He had founda vocation.

Killebrew was living in a transienthotel in 1995 when a local radio hostheard about his poetry and invited himon the show. Lu Palmer, considered thegodfather of Black activism in Chicago,asked the guest to recite a poem titled,“True Black Man.”

“Call-in lines were ringing and lightswere blinking,” Killebrew recalls. Palm-er acted like his guest had won a prize,declaring, “You’re going to the MillionMan March!”

h h h

Nosakhere had never been to a dem-onstration, but he was steeped in Blackpolitics and culture. His dad, an NAACPleader in Alaska, presided over Kwanzaaand Juneteenth celebrations and hadbrought Farrakhan to Anchorage.

“I grew up Blackety-Black-Black,”Nosakhere says.

Still, it is one thing for a boy to inheritviews, another to adopt them. During hissenior year in high school, Nosakherespent $5.99 at Waldenbooks for a copy of“The Autobiography of Malcolm X.”

Nosakhere abandoned his birthname and adopted a Swahili monikerthat he says means, “Summon the peo-

ple, old messenger, because God is onhis way.” When he learned about Farra-khan’s call for Black males to convergeon the nation’s capital, he was all in.

h h h

Stokes, now 65, was on the JacksonCity Council then, as now, and felt a du-ty to join the march. He and others start-ed scrounging for money to charter bus-es, going to funeral homes and otherBlack businesses.

“We got out there and started beg-ging,” he recalls. “We had to represent.”

h h h

Hicks, the union leader in Washing-ton, had a legacy to consider when hewas asked to join a news conferenceabout the march. He hailed from Boga-lusa, Louisiana, where his father, Rob-ert, founded a chapter of Deacons forDefense and Justice, an armed group ofBlack men who defended against at-tacks by the Ku Klux Klan in the 1960s.

Hicks remembers one night in 1965,when friends showed up to protect hisfamily after the sheriff warned a lynchmob planned to burn down their home.Police wouldn’t help, Hicks recalls. “Ifwe didn’t protect ourselves, we were sit-ting ducks.”

Ben Chavis, one of the march orga-nizers, attended that news conference.Chavis asked Hicks who his father wasand, in a nod to the legendary civil rightsactivist, invited Hicks to speak on thebig day.

The journeys begin

Stokes says fear was palpable as hisgroup boarded a bus in Jackson. Therewas talk of possible violence. “Youdidn’t know if you’d make it back home,”he says.

They prayed when the bus took offand at every stop along the nearly 1,000-mile ride. “The only way these trips aregoing to be successful,” Stokes says, “isyou’ve got to put God first.”

Nosakhere’s flight from Anchoragelanded in Boston, where he spent a fewdays at the home of a family friend be-fore driving to Washington.

Church vans and buses were literallyrocking down the interstate, Nosakhererecalls, full of brothers charged with an-ticipation – and with fear of an attack bylaw enforcement or haters. “All of ’emwere singing,” he says. “We were fortify-ing ourselves. We thought we were go-ing to die that day.”

Different things for different people

Farrakhan’s original idea was essen-tially religious. Black men of all faithswould gather for preaching, prayers andpromises. But amid the publicity of ayearlong run-up, politics elbowed itsway onto the agenda and the Million

Man March morphed into differentthings for different people.

Nosakhere saw police on horsebackwith nothing to do. “We told them, ‘Youaren’t needed today, homey.’ There wasnot one fight, no weed being smoked, noliquor. … It was one of the few times inmy life I actually felt safe.”

There were food tents, first-aid cen-ters and voter registration booths. Eighthours of speechifying and preachingwith musical interludes.

On stage, the comedian-activist DickGregory kept shouting into the micro-phone, “I love you!” Just about everyonesang “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” knownas the Black national anthem.

Clarence Lang, now a professor of Af-rican American studies at Penn StateUniversity and dean of the College of theLiberal Arts, was not among them. In-stead, the 22-year-old grad student wasback in Edwardsville, Illinois, becausein his mind the messaging of the MillionMan March was ill-considered.

What are Black men supposed toatone for, he wondered? It was likeblaming victims – telling people whohad been beaten down for centuriesthey needed to make amends.

Lang saw a different path to racialjustice, one that didn’t adhere to themarch’s “fundamentally patriarchal”message. So he was home that day,watching on TV.

After a six-hour program, Farrakhancame to the mike wearing his signaturebowtie. He spoke for nearly two and ahalf hours. At one point,

he led the masses in an oath that be-gan, “I pledge that from this day forwardI will strive to love my brother as I lovemyself.”

Stokes remembers Farrakhan’sspeech being “long-winded,” but fieryand powerful. His eyes overflowed a fewtimes that day, and he wasn’t the onlyone. “ You feel so blessed to see so manyBlack people together for a positivething.”

An indelible event

Back in Alaska after the march, No-sakhere wrote a column declaring, “I wasblessed to witness what countless othershave died to promote: a display of perfectunity among African Americans.”

In retrospect, he believes the marchbumped Black activism for a few years,but he doesn’t see it as transformative.

h h h

Killibrew, the poet, was mesmerizedbut not galvanized. The overpoweringemotions of the Million Man Marchturned out to be a “sugar high,” he says,with no apparent follow-through on theglorious rhetoric.

“Everybody went back to what theywere doing,” he says.

Including him. He made $700 sellingpoems that day, then returned to hisrounds in Chicago. Even a poem in-spired by the march was lost years ago.

Killebrew is retired from street sales.But he’s still writing, and is looking topublish an epic poem for kids about theAfrican slave trade.

h h h

Stokes introduced a resolution thisyear to name a street in Jackson afterGeorge Floyd, who died after a Minne-apolis police officer pinned his neck tothe ground.

“Because of the death of Mr. Floyd,people’s hearts changed enough thatMississippi got rid of the Confederateflag,” Stokes says, referring to the formerstate flag with the Confederate emblemin the design. “I’m talking about somedie-hard racists.”

Progress may be slow, Stokes adds,but there has been change. He tells hisgrandkids about the march in 1995 – notjust how it affected those who attended,but folks they touched afterward.

“Every time Black people get outthere and unite and do something posi-tive,” he says, “it helps the people at thebottom. And when it helps the people onthe bottom it has a ripple effect.”

h h h

For Hicks, Oct. 16, 1995, will always betriumphant. Family members near thestage, including his father, didn’t knowhe was scheduled to speak. When theannouncer called his name, Hicks re-calls, “It was like I had given them a mil-lion dollars. … There will probably neverbe anything as exciting as that.”

This year, on Father’s Day, he orga-nized a Black Fathers Matter motorcade.About 90 cars, decked out with balloonsand signs, cruised from the AfricanAmerican Civil War Museum throughBlack neighborhoods.

From the days of slavery through to-day, Hicks says, Black men have beentargets: “We’ve been lynched. We’vebeen castrated. We’ve been killed.We’ve been imprisoned. ... So it’s impor-tant on Father’s Day that we say to Blackmen that you matter.”

MarchContinued from Page 1A

Participants in the Million Man March fill the National Mall in this view from theWashington Monument toward the U.S. Capitol. 1995 PHOTO BY STEVE HELBER/AP

USA TODAY | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020 | SECTION B

INDEX CLOSE CHGDow Jones Industrial Avg. 28,514.00 y 165.81S&P 500 3,488.67 y 23.26Nasdaq composite 11,768.73 y 95.17T-note, 10-year yield 0.731 y 0.001SOURCES USA TODAY RESEARCH, BLOOMBERG

Dow Jones Industrial Avg.

24,000

26,000

28,000

OCT.APRILAP

28,51430,000

22,000

20,000

-165.81

WEDNESDAY MARKETS

INFECTION RISK PROMPTSCOTTONELLE WIPES RECALL

Kimberly-Clark is voluntarily recallingselect packages of Cottonelle Flush-able Wipes and Cottonelle GentlePlusFlushable Wipes because they may becontaminated with bacteria that couldcause infection. According to a recallnotice posted on the Cottonelle web-site, the packages were manufacturedbetween Feb. 7 and Sept. 14.

WHOLESALE PRICES TICK UPBY 0.4% IN SEPTEMBER

U.S. wholesale prices jumped 0.4% inSeptember as food costs rose by thelargest amount since May. The LaborDepartment said Wednesday that theSeptember increase in its producerprice index, followed a 0.3% rise inAugust and a 0.6% surge in July. The0.4% September rise was bigger thaneconomists had been expecting andreflected in part a 1.2% increase infood costs.

FINNAIR SET TO SELLAIRPLANE FOOD IN STORES

Finnish carrier Finnair will start sellingbusiness class airplane food in su-permarkets in a move to keep its ca-tering staff employed. The state-controlled airline said that in a pilotscheme, “Taste of Finnair,” initiallywould be offered at one store.The ready-made dishes include suchoptions as reindeer meatballs, Arcticchar and Japanese-style teriyaki beefand would cost about 10 euros ($12)to 13 euros, Finnair Kitchen said.

MONEYLINE

National averages on deposits as ofOct. 14.

This Last Yearweek week ago

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1-year 0.26% 0.27% 0.80%

2 1⁄2-year 0.25% 0.26% 0.85%

5-year 0.43% 0.43% 1.16%

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CD yields

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“This Just Speaks to Me” offers words of solaceduring a difficult time for many people. Page 5B

Hoda Kotb returns with a newcollection of words to live by MONEY+LIFE

Unemployment insurance has beena lifeline for millions who’ve lost workduring the outbreak of COVID-19. Butmany of the cashiers, delivery driversand other service workers who neededthose benefits most were unable to getthem in the spring, a new report finds.

In the months of April and May, just27% of service workers who’d been laid

off or furloughed were receiving joblessbenefits, according to research releasedWednesday by The Shift Project at Har-vard University.

“It’s really a constellation of factorsthat lead to many workers not havingthese unemployment insurance bene-fits when they need them the most,”says Daniel Schneider, The Shift Pro-ject’s co-director.

Some who’d lost work didn’t applyfor assistance because they didn’t thinkthey were eligible, while others couldn’tcomplete the application because oftechnical glitches in the system,Schneider says.

Then there were those who submit-ted their claims but didn’t hear backabout their status or who were ap-proved for benefits but hadn’t receivedany payments by the time of the survey.

In many instances, such delays haddevastating consequences.

COVID-19 job loss leads to hunger

Of those who’d applied for benefitsbut hadn’t heard back or begun to re-ceive them, the report found 26% wenthungry the previous month because

Many low-wage workers lost out in springSurvey: 27% of serviceworkers got benefits

Charisse JonesUSA TODAY

See WORKERS, Page 2B

Walmart is revamping its Black Fri-day sale by offering shoppers threechances to get the “best prices of theseason.”

Weeks after “promising an all-newBlack Friday experience,” Walmart un-veiled Wednesday how it will spreadout the savings in November with“Black Friday Deals for Days.” Insteadof one sale that has traditionally start-ed on Thanksgiving, there will be threeevents online and in stores.

Walmart stores will be closed thisThanksgiving for the first time sincethe late 1980s and other retailers in-cluding Target and Best Buy are fol-lowing suit amid the pandemic.

Shoppers are expected to shopmore online this year, and retailershave announced plans for more e-commerce sales to help reduce crowdsand spread out demand amid CO-VID-19.

“These new events are really goingto meet two critical needs for us,” ScottMcCall, Walmart U.S. executive vicepresident and chief merchandising of-ficer, said in an interview with USATODAY. “One is around customer andassociate safety and the other one ismeeting our customers where they areshopping, which is online.”

Walmart’s three November sales allstart online first and then continue instores. The first sale starts online at 7p.m. EST Nov. 4, the second starts Vet-erans Day and the third begins thenight before Thanksgiving, Nov. 25.

“The doorbuster deals will be on-

Walmart’sBlack Fridayto featurethree sales‘All-new experience’keeps safety in mind

Kelly TykoUSA TODAY

Walmart’s revamped Black Fridayincludes three separate sales.GETTY IMAGES

See WALMART, Page 2B

The housing market has beenbooming during the COVID-19 crisis,but America’s cities are taking it on thechin.

And while big cities such as NewYork and San Francisco, in particular,are struggling with falling prices, val-ues in less densely populated citiessuch as Phoenix and Charlotte, NorthCarolina, are holding up fairly well, anew analysis shows.

The study underscores that thespread of the virus and the trend to-ward remote work are driving thehousing market, and may continue torestrain price growth in very crowdedurban areas while boosting gains inmore suburban areas for some time.

Since the virus began to take a sig-nificant toll on public health and theeconomy in March, many Americanshave been fleeing cities for suburban

and rural areas both to minimize therisk of contagion and take advantageof remote work policies during the cri-sis, says economist Troy Ludtka of Na-tixis, an investment banking firm.Those factors, he says, have bolsteredhome sales. Analysts believe the tele-working shift will at least partly con-tinue even after the outbreak is over.

Also, many Americans, who are stillspending an inordinate share of theirdays at home despite gradual businessreopenings, are hunting for houseswith more indoor and outdoor space,according to Redfin, a national real es-tate brokerage.

Also underpinning strong sales arehistorically low mortgage rates, saysTodd Teta, chief product officer for AT-TOM Data Solutions, a real estate re-search firm.

In the four weeks ending Sept. 20,home sales were up 13.6% annually inU.S. suburbs, 13% in rural areas and8.8% in urban areas, according to aRedfin study. Home prices rose 16.6%in rural areas, 13.7% in the suburbs and

HOME PRICES

Home prices in New York City have fallen since the pandemic began.ELOI_OMELLA/GETTY IMAGES

Big cities taking abig hit because ofCOVID-19 trendsRemote work is a factorin holding down prices

Paul DavidsonUSA TODAY

See HOME PRICES, Page 2B

2B ❚ THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020 ❚ USA TODAY MONEY

they couldn’t afford enough food, and13% had to double up with friends, orperhaps sleep in their car or at a shelterbecause of housing insecurity.

Nearly 20% said someone in theirhousehold went without medical carebecause they couldn’t afford it.

“It’s stark but it shouldn’t surpriseus,” Schneider says. “These are workerswho were on the margins when theywere working, so when a paycheckstops arriving, and the insurance sys-tem doesn’t kick in, of course, there aredire consequences.’’

The number of Americans filing first-time claims for unemployment assis-tance has dropped significantly fromthe record 6.2 million who did so in earlyspring when most nonessential busi-nesses were shuttered to slow the

spread of the coronavirus.But the weekly tally of first-time ap-

plications has remained stubbornlyclose to what was previously the all-time high of roughly 1 million on a non-seasonally adjusted basis during a 1982recession.

Service sectors such as retail andhospitality, whose employees oftenearn low wages, were especially hard hitby the economic downturn.

And those trying to get assistanceencountered state unemployment sys-tems that were overwhelmed by the vol-

ume of claims, which rose even higherbecause of federal programs that en-abled workers who typically could notget benefits to access them because ofthe pandemic.

Hardest states to getunemployment

The ability to get timely benefits of-ten depended on where you lived. Min-nesota offered the best access, with anestimated 77% of service sector workerswho applied for unemployment assis-tance receiving payments in the spring,according to The Shift Project report.Florida, meanwhile, had the worst re-sults, with just 8% of those applicantsgetting assistance.

Hurdles for jobless benefits

“Administration is quite differentacross states,” Schneider says. “In Flori-da, where we saw the fewest applicants

get their benefits, that was policy ... toenact administrative burdens that makeit more difficult.”

Though workers surveyed in thespring may have received benefits bynow, newer applicants likely face simi-lar obstacles, Schneider says.

“Many of the hurdles keeping peoplefrom receiving unemployment insur-ance in a timely fashion are not simplyfixed,” Schneider says. “It would takereal will by elected officials and fund-ing” to straighten out the process.

And there is a larger issue that unem-ployment insurance can’t address,Schneider says. His research found 13%of those who did get jobless benefits stillsaid they went hungry the previousmonth – as did 13% of service sectorworkers who remained employed.

“It reinforces for us that these jobsare not a fix for poverty,” he says. “Weshouldn’t romanticize the position ofthose who’ve been able to hold ontothese jobs.’’

WorkersContinued from Page 1B

“These are workers who were on themargins when they were working, sowhen a paycheck stops arriving, andthe insurance system doesn’t kick in,of course there are direconsequences.”

Daniel SchneiderThe Shift Project’s co-director

13.1% in urban districts, Redfin figuresshow.

In many cases, the most denselypopulated cities have suffered sharperprice declines or very modest in-creases because of higher contagionrisk, according or a Natixis analysis.

“There’s a bifurcation,” Ludtkasays. “People are less likely to pur-chase homes in areas where they mayget sick.”

Among 20 cities in the S&P Core-Logic Case-Shiller’s composite priceindex, 11 fell short of the 2.9% nationalprice gain from March through July(the most recent data available) whilenine topped that increase. New Yorkand San Francisco, the two mostcrowded cities – at 28,000 and 19,000residents per square mile, respectively– were most affected by depressedprices, the Natixis analysis shows.

In New York, prices fell for threestraight months and were down 0.3%in July from March levels, Natixis fig-ures show. In San Francisco, pricesdipped in two of the most recent threemonths prices and were up less than1% since March.

Among other underperformers,prices edged up 1.5% in Miami (rankedfourth in density), 2.4% in Chicago(ranked fifth), 2.6% in Los Angeles(ranked 10th), and 2.6% in Washing-ton, D.C. (ranked seventh).

Other measures show even sharperprice declines in some areas. Medianprices in Manhattan tumbled from $1.7million in February to $1.2 million inJune, according to ATTOM Data Solu-tions, a real estate research firm.

Meanwhile, less tightly-packed cit-ies fared better than average. FromMarch to July, prices increased 4% inPhoenix (ranked 34th), 3.2% in SanDiego (ranked 23rd), and 3.4% in Char-lotte (ranked 37th), according to theNatixis data.

“Some of the most popular places tobuy a home are in the suburban out-lying areas of major cities,” says DarylFairweather, Redfin’s chief economist.

Not every crowded city is seeinghome prices suffer because of the pan-demic and not all cities with more el-bow room are prospering, the studyshows, since other factors such as anarea’s economy may loom larger, Ludt-ka says.

Boston home prices, for example,were up 3.1% in the March-July period,though the city ranks third in popula-tion density. And prices have in-creased just 1.8% in Tampa eventhough the city is a relatively low 46thin density.

But there’s little doubt that the pan-demic has upended the real estatemarket.

In New York, condo and co-op saleshad just started to recover in Januaryafter the 2017 tax code changes, whichcurtailed deductions for expensivehomes, held down activity, says Mar-tin Freiman, a Redfin broker. Since thecrisis began, however, Redfin is han-dling about 600 sales a month in Man-hattan, down from about 1,100 pre-pandemic, and prices have been re-duced an average of about 10%, hesays.

“Everybody just left the city enmasse,” he says. “People just stoppedbuying homes … You have an openhouse and no one shows up.”

If companies such as Facebook andGoogle return to their New York officesby next spring, Freiman foreseesyoung professionals helping rejuve-nate the market. But another fertilebuyer segment – empty nesters – maybe diminished with older Americansmore vulnerable to COVID-19.

Home prices Continued from Page 1B

line, but we’re also going to have greatprices in-store,” McCall said, adding theonline offers makes for a “safer andmore convenient way to shop” andhelps manage in-store traffic.

McCall said shoppers will have theoption for the first time this year to pickup their orders through contact-freecurbside pickup between three to sevendays after their purchase.

He said there will be a separate loca-tion in store parking lots for the BlackFriday online items to be picked up thatis different from the regular curbsidepickup.

According to a survey from DealAi-d.org, 60.2% of consumers plan to shopin-store during the 2020 holiday shop-ping season compared to 87.4% in 2019.

The survey also found nearly 39% ofconsumers planned to spend the ma-jority of their in-store holiday shoppingbudgets in Target and about 26% planto spend it in Walmart.

Safety protocols amid COVID-19

Walmart stores continue to operateunder reduced hours with most openfrom 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., but for the threeBlack Friday in-store event days storeswill open at 5 a.m. local time.

“The customers are going to form asingle, straight line and be handed asanitized cart to help them with socialdistancing while they wait at 5 a.m. toget in the stores,” McCall told USA TO-DAY.

Stores will have mask requirements,social distancing floor decals and plas-tic barriers at checkout, McCall saidwith store “Health Ambassadors”greeting shoppers at entrances and re-minding them to put on a mask.

During the in-store Black Fridayevents, Walmart will meter the numberof shoppers to help reduce congestionand promote social distancing, McCallsaid, adding customers will be directedto shop the “right-hand side of aisles.”

Walmart’s Black Friday sales dates

Black Friday Event 1: Deals will be-gin online at 7 p.m. EST on Nov. 4 and at

5 a.m. local time Nov. 7. Additionaldeals will go live at 12 a.m. EST on Nov.7.

For the first event, Walmart says itwill offer “amazing deals” on toys, elec-tronics and home products. Walmartshared one online deal will be an Onn.brand 42-inch UHD Roku TV for $88and one in-store deal is a Magic BulletBlender for $15.

Black Friday Event 2: Deals beginonline at 7 p.m. EST Wednesday, Nov. 11,with additional deals midnight ESTSaturday, Nov. 14. Stores will open at 5a.m. local time, Nov. 14.

For this event, Walmart says it will“host its biggest wireless phone eventever in-stores and online on Sat., Nov.14 with amazing deals on iPhones andSamsung phones.”

Black Friday Event 3: Deals beginonline at 7 p.m. EST Wednesday, Nov.25, with additional online deals at mid-night EST on Nov. 27. Stores will open 5a.m. local time, Nov. 27, Black Friday.

Walmart says this third event “willoffer great prices on even more elec-tronics, toys and gifts across appareland home, as well as seasonal décor fa-vorites.”

WalmartContinued from Page 1B

DETROIT – Get out the credit card,baby, because the limited edition 2021Mustang Mach 1 just went on sale.

“There will not be enough to meetdemand,” said Berj Alexanian, FordMustang spokesman, who declined toreveal production plans. “Mach 1 is go-ing to be the most track ready V-8 Mus-tang right off the factory line. For Mach 1to be gone for so long, it’s not only builtup excitement but also expectation.”

Ford announced in June that the 17-year Mach 1 drought would be brokenand now fans who have been waiting(im)patiently may place orders.

Jim Shelton, 49, a chemical re-searcher from Wyandotte, Michigan,said he has been thinking for monthsabout ordering a white Mach 1. “It has alot to do with nostalgia.”

A self-described car enthusiast,Shelton also owns a 1991 Chevrolet Ca-maro Z/28, and his daily driver is a 2013

Chevy Tahoe.He isn’t alone when it comes to Mus-

tang memories.Jon Bauer, 32, of Clarkston, Michi-

gan, is general sales manager at LaFon-taine Ford of Birch Run and said theMach 1 is appealing to people from mil-lennials to baby boomers, if early inqui-ries are any indication.

“For those guys who had these Mach1 cars back in the late ’60s and early’70s, it meant something,” he said.“Look at me, I got a ’99 Mustang Cobraand it’s something to me that was verysentimental. That was my first car tak-en to prom. My uncle had a ‘99 Cobra inhis personal collection and let me takeit. Then I ended up finding one about 10years down the road. I’ve put maybe2,500 miles on it. With a Mustang,you’ve got to go by what it means toyou.”

Driving these cars, Bauer said, stripsaway the stress of life.

Mach 1 highlights provided by Ford:h A base price is $51,720, plus a $1,195

destination and delivery charge

h Arriving at dealerships in the U.S.and Canada in the spring of 2021

h Packing a specially calibrated 5.0LV8 engine that produces 480-horse-power at 7,000 rpm and 420 pound-feetof torque at 4,600 rpm

h An upgraded version of the fast-shifting 10-speed automatic transmis-sion and 150% more downforce than aMustang GT with Ford’s performancepack 1 upgrades.

“The same Tremec six-speed man-ual as the Shelby GT350 will be stan-dard for drivers who want to shift their2021 Mach 1s just like Grandad did in his’69,” wrote Mark Phelan, Free Press au-tos critic .

Mustang fans continue mourningthe departure of the Mustang ShelbyGT350.

“The Mustang Mach 1 will fill its spotwith almost as much horsepower, amanual transmission option and streetcred above the stock GT,” said JonathanKlinger, vice president at Hagerty, theworld’s largest insurer of collector vehi-cles.

Mustang Mach 1 roarsback after 17-year hiatus

After a 17-year hiatus, the 2021 Mustang Mach 1 is on sale. Base price is $51,720 plus $1,195 in charges. FORD MOTOR CO.

Phoebe Wall HowardDetroit Free Press

USA TODAY NETWORK

MONEY USA TODAY ❚ THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020 ❚ 3B

USA AND MAIN

Our devices hold our digital lives. Allthose photos, videos, documents, mes-sages and emails contain some highlypersonal information.

That’s why locking down your techthe right way is essential. Have you everwondered whether a PIN, fingerprint orface ID is the safest way to lock yoursmartphone?

When it comes to your computer ortablet, you need to make sure outsidersaren’t tapping in.

How can you tell if someone insideyour home is accessing your files andapplications without your knowledge?Is someone using your computer behindyour back? Thankfully, there are ways tofind out.

Check your PC’s recent items

A quick note before we get started:The exact steps may vary depending onwhich version of Windows, macOS oriPad OS you use. If you can’t find an itembelow, use your device’s search tool tolook for the function by name.

So someone’s been poking aroundyour computer or tablet, opening yourfiles and applications left and right.There are bound to be traces of it, right?Correct. There are quick and easy waysto view recently accessed files, foldersand even applications.

With these tools, if you notice an itemyou don’t remember opening, that’s asure sign someone has accessed yoursystem without your knowledge. Here’show you view your recent items:

On a PC:h Press Windows + R. Type in “re-

cent” and hit enter. This step will show alist of files that were recently opened. Ifyou see something on this list that youdon’t remember opening, someone mayhave been poking around your comput-er.

On a Mac:h To see recent items, click on the

Apple logo on the left-hand side of themenu bar. Hover your mouse over Re-cent Items. You’ll see the 10 most recentitems accessed in three categories: Ap-

plications, Documents and Servers.h To see recent folders, open a Finder

window. While the window is active,click Go on the menu bar. Hover yourmouse over Recent Folders. Like RecentItems, you’ll see the 10 folders that weremost recently accessed.

On an iPad:h Open the Files app. Tap Recents at

the bottom of the screen.On an Amazon Fire tablet:h Tap on the Docs button on the

home screen to open the document li-brary. Browse by Recent.

Check your web browser’s history

Another good place to check for un-authorized access is browsing activity.Although a savvy user can always use aweb browser’s Incognito or Privatemode or delete browsing history, itdoesn’t hurt to review.

Google Chromeh Click the three vertical dots on the

upper-right side of your Chrome win-dow. Hover on History for the most re-cent sites visited. Click History to see afull list.

Mozilla Firefox:h Click the View history, saved book-

marks and more icon on the menu bar.(It looks like a row of books). Click onHistory.

Microsoft Edge:h Select the three-dot menu for Set-

tings and more. Choose History, thenManage history.

Safari:h Open Safari. On the Apple menu

bar, click History > Show All History.

Review recent logins

To see all the login activities on yourPC, use Windows Event Viewer. Thistool will show you all Windows servicesthat have been accessed and logins, er-rors and warnings.

To access the Windows Event View-er, click the search icon and type inEvent Viewer. Click Windows Logs,then choose Security.

This will show you a list of all the lo-gin events on your PC. Under the EventID column, look for the number 4624 forstandard logons, 4672 for administra-tive logons and 4634 for logoffs. Clickthe entry for additional details andcheck if another user has logged in to

your system while you’re away.On a Mac, you can use the Console

tool to check if someone attempted towake your computer while it’s locked orin sleep mode.

To access this tool, use SpotlightSearch (command + space), then lookfor the word Console, then press enter.On the Console window, click All Mes-sages. In the search field in the upper-right side of the window, type “wake” tosee all the relevant events and their tim-estamps.

How to stop others using yourcomputer or tablet

The most basic security step is es-sential to keep others out: Lock yourcomputer or tablet with a strong pass-word when you’re not using it.

The lock screen suspends your activ-ities and protects your work fromwould-be visual snoopers without com-pletely shutting your computer down.On Windows, you can use the shortcutWindows key + L to lock your PC quick-ly.

On a Mac, you can use the shortcutControl + Shift + Eject (Control + Shift+ Power button on Macs without diskdrives) or Control + Command + Q tolock it quickly. You can also click on theApple logo on the menu bar and selectLock Screen.

Note: Make sure you set your Mac’ssecurity options to require the passwordimmediately after it’s locked. You canset this by opening System Preferences> Security & Privacy.

While you’re at it, update your pass-

word to something more complex. It’seasy to fall into the trap of setting an ele-mentary password on our home desk-top or laptop, and I bet at least some ofyou lock down your tablet with “1234” orsimilar.

Unique, complex passwords takemore time to create, but they keep yourinformation safe from anyone whowants to snoop around. Of course, youalso need an excellent way to rememberthem.

And then there’s keyloggers

Keyloggers are programs that existsolely to capture information comingfrom your keyboard. They’re one toolhackers can use to steal your informa-tion, but companies, parents and evenenterprising spouses can install themon your tech.

They come in software and hardwareform and are not something to takelightly. Physical keyloggers are easy tohide inside computers, and you wouldnever know. They also can sit on wiresand cables, and if you don’t know whatyou’re looking for, you can easily miss it.Fortunately, these external keyloggersare limited in what they can do.

How can you spot them? Hardwarekeyloggers come in many forms, includ-ing a USB stick, cable or wall charger.Check your computer for anything thatlooks out of place or that you don’t re-member plugging in.

Unfortunately, the software counter-parts are just as hard, if not harder, todetect. Plus, they can do a lot more dam-age. Luckily for you, you can use soft-ware to detect keyloggers on a Mac orPC.

Now that you know the tricks of thetrade, you can spot someone snoopingthrough your tech. What you do withthat information is up to you.

On my website, we have an activeQ&A forum where you can post yourtech questions and get answers you cantrust from real tech pros, including me.

Learn about all the latest technologyon the Kim Komando Show, the nation’slargest weekend radio talk show. Kimtakes calls and dispenses advice on to-day’s digital lifestyle, from smartphonesand tablets to online privacy and datahacks. For her daily tips, free newslet-ters and more, visit her website at Ko-mando.com.

Protect your computer from prying eyes and fingers

Tech TalkKim Komando

All those photos, videos, documents,messages and emails on your digitaldevices contain some highly personalinformation. GETTY IMAGES

Let’s say that you’ve never picked upa basketball but decided that withoutbasketball your life was incomplete – bi-as alert No. 1!

Would you be better off learning howto shoot from LeBron James, or spend-ing hours and hours of trial and error byyourself without any professional feed-back?

The right answer is as obvious as aslam dunk.

But the thing is, that is exactly whattoo many small business people do; theyopen their business and fail to realizethat there are a lot of examples of suc-cess out there.

You don’t have to reinvent the wheelwhen you run a small business. Thereare a lot of ways to learn how to scorefrom downtown – and don’t even beginto think that I have yet to tire of this met-aphor!

Indeed, aside from small business,another true passion of mine is basket-ball, having even written The CompleteIdiot’s Guide to the NBA – bias alert No.2. One thing I have noticed over theyears is just how much crossover thereis between the two subjects.

Witness the Los Angeles Lakers andtheir latest championship, their 17th –tying them with the Boston Celtics forthe most ever. The Lakers, as both ateam and organization, do many thingsright, things we small business peoplecan learn from and emulate.

1. You gotta have a great team

Needless to say, to win a champion-ship – be it an NBA championship or asmall business one – you must have tal-ent. The Lakers roster of stellar playersgoes way back to my childhood NBA he-

ro Jerry West, and then extends to a ver-itable “Who’s Who” of NBA greatness –Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson, Ka-reem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant andShaquille O’Neal, and now, LeBronJames and Anthony Davis.

But here’s the deal, talent alone doesnot win championships.

That talent must be molded into andplay as a team. Whether you think Le-Bron is the greatest or not, it is undenia-ble that one of his best attributes is thathe is a great team player. He performs,he passes, he praises. LeBron shares the

ball and the glory.Magic Johnson was the same way;

aside from his legendary no-lookpasses, and long after it was clear thatthe Lakers were his team, Magic alwaysmade sure that the elder Kareem re-mained the captain of the squad. “Cap”and his teammates noticed.

And so it should be with your smallbusiness team. It is when you work to-gether, supporting one another, encour-aging one another, and helping and ap-preciating one another, that the besthappens.

2. Winning begets winning

A winning attitude is infectious. Peo-ple, players and, yes, customers noticeand want to be part of a winning organi-zation. Winning (on or off the court) cre-ates a winning culture that creeps intoand infects (in a good way) everythingthe team or business does. It helps me-diocre talent strive for better and ithelps recruit top talent.

It also fills up the stands ... and thecash register.

3. A little sizzle goes a long way

Back in the 1970s, the NBA was adead sport. Drug-infested and boring,it’s hard to imagine that the NBA Finalswere tape delayed and shown at 11:30p.m.

Magic Johnson and Larry Birdchanged all that, and Magic especially,with his magnetic smile and personal-ity, lit up a room and a league. LeBronjoining the Lakers last year was similar-ly buzzworthy.

For you, having fun, letting your starsshine, and showing some small busi-ness personality (as opposed to someboring corporate image) can go a longway to getting your business noticed.

So go ahead, copy what works. Afterall, while the GOAT (greatest of all time)Michael Jordan was the original andwon six championships, the late, greatKobe Bryant admittedly copied much ofhis game from MJ.

And he won five championships. Now there’s an assist that can really

help you score! Steve Strauss is an attorney, speaker

and the author of 17 books. You can learnmore about Steve at MrAllBiz.com, getmore tips at his site TheSelfEmployed,and connect with him on Twitter@SteveStrauss and on Facebook atTheSelfEmployed.

The views and opinions expressed inthis column are the author’s and do notnecessarily reflect those of USA TODAY.

LA Lakers can be a model for small businessSteve StraussColumnist

USA TODAY

LeBron James, left, and Anthony Davis are champions in their first seasontogether with the Lakers. KIM KLEMENT/USA TODAY SPORTS

4B ❚ THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020 ❚ USA TODAY MONEY

AMERICA’S MARKETS ALL THE MARKET ACTION IN REAL TIMEMARKETS.USATODAY.COM

MARKET PERFORMANCE BY SECTORSector Close Chg. 4wk 1 YTD 1

COMMODITIESCommodities Close Prev. Chg. % Chg. % YTD

TOP 10 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDSETF, ranked by volume Ticker Close Chg. % Chg %YTD

FOREIGN CURRENCIESCurrency per dollar Close Prev. 6 mo. ago Yr. ago

FOREIGN MARKETSCountry Close Prev. Change %Chg. %YTD

Technology 122.02 -0.65 +6.4% +33.1%

Consumer discret. 153.68 -1.72 +3.8% +22.5%

Telecom 68.74 -0.54 +2.0% +12.0%

Materials 66.00 +0.19 -0.6% +7.5%

Health care 107.64 -0.63 +1.5% +5.7%

Consumer staples 66.11 -0.34 +2.2% +5.0%

Industrials 80.72 +0.45 +1.5% -0.9%

Utilities 63.36 -0.08 +5.5% -1.9%

Financials 24.78 -0.24 -0.8% -19.5%

Energy 30.52 +0.13 -10.1% -49.2%

ProShs UltPro ShtQQQ SQQQ 20.09 +0.49 +2.5% -82.1%

SPDR S&P500 ETF Tr SPY 347.93 -2.20 -0.6% +8.1%

SPDR Financial XLF 24.78 -0.24 -1.0% -19.5%

iShs Emerg Mkts EEM 45.73 -0.31 -0.7% +1.9%

ProShs UltraPro QQQ TQQQ 150.47 -3.81 -2.5% +73.9%

Invesco QQQ Trust QQQ 292.06 -2.46 -0.8% +37.4%

Direx S&P500Bear 3x SPXS 5.09 +0.08 +1.6% -61.6%

iShs iBoxx HY CpBd HYG 84.79 -0.21 -0.2% -3.6%

iPath Sh Term Fut VXX 21.92 -0.23 -1.0% +45.0%

SPDR Energy XLE 30.52 +0.13 +0.4% -49.2%

Cattle (lb.) 1.08 1.09 -0.01 -0.4% -13.1%

Corn (bushel) 3.97 3.91 +0.06 +1.3% +2.3%

Gold (troy oz.) 1,901.30 1,888.50 +12.80 +0.7% +25.1%

Hogs, lean (lb.) .78 .78 unch. +0.8% +9.8%

Natural Gas (Btu.) 2.64 2.86 -0.22 -7.7% +20.4%

Oil, heating (gal.) 1.19 1.17 +0.02 +2.0% -41.2%

Oil, lt. swt. crude (bar.) 41.04 40.20 +0.84 +2.1% -32.8%

Silver (troy oz.) 24.36 24.09 +0.27 +1.2% +36.7%

Soybeans (bushel) 10.56 10.44 +0.12 +1.2% +12.0%

Wheat (bushel) 5.97 5.94 +0.03 +0.5% +6.8%

British pound .7678 .7729 .7920 .7951

Canadian dollar 1.3146 1.3140 1.3910 1.3229

Chinese yuan 6.7151 6.7466 7.0492 7.0676

Euro .8510 .8515 .9108 .9065

Japanese yen 105.12 105.50 107.18 108.37

Mexican peso 21.3040 21.3805 23.4938 19.2688

Frankfurt 13,028.06 13,018.99 +9.07 +0.1% -1.7%

Hong Kong 24,667.09 24,649.68 +17.41 +0.1% -12.5%

Japan (Nikkei) 23,626.73 23,601.78 +24.95 +0.1% -0.1%

London 5,935.06 5,969.71 -34.65 -0.6% -21.3%

Mexico City 38,025.72 38,131.78 -106.06 -0.3% -12.7%

DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE

SOURCE Morningstar, Dow Jones Indexes, The Associated Press

S&P 500’S BIGGEST GAINERSCompany (ticker) Price $ Chg . % Chg. YTD

Concho Resources (CXO) 48.66 +4.52 +10.2 -44.4

Holly Frontier Corp (HFC) 20.51 +.66 +3.3 -59.6

Newell Brands Inc (NWL) 18.27 +.58 +3.3 -4.9

Sysco Corp (SYY) 66.90 +1.82 +2.8 -21.4

Kinder Morgan Inc (KMI) 12.96 +.35 +2.8 -38.8

S&P 500’S BIGGEST LOSERSCompany (ticker) Price $ Chg . % Chg. YTD

Wells Fargo & Co (WFC) 23.25 -1.49 -6.0 -56.8

Bank of America (BAC) 23.62 -1.33 -5.3 -32.9

Illumina Inc (ILMN) 330.12 -15.02 -4.4 -.5

T-Mobile US Inc (TMUS) 116.67 -4.90 -4.0 +48.8

West Pharm Svcs (WST) 288.15 -11.33 -3.8 +91.7

MARKET NOTEBOOKIssues NYSE NASDAQ

Advancing 972

Declining 1,586

Unchanged 75

Total 2,633

987

2,088

161

3,236

135Issues at

New 52 Week High 71

New 52 Week Low 8

13

Share Volume

Advancing 1,305,615,885

Declining 1,893,783,286

Unchanged 49,427,644

1,605,146,170

1,620,519,087

31,509,543

Total 3,248,826,815 3,257,174,800

-165.81Closing: 28,514.00

Change: -.6%

YTD % Chg: -.1%

S&P 500 • STANDARD & POOR’S

-23.26Closing: 3,488.67

Change: -.7%

YTD % Chg: +8.0%

NASDAQ COMPOSITE

-95.17Closing: 11,768.73

Change: -.8%

YTD % Chg: +31.2%

RUSSELL 2000

-15.20Closing: 1,621.65

Change: -.9%

YTD % Chg: -2.8%

The late Steve Jobs was known forengaging in a “reality distortion shield”when launching new projects that per-haps didn’t tell the whole story.

On Tuesday, Apple did a masterfuljob at its big reveal event of hyping itslineup of four new iPhones that, on theface of it, will have faster processors,improved camera features and connectto the new 5G wireless standard. In ad-dition to starting out with a new Home-Pod mini, Apple unveiled an iPhone 12,iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12 Pro and theiPhone Pro Max, ranging from startingat $699 on up to starting at $1,099. Wegot the super detailed information onthe processors, lenses and intuitivetechnology that makes it all work.

But what didn’t Apple tell us?

5G is here, but only sort of.

Apple touted 5G on iPhone as en-abling faster game play, movies thatwould load faster and apps that wouldzip along. And it brought the CEO of Ve-rizon onto the stage to hype 5G as well.

But good luck finding the 5G Appleand Verizon sold. (“We believe it willtake carriers years to build a compelling5G infrastructure,” noted analyst GeneMunster of Loup Ventures.)

Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband is injust 50 cities now and will increase to60 by the end of the year. But the cov-erage is spotty and is unavailable insuch places as Maine, Vermont, Louisi-ana, Alabama and North Dakota.

The 5G offered by T-Mobile andAT&T is more widespread but not muchfaster than 4G. Verizon on Tuesday un-veiled a slower 5G, similar to AT&T andT-Mobile, that it says is available to 200million customers. Munster added thatVerizon’s speeds on the Apple presen-tation “are only available to about 1% ofthe U.S. population today.”

That new iPhone could cost you atcheck out.

The iPhone 12 doesn’t sound thatsteep at $799. That is, until you add ex-

tra storage and Apple Care, whichbrings it to $1,298, before tax. Then addthe new MagSafe wireless charger andnew case, and you’re looking at $1,398.Which could be a bargain compared tothe $1,768 for the top-of-the-lineiPhone 12 Pro Max, which starts at$1,099, before the extra storage, war-ranty and accessories.

The Mini is the smallest iPhone.Again sort of.

Of the new iPhones, the Mini clocksin with a 5.4-inch screen, smaller thanthe 6.1-inch screen of the iPhone 12 and12 Pro, or 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max.The SE, which happens to be the low-est-priced iPhone, at $399, has a 4.7-inch screen. Now that’s a mini, com-pared to the others. And while the 12 ProMax is the largest iPhone ever, at 6.7inches, it is dwarfed by the SamsungGalaxy S20 Ultra and Galaxy Note 20,which are both 6.9 inches.

The iPhone 12 doesn’t have thehighest resolution screen

The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra touts3200x1440 resolution, vs. 2778x1284for the iPhone 12 Pro Max.

What is that ‘ceramic shield’?

Apple says the new glass from Cor-ning, the same company that has beenproviding the Gorilla Glass screens thatso many people have cracked over theyears, is “tougher” than any smart-phone glass. Corning also makes thescreens for Galaxy phones and othersmartphone makers, which Appledidn’t mention. And how is this newglass four times less likely to crack, asApple claimed? Did the company havedrop parties to test it? Did it break 4times out of 10? And did it compare it tophones from other manufacturers? Notexactly. Apple says it compared it to theprevious iPhone.

You can shoot video in higherresolution Dolby Vision

Yes, you can get brighter colors and

sharpness from Dolby Vision, a featureseen on many TVs. But don’t expect toshare the videos on social media. Thevideo files will be in a different formatthan what’s supported on Facebookand Twitter. Best practice: Sharingthem from phone to phone, or using theAirPlay feature to beam the video fromyour phone to the TV could be your bestshot, for now.

You can use the HomePod as a TVspeaker.

The compact smart speakers havebecome so widespread and inexpen-sive, many people have wonderedabout connecting them to their TVs.

Advantage: You don’t have the soundtethered to the TV with an HDMI cable.Google’s new Nest Audio speakers don’tdo this, nor do Amazon Echo speakers.But the HomePod, Apple’s smart speak-er, will be able to do just this by the endof the year, with a software update.However, this won’t work on the thenew, less expensive HomePod Mini.Price differential: $299 for the Pod, $99for the Mini.

How will it work? By using the Air-Play feature on the iPhone (or iPad),which beams media from devices, viathe $179 Apple TV 4K streaming box.That, in turn, will send the audio to thespeakers. However, figure it’s $600 fortwo HomePods and $179 for the stream-ing box. Most soundbars range from$200 to $800 for the high-end SonosArc.

The iPhone 12, a brand newdesign, looks like an iPhone 5.

The iPhone 5 is from 2012. Well, allthat’s really similar is the side of thephone, but that didn’t stop wags fromhaving a field day. Jason Calacaniscalled the 12 a “literal remix” of the 5.

Apple killed off the iPhone 11 Proand Pro Max models

Still available for sale are the entry-level 11, the XR from 2018 and the entry-level SE. The 11 Pro and Pro Max wereintroduced in 2019.

Here’s what Apple didn’t tell youJefferson GrahamUSA TODAY

Starbucks will tie executives’ com-pensation to the diversity of its work-force with officials announcing that by2025 the goal is to have 30% of corpo-rate employees and 40% of retail andmanufacturing workers who identifyas Black, indigenous or people of color.

The Seattle-based coffee giant’s an-nouncement Wednesday to advanceits culture of “inclusion, diversity andequity” comes as the Trump admini-stration has essentially declared waron diversity training.

The Labor Department haslaunched investigations against Mi-crosoft and Wells Fargo over diversityinitiatives after an executive orderfrom the Trump administration pro-hibiting government contractors fromoffering certain types of racial sensi-tivity and other diversity training.

Starbucks officials said that thecommitments including a new men-torship program and anti-bias trainingwere part of a long-term journey.

“We will hold ourselves accountableat the highest levels of the organiza-tion, connecting the building of inclu-sive and diverse teams to our execu-tive compensation program, effectiveimmediately,” Starbucks CEO KevinJohnson wrote in a letter to employees.

Starbucks also shared its diversitynumbers Wednesday that show in theU.S. its workforce is 8% Black, 27%Hispanic, 6% Asian, 5% multiracialand 54% white. However, a look at thecorporate demographics show 65% ofworkers were white, 19% Asian, 7%Hispanic and nearly 4% Black.

“We have already taken action onmany of the recommendations that re-sulted from our Civil Rights Assess-ment but, while we have made pro-gress in many areas, we know thatthere is still more work to be done,”Johnson said.

A recent USA TODAY investigationfound that more than 55 years after theCivil Rights Act, less than 2% of the topexecutives at the nation’s largest com-panies are Black.

In 2018, Starbucks closed the doorsof more than 8,000 company-ownedstores and its corporate office for an af-ternoon for racial bias training follow-ing an incident at a Philadelphia Star-bucks in which a manager called policeon two Black men who were waitingfor a friend in the store but hadn’tbought anything.

Staffers also denied letting one usea restroom. Police arrested the pair fortrespassing, but they were later let gowithout charges and Starbucks andpolice apologized.

Johnson said the company part-nered with Arizona State University indeveloping its “To Be Welcoming cur-riculum” and the company’s civilrights assessment led by former U.S.Attorney General Eric Holder.

He said the company will grow“community partnerships for hiring,training and supervising outreachworkers who will support our stores byengaging with individuals in crisiswith the goal of reducing strain on lawenforcement agencies.”

Other companies including Targetand Microsoft have also launched ini-tiatives to diversify their mostly whiteleadership ranks amid national pro-tests after George Floyd, a Black man,died under the knee of a white police-man in Minneapolis.

Contributing: Jessica Guynn, USATODAY

Starbucks totie executivepay to diversityKelly TykoUSA TODAY

Fisher-Price has created a virtualmuseum on Instagram to celebrate itstoy stories.

The toymaker, founded in 1930, hascreated an explorable online archivewith more than 90 exhibits organizedby decade, including the rolling SnoopySniffer from 1938 and wearable RollerSkates, first introduced in 1983.

It’s an interactive experience yourfamily can visit without leaving home.“We hope consumers around the globetake a moment, relive a happy momentin your childhood and remember whatit was like when you got to be 3 and 5(years old),” said Chuck Scothon, seniorvice president and global head of infantand preschool at Mattel, which ac-quired Fisher-Price in 1993.

“It’s a celebration of childhood andbringing adults back even for just a mo-ment to something that was fun and ex-citing and just gives you great memo-ries,” he said.

The idea for the virtual museumarose from the company’s actual mu-seum at its East Aurora, New York, of-fices.

“Whenever we bring people to the

campus they always find their decade,”Scothon said.

“You walk around until you see thething you played with as a child.”

The online event – at @fisherprice.toymuseum on Instagram– made sense with the coronaviruspandemic keeping people at home andmany businesses shut down at varioustimes.

“The ability to put this on Instagramprovides an opportunity for peoplearound the world to share in that expe-rience,” Scothon said.

And of course, the museum has a giftshop, too.

The digital store has 16 products,available in limited quantities celebrat-ing Fisher-Price’s toy legacy including aT-shirt featuring one of the company’searliest products, the Doctor Doodlepull toy, shoelaces in recognition of theroller skates and a Little People lunch-box.

In the museum, Scothon said, “if youare 8 years old – or if you are 40 – youare going to find something in there youlikely played with.”

Fisher-Price opens a virtual museum full of toysMike SniderUSA TODAY

The Fisher-Price Toy Museum lives on Instagram. FISHER-PRICE

The Sanderson sisters from “Hocus Pocus” perform outside at Freeform’sHalloween Road experience in Los Angeles.

Events are festive and fun, but not terribly scary

K1K1

Family and musician friends complete the laterocker’s vision with “All the Rest.” Page 8B

Tom Petty’s ‘Wildflowers’ is back in full bloom

USA TODAY | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020 | SECTION B

LIFELIFELINE

From the Oct. 9 Airplay Charts

Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat),Jawsh 685 x Jason Derulo

Watermelon Sugar, Harry Styles

Before You Go, Lewis Capaldi

Rockstar, DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch

Blinding Lights, The Weeknd

USA TODAY/MEDIABASE

USA TODAY Top 40

USA TODAY SNAPSHOTS©

Dominic West is 51. Ginuwine is 50.Keyshia Cole is 39.

IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAYWHO’S CELEBRATING TODAY

He was like ‘I don’t want to riskthis family and kids, so let’s put

new things in place to make sure itdoesn’t happen again.’ … I just lovethat he’s addicted to growth and I willcontinue to stand by him becausehe’s very, very worth it,” actress Kris-ten Bell said during Wednesday’sepisode of “The Ellen DeGeneresShow” of her husband Dax Shepard.Bell said the actor is “doing reallygreat” after sharing last month on his“Armchair Expert” podcast that hewas recovering from a relapse after16 years of sobriety.

JORDAN STRAUSS/INVISION/AP

THEY SAID WHAT?THE STARS’ BEST QUOTES

The pop singer is calling on her fansto “join me in voting” in the 2020election with a power ballad criticiz-ing President Donald Trump’s leader-ship. Lovato, 28, released new single“Commander in Chief” Wednesday inan effort to encourage fans to makesure they have a plan for votingahead of election day on Nov. 3. Thesong takes a firm stance against thepresident, criticizing him for takingpolitical action “for personal gain,”and “spinning stories” while ignoringthe truth. Lovato also seemingly ref-erences the novel coronavirus, re-peatedly asking the president how itfeels “to still be able to breathe.”

JEFF KRAVITZ/FILMMAGIC

MAKING WAVESDEMI LOVATO

LOS ANGELES – Up until this year,my favorite part of Halloween was go-ing to a haunted house. I find it thrill-ing to wander in a dimly-lit space withghoulish decor, blaring minor-chordmusic and scary costumed actors. Ithink the appeal is that hauntedhouses are safe scary spaces, where Iscream and get grossed out and covermy eyes, but know that nothing badwill happen.

This year, many immersive horrorexperiences – including Universal’spopular Halloween Horror Nights (forwhich I once dressed up as a demonand worked a maze) – are canceled be-cause those scary spaces aren’t safefrom the threat of COVID-19. However,a new holiday activity has emerged:The Halloween drive-thru.

What is a Halloween drive-thru?

The Halloween drive-thru has be-come the pandemic-friendly event ofthe spooky season. The concept: Youstay in your car and cruise throughpumpkin-filled lands of tombstonesand candy for roughly 25 minutes.Typically, entry is one ticket per vehi-cle. You aren’t allowed to get out ofyour seat, unless it’s to pop your headthrough a sunroof for a photo-op.Masks are required if keep your win-dows down.

But can the Halloween spirit waft inthrough the car window? I went tothree drive-thru experiences to findout: Nights of the Jack (formerly awalking experience) in Calabasas;Halloween Road (a Freeform channel-sponsored pop-up) in Los Angeles and

SPOOKY SEASON

Wednesday Addams stayed serious and in character throughout theHalloween Road drive-thru. RICHARD HARBAUGH PHOTOS/FREEFORM

HALLOWEENDRIVE-THRUS:ARE THEY ANY FUN?

Carly MallenbaumUSA TODAY

See DRIVE-THRU, Page 7B

This hasn’t been the easiest year;that’s something that most of theworld can likely agree on right now.Like my colleagues, I’ve spent the lastnine months or so neck-deep in thenews. As a result, I’ve taken a lot in asI’ve continued reporting and writing.But I haven’t taken the time to processthat information along the way, andthat lack of reflection has begun totake its toll on my mental health. WhileI consider myself to be typically ener-getic and a positive thinker, I haven’tfelt my best of late.

A few weeks ago, I was feeling par-ticularly low when “Today” co-anchorand co-host of “Today With Hoda &Jenna” Hoda Kotb’s second book ofquotes, “This Just Speaks to Me:Words to Live By Every Day,” compiledwith her close friend Jane Lorenzini(who also gave Kotb an assist with thefirst book of quotes, “I Really NeededThis Today”), came in the mail. Its ar-rival, timing-wise, couldn’t have beenmore perfect.

Kotb’s book is structured to give areader one quote for each day, begin-ning Jan. 1, 2021. (And who can wait forthat day to come? Good riddance to2020.) Because I was reading it aheadof the scheduled start, I gave myselfthe freedom to leaf through it, stop-ping at various quotes and reading theauthor’s anecdotes beneath.

A few of my favorites include: h “Unexpected kindness is the

most powerful, least costly and mostunderrated agent of human change.” –Bob Kerrey

Below the quote, Kotb shares a storyabout how through social media, thewife of a doctor treating COVID-19 pa-tients received a major kindness fromstrangers after putting out a requestfor help and consequently started amovement for others in similar situa-tions.

h “Difficult roads often lead tobeautiful destinations.” – Zig Ziglar

Kotb followed up with her own in-spiration for readers: “If you’re travel-ing a difficult road right now, may itsoon turn into the Yellow Brick Road.Keep going!”

h “It’s not the weight you carry, buthow you carry it.” – Mary Oliver

This one speaks for itself. But Kotbadded to it. “The best of us do this withgrit and grace, and even without any-one’s noticing,” she writes. The book,Kotb tells USA TODAY, changed as aresult of the pandemic, just as theworld did.

“The world changed so profoundly,

BOOKS

‘This JustSpeaks toMe’ givessolaceHoda Kotb gives readersa quote a day for 2021

Morgan HinesUSA TODAY

“This Just Speaks toMe” is Hoda Kotb’ssecond book of quotesto live by. PUTNAM

See KOTB, Page 8B

USA TODAY BEST-SELLING BOOKS BOOKLIST.USATODAY.COMBarnes & Noble was unable to file sales data in time for this week’s list

6B ❚ THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020 ❚ USA TODAY LIFE

© WIGGLES 3D GAMESDON’T QUOTE ME®

Rearrange the words to complete the quote.Writer CynthiaOzick makes thisobservation.

DESERVE GRANTED GRATITUDE MOST TAKE THINGS WE

________ ________ FOR ___________ THE VERY ___________

THAT ________ ___________ OUR ______________.10/15

Wednesday’s Answer: “Ninety percent of all human wisdomis the ability to mind your own business.” - Robert Heinlein

TXTPERT

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7. 8687

8. 7223

10/1

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Today’s theme

Transport

Use the

phone

keypad to

decode the

clues.

For example:

2 could be A,

B or C ... and

5678 could

be LOST

10/1

4

© USA TODAY and Rich Coulter Yesterday’s solution

1 2 3 4

5

6 7 8

9

10

M1

D2

O V E R

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R E G O5

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D A H O H

ACROSS1 Plant firmly

6 Surprised greeting10 Medical profes-

sionals, for short14 Mayo relative15 ___ and mean16 State that starts

and ends with thesame letter

17 Sleeveless shirts18 Teeth-related verb19 Teeth-related verb20 Bird hidden in the

name of a bone inthe leg

21 Appetizer filledwith cream cheese(argon, carbon)

24 Suggestive26 See 27-Across27 With 26-Across,

pre-ownedvehicle

29 Left waiting33 Prefix that sounds

like an attempt35 Bathroom

dispenser contents37 Ironic surname for

someone namedLes

38 Returning a suit,in a way (calcium,nitrogen)

41 Become allies42 Brinner, e.g.43 “Baby, ___ you /

You’re the one Ilove . . .”

44 Rent strikeparticipants

46 City’s smallerrelative

48 Right this minute49 Days’ counterparts53 “My So-Called Life”

star (arsenic, lead)59 “I knew it!”60 Place to shop61 Descriptor for a

light cake62 Word after “dust”

or “handsome”

64 Track shape65 Reflex hammer

target66 Unseals67 “Hidden Figures”

org.68 Place at the table69 Some graphic

novels

DOWN1 Picky ___

2 Second-largest cityin Florida

3 ___ points4 Large deer5 Olympic thrower’s

item6 Gymnast Korbut7 Rosemary, e.g.8 ___ dryer9 Undamaged

10 Brushing, nailtrimming,shampoo baths,etc.

11 “That’s terrible”12 “Bye!”13 “The seeds have

been ___”

22 Witherspoon whoplayed CherylStrayed

23 Activist Wadler25 Selena’s surname28 Places for RAs29 Sound of a wet

impact30 “Hurry up already!”31 Vases with bases32 Small cylindrical

piece33 Vocal inflection34 Wreck36 Las Vegas

baller38 Use scissors on39 Operatic voice

type40 Unaccom-

panied45 Little edits47 Orunmila’s

quality50 Safe place51 “Doo Wop

(That ___)”52 Huevos

rancherosingredient

53 “Hurry upalready!”

54 Volcanic output55 “That’s terrible”56 Eat57 Vicinity58 Russian “no”63 Air Quality Index

org.

Answers: Call 1-900-988-8300, 99 cents a minute; or, with a credit card, 1-800-320-4280.

SHAKING THETABLE

CROSSWORD

BY Erik Agard

Wednesday’s Answer

10/14

© Andrews McMeel 10/15

CROSSWORDSON YOUR PHONE

get our crossword app

EDITED Erik Agard

DIFFICULTY RATING �����

Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3box contains the numbers 1 through 9 (no repeats).

10/15

10/14

SUDOKU FUSIONON YOUR PHONE

puzzles.usatoday.com

Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x2box contains the numbers 1 through 6 (no repeats).

DIFFICULTY RATING �����

8 7 9

9 8 4

2 5 4 3 9

1 6 3

9 4 1

4 8 7

3 6 8 7 4

7 5 3

7 2 8

2 5

1

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5

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3 1 5 2 6 4

2 6 4 3 5 1

6 2 1 4 3 5

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1 3 2 5 4 6

4 5 6 1 2 3

Wednesday’s Answers

SUDOKU

© Andrews McMeel

QUICKCROSS

By John Wilmes 10/15

Hamm and Stewart

Concept

Hamm and Farrow

Matched assortments

Gaffigan and Carrey

Jim Davis dog

Cocktail order

Talk back

Wednesday’s Answer

10/14

O F I T

N O N O

M I N T

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PLAY ONLINEPUZZLES.USATODAY.COM

UP & DOWN WORDS

By David L. Hoyt and Russell L. Hoyt

1. Reason to bring an umbrella

2. It carries science instruments

3. Hot-air contest

4. Hurry to your place

5. HBO: ____ ____ Office

6. Simple dance movement

7. Resign

Clues: Wednesday’s Answer

SOUR

CREAM

SODA

POP

UP

FOR

SALE

CREAMSODA

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INCLEMENT

10/15

© Andrews McMeel

A H S P N H B H O G A N

D N S A L T N S N A K E

D D K T B O J E V K E S

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R N R E I S E R H M N A

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L B C B U T T E R N R N

M R H S K U N K R R F P

WORD ROUNDUP

By David L. Hoyt and Jeff Knurek

Wednesday’s answer: ANTARCTICA AFRICA EUROPE ASIA / FOOT

BOOM SOON BOOK / RETINA PUPIL LENS IRIS / ROCK FOLK JAZZ /

LIQUID SOLID

10/15

Find and Circle:Paul ____ ☑☐☐☐☐☐Three mammals starting with S ☐☐☐Two neighboring countries ☐☐Two popcorn toppings ☐☐Asp, for one ☐

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PUZZLESTo report problems, email feedback@usatoday.com.

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THE REST

11 — Is This Anything/Jerry Seinfeld The standup legend and television star features his best comedy work across five decades (NF) (H) Simon & Schuster12 3 The Happy in a Hurry Cookbook/Steve Doocy, Kathy Doocy Subtitle: “100-Plus Fast and Easy New Recipes That Taste Like Home” (NF) (H) William Morrow Cookbooks13 — The Testaments/Margaret Atwood The Republic of Gilead is still in control, but its power may be weakening; sequel to “The Handmaid’s Tale” (F) (E) Nan A. Talese14 8 The Evening and the Morning/Ken Follett An historical epic set in England’s Middle Ages — ; sequel to “The Pillars of the Earth” (F) (E) Viking15 12 Midnight Sun/Stephenie Meyer Youth: Retelling of the original “Twilight” love story from vampire Edward Cullen’s perspective (F) (H) Little, Brown Books for Young

Readers16 — Follow the Money/Dan Bongino The conservative political commentator argues there is an organized liberal attack on Donald Trump (NF) (H) Post Hill Press17 — Elsewhere/Dean Koontz Jeff Coltrane and his daughter, Amity, find themselves targets when they are handed a mysterious object (F) (E) Thomas & Mercer18 9 Rage/Bob Woodward The veteran Washington Post journalist, who interviewed the president, looks at Donald Trump’s embattled presidency facing a pan-

demic, racial unrest and a suffering economy (NF) (H) Simon & Schuster19 — The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue /V.E. Schwab Addie LaRue makes a bargain to live forever, but is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets, until a young man remembers her (F)

(H) Tor20 4 Didn’t See That Coming/Rachel Hollis Subtitle: “Putting Life Back Together When Your World Falls Apart” (NF) (H) Dey Street Books21 — Spy School Revolution/Stuart Gibbs Children: Ben Ripley faces a new opponent, a mysterious and evil organization called the Croatoan (F) (H) Simon & Schuster Books for

Young Readers 22 — The 99% Invisible City/Roman Mars, Kurt Kohlstedt Subtitle: “A Field Guide to the Hidden World of Everyday Design” (NF) (H) Houghton Mifflin Harcourt23 — Magic Lessons/Alice Hoffman The story of witch Maria Owens, the matriarch of the Owens bloodline; prequel to “Practical Magic” (F) (H) Simon & Schuster24 35 Spooky Pookie/Sandra Boynton Children: It’s Halloween! What will little Pookie decide to be this year? (F) (H) Little Simon25 30 Killing Crazy Horse/Bill O’Reilly, Martin Dugard Subtitle: “The Merciless Indian Wars in America” (NF) (H) Henry Holt and Co.26 19 Caste/Isabel Wilkerson Subtitle: “The Origins of Our Discontents” (NF) (H) Random House27 14 The Book of Two Ways/Jodi Picoult Everything changes for Dawn Edelstein after she survives a plane crash (F) (H) Ballantine28 — Walk the Wire/David Baldacci Amos Decker and Alex Jamison investigate the murder of a woman in a fracking town in North Dakota; sixth in series (F) (P) Grand Cen-

tral Publishing29 — Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World/Fareed Zakaria CNN host Fareed Zakaria helps readers to understand the nature of a post-pandemic world, from biological risks to digital life (NF) (H)

W.W. Norton30 — Undaunted/John O. Brennan Subtitle: “My Fight Against America’s Enemies, At Home and Abroad” (NF) (H) Celadon Books31 17 The Coast-to-Coast Murders/James Patterson with J.D.

BarkerWhile investigating one murder, detective Garrett Dobbs and FBI agent Jessica Gimble stumble upon a series of more (NF) (H) Little,Brown

32 21 Anxious People/Fredrik Backman A desperate parent tries and fails to rob a bank, fleeing into an open house and taking everyone hostage (F) (H) Atria Books33 36 Pete the Cat: Trick or Pete/James Dean Children: Pete the Cat goes trick-or-treating from house to house (F) (P) HarperFestival34 — Dragon Masters: Fortress of the Stone Dragon/Tracey West;

art by Matt LoveridgeChildren: Drake must find a way to save his friends from a dangerous spell; 17th in series (F) (P) Scholastic

35 38 Little Blue Truck’s Halloween/Alice Schertle; art by Jill McEl-murry

Children: Little Blue Truck picks up his friends for a Halloween costume party (F) (H) Houghton Mifflin Books for Children

36 52 The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything/LindaWilliams; art by Megan Lloyd

Children: One windy night, a fearless lady encounters scary things in the woods (F) (P) HarperCollins

37 16 One Vote Away/Ted Cruz Subtitle: “How a Single Supreme Court Seat Can Change History” (NF) (H) Regnery Publishing38 5 The Meaning of Mariah Carey/Mariah Carey The award-winning music icon tells the story of her life, unfiltered, in her own words (NF) (H) Andy Cohen Books39 32 Untamed/Glennon Doyle The author instructs readers on how to find their own inner voice and inner peace (NF) (H) The Dial Press40 7 The Office: A Day at Dunder Mifflin Elementary/Robb Pearl-

man; art by Melanie DemmerChildren: Adaptation of the television series in which a young Michael Scott tries to perform his duties as line leader at Dunder MifflinElementary (F) (H) Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

41 27 The Vanishing Half/Brit Bennett The Vignes twin sisters become adults in two different worlds: one black and one white (F) (H) Riverhead42 20 Total Power/Vince Flynn, Kyle Miles Mitch Rapp and his team are on the case when ISIS takes out the nation’s power grid and throws the country into chaos (F) (E) Atria/

Emily Bestler Books43 53 You’re My Little Pumpkin Pie/Natalie Marshall Children: Tale for little ones about a pumpkin along with a black cat, a ghost and a bat (F) (H) Silver Dolphin Books44 73 The Home Edit/Clea Shearer, Joanna Teplin Subtitle: “A Guide to Organizing and Realizing Your House Goals” (NF) (H) Clarkson Potter45 45 White Fragility/Robin DiAngelo Subtitle: “Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism” (NF) (P) Beacon Press46 — Trust/Pete Buttigieg Subtitle: “America’s Best Chance” (NF) (H) Liveright47 44 The Guest List/Lucy Foley A wedding on a remote island in Ireland turns deadly (F) (E) William Morrow48 — My Hero Academia, Vol. 25/Kohei Horikoshi Tomura and Re-Destro, the leader of the Meta Liberation Army, battle for supremacy; 25th in series (F) (P) VIZ Media LLC49 49 Where the Crawdads Sing/Delia Owens The reclusive Kya Clark is suspected in the death of Chase Andrews (F) (H) G.P. Putnam’s Sons50 57 The Very Hungry Caterpillar Board Book/Eric Carle Classic children’s story of a caterpillar that eats all the time and turns into a butterfly (F) (H) Philomel

The book list appearsevery Thursday.For each title, the formatand publisher listed are forthe best-selling version ofthat title this week.Reporting outlets includeAmazon.com, AmazonKindle, Apple Books,Barnes & Noble.com,Barnes & Noble Inc., Barnes& Noble e-books,BooksAMillion.com,Books-A-Million, Costco,Hudson Booksellers,Joseph-Beth Booksellers(Lexington, Ky.; Cincinnati,Charlotte, Cleveland,Pittsburgh), Kobo, Inc.,Powell's Books (Portland,Ore.), Powells.com, R.J.Julia Booksellers, SchulerBooks & Music (GrandRapids, Okemos, Eastwood,Alpine, Mich.), Target,Tattered Cover Book Store(Denver).

THE TOP 10

1 — Modern ComfortFoodIna Garten

A collection of 65 comfort food recipes from the “BarefootContessa” (NF) (H) Clarkson Potter

2 — The Trials of Apollo:The Tower of NeroRick Riordan

Children: Will the Greek god Apollo, cast down to earth as ateenager named Lester Papadopoulos, regain his place onMount Olympus? (F) (H) Disney Press

3 — HumansBrandon Stanton

The “Humans of New York” blogger photographs and in-terviews humans from around the world (NF) (H) St. Martin’sPress

4 — Troubles in ParadiseElin Hilderbrand

The truth about the secrets and lies that brought Irene andher sons to St. John will finally come to light; final in trilogy(F) (E) Little, Brown

5 — The SearcherTana French

Retired Chicago cop Cal Cooper moves to an Irish villagewhere a kid named Trey asks for help in his brother’s disap-pearance (F) (E) Viking

6 1 The ReturnNicholas Sparks

Trevor Benson returns to North Carolina after being injuredin by a mortar blast in Afghanistan (F) (H) Grand CentralPublishing

7 6 Dog Man: Grime andPunishmentDav Pilkey

Youth: Dog Man faces a new problem and needs his pack tohelp him; ninth in series (F) (H) Graphix

8 13 Room on the BroomJulia Donaldson,Axel Scheffler

Children: A witch in search of her hat welcomes myriadcreatures onto her broom (F) (P) Puffin

9 — Leave the WorldBehindRumaan Alam

Unexpected visitors interrupt a family’s vacation in a remotehouse over a long weekend gone wrong (F) (H) Ecco

10 29 BlackoutCandace Owens

Subtitle: “How Black America Can Make Its Second Escapefrom the Democrat Plantation” (NF) (H) Threshold Editions

nn Rank this week nn Rank last week (F) Fiction (NF) Nonfiction (P) Paperback (H)Hardcover (E) E-book Publisher in italics

WHATAMERICA’SREADING®

LIFE USA TODAY ❚ THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020 ❚ 7B

8:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30NETWORK

ABC The Vice President and the People – A Special Edition of 20/20 (N) Emergency Call Emergency calls feature a young girl

who performs CPR on her grandfather.

Local Programs Jimmy Kimmel Live Josh

Gad. (N)

CBS Big Brother Julie Chen Moonves hosts live vote and

eviction; Houseguests compete for HoH. (N)

Young Sheldon Dealing

with life in East Texas.

The Neighborhood New

home.

Star Trek: Discovery Starfleet officer learns that

understanding alien beings comes from within.

Local Programs The Late Show with

Stephen Colbert

Fox 2020 MLB Playoffs National League Championship Series, Game 4 Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Atlanta Braves from Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas (Live) To Be Announced Local Programs

NBC Decision 2020: Trump Town Hall President Donald

Trump discusses important issues with voters.

Dateline NBC Investigative reports, breaking news stories, profiles of leading newsmakers and other

features explore current events and topics of special interest.

Local Programs The Tonight Show

Starring Jimmy Fallon

PBS This Old House (N) Ask This Old House (N) 10 That Changed America Influential streets. 10 That Changed America Amazing engineering. Amanpour and Company (N)

CW Supernatural A local church. (N) The Outpost Janzo and Wren solve a puzzle box. (N) Local Programs

ION Chicago P.D. A group targets trucks and steals drugs. Chicago P.D. Voight becomes under suspicion. Chicago P.D. Atwater explores a drug syndicate. Chicago P.D. More to a carjacking attempt.

Telemundo El Domo del Dinero El gran premio. (N) Todo por mi hija Asu llega a casa de Oyku. Trump o Biden: Los latinos Piden (N) Noticias Telemundo (N) Noticias Telemundo (N)

Univision Médicos, línea de vida Imperio de mentiras Dulce ambición Noticiero Univisión (N) Noti. Univi. Ed. noc. (N)

CABLE

A&E The First 48 Detectives investigate a woman’s death. The First 48 Detective believes witness knows more. The First 48 Father murdered. The First 48 Missing woman’s last steps retraced.

AMC Thir13en Ghosts A teacher inherits his uncle’s home and finds it houses a gang of angry spirits. (2001) Evil Dead Friends find a cursed book in a cabin in the woods and awaken an evil presence. Jane Levy (2013)

Animal Planet Deadliest Catch End of a career. Deadliest Catch Missing crab ship. Deadliest Catch A final storm. Deadliest Catch The hazardous world of crab fishing.

BBC America The Fifth Element A cab driver becomes involved with a woman who is destined to save the world. (1997) Premier League Darts 2020 (N)

BET Get Rich or Die Tryin’ 50 Cent (2005) (6:00) Hustle & Flow A pimp spends his spare time realizing his dream of becoming a rap artist with the hopes that a friend will help him get into the music industry. (2005)

Bravo Southern Charm Commitment doubts. Southern Charm Shep spirals downward. (N) What Happens (N) Chrisley Knows Best Chrisley Knows Best Chrisley Knows Best

Cartoon Gumball Gumball Saving Nicole. Bob’s Burgers Bob’s Burgers American Dad! American Dad! Family Guy Puppeteer. Family Guy

CMT P.S. I Love You A widow receives messages from her late husband to help her overcome her grief. Hilary Swank, Gerard Butler (2007) Forever My Girl A musical star meets his first love.

CNBC Decision 2020: Trump Town Hall Important issues. Shark Tank Product for kids to like brushing hair. Shark Tank A Californian developer spurs a battle. Shark Tank Over-confidence threatens deal.

CNN Anderson Cooper 360° (N) Cuomo Prime Time (N) CNN Tonight with Don Lemon (N) CNN Tonight with Don Lemon (N)

Comedy The Office The Office The Office Office robbery. The Office The Office The Office Canada trip. Daily Show (N) The Office

Discovery Naked and Afraid Survivalists endure challenges in South America, Malaysia and Cambodia. (N) Naked and Afraid Survivalists left on Andros Island.

Disney Jessie Stranded girl. Jessie Italian island. Jessie Stranded at sea. BUNK’D BUNK’D Ava’s brother. BUNK’D Lou’s fundraiser. Sydney to the Max Sydney to the Max

DisXD Player Select Parker Plays DuckTales DuckTales Big City Greens Big City Greens Player Select Player Select

DIY Flea Market Flip Flea Market Flip Flea Market Flip (N) Flea Market Flip (N) Bargain Mansions Bargain Mansions Bargain Mansions Bargain Mansions

E! Keeping Up with the Kardashians Baby trip. (N) The Bradshaw Bunch Family invests in Rachel’s love life. (N) The Bradshaw Bunch The Bradshaw Bunch Nightly Pop (N)

Food Halloween Wars Haunted roadside motel displays. Halloween Wars Two-face monster displays. Halloween Wars Crypt after dark displays. Halloween Wars Demonic wedding.

Fox News Tucker Carlson Tonight (N) Hannity (N) The Ingraham Angle (N) Fox News @ Night(N)

Freeform Scream 2 (1997) (6:00) The Craft Four high school misfits start casting spells on their haughty classmates. Fairuza Balk, Robin Tunney (1996) The 700 Club

FX Get Out Man discovers terrifying truth concerning girlfriend’s parents. Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams (2017) Get Out Man discovers terrifying truth concerning girlfriend’s parents. (2017)

FXX Family Guy Family Guy Family Guy Family Guy Cake Lies & compromise. Cake All in, over and out. Cake Lies & compromise. Archer Jokes for escape.

GSN America Says Master Minds Family Feud Family Feud Family Feud Family Feud Family Feud Family Feud

Hallmark Autumn in the Vineyard Former high school sweethearts meet after having jointly inherited a winery. (2016) The Golden Girls The Golden Girls The Golden Girls The Golden Girls

HGTV Flip or Flop Flip or Flop Flip or Flop (N) Flip or Flop House Hunters (N) Hunters International (N) House Hunters Hunters International

History American Pickers Restoration project. American Pickers Old hanger full of vintage cars. American Pickers Late artist’s works; vintage hi-fi. American Pickers Items fill town.

HLN Forensic Files Forensic Files Forensic Files Forensic Files Forensic Files Forensic Files Poisoning. Forensic Files Forensic Files

ID Your Worst Nightmare Diner confrontation. Suspicious Minds Indiana mother. (N) The Killer Beside Me Employee missing. (N) The Killer Beside Me Secretary murdered.

IFC Two and a Half Men Two and a Half Men Two and a Half Men Two and a Half Men Two and a Half Men Two and a Half Men Two and a Half Men Two and a Half Men

Lifetime Sweet Home Alabama A New York fashion designer tries to divorce her redneck Alabama husband. (2002) Where the Heart Is A pregnant teen takes up secret residence in a 24-hour department store. (2000) (10:03)

MotorTrend Wheeler Dealers 2001 Saab 9-3 Viggen is restored. Dallas Car Sharks Dallas Car Sharks Dallas Car Sharks Dallas Car Sharks Dallas Car Sharks Dallas Car Sharks

MSNBC Decision 2020: Trump Town Hall Important issues. The Rachel Maddow Show (N) The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell (N) The 11th Hour with Brian Williams (N)

MTV Grown Ups 2 Family man Lenny and the gang prove their glory days aren’t over yet. Adam Sandler (2013) Ridiculousness Ridiculousness Ridiculousness (N) Ridiculousness

NatGeo Life Below Zero Heavy snowfall hits the region. Life Below Zero: Next Generation New obstacles. Life Below Zero Residents search for food. Life Below Zero Heavy snowfall hits the region.

NatGeo Wild Pop Goes the Vet Pop Goes the Vet Bold animal cases. Pop Goes the Vet The vets work challenging cases. Pop Goes the Vet

Nick Are You Afraid of the Dark? Reign of terror. Rio Macaw’s mundane lifestyle is transformed by encounter with a free-spirited bird. Karen Disher (2011) Friends Friends Obnoxious laugh.

OWN 20/20 on OWN Presents: Homicide Killed at work. 20/20 on OWN Crush turns deadly. 20/20 on OWN A look is taken at life of Ethan Couch. 20/20 on OWN Presents: Homicide Serial killer.

Oxygen Buried in the Backyard Missing teen. (N) Injustice with Nancy Grace Husband suspected. (N) Trick-or-Treat Terror Snapped Mother faces justice for sitter’s death.

Paramount Man on Fire Former assassin protects child. Denzel Washington (2004) (7:00) Man on Fire A former assassin hunts the people who kidnapped a nine-year-old child. Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning (2004) (9:45)

Pop NCIS: New Orleans Taken hostage. NCIS: New Orleans Former professor. NCIS: New Orleans Damning article. NCIS: New Orleans Abuse of power.

Science What on Earth? What on Earth? (N) Phantom Signals (N) Phantom Signals

Sundance Law & Order Mafia-linked murder. Law & Order Suspects provide alibis for murder. Law & Order Police shootout uncovers mob killing. Law & Order Witnesses jailed to help investigation.

Syfy Shrek An ogre and a donkey escort a princess. (2001) The Mask A downtrodden bank clerk finds a mask that turns him into a dashing trickster. Jim Carrey (1994) Monster House Kids fear a spooky house is alive.

TBS Big Bang Theory Big Bang Theory Big Bang Theory Big Bang Theory Big Bang Theory Big Bang Theory Conan Alec Baldwin. Seinfeld

TCM Tunes of Glory A popular colonel chafes under the command of his new superior officer. Alec Guinness (1960) The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp The life of a conservative general. Roger Livesey, Deborah Kerr (1943)

TLC Dr. Pimple Popper My Feet Are Killing Me Dr. Pimple Popper Giant nose bumps. (N) Dr. Pimple Popper (N) My Feet Are (N) Untold Stories of the E.R. Pregnant physician.

TNT Grown Ups Group of former teammates gathers to pay homage to their late basketball coach. (2010) Wedding Crashers Two friends sneak into weddings to prey on romantically inspired women. (2005) (10:15)

Travel Ghost Adventures Sacramento, Calif. Ghost Adventures: Screaming Room (N) Ghost Adventures The crew conducts an investigation of one of the deadliest towns in America.

TruTV Impractical Jokers Impractical Jokers Impractical Jokers Impractical Jokers Impractical Jokers Impractical Jokers Impractical: Inside Jokes Impractical: Inside Jokes

TV Land Loves Raymond Loves Raymond Loves Raymond Loves Raymond Loves Raymond Loves Raymond The King of Queens The King of Queens

USA Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Joint investigation. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Johnny D on trial. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

VH1 Romeo Must Die Jet Li, Aaliyah (2000) (6:30) Dope A bookish high school senior tries to survive in a tough neighborhood. Shameik Moore, Kiersey Clemons (2015) Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

Viceland Enemies of the People: Trump & the Press (N) Fringe Nation Formation & threat. I Was a Teenage Felon Shipping company. VICE News Tonight (N) VICE Essentials

WE Tamar Braxton: Get Ya Life! Multiple challenges. Tamar Braxton: Get Ya Life! (N) (Season finale) Bridezillas Emotions start to run high. (N) Tamar Braxton: Get Ya Life! Trina’s wedding.

Weather Storm Stories: The Next Chapter Tornado trap. Weather Gone Viral A hailstorm descends upon Italy. Weird Earth White dome is seen over strange valley. Weird Earth Dust cloud has visage of Virgin Mary.

WGN America NewsNation NewsNation NewsNation NewsNation

MOVIE NETWORKS

Cinemax Disaster Movie A group of young people encounter all kinds of catastrophic

events. Matt Lanter, Vanessa Lachey (2008)

My Super Ex-Girlfriend When an architect decides to break up with his needy,

neurotic girlfriend, she uses her superhuman powers to stalk and harass him. (2006)

Warrior Ah Sahm and Young Jun search for a hiding

place; Lee’s addiction worsens.

Encore Spy Kids Retired spy

parents called into action.

Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams The siblings look for a missing weapon that

can disable all electronic devices. Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino (2002) (8:31)

Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over An evil toymaker traps a girl in a game and her

brother must save her. Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino (2003) (10:15)

My Girl Father tries to relate

to his daughter. (1991)

FXM Now You See Me FBI agents work together to find a group of illusionists who while performing take on bank

heists and share their rewards with the audience members. Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo (2013) (7:50)

Now You See Me FBI agents work together to find a group of illusionists who while performing take on bank

heists and share their rewards with the audience members. Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo (2013) (10:05)

Hallmark Movies Love Takes Flight Single mom acts encouragingly when

daughter befriends a local widower. (2019) (7:00)

Two Turtle Doves A doctor searches for a beloved family heirloom in a small Christmas town as she realizes

that Christmas miracles really do happen. Nikki Deloach, Michael Rady (2019)

Murder, She Wrote A prominent citizen of Cabot Cove

becomes entangled in a murder investigation.

HBO The Chronicles of Riddick A wanted criminal arrives on the planet of Helion Prime and finds himself up

against the invading empire of genocidal Necromongers. Vin Diesel, Colm Feore (2004)

The Third Day Helen reveals purpose on Osea Island;

Ellie becomes friends with an odd girl.

Lovecraft Country Leti, Tic & Montrose are brought back

to the year 1921 in hopes of rescuing Dee.

Lifetime Movie Tempted by Danger A woman hires a new employee and sets him up on a date with her sister, but trouble

arises when the man becomes obsessed with pursuing a relationship. Keshia Knight Pulliam (2020)

Sinister Seduction Although a student athlete befriends a lady’s son, she believes that the young man is

interested in her instead, which leads her to uncover his shocking motive. Kristina Klebe, Tanner Buchanan (2019)

Showtime Shameless Fiona has no idea how to run a club night

and can’t pay the property tax.

Do the Right Thing A pizzeria in a minority-filled, Brooklyn neighborhood becomes involved in racial

tensions that erupt into violence on the hottest day of the year. Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis (1989)

Desus & Mero Actor Ethan

Hawke. (N)

The Good Lord Bird Onion

runs into “red shirts.”

Starz Fantasy Island An island keeper attempts to make the dreams of his lucky

guests come true. Michael Peña, Lucy Hale (2020) (7:32)

Empire State Friends rob an armored car depository, and are chased down by

an NYPD officer. Liam Hemsworth, Emma Roberts (2013) (9:25)

Greed A self-made British billionaire has a luxury fashion

empire falling into crisis. Steve Coogan (2020)

TMC Daddy’s Little Girls A poor but determined father fights to gain custody of his

three girls. Gabrielle Union, Idris Elba (2007)

Big Daddy A slacker pretends to adopt a five-year-old boy in a misguided attempt to prove to his girlfriend

that he is ready for responsibility. Adam Sandler, Joey Lauren Adams (1999) (9:45)

Parenthood Steve Martin,

Tom Hulce (1989)

SPORTS NETWORKS

ESPN College Football Georgia State Panthers at Arkansas State Red Wolves from Centennial Bank Stadium (Live) SportsCenter

ESPN2 Top Rank Boxing Top Rank Boxing High School Football Booker T. Washington Lions at Newman Greenies (Live)

FS1 2020 MLB Playoffs National League Championship Series, Game 4 Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Atlanta Braves from Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas (Live) MLB on FS1 Postgame (Live)

Golf Golf Central Golf Central PGA Tour Golf 2020 THE CJ CUP @ SHADOW CREEK - Round 1 from Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Vegas

MLB MLB Tonight MLB Tonight MLB Tonight MLB Tonight MLB Tonight MLB Tonight MLB Tonight MLB Tonight

NBA GM School Clutch What If? Draft Stories GM School GM School

NBCSports American Ninja Warrior Baltimore Qualifying American Ninja Warrior Denver Qualifying. American Ninja Warrior Denver Qualifying. American Ninja Warrior Obstacle course.

NFLN NFL Football Las Vegas Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs from Arrowhead Stadium NFL Total Access An inside look at all 32 teams.

MOVIES Eastern Time may vary in some cities(N) New episode.

TONIGHT ON TV

Haunt O’ Ween (a family-friendly expe-rience) in Woodland Hills.

The good: Live entertainment

Each drive-thru had some sort of art-ist taking the stage. At Nights of theJack, a pumpkin carver crafted an im-pressive sculpture to honor the lateChadwick Boseman. At HalloweenRoad, the Sanderson sisters lip-synceda song from “Hocus Pocus.” Haunt O’Ween had a band playing Halloweensongs. Apparently, I really missed in-person shows! I watched the sculptor inawe, blushed when Winifred Sandersonwished me a happy holiday and rockedout to a holiday song I’ve never heardbefore while driving about 5 mph. Inter-acting with other humans outside of myquarantine bubble (and from a safe dis-tance inside of my car) so excited me,that I accidentally promised a witch,who was giving out candy, that I’d bringher back a tasty child.

The bad: Waiting in lines of cars

The actual drive to the drive-thrusisn’t so bad because at least in LA, traffichas been tame in the last few months.But when you get to your destination,expect lines. At Haunt O’ Ween, therewas congestion even mid-way throughthe experience. Of course, waits are ex-pected for every desirable holiday activ-ity, but I haven’t been out at a publicevent so long that I forgot queues exist-

ed. I didn’t miss them.Also of note: Not all drive-thrus are

created equally. Nights of the Jack,which runs through Nov. 1 at $69 per car,took me on a spellbinding trip throughHollywood, under the sea and into analien invasion all via meticulously-cutpumpkins. I kept announcing how awe-some the outing was while still there.But Haunt O’ Ween, which runs throughthe end of the month for $70 a car, felt alittle more random with skeleton propsthat didn’t tell any obvious story, cos-tumed actors that didn’t seem followany particular theme and arbitrarybranding throughout. That said, it wasstill a hoot and every car got a free, dis-infected pumpkin. And Halloween Roadin Los Angeles – which, sadly, alreadyfinished its limited-run – was a ballfrom start to finish with a prize wheel,opulent “Nightmare Before Christmas”displays and focused “Addams Family”actors who refused to break character.

Short on scares, big on fun

None of the drive-thrus I went towere frightening. That makes sense,considering that the driver of a moving

vehicle may not react safely to a jumpscare. But the spooky safaris were total-ly festive and fun. (I didn’t get to experi-ence the scarier Fright Farms whichopens later this month in Norco, Califor-nia.)

Though I normally want the scariestHalloween experience I can get, I washappy to get a dose of levity at a placethat felt safe amid a raging pandemic.Joke gravestones that I’d usually roll myeyes at – “Barry De Live” and “DeeCayen” among them – had me snort-laughing at Nights of the Jack. And thefact that my car was part of a photo mo-ment at Halloween Road, sitting atopJack Skellington’s spiral hill, has alreadycracked me up a dozen times.

Life in 2020 has been full of enoughterror as it is, that it feels good to insteadembrace the absurdness and joy of theholiday of ghosts and monsters. ThisOctober, I’m delighting in the ridicu-lousness of receiving a shovel full ofcandy (social-distanced style), chattingwith friendly witches and admiring aSpongebob Squarepants made out ofpumpkins. I’m currently seeking afourth drive-thru experience to helpsustain the silly, magical feeling.

Drive-thruContinued from Page 5B

“Freeform’s Halloween Road,” is adrive-thru experience filled with tricksand treats. RICHARD HARBAUGH/FREEFORM

8B ❚ THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020 ❚ USA TODAY LIFE

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Tom Petty’s 1994 album “Wildflow-ers” has finally reached full bloom.

When the late rock frontman madethe album – only his second in a then-two decade career not to be labeled as aTom Petty and the Heartbreakers pro-ject – Petty initially envisioned it as atwo-CD set with 25 songs.

At the suggestion of record label War-ner Bros., Petty pruned down the pro-ject. He released a single-disc master-piece, which would go on to be certifiedtriple platinum, selling more than threemillion copies, according to the Record-ing Industry Association of America.“Wildflowers” also earned him his firstsolo Grammy, the 1995 best male rockperformance award for the song, “YouDon’t Know How It Feels.”

In later years, Petty returned to his vi-sion of an expanded “Wildflowers,” withthat original second album of songs. Itwas a project he wouldn’t finish beforehis death in October 2017 at the age of66,.

Now his family and music mates havefinished the job.

“Wildflowers & All the Rest ($19.98-up), out Friday, includes a remasteredversion of the original album and a sec-ond disc of ten songs from those consid-ered for the original two-CD version.More decked-out editions offer addi-tional insights into Petty’s two-year cre-ative flurry with a collection of the mu-sician’s solo home demos, a vast assort-ment of rarities and previously unre-leased recordings, and liveperformances.

“We just took an opportunity here tobe a little more completist about lookingat the work he did in those two yearswith Rick,” said Petty’s daughter, Adria,speaking of producer Rick Rubin, whoheaded“Wildflowers” and the subse-quent Heartbreakers’ release “Echo.”

Tom Petty’s ‘last project’

Finishing this expanded version of“Wildflowers” was important to thefamily and band members because Pet-ty “talked about this more than any oth-er project I’d ever seen him putting to-gether,” said Adria, who also served asthe set’s creative director and co-direct-ed a music video for “Leave VirginiaAlone.”

Guitarist Mike Campbell, who wasamong the set’s curators, said he tried tothink like Petty in choosing what shouldmake the cut. “I would always try toimagine Tom was sitting with me andwe would listen to it and I kept hearinghis voice saying, ‘Nah, (expletive) that. Idon’t want anybody to ever hear that,’and I would say ‘No’ (don’t include it).

At times, it was difficult to listen to

old material, Campbell said. “The proc-ess was very hard emotionally. I’m stillgrieving. But I was grieving pretty hardthen.”

‘Wildflowers’ sown in transition

The creation of what would become“Wildflowers,” which began in 1992,came at a tumultuous time for Petty,who faced troubles in his longtime mar-riage to wife Jane, whom he wed in 1974.They have two daughters, Adria and An-naKim.

There also was friction amid his bandas he began writing during a break fol-lowing the tour supporting “Into theGreat Wide Open,” the Heartbreakersalbum released in 1991 and produced byJeff Lynne.

Petty was looking for a fresh ap-proach after two albums with Lynne.The Electric Light Orchestra leader hadalso helmed Petty’s first solo effort “Full

Moon Fever,” a multi-platinum hit.Fueled by songs such as “Free Fallin’,”“Runnin’ Down a Dream” and “I Won’tBack Down,” it would go on to outsellprevious Heartbreakers albums.

Despite the success, Petty fearedstagnation. “I had this clear thought: Wewere making a certain kind of record,”Petty told Rolling Stone in a 2014 inter-view that’s included in the new “Wild-flowers” set. “If we did any more, itwasn’t a great idea. I felt I have to takeoff on my own, see what all this adds upto.”

Enter producer Rubin, who hadworked with rappers such as LL Cool J,Run DMC, and the Beastie Boys andmetal bands including Slayer.

And exit longtime drummer StanLynch, who would depart from the bandafter initially playing on some songsconsidered for “Wildflowers,” as well as“Mary Jane’s Last Dance,” a new songfor the 1993 greatest hits collection thatsecured Petty’s move from MCA Rec-ords to Warner Bros.

‘Low pressure’ work bore fruit

Moving forward with Rubin, Pettykept things loose. “We began recordingsongs with no real concept other thanlet’s just record these songs and see howthey sound like with whatever playerswe could get together,” Campbell toldUSA TODAY.

When keyboardist Benmont Tenchjoined Petty, Campbell and Rubin abouta month later at LA studio Sound City, “Iwas a little puzzled because it wasn’t the(Heartbreakers) band, but I was (say-ing) ‘OK, I trust this process.’ And thesongs (Petty) brought were so good. Iwas glad to be coming down every day.”

Kenny Aronoff, a longtime drummerfor John Mellencamp, came in andworked on some songs and then camethe arrival of Steve Ferrone, who’ddrummed in the Average White Band,Saturday Night Live band and played forChaka Khan, Duran Duran and EricClapton.

“When Steve Ferrone showed it up itwas like Mike and Tom’s and Rick’s eyeslit up,” Tench said.

Ferrone would go on to play on mostof the original “Wildflowers.” RingoStarr handled drums on “To Find aFriend.” And after the album came out in1994, Ferrone became a permanentband member.

“Wildflowers” served as a revival forPetty and the Heartbreakers, whichwould continue on for another 20-plusyears. Petty and his wife divorced in1996. In 2001, he married Dana York,who he had been seeing for severalyears and who helped Petty through apost-divorce heroin addiction.

Petty moved on but didn’t forget

Those abandoned songs were neverfar from Petty’s mind. “He would bring itup from time to time, ‘We should dosomething with that,’ ” Campbell said.

While the Heartbreakers were mak-ing “Hypnotic Eye,” an album thatwould be released in 2014, compilationproducer and engineer Ryan Ulyatedove into the performer’s vault of unre-leased material after Petty told him,“there’s some tracks from ‘Wildflowers’that we never put out. I want to go backand look at all that stuff and see what wecan do with it.”

Between recording sessions andtours, Petty in 2015 sequenced the songsfor a second Wildflowers disc. Then Pet-ty began perusing some home demo re-cordings he wanted to accompany therelease.

As the project grew, Petty realized “hedidn’t want to just put this disc out with-out promoting it because he felt itwouldn’t get the attention he thought itdeserved,” Ulyate said.

But the Heartbreakers would spendmuch of 2017 on a 40th Anniversarytour. Petty died Oct. 2, 2017, of an acci-dental drug overdose. He had been bat-tling “unbearable” pain from a hip frac-ture, his wife, Dana, and daughter,Adria, said in a statement in January2018 upon the Los Angeles County coro-ner’s office finding.

The family assisted Ulyate, Campbelland Tench on the 2018 four-disc retro-spective “An American Treasure” andreached an agreement on his estate.

MUSIC

Petty’s ‘Wildflowers’ returns in full bloomFamily, music matesfinish late rocker’s work

Mike SniderUSA TODAY

The cover of Wildflowers & All TheRest, out Oct. 16 from Warner Records.The reissue includes a remasteredversion of the 1994 Wildflowers album,another disc of additional songs, plusdemos, live recordings and alternateversions. WARNER RECORDS

in so many ways, that we just reevaluat-ed. It was funny because some of thethings that seemed so important andpressing at the time you realize aren’t,”she says, noting that the 365-quote vol-ume should reflect the outside world,and the quotes they had chosen origi-nally didn’t do that. But by the time thebook was complete, they did.

Most of the quotes pertain to dailylife, but many apply to the pandemicspecifically.

Sitting in my apartment and leafingthrough the book, I let the quotes sink inand started to feel better, understandingmore deeply how strangers were experi-encing similar feelings based on an as-sembly of words that formed quotes andanecdotes – especially stories of peopledoing good for others. I’d never thoughtthat I was alone in what I was feeling,but reading quotes that pertain to whatothers are also feeling gave me a kind ofcomfort, like being wrapped in a blan-ket.

Words have a lot of power, a fact thatKotb is acutely aware of.

“If you think about it, some of themost profound moments of our life –and changes in our life – happen in fewwords,” she explains. “‘It’s a boy.’ ‘She’sgone.’ ‘I do.’ ”

The same way words strung togethercan change your world, they can alsoenhance how you experience it.

“Quotes can speak to you on a givenday or a given year, and then a year laterthey don’t anymore, (like how) you’re

going through whatever you’re goingthrough in your life,” Kotb explained.“I’m always fascinated if five wordsstrung together can hit you in such aprofound way, and sometimes it’s al-most like you can’t believe someone elseis feeling what you’re feeling.”

The book, she hopes, can help read-ers find light in darkness – which issomething, she says, isn’t easy. But it’svery important, to “train your gaze,” shecontinues, to look at positives andthings that lift you up. “This Just Speaksto Me” provides that, especially rightnow when we are seeing “a lot of badstuff” happening around us.

“I think people probably need it nowmaybe more than they did before. Imean, I kind of do, personally,” Kotbsays. “I think I need a little extra of ev-erything now.”

Feeling what you’ve gone through,she says, is important: We need to feel itso that we don’t shove it so deep downthat we don’t know why, later on, we’reso devastated by something. The book,she says, is filled with little bits of adviceto help readers make it through thetough times.

“You’re not by yourself ... I think notbeing alone is one of the best feelings inthe world, knowing someone else felt it,felt it so profoundly that they wrotethose words (of a quote) that movedyou,” Kotb says.

“This Just Speaks to Me” has provid-ed me comfort and kind of safe spacewhere I can go to give myself a momentof positive pause, one that I didn’t evenknow I needed when I picked the bookup. But now that I have it, I’ll be pickingthe book up from my bedside shelf,again and again.

KotbContinued from Page 5B

The undefeated Packers claim the No. 1 spot andthree new teams crack the top five. Page 4C

NFL power rankings: Chiefs’loss creates huge shake-up

See if the Rays completed an ALCS sweep of theAstros and who won the Braves-Dodgers game.

Latest news, results, opinion24/7 at sports.usatoday.com

K1 E2

USA TODAY | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020 | SECTION C

SPORTS

As college athletics departments be-gan to confront the budgetary wreckageof COVID-19, it appeared football coach-es would be shouldering a fair share ofthe financial burden.

At Texas, athletics director Chris DelConte announced that his departmentwas laying off 35 employees and fur-loughing nearly a dozen more but coachTom Herman would be among thosetaking a voluntarily temporary salaryreduction of roughly 15% of their pay. AsNorth Carolina projected an eight-figuredeficit in athletics, coach Mack Brownagreed to have his salary cut by 20%.And at Central Michigan, coach JimMcElwain agreed to give up 6% of hispay, which the school said was in linewith other campus leaders.

In thosecases andothers,however,

the pay cuts weren’t quite what they ap-peared.

The Longhorns are in fact cuttingHerman’s salary, but they have agreedto pay him back before the end of hiscontract.

Brown’s pay cut was taken from onlyone component of his compensation –his base salary of $750,000 – ratherthan the $3.5 million he is due overall.

And when the metaphorical dust set-tled for McElwain, who has made morethan $17 million in three stints as a headcoach, his pay cut amounted to $6,000.

“It’s nice when, after your pay cut,you’re still making millions of dollars,”said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Connecticut,a staunch critic of the financial model inmajor college sports. “I don’t know thatthese pay cuts are going to result in anyof these coaches facing eviction fromtheir affordable housing develop-ments.”

As part of its annual review ofcoaches’ compensation, USA TODAYSports has compiled and analyzed thesalaries of head coaches in the FootballBowl Subdivision, just as it has since2006. But this time, that data also in-cludes a detailed accounting of the paycuts that head coaches have – or havenot – taken in the wake of the corona-virus pandemic.

USA TODAY Sports found that thetemporary pay cuts range from as littleas the elimination of an $80 monthlycellphone allowance (at Louisiana La-fayette) to as much as $1.25 million (atClemson). But when taken together,they show that head coaches havelargely been insulated from the broad-er financial challenges of their univer-sities and athletics departments.

Of the 104 head coaches for whompay cut information was made avail-able, more than 40% have either not

taken a pay cut or notbeen asked to do so. Of

COVID-19 issues impacted sportsagain Wednesday, wreaking havoc onthe Southeastern Conference withAlabama coach Nick Saban testingpositive and another game being post-poned and causing the NFL’s Pro Bowlto be canceled.

Saban and athletics director GregByrne both had positive tests, theschool announced. Saban, 68, said in astatement he has no symptoms but“immediately left work and isolated athome.” No. 2 Alabama is scheduled tohost No. 3 Georgia on Saturday.

The SEC earlier announced thatSaturday’s game between LSU at No. 9Florida would be postponed becauseof an outbreak of positive tests withthe Gators, this coming a day after theleague moved the Missouri-Vanderbiltgame from Saturday to Dec. 12. LSU-Florida is tentatively scheduled thatday as well.

The NFL announced that its annualall-star game held before the SuperBowl will be replaced with virtual ac-tivities, in consultation with the NFLPlayers Association. Fans will be ableto vote for Pro Bowl rosters, beginningNov. 17, and the full, 88-man rosterswill be revealed in December.

A six-time national champion, Sa-ban is the most high-profile figure incollege football, and perhaps in all ofAmerican sports, to publicly announcea positive test for COVID-19.

His team played last week at Mis-sissippi, which is now dealing with itsown COVID-19 outbreak. Coach LaneKiffin said Wednesday a number ofplayers are out but declined to divulgehow many will miss time or revealwhich players.

Ole Miss is scheduled to play Ar-kansas in Fayetteville on Saturday. Theteam will go through another round oftesting before the game.

“I said Monday in our first meetingthat this just got real,” Kiffin said. “Anytime you talk about things, it doesn’thit home until it happens to you. Nowthey’re seeing it.”

Florida AD Scott Stricklin saidWednesday the Gators have 21 positivetests and have “less than 50 scholar-ship players available currently” whenfactoring in quarantining.

Contributing: Paul Myerberg, ErickA. Smith; Robbie Andreu, Gainesville(Fla.) Sun; Lorenzo Reyes

COVID-19 AND SPORTS

Tide’sSabantestspositiveBrett Hudson and Nick SussUSA TODAY Network

Texas cut football coach Tom Herman’s pay but has promised to pay him back before the end of his contract.RICARDO B. BRAZZIELL/USA TODAY SPORTS

COVID-19 pay cuts notalways what they seem

See SALARIES, Page 3C

From as little as $80 monthly phone allowance to $1.25M Tom Schad, Steve Berkowitz and Matt WynnUSA TODAY

SPECIAL REPORT COLLEGE FOOTBALL COACHES’ SALARIES

2C ❚ THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020 ❚ USA TODAY SPORTS

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IN THE UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURTFOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF �IR�INIA, RICH�OND DI�ISION

In re: �I�� 1 I������, IN., et al.,1

Debtors.

)

)hapter 11, ase No. 20-30805 (K�H)(Jointly Administered)

NOTICE OF (I) ENTRY OF ORDER CONFIR�IN� THE A�ENDED JOINT CHAPTER11 PLAN OF PIER 1 I�PORTS, INC. AND ITS DEBTOR AFFILIATES AND

(II) OCCURRENCE OF EFFECTI�E DATEPLEASE TAKE NOTICE that on July 30,2020,the Honorable Kevin �.Huennekens,United �tates Bankruptcy

Judge for the United �tates Bankruptcy ourt for the �astern District of Virginia (the “Bankruptcy ourt”),entered the Order (I) Confirming the Amended Joint Chapter 11 Plan of Pier 1 Imports,Inc.and Its Debtor Affiliates[Docket No.967] (the“onfirmation �rder”) confirming the �lan.2

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that the �ffective Date of the �lan occurred on October 9,2020.PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that copies of the �lan and onfirmation �rder (and all related exhibits)

and all filing in the chapter 11 cases are available: (a) upon request to �piq (the notice and claims agentretained in these chapter 11 cases) by calling (866) 977-0883 (toll free) or, for international callers,(503) 520-4412;(b) by visiting the website maintained in these chapter 11 cases at https://dm.epiq11.com/case/pier1/;or (c) for a fee via �A�� by visiting http://www.vaeb.uscourts.gov.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that the Bankruptcy ourt has approved certain discharge,release,excul-pation,injunction,and related provisions in Article X of the �lan.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that, except as otherwise provided by the onfirmation �rder, the �lan,or a Final �rder of the ourt, the deadline for filing requests for payment of Administrative laims other thanfor �rofessional Fee laims, DI� laims, and claims arising under section 503(b)(9) of the Bankruptcy ode,for which bar dates were established in the �repetition laims Bar Date �rder, is the later of the date that isthirty (30) days following: (i) the �ffective Date or (ii) the effective date of the rejection or assumption of an�xecutory ontract or Unexpired Lease,except as specifically set forth in the �lan or the Administrative laimsBar Date �rder or otherwise ordered by the Bankruptcy ourt. Holders of Administrative Claims that arerequired to, but do not timely request payment on account of Administrative Claims as set forthin the Administrative Claims Bar Date Order or by the Administrative Claims Bar Date shall beforever barred, estopped, and enjoined from asserting such Administrative Claims against theWind-Down Debtors or their property, and such Administrative Claims shall be deemed satisfied,settled,and released as of the Effective Date.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that, pursuant to the �lan and the onfirmation �rder, the deadline forfiling requests for payment of �rofessional Fee laims shall be no later than 45 days after the �ffective Date.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that the �lan and its provisions are binding upon the Debtors and any andall Holders of laims or Interests (regardless of whether such laims or Interests are deemed to have acceptedor rejected the �lan),all �ntities that are parties to or are subject to the settlements,compromises,releases,andinjunctions described in the �lan,each �ntity acquiring property under the �lan or the onfirmation �rder,andany and all non-Debtor parties to �xecutory ontracts and Unexpired Leases with the Debtors.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that the �lan and the onfirmation �rder contain other provisions thatmay affect your rights. You are encouraged to review the �lan and the onfirmation �rder in their entirety.1 �he Debtors in these chapter 11 cases,along with the last four digits of each Debtor’s federal tax identifica-tion number, are set forth in the Order (I) Directing Joint Administration of Chapter 11 Cases and (II) GrantingRelated Relief [Docket No. 76]. �he location of the Debtors’ service address is �� Box 961020, Fort Worth, �X76161-0020. For delivery by airborne, Federal �xpress, & other courier services: 685 John B. �ias �emorial�arkway �uite 255,FortWorth,�X 76134.2 apitalized terms used but not otherwise defined herein have the meaning ascribed to them in theAmended Joint Chapter 11 Plan of Pier 1 Imports,Inc.,attached to the onfirmation �rder as �xhibit A.

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SETTLEMENT

College football coaches have beenlargely insulated from the financial im-pact of the COVID-19 pandemic, but thatdoesn’t mean they’re all in the samemetaphorical boat.

As part of its annual review of coach-es compensation data, USA TODAY alsotracked the pay cuts Bowl Subdivisioncoaches have taken this year in connec-tion with COVID-19. The data show thatwhile most coaches are taking small ormoderate cuts, some are losing out onsignificant sums.

Here are the coaches who are givingup the largest dollar amounts via pay re-ductions. (Tim Lester of Western Michi-gan and Mike Norvell of Florida Stateare taking the largest cut of total com-pensation, by percentage, at 25%.)

1. Dabo Swinney, Clemson

Pay reduction: $1.25 millionSwinney’s 10-year, $93 million con-

tract makes him one of the highest-paidcoaches in college football. But this yearhe is also taking the largest voluntarypay cut in connection with COVID-19 –agreeing to give up a total of $1.25 mil-lion in 2021.

According to an agreement obtainedby USA TODAY Sports, Swinney agreedin August to forfeit the $1 million reten-tion bonus he would have otherwise re-ceived in January while also postponingan automatic $250,000 raise in his con-

tract, which would have gone into effectnext year. His salary for this year is un-affected, so he is not taking a pay cut inthe traditional sense. But the $1.25 mil-lion in savings will be significant forClemson as it seeks to put together itsbudget for 2021.

2. Mike Norvell, Florida State

Pay reduction: $968,750The Seminoles’ athletic department

has faced significant financial chal-lenges in the wake of COVID-19, prompt-ing it to eliminate jobs and cut salariesacross the board. This led Norvell to takea 25% reduction of his total compensa-tion through 2021 – one of the largestcuts among FBS head coaches by per-centage.

An athletic department spokesper-son told The Tallahassee Democrat thatNorvell accepted a larger pay cut to helpoffset reductions for his staff. The first-year Seminoles coach was due to make$4 million this season prior to the re-duction, a 50% raise from what he madeat Memphis the year before.

3. Jim Harbaugh, Michigan

Pay reduction: $554,584With Michigan’s athletic department

projecting a $26 million deficit nextyear, Harbaugh accepted a 10% pay cut –which USA TODAY found to be the in-dustry standard – through the end ofthe current fiscal year. And because heis once again among the five highest-paid coaches in college football, even aseemingly moderate 10% cut translatesto a significant sum.

The 10% reduction is applicable toHarbaugh’s supplemental pay of $5.4 million, in addition to his base sala-ry ($605,000).

But an athletic department spokes-person told USA TODAY that annualpayments to Harbaugh’s life insurancepolicy will not be affected. (As part of hiscontract with Michigan, the schoolmakes a $2 million premium paymenton his life insurance policy every year onDec. 6.)

4. P.J. Fleck, Minnesota

Pay reduction: $548,320Fleck, who was scheduled to make

$4.6 million in total compensation thisyear, is taking a 10% pay cut throughoutthe 2021 fiscal year.

But the school said he also agreed totake a reduction on the last four pay-checks he received in the 2020 fiscalyear, which amounts to an additionalcut of $88,320.

Minnesota’s fourth-year coach toldreporters in April that he was happy totake a temporary cut to help the univer-sity. “(My wife) Heather and I immedi-ately jumped on it,” he said, according toThe St. Paul Pioneer Press. “Anythingwe can do to continue to help.”

5. Tom Herman, Texas

Pay reduction: $516,250Herman’s inclusion on the list comes

with an asterisk, because it’s not quiteas straightforward as it seems. Thoughhis total compensation is in fact beingreduced by more than half a million dol-lars this year, the Longhorns haveamended his contract to guarantee thathe’ll be repaid that same amount by theend of 2023. So it is, in practice, actuallymore of a deferral than a pay cut. (Othercoaches at Texas have the same ar-rangement.)

Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley ranks fifthin terms of actual money forfeited, ac-cording to USA TODAY’s data. He hasagreed to give up $515,000 over a 12-month period, which amounts to rough-ly a 10% cut of his base salary and sup-plemental pay.

Contributing: Curt Weiler

5 college coaches with biggest reductionsSteve Berkowitz and Tom SchadUSA TODAY

Clemson's Dabo Swinney has agreed togive up a total of $1.25 million in 2021.KEN RUINARD/USA TODAY SPORTS

Dozens of head coaches across theBowl Subdivision have taken pay cutsthis year as schools deal with the finan-cial fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.

But even with those reductions,they’re still making more money thanever.

USA TODAY’s annual review ofcoaches’ compensation found that theaverage total pay for FBS head coachesin 2020-21 is $2.7 million, a 1.1% increasefrom last year’s average. Those figuresinclude the pay reductions that somecoaches are taking this year.

In the absence of a global pandemic,the 122 FBS coaches for whom USA TO-DAY could obtain scheduled compensa-tion figures would have made $2.79 mil-lion on average, a 4.5% jump from lastyear.

Alabama’s Nick Saban, slated tomake $9.3 million, is once again thehighest-paid coach in the country, fol-lowed by LSU’s Ed Orgeron ($8.9 mil-lion) and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney($8.3 million). Saban has now been col-lege football’s highest-paid coach inseven of the past nine years.

Here are five other findings from thelatest coaches’ compensation data,which USA TODAY has been compilingand analyzing on an annual basis since2006:

h USA TODAY found some trends inpay cuts being taken by coaches in dif-ferent conferences. For example, everypublic school head coach in both the Big12 and Big Ten took a voluntary pay re-

duction in the wake of the pandemic. Inthe Southeastern Conference, cuts havebeen rare, affecting coaches at only fourof the 13 public schools: Arkansas, Mis-souri, Mississippi and South Carolina.

The Group of Five, meanwhile, had a

few interesting outliers. Only one publicschool head coach in the MountainWest, Boise State’s Bryan Harsin, hastaken a voluntary pay cut. And in theMid-American, only one coach (Buffa-lo’s Lance Leipold) has not.

h It’s not surprising there is a differ-ence in coaching salaries between Pow-er Five schools and Group of Fiveschools, but the size of the gap is nota-ble.

This year, the average Power Fivecoach is making nearly $4.4 million intotal compensation – more than fourtimes the compensation for the averageGroup of Five coach.

h Buyout clauses are still booming.This year, at least five coaches would beowed $30 million or more if they werefired without cause by Dec. 1, led by Tex-as A&M’s Jimbo Fisher ($53.1 million).And more than half of Power Fivecoaches (33) have buyouts of $10 millionor more.

h Nothing helps a coach’s wallet like anational championship run. LSU coachEd Orgeron accrued more than $1.77 mil-lion in bonuses last year, which meanshe made more in bonus payments alonethan at least 50 FBS coaches made in to-tal compensation during the same timeperiod.

h It’s good to be first-year MichiganState coach Mel Tucker. Tucker’s payhas more than doubled from a year ago,when he held the same position at Colo-rado, and increased six-fold since 2017,when he was an assistant at Georgia.His total compensation for 2020($5.06 million) ranks 14th in USA TO-DAY’s database.

Ditto for Ryan Day. Three years ago,Day was making $400,000 as an assis-tant coach at Ohio State. Now, he’s dueto make $5.6 million in total compensa-tion in 2020, and his pay will climb to$7.6 million by 2022.

5 surprises from college football coaches’ salaries Steve Berkowitz and Tom SchadUSA TODAY

First-year Michigan State coach Mel Tucker’s pay has more than doubled from ayear ago, with his total compensation at $5.06 million this season.MIKE CARTER/USA TODAY SPORTS

SPORTS USA TODAY ❚ THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020 ❚ 3C

the 59 coaches whose pay has been re-duced, the average cut amounts to justunder 9% of their total scheduled com-pensation package for the year – which,on average, is roughly $3 million for thatgroup.

Three schools – Memphis, PennState and Purdue – announced thattheir football coaches were taking paycuts but declined to answer specificquestions from USA TODAY Sportsabout the nature of those reductions.

While a handful of football coachesare forgoing amounts north of$500,000, or separately making sizabledonations to their schools to help cush-ion the financial blow, administratorshave generally sought to portray themas equals – taking the same cuts, on apercentage basis, as other employees inthe department or across campus.

“At the end of the day, we wanted ev-eryone to be treated the same,” OhioState athletic director Gene Smith toldreporters, when asked about his depart-ment’s uniform 5% cuts.

Yet at the FBS level, football coachesare often the highest-paid staff mem-bers at their universities – and, in manycases, the highest-paid public employ-ees in their states.

Bob Lattinville, an attorney with thelaw firm Spencer Fane LLP, said some ofthe pay cuts for coaches end up being asmuch about optics as they are about ac-tual cost savings for their universities.

“A lot of people obviously are hurtingeconomically, and if (coaches) aren’tdoing something that essentially identi-fies themselves with the rest of thefolks, many of whom are going to besupporters of the university, and (don’t)essentially feel their pain, then I thinkit’s a bad look,” said Lattinville, who as-sists USA TODAY Sports with its compi-lation and analyses of coaches’ com-pensation. “Again, it’s not that the paycuts are ceremonial. They are signifi-cant. But for the most part ... you’rethrowing pennies at dollars.”

‘Good business on both parts’

The coronavirus pandemic hit Amer-ican colleges and universities like afreight train. Enrollment figuresdropped, and COVID-19 considerations– like testing for on-campus instruction,or new technology for remote learning –led to rising costs. The recovery billpassed by Congress in May contained$37 billion in funding for higher educa-tion, providing some financial help. Butlast month a group of industry leaderswrote to Congress and said they need atleast $120 billion more.

FBS athletics departments, some ofwhich receive as much as 70% of theirfunding from the university, govern-ment or student fees, have dealt withsimilar issues.

With March Madness canceled andsome football stadiums empty or onlypartly filled, departments that wereonce flush with cash have turned to belttightening – cutting expenses, fur-loughing staff and, in some cases, eveneliminating entire sports programs.Duke athletics director Kevin White saidlast week that at least 230 college sportsprograms have been cut due to CO-VID-19 so far, including 104 in Division I.

“The bottom line, I think you all needto know, is that American higher educa-tion – not just athletics – is hemorrhag-ing like never before,” White said at avirtual assembly of the U.S. Olympicand Paralympic Committee.

At the upper echelon of Division I, theFBS, coaching salaries have been on asteep incline for many years, potentiallymaking them ripe to be trimmed. Sonow that times are tough, why isn’t ithappening? What’s stopping a schoolfrom unilaterally slashing a footballcoach’s contract to avoid layoffs or saveits tennis program?

Martin Greenberg, a Milwaukee-based sports attorney and adjunct pro-fessor at Marquette University, said it’ssimple: Legally speaking, at the major-ity of schools, they can’t.

“I’m looking for a legal reason as tohow to kill these contracts,” Greenbergsaid. “And I can’t find one.”

Contracts provide a layer of protec-tion for coaches that most other univer-sity employees do not have, guarantee-ing payment as long as they performtheir duties. And Greenberg said theforce majeure language in most of thesedeals, which could potentially giveschools leeway to make changes in theevent of unforeseeable circumstancessuch as a global pandemic, is not so-phisticated enough to withstand a chal-lenge in court.

Instead, coaches and athletics de-partment administrators are left to en-gage in a careful dance, bound by a de-sire to maintain a good working rela-tionship and an understanding of how

their actions will be perceived. “There’s not really a legal right to

make the cut, certainly from a contrac-tual standpoint. And there’s not any ob-ligation to take the cut,” said Lattinville,who represents both coaches andschools. “I just think it’s good businesson both parts, by agreeing to do it.”

In some instances, the voluntary cutshave led to significant cost savings forthe school. Clemson’s Dabo Swinney,who is making $8.3 million this year, isgiving up a $1 million retention paymentand a $250,000 raise that would haveotherwise kicked in next year. Mike Nor-vell’s reduction at Florida State is justnorth of $968,000, a 25% chunk of hispay.

Conversely, 45 schools told USA TO-DAY Sports their football coaches havenot taken cuts so far, including the twohighest-paid coaches in the country:Alabama’s Nick Saban and LSU’s Ed Or-geron, who are due to make $9.3 millionand $8.9 million this year, respectively.

But at Alabama and LSU, pay reduc-tions have not been needed. The athleticdepartments benefit from quasi-inde-pendent fundraising arms that havetens of millions of dollars in reserve, ac-cording to their most recent financialstatements. And university spokes-people said their respective campuseshaven’t faced any furloughs or pay re-ductions at any level thus far.

‘It’s a judgment call’

Earlier this year, when a full-fledgedfootball season appeared unlikely,North Carolina athletics director BubbaCunningham projected that his depart-ment could face a financial shortfall ofup to $50 million for the year. Cuts hadto be made.

So in March, Cunningham imple-mented a freeze on spending and hiring.Three months later, he trimmed budgetsand tapped into reserve funds.

In making those cuts, Cunninghamasked his football coach, Brown, to takea 20% salary reduction, just like every-one else in the athletics departmentwho makes $200,000 or more. But rath-er than seek 20% of his total compensa-tion package – $3.5 million – Cunning-ham only applied the cut to Brown’sbase salary, which is $750,000. The re-sulting reduction was $112,500, a 3% cutof what Brown will make this year.

“It was one of the decisions we madein trying to be equitable and fair to thedepartment and the individual,” Cun-ningham said. “It’s a judgment call.”

North Carolina is far from the onlyschool to take that approach.

At Indiana, coach Tom Allen agreedto take a 10% cut of his base salary,which is $500,000, as opposed to his to-tal compensation package, which is$3.77 million for this year, including a $1million signing bonus.

At Marshall, a similar salary-only re-duction caused coach Doc Holliday tolose out on $7,000. He is due to make$765,320 in total compensation. (Holli-day also gave up his school-fundedmembership at an area country club,which is valued at $8,000, according toathletics department spokespeople.)

Greenberg, the attorney, said he be-lieves it’s disingenuous for a school toannounce a percentage cut but apply itonly to one part of a coach’s pay.

“I would be upset by that,” he said.“The salary doesn’t mean anything. Youhave to take the total components of thefinancial package of the coach. That’swhat they earn.”

Central Michigan, meanwhile, saidMcElwain would take a 6% cut of hisbase salary, but his compensation formedia appearances ($365,000) and an-nual retention bonus ($50,000) wereunaffected.

Two weeks after that announce-ment, the Chippewas eliminated theirmen’s indoor and outdoor track andfield programs, which impacted 36 ath-letes and was projected to save nearly$629,000. That leaves them with justfive men’s sports teams, which is belowthe threshold required for FBS member-ship. The school was granted a two-yearwaiver in June to remain in the FBS.

Former AD Michael Alford, who over-saw the department at the time, did notrespond to messages from USA TODAYSports. Central Michigan declined tomake his replacement, Amy Folan, orMcElwain available for interviews.

Donations and deferrals

Some schools have taken minusculebut creative approaches to pay cuts,temporarily eliminating perks in theircoaches’ contracts – like a monthly al-lowance for cellphone use, or the leaseon a car.

Others have axed or limited bonusprovisions, capping them at smalleramounts.

A handful of schools, including Indi-ana and Iowa, have allowed coaches tomaintain their salaries and instead do-nate to the university the amount thatwould have been cut. Experts in tax lawsaid the benefits of these arrangementsare likely negligible for coaches.

Purdue actually announced a combi-nation of both reductions and dona-tions. It said in a news release thatcoach Jeff Brohm and three otherswould be taking voluntary 20% pay cutsfor 12 months but had also collectivelypledged to donate $1 million to the ath-letics department “as part of their salaryreduction.”

Athletics department spokespersonKassidie Blackstock repeatedly de-clined to specify whether the pay cutsand donations involved the same funds.

Elsewhere, some schools have of-fered their coaches more than flexibilitywhen asking them to take a temporarypay cut. Cunningham said coaches atNorth Carolina were given one-monthextensions to their contracts in connec-tion with their cuts.

“In an effort to get them to change thecontract, we felt we needed to offerthem consideration to do that. So that’swhat we did,” he said. “We just negotiat-ed, ‘You take this cut now, we’ll dosomething for you later on.’ ”

At least one school, Texas, has al-ready taken that concept to the extreme,promising to repay coaches in all sportsthe amounts that are being cut and es-sentially turning salary reductions intodeferrals.

For Herman, whose pay cut was onlyapplied to his base salary, this means hewill miss out on $516,250 this year butbe repaid by the end of 2023.

“We had a one-year COVID problem,”Del Conte said last week. “These coach-es, we had a contractual obligation, andI asked them if I could reduce their sala-ry for this amount of money. They saidyes, because they knew I had to honorthat because we had (a) contract.”

Lattinville said he believes manyschools will ultimately try to take stepslike these and make their coacheswhole. They probably won’t memorial-ize those plans in a contract amend-ment like Texas did, he said. But whenthe pandemic is over, and revenue isonce again flowing, maybe a coach whotook a $200,000 pay cut will get a one-time retention bonus in the sameamount, or a mild raise.

“Will they remember the fact thatcoach accepted a pay cut and treat themaccordingly, try to get that money backto them? I think absolutely,” Lattinvillesaid. “I think that’s human nature, andthat’s what the coaches anticipate. ...Those conversations are coming up.”

Long-term changes

In the eyes of Murphy, the U.S. sena-tor, some of the pay-cut arrangementsfor football coaches offer fresh evidenceof what he views as a broken financialmodel in college sports – a system inwhich coaches and athletics depart-ments rake in millions while athletes arecompensated only with scholarships.

“It just shows how omnipotent mod-ern big-time college football coachesare,” Murphy said, calling deferrals dis-guised as pay cuts, like those at Texas,“a joke.”

“These coaches are ... running theseuniversities in many ways. They’re thehighest-paid employees. Their threat toleave can rattle a campus to its bones.They just have way too much power andthey’re getting way too much money.”

The fallout from COVID-19 might notfundamentally alter the power structurein college athletics, but it could lead tosome changes.

The force majeure language in coach-es’ contracts is already being rewritten,to make it both more specific and easierto apply. More schools will give them-selves a contractual avenue to cut pay,rather than having to rely on volunteers.And coaches could soon see their com-pensation tied more directly to eventsthat generate revenue, like gamesplayed, instead of receiving guaranteedlump sums.

“We pay a bonus if somebody coach-es an extra game, like a bowl game,”Cunningham explained. “It would makesense to do it at the front end, if youcoach fewer games.”

Ultimately, though, the pandemic ap-pears to be little more than a speedbump in the broader coaching market-place. Average pay has been climbingroughly 7% each year. At least 33 coach-es now have buyouts of $10 million ormore, making it nearly impossible forcash-strapped schools to fire them. Andeven as the pandemic rages on, at leasttwo coaches have received contract ex-tensions in recent months – a financialreward for a job well done.

Contributing: Brian Davis

SalariesContinued from Page 1C

Top-paid college football coaches

JIM SERGENT/USA TODAY

Nick Saban$9.3 million

$8.3 million

$8 million

$7.5 million

$8.9 million1Ed Orgeron

LSU

Dabo Swinney

Jim Harbaugh

Jimbo Fisher

Pay reductions for college football coaches

JIM SERGENT/USA TODAY

Based on total amounts deducted, or scheduled to be deducted, by June 30, 2021, for public school coaches.

More than$400,000

$400,000

$300,000

$200,000

$100,000

$50,000

Not takingreduction

Unknown

10 coaches

9

9

6

3

14

45

11

4C ❚ THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020 ❚ USA TODAY SPORTS

WEATHER ONLINE USATODAY.COMWEATHER

PRECIPITATION FORECASTTODAY’S HIGH TEMPERATURESTODAY’S FORECAST

10sBelow 10 20s 30s 40s 50s 60s 70s 80s 90s 100s 110+

T-storms Rain Snow Ice/mix

U.S. CITIES

TOP TRAVEL CITIES

WORLD CITIES

ATLANTA CHARLOTTE DENVER HOUSTON

MIAMI NEW YORK PHOENIX SAN FRANCISCO

BALTIMORE CHICAGO DETROIT LAS VEGAS

MPLS-ST. PAUL ORLANDO SALT LAKE CITY SEATTLE

BOSTON DALLAS/FT. WORTH HONOLULU LOS ANGELES

NEW ORLEANS PHILADELPHIA SAN DIEGO WASHINGTON

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Air quality index (AQI)

c Cloudy h Hazesf Snowflurries t Thunderstormsi Ice s Sunnyw Windyf Fog pc Partly cloudysn Snowr Rain sh Showersdr Drizzle

Warm air will surge north-ward on southerly breezes over the Appalachians and Atlantic coast today.

A pocket of showers and thunderstorms is forecast to pester Florida and coastal areas of Georgia and South Carolina. The main swath of showers and spotty thun-derstorms will extend along a push of chillier air from the Great Lakes to the central part of the Mississippi Valley. This push of cool air is fore-cast to energize a storm in the Northeast on Friday that can lead to high-elevation snow on Saturday in New England.

Less wind is in store for the Rockies and High Plains.

Akron, Ohio 65/42sh 53/34pcAlbany, N.Y. 73/48w 57/38rAlbuquerque 78/44s 71/46sAllentown, Pa. 75/53s 59/41rAmarillo, Texas 66/35w 65/47sAnaheim, Calif. 101/63s 101/64sAnchorage, Alaska 43/29pc 39/30sAspen, Colo. 58/23pc 63/32sAtlantic City, N.J. 73/64s 67/49tAugusta, Ga. 83/65sh 85/55sAustin, Texas 91/56pc 73/52pcBakersfield, Calif. 90/63s 94/63sBaton Rouge, La. 85/63pc 72/53sBillings, Mont. 50/32c 59/39pcBirmingham, Ala. 82/56s 68/43sBismarck, N.D. 52/29w 49/30cBoise, Idaho 58/36s 65/46sBuffalo, N.Y. 67/43sh 53/37cBurlington, Vt. 72/50w 56/42shCedar Rapids, Iowa 53/29w 55/35pcCharleston, S.C. 81/69pc 83/57tCharleston, W.Va. 75/46pc 56/34shCheyenne, Wyo. 48/24pc 63/46pc

Beijing 69/47h 67/40sBuenos Aires 69/63c 72/63sCancun, Mexico 88/76sh 88/77tDubai, UAE 98/76h 97/77hFrankfurt 53/46sh 54/43pcHong Kong 85/76h 87/73pcIstanbul 75/62s 76/63sJerusalem 79/64s 77/59sJohannesburg 80/57s 87/56sLondon 56/44pc 56/46pcMexico City 77/52pc 74/50pcMontreal 67/47c 54/42rMoscow 57/42pc 47/33cMumbai, India 90/81r 90/81rParis 54/44c 56/45pcRio de Janeiro 76/71t 74/70tRome 64/54t 63/49shSeoul 63/46h 66/44pcSingapore 88/80c 90/79cSydney 79/65s 69/61shToronto 62/41r 52/36pcTokyo 63/54r 60/57r

Cincinnati 65/39sh 57/36pcCleveland 63/42sh 53/36pcColorado Springs 55/27pc 60/43pcColumbia, S.C. 80/67pc 82/50tColumbus, Ohio 65/41sh 55/34pcCorpus Christi, Texas 92/66s 76/63pcDayton, Ohio 62/36sh 56/34pcDaytona Beach, Fla. 88/73pc 86/70tDes Moines, Iowa 55/35w 57/41pcDuluth, Minn. 44/28w 42/26pcDurham, N.C. 76/62s 67/44tEl Paso, Texas 84/51pc 75/51sFairbanks, Alaska 28/10c 31/15sFlagstaff, Ariz. 78/33s 75/33sFargo, N.D. 51/27w 45/30pcFort Myers, Fla. 90/74pc 87/73tFort Smith, Ark. 71/45w 70/43sFort Wayne, Ind. 55/30sh 55/31pcFresno, Calif. 90/63s 93/62sGrand Rapids, Mich. 54/34w 56/34pcGreen Bay, Wis. 50/31w 49/30pcGreensboro, N.C. 75/60s 65/42shGreenville, S.C. 76/60sh 74/44pcHarrisburg, Pa. 79/54s 60/41r

Hartford, Conn. 75/56s 65/46tIndianapolis 57/34sh 57/35pcIslip, N.Y. 71/58s 66/46tJackson, Miss. 83/57s 66/45sJacksonville, Fla. 84/67pc 86/61pcJefferson City, Mo. 62/34w 64/41sKansas City 62/36w 62/44sKey West, Fla. 87/80t 87/80tKnoxville, Tenn. 78/53pc 61/38shLaredo, Texas 99/64s 72/61shLexington, Ky. 69/41pc 57/33sLincoln, Neb. 59/34w 60/45sLittle Rock, Ark. 69/48w 66/42sLong Beach, Calif. 91/63s 93/64sLouisville, Ky. 68/43sh 61/39sLubbock, Texas 69/38w 67/46sMadison, Wis. 50/31w 52/34pcManchester, N.H. 76/55s 66/46tMemphis, Tenn. 72/48r 64/43sMilwaukee 54/35w 54/37pcMobile, Ala. 83/61s 79/52sModesto, Calif. 89/58s 92/56sMontgomery, Ala. 85/61s 73/49sMyrtle Beach, S.C. 78/69pc 79/53t

Nags Head, N.C. 75/65s 75/55tNashville, Tenn. 76/48pc 61/38sNewark, N.J. 76/58s 65/45tNew Haven, Conn. 73/60s 67/48tNorfolk, Va. 79/64s 73/52tOakland, Calif. 93/65s 95/61sOklahoma City 71/41w 66/47pcOmaha, Neb. 58/36w 59/43pcPalm Springs, Calif. 107/75s 106/73sPensacola, Fla. 83/66s 83/57sPierre, S.D. 56/31w 56/37cPittsburgh 68/43pc 52/33cPortland, Maine 67/51s 64/50rPortland, Ore. 64/46s 65/55pcProvidence, R.I. 73/59s 71/52tRaleigh, N.C. 77/62s 68/44tRapid City, S.D. 49/26w 57/40cReno, Nev. 72/37s 74/39sRichmond, Va. 76/58s 63/43tRochester, N.Y. 70/44sh 54/36shSacramento, Calif. 93/61h 95/55sSan Antonio 91/60pc 72/56pcSan Jose, Calif. 92/60s 94/61sSanta Fe, N.M. 74/34s 68/37s

Sarasota, Fla. 90/73s 88/72tSavannah, Ga. 83/68pc 86/61sScottsdale, Ariz. 97/68pc 98/67sShreveport, La. 82/54pc 69/46sSioux Falls, S.D. 55/32w 53/41pcSouth Bend, Ind. 56/34w 57/34pcSpokane, Wash. 55/40s 61/46wSpringfield, Mo. 65/37w 66/42sSpringfield, Ill. 59/29w 62/35sSt. Louis 61/37w 64/42sSt. Petersburg, Fla. 89/75s 87/71tSyracuse, N.Y. 74/45w 55/39cTallahassee, Fla. 86/65pc 86/60sTampa, Fla. 90/75pc 89/71tToledo, Ohio 58/34sh 57/32pcTopeka, Kan. 62/35w 63/45sTucson, Ariz. 96/62pc 98/65sTupelo, Miss. 80/52s 66/39sTulsa, Okla. 70/41w 67/49sVirginia Beach, Va. 77/63s 71/52tWichita, Kan. 65/38s 66/47pcWilmington, Del. 75/56s 61/43rWinston-Salem, N.C. 75/61s 64/40shWorcester, Mass. 71/56s 61/44t

TODAY FRI TODAY FRI TODAY FRI TODAY FRI

TODAY FRI

AQI

THUSome sun81/61

FRINot as warm70/49

SAT Sunny69/51

Good AQI

THUPartly sunny77/62

FRISpotty showers72/44

SATSunlit, cool64/42

Good AQI

THU Cooler56/29

FRIPartly sunny68/47

SATPartly sunny74/38

Moderate AQI

THUPartly sunny90/65

FRIShowers around69/55

SAT Warmer77/68

Moderate

THUStray t-storm88/79

FRI T-storms87/76

SATStray t-storm88/79

Good

THUMostly sunny74/60

FRI T-storms65/46

SATAn A.M. shower59/47

Good

THUPartly sunny99/71

FRI Sunny100/70

SATSunny, hot99/68

Moderate

THU Sunny92/65

FRIMostly sunny94/61

SATSunny, warm85/58

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THUMostly sunny76/56

FRIRain, cooler60/42

SATMostly sunny62/40

Good AQI

THU Windy55/35

FRIClouds, sun55/38

SATMostly cloudy60/42

Good AQI

THU Shower56/36

FRIPartly sunny56/35

SATMostly cloudy57/46

Good AQI

THUSunny, warm91/62

FRIMostly sunny87/62

SATPlenty of sun92/64

Moderate

THUWindy, cooler51/33

FRIClouds, sun48/35

SATPartly sunny54/32

Good

THUPartly sunny89/72

FRI T-storm88/70

SATPartly sunny87/71

Good

THUMostly sunny59/36

FRI Sunny64/46

SATMostly sunny67/50

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THUMostly sunny59/48

FRIA P.M. shower61/54

SATA few showers60/52

Good

AQI

THUMostly sunny73/59

FRI T-storms68/50

SAT Rain54/43

Good AQI

THU Windy79/53

FRISunlit, nice71/51

SAT Sunny77/65

Moderate AQI

THUMostly sunny88/76

FRIMostly cloudy88/75

SATShowers around86/74

Good AQI

THUMostly sunny96/68

FRI Very hot98/65

SATMostly sunny93/63

Moderate

THU Showers85/68

FRINot as warm78/63

SATSunny, nice77/63

Moderate

THUMostly sunny77/58

FRI T-storms62/46

SATMostly sunny60/43

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THUMostly sunny90/64

FRIMostly sunny90/65

SATMostly sunny86/65

Moderate

THUMostly sunny78/59

FRIRain, cooler62/44

SATMostly sunny60/44

Good

TODAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

TODAY FRI

EXTREMESNote: For contiguous 48 states through 3 p.m. ET yesterday

HOTTEST: 103°

Palm Springs, Calif.

COLDEST: 21°

Gunnison, Colo.

ATLANTA CHARLOTTE DENVER HOUSTON

MIAMI NEW YORK PHOENIX SAN FRANCISCO

BALTIMORE CHICAGO DETROIT LAS VEGAS

MPLS-ST. PAUL ORLANDO SALT LAKE CITY SEATTLE

BOSTON DALLAS/FT. WORTH HONOLULU LOS ANGELES

NEW ORLEANS PHILADELPHIA SAN DIEGO WASHINGTON

WEATHER ONLINE USATODAY.COMWEATHER

Washington

78

Cheyenne

48

Casper

45

JacksonHole

44

Milwaukee

54Madison

50

Charleston

75

Seattle

59Olympia

60 Spokane

55

Richmond

76

Burlington

72 Montpelier

71

Salt Lake City

59

St. George

84

Dallas/Ft. Worth

79

Brownsville

91

Lubbock

69Midland-Odessa

74

El Paso

84 Austin

91San Antonio

91 Houston

90

Nashville

76

Memphis

72

Knoxville

78

Rapid City

49Pierre

56Sioux Falls

55

Charleston

81

Columbia

80

Harrisburg

79Philadelphia

77

Pittsburgh

68

Burns

58

Bend

59

Portland

64Salem

62

OklahomaCity

71Tulsa

70

Cincinnati

65

Cleveland

63

Columbus

65

Fargo

51

Bismarck

52

Raleigh

77Charlotte

77

Buffalo

67 Albany

73New York

74

Albuquerque

78

Santa Fe

74

Reno

72Elko

64Carson City

70

Las Vegas

91

Omaha

58

North Platte

57

Billings

50

Miles City

49Helena

51

Kansas City

62

Jefferson City

62St. Louis

61

Jackson

83

Mpls-St. Paul

51

Duluth

44

Detroit

56

Marquette

41

Lansing

53

GrandRapids

54

Boston

73

Annapolis

74

Bangor

67Augusta

67

Baton Rouge

85

Shreveport

82

NewOrleans

85

Louisville

68

Topeka

62Wichita

65Dodge City

63

Des Moines

55

Indianapolis

57

Chicago

55Springfield

59

Boise

58

Idaho Falls

53

Atlanta

81Savannah

83

Tallahassee

86

Jacksonville

84

Tampa

90Miami

88

Hartford

75

Denver

56Aspen

58

San Francisco

92

Palm Springs

107Los Angeles

96

Sacramento

93

Fresno

90

Eureka

70

San Diego

90Little Rock

69Phoenix

99

Flagstaff

78Birmingham

82Montgomery

85Mobile

83Honolulu

88

San Juan

88

Anchorage

43

Juneau

47

Fairbanks

28

Puerto Rico

Hawaii

Alaska

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Post-Week 5 edition

Rank, team LW Comments by Nate Davis

1. Packers 2Among undefeated teams, their collective 51-point differential is easily the widest margin. At a timewhen there’s no apparent juggernaut in the league, this metric seems as good as any to give GreenBay – which owns the NFL’s highest-scoring offense – the nod to top this week’s poll.

2. Seahawks 3NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” crew gave me this earworm, but I can’t unhear it – is DKMetcalf currently the league’s best receiver? At 22.5 yards per catch (best in the NFL) along with 496yards, five TDs and a huge clutch factor? Gotta say, pretty compelling case.

3. Rams 7 As well as QB Jared Goff and DL Aaron Donald are once again playing, a big reason Los Angeles iswinning again is the underappreciated resurgence of its offensive line.

4. Patriots 12

Let’s just toss out their Cam-less loss at Kansas City. You hate to say Pats caught a break with Week 5COVID-19 bye, but presumably now having Newton for next game should put them back on track toposting viable defense of AFC East throne. Their handling of Las Vegas in Week 3 also looks muchmore impressive in context of this week’s league-wide snapshot.

5. Raiders 13With QB Derek Carr finally enabled to strike deep downfield, this offense has morphed into quite apick-your-poison dilemma for opponents. Notching first win at Arrowhead since 2012 garners themplenty of deserved credit.

6. Chiefs 1 Good time to stop and take a pause ... and acknowledge Kansas City has only looked impressive twice(Texans, Ravens) despite its 4-1 start.

7. Titans 9Tennessee turned in what was easily its most impressive performance of 2020 – Derrick Henry’sstiff-arm of Buffalo’s Josh Norman the microcosm – staying unbeaten despite most challenging ofcircumstances, including several players still unavailable due to pandemic. Mad props.

8. Ravens 4 Even though QB Lamar Jackson doesn’t look like himself, Baltimore has outscored Ohio teams 65-9this season. Next two dates are against Pennsylvania teams and unlikely to go quite that well.

9. Steelers 5 They remain undefeated ... and they – vaunted defense included – continue to struggle relative tolineup of poor teams faced. Big test versus Cleveland in Week 6.

10. Browns 11 If not for fact – and “fact” seems warranted – things always go sideways in Cleveland, coach of yearaward could already be given to Kevin Stefanski.

11. Bills 8In fairness to them, Tennessee’s situation dealt Buffalo a very tough hand. But no one expected PCorey Bojorquez to be Bills’ best player Tuesday night. If defense is Buffalo’s Achilles’ heel, it appearsto be quickly fraying.

12. Saints 14It hasn’t been pretty, but they’re technically back in control of NFC South. So why mull moving homegames to Baton Rouge? Is such a disruption really worth it to pro players? And it’s not like TigerStadium has been working for LSU this year.

13. Colts 10 They’re not (currently) considering a warm seat for QB Philip Rivers ... even if he’s giving Frank Reichmultiple reasons (bad INTs) to justify a switch.

14. Bears 18 One of Week 5’s best images was Tom Brady looking up from the turf with that “You again?” expres-sion upon realizing Khalil Mack had bagged him yet again.

15. Buccaneers 6 Yeah, Brady’s inability to count during loss at Soldier Field was baffling. But the bigger setback mighthave been DT Vita Vea’s broken leg.

16. Panthers 15 Even when RB Christian McCaffrey returns, he’s unlikely to resume his 90%+ snap rate given howstellar fill-in Mike Davis (117 yards per game over past three weeks) has been.

17. Cardinals 16 Tough break for OLB Chandler Jones, whose biceps injury appears season ending. May be no moreunderappreciated talent in the league.

18. Dolphins 26 In case it wasn’t obvious, Ryan Fitzpatrick (106.6 passer rating the past four weeks) won’t make it easyto get rookie Tua Tagovailoa onto field.

19. Eagles 22 WR Travis Fulgham’s breakout (10 catches, 152 yards, TD) was overshadowed by Chase Claypool’sSunday, but Philly might have something here.

20. 49ers 17 While the spotlight may be on the revolving door at quarterback, real concern should be lasered on adefense just shredded ... by Miami.

21. Chargers 21 They’re quickly morphing into Atlanta West after blowing 17-point leads in consecutive weeks. All fourof Bolts’ 2020 losses have been by seven points or fewer.

22. Vikings 20 They needed 1 yard on fourth down deep in Seattle territory to notch huge road win. Didn’t get it.Whatever. Mike Zimmer made right call.

23. Lions 25 Their three losses have come against teams with a combined 11 wins. Their next five opponents have acombined six wins. Giddy-up, fellas.

24. Cowboys 19 Andy Dalton’s new team just lost its best player but definitely still has horses to win lackluster NFCEast if troops rally post-Dak.

25. Bengals 23 Andy Dalton’s former team just suffered its worst loss (27 points to Baltimore) since the Ravens beatCincinnati by 36 last November ... when Dalton had been benched in favor of Ryan Finley.

26. Texans 27 Big Sunday for Houston, which notched its first win of 2020 while collecting its first two takeaways of2020. Some linkage there?

27. Broncos 28 If nothing else, unexpected bye week – no whiners in Denver, per Coach Fangio – at least acceleratesreturn of QB Drew Lock.

28. Falcons 24 “If Raheem (Morris) ends up 11-0 then he’ll certainly be a candidate,” per owner Arthur Blank. Gladwe’re setting a reasonable bar for an interim coach.

29. Jaguars 29 Per Elias, they’ve already made NFL history. Jags are first to lose three in a row in one season (notcounting Week 1) to winless teams.

30. Washington 30 Most impressive 37-yard passing day in NFL history ... and perhaps the clincher for best NFL story of2020. Welcome back, Alex Smith.

31. Giants 31 They’re very excited about start for K Graham Gano, the first NYG player with three 50+ yard fieldgoals in one game during Super Bowl era. Glad you guys can see the glass is 3.1% full.

32. Jets 32 Does anyone take longer to rebuild? This is what, like ... Year 8? Giving Le’Veon Bell a parachuteTuesday night will doubtless, uh, kick-start process.

NFL POWER RANKINGS

EUROPEAN TOUR

Scottish Championship

Course: Fairmont St An-drews (Torrance)TV: Thursday-Friday, 7:30a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET (Golf);Saturday, 8 a.m.-12:30p.m. (Golf); Sunday, 7-11:30 a.m. ET (Golf)Race to Dubai leader:Patrick Reed.Last week: Tyrrell Hattonwon the BMW PGAChampionship.

PGA TOURCHAMPIONS

Dominion Energy CharityClassic

Course: Country Club ofVirginia, in RichmondTV: Friday, 2-5 ET (Golf);Saturday-Sunday, 2:30-5ET (Golf)Charles Schwab Cupleader: Ernie Els.Last week: Els won theSAS Championship.

PRO GOLF

All times ET

NFL

AMERICAN CONFERENCEEast

W L T Pct PF PABuffalo 4 1 0 .800 139 142New England 2 2 0 .500 97 92Miami 2 3 0 .400 136 113N.Y. Jets 0 5 0 .000 75 161

SouthW L T Pct PF PA

Tennessee 4 0 0 1.000 122 90Indianapolis 3 2 0 .600 126 88Houston 1 4 0 .200 110 140Jacksonville 1 4 0 .200 109 147

NorthW L T Pct PF PA

Pittsburgh 4 0 0 1.000 118 87Baltimore 4 1 0 .800 149 76Cleveland 4 1 0 .800 156 149Cincinnati 1 3 1 .300 102 126

WestW L T Pct PF PA

Kansas City 4 1 0 .800 149 110Las Vegas 3 2 0 .600 151 152Denver 1 3 0 .250 82 98L.A. Chargers 1 4 0 .200 110 125

NATIONAL CONFERENCEEast

W L T Pct PF PADallas 2 3 0 .400 163 180Philadelphia 1 3 1 .300 113 145Washington 1 4 0 .200 89 142N.Y. Giants 0 5 0 .000 81 133

SouthW L T Pct PF PA

Carolina 3 2 0 .600 122 118New Orleans 3 2 0 .600 153 150Tampa Bay 3 2 0 .600 139 112Atlanta 0 5 0 .000 122 161

NorthW L T Pct PF PA

Green Bay 4 0 0 1.000 152 101Chicago 4 1 0 .800 105 100Detroit 1 3 0 .250 99 127Minnesota 1 4 0 .200 132 152

WestW L T Pct PF PA

Seattle 5 0 0 1.000 169 135L.A. Rams 4 1 0 .800 136 90Arizona 3 2 0 .600 128 102San Francisco 2 3 0 .400 124 114

Sunday’s GamesHouston at Tennessee, 1 p.m.Washington at N.Y. Giants, 1 p.m.Cincinnati at Indianapolis, 1 p.m.Atlanta at Minnesota, 1 p.m.Chicago at Carolina, 1 p.m.Detroit at Jacksonville, 1 p.m.Cleveland at Pittsburgh, 1 p.m.Denver at New England, 1 p.m.Baltimore at Philadelphia, 1 p.m.N.Y. Jets at Miami, 4:05 p.m.Green Bay at Tampa Bay, 4:25 p.m.L.A. Rams at San Francisco, 8:20 p.m.

Open: L.A. Chargers, Las Vegas, New Orleans,Seattle

MLS

Wednesday’s GamesColumbus at CincinnatiNew England at MontrealNew York City FC at Orlando CityNew York at Toronto FCPhiladelphia at D.C. UnitedNashville at HoustonAtlanta at MiamiChicago at MinnesotaSporting Kansas City at FC DallasPortland at Real Salt LakeLos Angeles FC at VancouverSan Jose at LA GalaxyColorado at Seattle, ppd.Saturday’s GamesSporting Kansas City at Chicago, 3:30 p.m.Miami at Montreal, 7 p.m.

MLB

LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP (Best-of-7; x-if necessary)American League(All Games on TBS)Tampa Bay 3, Houston 0At San DiegoOct. 11: Tampa Bay 2, Houston 1Oct. 12: Tampa Bay 4, Houston 2Oct. 13: Tampa Bay 5, Houston 2Oct. 14: Tampa Bay vs. Houstonx-Oct. 15: Tampa Bay vs. Houston, 5:05 p.m.x-Oct. 16: Houston vs. Tampa Bay, 6:07 p.m.x-Oct. 17: Houston vs. Tampa Bay, 8:37 p.m.

National League(Fox or FS1)Atlanta 2, L.A. 0At Arlington, TexasOct. 12: Atlanta 5, L.A. Dodgers 1Oct. 13: Atlanta 8, L.A. Dodgers 7Oct. 14: L.A. Dodgers vs. AtlantaOct. 15: L.A. Dodgers (Kershaw 6-2) vs. Atlan-ta (Wilson 1-0), 8:08 p.m. (Fox and FS1)x-Oct. 16: L.A. Dodgers (May 3-1) vs. Atlanta,9:08 p.m. (FS1)x-Oct. 17: Atlanta vs. L.A. Dodgers (Buehler1-0), 4:38 p.m. (FS1)x-Oct. 18: Atlanta vs. L.A. Dodgers, 8:15 p.m.(Fox and FS1)

DEALS

FOOTBALLNational Football LeagueCHICAGO BEARS — Placed OL James Danielson injured reserve. Promoted OL Sam Musti-pher to the active roster.

CLEVELAND BROWNS — Signed CB RobertJackson to the active roster.DETROIT LIONS — Designated G Joe Dahl, RBBo Scarbrough and DB Mike Ford to returnfrom injured reserve.JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS — Designated RBDevine Ozigbo to return from injured reserve.NEW YORK JETS — Designated WR DenzelMims, CB Arthur Maulet and OL CameronClark to return from injured reserve. PITTSBURGH STEELERS — Designated OL Ste-fen Wisniewski to return from injured reserve.TENNESSEE TITANS — Activated WR AdamHumphries from reserve/COVID-19 list.

FOR THE RECORD

Pregame.com LineMajor League Baseball

ThursdayNational League

Favorite Line Underdog LineLos Angeles OFF Atlanta OFF

College FootballThursday

Favorite O T O/U UnderdogARK. ST 31⁄2 31⁄2 721⁄2 Georgia St

NFLSunday

Favorite O T O/U UnderdogCAROLINA 2 1 45 ChicagoDetroit 1 3 541⁄2 JACKSNVILLEMINNESOTA 5 3 54 AtlantaTENNESSEE 3 3 53 HoustonNY GIANTS 3 2 43 WashingtonPITTSBURGH 4 3 51 ClevelandBaltimore 8 71⁄2 471⁄2 PHILADLPHIAINDIANAPOLIS 9 8 46 CincinnatiGreen Bay +11⁄2 1 541⁄2 TAMPA BAYLA Rams +3 31⁄2 51 SN FRNCISCOMIAMI 10 91⁄2 47 NY JetsNEW ENGLAND 9 10 46 Denver

MondayFavorite O T O/U UnderdogArizona +3 2 541⁄2 DALLASKansas City 3 31⁄2 571⁄2 BUFFALO

ODDS SPONSORED BY BETMGM.COM

For the latest lines, picks and expertanalysis, go to sportsbookwire.com

Visit BetMGM.com for a risk-free first bet up to $500.Use bonus code ROAR

Odds are subject to change.BetMGM.com does not offer linesfor New Jersey-based collegesports teams. Gannett may earnrevenue from audience referrals tobetting services. Newsrooms areindependent of this relationshipand there is no influence on newscoverage.

SPORTS USA TODAY ❚ THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020 ❚ 5C

To determine the total pay of Foot-ball Bowl Subdivision head coaches fortheir current contract years, USATODAY Sports requested all forms ofcompensation and pay reduction at all130 schools. About 20 schools or ath-letics departments are private or arepublic schools covered under statelaw exempting them from releasingfull compensation data on coaches.Schools that provided contracts weregiven the opportunity to review theirfigures. To capture the most up-to-date information about pay reduc-tions, those reviews occurred be-tween Sept. 29 and Oct. 14.

Any pay the university guaranteed(even if paid by shoe/apparel compa-ny or another source) is listed asscheduled or actual “school pay.” Any-thing not guaranteed by the universityis included in “total pay.”

A not available (N/A) in the chartdenotes amounts from schools thatare private; did not release the in-formation; or amounts that cannototherwise be determined. A $0 meansthe coach doesn’t, or did not, getcompensation from that source.

COMPENSATION CATEGORIES

SCHEDULED SCHOOL PAY: Basesalary; income from contract provi-sions other than base salary that wereto have been paid, or guaranteed, bythe university or affiliated organiza-tions, such as a foundation prior toschools beginning to work with coach-es to arrange pay reductions due tofinancial issues caused by theCOVID-19 pandemic.

Examples include payments for:shoe and apparel use; TV, radio orother media appearances; personalappearances. Except as noted, theseamounts are based on coach’s annualpay rate for a full, standard-lengthcontract year; they do not reflectamounts earned for a partial yearworked immediately after hiring or apartial year worked at an annual payrate other than current amount.

It also includes deferred paymentsearned annually, conditional or other-wise; contractual expense accounts (ifunaudited) or housing allowance;signing and other one-time bonusesearned in the current contract year.

It does not include amounts thatmay have been earned as annual in-centive bonuses in other years, thevalue of standard university benefitssuch as health care or the value ofpotentially taxable perquisites.

CONTRACT YEAR PANDEMICREDUCTION: Amount of ScheduledSchool Pay coach will not receive dur-ing current contract year due to payreductions related to financial issuescaused by the pandemic.

ACTUAL SCHOOL PAY: Remainingamount of Scheduled School Pay thatthe coach is scheduled to receive inhis current contract year, taking intoaccount the amounts that are to bededucted during the contract year.

TOTAL PAY: Sum of Actual SchoolPay and athletically related compensa-tion received from non-universitysources. (The NCAA requires athleticsemployees to disclose such income.)

TOTAL PANDEMIC REDUCTION: Theoverall amount a coach will forgo dur-ing the agreed-upon or announcedperiod. Such a period may cover partsof two contract years. In cases where acoach’s pay is scheduled to be re-duced for an indefinite period, thisamount is based on a period endingJune 30, 2021, the final day of mostpublic schools’ current fiscal year.

BUYOUT OWED AS OF DEC. 1, 2020:Amount school would owe coach if itfired him without cause on Dec. 1.Unless otherwise specified in a writtenagreement or terms provided by aschool, these amounts reflect pay re-ductions that are scheduled to occur.

Many of these amounts are express-ly subject to coach’s duty to makegood-faith efforts to find another job,with income from that employmentoffsetting the amount owed. If mitiga-tion and offset are not addressed incontract, coach still may have obliga-tion in that regard. Amount listed maybe owed over time, rather than as alump sum at termination.

h For footnotes on individual schools,go to sports.usatoday.com

USA TODAY was assisted by StephanieKlein, Robert Lattinville, who is ofcounsel to Spencer Fane LLP andwhose practice areas include repre-sentation of college coaches, athleticsdirectors and NCAA member institu-tions; Roger Denny, a partner withSpencer Fane.

METHODOLOGY

School NameScheduled school pay

Contract year pandemic reduction Actual school pay Total pay

Total pandemicreduction

School buyout as of Dec. 1

Air Force Troy Calhoun N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Akron Tom Arth $500,000 $45,833 $454,167 $454,167 $100,000 $921,719

Alabama Nick Saban $9,100,000 $0 $9,100,000 $9,300,000 $0 $36,800,000

Alabama-Birmingham Bill Clark $1,500,000 $0 $1,500,000 $1,615,000 $0 $9,114,583

Appalachian State Shawn Clark $750,000 $0 $750,000 $750,000 $0 $5,000,000

Arizona Kevin Sumlin $3,100,000 $216,667 $2,883,333 $3,283,333 $455,000 $7,500,000

Arizona State Herm Edwards $3,500,000 $0 $3,500,000 $3,640,000 $0 $16,291,667

Arkansas Sam Pittman $3,000,000 $100,000 $2,900,000 $2,900,000 $250,000 N/A

Arkansas State Blake Anderson $825,000 $37,500 $787,500 $787,857 $82,500 $1,541,667

Army Jeff Monken N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Auburn Gus Malzahn $6,900,000 $0 $6,900,000 $6,927,589 $0 $21,450,000

Ball State Mike Neu $468,000 $25,167 $442,833 $447,833 $45,300 $984,018

Baylor Dave Aranda N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Boise State Bryan Harsin $1,850,000 $76,154 $1,773,846 $1,773,846 $247,500 $8,414,895

Boston College Jeff Hafley N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Bowling Green Scot Loeffler $530,000 $50,000 $480,000 $480,000 $100,000 $1,560,417

Brigham Young Kalani Sitake N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Buffalo Lance Leipold $624,300 $0 $624,300 $624,300 $0 $1,936,725

California Justin Wilcox $3,350,000 $73,752 $3,276,248 $3,276,248 $228,756 $19,566,250

Central Florida Josh Heupel $2,300,000 $0 $2,300,000 $2,300,000 $0 $3,593,750

Central Michigan Jim McElwain $815,000 $6,000 $809,000 $809,000 $6,000 $2,000,000

Charlotte Will Healy $855,000 $0 $855,000 $855,000 $0 $2,609,167

Cincinnati Luke Fickell $3,400,000 $127,500 $3,272,500 $3,272,500 $255,000 $23,800,000

Clemson Dabo Swinney $8,258,575 $0 $8,258,575 $8,319,775 $1,250,000 $50,000,000

Coastal Carolina Jamey Chadwell $375,000 $56,034 $318,966 $319,866 $56,034 $758,204

Colorado Karl Dorrell $3,200,000 $160,000 $3,040,000 $3,040,000 $320,000 $15,200,000

Colorado State Steve Addazio $1,500,000 $0 $1,500,000 $1,500,000 $0 $5,000,000

Connecticut Randy Edsall $1,256,000 $0 $1,256,000 $1,256,000 $0 $0

Duke David Cutcliffe N/A N/A N/A $2,784,769 N/A N/A

East Carolina Mike Houston $1,505,000 $26,538 $1,478,462 $1,478,462 $26,538 $1,500,000

Eastern Michigan Chris Creighton $480,000 $20,575 $459,425 $459,425 $41,150 $800,000

Florida Dan Mullen $6,070,000 $0 $6,070,000 $6,070,000 $0 $12,000,000

Florida Atlantic Willie Taggart $750,000 $0 $750,000 $750,000 $0 $2,225,000

Florida International Butch Davis $1,041,863 $0 $1,041,863 $1,041,863 $0 $1,081,935

Florida State Mike Norvell $4,000,000 $468,750 $3,531,250 $3,531,250 $968,750 $19,111,719

Fresno State Kalen DeBoer $1,300,000 $0 $1,300,000 $1,300,000 $0 $5,807,833

Georgia Kirby Smart $6,803,600 $0 $6,803,600 $6,933,600 $0 $19,835,834

Georgia Southern Chad Lunsford $680,000 $0 $680,000 $680,000 $0 $1,056,667

Georgia State Shawn Elliott $604,800 $0 $604,800 $604,800 $0 $625,000

Georgia Tech Geoff Collins $3,100,000 $0 $3,100,000 $3,100,000 $0 $17,258,333

Hawaii Todd Graham $760,000 $0 $760,000 $760,000 $0 $1,735,417

Houston Dana Holgorsen $3,800,000 $190,000 $3,610,000 $3,610,000 $190,000 $9,416,667

Illinois Lovie Smith $4,000,000 $200,000 $3,800,000 $3,800,000 $200,000 $2,600,000

Indiana Tom Allen $3,770,000 $0 $3,770,000 $3,770,000 $50,000 $20,550,000

Iowa Kirk Ferentz $4,900,000 $229,250 $4,670,750 $4,670,750 $393,000 $20,721,250

Iowa State Matt Campbell $3,700,000 $248,562 $3,451,438 $3,451,438 $497,124 $20,308,333

Kansas Les Miles $3,450,000 $150,000 $3,300,000 $3,300,000 $150,000 $8,556,250

Kansas State Chris Klieman $2,500,000 $176,042 $2,323,958 $2,323,958 $360,750 $17,622,405

Kent State Sean Lewis $460,000 $26,833 $433,167 $433,167 $46,000 $750,000

Kentucky Mark Stoops $5,000,000 $0 $5,000,000 $5,013,600 $0 $23,750,000

Liberty Hugh Freeze N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Louisiana Tech Skip Holtz $700,000 $0 $700,000 $704,000 $0 $3,733,333

Louisiana Lafayette Billy Napier $1,005,000 $0 $1,005,000 $1,005,000 $0 $4,603,229

Louisiana Monroe Matt Viator $390,000 $0 $390,000 $390,000 $0 $175,000

Louisville Scott Satterfield $3,250,000 $162,500 $3,087,500 $3,087,500 $325,000 $9,810,938

LSU Ed Orgeron $8,687,500 $0 $8,687,500 $8,918,500 $0 $23,850,000

Marshall Doc Holliday $762,570 $7,000 $755,570 $758,320 $7,000 $452,375

Maryland Mike Locksley $2,605,000 $130,250 $2,474,750 $2,474,750 $265,500 $7,461,756

Massachusetts Walt Bell $660,000 $31,250 $628,750 $628,750 $62,500 $1,453,750

Memphis Ryan Silverfield $1,750,000 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Miami (Fla.) Manny Diaz N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Miami (Ohio) Chuck Martin $550,000 $36,667 $513,333 $513,333 $55,000 $1,500,000

Michigan Jim Harbaugh $8,054,000 $268,721 $7,785,279 $8,036,179 $554,584 $6,367,929

Michigan State Mel Tucker $5,057,000 $99,750 $4,957,250 $5,057,250 $266,000 $23,186,513

Middle Tennessee Rick Stockstill $901,504 $0 $901,504 $912,504 $0 $5,820,403

Minnesota P.J. Fleck $4,600,000 $318,320 $4,281,680 $4,281,680 $548,320 $18,697,250

Mississippi Lane Kiffin $3,900,000 $135,750 $3,764,250 $3,764,250 $275,250 N/A

Mississippi State Mike Leach $5,000,000 $0 $5,000,000 $5,000,000 $0 N/A

Missouri Eliah Drinkwitz $4,025,000 $100,000 $3,925,000 $3,925,000 $100,000 $14,350,000

Navy Ken Niumatalolo N/A N/A N/A $2,316,000 N/A N/A

Nebraska Scott Frost $5,000,000 $166,667 $4,833,333 $4,833,333 $166,667 $25,375,000

Nevada Jay Norvell $625,000 $0 $625,000 $625,000 $0 $2,604,167

Nevada-Las Vegas Marcus Arroyo $1,500,000 $0 $1,500,000 $1,500,000 $0 $4,743,750

New Mexico Danny Gonzales $725,000 $0 $725,000 $725,000 $0 $2,000,000

New Mexico State Doug Martin $429,000 $0 $429,000 $430,000 $0 $303,875

North Carolina Mack Brown $3,500,000 $43,750 $3,456,250 $3,456,250 $112,500 $3,156,250

North Carolina State Dave Doeren $3,250,000 $121,875 $3,128,125 $3,133,125 $446,875 $5,010,416

North Texas Seth Littrell $1,850,000 $0 $1,850,000 $1,850,000 $0 $4,275,000

Northern Illinois Thomas Hammock $620,204 $52,020 $568,184 $568,184 $52,020 $1,380,693

Northwestern Pat Fitzgerald N/A N/A N/A $5,218,658 N/A N/A

Notre Dame Brian Kelly N/A N/A N/A $1,863,893 N/A N/A

Ohio Frank Solich $589,928 $29,497 $560,431 $561,431 $58,993 $604,676

Ohio State Ryan Day $5,748,264 $101,570 $5,646,694 $5,651,694 $236,877 $45,464,910

Oklahoma Lincoln Riley $6,507,143 $300,417 $6,202,726 $6,202,726 $515,000 $30,974,666

Oklahoma State Mike Gundy $4,250,000 $91,146 $4,158,854 $4,158,854 $312,500 $6,351,563

Old Dominion Ricky Rahne $775,000 $0 $775,000 $775,000 $0 $2,296,875

Oregon Mario Cristobal $2,700,000 $157,500 $2,542,500 $2,542,500 $285,333 $5,325,250

Oregon State Jonathan Smith $2,400,000 $112,000 $2,288,000 $2,288,000 $168,000 $6,952,000

Penn State James Franklin $6,700,000 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Pittsburgh Pat Narduzzi N/A N/A N/A $4,075,994 N/A N/A

Purdue Jeff Brohm $4,800,000 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Rice Mike Bloomgren N/A N/A N/A $1,332,308 N/A N/A

Rutgers Greg Schiano $4,030,000 $266,664 $3,763,336 $3,763,336 $266,664 $24,600,000

San Diego State Brady Hoke $1,000,000 $0 $1,000,000 $1,000,000 $0 $5,083,333

San Jose State Brent Brennan $850,000 $0 $850,000 $850,000 $0 $3,511,111

South Alabama Steve Campbell $617,400 $0 $617,400 $617,400 $0 $348,484

South Carolina Will Muschamp $4,600,000 $230,000 $4,370,000 $4,370,000 $470,000 $15,378,750

South Florida Jeff Scott $2,300,000 $67,500 $2,232,500 $2,232,500 $247,500 N/A

Southern California Clay Helton N/A N/A N/A $4,569,507 N/A N/A

Southern Methodist Sonny Dykes N/A N/A N/A $1,340,314 N/A N/A

Southern Mississippi Jay Hopson $500,000 $0 $500,000 $501,000 $0 $583,333

Stanford David Shaw N/A N/A N/A $4,812,197 N/A N/A

Syracuse Dino Babers N/A N/A N/A $3,208,683 N/A N/A

Temple Rod Carey N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Tennessee Jeremy Pruitt $3,846,000 $0 $3,846,000 $3,846,000 $0 $12,880,000

Texas Tom Herman $6,000,000 $172,083 $5,827,917 $5,827,917 $516,250 $15,416,667

Texas A&M Jimbo Fisher $7,500,000 $0 $7,500,000 $7,500,000 $0 $53,125,000

Texas Christian Gary Patterson N/A N/A N/A $6,130,937 N/A N/A

Texas State Jake Spavital $800,000 $0 $800,000 $802,000 $0 $1,196,712

Texas Tech Matt Wells $3,000,000 $127,167 $2,872,833 $2,872,833 $390,833 $9,068,179

Texas-El Paso Dana Dimel $711,999 $0 $711,999 $714,499 $0 $1,542,665

Texas-San Antonio Jeff Traylor $800,000 $57,500 $742,500 $742,500 $141,500 $2,610,379

Toledo Jason Candle $1,175,000 $76,923 $1,098,077 $1,098,077 $76,923 $2,158,333

Troy Chip Lindsey $675,000 $0 $675,000 $675,000 $0 $1,730,625

Tulane Willie Fritz N/A N/A N/A $1,787,000 N/A N/A

Tulsa Philip Montgomery N/A N/A N/A $1,698,865 N/A N/A

UCLA Chip Kelly $4,300,000 $0 $4,300,000 $4,300,000 $0 $9,000,000

Utah Kyle Whittingham $5,000,000 $365,822 $4,634,178 $4,634,178 $365,822 $9,250,000

Utah State Gary Andersen $900,000 $0 $900,000 $900,000 $0 $2,081,250

Vanderbilt Derek Mason N/A N/A N/A $3,534,497 N/A N/A

Virginia Bronco Mendenhall $4,100,000 $264,794 $3,835,206 $3,836,706 $264,794 $16,886,875

Virginia Tech Justin Fuente $4,250,000 $0 $4,250,000 $4,250,000 $0 $12,500,000

Wake Forest Dave Clawson N/A N/A N/A $2,303,069 N/A N/A

Washington Jimmy Lake $3,000,000 $87,500 $2,912,500 $2,912,500 $152,084 $13,410,417

Washington State Nick Rolovich $3,020,000 $150,000 $2,870,000 $2,870,000 $181,250 $5,465,000

West Virginia Neal Brown $3,105,000 $155,000 $2,950,000 $2,950,000 $312,500 $12,975,000

Western Kentucky Tyson Helton $800,000 $53,333 $746,667 $746,667 $80,000 $900,000

Western Michigan Tim Lester $800,000 $100,000 $700,000 $709,700 $200,000 $500,000

Wisconsin Paul Chryst $4,250,000 $318,750 $3,931,250 $3,983,750 $318,750 $15,328,333

Wyoming Craig Bohl $1,512,000 $0 $1,512,000 $1,512,000 $0 $5,025,000

USA TODAY SPORTS SPECIAL REPORT PAY FOR FBS HEAD COACHES

6C ❚ THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020 ❚ USA TODAY E3 SPORTS

Stat

34Strokes under par postedby Justin Thomas in the

three previous editions of the CJCup. Thomas won the inaugural CJCup @ Nine Bridges in South Koreain 2017 at 9-under 279. He tied for36th in 2018 at 5 under and won in2019 at 20-under 268. He’ll try towin his third CJ Cup in four years atShadow Creek Golf Course in LasVegas.

Tee times

Golf Channel’s featured coverageof Thursday’s first round will high-light world No. 2 Jon Rahm outwith Matthew Wolff, who lost in aplayoff last weekend, and TyrrellHatton, who won on the EuropeanTour last weekend (1:29 ET). WorldNo. 4 and four-time major winnerRory McIlroy is out with SergioGarcia and Si Woo Kim (1:40). InFriday’s second round, defendingchampion and world No. 3 JustinThomas is alongside four-timemajor champion Brooks Koepkaand Sungjae Im (1:29). And XanderSchauffele is out with reigning PGAChampionship winner Collin Mori-kawa and Viktor Hovland (1:18).

FedExCup leaders

With his first win in seven yearscoming in last weekend’s ShrinersHospitals for Children Open, MartinLaird moved into the top 10. The2020-21 wrap-around season fea-tures 50 events – including sixmajor championships – and culmi-nates with the season-ending,FedExCup Playoffs finale TourChampionship at East Lake GolfClub in Atlanta. Dustin Johnson isthe defending champion.

1. Bryson DeChambeau .............. 6752. Matthew Wolff ......................... 5753. Stewart Cink ............................. 5624. Martin Laird .............................. 5325. Sergio Garcia ............................ 510

CJ Cup at Shadow Creek

Course: Shadow Creek Golf CourseYardage: 7,527. Par: 72.Purse: $9.75 millionWinner’s share: $1,755,000TV: Thursday-Sunday, 5-8 ET (Golf)

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Bellator’s re-turn tonight might seem just like anoth-er event, but it’s significant to the pro-motion’s history.

Airing on a new night, Bellator 249signifies the first major event the MMApromotion has held on its new broad-cast home, CBS Sports Network. Theshift from Paramount Network to CBSSports Network was a long time coming.

In an effort to fill the void left by theUFC’s departure to Fox Sports in 2013,Bellator debuted on the network in Jan-uary 2013 when it was still branded asSpike TV. With programming such asSpike TV’s “Most Extreme EliminationChallenge” and “1000 Ways to Die” toParamount’s “Yellowstone” and “Twoand a Half Men” reruns, Bellator becamemore of a blatant outlier on the enter-tainment channel.

CBS Sports Network provides asports-centric home for the mixed mar-tial arts promotion, and the new Thurs-day night scheduling alleviates Bellatorfrom going head to head with the UFC,

which runs on Saturdays.“It’s a great opportunity to show-

case some of the best events and big-gest names in the sport,” CBS Sportsexecutive vice president of program-ming Dan Weinberg told USA TODAYSports. “Adding Bellator MMA to theCBS Sports portfolio will allow forgreater promotion, engagement andexposure across all our platforms andassets.”

Bellator President Scott Coker ech-oed Weinberg’s enthusiasm and thepotential to reach new viewers.

“CBS Sports is synonymous withiconic sports broadcasting, and it is in-credible to now have Bellator MMA in-cluded in that family,” Coker said. “Ilook forward to bringing the biggestfights, featuring the top athletes in theworld, live to CBS Sports Network andintroducing Bellator to an entirely newaudience this fall.”

Bellator 249’s four-fight main cardairs live from Mohegan Sun Arena at 10 p.m. ET. Atop the billing, women’sfeatherweight champion Cris Cyborg(22-2) aims to successfully defend hertitle for the first time against Aus-tralia’s Arlene Blencowe (13-7).

Bellator, CBSSN hook upNolan King@mma_kings

MMA Junkie | USA TODAY Network

NORTH LAS VEGAS – Rory McIlroyfound an ideal place to prep for the No-vember Masters.

Across the country in the southwestportion of the United States.

McIlroy said Wednesday that thisweek’s CJ Cup at Shadow Creek in theMojave Desert and next week’s ZozoChampionship at Sherwood CountryClub in a lush forest north of Los Ange-les will prove pivotal in his pursuit of hisfirst green jacket and completion of thecareer Grand Slam at Augusta Nationalin Georgia.

Both tournaments were relocatedfrom East Asia due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, McIlroy changed hisitinerary.

“I was saying with how good thegreens are here and how slopey and howfast and how the course is set up, it’s ac-tually not a bad place to prepare for Au-gusta,” McIlroy said Wednesday atShadow Creek. “It’s bent, the same con-ditions you’re going to get there in termsof grass anyway. Climate’s going to be abit different, but it’s not bad prepara-tion.

“It’s on the other side of the country,it’s not as close. But when you thinkabout the courses that we play leadingup to Augusta, they’re all Bermuda forthe most part. I think here this week andSherwood next week, I think that’s go-ing to be a lot of guys’ last event beforeAugusta and I think they’re going to betwo good courses. You both get 72 holes,which is a nice thing as well, so two real-ly good weeks to see where your game’sat and then go home and work on somestuff before Augusta.”

The new father – his daughter, Pop-py, was born Aug. 31 – is returning thisweek after a three-week break. In hislast start, McIlroy tied for eighth in theU.S. Open. He also saw firsthand whatbeefed-up Bryson DeChambeau did tofamed and rugged Winged Foot whilewinning by six shots.

The talk of golf has put on nearly 50 pounds of mass and started lashingthe ball distances that have promptedsome colleagues to try to follow suit.

That includes McIlroy.

During his break, the four-time majorwinner began working on dialing up hisswing speed and distance. Two weeksago he posted a photo on Instagram ofhis launch monitor that revealed theshot he had just hit was recorded at 186mph ball speed with a 340-yard carry.

“Having length is an advantage andI’ve always been pretty long, but what Iwant to do is at least know that I have itif I need it,” McIlroy said. “I’m not goingto try to do it all the time; I’m not tryingto get my ball speed into the 190s everytime I hit a driver. But at least I knowthat if I need to do it, I can do it.”

McIlroy said he’s done some speedwork in the gym. He also went to a light-er shaft – from 75 grams to 60 – to im-prove his mechanics, but the switchmeans he can move the club faster,which translates to more ball speed andmore yards.

“One of the great things that Bryson’sdone (is) when he speed trains, he justhits the ball into a net, so he doesn’treally know where it’s going, he’s justtrying to move as fast as he can, and it’strying to get your body used to movingthat way and sort of making the targetirrelevant for a time being and then youcan sort of try to bring it in from there,”McIlroy said. “From what I’ve been ex-perimenting with the last couple weeks,it’s the fastest I’ve ever moved the club,the fastest my body’s ever moved.

“It’s been fun trying to do it. I don’tknow how Bryson does it every day. Youhit drivers really hard one day and yousort of have to back off for a couple daysand do it again. It seems like he’s got alot of robustness in that body that hecan keep doing it day after day.”

Well, McIlroy will try to speed upfrom time to time.

McIlroy preps for Masters in SWSteve DiMeglioGolfweek | USA TODAY Network

Rory McIlroy hits out of the fairway on the 15th hole during practice Tuesday forthis week’s CJ Cup at Shadow Creek. MATTHEW STOCKMAN/GETTY IMAGES

With the rest of the college basketballworld tipping off on Wednesday, RickPitino and Iona College remained side-lined.

According to a spokesperson for thecollege, all athletics are on hold “untilfurther notice” in the wake of a super-spreader event that has now resulted in74 new cases of COVID-19 and pushedall classes online for at least two weeks.

The men’s and women’s basketballteams were among those scheduled tohold practice Wednesday, the first dayofficial team workouts were permittedby the NCAA.

Pitino, who was hired in March,wasn’t on campus for several monthsdue to COVID protocols, but the Hall ofFame coach has been in New Rochelle,

New York, for offseason activitiessince the summer.

The recent outbreak on campuswas sparked by a single event attendedby student-athletes, according to thecollege, and almost all the positivecases involved athletes on eight differ-ent teams. The extent of the basketballteam’s involvement was not disclosed.

Students who caught the virus orwere in close contact with someonewho did must isolate or quarantine for14 days and online classes will run un-til at least Oct. 26.

The men’s basketball team is sched-uled for Pitino’s debut on Nov. 25 atFordham University. The Gaels are ex-pected to play in a multi-team event atMohegan Sun in Connecticut fromNov. 30 to Dec. 2. Vermont and Buffaloare currently in the field, although thepossible addition of a fourth team andother details have yet to be finalized.

Pitino, Iona hoops on holdJosh ThomsonLohud.com

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Your one-stop portalfor the news you need

Pauses to two large-scale COVID-19vaccine trials and a treatment studyshould reassure people, not frightenthem, vaccine experts said, though theyare a reminder of the messiness of sci-ence.

“This is an indication that the systemis working as it was designed to work toprotect human subjects in clinicaltrials,” Lawrence Gostin, a public healthand legal expert at Georgetown andJohns Hopkins universities, said Tues-day. “It demonstrates that the ethicalguardrails on vaccine trials are work-ing.”

It’s not unusual for late-stage trials ofdrugs and vaccines to be stopped brieflyto examine safety concerns, he and oth-ers said.

“Let’s say they got to the end of theclinical trial and there had not been onesingle report of any adverse event in thetens of thousands of people involved inthe trial. That would worry me. Thatwould be extraordinarily unusual,” saidBali Pulendran, a professor of immunol-ogy and vaccine design at Stanford Uni-versity.

Eli Lilly announced Tuesday it waspausing a trial of an experimental drugsimilar to one President Donald Trumpclaimed cured him of COVID-19. Mon-day, Johnson & Johnson halted a large-scale trial of a candidate COVID-19 vac-cine. In September, British regulatorsput a hold on a trial of a candidate vac-cine by AstraZeneca. They lifted thehold a week later, but it has continued inthe American arm of the study.

These occurrences should serve as areminder that scientific research can beunpredictable, disappointing and time-

consuming, specialists said.“After four decades in vaccines, I ex-

pect the unexpected,” said Gregory Po-land, director of the Mayo Vaccine Re-search Group and editor-in-chief of thejournal Vaccine. “The nature of vaccinedevelopment is there are always sur-prises and the unexpected. Everybody’slooking for them, but time has to passbefore you actually know.”

According to a new poll from InformaPharma Intelligence, a business intelli-gence provider, and research firm You-Gov, 35% of Americans don’t trust howquickly the COVID-19 vaccine clinicaltrials are moving, and 23% say theydon’t think pharmaceutical companieshave consumers’ best interests in mind.

The public may have unrealistic ex-pectations of a vaccine that’s “100% ef-fective and 150% safe,” said Alan Bar-rett, director of the Sealy Institute forVaccine Sciences at the University ofTexas Medical Branch at Galveston.

He said the companies have shownan impressive attention to safety, in-cluding the trial pauses. “We can’t affordto have a mistake,” Barrett said. “Thepublic has to have confidence that anyvaccine given to them is going to be safeand effective.”

About 31% of vaccine candidatesmake it all the way from Phase 1 clinicaltrials to market, according to a studypublished in the Oxford Academic lastyear.

There are 49 COVID-19 candidatevaccines in clinical trials around the

world, nine of which are in large, late-stage studies, Barrett said. Only threepeople out of the roughly 300,000 vol-unteers in all those trials are known tohave suffered serious side effects. “It’snot a big number,” he said.

The challenge with vaccines, com-pared with treatments: Vaccines aregiven to people who are healthy.Though a patient dying of cancermight be willing to take a medicationwith lots of side effects, a healthy per-son shouldn’t be subjected to a riskyvaccine, said Gostin, a law professor atGeorgetown. “That’s why we need tobe super careful that our vaccines aresafe and effective before we deploythem.”

Late Monday, Johnson & Johnsonannounced it was pausing a trial of itsCOVID-19 candidate vaccine,JNJ-78436735, while it investigated an“unexplained illness” in a trial partici-pant. The company, as well as an in-dependent Data Safety MonitoringBoard, will review the participant’scase before deciding whether to re-sume the trial.

About half the 30,000 trial partici-pants received a placebo and half theactive vaccine. Only the Data SafetyMonitoring Board members will knowwhich shot the volunteer received. If itwas a placebo, the trial is likely to berestarted quickly; if the problem couldhave been caused by the vaccine, aninvestigation will take longer.

A similar trial by the pharmaceuti-cal company AstraZeneca wasstopped in September after a secondtrial participant developed an unusualneurological condition.

In the United Kingdom, where thevolunteer lived, regulators examinedher case and decided the trial could re-sume. The U.S. Food and Drug Admini-stration kept the U.S. trial on hold as it

Two large-scale COVID-19 vaccine trials have recently been paused. HENRY FORD HEALTH SYSTEM/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

Trial pauses are proof‘the system is working’

“The nature of vaccine

development is there are

always surprises and the

unexpected.”Gregory PolandDirector of the Mayo Vaccine Research Group

Experts see reassurancein adherence to ethics

Karen Weintraub and Elizabeth WeiseUSA TODAY

See TRIAL PAUSES, Page 2D

Pediatricians and public health ex-perts predict a potentially dramatic in-crease in childhood obesity this yearas months of pandemic eating, closedschools, stalled sports and publicspace restrictions extend indefinitely.

About one in seven children havemet the criteria for childhood obesitysince 2016, a report out Wednesday bythe Robert Wood Johnson Foundationfound.

Though the percentage of childrenconsidered obese declined slightly inthe past 10 years, it is expected to jumpin 2020.

“We were making slow and steadyprogress until this,” said Diane Whit-more Schanzenbach, a NorthwesternUniversity economist and professor.“It’s likely we will have wiped out a lotof the progress that we’ve made overthe last decade in childhood obesity.”

The trend, seen in pediatric offices,is especially concerning as the Centersfor Disease Control and Preventionthis week expanded its definition of

those at elevated risk of severeCOVID-19 disease and death to includepeople with a body mass index of 25 to30. Previously, only those with a BMIof 30 and higher were included. Thatcould mean 72% of all Americans areat higher risk of severe disease basedon their weight.

Obesity is a top risk factor for nearlyall of the chronic health conditionsthat make COVID-19 more dangerous,including diabetes, hypertension,heart disease and cancer. Childhoodobesity is a leading predictor of obesi-ty later in life.

BMI factors in weight and height tomeasure body fat. It can overestimatebody fat in people with muscularbuilds and underestimate it in thosewho have lost muscle, according to theNational Institutes of Health.

Children are “gaining not insignifi-

Childhoodobesityexpectedto climbDisparities appear by race, income levels

Jayne O’Donnelland Adrianna RodriguezUSA TODAY

Tierney Sadler says she was on a dietin kindergarten. FAMILY PHOTO

See OBESITY, Page 2D

Conservationist groups are con-cerned demand for a coronavirus vac-cine will strain an already taxed re-source: sharks.

Shark liver oil contains the naturaloccurring substance squalene. Scien-tists use squalene for adjuvants that areadded to vaccines to enhance immuneresponse and increase effectiveness.

“We are in no way prioritizing sharksover human health, but we simply haveto ask why more sustainable squalenesources are not being considered as anoption,” said Stefanie Brendl, founder of

Shark Allies, a nonprofit group dedicat-ed to the protection of sharks and rays.

In many shark species, 50% to 80%of the weight of their liver is squalene,according to Corey Casper, presidentand CEO of the Infectious Disease Re-search Institute. A single shark couldyield up to 300 grams of squalene,enough for about 30,000 doses of vac-cine adjuvant.

The oil in a shark’s liver helps regu-late its buoyancy in the water. Deep-seasharks, which have higher concentra-tions of oil in their liver, are sought byfishermen, as are large sharks in moreshallow waters.

Shark Allies lists more than 50 spe-

cies targeted for their livers. Thoughmost are relatively obscure creatures ofthe deep ocean, others are more well-known, such as whale sharks, greatwhite sharks and basking sharks – all ofwhich are considered vulnerable or en-dangered by the International Union forConservation of Nature.

Before the pandemic, about 3 millionsharks a year were harvested for theirlivers. In a worst-case scenario, SharkAllies estimates 500,000 more sharkswill be needed to meet COVID-19 de-mand.

That number is based on an assump-

Conservationists worry for sharks killed for scienceAdrianna RodriguezUSA TODAY

Sharks’ liver oil contains a substanceused to make vaccines. GETTY IMAGES See SHARKS, Page 2D

NATION’S HEALTHUSA TODAY | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020 | SECTION D

2D ❚ THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020 ❚ USA TODAY NEWS

investigates her case.Little has been revealed about her

problem, which may be somethingcalled transverse myelitis, a spinal in-flammation that can cause temporaryparalysis. She and the other personwho suffered a serious side effect, awoman who had a flare-up of previous-ly undiagnosed multiple sclerosis, haveapparently recovered.

If the adverse event in the Johnson &Johnson trial was some type of nerveissue, there is a theoretical, but by nomeans proven, reason it could be linkedto the way the vaccine delivers its im-munological payload, said Otto Yang, aprofessor of medicine and associatechief of infectious diseases at UCLA’sDavid Geffen School of Medicine.

Both the Johnson & Johnson and As-traZeneca candidate vaccines use aplatform based on a harmless humanvirus called an adenovirus. The onesthey use are uncommon in nature, somost people have not developed immu-nity to them.

A tiny number of people who are nat-urally sickened with adenovirus devel-op transverse myelitis, a neurologicaldisorder of the spine that can cause pa-ralysis.

“Nobody knows why it happens, butit appears to be some type of immuneresponse. Perhaps the immune systemis reacting to the virus, and that’s caus-ing a cross-reaction,” Yang said.

He cautioned that the possibility of a

link is extremely theoretical and thereis no data to support it at this time, buthe said it certainly warrants a pausewhile the companies investigate.

“Transverse myelitis does happenvery rarely all by itself,” he said. “So ifit’s a 1-in-100,000 event and you see itin one person, then OK. If you see it intwo people, then it starts to be suspi-cious.”

Barrett, of the University of Texas,said he doesn’t think virus delivery sys-tems can explain the problems.

Eli Lilly released a brief statementTuesday explaining the pause in its trialof a monoclonal antibody, which mim-ics the natural immune response to thevirus.

“Safety is of the utmost importanceto Lilly,” according to the statement, re-leased by company spokeswoman Mol-ly McCully. “Lilly is supportive of thedecision by the independent D.S.M.B.to cautiously ensure the safety of thepatients participating in this study.”

Last week, Trump touted the bene-fits of the experimental monoclonalantibody he was given a day after his di-agnosis with COVID-19. That drug ismade by Regeneron, a Tarrytown, NewYork, company.

The Lilly antibody trial, led by theNational Institutes of Health, was tohave enrolled about 300 volunteerswith mild to moderate COVID-19 whohave been sick for less than 13 days.Half the participants would receive theantibody via infusion and half a salineinfusion. Plans are to expand the trial toan additional 700 participants, includ-ing more severely ill patients if the anti-body performs well.

The antibody, called LY-CoV555 orbamlanivimab, was isolated from theblood of a recovered COVID-19 patient.

Wednesday, Lilly released a state-ment that only the Data Safety Moni-toring Board, not the company, has re-viewed the data. This trial, called AC-TIV-3, is different from others in thecompany’s portfolio, because patientsare sicker and receive the highest doseof the drug. The remaining trials ofbamlanivimab continue.

“Individuals in the ACTIV-3 studyhave been infected with the virus for alonger period of time and may havemore severe symptoms than patientsstudied in other bamlanivimab trials,”according to the statement. “Hospital-ized patients receive different treat-ments for COVID-19 than earlier stagepatients, including treatment with theantiviral medicine remdesivir.”

Gostin, who directs the O’Neill Insti-tute for National and Global Health Lawat Georgetown, said he’s troubled bythis second hold.

“The two medical interventions thatare most likely to dig our way out ofCOVID are vaccines and monoclonalantibodies,” he said. “It shows us thatscience is miraculous, but it’s not fool-proof and it doesn’t always win overMother Nature.”

Gostin said we just have to “be pa-tient. Let science take its course.”

Health and patient safety coverageat USA TODAY is made possible in partby a grant from the Masimo Founda-tion for Ethics, Innovation and Compe-tition in Healthcare. The Masimo Foun-dation does not provide editorial input.

Trial pausesContinued from Page 1D

tion of every person in the world get-ting two doses of the vaccine madewith a shark-based squalene adjuvant.Most candidate vaccines listed by theWorld Health Organization don’t con-tain that type of immunity-boostingagent, so the actual number of sharksneeded for COVID-19 vaccines is likelyto be far lower.

GSK is one of the few companiesmanufacturing an adjuvant withshark-based squalene to support mul-tiple COVID-19 vaccine candidates. Ina statement to USA TODAY, the com-pany said research into squalene alter-natives is ongoing, but they won’t bean option within the time frame of thepandemic.

“The amount of squalene that willbe needed to manufacture the intend-ed 1 billion doses of its adjuvant systemrepresents a very small proportion ofthe animal-derived squalene usedworldwide – the vast majority of squa-lene produced is used by other indus-tries including the cosmetic industry,”GSK said in the statement.

According to a study in 2012 byBLOOM, a nonprofit group that worksto preserve marine life, about 90% ofthe world’s shark liver oil productionfeeds the needs of the cosmetics in-dustry, which uses squalene – or itshydrogenated form, squalane – for itsanti-inflammatory properties that re-duce skin redness and swelling.

“Pointing to someone worse doesn’treally relieve your burden of doing theright thing,” Shark Allies’ Brendl said.“The numbers are a little bit out of pro-portion, but we should change thething we can change especially whenit’s in our control.”

More cosmetic companies areswitching from shark-based to plant-based squalene. California-based bio-technology company Amyris created aplant-based squalene by fermentingsugarcane in Brazil.

Amyris CEO John Melo said thecompany could create the world’s sup-ply for squalene in a matter of monthsat half the cost of harvesting shark liv-ers.

“We can do that all day long,” hesaid. “We can do a billion vaccines thismonth and the next month. We can dothat on demand.”

The company developed a methodby which it extracts a small amount ofsqualene from low-yield sources suchas sugar cane and uses a chemicalmethod to develop a semi-syntheticsqualene that is amplified, accordingto Casper, who disclosed that the In-fectious Disease Research Institute isworking with Amyris for its “promis-ing alternative.”

Amyris has a long history of makingsqualane for cosmetics but has onlyrecently begun producing squalene forpharmaceuticals. Its research sug-gests plant-based squalene performsat the same level as that from sharks.

“Everybody in the world deserves tohave access to a clean and sustainablevaccine without killing one shark,”Melo said.

Though this semi-synthetic alter-native exists, Casper said there’s noother natural resource that meets thedemand for a COVID-19 vaccine be-cause extracting squalene from a plantsource can be “extremely limiting.”

A study in 2014 in BioMed ResearchInternational found an entire olive treewould yield 16 grams of squalene,about 5% of the yield of a shark,enough for about 1,600 doses of vac-cine. Olives are the most plentifulplant source for squalene.

“We are in crisis because we cannotsource enough squalene from the onlyviable natural source (sharks), butwith innovative methods, we can de-velop semi- or fully synthetic alterna-tives,” Casper said.

GSK said in its statement it’s com-mitted to “exploring the potential foralternative sources of its raw materialswhen possible,” including non-ani-mal-derived sources of squalene foruse in adjuvants.

Brendl is aware it may be too late tostop using shark-based adjuvants forthe immediate COVID-19 vaccine pushbut hopes pharmaceutical companiescan make the change by the second orthird generations of the vaccine.

“We are not trying to stop anything… it’s just something that we should allin our conscious calculate and try to dobetter,” she said. “We can do both: Wecan take care of sharks and make thisvaccine.”

Health and patient safety coverageat USA TODAY is made possible in partby a grant from the Masimo Founda-tion for Ethics, Innovation and Com-petition in Healthcare. The MasimoFoundation does not provide editorialinput.

SharksContinued from Page 1D

cant amounts of weight,” said Lisa De-nike, who chairs pediatrics for North-west Permanente in Portland, Oregon.“We’ve seen kids gain 10 to 20 pounds ina year, who may have had a BMI as apreteen in the 50th or 75th percentileand are now in the 95th percentile.That’s a significant crossing of percen-tiles into obesity.”

Denike said one 11-year-old patientat his physical was found to havegained 40 pounds. Type 2 diabetesrates in children are rising, and eventhough the boy doesn’t have it now, De-nike said, “I suspect he will in the com-ing years as his parents already have it.”

“He’s home in an environment strug-gling with parents with the same issuesrather than learning in health class andhaving activity outside,” she said. “Kidsare reflections of what their parentsdo.”

Racial, economic disparities

Disparities in childhood obesityrates have existed for decades and mir-ror the disproportionate way COVID-19affects people of color and those withlow incomes, said Jamie Bussel, a sen-ior program officer at the Robert WoodJohnson Foundation.

“In both cases, these outcomes re-flect decades of disinvestment in spe-cific communities and specific groupsof people, often driven by the systemicracism and discrimination that are stillso prevalent in our society,” he said.

Young people in households makingless than the federal poverty level aremore than twice as likely to be obese asthose at the highest income levels, theRWJF report said. The pandemic andeconomic recession made many of thefactors leading to obesity worse, in-cluding poverty and health disparities,Bussel said.

“We know that families switch tolower-quality food when they face foodinsecurity – that is, more calorie-densefoods and less variety,” said Schanzen-bach, director of Northwestern’s Insti-tute for Policy Research.

Childhood obesity ranges from 11% inthe highest-income families to about20% in low- to middle-income ones,said Dr. Imelda Dacones, NorthwestPermanente’s CEO. That contributes tohigher obesity rates in Black and His-panic populations, which include morepeople at lower income levels. In Cali-fornia, she noted the number of peopleclassified as food insecure increasedfrom one in nine to one in six.

A report in July by NorthwesternUniversity researchers found morethan 41% of Black households with chil-dren experienced food insecurity fromApril 23 to June 23, compared with al-most 40% of Hispanic households andslightly more than 23% of white ones.The rates have declined for Blacks andHispanic families since then but re-mained unchanged for white families.

“Even though it’s not as bad as it wasduring the peak of the pandemic, food

insecurity rates are still awful,” Schan-zenbach said.

Poor fitness, eating disorders

Those who study food insecurity,mental health and fitness said trendsalready heading in the wrong directionare especially alarming now.

Jim Baugh is founder and presidentof PHIT America, which circulated apetition starting in August to require 30minutes of recess at least three times aweek for all students. He noted nearlyhalf of grade schools have no physicaleducation, and “kids are more seden-tary than they’ve ever been.” The USAranks 47th out of 50 countries in theworld in children’s fitness.

University of Virginia School ofMedicine researcher Zhen Yan hasstudied exercise’s role in curbing the ef-fects of COVID-19 and agrees more ef-fort needs to be made to increase activ-ity during childhood.

“If we want to protect our kids fromdeadly COVID-19, we must increasetheir physical activity and get themhealthier,” Yan said. “Too many kids al-ready have preexisting conditions suchas obesity.”

Young adults who experiencedweight stigma and mistreatment have“increased vulnerability to distress”and bad eating habits during the pan-demic, University of Connecticut re-searchers concluded in a study in theAnnals of Behavioral Medicine. Thelikelihood of binge eating during thepandemic was almost three times high-er for people who experienced weightstigma before the pandemic than thosewho hadn’t.

Denike said the “mental health cri-sis” that existed before the pandemichas heightened and contributed to an

increased number of eating disorderpatients.

Young people at risk of eating disor-ders “seek areas to control duringstressful times,” Denike said. They havea “limited menu of options” as children,she said, so restricting or overindulgingin food is convenient.

As far more people feel distress dur-ing social isolation, there’s more risk forpeople who “had some tendency to usefood for not so good things,” Daconessaid. “It’s driving kids as well as adultsto do more unhealthy things.”

The National Eating Disorder Asso-ciation said it’s seen nearly 80% in-creases in monthly calls and onlinechats during the pandemic comparedwith the same months last year.

Social isolation hasn’t changedmuch for Tierney Sadler, a work-at-home marketing writer in Alexandria,Virginia, who said she is “morbidlyobese” and about 100 pounds over theweight she should be. She can easilyidentify with kids struggling as herchildhood weight problems were a con-stant focus of her family and source ofstress, which made her eat more, shesaid.

“It was never going to be goodenough, and I couldn’t shake that,” saidSadler, 57, who was on a diet in kinder-garten. “Obese kids have a lot of compa-ny today, but back in the ’60s, if youwere the one fat kid, it really kind ofdoes a number on you.”

Parents can help, she said, by shield-ing children from household stress.

“Food is one of the ways we comfortourselves,” Sadler said. “There are a lotof things children absorb from theirparents, who may be unemployed andterrified of the whole COVID thing.Their pores are so wide, they can suckin all that negative energy.”

ObesityContinued from Page 1D

Tierney Sadler says her childhood weight was a constant source of stress andmade her feel like “a monster” when she was 12. FAMILY PHOTO

NEWS USA TODAY ❚ THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020 ❚ 3D

Misinformation about the new coronavirus hasbeen rampant on social media.

One Facebook post claimed COVID-19 is a “fraud,”citing no sources or evidence. The poster did not re-spond to a request for comment.

The reasons, according to the post: “COVID-19 isNOT killing people, weak immune systems and baddoctors are. The tests are rigged. The death count isfalse. Masks are useless. Hand sanitizer is toxic. Vac-cines are poison. The government and media are ly-ing.”

The claim that COVID-19 is not a cause of deathgained traction in late summer, when the Centers forDisease Control and Prevention released statisticsabout the impact of preexisting conditions on thosewho contract the virus.

Though a preexisting condition or comorbidity mayhave exacerbated or contributed to the cause of death,it is not the sole reason why someone died.

For example, those with asthma are at a higher riskof complications from COVID-19. If they contracted thevirus and died, their asthma didn’t kill them, the virusdid.

‘The tests are rigged’

The post did not specify how coronavirus tests aresupposedly rigged.

Testing availability and reporting of cases vary bycity and state and even further by universities orschool districts.

Scientists and medical experts explained that welearn more about the virus every day, including howtesting accuracy can be improved and how effectivemitigation efforts are.

‘The death count is false’

The post did not clarify whether the death countwas inflated or reduced.

The death toll from COVID-19 in the USA has sur-passed 216,000, and the international death toll haspassed 1 million.

Conspiracy theories argue the death toll has beeninflated, but experts say it’s probably the opposite, cit-ing lack of testing, false negatives and uncountedhome deaths.

‘Masks are useless’

When the U.S. outbreak started, health officials andorganizations said masks needed to be reserved forhealth care workers, given the shortage of personalprotective equipment.

Masks have been very effective in helping to slowthe transmission of COVID-19. Robert Redfield, direc-tor of the CDC, said masks may be more helpful than avaccine in the fight against the virus.

“These face masks are the most important powerfulpublic health tool we have,” Redfield said.

‘Hand sanitizer is toxic’

Despite many warnings at the local and nationallevel, some Americans are still ingesting cleaning andbleach products in an attempt to self-treat the virus.

When used properly, hand sanitizer – like othercleaning products – is not toxic.

That being said, it’s important that consumers areinformed about the products they purchase. In July,the Food and Drug Administration warned the Amer-ican public to avoid various imported handsanitizers, citing reports of injuries – both from gen-eral use and ingestion – associated with the prod-ucts.

The FDA has a running list of hand-sanitizingproducts that should be avoided.

‘Vaccines are poison’

The anti-vaccine movement has been on the rise,and many of its claims are being directed at theCOVID-19 vaccine before it is released.

Generally speaking, the anti-vax movement be-lieves that vaccines are poisonous and dangerous,which is not accurate.

According to the CDC, the general cycle for the de-velopment of vaccines has six stages: exploratory,preclinical, clinical development, regulatory reviewand approval, manufacturing and quality control.

Development of a typical vaccine can take years,but because of factors such as prioritization andglobal interest, the COVID-19 vaccine timeline maybe much shorter.

To ensure that the vaccine is safe, the same strictprotocol is followed.

According to the World Health Organization, as ofSept. 22, there are 38 vaccines in the clinical evalua-tion stage, and 149 are in the preclinical evaluation.

Despite what the anti-vax movement says, vac-cines are not released to the public until they are safe.The United States has a strict policy for vaccine de-velopment and approval, which the COVID-19 vac-cine must abide by.

‘The government and media are lying’

Though government officials or media outlets mayinaccurately report points, the facts about the newcoronavirus are simple.

COVID-19 is a real virus. There are more than 38million reported infections globally.

The elderly and those with preexisting conditionsare more susceptible to complications from the virus,but good health and youth don’t guarantee a compli-cation-free experience.

According to medical experts, the best mitigationstrategy is to wear masks in public and socially dis-tance when possible. There is no exact date for therelease of a vaccine, but when one is released, it willhave followed the appropriate protocol to ensuresafety and effectiveness.

Though there are politicians and reports that don’ttell the full story or misconstrue facts, neither thegovernment or the media are working to misinformthe public about the coronavirus.

Our rating: False

Each claim has been debunked by medical expertsand organizations. Only a portion of the claim onhand sanitizer has a bit of truth, that consumersshould be wary of some ingredients. The overarchingstatement that sanitizer is toxic is unfounded. Thepost did not provide any citations or evidence to sup-port the claims.

Our fact check work is supported in part by a grantfrom Facebook.

FACT CHECK

The Winnebago County Health Department set up free testing for COVID-19 last month at the SunnyviewExpo Center in Oshkosh, Wis. WM. GLASHEEN/USA TODAY NETWORK

Claims of COVID-19being fraud debunkedAdrienne Dunn USA TODAY

As President Donald Trump embarked to aWednesday campaign rally in Des Moines, Iowa, a re-port by the New York Times found that the WhiteHouse is welcoming a declaration by a group of epi-demiologists that calls for young people to re-entersociety to stimulate “herd immunity.”

Herd immunity is when a disease stops spreadingbecause the majority of the population has had it.

The Times reported that two senior administra-tion officials cited The Great Barrington Declaration,which calls for schools and universities to reopen,“young low-risk adults” to work normally and restau-rants to reopen – a stance that has largely been con-demned by most public health officials, who havecalled it “scientifically and ethically problematic.”

The declaration came out of a meeting from thelibertarian-leaning American Institute for EconomicResearch and its website says it has more than 9,000signatures, though most names are not public.

“Herd immunity is achieved by protecting peoplefrom a virus, not by exposing them to it,” WHO Direc-tor-General Tedros Ghebreyesus said Monday, be-fore the report dropped.

Latest infection numbers

A USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins datathrough late Tuesday shows 12 states set records fornew cases in a week, while five states had a recordnumber of deaths in a week. New case records wereset in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Nebras-ka, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota,West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. A recordnumbers of deaths were reported in Kansas, Mon-tana, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

Wisconsin and North Dakota are also reportingnew cases at a rate more than 10 times faster thanthey did in their worst week of the spring, thoughchanges in testing mean it’s not clear how muchcases have actually gone up.

The U.S. has reported more than 7.8 million casesand 215,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkinsdata. There have been more than 38 million con-firmed cases around the world and 1 million deaths.

Hearing loss may be a possible side effect

A study out of the United Kingdom has found anew possible side effect for COVID-19: Hearing loss.

Researchers from University College London doc-umented the experiences of a 45-year-old man whoexperienced tinnitus and hearing loss a week afterafter being discharged from the hospital – where hespent nearly a month intubated following a severeCOVID-19 case that required treatment with remde-sivir, steroids and plasma.

Tests later found that he had sensorineural hear-ing loss in his left ear, which takes place when theinner ear is damaged. Steroids partially improved hishearing. The findings were published in BMJJournals.

Wisconsin judge blocks governor’s orderto limit capacity, public gatherings

A Sawyer County judge has, for now, blocked Gov.Tony Evers’ latest order to curb the spread of coro-navirus by limiting public gatherings and the numberof customers bars and restaurants may serve at onetime. The order from Judge John Yackel comes at atime of record hospitalizations, new cases anddeaths – and after bars and restaurants have lost amassive amount of revenue as customers stay awaywhile the pandemic rages on in the state.

Democratic state Sen. LaTonya Johnson of Mil-waukee said if the decision becomes permanent, thestate will be exacerbating the already out-of-controlspread. “Make no mistake, if this dangerous decisionstands, Wisconsin will be choosing full bars over fullclassrooms. What a pathetic set of priorities to teachour children,” she tweeted.

Idaho college students intentionally gettingCOVID-19 to sell their plasma

Brigham Young University’s Rexburg, Idaho cam-pus is warning against students intentionally con-tracting COVID-19 in order to sell plasma with anti-bodies for spare cash. The alert comes weeks afterthe National Institutes of Health expanded clinicaltrials for convalescent plasma, which has receivedemergency use authorization by the FDA. Nearbycenters are offering as much as $200 per visit for con-valescent plasma. according to the Salt Lake Tri-bune.

Students found intentionally spreading COVID-19will be suspended, the school cautions, and possiblyexpelled from campus.

CDC head: Small gatherings driving surge

Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Dis-ease Control and Prevention, cautioned governorsduring a call that “small household gatherings” areemerging as a key threat during the pandemic asmany states report a record number of cases. Accord-ing to audio obtained by CNN, the agency chief em-phasized that people should remain wary of breakingsocial distancing guidelines as the holidays ap-proach.

“Particularly with Thanksgiving coming up, wethink it’s really important to stress the vigilance ofthese continued mitigation steps in the householdsetting,” he said.

Contributing: Joshua Bote, Jessica Flores, DoyleRice, Mike Stucka, Molly Beck, The Associated Press

CORONAVIRUS NEWS BRIEFING

WH reportedlypushing forherd immunity

4D ❚ THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020 ❚ USA TODAY NEWS

TRAVEL

Explore Asheville, the North Carolinatown’s tourism promotion organization,decided in June that it was time to en-tice tourists back amid the coronaviruspandemic. But it was cautious.

The tourism agency focused its adcampaign on potential visitors wholived within 100 miles, close enough todrive. It used reams of data to target theonline ads at people with discretionaryincome and also an inclination to followrules and adhere to pandemic-imposedsafety restrictions.

Most importantly, using data fromJohns Hopkins University, the organi-zation only showed the ads in countieswith low levels of COVID-19 cases. Bymid-July, Explore Asheville suspendedthe marketing campaign – because sofew counties met that criteria.

“At that point, there’s so many coun-ties we would have to exclude, it wouldbe better if we just got on the phone andcalled the people that could come,” saidMarla Tambellini, deputy director andvice president of marketing for ExploreAsheville.

Southern cities that rely on tourismrealized the depth of that dependenceduring the coronavirus pandemic. Formonths, many Americans barely lefttheir homes and weren’t traveling.

In Asheville, dozens of bars and res-taurants have closed for good. SomeNew Orleans musicians have left town,unable to pay rent and moving back inwith their parents. In Charleston, SouthCarolina, one long-time resident hadnever seen so many vacancies amongthe shops on King Street.

The people charged with attractingvisitors to these cities are figuring outwhat message to send amid a pandemic.With no concrete sign of help from thefederal government, people who work inthe hospitality industry – waiters,cooks, housekeepers, managers andmusicians – know they need tourists.Some of them question, however, thewisdom of welcoming visitors whomight also bring more cases ofCOVID-19. And long-simmering debatesabout balancing the demands of thetourism industry against the needs ofresidents feel more urgent than ever.

Attracting tourists during a pandemic

The pandemic has forced tourismmarketing agencies to adjust theirpitches. In Asheville, the emphasis is onexploring the outdoors, where socialdistancing is easy. Charleston is pro-moting its historic city center as a sub-stitute for Europe since that continentstill prohibits Americans from entering.New Orleans must sell itself without thelure of bars or live music, both of whichare still prohibited by the city. The stateshave taken a measured approach to re-opening, with individual cities often go-ing beyond restrictions imposed bytheir governors.

The most pressing goals for the mar-keting agencies, however, are more pro-saic.

“We’ve distilled our mission down tothe very simplest thing, which is to cre-ate an overnight visitor,” said Helen Hill,CEO of Explore Charleston.

Most tourists will be driving, al-though they’re willing to drive fartherthan they would before the pandemic.They will probably be spending less.Hygiene protocol will also help peopledecide where to visit.

“The consumer is choosing destina-tions where they are going to feel safe,”said Mark Romig, senior vice presidentand chief marketing officer for New Or-leans & Co.

Even without much advertising,tourists are coming back. In Asheville,for example, hotels were 56% full in Au-gust with higher rates on the weekends,according to data provided by the Bun-combe County Tourism DevelopmentAuthority. Houses and condos availablefor short-term rentals were 76% full.

“People who make money off of ourvisitors are very anxious for the restric-tions to be lifted and for people tocome,” said Julie Mayfield, an Asheville

city councilwoman and Democraticcandidate for state senate. “I do thinkpeople who live here are still very waryabout how crowded downtown is. I’mnot really going downtown on the week-ends at this point.”

Resident needs vs. tourist needs

Tourism has been on the rise aroundthe world. Since the 2008 recession, ev-ery year more people visit Charleston,said Daniel Guttentag, a professor in theCollege of Charleston’s Hospitality andTourism Management program. In 2019,according to New Orleans & Co., a record19.75 million people visited the CrescentCity. That growth has led some to askwhether the needs of residents are be-ing trampled by tourists.

The Buncombe County Tourism De-velopment Authority, which runs Ex-plore Asheville, is funded by a 6% tax onhotels, which brought in $19.4 million infiscal year 2019. Currently, North Caroli-na state law requires that three-quar-ters of that money be spent marketingthe city. Mayfield has long pushed tospend a larger percentage of that moneyon projects that benefit the community,like public transit, infrastructure andaffordable housing.

Ami Worthen, a longtime Ashevilleresident, thinks the city would be betteroff abolishing the Tourism Develop-ment Authority.

“They control a really huge budgetthat grew exponentially from their in-ception. They were spending money onadvertising and bringing people in,which brought them more money,which enabled them to spend more onit. It became a feedback loop,” Worthensaid.

In New Orleans, a study on tourismby an outside consulting group made at-tracting more visitors the primary mea-sure of success, said city councilwomanKristin Palmer, whose district includesthe French Quarter.

“The way we should measure thesuccess of the industry is by how muchmoney people in that economy are mak-ing,” Palmer said. “How can we have anindustry that creates jobs where peoplecan afford to buy a house and have a de-cent quality of life?”

Palmer advocates for sustainabletourism, a movement that aims to man-age tourism and its impacts on people,places and the environment.

Charleston is often presented as amodel of sustainable tourism in theUnited States, but some fear the city isheaded toward “overtourism” that coulddrive away residents. In 2019, the His-toric Charleston Foundation, a localpreservation group, held a forum onsustainable tourism.

“We’re famous for being a hospitable,friendly city,” said Winslow Hastie,president and CEO of the HistoricCharleston Foundation. “I’m worriedthat’s going to start to fray because peo-ple are just overwhelmed and frustrat-ed.”

Drop in visitors exposes economicdependency on tourism

When the visitors vanished at thestart of the coronavirus pandemic inMarch, it made clear how deeply thesecities’ economies were entangled withtourism. Tourism leaders hope thatrealization dampens criticism of theirindustry. For others, though, it drovehome the danger of depending econom-ically on tourism.

“What COVID-19 has clearly shown isthat the industry is very susceptible onmany levels,” said Palmer of New Or-leans.

According to a report from the Brook-ings Institution, economies that rely ontourism will be hit particularly hard bythe coronavirus pandemic. New Or-leans, which also depends heavily onthe vulnerable energy sector, rankedamong the top five most economicallyat-risk large cities in the U.S.

Palmer and others hope that thepost-pandemic rebuilding of the tour-ism industry can be an opportunity tocreate an industry that spreads itsbenefits more broadly across the com-munity.

The very size and importance of tour-ism in towns that rely on it, however,makes it hard to talk about reforms.

“If you say anything negativelyagainst tourism, then you’re speaking illof the city,” said Stephanie Burt, aCharleston multimedia journalist andhost of the podcast The Southern Fork.“I don’t like that duality. There’s a lot onthat continuum between anti-tourismand always pro-tourism.”

Chef William Dissen owns The Mar-ket Place in Asheville, a farm-to-tablerestaurant founded in 1979. He recog-nizes that his business has benefited bythe growth of tourism. But in the 12years he’s lived in Asheville, he’s seenseasonal tourism turn into visitors allyear long. He hopes that tourism can bemanaged instead of merely encouraged.

“I certainly yearn for growth, but Iyearn for growth in a way that is calcu-lated and thoughtful,” he said. “But typi-cally those who have tend to win, unfor-tunately.”

South warily welcomes touristsBalance with needs ofresidents is magnified

Todd PriceThe American South

USA TODAY NETWORK

Charleston, S.C., is selling itself as a substitute for Europe since that continent isclosed to American visitors. EXPLORE CHARLESTON

Asheville, N.C., is urging visitors toobserve COVID-19 precautions andtake advantage of the area’sopportunities for socially distancedactivities in the outdoors.EXPLORE ASHEVILLE

ALBANY, N.Y. – Fare hikes, cuts inservice and staff and “long-lasting dam-age” would come to the MetropolitanTransportation Authority without a fed-eral bailout, state Comptroller ThomasDiNapoli said in a report Tuesday.

The MTA, the largest transit systemin the nation, faces the greatest crisis inits long history if the feds do not come tothe rescue amid the COVID-19 pandem-ic, DiNapoli said.

The New York City metropolitan-area system sought a $12 billion aidpackage from Congress, which hasstalled on a national coronavirus reliefpackage.

“The MTA’s financial condition isdire,” DiNapoli said in a statement.“With ridership down, debt burden ris-ing and no additional help likely fromNew York state or New York City, theMTA desperately needs an influx of fed-eral funds or unheard of service cutsand workforce reductions will happen.”

The COVID-19 pandemic came as the

MTA was in difficult financial straits, Di-Napoli said.

The system faces record deficits. A$6.3 billion projected gap next year ismore than half of the MTA’s annual pro-jected revenue – a hole that could not beclosed without an infusion in aid.

Overall, the MTA is looking at a$12 billion deficit over the next fouryears.

The MTA received $4 billion from thefederal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Eco-nomic Security Act this year to helpstem the initial ridership downturn, butit is far from enough to address the long-term deficits, DiNapoli wrote.

A perilous future

When the pandemic struck in March,MTA ridership grounded to a halt be-cause the system went to limited serviceand all nonessential businesses wereshuttered for months.

The MTA provides 38% of all publictransit trips in the country, and morethan 50% of city workers use the systemduring their commutes.

Weekday subway and bus ridership

hit their lowest points in April: decliningby 92% and 78%, respectively, com-pared with the same period in 2019.

Ridership has picked up since thestate’s final reopening phase July 20.Weekday subway and bus ridership areat 76% and 42% lower than the sameperiod last year.

MTA bridge and tunnel crossingswere 62% lower in April compared withApril 2019 but were almost back to nor-mal traffic by August.

For the commuter rail lines from theHudson Valley and Long Island, rider-ship was down over the summer by asmuch as 80% compared with last year.

That comes after record commuterridership in 2019: The Long Island RailRoad reached 91 million riders last year,and Metro-North hit 86.6 million.

The ridership drop means fare andtoll revenue for 2020 through 2023 isprojected to be $10 billion lower than ex-pected before COVID-19 struck, DiNa-poli said.

As a result, the MTA warned, it mayhave to cut subway and bus service by40% and commuter railroad service by50%.

Fares and toll increases, which werealready set to rise 4% in March 2021 andMarch 2023, might have to go higher,the system said.

Leaders call for federal help

Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the MTAwant a bailout for the state, the systemand local governments and schools.

Democrats who control the U.S.House of Representatives passed mea-sures that include state and local aid butcouldn’t reach a deal with Senate Re-publicans.

The state faces a $50 billion deficitover the next four years, Cuomo warned.The Democratic governor said a bailoutmight come only if Democrats controlCongress and Joe Biden is elected presi-dent next month.

Without federal aid, “you can’t close$50 billion without tax increases, mil-lionaire’s tax, billionaire’s tax, wealthtax, cutting expenses dramatically andborrowing,” Cuomo said Sept. 29. “If wedid that, you’re looking at a bad spell forNew York City and New York State, andI’m not going there.”

NYC transit system warns of severe cuts, fare hikesJoseph SpectorAlbany Bureau Chief

USA TODAY NETWORK

NEWS USA TODAY ❚ THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020 ❚ 5D

News from across the USA

ALABAMA Montgomery: A federalappeals court on Tuesday blocked ajudge’s order that would have liftedwitness and photo ID requirementsfor absentee voting for Alabama vot-ers who are at high risk for contract-ing a severe case of COVID-19.

ALASKA Girdwood: The state’s big-gest ski resort, Alyeska Resort, is setto open this season with an opera-tions plan including health precau-tions like mandatory face coverings.

ARIZONA Phoenix: Democratic Sec-retary of State Katie Hobbs and twoadvocacy groups have agreed to putan early end to an extension of thestate’s voter registration deadlinethat was ordered by a judge afterpandemic restrictions led to a de-crease in people signing up to vote.

ARKANSAS Little Rock: Gov. AsaHutchinson on Tuesday ruled outrolling back the state’s reopeningdespite a recent surge in coronavirushospitalizations. “There’s not reallyan option to go back on our openingof businesses,” he said.

CALIFORNIA Beverly Hills: The cityhas banned trick-or-treating thisHalloween to try to prevent spread ofthe coronavirus. People are also pro-hibited from spraying shaving creamon others, except inside their ownhomes. Licensed barbers are exempt-ed so that they may shave customers.

COLORADO Denver: The state isexperiencing another surge of coro-navirus cases and hospitalizations,prompting Gov. Jared Polis to pleadwith residents to wear masks, stayhome as much as possible and main-tain social distancing practices.

CONNECTICUT Avon: Coronavirusoutbreaks at two long-term care cen-ters in the town have been linked to aresident of one of the facilities andstaff who work at both locations,health officials said Wednesday.

DELAWARE Newark: The state’s re-sponse to COVID-19 was on centerstage when Democratic Gov. JohnCarney and his Republican challengerfaced off in a virtual debate. GOPcandidate Julianne Murray arguedthe governor has overreached, sayingsafety measures have had a negativeeffect on businesses and people,news outlets report. Murray also saidthe coronavirus was “not fatal.”

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Washing-ton: Ford’s Theatre Society and theNational Park Service plan a phasedreopening for Ford’s Theatre and theFord’s Theatre Museum beginningWednesday, WUSA-TV reports.

FLORIDA Tallahassee: Florida A&MUniversity’s position as a key centerin combating the spread of the coro-navirus in underserved communitiesgot a major financial boost Tuesdayfrom the Bill & Melinda Gates Foun-dation. FAMU will receive $1.5 millionover three years to hire staff and op-erate its hub at its Center for Viticul-ture & Small Fruit Research. Collectedspecimens will be tested in the cen-ter’s laboratory, the university said.

GEORGIA Athens: The number ofCOVID-19 cases reported by the Uni-versity of Georgia rebounded thisweek, though the numbers are stillfar from their peak in August. Thetracking page at the UGA UniversityHealth Center lists 92 coronaviruscases in the week ending Oct. 9.

IDAHO Boise: Health care experts saycoronavirus is increasing as kidsreturn to school, but most of the newinfections aren’t happening in schoolbuildings. Instead, many people aretreating the return to school like areturn to normalcy and slacking offon precautions, said Dr. Joshua Kern,vice president for medical affairs forSt. Luke’s hospitals in Jerome, TwinFalls and Ketchum.

ILLINOIS Chicago: Low-income im-migrants 65 and up in the state willbe eligible for health coverage similarto Medicaid despite their immigrationstatus. The Illinois Legislative LatinoCaucus supported the program inresponse to data showing uninsuredolder people who contracted corona-virus could be at risk for more severecomplications, resulting in moremedical bills the state would pay for,said Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Chicago.

INDIANA Indianapolis: A statewidemask order will remain in place, buttougher restrictions on businessesand crowds aren’t being reinstated,despite recent sharp increases inCOVID-19 hospitalizations and ratesof new infections in the state, Gov.Eric Holcomb said Wednesday.

IOWA West Des Moines: The familyof Jennifer Crawford, the IndianHills Junior High School specialeducation assistant who died thismonth from COVID-19, released astatement Tuesday saying she wasexposed at school.

KANSAS Topeka: Gov. Laura Kellysaid Tuesday that she doesn’t planto have the state health departmentuse its power to manage diseaseoutbreaks by shutting down busi-nesses or imposing other restric-tions in local coronavirus hot spots.

KENTUCKY Bardstown: This year’sKentucky Bourbon Festival that waspostponed and then moved onlinebecause of the pandemic beginsThursday. Registration is free foronline programs on topics rangingfrom food and whiskey pairing tothe art of whiskey making.

LOUISIANA Baton Rouge: NewOrleans Mayor LaToya Cantrellcame to the Capitol on Tuesday toask for money to help the city’scoronavirus-damaged budget, butRepublican lawmakers questionedher economic reopening decisionsrather than offering her aid.

MAINE Auburn: About 30 inmatesat Androscoggin County Jail held ashort-lived hunger strike Monday toTuesday to demand more coro-navirus testing, officials said.

MARYLAND Annapolis: Less thanhalf of the state’s residents wouldagree to get a COVID-19 vaccinewhen one becomes available, newGoucher College Poll results show.

MASSACHUSETTS Boston: A recentuptick in COVID-19 cases in thestate doesn’t amount to a newsurge, Gov. Charlie Baker said Tues-day, and the state has done theneeded work to prepare for anyincrease in coronavirus infections.

MICHIGAN Lansing: The state’schief health officer warned Tuesdaythat the state could be beginning asecond wave of the coronavirus ascases and hospitalization rise.

MINNESOTA Minneapolis: Thestate will expand its offering of sali-va tests for the coronavirus into astatewide mail-in program that willbe available free to all residents,Gov. Tim Walz announced Tuesday.

MISSISSIPPI Jackson: The Mis-sissippi State Department of Healthis making free rapid testing avail-able at its drive-thru communitytest sites, State Health Officer Dr.Thomas Dobbs announced Monday.Test results will be returned within15 minutes, but it’s unclear howaccurate they will be, Dobbs said.

MISSOURI St. Louis: The state isoutsourcing contact tracing to pri-vate companies as part of the effortto contain the coronavirus’ spread.

MONTANA Helena: Gov. Steve Bull-ock said he will provide resources tocounties to increase enforcement ofcoronavirus-related restrictions, asMontana experiences one of thenation’s largest COVID-19 out-breaks. According to a White HouseCoronavirus Task Force report Sun-day, Montana had the third-highestrate of new cases per capita lastweek and second-highest test posi-tivity rate in the country, at 10.1%.

NEBRASKA Omaha: The state setanother record for COVID-19 hospi-talizations Wednesday at 315. Thestate said 24% of Nebraska’s in-tensive care beds and 76% of itsventilators remained availableWednesday.

NEVADA Carson City: State healthofficials said they would resume theuse of rapid “point of care” testsafter federal health officials chidedthem for banning their use and ac-cused them of violating federal law.

NEW HAMPSHIRE Concord: Twoelementary school students whowere kicked off a school bus lastweek for not keeping their facescovered will be allowed to return tothe bus. The Monroe ConsolidatedSchool Board convened an emer-gency meeting Monday to say JPITransportation had backed downfrom its decision to ban the boys,ages 9 and 10, from the bus for therest of the school year, the Caledo-nian-Record reports.

NEW JERSEY Hillsborough: Stateofficials aren’t aware of anyCOVID-19 outbreak stemming fromthe campaign fundraiser PresidentDonald Trump held recently at hisBedminster golf club, Gov. Phil Mur-phy said Tuesday.

NEW MEXICO Albuquerque: Gov.Michelle Lujan Grisham announcedTuesday that she will renew publichealth restrictions and warned thatmore stringent rules could be im-posed because of a rise in COVID-19cases. The updated regulations, totake effect later this week, will in-clude limiting gatherings to fivepeople or fewer, a mandatory 14-dayquarantine for visitors from statesdeemed high-risk, reduced hotelcapacities, and a 10 p.m. closingtime for food or drink establish-ments serving alcohol.

NEW YORK Albany: Gov. AndrewCuomo condemned the federal gov-ernment’s coronavirus response andlauded his own leadership efforts ina book released Tuesday that offersa few new details – but not many –about New York’s battle against thepandemic. “American Crisis: Lead-ership Lessons from the COVID-19Pandemic” delivers a retelling of hisefforts to contain the virus as itravaged his state in spring. As forhis mistakes, Cuomo concedes onlya few, such as waiting too long tomandate mask-wearing.

NORTH CAROLINA Raleigh: Weeksfrom the end of the election, threeof the state’s most populous coun-ties are often taking two weeks ormore to send absentee ballots out tovoters who request them, an Asso-ciated Press analysis shows. Un-derstaffing, outdated technologyand voter registration groups arestraining a system that has strug-gled to handle an unprecedentedsurge of requests as many seek toavoid the risks of in-person votingduring the coronavirus pandemic.

NORTH DAKOTA Bismarck: Statehealth officials on Wednesday con-firmed 713 new positive COVID-19cases and 159 new active cases,along with eight additional deaths.It was the state’s seventh straightday of record active cases, puttingthe total at 4,750.

OHIO Cincinnati: In the spring, whenthe pandemic darkened live musicvenues, local guitarist Carl Fichten-baum organized “Quarantunes,” aone-time live Facebook concert. Butthe raves of friends and fans pushed“Quarantunes” to become a monthlyseries, and the eighth concert isscheduled for 8 p.m. Saturday. Themusicians all have day jobs that haveworked them hard through the pan-demic at UC Health or the Universityof Cincinnati College of Medicine.

OKLAHOMA Oklahoma City: Thestate remains in the red zone fornewly reported coronavirus cases,according to the White House Coro-navirus Task Force.

OREGON Salem: The state marked agrim milestone Tuesday as healthofficials announced it had surpassed600 deaths from COVID-19.

PENNSYLVANIA Harrisburg: Thestate is “at the start of the fall re-surgence” of COVID-19, its healthsecretary said Wednesday. Wednes-day marked the ninth consecutiveday that Pennsylvania’s daily casecount surpassed 1,000, and the aver-age daily number of new confirmedcases is up by more than 50% overthe past two weeks, according to theCOVID Tracking Project.

RHODE ISLAND Providence: Gov.Gina Raimondo is appealing to thestate’s retired teachers to get back inthe classroom to address a severestatewide shortage of substitutesbrought on by the pandemic.

SOUTH CAROLINA Columbia: Thestate Supreme Court will give sixhours of training credit to any at-torney who volunteers to be a pollworker on Election Day. The courtsaid finding poll workers is especiallyimportant because some people whotraditionally work elections are opt-ing out because of the pandemic.

SOUTH DAKOTA Sioux Falls: Gov.Kristi Noem on Tuesday blamed thestate’s recent surge in coronaviruscases on an increase in testing, evenas the state saw a new high in thenumber of COVID-19 hospitalizations.

TENNESSEE Nashville: Gov. Bill Leesaid he is in quarantine after a mem-ber of his security detail tested posi-tive for the coronavirus.

TEXAS Austin: State health officialsreported the number of confirmedcases of the coronavirus brokethrough the 800,000-case level Tues-day amid a new surge of cases.

UTAH Salt Lake City: The state willmove away from its color-codedhealth system and place countiesunder restrictions based on theirCOVID-19 transmission rates, Gov.Gary Herbert said Tuesday. The stateranks fifth in the country for newlyconfirmed infections per capita, ac-cording to data from Johns Hopkins.

VERMONT Montpelier: Health offi-cials are encouraging Vermonters tolimit out-of-state travel as coronavi-rus cases increase in New England.

VIRGINIA Richmond: Enrollment atthe state’s colleges and universitiesdeclined 1.3% this year. The Rich-mond Times-Dispatch reports thefigure amounts to a large sigh of reliefbecause university leaders and stateofficials feared a drop of as much as20% as a result of the pandemic.

WASHINGTON Olympia: Gov. JayInslee says five counties in centraland eastern Washington still underthe tightest COVID-19 restrictions willbe allowed to resume more activity.

WEST VIRGINIA Charleston: The lastcounty in the state to report a coro-navirus case is now deemed the mostcritical by health officials as the num-ber of weekly cases statewidereached a record high. DoddridgeCounty on Wednesday became theonly county in the red category onthe state’s color-coded map.

WISCONSIN Madison: The Depart-ment of Corrections says there’s beenanother coronavirus outbreak in astate prison. The Racine CorrectionalInstitution/Sturtevant TransitionalFacility had 124 active inmate casesTuesday, according to the DOC. KettleMoraine Correctional Institution andOshkosh Correctional Institution arestill in the midst of large outbreaks.

WYOMING Jackson Hole: There willbe no guest lodging at YellowstoneNational Park’s largest concession-aire for the winter due to the coro-navirus pandemic, officials said.

From USA TODAY Network andwire reports

HIGHLIGHT: HAWAII

A girl does schoolwork at home in Kailua, Hawaii. ADRIENNE ROBILLARD VIA AP

Honolulu: The state’s public schools will stop using a distance learning programafter parents complained about racist and sexist content. The state Departmentof Education completed a review of Acellus Learning Accelerator, and reviewersrecommended discontinuing its use as a primary curriculum resource “due to itsinconsistency in quality and rigor,” Superintendent Christina Kishimoto said in aletter to parents Monday. Complaints included misspelling and mispronuncia-tion of Queen Lili’uokalani – the last monarch to rule the Hawaiian Kingdom –and racist depictions of Black Americans and Islamophobic stereotypes.

6D ❚ THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020 ❚ USA TODAY NEWS

On the afternoon of Sept. 22, I be-came a data point in the search for avaccine to prevent COVID-19.

That’s when I received the first of twoshots in a clinical trial to develop a vac-cine and became one of 30,000 volun-teers to take a needlestick for science.

Why am I doing it? A combination ofaltruism, curiosity, and a sense of dutyas a journalist. But more on that later.

Aside from the nurse who injectedme and the hospital pharmacy that sup-plied her with the injection, no one elseknows whether I received a placebo orthe would-be vaccine. Not me. Not evenDr. Bindu Balani, the principal investi-gator in the trial at Hackensack Univer-sity Medical Center, one of 89 studysites around the country.

This is called a double-blind studybecause both the researchers and theparticipants are blind to what was in-side that syringe.

I admit, I have a hunch. But I won’tshare it, in case the team monitoring mereads this.

The vaccine being tested was devel-oped as part of America’s OperationWarp Speed by ModernaTX, a decade-old Cambridge, Massachusetts, biotechcompany. Moderna has been awarded$955 million in government funding forthe project, although it has neverbrought a vaccine to market. If this vac-cine is shown to be safe and effective,the federal government has contractedto buy 100 million doses, with an optionfor 400 million more.

For seven days after my injection, Itook my temperature each evening,measured the size of the mosquito-bite-sized bump on my arm as it faded away,and noted that at first, my arm hurt a lit-tle, but “not enough to affect daily activ-ities.” I recorded this and other informa-tion – including my lack of headaches,fatigue, muscle aches and nausea – on asecure phone app that sends the data toModerna.

Weighing the pros and cons

My journey to the curtained cubiclewhere I received the first injection be-gan on the job. I’m a health care reporter,and I had been covering the pandemicfor six months when I wrote a storyabout clinical trials for the vaccinestarting in New Jersey.

I wanted to do something to help andwas fascinated by how a vaccine couldbe developed and brought to market sorapidly amid a pandemic. I thought afirst-person account of what it’s like tobe a guinea pig these days might make agood story.

So I completed an online question-naire declaring my interest in volunteer-ing. A few weeks later, a nurse followedup with a phone call.

Her enthusiasm was contagious. Sheand other nurses had volunteered towork weekends to recruit volunteers,she said. She was excited to be part of aproject to bring an end to the pandemic.

Chances were 50-50 I’d get a placebo,I knew, so no harm there. If I did get avaccine and it was approved, I wasahead of the game. But if I got the vac-cine and it was not approved – thatmade me pause.

These were my doubts: After havingreceived a vaccine that didn’t make thecut, could I still get an approved vaccine,

or might the two interact in harmfulways in my body? And if I did getCOVID-19, could the test vaccine I re-ceived potentially cause an overreac-tion in my immune system and make apotentially mild case more severe?

When I told the nurse I had ques-tions, Balani called me back.

There isn’t enough data to answerthose questions, she told me. I was freeto withdraw at any time before theplanned end of the study in 25 months.If another vaccine was approved and Iwanted to get it, she would ask to “un-blind” my status. If I got sick, theywould communicate with my doctors.

There were other factors to consideras well. As a health care writer, I’d beenreporting for months about the devas-tation coronavirus has wrought in NewJersey, from the scramble for hospitalbeds to the incalculable loss of life. I wit-nessed more grief and fear in sevenmonths than in my prior 40 years of re-porting combined. Assisting in the re-search for a vaccine felt like a small actof defiance and a personal expression ofhope.

Plus, I was interested in the scienceand its translation to public health: Thebreakneck pace, the breakthroughs inunderstanding, the sheer magnitude ofthe logistics to produce and distributevaccines to an entire nation, let alonethe world.

It feels historic, like the ManhattanProject – arguably the last time the U.S.government, science and industryworked together on such a scale. I’d in-herited a sense that science can changethe world from my father, who workedas a nuclear scientist at Hanford, theManhattan Project’s former outpost inWashington State.

I decided to go for it. On the day of my appointment, I read

and signed the 22-page consent form.Balani took my medical history, gave mea physical and swabbed me to see if Ihad an active COVID-19 infection. Anurse took my vital signs and eight vialsof blood. I downloaded the app andlearned how to use it.

The injection into my right arm wasquick and easy.

I had become a statistic.

How the vaccine would work

Moderna’s vaccine relies on a newmethod of generating an immune re-sponse in the recipient. It uses messen-ger RNA (mRNA), a component of cellsthat transmits genetic information, tocause the body to produce coronavirusantigens and thus stimulate the im-mune system. Unlike previous vaccinesfor other illnesses, it doesn’t use wholevirus, either live or inactivated.

Moderna’s first tests of the vaccineon humans – Phase 1 – had 45 partici-pants. Phase 2 had 600. I’m in Phase 3.

Phase 1 recipients developed a goodimmune response against the disease –lots of antibodies – according to a reportpublished in the New England Journalof Medicine.

Three dose sizes were tested to deter-mine which was best. Three of the 14people who received the highest dose ofvaccine reported severe adverse eventsafter the second dose, including oneman who had a high fever, vomited andfainted the following day.

That dose was 21⁄2 times the dose mytrial group receives. It was set at a lower,more tolerable level for Phase 3.

Moderna hasn’t reported whetheranyone developed COVID-19 after re-ceiving the vaccine.

That question – whether the vaccineactually prevents its recipients from de-veloping COVID-19 – is to be answeredby the Phase 3 trial, which started in lateJuly. We volunteers are to receive twoinjections of 100 micrograms each, 28days apart. Half of us get a placebo – saltwater – and half get the real thing.

So far, Moderna has recruited 28,043participants. More than 19,000 have al-ready received their second dose.

We’ll be followed to see if we developCOVID-19, and if we do, how severely illwe become and whether we need to behospitalized.

As soon as 53 people receive con-firmed diagnoses of COVID-19, thesponsors – and an independent, exter-nal advisory group called a “data andsafety monitoring board” – will do thefirst, interim assessment to comparehow many people with and without thevaccine became infected. Another as-

sessment is planned after 105 casesamong participants, and the final as-sessment is to come after 151 cases.Safety monitoring will go on for sometime after that.

The vaccine will be considered effec-tive if it reduces the risk of gettingCOVID-19 by 60% – that is, if it preventssix out of 10 recipients from developingCOVID-19. (The flu vaccine generally is40% to 60% effective.) Moderna mayask the federal Food and Drug Admini-stration for an emergency use authori-zation (EUA) if the evidence of efficacyand safety is strong after the first in-terim assessment.

Moderna’s CEO, Stéphane Bancel,said Oct. 1 that the earliest the companycould apply for an EUA would beNov. 25, assuming the safety data wasgood.

An emergency use authorization ismore flexible than full vaccine approvalby the FDA. Recent months have shownhow it can be politicized. Early in thepandemic, after President DonaldTrump touted the use of hydroxychloro-quine to treat COVID-19 patients, it re-ceived an EUA. It was later rescindedwhen studies showed it was ineffectiveand could in certain cases cause harm.

The president also announced anEUA for convalescent plasma, the anti-body-rich serum extracted from theblood of COVID-19 survivors, on the eveof the Republican National Convention,based on data that some experts saywas shaky.

Full vaccine approval, which requireslong-term monitoring, takes years.

The Moderna study is designed totake 25 months. After my second shot,I’ll make four more visits to the clinic,enter data into the phone app at variouspoints, and receive regular follow-upphone calls. Researchers will monitor usfor side effects and harmful outcomesfor two years.

In an unusual step, Moderna andPfizer released their detailed study pro-tocols in September. The apparent goalwas to reassure the public about the sci-entific integrity of the process

Slowing the research

To answer one question I get a lot: Noone will deliberately expose me to thevirus as part of this study.

Dramatically higher risk is not part ofthe deal. I have no plans to stroll unpro-tected through an intensive care unit. Tobe honest, I don’t even plan to dine in-doors at a restaurant.

That caution, which experts say isshared by other trial volunteers, may ac-tually slow the research; the faster thatcases accumulate, the faster expertscan see whether the vaccine works.

Unfortunately for research science,people who volunteer for studies likethis tend to be better educated and morehealth-oriented, said Dr. WilliamSchaffner, a professor of medicine atVanderbilt University Medical Centerand member of the Advisory Committeeon Immunization Practices at the Cen-ters for Disease Control and Prevention.

They are therefore more likely to pro-tect themselves from COVID-19, whichmeans it will be a while before a suffi-cient number of infections piles up.

Not since the polio epidemic has thepublic been more fixated on the race fora vaccine. Who will get the first batch-es? How it will be distributed? How ef-fective will it be? How will the public ac-cept it?

All these questions remain unan-swered. But I feel like I’m part of historynow.

I’ll let you know what happens.

Being part of trial opens window to processParticipation also feelslike act of defiance, hope

Lindy WashburnNorthjersey.com

USA TODAY NETWORK

A participant in Moderna’s clinical trial of a vaccine for COVID-19 receives aninjection. Half of the participants received the vaccine, and half received aplacebo. LINDY WASHBURN

We’ve already seen stories about howthe COVID-19 pandemic and the accom-panying financial insecurity of fur-loughs and layoffs have sent big-citydwellers fleeing to less-crowded areaswith a lower cost of living.

Now, according to a new survey fromMove.org, all that turmoil also has moreAmericans considering getting rid oftheir homes in favor of van life and acheaper, more nomadic experience.

The moving company review siteasked hundreds of respondents abouthow they felt about van life and foundthat 52% of Americans are now moreopen to van life, in which practitionerslive full or part time in modified vehicleswith basic amenities like beds, storage,toilets, cookstoves and Wi-Fi, allowingoccupants to work anywhere.

Seventy-two percent said they’d try

the van life thing if it meant they couldpay off all their debt, and 74% saidthey’d try it if it meant they could retirecomfortably. Another 23% said theirprimary motivation would be not hav-ing to pay rent or a mortgage.

A quarter of respondents said they’dbe willing to live on the road for sixmonths to a year, and 24% said they’ddo it for up to two years. Seven percentweren’t willing to do it under any cir-cumstances.

Finances weren’t the only draw forsome respondents: The poll found that35% liked the idea of living by the beachor spending more time outdoors. Anoth-er 33% said their prime motivationwould be the opportunity to travel.

So who are these would-be nomads?“One interesting correlation from our

data is that most of those who wouldconsider van life because of COVID-19were millennials,” the group said in apost on its website. “To break it down

further, 31% of those considering vanlife because of the pandemic were in the35-44 age range and 29% were in the25–34 age range. One thing is clear: vanlife definitely isn’t as fringe as it used tobe, especially among younger adults.”

Now committing to van life doescome with some upfront expenses,though the costs vary depending onhow new or fancy your home on the roadis. Custom setups can run upwards of$70,000. But according to city-life blogCurbed.com, the average cost of some ofthe most-popular live-in vans is just un-der $34,000.

“The key takeaway is that if you’reokay living in a space that is smallerthan a studio apartment, living in a vanis much cheaper than buying a home, nodoubt about it,” Move.org concluded.“And the perks of constant travel, close-ness to nature, and minimalistic livingare nice cherries on top of this afford-able sundae.”

Survey: More Americans ready for nomadic van lifeJayme DeerwesterUSA TODAY

Custom setups can run upward of$70,000. According to Curbed.com, theaverage cost of some popular live-invans is just under $34,000. ALAINA ANN