NPR-COVID19

The Illinois events, both hosted by one unnamed organization, did not require masks or COVID-19 testing. Officials say that more than 1,000 people across at least four states could have been exposed.

Volunteers have painted more than 150,000 red hearts on a wall along the River Thames and people stop to write messages and names of lost loved ones inside the hearts.

Pediatric hospitals are "at or near capacity" and expect to see more young COVID-19 patients as the school year resumes, according to the Children's Hospital Association.

New staff, new technology and new classrooms are among the things superintendents are buying with this historic infusion of federal dollars. That's according to a new survey of district leaders.

Broadway shows have implemented strict protocols, but anxiety is high. "The culture of 'the show must go on,' it has to be left behind," says the executive director of the Actors' Equity Association.

About 14 million U.S. residents got their first dose of a COVID-19 shot in August, which is about 4 million more than in July. Officials credit vaccine mandates by governments, schools and businesses.

The department sent letters to state leaders in Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah, warning that mask mandate bans could violate federal protections for students with disabilities.

After their brother died, two sisters faced a barrage of misinformation, pandemic denialism and blaming questions. Grief experts say that makes COVID-19 the newest kind of "disenfranchising death."

Isolated by pandemic last year, violinist Jennifer Koh asked prominent composers to donate tiny pieces, and to nominate fellow up-and-coming composers to receive paid commissions.

Portland has helped boost Oregon's overall vaccination rate, but rural areas lag far behind. That's allowed the pandemic to rage in places such as the Rogue Valley, where hospitals are overwhelmed.