States move against virus surge

As the “third wave” of coronavirus infections surges across the United States, some governors are tightening restrictions in an effort to blunt COVID19’s spread.

In California on Monday, Gov. Gavin Newsom “pulled the emergency brake” and dumped 40 counties – including Orange County – into the “purple” tier, the most restrictive.

In New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy used a different metaphor. “I must again pull back the reins,” he said, according to the Associated Press. Over the weekend, governors in New Mexico and Washington State made similar moves and in Michigan the governor announced that high schools and colleges in the state must halt in-person instruction.

According to The New York Times, new cases have risen 81 percent in the past seven days, while deaths have gone up 39 percent.

President-elect Joe Biden called for bipartisan cooperation in passing a $3 billion COVID-19 relief bill. He also asked for cooperation in the presidential transition process. “More people may die, if we don’t coordinate,” he said.

So far, President Donald Trump has refused to concede the election or permit the typical transition process to begin. He continues to make unsupported claims of widespread fraud in the voting.

The News: Scouting facing big potential losses

Almost 90,000 sex abuse claims have been filed against the Boy Scouts of America by Monday’s deadline in a federal bankruptcy case against the youth group. BSA is facing 275 lawsuits and another 1,400 potential claims, according to United Press International. • Wall Street reacted strongly to a claim by pharmacy developer Moderna that its vaccine was 94.5 percent effective in preventing the coronavirus infection. The Dow Jones Average rose 470.63 points. The S&P 500 was up 41.76 points and the Nasdaq increased by 94.84 points.

Weather:  Warm weather steps aside

We had a few warm days Sunday and Monday, but more typical autumn weather ought to be in place this week. Tonight’s overnight low should be 55, with Tuesday being sunny with a high of 78 (50 overnight). Wednesday will see the real dip, falling to 69 during the day with some patchy fog early and 52 at night. Daytime highs will slide from 68 on Thursday to 67 on Friday. Overnight lows will fall to a chilly 48.

Sports: Local gridders win three of four

In case you missed it, both major college football teams in the Southern California area posted wins, and one of two NFL teams triumphed.

• USC defeated Arizona 34-30 for the Trojans’ second straight close victory. The 20th-ranked team (2-0) will take on Utah (0-0) this coming Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
• UCLA (1-1) defeated Cal 34-10 on Sunday. The Bruins will next face 11th-ranked Oregon (2-0) on Saturday.
• The Los Angeles Rams moved into a three-way tie for first place in the NFC West with their 23-16 win Sunday night over the Seattle Seahawks. Next Monday will see LAR (6-3) visiting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-3).
• The Los Angeles Chargers (2-7) fell 29-21 to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. Next up is a home game against the New York Jets (0-9) at SoFi Stadium.