Vaccination for kids 5-11 coming

The push to vaccinate more Americans may be reaching a younger audience.

According to the Associated Press, the White House is developing plans to offer coronavirus inoculations to children 5 to 11 years old,

An advisory council to the Food and Drug Administration will study the proposal and if backed by that group, low-dose shots of the Pfizer vaccine – with smaller needles – will be available at pediatricians, pharmacies and possibly elementary schools.

The availability of the vaccine is not a mandate, but in California all school children are required to be “jabbed” starting after July 1, 2022.

The AP reports that two doses three weeks apart is necessary and that complete production would be manifested after another two weeks.

Voting rights bill stopped again in Senate

For the third time, the Freedom to Vote Act ­ was blocked on Wednesday in the U.S. Senate by Republicans. The bill, intended to support expanded voting rights and overcome state laws which have places more conditions on voting, received 50 votes – all Democrats – and was opposed by 50 – all Republicans, according to The New York Times.

Sixty votes are needed to overcome a filibuster.

The only practical way to defeat the filibuster may be to eliminate it, although some centrists Democrats oppose that move, arguing that the filibuster potentially prevents passage of popular but unwise pieces of legislation.

Also in the news…

• Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday ordered a weeklong paid shutdown of “non-essential” businesses and government agencies in response to the rising rates of coronavirus infection. The shutdown will be from Oct. 30 to Nov. 7.
• Brazilian President Jair Bolsnaro should be charged with crimes against humanity for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, a report from the Brazilian Senate argued. That South American nation has the second-highest number of deaths from COVID-19.

Sports:  Comeback Dodgers need more of that

After Tuesday’s dramatic 6-5 win over the Atlanta Braves in Game Three of the National League Championship Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers edged away from the brink of elimination. Now they must try again at 5:08 p.m. at Dodger Stadium.

Corey Bellinger’s three-run home run in the eighth inning tied the game up and Mookie Betts slashed a RBI double that gave the Blue Crew the win yesterday.

They’ll play again on Thursday, then – if necessary – play games Six and Seven on Saturday and Sunday.

Meanwhile, in the American League, the Championship Series is tied at two wins apiece. The Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox will go at it again today (Wednesday) at 2:08 p.m.

Also in Sports….

• The Los Angeles Lakers opened the regular NBA season with a 121-114 loss to the Golden State Warriors Tuesday night at Staples Center. LeBron James scored 34 points and Anthony Davis had 33. The Lakers are next in action on Friday, hosting the Phoenix Suns.
• Anaheim Ducks (2-2) lost 6-5 to the Edmonton Oilers (3-0) on Tuesday night. Next for the OC team is the Winnipeg Jets (0-2-1) on Friday.
• Los Angeles Kings (1-2) lost 2-1 to the Nashville Predators (1-2). Next up: Friday against the Dallas Stars (2-2).
• The AP now has an NFL Pro32 poll for football. The top-ranked team is Arizona, followed by Tampa Bay and Baltimore. The Los Angeles Rams are in fourth and the Los Angeles Chargers are in eighth.

Weather: A little warmer, a little clouds

A high of 77 with an overnight low of 56 is the Thursday forecast for the West Orange County area. The skies should be partly cloudy. Cooler weather will move after that on Friday when the high drops to 72 (59). Saturday may be a bit wet with a 24 percent chance of rain. The high will drop to 70. Sunday will be slightly warmer (73) but look out for Monday with a high of 67 with a 69 percent chance of rain. Things will be cooler in the coastal areas of Huntington Beach with a Thursday high of 71. After that, temperatures dip in the high 60s with the chance of rain 23 percent on Saturday and 67 percent on Monday.