ACROSS AMERICA &mdash; Eric Lewallen, a radiology technician at Rush County Memorial Hospital in La Crosse, Kansas, shows what the coronavirus pandemic has done to small-town and rural America. He lives out of an RV in the parking lot of the hospital in 1,300-person La Crosse because he is the only healthy hospital staff member who knows how to perform X-rays. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m it,&rdquo; Lewallen told The Associated Press. &ldquo;To keep a critical access hospital open, you have to have X-ray and lab functioning,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;If one of those go down, you go on diversion and you lose your ER at that point. We don&rsquo;t want that to happen, especially for the community.&rdquo; Residents of La Crosse can't get much else from going to hospitals in nearby, slightly larger, towns. The Hays Medical Center some 25 miles away in Hays turned away 103 transfer patients in November, according to reporting from the AP. In the 14 years prior, it had rejected transfers just twice. In much-larger Aurora, Illinois, one healthcare worker is speaking out against those who don't wear masks or face coverings while in public. "Stop ignoring <a href="https://patch.com/illinois/aurora/aurora-icu-nurse-stop-kidding-yourself-coronavirus">science-based recommendations of masking, social distancing</a>, hand hygiene and not gathering in large crowds, they work," Carol Williams, who spends 12 hours a day with COVID-19 patients in the ICU at Rush Copley Medical Center in Auroroa, wrote in a social media post. "Stop kidding yourself that this isn't going to affect you or someone you love or know, it will." <h3>The Latest</h3> The nation's two largest school districts are going in opposite directions on how to handle the coronavirus. In New York, it was back-to-school for many of the younger students in the city on Monday. The same day, <a href="https://patch.com/california/los-angeles/lausd-schools-shutting-down-campuses-amid-coronavirus-case-surge">Los Angeles public school officials</a> said all students will need to revert to online learning for at least the rest of the semester as case counts surge across California. As coronavirus deaths have surged in much of the United States, the <a href="https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2020/12/06/covid-19-now-leading-cause-of-death-in-us-topping-heart-disease-researchers-say/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">virus is now the leading cause of death</a> in the country. COVID-19 was the cause of death for some 12,000 Americans a week ago, and that number topped the number who died of ischemic heart disease and lung cancer, Click on Detroit reported, citing The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington's School of Medicine. The virus has struck every part of society, having an amplified effect on the most vulnerable. In Illinois, an <a href="https://patch.com/illinois/across-il/32-dead-lasalle-veterans-home-coronavirus-outbreak">outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans Home</a> has turned into what Gov. J.B. Pritzker called the "worst-case scenario." Thirty-two residents have died, and nearly 40 others have tested positive for the virus at the state-run home. Help could be on the way for some in the next coronavirus relief bill, but not for all. Lawmakers on Sunday closed in on a proposed <a href="https://patch.com/us/white-house/no-1-200-checks-next-covid-19-relief-bill-lawmakers-say">COVID-19 relief bill</a> that would provide roughly $300 in extra federal weekly unemployment benefits but not another round of $1,200 in direct payments to most Americans, according to The Associated Press. In the Midwest, there have been some sign of progress as the virus spread there slows. Seven states in the region have seen a sustained decrease in case numbers over the past 14 days, according to The New York Times, something health experts say is not necessarily definitive but undeniably encouraging. Cases in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota all began climbing after Labor Day, as cold weather pushed people in the Midwest indoors. The situation in South Dakota is bad enough that a number of <a href="https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/2020/12/04/south-dakota-covid-19-patients-flown-out-of-state/3834939001/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">patients have been flown out of state</a> for treatment because the number of intensive care beds there have continued to dwindle, the Argus Leader newspaper and others have reported. As numbers dip slightly in the Midwest, a new state has taken over the grim distinction of having the most cases per capita. Rhode Island, with 110.3 cases per 100,000 people, had the <a href="https://patch.com/rhode-island/cranston/rhode-island-has-most-coronavirus-cases-capita-us">most cases per capita</a> as of Monday, according to data from COVID ActNow. The Ocean State has seen a 48 percent increase in new cases over the past week, data from The New York Times shows. Minnesota and South Dakota are the states with the next most cases per capita, COVID ActNow shows. Meanwhile, as the nation's presidential leadership switches from Donald Trump to Joe Biden next month, so will the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, a Harvard University infectious disease expert, will take over <a href="https://patch.com/us/white-house/biden-picks-xavier-becerra-lead-hhs-coronavirus-response">leadership of the CDC</a> from Dr. Robert Redfield, Biden announced Monday. Walensky has devoted her career to combatting HIV/AIDS, according to a report from The Associated Press. <h3>Newest Numbers </h3> At least 1,270 new coronavirus deaths and more than 168,224 new daily cases were reported on Monday as of 5:30 p.m. ET, according to a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/national/coronavirus-us-cases-deaths/?itid_coronavirus_2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Washington Post database</a>. Over the past seven days, the United States has averaged more than 195,900 cases each day. As of Monday, 45 states and Puerto Rico remained above the positive testing rate recommended by the <a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/testing/testing-positivity" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">World Health Organization</a> to safely reopen. To safely reopen, the WHO recommends states remain at 5 percent or lower for at least 14 days. More than 14.88 million people in the United States had tested positive for the coronavirus as of Monday evening, and more than 283,300 have died, according to a <a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">tally by Johns Hopkins University</a>. Stay up to date on the latest coronavirus news via <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/12/07/world/covid-19-coronavirus?name=styln-coronavirus&amp;region=TOP_BANNER&amp;block=storyline_menu_recirc&amp;action=click&amp;pgtype=Interactive&amp;impression_id=f128f1f1-38c4-11eb-9bd6-41a1fd26f13e&amp;variant=undefined" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The New York Times</a> or <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/12/07/coronavirus-covid-live-updates-us/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Washington Post</a>. <h3>Read More From Across America: </h3> <ul><li><a href="https://patch.com/georgia/dacula/ga-coronavirus-record-high-may-be-start-thanksgiving-surge">Georgia Coronavirus Record High May Be Start Of 'Thanksgiving Surge'</a></li><li><a href="https://patch.com/california/los-angeles/coronavirus-may-claim-thousands-angelenos-month-garcetti">Coronavirus May Claim Thousands Of Lives In Los Angeles This Month Alone</a></li><li><a href="https://patch.com/district-columbia/washingtondc/dc-public-schools-start-new-covid-19-testing-protocol">Public Schools In D.C. To Start New COVID-19 Testing Protocol</a></li><li><a href="https://patch.com/new-jersey/hoboken/jersey-city-prosecutor-i-can-respond-republican-event">Officials In Jersey City Shut Down Restaurant After Republican Event</a></li><li><a href="https://patch.com/maryland/bethesda-chevychase/county-shatters-single-day-record-covid-19-infections">County In Maryland Shatters Single-Day Record For COVID-19 Infections</a></li><li><a href="https://patch.com/colorado/across-co/gov-polis-husband-marlon-reis-hospitalized-coronavirus">Colorado Gov. Polis' Husband Hospitalized Coronavirus</a></li><li><a href="https://patch.com/california/los-angeles/lausd-schools-shutting-down-campuses-amid-coronavirus-case-surge">Los Angeles Schools Shutting Down Campuses During Coronavirus Case Surge</a></li><li><a href="https://patch.com/rhode-island/cranston/rhode-island-has-most-coronavirus-cases-capita-us">Rhode Island Has Most Coronavirus Cases Per Capita In U.S.</a></li><li><a href="https://patch.com/georgia/loganville/ga-legislators-urged-quarantine-after-contact-guiliani">Georgia Legislators Urged To Quarantine After Contact With Rudy Giuliani</a></li><li><a href="https://patch.com/michigan/across-mi/get-it-over-pastor-tells-congregation-get-coronavirus">'Get It Over With': Pastor Tells Congregation To Get Coronavirus</a></li></ul>

Across America

X-Ray Technician Lives In RV To Keep Small-Town...

Latest U.S. coronavirus news: NY, LA schools take contrasting approach; Biden names next CDC chief; new state has most cases per capita.

X-Ray Technician Lives In RV To Keep Small-Town Hospital Afloat

Health & Fitness

September 14 5:49 p.m. - A caller on Norwest Drive told police that someone stole one of his car tires. September 15 8:28 p.m. - During a traffic stop on Railroad Avenue and Washington Street, Robert Owens, 33, of Bridgewater, was arrested on two warrant. September 16 5:45 p.m. - A caller told police that a man near Savers on Route 1 exposed himself to her daughter. Abidan Rivera, 36, of Boston, was arrested and charged with open and gross lewdness and disturbing the peace. 10:39 p.m. - A caller told police that a vehicle struck something at McDonald's on Broadway. Katharine Fierimonte, 37, of Westwood, was arrested and charged with operating under the influence of liquor. <hr />Image Credit: Dan Libon/Patch

5:49 p.m. - A caller on Norwest Drive told police that someone stole one of his car tires.

September 15 8:28 p.m. - During a traffic stop on Railroad Avenue and Washington Street, Robert Owens, 33, of Bridgewater, was arrested on two warrant.

September 16 5:45 p.m. - A caller told police that a man near Savers on Route 1 exposed himself to her daughter. Abidan Rivera, 36, of Boston, was arrested and charged with open and gross lewdness and disturbing the peace.

10:39 p.m. - A caller told police that a vehicle struck something at McDonald's on Broadway. Katharine Fierimonte, 37, of Westwood, was arrested and charged with operating under the influence of liquor.

<hr />Image Credit: Dan Libon/Patch

CHICAGO &mdash; President-elect Joe Biden doesn&rsquo;t care about Black people. That's what a lot of people will say if he invites Rahm Emanuel to work in the White House, a Black Chicago Democrat told me after the NAACP went public this week with its anti-Rahm stance.

NAACP President Derrick Johnson&rsquo;s public statement speaks for itself.











&ldquo;As the former Mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel has shown us that he is not a principled leader or person,&rdquo; Johnson said. &ldquo;His time in public service proved to be burdened with preventable scandal and abandonment of Chicago&rsquo;s most vulnerable community. How can we expect him to do better on a federal level? His actions and approach to governing are detrimental to the Biden Administration and, more importantly, the American people.&rdquo;











You can count me being among the chorus of folks screaming, &ldquo;Amen.&rdquo;

[COMMENTARY]











Even people who like Emanuel will tell you he's a foul-mouthed egomaniac with bully-like tendencies. 













And as Chicago&rsquo;s mayor, Emanuel's vision for the most "American of American cities" included closing mental health clinics and 50 schools in mostly poor, Black neighborhoods while diverting billions of dollars in government subsidies to developers on the rich, white side of town. 













Then, there's the shadiest backroom deal of all that so many people say should disqualify him from ever participating in the public's business. Emanuel's administration agreed to fork over $5 million in taxpayer hush money to keep secret a video showing a Chicago cop murder Laquan McDonald until he won re-election. 













No matter what Rahm's revisionist memoir says, he walked away from City Hall before voters could throw him out, leaving Chicago more divided by class and race than ever before.













And those are just some reasons regular folks would assume the decision to ditch Emanuel would be a no-brainer for Biden, who campaigned on being an American president who brings people together.

MORE ON PATCH: <a href="https://patch.com/illinois/chicago/take-it-city-knows-rahm-emanuel-bad-america">Take It From A City That Knows: Rahm Emanuel Is Bad For America</a>











But old-school Democrats like Biden, who has been buddies with Emanuel since the '90s, aren't like you and me. Those practiced in the art of transactional politics only see Emanuel as a guy who gets things done. There's value in having a tested political mercenary on your side to push a presidential agenda. 













On Thursday, a longtime Cook County Democratic Party insider tried to convince me that anybody who loves Chicago like I do should be clamoring for Biden to appoint Emanuel as U.S. secretary of transportation. 













"Look, set aside all your negative feelings about Rahm &mdash; and I know politics these days are all about feelings. But set that aside and just think about the politics here. You want Rahm in that job because he's a Chicago guy," the insider said. "You want a Chicago guy with access to the White House. Rahm is that guy."













Biden promised his transportation department would "build back better" with "modern roads, bridges, highways, broadband, ports and airports, as the new foundation for economic growth.&rdquo; 













The insider attempted a persuasive argument: Consider the federal cash that Transportation Secretary Emanuel might ship our way to expedite the CTA's plan to extend the CTA Red Line to 130th Street. And think about how Chicago's former mayor might grease the $8.5 billion O'Hare Modernization Plan with federal money to keep it going forward, the insider said. 













"Whether you like him or not, there's nobody better at transactional politics than Rahm. And he would be a guy Chicago could count on," the insider said. "It's an appointed job, so he'd have a boss to keep him in check. Politically, there's really no downside."













There's no denying Emanuel's penchant for rounding up and doling out other people's money. He got his political start drumming up campaign cash for former Mayor Richard M. Daley. His fundraising prowess helped the Democratic National Committee win a majority in Congress in the '90s. 













Emanuel even got billionaire Ken Griffin to kick in $12 million to build separate lakefront paths for cyclists and joggers, and a fancy bicycle flyover bridge near Navy Pier. 











And when it comes to earmarking taxpayer money for big-ticket projects, there's nobody more generous than Emanuel. Just ask Sterling Bay, the developer that scored almost a billion dollars in tax subsidies to make a fancy-pants part of town even fancier. 











Nationally, the liberal left wants to disqualify Emanuel for the brutish way he governed as an elected official. And there's little doubt that <a href="https://patch.com/illinois/chicago/beware-america-rahms-long-con-could-get-him-back-white-house" target="_blank">our former mayor wants the job because he's motivated by a desire to write himself a redemption story</a> that so many people think he doesn't deserve based on his tenure at City Hall. 











But the U.S. transportation secretary's job doesn't come with the power of elected office. The job is to write checks and cut ribbons on Biden-approved infrastructure improvements that translate into jobs and economic opportunity for Americans. 











Ultimately, says the Black Chicago Democrat insider., Biden will have to decide whether appointing Emanuel to the post is worth suffering potential blowback from lefty African Americans &mdash; exactly what the president-elect should expect if he goes through with it.













The insider, a man well-versed in the art of political horse-trading, said there's only one question anti-Rahm Chicagoans should be asking themselves: Is it worth it to get over our hostile feelings and throw support behind Emanuel if he repented for his sins by cutting checks to Chicago from the federal treasury?













Not for all the money in the world. 











<hr>











<a href="http://www.monumentalstories.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Mark Konkol</a>, recipient of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for local reporting, wrote and produced the Peabody Award-winning series, "Time: The Kalief Browder Story." He was a producer, writer and narrator for the "Chicagoland" docu-series on CNN, and a consulting producer on the Showtime documentary, "16 Shots." 











More from Mark Konkol: 













<ul><li><a href="https://patch.com/illinois/chicago/did-pritzkers-pandemic-science-preaching-erode-public-trust" target="_blank">Did Pritzker's Pandemic Science Preaching Erode Public Trust?</a></li><li><a class="styles_Card__TitleLink__1wfDO" title="Pritzker Attack On Madigan Is About Re-Election Bid, Not Reform " href="https://patch.com/illinois/chicago/pritzker-attack-madigan-re-election-bid-not-reform">Pritzker Attack On Madigan Is About Re-Election Bid, Not Reform</a></li><li><a href="https://patch.com/illinois/chicago/mailroom-clerk-indicted-power-broker-clout-story" target="_blank">From Mailroom Clerk To Indicted Power Broker: A Clout Story</a></li><li><a href="https://patch.com/illinois/chicago/misty-emotional-pritzker-still-didnt-address-pandemic-hypocrisy" target="_blank">Misty, Emotional Pritzker Still Didn't Address Pandemic Hypocrisy</a></li><li><a href="https://patch.com/illinois/chicago/pritzkers-turkey-saying-he-might-travel-thanksgiving" target="_blank">Pritzker's A Turkey For Saying He Might Travel For Thanksgiving</a></li><li><a href="https://patch.com/illinois/chicago/take-it-city-knows-rahm-emanuel-bad-america" target="_blank">Take It From A City That Knows: Rahm Emanuel Is Bad For America</a></li></ul>

Norwood

Massachusetts

Joe Biden Could Lose Black America By Hiring...

COMMENTARY: There's not enough cash in the federal treasury to get over the gut feeling that this former Chicago mayor is bad for America.

Joe Biden Could Lose Black America By Hiring This Guy

Politics & Government

Norfolk County (MA)

Boston Metropolitan Area

Norwood Police Log: Sept. 14-16

The following is from the Norwood Police Log. Arrests and charges mentioned don't imply conviction.
