‘Keep Lining The Body Bags Up’: Governor Is Over Low Vaccine Rate

ACROSS AMERICA — Good morning! It’s Sunday, Sept. 19. Before you tune in to watch the 2021 Emmys tonight, don’t draw the curtain on your weekend without catching up on some of these stories we’re following:

• In a bizarre twist, Gabby Petito’s fiance is now missing.
• The delta variant is the king of the COVID-19 mountain.
• West Virginia’s governor has pretty much had it with his state’s low vaccine rate.
• The suspect in Colorado’s STEM school shooting is sentenced.

Rally Turnout Bleak

Police took no chances Saturday as protesters gathered in Washington, D.C. for the "Justice for J6" rally in support of the hundreds of people arrested and charged in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

Police in riot gear guarded the streets in a powerful show of force. Security fencing around the Capitol had been reinstalled, and multiple congressional offices were closed. Dump trucks lined roadways, providing another form of crowd control.

The crowd, however, never showed up.

By the time rally concluded around 2 p.m. EDT, only few hundred protesters had gathered in support of the Jan. 6 defendants. »Read the full story on Washington, D.C. Patch

Gabby Petito’s Fiance Now Missing

As police and family members continue to search for Gabrielle Petitio, the case took a bizarre turn this weekend: Petito’s fiance, who earlier this week refused to talk to investigators about her disappearance or possible whereabouts, is also missing.

According to his parents, 23-year-old Brian Laundrie left his home Tuesday. No one has seen him since. On Saturday, authorities launched a search in Carlton Reserve near Venice, Florida, in hopes of finding the man. »Read the full story on Sarasota Patch

More Coverage Of Gabby Petito’s Disappearance:

• FBI Now Searching For Gabby Petito's Fiancé Brian Laundrie: PD
• TikTok User Says Brian Laundrie Hitched A Ride In Wyoming
• Brian Laundrie's Sister Speaks With Good Morning America
• Police Body Cam Shows Missing LI Native After Alleged Fight
• Police: Missing LI Native’s Boyfriend Is 'A Person Of Interest’

‘Keep Lining The Body Bags Up’

Jim Justice, the Republican governor of West Virginia, isn’t one to sugarcoat his message. He certainly didn’t on Friday when he expressed frustration with the low vaccination rate and the growing number of COVID-19 deaths in his state. “Seventy-four people died. Seventy-four more people have died since Wednesday,” Justice said Friday. “And they’ll keep dying. That’s all there is to it. We just are going to keep lining the body bags up, and we’re going to line them up and line them up.” »Read the full story on The Hill

Delta Variant Nears Total Dominance

The highly transmissible delta variant is responsible for nearly all new confirmed COVID-19 cases in the United States, the CDC confirmed this week. The variant, which originated in India, now makes up 99.4 percent of new COVID-19 cases. »Read the full story on Across America Patch

STEM School Shooter Sentenced

Devon Erickson was sentenced Friday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for his role in the 2019 STEM School Highlands Ranch shooting in Colorado. The shooting left one student dead and eight others injured. »Read the full story on Littleton, Colorado, Patch

This Day In History

The first episode of the “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” aired on American television in 1970. The trailblazing show starred Mary Tyler Moore as a single independent working woman at a time when female characters rarely were depicted as more than a wife or widow.

Around ‘The Patch’

• Emmys 2021: What To Know And Where To Watch, via Hollywood Patch
• Did You Feel It? Earthquake Rattles Southern California, via Los Angeles Patch
• More Than 1,000 COVID Cases Reported In Massachusetts Schools, via Across Massachusetts Patch
• Obituary Blames Illinois Woman's Virus Death On The Unvaccinated, via Springfield Patch
• 30% Of New COVID Cases In Connecticut Among Fully Vaccinated, via Ridgefield Patch
• Boston Beer Releasing Brew So Strong It's Illegal In 15 States, via Boston Patch

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