Required Vaccines ‘Not A New Idea’ As CA Passes New Mandate

ACROSS AMERICA — Good morning! It’s Saturday, Oct. 2. Before you kick back to enjoy your weekend, here are the stories we’re following today:

• California this week became the first state to require COVID-19 vaccines for students attending public or private schools.
• The oldest living president turned 97.
• Drugmaker Merck is touting an experimental pill that could reduce severe side effects of COVID-19.
• A flying metal tool killed a man who was driving on a Massachusetts interstate.

California Mandates Vaccines For Students

California on Friday became the first state in the nation to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for all students attending in-class instruction at private and public schools.

The mandate will take effect the semester after the vaccine receives full FDA approval. That could be as early as January, but it's not likely to affect students until the start of school in fall 2022.

Dr. Peter Bretan, president of the California Medical Association, said the organization "strongly supports" the governor's decision.

"This is not a new idea. We already require vaccines against several known deadly diseases before students can enroll in schools," he said. "The Newsom administration is simply extending existing public health protections to cover this new disease, which has caused so much pain and suffering across our state, our nation and the entire globe over the last 18 months.” » COVID Vaccine To Be Mandatory For CA Students: Newsom, via Los Angeles Patch

School Shooting In Houston

A 25-year-old former student armed with a rifle shot out a window to gain entry and then opened fire at YES Prep Southwest Secondary School in Houston on Friday, wounding a school administrator, police said.

The administrator underwent surgery and was in serious condition at a local hospital, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said at a news conference. The former student is in police custody, but Finner said a motive is unknown. » Houston School Shooting: Ex-Student Shoots Staff Member, Cops Say, via Houston Patch

Police Killings Undercounted: Study

A new study released this week by researchers at the University of Washington found more than half of police killings over the last four decades have been mislabeled, which researchers assert has led to a massive undercount of deaths.

Researchers also found substantial differences in the number of reported deaths among different racial and ethnic groups. Black men were killed by police at higher rates — about 3.5 times more than white men, the researchers concluded. » Police Killings Undercounted By More Than 50 Percent: Study, via Across America Patch

Merck Touts Experimental COVID-19 Pill

Drugmaker Merck said Friday its experimental COVID-19 pill reduced hospitalizations and deaths by half in people recently infected with the coronavirus, and that it would soon ask health officials in the U.S. and around the world to authorize its use. » Experimental COVID-19 Pill Reduces Severe Illness, Drugmaker Says, via Across America Patch

Jimmy Carter Turns 97

The nation's oldest living president turned 97 on Thursday. Those who know and love former President Jimmy Carter spent the day celebrating a tireless servant of human rights, peace and democracy. » Former President Jimmy Carter Turns 97, via Atlanta Patch

People Doing Good Things

From selfless acts to mystery lifesavers, Patch introduces you to several people (and animals) who are doing good things. In this week’s good news fix, a stranded swan swims again, a lobster is liberated, and a cop shows off his drummer's chops, via Across America Patch.

House Porn

There’s no scam here: Herbalife reseller Lori Tartol is selling her six-bedroom Malibu mansion after the house was used to showcase the financial potential in reselling Herbalife. The "Mediterranean contemporary" home has plenty of spots to enjoy its gorgeous ocean views.

This Day In History

In 1967, American lawyer and civil rights activist Thurgood Marshall was sworn in as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, becoming its first Black member.

Quotable

"We're in their playground. This is their country we're running in. We're just guests. You get very close to them. It's a matter of just keeping your distance."

—Josh Sylvester, whose daughter, Madison, collided with a deer while running a cross-country race, via Across Michigan Patch

Around ‘The Patch’

• Brian Laundrie: New Cell Phone, Neighbor Arrested, Island Search, via Sarasota Patch
• Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh Positive For COVID-19, via Across America Patch
• Neighbor Blasts Racial Slurs At Black VA Beach Family As Police Decline To Intervene, via Norfolk, Virginia, Patch
• Mother Of NFL Player Starts Smoothie Bar, via Perry Hall, Maryland, Patch
• 2,500 NJ Security Guards Fight For Pandemic Raises – And Get Them, via Newark, New Jersey, Patch
• Flying Metal Tool Kills Man Driving On Massachusetts Interstate, via Danvers Patch
• PA's Largest Counties Imposing Employee Vaccination Mandates, via Pittsburgh Patch
• Semi Carrying Aerosol Cans Catches Fire On Illinois Interstate, via Joliet Patch

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