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Congress swiftly passed a two-day stopgap spending bill Friday night, averting a partial government shutdown and buying time for frustratingly slow endgame negotiations on an almost $1 trillion COVID-19 economic relief package.

The virus aid talks remain on track, both sides said, but closing out final disagreements is proving difficult.

The House passed the temporary funding bill by a 320-60 vote as lawmakers headed for a Sunday session. The Senate approved the bill by voice vote almost immediately afterward, sending it to President Donald Trump.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said both sides remain intent on closing the deal, even as Democrats launched a concerted campaign to block an effort by Republicans to rein in emergency Federal Reserve lending powers. The Democrats said the GOP proposal would deprive President-elect Joe Biden of crucial tools to manage the economy.

It appeared unlikely that there would be a deal reached Friday night, lawmakers and aides said.

Democrats came out swinging at a key obstacle: a provision by conservative Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., that would close down more than $400 billion in potential Federal Reserve lending powers established under a relief bill in March. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is shutting down the programs at the end of December, but Toomey’s language goes further, by barring the Fed from restarting the lending next year, and Democrats say the provision would tie Biden’s hands and put the economy at risk.

“As we navigate through an unprecedented economic crisis, it is in the interests of the American people to maintain the Fed’s ability to respond quickly and forcefully,” said Biden economic adviser Brian Deese. “Undermining that authority could mean less lending to Main Street businesses, higher unemployment and greater economic pain across the nation.”

The key Fed programs at issue provided loans to small and mid-sized businesses and bought state and local government bonds, making it easier for those governments to borrow, at a time when their finances are under pressure from the pandemic.

The Fed would need the support of the Treasury Department to restart the programs, which Biden’s Treasury secretary nominee, Janet Yellen, a former Fed chair, would likely provide. Treasury could also provide funds to backstop those programs without congressional approval and could ease the lending requirements. That could encourage more lending under the programs, which have seen only limited use so far.

The battle obscured progress on other elements of the hoped-for agreement After being bogged down for much of Thursday, negotiators turned more optimistic, though the complexity of finalizing the remaining issues and drafting agreements in precise legislative form was proving daunting.

The central elements appeared in place: more than $300 billion in aid to businesses; a $300-per-week bonus federal jobless benefit and renewal of soon-to-expire state benefits; $600 direct payments to individuals; vaccine distribution funds and money for renters, schools, the Postal Service and people needing food aid.

House lawmakers were told they wouldn’t have to report to work on Saturday but that a Sunday session was likely. The Senate will be voting on nominations on Saturday.

The pending bill is the first significant legislative response to the pandemic since the landmark CARES Act passed virtually unanimously in March, delivering $1.8 trillion in aid, more generous $600 per week bonus jobless benefits and $1,200 direct payments to individuals.

The CARES legislation passed at a moment of great uncertainty and unprecedented shutdowns aimed at stopping the coronavirus, but after that, many Republicans focused more on loosening social and economic restrictions as the key to recovery instead of more taxpayer-funded aid.

Now, Republicans are motivated chiefly to extend business subsidies and some jobless benefits, and provide money for schools and vaccines. Democrats have focused on bigger economic stimulus measures and more help for those struggling economically during the pandemic. The urgency was underscored Thursday by the weekly unemployment numbers, which revealed that 885,000 people applied for jobless benefits last week, the highest weekly total since September.

The emerging package falls well short of the $2 trillion-plus Democrats were demanding this fall before the election, but Biden is eager for an aid package to prop up the economy and help the jobless and poor. While he says more economic stimulus will be needed early next year, some Republicans say the current package may be the last.

“If we address the critical needs right now, and things improve next year as the vaccine gets out there and the economy starts to pick up again, you know, there may be less of a need,” said Sen. John Thune of South Dakota.

Most economists, however, strongly support additional economic stimulus as necessary to keep businesses and households afloat through what is widely anticipated to be a tough winter. Many forecast the economy could shrink in the first three months of 2021 without more help. Standard & Poor’s said in a report Tuesday that the economy would be 1.5 percentage points smaller in 2021 without more aid.

The details were still being worked out, but the measure includes a second round of “paycheck protection” payments to especially hard-hit businesses, $25 billion to help struggling renters with their payments, $45 billion for airlines and transit systems, a temporary 15% or so increase in food stamp benefits, additional farm subsidies, and a $10 billion bailout for the Postal Service.

The emerging package would combine the $900 billion in COVID-19 relief with a $1.4 trillion government-wide funding bill. Then there are numerous unrelated add-ons that are catching a ride, known as “ash and trash” in appropriations panel shorthand.

A key breakthrough occurred earlier this week when Democrats agreed to drop their much-sought $160 billion state and local government aid package in exchange for McConnell abandoning a key priority of his own — a liability shield for businesses and other institutions like universities fearing COVID-19 lawsuits.

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The U.S. added a second COVID-19 vaccine to its arsenal Friday, boosting efforts to beat back an outbreak so dire that the nation is regularly recording more than 3,000 deaths a day.

Much-needed doses are set to arrive Monday after the Food and Drug Administration authorized an emergency rollout of the vaccine developed by Moderna Inc. and the National Institutes of Health.

The move marks the world’s first authorization for Moderna’s shots. The vaccine is very similar to one from Pfizer Inc. and Germany’s BioNTech that’s now being dispensed to millions of health care workers and nursing home residents as the biggest vaccination drive in U.S. history starts to ramp up.

The two work “better than we almost dared to hope,” NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins told The Associated Press. “Science is working here, science has done something amazing.”

Early results of large, still unfinished studies show both vaccines appear safe and strongly protective although Moderna’s is easier to handle since it doesn’t need to be stored at ultra-frozen temperatures.

A second vaccine represents a ray of hope amid despair as the virus continues to spread unabated even before holiday gatherings that are certain to further fuel the outbreak.

The scourge has claimed more than 312,000 U.S. lives and killed 1.7 million people worldwide. New cases in the U.S. are running at over 216,000 per day on average. Deaths per day have hit all-time highs, eclipsing 3,600 on Wednesday.

California has emerged as one of the most lethal hot spots, with hospitals running out of intensive care beds and ambulances lining up outside emergency rooms in scenes reminiscent of the calamity around New York City last spring. California on Friday reported over 41,000 new cases and 300 more deaths.

When New York’s hospitals were in crisis, health care workers from across the country came to help out. This time, “there’s no cavalry coming” because so many hospitals are swamped, said Dr. Marc Futernick, an emergency room physician in Los Angeles.

The nation is scrambling to expand vaccinations as rapidly as Moderna and Pfizer can churn out doses. Moderna’s is for people 18 and older, Pfizer’s starts at age 16.

It’s just the beginning of “what we hope will be a big push to get this terrible virus behind us, although it will take many more months to get to all Americans,” Collins said.

Even with additional candidates in the pipeline, there won’t be enough for the general population until spring, and shots will be rationed in the meantime. And while health workers are enthusiastically embracing vaccination, authorities worry the public may need more reassurance to ensure more people get in line when it’s their turn.

“Frankly if we don’t succeed in getting 80% or so of Americans immunized against COVID-19 by the middle of this 2021 year, we have the risk that this epidemic could go on and on and on,” Collins said.

He is especially concerned that accurate information about the shots’ value reaches communities of color, which have been hard-hit by COVID-19 yet also are wary after years of health care disparities and research abuses.

To try to help instill confidence, Vice President Mike Pence received the Pfizer-BioNTech shot on live TV Friday, along with Surgeon General Jerome Adams.

FDA’s decision could help pave the way for other countries that are considering the Moderna vaccine, the first-ever regulatory clearance for the small Cambridge, Massachusetts, company. European regulators could authorize its use as soon as Jan. 6. Britain, Canada and a few other countries already have cleared the Pfizer-BioNTech shot, with a European Union decision due Monday.

“What we want to always remember is one size does not fit all. We want to have options,” said Dr. Paul Duprex of the University of Pittsburgh.

Moderna has about 5.9 million doses ready for shipment set to begin over the weekend, according to Operation Warp Speed, the government’s vaccine development program. Injections of health workers and nursing home residents continue next week, before other essential workers and vulnerable groups are allowed to get in line.

Both Moderna’s and Pfizer-BioNTech’s shots are so-called mRNA vaccines, made with a groundbreaking new technology. They don’t contain any coronavirus – meaning they cannot cause infection. Instead, they use a piece of genetic code that trains the immune system to recognize the spike protein on the surface of the virus, ready to attack if the real thing comes along.

Their development less than a year after the coronavirus first emerged set a speed record, but Collins stressed that shouldn’t worry people. The speed was due to billions in company and government investments paired with years of earlier scientific research, not any cut corners.

“The rigor of the analysis of these vaccines is unprecedented,” Collins said. “We’re not done with this but hope is on the way, and the hope comes from this scientific brain trust that has pulled out all the stops.”

Experts are hoping the two vaccines together will “break the back of the pandemic” when combined with masks and other precautions, said Dr. Arnold Monto of the University of Michigan, who chaired an advisory committee that publicly debated the shots’ evidence ahead of FDA’s decisions.

The FDA’s main messages:

–Both the new Moderna vaccine and the Pfizer-BioNTech shot require two doses several weeks apart. The second dose must be from the same company as the first.

–In a study of 30,000 volunteers, the Moderna vaccine was more than 94% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in people 18 and older. It also strongly protected older adults, who are most vulnerable.

–The inoculated can’t throw away their masks as it’s not yet clear either vaccine prevents silent, symptomless virus spread. But there was a hint that Moderna’s shot might provide some protection against asymptomatic infection.

–The Moderna study uncovered no major safety problems. Like with the Pfizer-BioNTech shot, expect sore arms, fever, fatigue and muscle aches, which are signs the immune system is revving up.

–Moderna’s study turned up no severe allergic reactions, like the handful reported with the Pfizer-BioNTech shots in Britain and Alaska. The vaccines’ ingredients aren’t identical. Still, after any COVID-19 vaccination, people should stick around for 15 minutes – or 30 minutes if they have a history of severe allergies – so if they do have a reaction, it can be treated immediately.

–Both vaccines remain experimental, and the government is closely monitoring safety in case rare problems crop up.

–Additional studies are needed to tell if the vaccine should be used by children and pregnant women.

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Investigators say a man’ body was left inside a storage unit for days, but the sheriff’s office has not confirmed key details yet.

The daughter of 66-year-old Vincent Smith says her father is dead, but Lee County Sheriff’s Office and the Office of the State Attorney’s have not confirmed this with her or the public Friday.

LCSO responded to an Extra Space Storage facility in Lehigh Acres recently, where a man’s body was found.

On the phone, Smith’s daughter said she is angry her father is dead, and she’s angry because the sheriff’s office has not confirmed her father is dead, let alone that he was killed by someone.

Questions remain for the investigation into Smith’s death.

We were at the courthouse in Lee County Friday morning when suspect Charlon Grey had his first court hearing related several charges connected to activity that connects him to the scene at Extra Space Storage.

It’s confirmed Grey is being held in a straitjacket at Lee County Jail and faces charges for kidnapping, aggravated battery and battery on a person older than 65.

In court, we learned Grey is also at the center of a death investigation. The prosecutor said Grey kidnapped a man from a home and took him to a storage unit in Lehigh Acres. Three days later, a man was found dead. This lines up with what Smith’s daughter understands about her father’s death.

The sheriff’s office and state attorney will not confirm why Grey doesn’t presently face charges for a homicide.

We asked Rich Kolko, WINK News Safety & Security Specialist, who spent years investigating cases for the FBI, about his thoughts for this investigation.

“In a case like this one, it’s very possible that there may be evidence out there, other people that they want to talk to, that aren’t aware of what happened yet,” Kolko said. “So in that kind of investigation, law enforcement will want to keep it as quiet as possible.”

Smith’s daughter did not want to talk on camera, but told us she wants answers. She claims the sheriff’s office hasn’t confirmed to her family that her father is dead or that someone was arrested in connection with his death.

Smith’s daughter also said she doesn’t know how the suspect knew her father.

The medical examiner said the manner of Smith’s death was homicide, but the cause remains undetermined.

According to Grey’s arrest report, surveillance video shows Grey with Smith entering the storage facility last Sunday. Thirty minutes later, Grey is seen leaving the facility in Lehigh Acres alone.

When deputies arrested Grey, he told them he blacks out when he gets violent and does not remember what happened.

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Thursday, we introduced you to 8-year-old Jakobe “Kobe” Washington, who has leukemia. He’s in need of a lifesaving bone marrow transplant. There are 14,000 people like Kobe who are waiting for a match.

Many people reached out to us after his story aired and was shared online to find out what they could do to help save his life.

Kobe’s mom explained the bright spirit and strength Kobe showed through his chemotherapy, but the chemo was not enough, and doctors say Kobe will die if he doesn’t get a bone marrow transplant.

Harold Wall saw our story about Kobe and reached out to us because he wanted to help.

“Sometimes, you just wonder what your purpose might be, and you never know,” Wall said. “Sometimes, it’s just a little thing, or it’s a monumental thing.”

Finding a bone marrow match can be a monumental thing. Unlike blood, bone marrow depends greatly on ethnicity. Kobe is Black, and of the 20 million registered bone marrow donors, only 4% are Black.

That’s why Kobe’s mom is desperate for donors to come forward.

Unfortunately, Wall doesn’t fit the profile, but he’s still wants to try.

“It’s just something that, if it matches, then, wonderful, but you never know if you don’t try,” Wall said.

Donors must be 18 to 60 years old. If you are 44 and under, it’s free. It’s $100 to join the registry if you are 45 to 60.

If you are someone’s match, donors pay nothing, no matter your age.

“We will cover travel expenses, employment, babysitting, dog care, tolls, mileage, a companion if you have to travel out of state to donate to a patient,” said Debiann McIntosh, a community engagement specialist with Be The Match.

If you are a match: You must pass a physical, and your doctor must give the go-ahead. Eighty percent of donors give peripheral blood stem cells. That requires you to sit in a chair for six hours.

Donating bone marrow is more involved.

“That is something that is done with local anesthesia, so that it’s possible that the collection will be at an outpatient center or at your local hospital,” McIntosh said.

For Kobe and his mom, finding the right match is a matter of life and death. Anyone interested in becoming a bone marrow donor can visit Be The Match’s website to register and learn more.

For Wall, a little discomfort is worth the risk.

“You know, if it saves someone’s life, you know, a little pain never hurt anybody,” Wall said.

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A Cape Coral couple almost had to make the difficult decision of staying in their marriage or getting a divorce all over the cost of prescription medication. WINK News Health and Medical reporter Veronica Marshall explain what may have gone wrong so it won’t happen to you.

Through their 30 years of marriage, the Kanz have fought side-by-side facing challenges together.

“He’s been going to a pulmonologist because he’s had COPD and emphysema,” said Carol Kanz.

“She has cancer in her blood,” Thomas Kanz said. But, this latest health battle has threatened to rip their relationship apart.

Earlier this year, doctors diagnosed Thomas with Pulmonary Fibrosis, which causes scarring in the lungs and makes it difficult to breathe.

“I can’t walk 100 feet without stopping. I just lose my breath,” Thomas said.

“What makes it tragic for us is that his older sister died of this in 2015. And she went pretty quick,” said Carol.

This is a progressive condition that can’t be cured. But, through treatment, it can be slowed down. The medication, however, is very expensive.

“We found out the copays are over $27,000 for a 90-day supply,” said Carol. “I mean…there’s just no way you can do that.”

Thomas wonders who out there can afford that. “I mean…who can? Unless you’re a multi-multi-millionaire and believe me, we’re not,” he said.

All of their applications for financial assistance have been rejected.

“She said ‘Oh no, what was your annual income last year?’ And so we gave them the income, and she said, ‘Oh no, we can’t help you, you don’t qualify,'” said Carol.

In an effort to afford the medication, they were facing a devastating choice. Stay together and not be able to afford the medication or get a divorce, divide their assets and be able to afford their medication.

“We were considering divorce. If it comes down to that and we can do it legally, then that’s what we’re going to do. It won’t change anything for us, but…I think that’s cruel,” Carol said. “I really think it’s cruel to do that to people.”

“We don’t know where else to go,” said Carol. “We’re hoping.”

Jonathan Hess is with Athos Health. “What I tell people is always start with the manufacturers. It’s the highest probability of success,” said Hess.

Drugmakers want to help families afford their medication. “Go to the manufacturer’s website and fill out a form. It’s usually pretty simple,  four or five questions, address, name, household what their adjusted gross income is,” Hess said.

“And if it’s under $100,000 then it will be covered in a heartbeat. They’ll get instant coverage. If it’s just over $100,000 – they may have to appeal it,” said Hess.

For the Kanzs, Hess says, their requests were denied due to a simple mistake. Because, while some financial assistance foundations require your gross income, drug manufacturers don’t.

Hess said, “After I found no, you should use adjusted gross income and had a conversation with her, she reapplied using adjusted gross income, which was below the threshold. And she got accepted.”

Then, “About 30 minutes later, I got a call from her, basically in tears,” Hess said.

Carol says it was a Christmas miracle. “We couldn’t be more thrilled. For us, it’s like a Christmas miracle,” she said. “Oh yes, definitely. Definitely.”

So now, the Kanz can look forward to even more years together as husband and wife.

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The family of a woman found dead in Lee County decades ago is remembering their mother, sister and friend, as the investigation of her death remains open.

Loved ones still want answers in the cold case homicide of 25-year-old Coleen Egland, who investigators believe was killed 31 years ago.

On Dec. 17, 1989, a day before Coleen’s birthday, Lee County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of a body in the woods near a rest area at Daniels off I-75. Investigators learned it was Coleen’s body. Her death was ruled a homicide.

Just over 30 years later, Coleen’s family gathered Friday, Dec. 18, 2020 to celebrate her birthday, as they continue to seek justice for her killing.

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A Southwest Florida nursing care network is already scheduling to vaccinate its residents.

ManorCare Nursing & Rehabilitation in Collier confirmed vaccine dates for its locations Friday: ManorCare Lely Palms is scheduled for Monday, and ManorCare Naples is scheduled for Wednesday.

A woman told us ManorCare was chosen to receive some of the first vaccines. She expects her 90-year-old mother will get vaccinated Dec. 23. She got a call from the nursing care center that both residents and health care workers were going to be getting them.

Maxine Boatman is a COVID-19 survivor. Soon, she’ll be one of the first to get the vaccine in Collier County.

“When I first heard it, I just prayed, ‘Dear, God, don’t let her go out like this. She’s lived to be 90 years old, and she’s got several great-great grandchildren,’ said Judy Durbin, Maxine’s daughter. “We have five generations, and I said, ‘Just don’t let her go out this way, and he didn’t.’”

Durbin told us the pandemic has been tough on their family, with her mother living at ManorCare on Lakewood Boulevard the entire time.

“I can go and see her, but its outside for 15 minutes, and you can’t hug; you can’t kiss; you can’t do anything,” Durbin said. “So that’s been very, very, very difficult.”

A special delivery of hope is on the way for Judy’s mother and their family.

“I got a call from ManorCare, my mom’s nurse, saying that they will be getting the vaccines on December 23r, and would I agree to have her have it,” Durbin said. “The answer was yes because you don’t know how long the immunity lasts, and I said, ‘Yes. I would rather be safe than sorry.’”

At the Palm Harbor location in Pinellas County, ManorCare residents and workers were already vaccinated.

“I think the U.S. is very strong, and they’ve worked very hard,” Durbin said.

ManorCare health services are expected to distribute the Pfizer vaccine with the help of CVS Pharmacy.

Durbin hopes the vaccine brings her one step closer to spending more time with her mother.

“Hold her and say I love her,” Durbin said.

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The Garces family was overcome with emotion after seeing their home again for the first time. Their house just got a complete makeover and a chance for one member to continue being independent.

Miriam is 46-years-old and a mother of five children. She is also battling ALS. So to have her house remodeled was very important.

“I just feel joy,” she said. “It’s a blessing from God.”

Doctors diagnosed Miriam last year. So it’s been difficult for her to get around her house. Miriam’s husband Carlos knew they could use a helping hand.

Representatives with Lee Builders Care partnered with Lennar Homes to create a better space for the family. “As soon as I met the family and saw the struggles that Miriam was having in the home just getting around,” they said. “Their story was touching.”

Their home was transformed. “They transformed my house in 10 days unbelievable,” Carlos said. “From the entrance you know they did a ramp here. The restroom they made it walk in so it’s easier.”

Carlos Garces says it’s been heartbreaking to watch his wife try and get around their now-inaccessible home. “Watching my wife suffer through…try to jump that little hump it’s tough,” he said.

Miriam says she won’t let them dirty her brand new home. “She said that she doesn’t want to dirty her house so no party,” Carlos said.

No party for now, but they definitely have so much to celebrate later on.

“Thank you thank you thank you!” said Carlos.

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The gift-giving season doesn’t have to break the bank this year. Instead, shop at one of the Southwest Florida consignment shops that say they are fully stocked with a ton of great options.

Style Encore franchise owner Carolyn Rivera says her store is not the typical thrift shop. They carry everything from Banana Republic to Burberry.”High-quality clothing for a fraction of the retail pricing,” Rivera said. “We highly vet our products before they come onto the floor so a mark, a scratch, a stain, a snag — it’s not going to be purchased by us.”

 
At the store, located at 11621 S. Cleveland Avenue in south Fort Myers, WINK found items like Lilly Pulitzer shorts with new tags for $33 instead of $64, a Tory Burch tote for $100 instead of $300, and a Ralph Lauren vest for $20.
In Collier County, try shopping at True Fashionistas, owned by Jennifer Johnson.
“It’s a great place to come shopping for Christmas because you never know what you’re going to find,” Johnson said.
Johnson said her store is flush with inventory and items are selling soon after they arrive.
“People are really embracing going green,” Johnson said. “There are so many positives that come out of resale.”
You can score a piece of clothing for up to 90% off the retail price, but designer bags and wallets tend to keep their value. For example, WINK found a Louis Vuitton wallet on sale for $430. New, a similar model would go for $570.
When shopping at consignment stores keep in mind their return policy.
Both stores will take back clothing with tags and receipts. True Fashionistas return window is five days, but they will not take back anything discounted more than 35%. Style Encore’s return window is seven days.  Shoes, jewelry and accessories are considered final sale at both stores.

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A man accused of killing a Lehigh Acres teenager with his car and then fleeing the scene will be released on reduced bail.

Judge Margaret Steinbeck granted a motion to reduce the bail for Adrian Zurita to $50,000.

Zurita, 19, was arrested Sunday for a hit-and-run crash that happened a few days prior near his Lehigh Acres home.

He will be released with an ankle monitoring bracelet and will not be permitted to drive.

Defense attorney Jerry Berry painted a picture of Zurita as a good kid with a bright future. He graduated from Riverdale High School with all A’s and B’s and at just 19 was managing a Domino’s store.

He worked his way up at the store from clerk to supervise 30 employees in three years. He is saving to be a franchisee and is part of their corporate program.

But the prosecutor reminded the court that the good deeds work against him in that he couldn’t even call 911 after hitting and killing a 15-year-old boy.

Zuritas’s father, Jose, testified that he told his older son to bring deputies to the home to speak with Adrian shortly after the crash.

He denied ever instructing his son not to call 911.

The family of the victim broke down in tears after the judge’s ruling.

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