Historic home and lives upended in Charlotte Harbor floodingGov. DeSantis reviews the damage done by Hurricane Helene
CHARLOTTE HARBOR Historic home and lives upended in Charlotte Harbor flooding While Hurricane Helene was not expected to cause a life-threatening storm surge in the county, the residents were walloped by rising flood water.
Dekle Beach Gov. DeSantis reviews the damage done by Hurricane Helene Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to hold a news conference in Dekle Beach.
Tracking power outages after Helene There are still several thousand neighbors in southwest Florida without power as of Saturday.
The Weather Authority The Weather Authority: Scattered rain and storms throughout your Saturday The Weather Authority is tracking scattered rain and storms throughout your Saturday afternoon.
Southwest Florida remembers Hurricane Ian 2 years later; what happened before and after the storm The storm that had devastated Southwest Florida, Hurricane Ian, has now reached its 2nd anniversary of landfall.
High School Football Scoreboard Week 6 Hurricane Helene couldn’t keep all the Friday night lights off in Southwest Florida. Week 6 was a loaded slate included a classic in the WINK News Game of the Week.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs begins clean up operations On Friday, the Department of Transportation pushed sand off the road on Hickory Island after Hurricane Helene ripped through
MANASOTA KEY Manasota woman recovers after home destroyed by Helene Whipping winds – the sound of Hurricane Helene ripping through Manasota Key, as swells smashed into the island. Even so, Marsha Viglianco stayed to watch from her back porch.
El Jobean residents fighting to recover from Helene In Charlotte County, people living in El Jobean are in recovery mode Friday night. Many were flooded out of their homes, and now they’re figuring out their next steps.
NAPLES Restoration efforts begin in the aftermath of Helene in Collier County Helene gave Naples Beach flash flooding a debris Thursday night.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda couple deals with flooding after Helene A Punta Gorda couple is recovering as the storm surge from Helene went through their dream home.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Flooding affects business in downtown Fort Myers In downtown Fort Myers, the streets may be drying up, but for one business owner on Bay Street, the true struggle is just getting started.
BONITA SPRINGS Damage in Bonita Springs from Helene It seems like nearly every place on the water was left with significant damage. In Bonita Springs, storm surge pushed into the city.
FORT MYERS BEACH Closer look at rescue operations during Helene All across Southwest Florida, we saw stories of bravery and selflessness during Helene.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Neighbors hit with flooding in Dean Park community On Friday, roads in downtown Fort Myers were fairly dry. It’s a stark contrast to Thursday night’s storm surge caused by the outer bands of Hurricane Helene.
CHARLOTTE HARBOR Historic home and lives upended in Charlotte Harbor flooding While Hurricane Helene was not expected to cause a life-threatening storm surge in the county, the residents were walloped by rising flood water.
Dekle Beach Gov. DeSantis reviews the damage done by Hurricane Helene Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to hold a news conference in Dekle Beach.
Tracking power outages after Helene There are still several thousand neighbors in southwest Florida without power as of Saturday.
The Weather Authority The Weather Authority: Scattered rain and storms throughout your Saturday The Weather Authority is tracking scattered rain and storms throughout your Saturday afternoon.
Southwest Florida remembers Hurricane Ian 2 years later; what happened before and after the storm The storm that had devastated Southwest Florida, Hurricane Ian, has now reached its 2nd anniversary of landfall.
High School Football Scoreboard Week 6 Hurricane Helene couldn’t keep all the Friday night lights off in Southwest Florida. Week 6 was a loaded slate included a classic in the WINK News Game of the Week.
BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Springs begins clean up operations On Friday, the Department of Transportation pushed sand off the road on Hickory Island after Hurricane Helene ripped through
MANASOTA KEY Manasota woman recovers after home destroyed by Helene Whipping winds – the sound of Hurricane Helene ripping through Manasota Key, as swells smashed into the island. Even so, Marsha Viglianco stayed to watch from her back porch.
El Jobean residents fighting to recover from Helene In Charlotte County, people living in El Jobean are in recovery mode Friday night. Many were flooded out of their homes, and now they’re figuring out their next steps.
NAPLES Restoration efforts begin in the aftermath of Helene in Collier County Helene gave Naples Beach flash flooding a debris Thursday night.
PUNTA GORDA Punta Gorda couple deals with flooding after Helene A Punta Gorda couple is recovering as the storm surge from Helene went through their dream home.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Flooding affects business in downtown Fort Myers In downtown Fort Myers, the streets may be drying up, but for one business owner on Bay Street, the true struggle is just getting started.
BONITA SPRINGS Damage in Bonita Springs from Helene It seems like nearly every place on the water was left with significant damage. In Bonita Springs, storm surge pushed into the city.
FORT MYERS BEACH Closer look at rescue operations during Helene All across Southwest Florida, we saw stories of bravery and selflessness during Helene.
DOWNTOWN FORT MYERS Neighbors hit with flooding in Dean Park community On Friday, roads in downtown Fort Myers were fairly dry. It’s a stark contrast to Thursday night’s storm surge caused by the outer bands of Hurricane Helene.
The FTC 12 Days of Consumer Protection is a holiday series to help you save money and avoid scams. Each day, they will cover a new topic — from shopping online and bogus shipping notifications to temporary job scams and fake charities. They will give you practical information you can use every day and share with your family, friends, and community so they can be safe too. This holiday season will look very different as we seek to spend (sometimes virtual) time with loved ones, while staying safe from COVID-19. Jim Kreidler with the Bureau of Consumer Protection, FTC said, “The holiday season is often a time of giving and a real joyful time, but its also a time when scammers are out there and they’re really trying to steal people’s money.” He said, mainly it’s about checking online reviews and being aware of where you are shopping. You can follow the days of consumer protection with their blog here. Hawking in a winter wonderland On this 2nd day of Consumer Protection, it’s all about online shopping. Because that’s what we can do this year, right? (OK, it’s a lot of what we do any year.) If you’re spending some of your hard-earned money online, make sure you know where it’s going. Because it’s pretty easy for scammers to put up a fake website that looks a lot like a real one. A scam website may show up in your search results, or scammers may send you a phishing email that looks like it came from a company you trust, but actually takes you to a rip-off site. They’ll be happy to take your money and leave you with nothing. So: Instead of clicking on a link, say in an email, type in the store’s URL yourself, so you know where you’re headed. Only pay on sites with URLs that starts with https. That ‘s’ means your transaction is encrypted…but scammers know how to encrypt, too. So don’t believe that a site is the real deal just because the site uses encryption. Pay by credit card. It gives you way more protections if something goes wrong. Check out more about how to shop safely online. And if you spot a scammy site or you don’t get what you ordered, tell the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. By Jennifer Leach, Associate Director, Division of Consumer & Business Education, FTC But the hire is not so delightful On this 3rd day of Consumer Protection, we’re talking about earning some extra cash. For lots of us, the holiday season is a good time to pick up some part-time work. It’s when retailers and delivery services need extra help. And, especially during the pandemic, many of us could use the cash. So how can you spot and avoid a job scam, whether for a temporary or permanent position? Don’t pay to get the job. Scammers may say they have a job waiting for you, or guarantee you a position, if only you pay them. (Maybe for a certification, maybe for training materials, or something else). But no legitimate job will require you to pay out-of-pocket expenses or fees to get the job. Anyone who does is a scammer. Never give your personal info up front. Some scammers will try to get your credit card, bank account, or Social Security number as soon as you’re in touch with them. But that’s a scam. Do your research. Before you apply for a job listed on a social networking site or in an online ad, search online for the name of the company plus the words, “review,” “complaint,” or “scam.” Read reviews by former employees. If the news is bad, or very little about the company shows up, that’s a red flag telling you to move on. If you spot a job scam, tell the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. By Jim Kreidler, Consumer Education Specialist, FTC Holiday ‘grift’ exchange? It’s the 4th day of Consumer Protection and ’tis the season of…gift cards. Even in Santa’s workshop, it’s one of the most popular ways to give to family and friends for the holidays. But gift cards also are a favorite way for scammers to steal people’s money. Anyone who demands that you pay them with a gift card, for any reason, is always a scammer. Simply put, no matter what the story is, never pay with a gift card. Back to the fun stuff: Giving gift cards. Here are a few things to keep your season merry and bright: Buy gift cards from sources you know and trust. Think twice about buying gift cards from online auction sites, to avoid buying fake or stolen cards. Inspect gift cards before you buy. A gift card should have all its protective stickers in place. Report the card to the store if anything looks scratched off or damaged. When you buy, save the receipt. Keeping the gift card receipt can be helpful if you run into problems with the card. Treat gift cards like cash. Report a lost or stolen gift card to the card’s issuer immediately. Most card issuers have toll-free numbers you can find online to report a lost or stolen card. Depending on the card issuer, you may even be able to get some money back. Spot someone who wants you to pay with a gift card? Tell the FTC: ReportFraud.ftc.gov. By Carol Kando-Pineda, Attorney, FTC, Division of Consumer & Business Education Fa-la-la-la fake On the 5th day of Consumer Protection, you get an email or text message that’s supposedly from UPS or FedEx, complete with one of their logos — and it seems legit. It says your item is ready to ship but you need to update your shipping preferences. But here’s the lump of coal: the message is bogus and there is no package. Scammers are phishing for your information. And if you click on a link or download the attachment, you’re likely to end up with a virus or malware on your device that steal your identity and your passwords. Avoid any holiday reindeer-livery confusion and follow these tips: The weakest link. Don’t click. If you get an unexpected email or text message, don’t click on any links — or open any attachments. If you think it could be legit, contact the company using a website or phone number you know is real. Don’t use the information in the email or text message. Mal where? Guard against malware. Make sure you keep your software up to date. Set your security software, internet browser, and operating system (like Windows or Mac OS X) to update automatically. By Carol Kando-Pineda, Attorney, FTC, Division of Consumer & Business Education
As of 2:30 p.m. Thursday, there have been 1,094,697 positive cases of the coronavirus recorded in the state. The case count includes 1,076,547 Florida residents and 18,150 non-Florida residents. There are 19,462 Florida resident deaths reported, 260 non-resident deaths, and 57,468 hospitalizations at some point during illness, according to the Florida Department of Health. *Numbers are released by the DOH every afternoon. STATEWIDE NUMBERS Total number of recorded cases: 1,094,697 (up from 1,083,362) Florida resident deaths: 19,591 (up from 19,462) Non-resident deaths: 260 (up from 254) Total deaths in state (Fla./non-Fla. residents combined): 19,851 (up from 19,716) 11,335 total new cases reported Thursday 129 new resident deaths reported Thursday 6 new non-resident deaths reported Thursday Percent positive for new cases in Fla. residents: 8.07% This percent is the number of people who test PCR- or antigen-positive for the first time divided by all the people tested that day, excluding people who have previously tested positive. SOUTHWEST FLORIDA NUMBERS Total recorded cases in SWFL: 64,739 (up from 64,158) Deaths: 1,217 (up from 1,213) 581 total new cases reported Thursday 4 new deaths reported Thursday Lee County: 33,431 cases (up from 33,132) – 610 deaths (2 new) Collier County: 19,496 (up from 19,351) – 303 deaths Charlotte County: 5,840 (up from 5,746) – 207 deaths DeSoto County: 2,565 (up from 2,551) – 41 deaths (2 new) Glades County: 712 (up from 711) – 11 deaths Hendry County: 2,695 (up from 2,667) – 45 deaths Click HERE* for a case-by-case breakdown – updated daily. *If not linked, the final report has not yet been made available. TESTING DATA Effective Oct. 27, the Florida Department of Health ceased releasing data showing overall testing numbers. Their statement: “The Florida Department of Health is making adjustments to the COVID-19 dashboard and daily report to provide clear, accurate information for Florida families. Moving forward, the daily report will focus on the number of tests reported to the state by day and the corresponding positivity rate by day. The previously reported cumulative number did not reflect the current status of the pandemic in Florida. This change is in line with the CDC recommendation that calculation of percent positivity [is] applied consistently and with clear communication, will allow public health officials to follow magnitude and trends effectively, and the trends will be useful for local public health decision making.” RESOURCES NOW HIRING: SWFL companies adding jobs #GulfshoreStrong: Covering people making a difference in SWFL FOOD PANTRIES: Harry Chapin mobile food pantry schedule, week of Dec. 7 REPORT COVID-19 DIAGNOSIS/TEST: International self-reporting system IF YOU FEEL SICK: The Florida Department of Health has a 24-hour COVID-19 Call Center at 1-866-779-6121. Questions may also be emailed to covid-19@flhealth.gov. Email responses will be sent during call center hours. LINK: Florida Department of Health COVID-19 updates *The map is best viewed on a desktop computer. If you don’t see the map above tap HERE for a fullscreen version.
Students at Fort Myers Senior High School had their afternoon disrupted Thursday after a man ran into the school courtyard and through a school building before being detained. According to Fort Myers Police Department, a man who was being evaluated for mental health at Lee Memorial Hospital ran onto the school’s campus. The hospital is next-door to the school. Principal Robert Butz confirmed a patient made it into a school building before being safely apprehended by police off campus. “The patient from Lee Health who accessed our campus ran through one of our buildings prior to being detained,” Butz said. The lockdown was in progress at the time.” Police say the man was near the bus ramp near the west side of the schoolyard, and a picture taken by a student shows a yellow hospital gown on the floor. “It is a little bit nerve-racking knowing that somebody can just walk into your school,” Quin Roberts said. “It’s like crazy to think like, you know, even after what’s happened in the past with school shootings and everything like that somebody could just run on your school campus.” The man left the school and was seen on neighbor’s surveillance cameras walking through backyards. “I know they have safety protocols in place, but it’s alarming that he got from the hospital and on the campus and onto the courtyard, which is right where they go to lunch,” school parent Whitney Wilcoxson said. Wilcoxson and other parents hope this never happens again. Rich Kolko, WINK news Safety & Security Specialist, says the The School District of Lee County’s security team will work to make sure it doesn’t. “It’s not going to be one fixed thing that secures all the schools,” Kolko said. “There are going to be gates that are open or students that let other students in, or a gate could be broken, or somebody didn’t have their card. This changes all the time, and that’s why they’ve got a security team that is analyzing, assessing and making those changes.” The District said the patient ran past a security guard and into the courtyard, adding the school was under a lockdown for 11 minutes as police chased and apprehended a patient from the hospital across campus. Teaching and learning continued after the incident. FMPD said the patient was immediately taken into custody. The patient is not facing any charges. “The District’s safety and security department, along with the Fort Myers Police Department, will be at school tomorrow to review campus security. We have also scheduled a meeting with security personnel from Lee Health,” District spokesperson Rob Spicker sent in an email.
NASA has named the 18 astronauts — half of them women — who will train for its Artemis moon-landing program. The first woman and the next man on the moon will come from this elite group. Vice President Mike Pence introduced the astronauts Wednesday at the close of his final meeting as chairman of the National Space Council. The announcement was made at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center, beneath one of only three remaining Saturn V moon rockets from the 1960s and 1970s Apollo program. Pence noted that the last of the 12 men to walk on the moon, the late Apollo 17 commander Gene Cernan, wanted nothing more than to remove “last” from his title. Cernan’s final lunar footsteps were on Dec. 14, 1972. “He spent the rest of his natural life advocating for America to go back to the moon, and we are going to honor Gene Cernan’s memory,” Pence told the small crowd, seated several feet apart from one another. Five of the astronauts — the only ones in attendance — walked onto the stage, waving and wearing masks. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine stressed there would be more astronauts joining the group. NASA has 47 active astronauts. The space agency is aiming for a moon landing by 2024, although the chances of that happening are growing increasingly dim. The upcoming change in administration also adds uncertainty. Half of the NASA astronauts have spaceflight experience. Two are at the International Space Station right now: Kate Rubins and Victor Glover. The two astronauts who performed the world’s first all-female spacewalk last year made the cut: Christina Koch and Jessica Meir. It’s a fairly young group, with most in their 30s or 40s. The oldest is 55, the youngest 32. Only two — Joe Acaba and Stephanie Wilson — flew on NASA’s old space shuttles. “The history is awesome, but we’re here to look toward the future,” Acaba told reporters after the announcement. The other experienced members on the list include Kjell Lindgren, Anne McClain and Scott Tingle, all former space station residents. “We are dreamers, but even more so, we’re doers,” McClain said. She wants children from all backgrounds to take note of the diverse lunar team: “The doors are open, come on after us.” Among those yet to rocket into space: Kayla Barron, Raja Chari, Matthew Dominick, Woody Hoburg, Jonny Kim, Nicole Mann, Jasmin Moghbeli, Frank Rubio and Jessica Watkins.
A unanimous Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that Muslim men who were placed on the government’s no-fly list because they refused to serve as FBI informants can seek to hold federal agents financially liable. The justices continued a string of decisions friendly to religious interests in holding that the men could sue the agents under the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act for what it calls “appropriate relief.” “The question here is whether ‘appropriate relief’ includes claims for money damages against Government officials in their individual capacities. We hold that it does,” Justice Clarence Thomas wrote for the court. The three foreign-born men claim in the lawsuit that their religious convictions led them to rebuff agents who wanted them to inform on people in their Muslim communities. “This is a clear prohibition in the Islamic faith,” Ramzi Kassem, the men’s lawyer, told the justices during arguments in October. The men claim the agents then placed or kept them on the list of people prevented from flying because they are considered a threat. The men have since been removed from the no-fly list. A trial court dismissed the suit once their names had been dropped from the list, but they argued that the retaliation they claimed “cost them substantial sums of money: airline tickets wasted and income from job opportunities lost,” Thomas wrote. The federal appeals court in New York agreed with the Muslim men, and the high court affirmed that decision. In recent years, the court has ruled in favor of people and companies asserting claims under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, or the Constitution’s guarantee of religious liberty. The decision involving the no-fly list was among four issued Thursday in cases that were argued in October. In the others, all decided unanimously, the court: — Reinstated convictions for rape by a military officer and two enlisted men, reversing a military court ruling that had thrown them out because too much time had elapsed between the assaults and the prosecutions. The cases involve women who for different reasons initially decided not to press charges but later changed their minds. The crimes all were committed before 2006. The Uniform Code of Military Justice has been changed so that there is no statute of limitations on rape charges. — Revived a provision of the Delaware Constitution, struck down by a lower court, that requires that appointments to Delaware’s major courts reflect a partisan balance. The justices did not rule on the substance of the requirement. Instead they held that lawyer James R. Adams, a political independent who challenged the provision, didn’t have the legal right to do so because he had not shown that at the time he brought his lawsuit that he was “able and ready” to apply to be a judge. — Reversed lower-court decisions that had prevented an Arkansas pharmacy law passed in 2015 from going into effect. The law, Act 900, was enacted to ensure that pharmacies are fully reimbursed for the cost of drugs they dispense to customers. Justice Amy Coney Barrett had not yet joined the court when the cases were argued and did not take part in the decisions.
Kyle Davis from Los Angeles didn’t make it on stage to play a pricing game or spin the wheel on “The Price is Right,” but he won the greatest prize of all after proposing to his girlfriend during the show on Monday. WATCH it happen in the player above.
The 2021 Southwest Florida Reading Festival will be a virtual event. Nearly 30 acclaimed and bestselling authors are scheduled to give virtual presentations and participate in live, interactive Meet & Greets on the event website from March 1 to 13. All of the virtual author presentations will be recorded for on-demand viewing throughout the month of March. The event website will be available the week of Feb. 22 to familiarize attendees with the new, online Event Hub platform. In addition to engaging with the bestselling authors, this year’s attendees can enjoy activities for all ages, including an online reading challenge, grab-and-go crafts, and online S.T.E.A.M. contests challenging participants to create masterpieces with LEGO and art materials. As in previous years, the festival will provide each participating child and teen with a free book. This year, the free books will be distributed in age-appropriate grab-and-go craft bags, which can be requested from any of the 13 Lee County Library System branches starting Feb. 22, while supplies last. “We are pleased to be able to continue Reading Festival traditions in a new and engaging online format this year,” states event coordinator Melissa Baker. “The expanded timeline will allow all of our attendees to enjoy the content from wherever they are and at their own pace.” The lineup of award-winning authors scheduled to attend the festival includes adult authors Jennifer Chiaverini, Gregg Hurwitz, Jayne Ann Krentz and Kyle Mills, as well as youth and teen authors J.C. Cervantes, Greg Pizzoli, Julie Berry and Ryan LaSala. The complete list of authors can be found at www.ReadFest.org. Another feature adapting to the online format is the return of the Local Author Marketplace, which for years was a hallmark of the Southwest Florida Reading Festival. A select number of approved authors will be granted virtual vendor booths on the event website to promote and sell their work and engage with attendees using video and text chat functionality. Applications are now being accepted with a deadline of Jan. 15. Local authors will have the opportunity to participate in the interactive “Author Hour” Meet & Greets offered from 1 to 3 p.m. the first two Saturdays in March. Interested authors should apply online to book an event space at https://eventhub.net/events/Southwest-Florida-Reading-Festival-_2158. The Southwest Florida Reading Festival is free and community-supported through donations, sponsorships and grants. To help ensure the continuation of this free community event, please visit www.ReadFest.org to make a secure online donation. More information is available at www.ReadFest.org or by calling 239-533-4832. WINK News is a proud sponsor of the event.
Authorities are looking for a pair of men suspected of shoplifting from a Home Depot in Fort Myers. Two men were seen in surveillance footage entering the Home Depot at 14655 S. Tamiami Trail Sunday and removed a Dewalt table saw without paying for it. Both men were seen leaving in an unknown vehicle after the saw was dropped in the parking lot. If you can help identify them, call Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-8477 or submit a web tip online.
Hanukkah, the eight-day festival of lights, begins Thursday at sunset, and as we all know, 2020 has been a rough year. One Southwest Florida rabbi is hoping to inspire others that a better year is on the way. As the sun goes down Thursday evening, homes of Jewish people will light up in celebration of the first night of Hanukkah. “When you look at those Hanukkah lights and see them getting bigger, more light every single night, then it gives us reason to be hopeful, tomorrow will be better and we can help make that better just as we like the candles, we can build hope for the future,” said Rabbi Marc Sack with Temple Judea in Fort Myers. Hanukkah is typically celebrated at home, so the COVID-19 crisis won’t darken the festival of lights. “We have a son in Tampa and another son and his family in Houston, so we’re all going to Skype candle lighting together,” said Lynn Talone, a member of Temple Judea. “So the silver lining for us is that we’re going to go through Facebook video call with two of our children who live outside the area,” said JoAnn Lewin. And maybe that Hanukkah light will shine bright in the new year to come. “It‘s really important for us to maintain our hope, to maintain our vision of the future, and to know that together we can make our world better and we can all create more light,” Sack said. What is Hanukkah? Celebrated by millions of Jews worldwide, Hanukkah starts on the first evening when a single candle is lit on a special candelabra called the menorah. Another candle is lit each night thereafter, with all eight candles burning on the last night, which this year is Dec. 18. The holiday commemorates the victory of the Maccabees over the Syrians and the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. When the Maccabees rededicated the Temple, they found that they only had enough oil to last one night. The miracle of Hanukkah is that the oil lasted for eight days.
The number of people applying for unemployment aid jumped last week to 853,000, the most since September, evidence that companies are cutting more jobs as new virus cases spiral higher. The Labor Department said Thursday that the number of applications increased from 716,000 the previous week. Before the coronavirus paralyzed the economy in March, weekly jobless claims typically numbered only about 225,000. The latest figures coincide with a surging viral outbreak that appears to be weakening the job market and the economy and threatening to derail any recovery. Consumers thus far haven’t spent as much this holiday shopping season as they have in previous years, according to credit and debit card data. And in November, employers added jobs at the slowest pace since April. Restaurants, bars and retailers all cut jobs last month. The total number of people who are receiving state-provided unemployment aid rose for the first time in three months to 5.8 million, the government said, from 5.5 million. That suggests that some companies have sharply pulled back on hiring. All told, more than 19 million people are still dependent on some type of unemployment benefit. And unless Congress acts soon, nearly half of them will lose that aid in just over two weeks. That’s when two jobless aid programs that the federal government created in the spring are set to expire. The first program provides unemployment benefits to the self-employed and contract workers, who weren’t eligible in the past. The second program is the one that extends jobless aid for 13 weeks. Members of Congress and the Trump administration are fighting over a roughly $900 billion relief package that could extend the two programs into the spring, sparing about 9 million unemployed Americans from what would otherwise be deeper financial distress. A bipartisan group of senators has proposed to extend the supplemental aid for four months and add $300-a-week in federal jobless aid. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Tuesday proposed a one-time round of $600 relief checks – half the $1,200 that was provided in the spring. But Mnuchin’s proposal includes no funding for supplemental unemployment aid payments, drawing sharp objections from Democrats in Congress. With a coronavirus vaccine nearing approval, many economists are optimistic that the economy will rebound strongly next year. But most favor another federal financial relief package to support unemployed workers, small businesses, and state and local governments until then. New confirmed virus cases are now topping 200,000 a day, up from only about 30,000 in the spring. And the average number of deaths each day in the past seven days has surpassed 2,000, roughly matching its peak in April. The virus’ acceleration has led many governors to impose stricter curbs on restaurants, gyms and other business activity in states from North Carolina to California and Washington state. The pandemic appears to have also sharply restricted holiday spending, in part because of stay-at-home orders and other restrictions and in part because many consumers are reluctant to go out shopping. A jump in online shopping hasn’t fully offset a steep decline, compared with last year, in spending at physical stores. According to data from Opportunity Insights, a research center affiliated with Harvard and Brown universities, spending on debit and credit cards sank nearly 12% in the week that ended Nov. 29 compared with a year earlier. That marked a sharp drop from the previous week, when such spending was down just 2.3% from 12 months earlier. The steady stream of layoffs across the country has intensified the financial hardships for many Americans. One of the jobless, Montrell McGraw, says he just had to cancel his car insurance and now can’t drive because his unemployment benefit of just $225 a week isn’t enough to keep up with the payments. He was able to cover all his bills when the federal government provided an extra $600 in jobless aid. But that ended in July. McGraw, 26, lost his job as a cook at a Hilton Hotel in New Orleans, where he lives, back in March just after the virus erupted in the United States. He says he’s applied for 35 jobs without any luck. His primary work experience is in restaurants, few of which are hiring. Most of the available jobs he sees involve trucking or work on offshore oil rigs, which require certifications he can’t afford to obtain. McGraw has also worked with an advocacy group, Stand Up Louisiana, in support of extending jobless benefits. “I didn’t ask for this – no one asked for this pandemic,” he said. “I am trying to play the cards I am dealt with, and I have a really bad hand.”