Regional & State

Friday's numbers raised the state's case total to 13,454. While Beshear has said he will base his reopening decisions more on hospitalizations than daily case numbers, his press release did not mention those numbers.

Beshear committed to asking the legislature to recognize Juneteenth as a state holiday through legislation. The legislature would have to pass the measure during the next general assembly.

To the many who aren't wearing masks, Beshear said, "We need you to reconsider. It's not a test of your manhood, whether you wear a mask or not. I think it's a test of your compassion, maybe even your faith if you're willing to wear one of these to protect a fellow human being. Remember, we all have a duty to each other, even folks we've never met."

The Picnic Committee has planned for the event to have fewer booths, reduced hours, masks for volunteers and people dedicated to sanitizing.

The monument was installed in 1917 with funds from the United Daughters of the Confederacy.

Kentucky farmers have received $73.4 million in federal relief payments to offset the economic damage caused by the pandemic.

The university's statement follows calls from academic departments and others affiliated with MSU to remove the Confederate memorial.

The new cases raised the state's total to 12,829. The daily report shows that 395 people are currently hospitalized with the virus, 69 are in intensive care and 3,431 have recovered from it.

Requirements for pools include the ability for facilities to require visitors to wear face masks when they are not in the water.

Kentucky schools were told Monday to prepare for intermittent closures during the school year to come, but they still await firm word from state officials about what will be recommended and what will be required.

Previously, the university's English and Philosophy Department and an assistant football coach also wrote letters to the county judge-executive requesting the removal of the memorial.

For many rural counties, the spikes in case numbers have stemmed from a few kinds of facilities and workplaces where COVID-19 has spread like wildfire: meatpacking plants, prisons, and nursing homes.