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The number of coronavirus cases is rising at an alarming rate in Russia, particularly in smaller cities — many of which lack even the basic resources to deal with the crisis.

Juanda Mayfield, a former school teacher who gave up the classroom for comedy, loves it when she’s on stage in front of a full crowd ready to hear her takes on life, love and the human condition. “I feed off their energy. The more people, the better for me,” she said. “I need that energy.” She harnesses the energy, concentrates it, and then sends it bounding back through her hand-held microphone. Timid is not a word anyone would use to describe Mayfield.

Cleveland City Council members are calling for hearings after revelations that the city’s curbside recycling goes to the landfill just like regular trash. Mayor Frank Jackson acknowledged this week that the city’s contract for recycling disposal expired at the beginning of April. Only one bid was submitted for a new contract – one that proposed hauling material to Southwest Ohio at a cost too high for the administration’s liking.

More than 20 Ohio state legislators are calling for an end to the use of tear gas and other chemical agents to disperse crowds at protests in the state. The group of Democratic lawmakers signed a letter to the governor saying tear gas and other chemical agents can cause dangerous health effects such as respiratory failure, blindness and miscarriages. They also said they’re concerned it could exacerbate the spread of the coronavirus.

Entertainment venues ranging from zoos to movie theaters got the okay to reopen as early as this week from Gov. Mike Dewine, but many are taking a little longer to prepare their pandemic safety measures.

Changes in daily life during the COVID-19 pandemic have disrupted people’s sleep routines, experts say. Dr. Carolyn Ievers-Landis, a clinical pediatric psychologist at UH Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, said irregular sleep schedules can negatively affect health. “People are having more delayed sleep,” she said. “Most people are able to sleep in a little bit later, and naturally, many people’s sleep is now later, which means they’re staying up later also.”

Local advocates are calling for additional work to protect immigrants after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Thursday ruling to extend the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. DACA provides temporary protections against deportation to people brought to the United States illegally as children. It also allows recipients to work legally and apply for college loans. The high court’s ruling comes as a relief to advocates for immigration reform in Northeast Ohio.

Cuyahoga County Public Library is opening all of its branches to the public starting Monday, with some restrictions to prevent spread of the coronavirus. Each of the library’s 27 branches is operating at 25 percent capacity. Branches also have removed some furniture and are limiting the number of public computers in use to allow for social distancing. Computers will be wiped down after each user. Visitors are allowed to once again browse the stacks and check out materials, said CCPL Executive Director Tracey Strobel, but everyone must wear a mask.

Erika Lautenbach, director of the Whatcom County Health Department in Washington state, says protests against police violence aren't among the catalysts for the spread of COVID-19.

Updated: 12:39 p.m., Friday Dec. 20, 2019. A tax reassessment requested by a gas transmission company has Lorain County officials frustrated by the possibility of losing nearly 40 percent of the expected taxes before the county has collected any money at all. The NEXUS pipeline was initially estimated to bring $9 million to Lorain County, but the company is appealing to the Ohio Department of Taxation for a reassessment of its value.