ALBANY, N.Y. — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday announced that she was instituting a statewide mask mandate for all businesses and venues in her state, effective Dec. 13

Under Hochul's order, businesses that require proof of vaccination to enter are exempt from the mandate. The policy applies to anyone ages two years old and older, any time they are indoors at a business or venue.

The mandate will remain in effect until Jan. 15, when the state will re-evaluate the situation based on COVID-19 data.

"As Governor, my two top priorities are to protect the health of New Yorkers and to protect the health of our economy," Hochul said in a statement. "The temporary measures I am taking today will help accomplish this through the holiday season. We shouldn't have reached the point where we are confronted with a winter surge, especially with the vaccine at our disposal, and I share many New Yorkers' frustration that we are not past this pandemic yet."

Hochul also thanked the 80% of New Yorkers who are currently fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

"If others will follow suit, these measures will no longer be necessary," her statement read.

Hochul's office cited increases in both the seven-day average case rate (up 43%) and hospitalizations (up 29%) for the new policy.

The state's mask policies remain unchanged for schools, public transit, homeless shelters, correctional facilities, nursing homes and health care settings.

This story was originally published by August Erbacher on Scripps station WKBW in Buffalo, New York.

KENOSHA COUNTY, Wis. — Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers announced Friday that approximately 500 troops from the Wisconsin Army National Guard have been authorized to support authorities in Kenosha following the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse.

Members of the National Guard will stage outside Kenosha in a standby status to respond if requested by local law enforcement agencies, officials say. The Rittenhouse trial has entered its final stages.

“We continue to be in close contact with our partners at the local level to ensure the state provides support and resources to help keep the Kenosha community and greater area safe,” said Gov. Evers. “The Kenosha community has been strong, resilient, and has come together through incredibly difficult times these past two years, and that healing is still ongoing. I urge folks who are otherwise not from the area to please respect the community by reconsidering any plans to travel there and encourage those who might choose to assemble and exercise their First Amendment rights to do so safely and peacefully.”

Maj. Gen. Paul Knapp, Wisconsin's adjutant general, said the National Guard is ready to support communities during times of need.

“In close coordination with the governor, we have assembled approximately 500 soldiers to help keep the Kenosha community safe, should a request from our local partners come in," Knapp said.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys for Rittenhouse returned to the courthouse without the jury present on Friday to finalize how jurors will be instructed when they get the case next week and begin deliberating.

Jury instructions will be worked out on Friday, and closing arguments are expected on Monday.

This story was originally published by staff at WTMJ.

TRENTON, N.J. —

New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy narrowly won reelection Wednesday, eking out a victory that spared Democrats the loss of a second gubernatorial seat.

Video above: NJ Gov. Phil Murphy touts accomplishments ahead of election

He's the state's first Democratic governor to get a second straight term in 44 years, defeating Republican former Assembly member Jack Ciattarelli.

AP called the race Thursday evening when a new batch of votes from Republican leaning Monmouth County increased Murphy's lead and closed the door to a Ciattarelli comeback.

Ballots remaining to be counted included a significant number of votes from predominantly Democratic Essex County, along with mail-in votes spread across other counties. Murphy has won the mail-in vote by a wide margin even in Republican leaning counties like Monmouth.

Ciattarelli spokesperson Stami Williams disputed the call because of the close margin, calling it "irresponsible."

Murphy was scheduled to speak later on Wednesday.

Ciattarelli waged a formidable campaign in the heavily Democratic New Jersey, his spending nearly equaling the governor's and outpacing the GOP's performance four years ago. But Murphy's advantages, including 1 million more registered Democrats, proved too much for the Republican to overcome.

The victory gives Democrats a silver lining after GOP businessman Glenn Youngkin defeated Terry McAuliffe in Virginia's gubernatorial race — exacerbating worries that President Joe Biden's sagging approval ratings are hurting the party. This year's elections were the first major tests of voter sentiment since Biden took office and pointed to a potentially painful year ahead for Democrats as they try to maintain thin majorities in Congress.

The closeness of the race has surprised experts, who watched public polls showing Murphy leading comfortably and looked to his party's registration advantage.

"If you asked anybody several months ago within the state, I think anyone would have predicted a high double digit landslide for Murphy," said Ashley Koning, director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers University.

Murphy's win also ends the more than three-decade-old trend of the party opposite the president's winning in New Jersey's off-year governor's race. Voters came out in much higher rates for Ciattarelli this year than they did for his GOP predecessor in 2017.

The 64-year-old governor said he was acutely aware of the political trends, calling them an "animating" force for his reelection effort that spurred him to run as if he were 10 points behind.

Murphy built his campaign around the progressive accomplishments he signed into law — like a phased in $15 an hour minimum wage and paid sick leave along with taxes on the wealthy — and brought on Democratic allies, like progressive U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, in to campaign for him.

With a Democrat-led Legislature, Murphy achieved most of the promises he made in his first run four years ago when he vied to succeed Republican Chris Christie. Paid sick leave, taxpayer-financed community college and some pre-K, tighter gun laws, expanded voting access, recreational marijuana, more state aid for schools and a fully funded public pension — all promised and all delivered during the first term. A proposal for a public bank to finance projects went unfulfilled.

Murphy is a former Goldman Sachs executive and served as ambassador to Germany under former President Barack Obama, who campaigned for Murphy in the weeks before Election Day.

He has said his next term will be about enacting a Reproductive Freedom Act aimed at codifying Roe v. Wade in the state as well as additional gun control laws and the expansion of taxpayer-financed pre-K for 3-year-olds.

Headwinds facing Democrats, like President Joe Biden's falling approval ratings and congressional Democrats' struggles to enact their agenda didn't factor heavily enough into some experts' pre-election analysis, said Ben Dworkin, the director of Rowan University's Institute for Public Policy & Citizenship. He counted himself among them.

A spokesperson for Ciattarelli said Wednesday that the campaign was focused on the vote count and said that a possible legal pursuit of a recount was on the table. Murphy also called Wednesday morning for every vote to be counted.

New Jersey does not have an automatic recount law, but the candidates are permitted to request one. The party that wants a recount has to file a suit in State Superior Court in the counties where they want to contest tallies. That has to be done within 17 days of Election Day.

Ciattarelli is a former state Assembly member, serving until 2018. He's the founder of a medical publishing company called Galen Publishing, and served as a local and county official in Somerset.

He walked a line between standing up for the moderate stances he had in the Legislature — like supporting Roe v. Wade — and appealing to Republicans who embraced Trump, particularly on cultural issues that have captured attention across the country.

___

Associated Press writer Christina Paciolla contributed to this report.

SANTA FE, N.M. —

Discussions of workplace safety are now front and center after the fatal 'Rust' movie set shooting at Bonanza Creek Ranch.

On Oct. 21, Santa Fe County deputies said Alec Baldwin, the actor and co-producer of the film, discharged a prop gun that misfired. The weapon fatally wounded cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza.

Questions also remain, like how live rounds showed up on the set.

The lawyer for the film's armorer, 24-year-old Hannah Gutierrez, released a statement Friday.

Jason Bowles said Gutierrez had no idea where the live rounds came from and added that the guns were locked up every night.

The incident has been a big concern for many people, including Baldwin.

On Saturday, Baldwin briefly spoke with reporters in Vermont, where he and his family have been laying low since the shooting.

"An ongoing effort to limit the use of firearms on film sets is something I’m extremely interested in," Baldwin said.

The actor added safety measures are needed when it comes to guns on movie sets.

"We have to realize that when it does go wrong, and it’s this horrible, catastrophic thing, some new measures have to take place," Baldwin said. "Whatever other people decide is the best way to go in terms of protecting people’s safety on film sets."

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said the state may take action to address those concerns.

Her office provided the following statement to sister station KOAT:

"Workplace safety in any and every industry in New Mexico is absolutely paramount. A workplace death is never acceptable and must compel an analysis of what can and should be done better. My full expectation is that the film and television industry will, at the conclusion of the investigation into this tragic incident and once all the facts are in hand, bring forward comprehensive new safety protocols to ensure this kind of incident never, ever happens again. If that sort of comprehensive new approach does not materialize, the state of New Mexico will take immediate action, throughout whatever means are available to us, to ensure the safety of all personnel on all film and television sets here in our state. This industry is important to us economically and to so many workers throughout New Mexico, and I look forward to a full accounting of how this could have possibly happened, and we will determine our next steps from there."

The investigation is still ongoing and no charges have been filed.

Production on the movie 'Rust' has since halted.

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Gov. Andy Beshear reported 413 new COVID-19 cases and five virus-related deaths Thursday, for a total of 20,677 COVID-19 cases and 650 virus-related deaths since the pandemic began.

The report comes on the same day Kentucky's governor spars in court with the state attorney general Daniel Cameron over his executive actions during the pandemic, including his latest order on masks in public and pandemic assistance.

"This is not about the Governor’s policies, it’s about making sure he follows the law," Cameron said. "Judges at every level have found constitutional problems with his orders. Instead of collaborating with our office and the General Assembly to fix these issues, he’s pointing fingers."

Cameron asked for a hearing in Boone County Circuit Court on Thursday, requesting that a judge order Beshear to stop making other "Healthy At Work" executive orders and to nullify prior coronavirus-related orders.

“No rules," Beshear said during his Thursday press conference. "Companies wouldn’t even have to sanitize or use hand sanitizers, no masks, just the wild west. That’s terrifying in the middle of a worldwide health pandemic, and it would mean we would fail, and it means people would die.”

The decision will ultimately be left to the courts as far as how far the governor can go in restricting the behavior of Kentuckians during the pandemic.

“(Coronavirus) is our war, this is our great conflict, and you can’t take all our ammunition and say ‘good luck with the enemy.’ Doesn’t work that way," Beshear said.

The mask mandate is still in effect, Beshear said, through an emergency regulation as well as his executive order last week.

Ky. case numbers

On Thursday, Kentucky reported 507,197 tests administered since the pandemic began in March. Nearly 5,500 people have recovered from the virus.

NKY Health reports that 2,026 people in Boone, Campbell, Kenton and Grant counties have tested positive for coronavirus since March, and 79 people have died of the virus as of Wednesday.

“This sustained increase in cases among people in Northern Kentucky is of great concern,” said Dr. Lynne Saddler, District Director of Health, in a news release Tuesday. “Wearing a face covering whenever you go out in public is a simple act to prevent the spread of COVID-19, save lives, and keep businesses and activities moving forward with reopening. The alternative is that we become like the tragedies that we are seeing in other states.”

Additionally, there have been 18 daycare staff members and 12 children who have tested positive for COVID-19. In 224 of Kentucky's long-term care facilities, 2,180 residents and 1,150 staff have tested positive for the virus, and 411 residents and three staff members have reportedly died of the virus as of Thursday.

Next week, Kroger Health COVID-19 testing will continue at Summit View Academy, 5006 Madison Pike, Independence from July 21, 22 and 23. Click here to schedule an appointment.

Unemployment update

Ernst & Young, a firm contracted by the state late last month to assist the state unemployment office, have resolved 10,635 unemployment assistance claims in just over two weeks. Beshear expects that with Ernst & Young's added 300 employees helping, Kentucky will soon be able to process 4,000 claims per day going forward. He said about 5,000 claims remain from March.

"We had a computer system that is 20 years old, we had a loss of 95 employees two year ago and a loss of lots of regional offices and a budget cut in and then we had the most claims ever filed - by a lot - in a very short period of time. But our job is to fix it," Beshear said.

Beshear said some Kentuckians may expect a call from the state unemployment line about their claim (502) 333-9130. This number is automated and cannot be called back, so Beshear asked people who receive a call from this number to pick up to receive important information.

Second-highest daily case count

Beshear reported 576 new cases of COVID-19 in Kentucky on Tuesday, the second-highest daily case count since the pandemic started in March. Tuesday's count breaks the second-highest case count record Kentucky set just four days prior with 426 new cases. The highest daily case count came on May 5, when 625 people tested positive, 390 of whom came out of Green River Correctional Complex.

“These are not just numbers, these are mothers, fathers, grandparents and friends, and there are only a few individuals that COVID-19 has taken from us … I hope the importance of preventing this loss is the most important thing to us," he said.

Beshear said wearing a mask is the best way to make sure that events like fall sports and school reopenings can happen in Kentucky, even as many states are having to "significantly roll back their reopenings" amid higher case numbers.

"I don't want that to be us, and I hope you don't either," Beshear said.

To report non-compliance with coronavirus orders like the latest one on masks in public, you can call 833-KY SAFER (833-597-2337) from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. or file a complaint online here.

Watch a replay of Thursday's briefing in the player below:

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Gov. Andy Beshear reported 700 new COVID-19 cases and seven virus-related deaths for a total of 32,197 total positive cases and 751 virus-related deaths on Tuesday.

“While today we have a higher number than we did at this time last week, we believe there is a general leveling off though today there are more cases than last week," the governor said at his daily press briefing Tuesday.

Kentucky's positivity rate had fallen slightly to 5.18% by Monday, and it rose again to 5.24% on Tuesday, an amount Beshear said is not a significant bump.

Still, he warned that with the rising case numbers last month, state and health officials expect numbers of virus-related deaths to increase within several weeks to a month.

"It's probably going to be a really hard August," Beshear said.

But since the state required Kentuckians to mask up on July 10, case growth has slowed from 52% from July 13-19 to 5% from July 27 - Aug. 2. Beshear said Kentuckians can expect that mask mandate, slated to last 30 days, to be extended.

“Before we can have a full plateau, before we can start seeing case numbers go down, you have to slow the growth that is out there," Beshear said.

In her first appearance during the governor's press conference, Kentucky First Lady Britainy Beshear called on Kentuckians to donate face masks for students, educators and staff returning to school later this month through the launch of the new Coverings for Kids program.

“It’s more important than ever that we are proactive in preparing our schools for a safe return when that day eventually comes,” she said Tuesday.

Starting Aug. 11, people can drop off purchased or handmade masks at district donation centers. For more information on donating face masks, click here.

Free testing in NKY this week

In Northern Kentucky, St. Elizabeth Healthcare and Covington's Gravity Diagnostics will offer free, appointment-only drive-thru testing at 25 Atlantic Ave in Erlanger starting Thursday. The site, the former Toyota HQ building off Mineola Pike, will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Additionally, appointment-only drive-up testing will be available through St. E at 7200 Alexandria Pike, Alexandria starting Tuesday, Aug. 11. The free testing site will be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Schedule an appointment at those sites online at www.stelizabeth.com/covid-testing.

Kentucky has administered 650,093 COVID-19 tests so far. To find all coronavirus testing locations near you, click here.

More Ky. case numbers

NKY Health reported that 2,878 people in Boone, Campbell, Kenton and Grant counties have tested positive for coronavirus since March, with 833 active virus cases. As of Tuesday, 81 people have died of the virus and 1,964 people have recovered. Gov. Beshear reported that a 50-year-old man in Kenton County died of coronavirus on Tuesday.

In 248 of Kentucky's long-term care facilities, 2,635 residents (444 active cases) and 1,454 staff (213 active cases) have tested positive for the virus; 478 residents and four staff members have reportedly died of the virus as of Tuesday.

In 110 Kentucky childcare centers, 84 staff and 75 children have tested positive for COVID-19 as of Tuesday.

Restaurants reduce capacity, travel advisory updated

To prevent statewide shutdowns and case surges seen in other states, Beshear ordered restaurants to reduce indoor dining capacity to 25% and maximize outdoor seating when possible. On Tuesday, Beshear said he would look into a possibly capacity increases when Kentucky's positivity rate dips back under 5%.

The governor announced a travel advisory earlier this month, asking Kentuckians to avoid traveling to states with high COVID-19 positivity rates, and if they do travel to hard-hit areas to quarantine for two weeks.

On Monday, the list of states on the travel advisory included Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Nevada and South Carolina. Ahead of events in Louisville, including the 51st Street Rod Nationals this weekend, Beshear encouraged people attending from out-of-state to be responsible and get tested.

Beshear also recently enacted a 10-person limit on social gatherings, a delay of school start dates to the third week of August and a two-week shutdown for all bars.

Watch a replay of the briefing in the player below:

AUSTIN, Texas —

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order Monday to prohibit any entity, including private business, from enforcing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate on workers and called on state lawmakers to pass a similar ban into law.

The move comes as the Biden administration is set to issue rules requiring employers with more than 100 workers to be vaccinated or test weekly for the coronavirus. Several major companies, including Texas-based American Airlines and Southwest Airlines, have said they would abide by the federal mandate.

"No entity in Texas can compel receipt of a COVID-19 vaccine by any individual, including an employee or a consumer, who objects to such vaccination for any reason of personal conscience, based on a religious belief, or for medical reasons, including prior recovery from COVID-19," Abbott wrote in his order.

Abbott, who was previously vaccinated and also later tested positive for COVID-19, noted in his order that "vaccines are strongly encouraged for those eligible to receive one, but must always be voluntary for Texans."

Abbott previously barred vaccine mandates by state and local government agencies, but until now had let private companies make their own rules for their workers. It was not immediately clear if Abbott's latest executive order would face a quick court challenge.

Abbott's new order also carries political implications. The two-term Republican is facing pressure from two candidates in next year's GOP primary, former state Sen. Don Huffines and former Florida Congressman and Texas state party chairman Allen West, have attacked Abbott's COVID-19 policies and have strongly opposed vaccine mandates.

"He knows which the way the wind is blowing. He knows conservative Republican voters are tired of the vaccine mandates and tired of him being a failed leader," Huffines tweeted.

West announced this week he tested positive for COVID-19 and has been hospitalized, but also tweeted he remains opposed to vaccine mandates.

Texas has seen a recent decrease in new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. But a rising death toll from the recent surge caused by the delta variant has the state rapidly approaching 67,000 total fatalities since the pandemic began in 2020.

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — More than 8,000 Kentuckians have died from COVID-19, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Friday, calling the new record “another grim milestone.”

“These are a lot of grieving families, and it looks like the coming weeks are going to be really hard,” Beshear said in a video posted to social media.

The Bluegrass state reported 32 new virus-related deaths Friday, including the loss of a 19-year-old. Per capita, the state’s death toll is the 30th-highest in the nation, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

The fast-spreading delta variant continues to surge throughout the state, with Kentucky recording 5,197 more coronavirus cases Friday. Some 2,541 Kentuckians are currently hospitalized with COVID-19.

The state’s test positivity rate is 14.00%, an alarmingly high rate that indicates that the virus is widespread.

Friday’s state report said that 193 intensive care beds are available statewide, up from 90 on Thursday.

Beshear pleaded with the state’s residents to get vaccinated, insisting that it was one of the best ways to prevent more hospitalizations and deaths from the virus, in addition to masking.

“Please wear a mask when you’re outside of the home, but otherwise indoors. This is killing a lot of people, and we can prevent it,” he added.

Kentucky’s education department will use up to $8.8 million in federal pandemic relief funding to reward school employees with a one-time $100 payment for getting vaccinated against COVID-19.

The federal money will be used to reimburse Kentucky school districts choosing to offer the incentive to employees who get fully vaccinated, the department said Friday.

All full- and part-time public school district employees are eligible. The incentive applies to employees already vaccinated as well as those who receive full vaccinations by Dec. 1. There’s enough funding to reimburse districts for payments to about 88,000 employees.

“Getting people vaccinated is one of the main ways we’re going to be able to get out of this pandemic and get back into our classrooms as usual,” Education Commissioner Jason Glass said. “We hope this will encourage people to get vaccinated in order to protect their students, colleagues and themselves.”

Districts must first pay employees to receive the reimbursement, the department said.

The incentive program was announced a day after the Republican-led legislature ended a statewide mask mandate for K-12 public schools. The state school board issued the emergency mask regulation last month. The delta variant has forced dozens of school districts to close classrooms because of COVID-19 outbreaks.

Roughly 70% of Kentucky adults have received at least a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

COLUMBUS, Ohio —

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is giving the latest update on coronavirus, and the state's vaccination plans.

Watch live in the video player above.

Tuesday's news briefing comes hours and his wife, Fran DeWine, received the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine Tuesday in a procedure streamed live.

The couple were eligible because both are older than 70, the age group that could receive vaccines in Ohio beginning this week under the state vaccination plan. DeWine, a Republican, had said previously he would not cut in line for the shot but would wait his turn.

The Pfizer dose was administered by Dr. Kevin Sharrett in his southwestern Ohio office. Sharrett said he is frequently asked about the vaccine's safety. The vaccine is not only safe, it's a better choice than coming down with COVID-19, Sharrett said.

“The positive benefits of taking the vaccine by far outweigh any kind of negative to the vaccine,” he said. No serious adverse reactions have been seen among the thousands of doses given locally, Sharrett said.

More than 850,000 people in Ohio have received at least the first dose of the vaccine as of Monday, or about 7% of the population, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

In addition to people over 70, the state also has started rolling out vaccines to employees in some school districts that are having in-person classes or aiming to reopen within a few weeks.

A teachers union sued to try to delay Cincinnati Public Schools’ plan to resume a hybrid model of in-person and distance learning, citing health and safety concerns. But a Hamilton County judge concluded the decision was within the school board’s authority and dismissed the complaint Monday, allowing the district to start bringing students back to classrooms Tuesday.

The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Ohio did not increase over the past two weeks, going from 6,587 new cases per day on Jan. 18 to 4,346 new cases per day on Feb. 1, according to an Associated Press analysis of data provided by The COVID Tracking Project.

ALBANY, N.Y. —

New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul spoke Wednesday for the first time since Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced his resignation, promising a smooth transition as she prepares to assume the state's highest office.

In a televised address, the 62-year-old Democrat assured viewers that work of building a new administration had "already begun" with a series of meetings with local and federal legislators. Hochul is slated to officially become the state's 57th governor in just under two weeks, an intermediate period set by Cuomo.

While she described her placement into the role as unexpected, she repeatedly cited her preparedness.

"I'm prepared to take office, as any lieutenant governor is from the very first hour you're sworn in," she said. "The promise I make to all New Yorkers, right here and right now — I will fight like hell for you every single day."

When an investigation into the Cuomo administration was referenced by reporters, Hochul made a point to distance herself from the personal actions and culture alleged in the attorney general's report.

"I think it's fairly clear that the governor and I are not close — physically or otherwise," she said, noting her ties to upstate. "No one will ever describe my administration as a toxic work environment."

Still, she thanked the current governor for his service to the state, noting that his resignation was "appropriate and in the best interests of the state of New York."

Cuomo made the decision to step aside after a state attorney general's report concluded he sexually harassed at least 11 women, including some among state employees. It also listed alleged an instance of threatened retaliation against a former employee who threatened to speak out against the office.

Hochul's plans for the upcoming weeks include meeting with state cabinet officials and forming a solidified plan for her administration that will then be delivered to the public. Among her noted priorities are pandemic safety, a return to the classroom and employment across the state.

The incoming governor has longstanding ties across the state. Raised in Buffalo, she later graduated from Syracuse University in 1980 before entering public service.

Hochul served as the Erie County, New York, deputy court clerk in the early 2000s. She was appointed by then-Gov. Eliot Spitzer to take over as Erie County court clerk after her predecessor left office. Hochul later ran for the seat and won.

Hochul has been a part of several high-profile controversies over the course of her political career. In 2007, she openly opposed Spitzer’s proposal to allow undocumented immigrants to apply for and receive a New York driver’s license. She said at the time that she’d have any undocumented immigrants who applied for a driver’s license arrested.

In 2018, she changed her position and said she supported a similar driver’s license program.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Melissa DeRosa, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's top aide, has resigned from her role, she told the media Sunday night, about a week after a state attorney general report found the governor had sexually harassed 11 women.

DeRosa, who joined Cuomo's administration in 2013, eventually became one of the governor's most trusted confidantes. She wrote in a statement to news organizations that serving the people of New York had been “the greatest honor of my life.”

“Personally, the past two years have been emotionally and mentally trying,” DeRosa wrote in her statement. “I am forever grateful for the opportunity to have worked with such talented and committed colleagues on behalf of our state.”

DeRosa often defended Cuomo when he faced public criticism. In March, she told lawmakers that Cuomo's administration didn’t turn over nursing home death data to legislators last August because of worries the information would be used against them by President Donald Trump’s administration.

DeRosa is chair of the New York State Council on Women and Girls, which Cuomo launched in 2017 to, in part: “make sure that every policy enacted and each program created takes into account the experiences of women and girls and tries to further advance equality in our state.”

As the aftermath of the attorney general's report unfolds, Cuomo, a Democrat, has dug in for the fight of his political life despite the threat of potential criminal investigations and widespread calls for his impeachment.

Scores of Democrats, including President Joe Biden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and some past Cuomo loyalists, have urged him to leave office or face an impeachment battle he probably cannot win.

About two-thirds of state Assembly members have already said they favor an impeachment trial if he refuses to resign. Nearly all 63 members of the state Senate have called for Cuomo to step down or be removed.

“My sense is from what I’m hearing is he’s still looking for ways to fight this and get his side of the story out,” state Democratic party Chairman Jay Jacobs said in an interview with The Associated Press. But Jacobs added: "I just think that he’s going to, at some point, see that the political support is just not anywhere near enough to even make an attempt worthwhile.”

The governor’s lawyers have promised what will likely be a drawn-out fight to stay in office.

“I am not aware of the governor having plans to resign,” Cuomo lawyer Rita Glavin told CNN on Saturday.

Cuomo — who for months said the public would be “shocked” once he shared his side of the story — has not spoken publicly since the release of a 168-page report written by two independent attorneys who were selected by the state attorney general to investigate.

A female executive assistant who accused Cuomo of groping her said Sunday that what the governor did to her was a crime. She was the first woman to file a criminal complaint against Cuomo.

In her first public interview in which she identified herself, Brittany Commisso told “CBS This Morning” and the Albany Times-Union that the governor "needs to be held accountable.”

Commisso has said Cuomo reached under her shirt and fondled her when they were alone in a room at the Executive Mansion last year and on another occasion rubbed her rear end while they posed for a photo.

“He broke the law,” she said in an excerpt of an interview scheduled to be aired in full on Monday.

Cuomo’s attorneys have centered his defense on attacking the credibility and motives of his accusers. Glavin has also blasted the investigation overseen by Attorney General Letitia James for not providing its findings and transcripts to Cuomo lawyers ahead of time, and for not including more material favorable to Cuomo in the report.

“It was shoddy. It was biased. It omits evidence, and it was an ambush,” Glavin said.

Dozens of state lawmakers who were once hesitant to call for Cuomo’s resignation or impeachment told the AP in recent interviews that they were swayed by the heft of the report.

“I think the majority of us feel that the governor is not in a position to lead the state any longer, and that’s not a temporary position,” said Assembly member John McDonald, a Democrat whose district includes Albany.

Cuomo has flat-out denied that he ever touched anyone inappropriately, but he acknowledged hugging and kissing aides and other individuals.

Glavin said it’s clear to Cuomo that people who “worked for him felt that he was invading their space and that it was unwanted.”

“He doesn’t believe it was inappropriate,” Glavin said. “He has seen what these women have said, and he does feel badly about this."

Meanwhile, the state Assembly’s judiciary committee planned to meet Monday to discuss when to conclude its monthslong investigation into whether there are grounds to impeach Cuomo.

The investigation has focused on sexual harassment and misconduct, the administration’s past refusal to release how many nursing home residents died of COVID-19, the use of state resources for Cuomo's $5 million book deal and efforts to prioritize COVID-19 tests for the governor's inner circle in spring 2020, when testing was scarce.

Some lawmakers want an impeachment vote in days, but committee members say the probe could wrap up in a month. State law requires at least 30 days between an Assembly impeachment vote and Senate impeachment trial.

Assembly member Amanda Septimo called for urgency.

“What we need to do the soonest is to get Cuomo out of power because of the way he uses it, like a weapon,” the Bronx Democrat said.

Democrats are increasingly worried about how Cuomo will affect political races in New York and potentially nationally, Septimo said.

“I’m willing to put money on how soon we see Cuomo’s face on an attack mailer somewhere in Ohio,” she said. “I feel like everyone’s calculus is bigger than themselves at this point, besides the governor.”

Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul would take over for Cuomo if a majority of the 150-member Assembly votes to impeach him.

Cuomo championed a sweeping law he signed in 2019 that mandated anti-harassment training, extended the statute of limitations and declared that accusers do not have to prove they were treated differently than other workers. It also lowered New York’s standard for sexual harassment to include unwanted conduct that rises above the level of “petty slights and trivial inconveniences.”

Many lawmakers have criticized the governor for failing to acknowledge that his unwelcome remarks and touching violated his administration’s own definition of sexual harassment, which is based on how a person feels despite the perpetrator’s intent.

Cuomo also faces scrutiny from federal prosecutors over his administration’s handling of COVID-19 nursing home data. And the state ethics commission is looking into the same issues that the Assembly is investigating.

In addition, Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple said Saturday that Cuomo could face misdemeanor charges if investigators substantiate Commisso's complaint. At least five district attorneys have asked for materials from the attorney general’s inquiry to see if any of the allegations could result in criminal charges.

The investigation concluded that Cuomo sexually harassed a state trooper with unwanted touching and suggestive remarks, a previously unknown account. Investigators found that the governor wanted to assign the trooper to his security detail after briefly meeting her, even though she lacked qualifications for the job.

Cuomo plans to address the allegation “very, very soon,” Glavin said.

She defended the governor’s interest as an effort to increase diversity after he found the trooper “impressive” for maintaining eye contact with him in a conversation.

Gov. Andy Beshear wants to do his part to incentivize those who work for him to get their COVID-19 shots, an effort geared at encouraging other state offices and employers to do the same across Kentucky.

The governor announced Thursday, during his latest COVID-19 briefing, that he will give all executive branch employees an extra vacation day for getting vaccinated.

Beshear said the incentive comes after the state first allowed workers time during their shifts to go get vaccinated when the shots began rolling out in January. The state also gave workers time off for recuperation.

Now, the governor said he wants to reward those in his office for getting their shots. He said the one extra vacation day applies to all active, permanent, full-time and part-time executive branch employees upon submission of vaccination proof.

Beshear said the incentive also applies to all those already vaccinated.

"This is an incentive so that you can spend more time with your family doing what you want to do for doing the right thing," Beshear said.

The governor said he's also encouraging other constitutional offices that would like to participate. He said those offices can contact the personnel cabinet to submit a request.

Beshear's action comes as he tries to do his part to show that the state is fighting against the latest COVID-19 surge. In July, he re-introduced a mask mandate for all state employees and for all visitors to state buildings.

"We’re here to say we need you, and we need you to be healthy. We’ve lost far too many people in this fight and I don’t want to lose anymore people at all. Much less those that work for the commonwealth of Kentucky," Beshear said.

A second former aide has come forward with sexual harassment allegations against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who responded with a statement Saturday saying he never made advances toward her and never intended to be inappropriate.Charlotte Bennett, a health policy adviser in the Democratic governor's administration until November, told The New York Times that Cuomo asked her inappropriate questions about her sex life, including whether she had ever had sex with older men.Another former aide, Lindsey Boylan, a former deputy secretary for economic development and special adviser to the governor, recently accused Cuomo of subjecting her to an unwanted kiss and inappropriate comments. Cuomo denied the allegations.Cuomo said in a statement Saturday that Bennett was a “hardworking and valued member of our team during COVID” and that “she has every right to speak out.”He said he had intended to be a mentor for Bennett, who is 25. “I never made advances toward Ms. Bennett nor did I ever intend to act in any way that was inappropriate,” Cuomo's statement said. “The last thing I would ever have wanted was to make her feel any of the things that are being reported.”Cuomo, however, said he had authorized an outside review of Bennett's allegations.The governor's special counsel, Beth Garvey, said that review would be conducted by a former federal judge, Barbara Jones.“I ask all New Yorkers to await the findings of the review so that they know the facts before making any judgements,” Cuomo said. "I will have no further comment until the review has concluded.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer urged New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to resign on Friday amid a sexual harassment scandal that has rankled Cuomo in recent weeks.

Cuomo has repeatedly rebuffed calls of his resignation after six women have come forward accusing the governor of sexual harassment. One of the women reported that the governor groped her, prompting a criminal investigation in Albany.

Schumer was joined by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who also represents New York, in calling for Cuomo's resignation.

“Confronting and overcoming the COVID crisis requires sure and steady leadership,” Schumer and Gillibrand said in a joint statement. “We commend the brave actions of the individuals who have come forward with serious allegations of abuse and misconduct. Due to multiple, credible sexual harassment and misconduct allegations, it is clear that Gov. Cuomo has lost the confidence of his governing partners and the people of New York. Gov. Cuomo should resign.”

Earlier in the week, the New York legislature began an impeachment investigation into Cuomo’s actions.

While Cuomo has admitted to making inappropriate statements, he has denied allegations of groping.

MERIDIAN, Idaho — Ammon Bundy, the rancher who led an armed occupation of federal land in Oregon in 2016, announced he's running for the governor of Idaho.

Bundy launched his campaign website, which includes a video with his official announcement to join Idaho's 2022 gubernatorial race.

He made his announcement official Saturday at Kleiner Park in Meridian.

Bundy said he's running because he's "sick and tired of all of this political garbage" and "tired of our freedoms being taken from us and I’m tired of the corruption that is rampant in our state government."

In May, he filed documents with the Idaho Secretary of State's office to run as a Republican in the 2022 gubernatorial primary.

Current Idaho Gov. Brad Little, Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin, and four other Republicans — Jeff Cotton, Edward Humphreys, Lisa Marie, and Cody Usabel — have also filed campaign documentation to run for governor.

Bundy, a well-known anti-government activist, is best known for leading an armed standoff in 2016 at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon to protest the federal control of public lands.

The siege lasted 41 days and ended with one person dead after an intense standoff with the police.

He was eventually arrested and later acquitted of all federal charges in that case.

Most recently, Bundy was arrested twice in one day back in April for trespassing on Idaho Capitol grounds.

He was served a no-trespass notice in August 2020 during a special legislative session.

That notice is in effect for one year.

Bundy also currently has two misdemeanor criminal trespassing cases pending against him, and he is representing himself for both.

The cases stem from events during a protest of coronavirus restrictions at the Idaho Statehouse last August.

He has pleaded not guilty in one case and has not yet entered a plea in the second.

Cooper Waytenick at KIVI first reported this story.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Small businesses in Ohio have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Even as the state plans to allow businesses to reopen in the coming days, many businesses are still in desperate need of financial aid.

As a result, today I asked Gov. Mike DeWine if he has any plans to address the insurance industry’s reluctance to pay loss of income and business interruption claims.

Ben Asks a Question is a feature we started as a way to help give you a voice during Gov. Mike DeWine's daily press briefings. Since then, Ben has gotten hundreds of questions a day. If you'd like to ask a question, find us on Facebook and feel free to message us there, or send us an email at newsdesk@wcpo.com.

In his response, DeWine said he’s aware of the issue and he has been in touch with Ohio’s insurance department about it.

“I know that from talking to small businesses, that that has been a real concern,” said DeWine. “That business interruption, some of them felt that they had coverage, they should have had coverage, and they do not have coverage, or at least the insurance company is telling them now that they do not have coverage.

"I’ve asked our insurance department to take a look at that, and I’ll report back what they tell me," he continued. "Again, this is a private contract, but we also want to make sure people are being treated fairly."

DeWine noted that insurance agreements are private contracts, so it’s not clear if the state will have much power in the issue. A number of lawsuits have already been filed in the state against insurers refusing to pay for lost profits.

Editor’s note: With our coronavirus coverage, our goal is not to alarm you but to equip you with the information you need. We will try to keep things in context and focus on helping you make decisions. See a list of resources and frequently asked questions here.

FRANKFORT, Ky. -- At his daily virus briefing Friday, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear announced six more virus-related deaths across the commonwealth.

On Friday, the governor announced 831 total confirmed cases of COVID-19 statewide, 90 more cases than Thursday.

That means there have been 17 new virus-related deaths since March 31, including a woman in her 80s from Kenton County and a man in his 70s from Grant County.

Beshear announced Thursday that all K-12 schools will remain closed until at least May 1, with instruction continuing online.

On Friday, the Northern Kentucky Health Department reported there have been 105 confirmed virus cases in four counties; 52 are in Kenton County, 25 are in Boone County, 24 are in Campbell County and four are in Grant County. NKY Health reports there have been five virus-related deaths in the region so far.

WCPO will update this story.