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Pass rush Biden problems Another officer procession High: 80 AFC South loads up on skilled Sexual assault allegations present Bell Sheriff’s sergeant honored with defensive linemen challenge for Biden procession from Temple to Copperas Cove Low: 56 — Page 1B — Page 5A — Page 2A Sunny

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC Drug proves effective as economic damage rises BY MARTIN CRUTSINGER, ication remdesivir available to pa- product, or output of goods and serv- American workers, or nearly 30 mil- MARILYNN MARCHIONE tients as quickly as possible. Inside ices, shrank at an annual rate of 4.8 lion people, have lost their jobs over AND PAT EATON-ROBB “What it has proven is that a drug n Puerto Rico food crisis wors- percent in the January-March period, the past six weeks. ASSOCIATED PRESS can block this virus,” said Dr. An- ens as cafeterias shutter. 4B the sharpest quarterly drop since the The U.S. unemployment rate for thony Fauci, the government’s top global financial meltdown of more April will be released at the end of Scientists on Wednesday an- infectious-disease expert. “This will n Medicare application delays than a decade ago. next week, and economists have said nounced the first effective treatment be the standard of care.” raise anxiety for seniors. 5B And the worst is yet to come: The it could range as high as 20 percent against the coronavirus — an exper- Stocks surged around the world on Congressional Budget Office has es- — a level last seen during the De- imental drug that can speed the re- the news, with the Dow Jones Indus- has killed over 220,000 people timated that the GDP of the world’s pression. covery of COVID-19 patients — in trial Average gaining more than 530 worldwide, including more than biggest economy will plunge at a 40 Mario Franco, who worked at a a major medical advance that came points on the day, or over 2 percent. 60,000 confirmed deaths in the U.S., percent annual rate during the three- McDonald’s at a rest stop along In- as the economic gloom caused by the Still, word of the new drug came as and led to lockdowns and other re- month period that ends in June. terstate 95 in Darien, Conn., for 26 scourge deepened in the U.S. and the U.S. government reported that strictions that have closed factories The latest figures on people apply- years, rising to night manager in Europe. American economic output is shriv- and other businesses around the ing for unemployment benefits in the charge of the kitchen staff, was laid The U.S. government said it is eling in the biggest and fastest col- globe. U.S. come out today, with econo- working to make the antiviral med- lapse since the Depression. The virus The U.S. said its gross domestic mists estimating perhaps 1 in 6 Please see VIRUS, 3A

WEATHER BELL COUNTY Storms Bell numbers pummel show racial imbalance Bell Co. Blacks disproportionally BY DEBORAH McKEON TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER affected by coronavirus BY JACOB SANCHEZ Hundreds of power outages were TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER reported Wednesday morning fol- lowing severe storms overnight. Black Bell County residents are disproportion- About 785 power outages were re- ately affected by COVID-19, according to new ported early morning from Killeen to demographic data of known infections released Temple, according to an early check Wednesday by local health officials. of the Oncor outage map. The Bell County Public Health District re- As of 10:45 a.m., a total of 2,687 leased a racial and ethnic breakdown of residents outages were reported in Bell County who have tested positive for coronavirus. This is that affected 150,899 customers, ac- the first time demographics have been released cording to Oncor. The restoration on Bell County cases. time wasn’t known. The new figures show black residents account In comparison, as of about 6:50 for 32 percent of local infections. However, 2019 a.m. Wednesday, about 17,800 cus- Census estimates show black residents are 24.4 tomers were affected by outages. percent of the county’s population — an almost Belton residents Wayne Tubbs and 8-percentage point difference. his wife, Melissa, had no electricity, The release of demographics coincided with a and Wayne Tubbs is on oxygen — Jerry Prickett/Telegram nine-person increase in local infections and nearly 700 additional tests being performed in powered by electricity. Utility workers Wednesday try to repair lines brought down by trees felled by an overnight storm Bell County since Tuesday. So far, 5,359 tests The couple had several full oxygen in Belton. The neighborhood around Palmetto Street was without power for several hours. cylinders as backup, but they would have been conducted in the county. only last 11 hours, not enough to last 3:30 a.m. today. The Bell County Public Health District’s case until the power was slated to come A large amount of hail pummeled total is 174 while the Texas Department of State back on at 2:30 a.m. Little River-Academy, according to Health Services reported the county’s tally at 180 Melissa Tubbs called Oncor and John Montelongo. The hail that fell — a figure that includes Fort Hood soldiers who explained their problem. Oncor said reached up to the size of a quarter, live on base and that lags about a day behind they had several people on oxygen in Montelongo said. local numbers. her area and would do the best they Montelongo, who is a storm chaser, Blacks in Bell County are the only demo- could. said Little River-Academy was un- graphic that have tested positive for COVID-19 She lifted her hands in excitement derneath the strongest part of the at numbers greater than their estimated portion when the power was restored before storm. of the county’s population. 11 a.m. Wednesday, she said. The Killeen area received code red “It doesn’t surprise me. I think that it is nation- By 6 p.m. Wednesday, 220 Temple weather warnings at both 1:29 a.m. ally known that blacks get it disproportionately,” residents were without power. The and 3:13 a.m. from the National Temple NAACP President Bennie Walsh told the estimate for restoring service was Weather Services. Each warning pe- Telegram. “That has a lot to do with our health listed as unknown on the Oncor out- riod lasted about an hour. records and the way we take care of ourselves. I age map. Cynthia Helmandollar said Oncor don’t think it’s news to anybody.” In Belton, 779 customers were still had to replace lines at her parents’ Black populations across the United States re- without power. The estimate for Courtesy of John Montelongo portedly have been hit hard by the coronavirus. restoring their service was listed as Please see STORM, 3A Hail is shown following a storm in Little River-Academy. ProPublica — an independent, non-profit inves- tigative news organization — reported earlier this month that the disease is spreading at a NEW YORK Please see BELL, 3A

Local VA nurse practitioner serves in NY Bell County cases BY JANICE GIBBS Force asking her “I found out I would be de- parent being absent occasionally. n Total cases: 174; 73 recovered, 3 dead TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER about her medical ployed about 10:30 p.m. on Fri- Jeff Hughes was deployed to n Ever hospitalized: 33 specialty and back- day (April 3) and I was sent to Korea in October and returned n Ever admitted to ICU: 25 Ashley Hughes, a captain in the ground, and if she my unit on Saturday to out home late on April 2. n Temple: 45 (0.59 cases per 1,000 residents) U.S. Air Force Reserves and was working on process,” Hughes said. “I was on Ashley Hughes is one of 500 n Killeen: 77 (0.52) nurse practitioner at the Temple something for the a C-5 headed to New York by 11 service members sent to New n Belton: 19 (0.86) VA, is entering her fourth week local community. a.m. Sunday.” York to help hospitals care for n HUGHES Harker Heights: 15 (0.47) of working in the Intensive Care That information Hughes has two sons, ages 11 patients with the coronavirus. n Other: 18 (0.17) Unit at Queens Hospital. went to headquarters where the and 7. Hughes said there’s no end date Note: Numbers reported from the Bell About five weeks ago, Hughes decision was made on who Her husband, Jeff, is active duty for the assignment. County Health District based on 4,661 received an email from the Air would head to New York. Army so the boys are used to a Please see HUGHES, 3A tests administered. State totals may vary as Fort Hood on-post numbers are reported di- rectly to the state. MEDIA Bell County cases by race n White 94 cases (54 percent) Telegram named Online Newspaper of the Year n Black: 56 cases (32 percent) n Asian: 4 cases (2 percent) Staff earns 14 awards from Texas APME have been recognized,” Assis- Photojournalist Michael Miller n Native Hawaiian, other Pacific Islander: 1 tant Managing Editor Jerry won five awards in several case (1 percent) STAFF REPORT the Class AA Online Newspaper Prickett said. photo categories, winning both n Not reported: 18 cases (10 percent) of the Year award in 2019, was Another repeat winner for the first and second places in both For the second consecutive honored with 14 awards from Telegram was sports writer Tim feature photography and sports year, the Temple Daily Telegram Texas APME that were an- Waits, who received first place photography, and taking second Bell County cases by ethnicity was named Online Newspaper nounced Wednesday. in sports column writing for the place in the photo gallery cate- Of local infections, 36 residents were of the Year by the Texas Associ- “We’ve really worked hard on second straight year. It was the gory. Latino, 116 were non-Latino and 22 did not ated Press Managing Editors. our online news. It’s a total team sixth straight year for Waits to report their ethnicity. The Telegram, which also won effort and I’m proud our folks get an award for his columns. Please see APME, 3A

TODAY’S BIBLE VERSE MARKET INSIDE TODAY “And there came unto me one of the REPORT Classifieds...... 6-7B Obituaries...... 4B seven angels which had the seven vials Complete Comics ...... 6A Sports...... 1-3B full of the seven last plagues.” coverage Crossword...... 6B TV Schedule...... 7A — Revelation 21:9 Page 5A Editorial...... 4A Weather ...... 8A