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Voting rights groups and the head of the Democratic National Committee want the states with remaining primary elections to offer voting by mail as a way to ensure that voters can safely cast their ballots amid the coronavirus outbreak.A quick and easy fix? Not always.For states that don¡¯t already have vote-by-mail or that greatly restrict it, such a change could require amending state law. It also would require major changes to state and county voting and tabulating systems. Buying the equipment and software to track ballots and read the signatures on them could cost millions. And that¡¯s not to mention deciding who pays for return postage ¡ª individual voters or taxpayers?So far this year, there have been quick moves to extend mail voting in only two cases, both limited in scope: Maryland postponed its primary but decided to hold next month¡¯s special congressional election by mail. And the Democratic Party in Wyoming, which already was sending all its members ballots, has canceled the in-person portion of its presidential caucus.As in Wyoming, the Democratic caucuses and primaries in Alaska, Hawaii and Kansas were already to be held largely by mail this spring. So far, none of the five states that have postponed their primaries ¡ª Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland or Ohio ¡ª have said they will mail ballots statewide.A bill in Louisiana seeking to expand vote-by-mail was introduced even before the state¡¯s primary was pushed back, but it hasn¡¯t received a legislative hearing and is opposed by the state¡¯s top elections official. Pennsylvania lawmakers eased absentee ballot rules last year, and now Democrats want to expand voting by mail. Republicans, who control the statehouse, have generally resisted voting changes, and it¡¯s unclear if the virus crisis is enough to overcome concerns about the costs of greatly expanding vote-by-mail.Opposition isn¡¯t unusual, typically because lawmakers or election officials believe it opens a pathway to voter fraud. The ability to receive a ballot in the mail is greatly restricted in 16 states.Those states allow absentee ballots only for voters who give a valid reason to get one ¡ª and require they be requested for each election. Of those, Delaware and New York are phasing in no-excuse mail voting.The hurdles to implementing voting by mail for all voters is why states might be better off taking only small steps at first, said Charles Stewart, a professor of political science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. That could mean simply making absentee ballots easier to get.¡°Hastily implemented changes to voting rules and laws can end up causing all types of problems that you didn¡¯t anticipate,¡± he said.Doug Jones, an election security expert at the University of Iowa, said universal mail voting also raises concerns about voters illegally selling blank ballots or being coerced to vote a certain way.On Tuesday, after Ohio postponed its primary and poll workers failed to show up at some Florida and Illinois precincts, Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez called a shift to voting largely by mail ¡°the simplest tool¡± to balance health concerns and the need to carry out a fundamental function of democracy.A half-dozen states already have or are implementing systems where all voters are mailed ballots. They can mail them back, drop them off at designated spots or choose to vote in person on Election Day.Oregon has been conducting elections that way since the 1990s. Since then, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Utah and Washington have implemented or begun phasing in similar systems.With the coronavirus pandemic, the idea has generated more interest. The National Vote at Home Institute advocates for a switch to a mail-based voting system and consults with governments about it.Said chief executive Amber McReynolds: ¡°It¡¯s better than hoping people show up and aren¡¯t scared, and hoping that you don¡¯t have a giant poll worker shortage and hoping polling places aren¡¯t closed.¡±___Mulvihill reported from Cherry Hill, New Jersey.___Associated Press writers Frank Bajak in Boston; Melinda Deslatte in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Mark Scolforo in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, contributed to this report. 4215

Venezuela's information minister has said that a huge power outage that has left most of the country dark for a week has been completely restored.The power failure left many homes without running water and 217

Val¨¦rie P¨¦cresse, the President of the ?le-de-France region in which Paris lies, has told reporters that the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral was an accident. "This was an accident. It wasn¡¯t intentional," she said.P¨¦cresse said the region would unlock an emergency fund of €10 million euros (.3 million) to help in the rebuild efforts.The cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris is home to scores of priceless artifacts, artwork and relics collected over the centuries, each with their own story.As a devastating fire tore through the revered Gothic cathedral on Monday, toppling its spire, many feared these treasures might be lost forever.A "forest" of wooden latticework fueled the blaze which consumed the building's roof, whose framework dates back to the 13th century, according to Msgr. Patrick Chauvet, the cathedral's rector.The Paris Fire Brigade tweeted that the cathedral's stone construction has been "saved," as have the "main works of art." As more information emerges, what has been rescued from Notre Dame is becoming apparent.Yet many details, such as possible water damage from the operation to save the building, are still unclear.What was saved? The Crown of Thorns, which some believe was placed on the head of Jesus and which the cathedral calls its "most precious and most venerated relic," was rescued from the fire, according to Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo.? Hidalgo confirmed the Tunic of Saint Louis and other "major" works were also saved.? The facade and twin bell towers, the tallest structures in Paris until the completion of the Eiffel Tower in the late 19th century, survived the blaze.The North tower was completed in 1240 and the South tower in 1250.? The cathedral's main bell, Emanuelle, lives in the South tower. It has marked significant moments in French history, such as the end of World War II, as well as holidays and special occasions.? The Rose windows are a trio of immense round stained-glass windows over the cathedral's three main portals that date back to the 13th century. The Archbishop of Paris said all three have been saved, reports CNN affiliate BFM TV.? The original Great Organ, one of the world's most famous musical instruments, dates back to medieval times. Over the years, organ makers renovated the instrument and added onto it, but it still contained pipes from the Middle Ages before Monday's fire.The position of titular organist, or head organist, carries great prestige in France and around the world. The Archbishop of Paris confirmed the organ is safe, reports CNN affiliate BFM TV.Fate of other artifacts unconfirmed"We managed to protect the most precious treasures in a safe place," a Paris City Hall spokesperson told CNN.However it has not been confirmed whether individual items such as a fragment of the True Cross and one of the Holy Nails were saved.? There were also numerous sculptures, statues and paintings inside the cathedral depicting Biblical scenes and saints.One series of 76 paintings, each nearly four meters tall, commemorates the New Testament's Acts of the Apostles, including the crucifixion of St. Peter and the conversion of St. Paul. The works were completed between 1630 and 1707 by the members or associates of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture.Another painting is from a series by Jean Jouvenet depicting the life of the Virgin Mary. All six from the series used to be in the cathedral. They were moved to the Louvre in the 1860s, and only "The Visitation" was returned to Notre Dame.A portrait from 1648 of St. Thomas Aquinas also graced the cathedral's interiors.? It is not yet clear how much damage there is to the cathedral's exterior, where a menagerie of menacing gargoyles and chimeras stand guard and a system of flying buttresses support the outside walls.A Paris police source told CNN that part of the vault has collapsed in the central nave, and architects are checking whether the structure is stable.? The cathedral also has an archaeological crypt under the courtyard. It was created to protect 19th-century relics that were discovered during excavations in 1965. It opened to the public in 1980. 4127

Uh oh, it's a wrap.As Hurricane Dorian continues to make its way toward the southeast United States, Floridians may have just come across the worst possible omen Thursday: Jim Cantore may be heading to the Sunshine State.According to a report from the Miami Herald, the Weather Channel meteorologist will be reporting on scene Friday but the exact location in Florida has not yet been revealed.If you're familiar with Internet memes and viral YouTube videos, the running joke is that anywhere Cantore goes, there is a natural disaster heading his way. The meteorologist has made a name for himself after covering numerous hurricanes, including Matthew and Irma, from the scene.The Weather Channel once poked fun at their star meteorologist with a hilarious commercial of beach-goers panicking at the sight of Cantore enjoying the day off.All jokes aside, the possible impact of Hurricane Dorian is nothing to laugh at. The Hurricane Center said Dorian could make landfall in Florida as a Category 4 storm.Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a state of emergency for the entire state of Florida ahead of Hurricane Dorian. 1121

WELCH, West Virginia ¨C In southern West Virginia, in the heart of the mountains, is God and coal country. ¡°You¡¯re deep in Appalachian Mountains here,¡± said Jay Chatman, a longtime resident of Welch. ¡°I guess a lot of people feel like the mountains is a protective thing, you know.¡±The Town of Welch is in McDowell County, which once produced more than any other county in West Virginia. ¡°Coal is the only thing that¡¯s got McDowell County still on the map,¡± said Tina McNeely, a longtime resident of Welch. ¡°The only reason we¡¯re still here is because of the coal industry.¡±The Town of Welch was established in the late 1800s, and it was built on coal. ¡°It was like a little New York, it was amazing,¡± said Chatman, who also is one of the town¡¯s historians. ¡°There 34 restaurants in Welch, three car dealerships, three movie theaters, two magazine shops, and in September 1941, they build the first parking garage in the United States that is still standing today.¡± All of this was possible through the coal companies that mined in the town for generations. Welch was the American dream, and it is filled with generations of coal miners. ¡°A person doesn¡¯t know what it means until you go underground and can¡¯t get out without that elevator,¡± said Richard Evans, a resident of McDowell County. ¡°You¡¯re going to learn real quick.¡±Evans worked in a coal mine one summer when he was younger, and said he found out it wasn¡¯t for him. ¡°You just go in and you ride a buggy down and you go to work,¡± he recalled. ¡°Then you ride it out, and you hope you can get out. I¡¯ve seen them come and see them go. I¡¯ve lost a lot of friends who worked in the mines.¡± ¡°My father was a miner,¡± said Ann Turlet, the owner of the arts center in Welch. ¡°He mined for 35 years. He died young of the black lung. Coal mining is important to this area, and coal mining is what took care of my mother when my father passed.¡± Everyone in Welch is connected through coal somehow. ¡°My daddy was a coal miner all my life,¡± McNeely said. ¡°I¡¯m the baby of thirteen kids, and he raised all of us shoveling coal. And I¡¯m talking back in the day when you dug coal with a number four coal shovel and used jackasses to haul your coal up there with buggies.¡± The rest of the country took billions of dollars out of the mountains over the decades, and at one point, McDowell County produced the most coal out of any other county in West Virginia. At its peak, the county was home to more than 100,000. ¡°At one time, the world beckoned the door of McDowell because of the technology and the coal mining here,¡± Chatman said. ¡°It¡¯s these men busting their humps every day that¡¯s keeping this county and the town of Welch alive,¡± McNeely said. ¡°Without the coal this county has nothing.¡± According to the West Virginia Coal Association, some regulations brought hard times to West Virginia. ¡°Twenty to 30 percent of electricity used in the country is made from coal,¡± said Jason Bostic, the vice president of the WVCA. ¡°The one regulation restriction that has been a deep cut ¨C almost fatal and has been fatal to certain parts of the state and operations were changes to the clean air act regulations related to mercury control.¡± From 2008 to 2016, coal production plummeted from 166 million tons to 85 million in West Virginia, according to the WCVA. ¡°For the last 10 to 15 years, coal mines were closing left and right,¡± Evans said. ¡°There¡¯s about 535 that have closed, but we¡¯re estimating about 600 closing,¡± Bostic said. The Trump administration announced the repeal of a major Obama-era clean water regulation that had placed limits on polluting chemicals that could be used near streams, wetlands and other bodies of water.The rollback of the 2015 measure, known as the Waters of the United States rule, adds to a lengthy list of environmental rules that the administration has worked to weaken or undo over the past two and a half years. Those efforts have focused heavily on eliminating restrictions on fossil fuel pollution, including coal-fired power plants, automobile tailpipes, and oil and gas leaks, but have also touched on asbestos and pesticides.Coal production has now been on a small rise from 2016, up to 99 million tons in West Virginia as of 2019, according to the WCVA. ¡°If you stay out of West Virginia¡¯s way, we think the coal industry will stabilize,¡± Bostic said. ¡°It¡¯s not ever going to be nearly what it was, but we think that coal we produce will be of higher value.¡± Outside of the mountains, those living in McDowell county believe there is a perception of them. ¡°They think we¡¯re ignorant,¡± McNeeley said. ¡°Honey we¡¯re just as educated as anybody else.¡± ¡°Most of us realize that coal isn¡¯t going to be our economic driver,¡± Turlet said. ¡°It can be what it can be, but it will not be the thing that lifts us out of where we are.¡±With coal now producing better than it was years ago, those living here think now is the time to rebuild the home they love. ¡°That¡¯s where we diversify to history, and tourism,¡± Chatman said. ¡°There¡¯s always lots of ideas, just picking one and picking another and just building on what we have is the challenge,¡± Turlet said. 5160

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