ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Click here to read their biggest stories as soon as they’re published.

Democratic members of Congress are urging President Donald Trump to authorize FEMA to reimburse funeral expenses for victims of the coronavirus pandemic, citing ProPublica’s reporting about the administration’s policies.

“Just as with all previous disasters, we should not expect the families of those that died — or the hardest hit states — to pay for burials,” said the statement issued Friday from Rep. Bennie Thompson, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, and Rep. Peter DeFazio, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. “President Trump needs to step up and approve this assistance so FEMA can pay for the funerals of our fellow Americans so they can be buried in dignity. It is the least he can do.”

ProPublica reported last week that Trump has yet to free up a pool of disaster funding specifically intended to help families cover burial costs, despite requests from approximately 30 states and territories. In lieu of federal help, grieving families are turning to religious institutions and online fundraisers to bury the dead.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey gave a “green light” to reopen more businesses, he announced during a Monday press conference, including dine-in services at restaurants and barbers and salons.

Salons and similar services can reopen Friday, May 8 with reduced capacity and comprehensive sanitation procedures among the required adaptations. Ducey also suggested moving to appointment service to avoid congestion.

Restaurants may resume dine-in services next Monday, May 11, Ducey said. Establishments will be required to maintain physical distancing procedures, prohibit parties larger than 10 guests, operate at reduced occupancy and capacity and implement symptom screening for employees.

Ducey already allowed hospitals and healthcare facilities to resume elective surgeries May 1.

While businesses may soon see a return to relatively normal business operations, Ducey said that the elderly or other members of a vulnerable population should still exercise caution. The governor said that businesses and employers should still consider making extra accommodation for anyone with an increased health risk.

“If you feel sick, please say home,” Ducey said. “Take the day off, or more.”

ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Click here to read their biggest stories as soon as they’re published.

Many people across the country experienced COVID-19 symptoms but could not get a test to confirm if they actually had the virus. Now some are looking to a different kind of coronavirus test for answers.

Antibody tests are meant to recognize a past infection. Many of these have hit the market in recent weeks and are being offered at local clinics. Officials have touted the tests as crucial for reopening the economy and developing public health strategies to contain the virus.

But there are still questions about how accurate they are. And even with a very good test, it's possible to test positive for antibodies even when you don't actually have them. Watch our new video to learn why.

While local Democratic officials have been cautiously supportive of Gov. Doug Ducey's decision to keep  Arizona's stay-at-home order in place through May 15 while lifting some restrictions for retail businesses, some Republican state lawmakers say Ducey isn't moving fast enough to reopen Arizona.

Rep. Mark Finchem, an Oro Valley Republican who represents Legislative District 11, condemned Ducey’s decision to extend the shutdown, saying that quarantine should be only for people who are currently sick or showing symptoms of being sick.

He said the move was “wholly unacceptable” and he and other state lawmakers are planning to draft a ballot initiative in response to what they see as government overreach.

“That’ll be next year’s session, if we have the opportunity,” Finchem said. “It will limit the authority of mayors and future governors to wholesale shut down the economy and deprive people of their sustenance and their ability to feed their families.”

Finchem said the steps Ducey took cannot be justified considering a lack of meaningful data on the virus. He also wants to explore the possibility of furloughing some state government employees.

“If he’s going to define nonessential businesses, then we also need to take a close look at nonessential government functions,” Finchem said.

The Town of Sahuarita will reopen all town services and facilities this Friday, May 8, including the town clerk’s office, planning, and building, the Anamax Recreation Center, and more—although programming is still delayed.

“We do this cautiously and responsibly with the utmost concern for public health, and for the health of our local businesses, residents, and employees,” said Mayor Tom Murphy. “We’re eager to get back to full-capacity service to our residents.”

According to the town, “precautionary measures” will be in place to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 “to ensure a successful reopening.”

Public parks will also reopen with additional cleaning protocols for common areas, and the town’s May 11 council meeting will take place in the town hall chambers, open to the public.

Two physicians from the University of Arizona are among the authors of a new research paper detailing the best practice guidelines for patients in intensive care units requiring advanced life-saving therapies due to COVID-19.

Regents Professor Marvin Slepian and assistant professor Christian Bime of the Department of Medicine drew on their years of experience to help write “Advanced Pulmonary and Cardiac Support of COVID-19 Patients: Emerging Recommendations from ASAIO” just published from the American Society for Artificial Internal Organs. The paper appears in the latest issues of the ASAIO Journal as well as the journal Circulation: Heart Failure.
Described as a "Living Working Document," the paper will be continually updated on the ASAIO website as new information on COVID-19 and care for critically ill patients comes to light.

Arizona assisted living communities are gearing up to hire aspiring caregivers after Gov. Doug Ducey signed an executive order last month allowing on-the-job training for caregiver certification amid an entry-level healthcare worker shortage.

The order requires potential caregivers to complete 62 hours of training with a licensed healthcare professional and pass the Arizona Board of Nursing Care Institution Administrators and Assisted Living Facility Managers examination with a score of 75 percent or better.

“It provides a better opportunity to get people trained,” said Andy Briefer, managing partner of Via Elegante Assisted Living and Memory Care Companies. “We’ve been able to maintain our caregivers, but it’s a struggle. It’s always hard.”

Briefer said Ducey’s executive order helps assisted living facilities like his to provide needed support to the most susceptible population to COVID-19 while offering a career-change to those who may have been recently laid off. New caregivers will start out between $13 to $18 hourly, depending on their experience, according to Briefer. The position also offers full medical, dental, and vision benefits, 401K, and paid-time-off.

“This takes away some of the obstacles to become a caregiver. One of the hardest things about learning a new career is finding the time and being able to make money while you’re sitting in a classroom,” Briefer said. “Hopefully this creates an opportunity for people to shift. If you were working in the restaurant industry and find yourself stuck, this is a great opportunity to get involved with healthcare.”

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona topped 8,900 as of Monday, May 4, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services.

Pima County had 1,346 confirmed cases.

The coronavirus had killed 362 people statewide, including 89 in Pima County, according to the report.

In Maricopa County, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases had risen to 4,751.

Although the state began a “testing blitz” over the weekend, testing remains limited in Arizona. Because COVID-19 symptoms can take as long as two weeks to appear after exposure to the virus (while some people can remain entirely asymptomatic), health officials continue to urge the public to avoid unnecessary trips and gatherings of more than 10 people and have advised people to cover their faces with masks in public.

Arizona remains under a stay-at-home order through May 15, but Gov. Doug Ducey announced last week he would modify his emergency declaration so some retail shops could begin reopening this week provided they limited contact with customers by offering curbside pickup or did business by appointment or delivery.

People are still advised to limit contact and many businesses must remain closed, but Ducey said he wanted the state’s economy to gradually reopen.

“These habits we've acquired over the last 45 days will not be with us forever, but they will be with us for the time being,” Ducey said.

Ducey said that he will decide how to move forward based on what future testing shows regarding the spread of the virus, but explained it would be a gradual reopening of businesses now closed.

Ducey's decision won support from both Democrats and business leaders but drew criticism from lawmakers in his own party.

We've made it through April and another work week. It's finally Friday and a start to a new month, so let's take a moment to reflect on what we covered today:

• The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Arizona reached 7,962 as of Friday, May 1, according to the morning report from the Arizona Department of Health Services.
• A White House official confirmed Wednesday that President Donald Trump will visit the Phoenix Honeywell facility for an industry event May 5, despite Gov. Doug Ducey extending his stay-at-home order to May 15. (Ulterior motive - Cinco de Mayo/Taco Tuesday in style?)
• Justice of the Peace Paula Aboud, a former state lawmaker, is among the three candidates for Justice of the Peace in Pima County who won't be on ballot this year after challenges to nominating petitions.
• Carrying signs and plastic mallets, the hardworking educators of Amphitheater Public Schools recently showed how much they value their graduating seniors by placing congratulatory signs in their front yards.
• U.S. Representative Tom O'Halleran has an opinion on any future stimulus package, and how it should be more impactful for families.

Americans are facing an invisible enemy and one of our greatest challenges ever as a nation.

To date, Congress has passed, and the president has signed into law, four legislative packages to mitigate the public health and economic impacts of the coronavirus.

Unfortunately, many of these new programs and provisions to assist families, businesses, local governments, and health systems have not provided the same positive impact on rural Arizona as they have on other parts of our country.

This crisis has shone a brighter light on America’s urban-rural divide. Students are dealing with the difficulties of online school without the high-speed broadband they need to succeed. Long neglected public health infrastructure is starting to crumble as funding dries up, and treasured mom-and-pop businesses across our communities are unable to secure the federal loans and grants they were promised.

Should drastic changes not occur in the next COVID-19 package, Congress will once again leave rural America behind. As Congress crafts future COVID-19 response packages, we must focus on five core issues.

1. Prioritize patients, health care workers, first responders, and hospitals who are on the front lines of this public health emergency.

We must ensure that rural hospitals, health clinics, and community health centers are receiving the funding, PPE, and testing kits they need. These smaller clinics are the primary health care stop for hundreds of thousands of Arizonans a year, especially in underserved, rural areas.

2. Assist small businesses by keeping the promises we’ve made and ensuring infrastructure to maintain these new programs is in place.