Issue 173, Volume 136 Breaking news at limaohio.com Sunday, June 21, 2020 • $2.50

OHIO LOTTERYDAILY (Saturday)

Pick 3: 4-6-8 day, 3-6-6 nightPick 4: 6-4-2-5 day, 7-2-4-0

nightPick 5: 4-4-2-4-2 day, 5-9-8-

6-9 night

Rolling Cash 5: 19-21-26-30-33CLASSIC (Saturday): 6-17-24-

31-38-47KICKER: 657952

Jackpot: $1.9 millionPOWERBALL (Wednesday):

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Powerball: 10Power Play: 3

Jackpot: $25 millionMEGA MILLIONS (Friday):

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Jackpot: $35 million

A NEWSB REGIONRegion News: 1BObituaries: 2BWeather: 6B C SPORTS

D BUSINESSBusiness: 1DOpinion: 4DE LIFESTYLEPeople & More: 2EParenting: 3E

Calendar: 4EF CLASSIFIEDZ COMICS

© 2020 AIM Media MidwestPublished at Lima, Ohio

42 pages7 sections

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TO ALL THE DADS OUT THEREHappy Father’s Day

Allen CountyTotal cases ..................... 248Deaths ............................. 37

Updated 2 p.m. 6/20/20

OhioCon� rmed cases ..... 44,262Deaths ...................... 2,697

Updated 2 p.m. 6/20/20

COVID-19cases, deaths

Auglaize CountyTotal cases .......................89Deaths ............................... 3

Updated 2 p.m. 6/20/20

Putnam CountyTotal cases ..................... 103Deaths ..............................15

Updated 2 p.m. 6/20/20

Hardin CountyTotal cases ......................107Deaths ............................. 10

Updated 2 p.m. 6/20/20

Van Wert CountyTotal cases ....................... 16Deaths ...............................0

Updated 2 p.m. 6/20/20

Can job market sustain its gains?

By Christopher Rugaber and Josh BoakAP Economics Writers

WASHINGTON — Layoffs are slowing, unemployment is declin-ing and hiring is gradu-ally rising, suggesting that a steady rebound may be afoot in the U.S. job market.

Or is it?So many uncertain-

ties are overhanging the economy that no one knows whether hiring will expand steadily in the months ahead or merely plateau as employers recall only enough of their laid-off staffers to partially reopen for business.

The most dangerous risk is that the coronavi-rus will roar back with renewed intensity, forc-ing millions of businesses to shut down again and resume deep job cuts.

The outlook is so opaque that at a news conference last week, Federal Reserve Chair-man Jerome Powell used the words “uncertain” or “uncertainty” seven times to describe the out-look for economy.

“The extent of the

downturn and the pace of recovery,” Powell said, “remain extraordi-narily uncertain and will depend in large part on our success in containing the virus.”

While it’s hard to say what the future holds for America’s roughly 30 million unemployed, here are some key factors that will determine how that future unfolds.

Will there be anotherwave of the virus?

On Thursday, stock prices plunged more than 5%, driven largely by reports that the number of coronavirus cases is rising again in much of the United States as more reopened busi-nesses draw customers without the full use of protective masks and social distancing.

An Associated Press analysis this week found that in 21 states, the roll-ing seven-day average of new cases per capita was higher than the average seven days earlier. In some states, reported

VIRUS WORRIESTrump holds rally | 2A

Uncertainties cloud future

Pandemic hurting Catholic schools

By Sam Shriver sshriver@limanews.com

DELPHOS — Catholic schools have faced tough times for years, but the pace of closures is accelerating dramatically amid economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, sparking heart-break and anger in scores of affected communities.

“It’s not a pretty picture right now,” said Sister Dale McDonald, public policy

director of the National Catholic Educational Associ-ation, which says about 100 schools have announced in recent weeks that they won’t reopen this fall. McDonald fears that number could more than double in the coming months.

This year’s closures will reduce the number of Catho-lic K-12 schools in the Unit-ed States to about 6,000, down from more than 11,000 in 1970, according to the Catholic education associa-tion. Overall enrollment has plummeted from more

File photo | The Lima NewsStudents from Catholic schools in Putnam County form the shape of the cross during Catholic Schools Week in January. While the coronavirus pandemic forced the closure of some schools nationally, local Catholic educators say they’re weathering the storm.

Some feeling it more than others

Hardin County had fi ve new deaths attributed to COVID-19 and one new case reported in the 24-hour period ending at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Van Wert County had one new case reported. No deaths have been reported in that county yet.

Ohio had 1,140 new

cases and 64 new deaths reported.

Share your information at info@limanews.com.

See JOB | 2A

See SCHOOLS | 4A

LATEST UPDATES

Five new deaths in regionONLY ONLIMAOHIO.COMSee more local coverage about COVID-19 at LimaOhio.com/tag/coronavirus.

COVID-19 � ght about to go local

By Mackenzi Klemannmklemann@limanews.com

LIMA — Ohio has seen a rise in new COVID-19 cases reported in the past three days.

For weeks, the state has witnessed a plateau, rath-er than a rise or decline in new daily cases, as businesses reopened. But on Thursday, the state on the current trends tab of its main website reported 700 new cases, which fell slightly to 609 new cases on Friday and 531 on Saturday, all of which exceeded the 21-day aver-age of 439.

Is that a sign of things to come, or a statistical anomaly?

“It’s hard to know with just a day or two of data whether that is a real increase or just a

statistical blip that will go back down in a couple of days,” Dr. Tara Smith, a professor of epidemiology at Kent State University, said on Friday. “But it’s something I’m certainly keeping an eye on over the next few days.”

For weeks, Ohio has witnessed a plateau in which new cases were not rising or falling, even as businesses gradually

reopened.Dr. Brian Fink, an epi-

demiologist and professor of population health at the University of Toledo, said he worries that such “good news” could give the false impression that the virus is no longer a threat, which in turn could lead to people returning to their pre-pandemic lives and “lead to big spikes.”

That appears to be happening in states like Texas and Arizona, which have seen new cases ris-ing quickly.

While it’s unclear whether Ohio will see a similar situation unfold soon, Smith said those trends should be taken as a warning for what can happen when the public becomes complacent about the virus.

“The virus isn’t gone,” she said. “(And) warm weather doesn’t seem to be deterring it.”

A key tool in determin-ing how quickly the virus is spreading, the basic reproduction number, is now being publicly released, which could help counties and cities develop their own strate-gies to mitigate spread of the virus.

The Ohio Department of Health shared this data last week, showing that

Craig J. Orosz | The Lima NewsMel Hackworth, a medical assistant with Health Partners of Western Ohio, holds a COVID-19 nasal swab test while working at the Bradfield Community Center drive-up testing site in Lima.

ALLEN

AUGLAIZE

HANCOCK

HARDIN

MERCER

PUTNAM

VAN WERT

241.3 cases64.5 hospitalized

36.2 deaths

Data through Friday, June 19Source: coronavirus.ohio.gov, U.S. Census Bureau

David Trinko • The Lima News

Comparing COVID-19 in the regionCases, hospitalizations, deaths per 100,000 people

149.9 cases24.1 hospitalized

6.6 deaths

336.7 cases22.2 hospitalized

15.9 deaths

81.8 cases14.5 hospitalized

1.3 deaths

304.9 cases50.3 hospitalized

44.4 deaths

619.4 cases106.9 hospital19.4 deaths

53.1 cases7.1 hospitalized

0.0 deaths

See COVID-19 | 3A

Statewide e� orts don’t seem likely