Hilary Swift/The New York Times
Former Vice President Joe Biden speaks with reporters before touring the IBEW Electrical Trades Center in Columbus, Ohio, on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2016.
NEWS: A tent city emerged in Spokane's Coeur d'Alene Park as homeless people got mixed messages from the city and a shelter operator.
CULTURE: It's time for another virtual First Friday art walk.
COVID-19
U.S. death toll
Around 63,000 people nationwide have died from COVID-19. (Johns Hopkins University)
Patchwork reopening
As of Friday, over a dozen states have started reopening their economies despite warnings from public health experts that the moves could lead to a surge in COVID-19 cases. (New York Times)
Vaccination at scale
First, researchers need to create a safe and effective vaccine for COVID-19. Next comes the daunting task of producing 300 million vials of it. (New York Times)
Pandemic worship
Idaho churchgoers will be able to return to church this week under Gov. Brad Little's reopening plan. But some pastors are deciding to hold off on reconvening congregations, worried about exposing vulnerable members to COVID-19. (Spokesman-Review)
Spokane epicenter
Six more residents of the Spokane Veterans Home tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday. (Spokesman-Review)
IN OTHER NEWS...
Strong denial
Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, denied the allegation from a former Senate aide that he sexually assaulted her: "This never happened." (New York Times)
Bezos anger
A bipartisan group of U.S. House lawmakers is demanding that the Amazon CEO testify after a report detailed his company's use of third-party sellers' data to develop competing in-house products. (Axios)
