Decatur is offering an incentive package to get vaccinated for COVID-19 as an encouragement for hesitant city employees, especially first responders. The DeKalb County city is offering extra vacation time, health insurance credits and raffled gift cards to try to increase vaccination rates. Fewer than half of the city’s 150 first responders — police officers, firefighters and public works employees — have gotten vaccinated, Deputy City Manager Hugh Saxon told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- PUB DATE: 2/18/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Porterville Fire Department will honor the memory of two fallen firefighters one year after Capt. Ramon Figueroa and Patrick Jones died making sure nobody was trapped inside a burning library. A virtual memorial service will be posted to the department's social media at 4 p.m. Thursday, officials announced.
- PUB DATE: 2/18/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Visalia Times Delta - Metered Site

VIDEOS: Emergency crews rescued 12 people from boats in frigid conditions Wednesday night after the roof of a boat dock collapsed in Old Hickory. Both the Nashville Fire Department and Office of Emergency Management responded to the Blue Turtle Bay Marina in the 2000 block of Riverside Road. Callers to 911 reported the roof of the boat dock collapsed on top of multiple houseboats with people inside.
- PUB DATE: 2/18/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: WKRN-TV ABC 2 Nashville

Scientists have identified seven new coronavirus variants that have emerged in the United States, according to a study awaiting peer review. All seven variants contained a similar mutation and were found to have emerged as early as July 2020. Scientists say it's not surprising that they're just now identifying new viral variants in the U.
- PUB DATE: 2/18/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: ABC News

More than 1,000 first responders across Spokane County are officially vaccinated. An interdisciplinary task force was tasked with vaccinating Spokane County's EMS professionals and, as of Friday, all who wished to be vaccinated have received their second dose. In total, 1,060 first responders completed the two-shot series and 5,290 total doses were administered at the clinic.
- PUB DATE: 2/18/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KXLY-TV ABC 4 Spokane