NATIONAL & LOCAL HEADLINES

Medical freedom sought in Lima rally

LIMA — The longer we go through the COVID-19 pandemic, the more some people become alienated with our own government.

They’re tired of being told to wear a mask, take the vaccine and social distance.

They long for a more normal life, in the middle of a pandemic that has killed 682,646 in the U.S. since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In Lima’s Town Square on Saturday, a group of people promoting the freedom to choose whether or not to get the jab or wear a mask held a rally to draw attention to their beliefs.

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Sweeping new vaccine mandates for 100 million Americans

WASHINGTON (AP) — In his most forceful pandemic actions and words, President Joe Biden on Thursday ordered sweeping new federal vaccine requirements for as many as 100 million Americans — private-sector employees as well as health care workers and federal contractors — in an all-out effort to curb the surging COVID-19 delta variant.

Speaking at the White House, Biden sharply criticized the tens of millions of Americans who are not yet vaccinated, despite months of availability and incentives.

“We’ve been patient. But our patience is wearing thin, and your refusal has cost all of us,” he said, all but biting off his words. The unvaccinated minority “can cause a lot of damage, and they are.”

Republican leaders — and some union chiefs, too — said Biden was going too far in trying to muscle private companies and workers, a certain sign of legal challenges to come.

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