CHANDLER, Ariz. -- One Arizona woman's call for help to sew masks for health care workers has gone viral and has grown into a group of almost 500 volunteers from across the state.

A post a little more than a week ago drew an overwhelming response and led to the formation of the Facebook group Mask Making for Arizona Healthcare Workers. Chandler resident Shannon Brannan said she got the idea to organize a group after she saw a similar undertaking out of Atlanta.

She said she's happy the group can help but is concerned over the reason there is a need.

"It's difficult because I feel like we shouldn't be in this situation," Brrannan said. "Our health care workers here on the front line should not be having to bring in ready-made masks. They should be provided. Their families are being put at risk."

Brannan said the internet "just blew up" after she posted her original note, and she and a few friends have spent much of the past week getting the enterprise organized. She said the group's volunteers produced more than 750 masks just over the past weekend.

She said they decided to put some rules in place so no one could "meet up" as part of the effort. Each volunteer must apply and agree to a set of guidelines.

"It's a closed group where people need to answer the questions, because we are not promoting for people to be meeting with one another to get fabric," she said. "The goal is to use what you have, because people need to keep their butts home."

The masks her volunteers make at home, called ready-made masks, are sewn from a recommended pattern published online by health care groups. Some health care officials, however, have warned that home-made masks may not be suitable to protect workers from pathogens.

Brannan said they are not designed to replace the masks doctors and nurses use to deal with coronavirus patients, but some hospitals allow them to be used for other health care tasks.

"The N95 masks are the ones that people on the front lines are using," she said. "But we have nurses right now who are contacting us because they can't use those masks unless they're working on a COVID-19 patient. A lot of the hospitals now have agreed to let them bring their own ready-made masks."

All masks made by the group are first dropped off at a local cleaners and are pressed and sterilized before they are distributed. Brannan said they are working with a number of health care groups and hospitals who have put out a call for extra masks. She said the group will continue to make masks as long as there is a need.


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Cities and towns across Massachusetts hope to increase young voter turnout in local elections by lowering the voting age to sixteen or seventeen. Somerville, Northampton, Southborough and Concord are just a few of the municipalities which have attempted but failed to secure state approval.

State Sen. Becky Rausch, D-Norfolk, said allowing young people to vote on local matters helps ensure they'll keep voting throughout their lives.

"That voting power fosters a real sense of civic duty and does in fact encourage higher turnout rates among young adults," she said.

Opponents contend teenagers lack the ability or motivation to fully understand what's at stake in an election. But Rausch points to Takoma Park, Maryland, where the turnout rate for sixteen and seventeen-year olds exceeded that of any other age group for the first election in which they were allowed to vote.

Rausch is sponsoring legislation to allow Massachusetts' municipalities to lower their voting age for local elections without approval from the state legislature but it's been tabled for the session. She says it's just one of a few issues where home rule gets in the way of local autonomy. Still, she said young people are already engaged in local issues, often related to their schools, and many students hold jobs and pay local taxes.

"And they are active members of every community I represent, and they are both contributors to and beneficiaries of community and local government services," she continued.

Rausch added the effort is part of civics education, which was solidified as a centerpiece of K-12 education in Massachusetts in 2018, and which received a significant funding boost from the state legislature this past year.


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Minnesota is closing in on the 35th anniversary of a volunteer program for clearing litter and debris along highways and rest areas.

With spring in full bloom, officials call on residents to maintain this service.

In the early 1990s, Minnesota launched its Adopt a Highway initiative.

Last year, roughly two thousand church groups, community organizations, business teams, and individuals filled up more than 42,000 bags of trash.

The Department of Transportation's Spokesperson Anne Meyer said about 900 sections of state roadways are available for adoption this year.

By pitching in, she said volunteers allow MN DOT staff to focus on other needs.

"Filling potholes, fixing fences," said Meyer, "really keeping roadways safe."

She added that the program also saves taxpayers money.

People considering volunteering can adopt a roadway section or rest area for two years and clean it at least twice a year. There's also an option for a one-time clearing of garbage near a state highway.

The agency provides training, resources, and safety vests. The state observes the program's 35th anniversary next year.

Meyer encouraged drivers to use caution if they approach an area with volunteer crews at work.

"A lot of our volunteers do go out and pick up trash on the weekends," said Meyer. "So, that's a time to really be alert out there for those volunteers - to slow down, to give them space, to do their job safely. "

Meyer said areas outside Minneapolis and St. Paul tend to have more opportunities for highway adoption.

More details are on the department's website, including a list of local coordinators around the state.




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Concerns about potential voter intimidation have spurred several states to consider banning firearms at polling sites but so far, New Hampshire is not among them.

Only a dozen states and Washington, D.C., prohibit both open and concealed-carry weapons at voting locations.

Emma Brown, executive director of the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, said most of the bans were enacted after the 2020 election, when unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud took hold.

"The risk of gun violence at the polls is heightened," Brown contended. "Which means that legislation at the state level is even more critical than it ever has been."

Brown argued America's elections are free and fair, and prohibiting guns at polling sites and government locations is constitutional. Opponents countered the bans unfairly disarm law-abiding gun owners.

Recent surveys reveal election workers have faced increased threats and harassment since the 2020 election with one in three reporting some form of abuse. And nearly half of election workers said they are concerned for their colleagues' safety.

Brown pointed out armed intimidation tactics disproportionately target people of color and add to the growing exodus of election workers.

"This is a threat that we can't ignore," Brown stressed. "These attacks have also served as a deterrent to Black and brown election workers, who've historically been a really key part of ensuring that our democracy endures on Election Day."

As state legislatures consider banning guns at voting sites, legislation in Congress known as the "Vote Without Fear Act" would place a nationwide ban on weapons within 100 feet of a federal election facility, with exceptions for on-duty law enforcement and security personnel. It has been languishing in a House committee for a year.

Support for this reporting was provided by The Carnegie Corporation of New York.