 Hello and welcome to our BU News Service Newscast. I'm Bart Tocci. We begin today with a breaking story out of our nation's capital. Within hours, the House of Representatives is expected to approve a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill. The White House says stimulus checks could start arriving this month with electronic payments hitting bank accounts first. But as Britt Conway reports, Democrats are making one final push to let people know that there's more to the legislation than just stimulus checks. Yes, the checks should arrive soon. First, the House has to pass the COVID-19 relief bill. Then it heads to President Joe Biden's desk and he is promised to sign it. And Democrats are promising there's more to this bill than payments. During a visit to a DC hardware store, the president talked to people there about helping small businesses. 400,000 small businesses went out of business. They got in line but they couldn't get the help. And we found out an awful lot of that went to bigger businesses. And the Treasury Secretary pointed out there's help coming to cities and states too. During the Great Recession, when cities and states were facing similar revenue shortfalls, the federal government didn't provide enough aid to close the gap. There are other elements of the bill Democrats say will help close a number of gaps created during this pandemic. So people won't see a break in their unemployment benefits. And then the child tax credit will take a little bit longer. Vaccine distribution will get the injection that it needs immediately. Of course, not everyone's happy. The relief package is so broad and expensive. It's likely to pass without Republican support as it did in the Senate. It's focused on pushing more of the far left agenda. But supporters believe it'll be the boost the economy needs. If we do our job, I'm confident that Americans will make it to the other side of this pandemic. I'm Brett Conway reporting. News about this relief package out of Washington comes on the very anniversary of when Governor Baker initially declared a state of emergency in Massachusetts because of the spread of the coronavirus. That declaration was made March 10th one year ago today. We now have a timetable in Massachusetts for getting kids back in the classroom. The state commissioner of education has set deadlines for students to be fully back in school for elementary school students. That's April 5th and for middle school students. That's April 28th. A return date for high school students will be announced next month and parents have mixed feelings. I am very, very excited. I can't wait for them to go back to school. It's been a long year. It's been a long year. It feels like it's a wash to me. Another transition, another change, another thing for kids who have gotten used to kind of they just kind of got the hang of it. And then it's changed again. Teachers are eligible for vaccines starting Thursday, March 11th. Lawmakers think grocery workers should be next in line to get the vaccine. While grocery store workers are already in the next group of essential workers to get the vaccine, lawmakers say they need it now. In a letter to Governor Baker, lawmakers and grocery unions stress the risks associated with community spread through grocery stores. They also indicated that many grocery store workers are black or Latino, which are demographics that have been hit harder by the pandemic. The federal government announced this week that no new doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine are available, so only 15.8 million of the Pfizer and Moderna doses are to be shipped this week. Dr. Anthony Fauci, Chief Medical Advisor to President Biden, spoke at a virtual panel at Brandeis University in Waltham. BUTV10's Justin Schmidthorst has more. Dr. Fauci, as a member of the panel hosted by Brandeis University, criticized the state governments that were fully reopening their businesses and lifting their mask mandates, saying that it was too early to do so. If you look at the curve that was steeply coming down the last week, the seven-day average, it's done this. That's exactly what happened last summer when we tried to so-called open up the economy again, and several of the states did a version of what Texas and Mississippi are doing now, and we had it go right back up. The baseline that we're at right now, between 60,000 and 70,000 cases a day, is unacceptably high for any significant pulling back on mitigation. Fauci, by giving his own word against the governors, hoped that it would help save lives in its own way. The fact is, that is ill-advised. And when we say that, hopefully, the people who are the most vulnerable in Texas and in Mississippi will essentially shield themselves to the extent that they can. Dr. Fauci warned college students not to let their guard down during spring break, normally celebrated this week. He warned against travel and festive gatherings without social distancing and wearing masks. Reporting for BU News Service, I'm Justin Schmidhorst. Today is also when Texas is set to lift their mask mandate, and Maryland has been considering easing restrictions as well. There's a nationwide blood shortage according to America's blood centers. The national blood supply is still below operating demands because of weather and the pandemic. BU News Service's Daphne Mark has more about one state hit hard by shortages. Texas. Without water or power, millions of North Texas spent seven days without their basic necessities. And as pantries dried up, so did hospital shelves. More than 600 patients need daily blood transfusions. But due to the icy conditions and a fuel shortage, regional blood banks had to cancel mobile drives and close their donor centers. Veronica Moore works for Carter Blood Care, providing blood products to 190 hospitals across Texas. Blood is essential just like food and water to these individuals who cannot live without it. Moore said they are short the 6,000 units of blood they expected to receive during that time. Not being able to collect, even for one day when we have a normal holiday, like Thanksgiving or Christmas, it takes us about a week to recover just from that. And so at four days of not having any collections, I mean, this is going to take us, I think, months. Carter received samples from states as far away as Florida and Rhode Island. Moore said people nationwide can help Texans by telling their friends and family about the blood shortage. Get the word out about the need and the importance of blood donation. People need blood transfusions every single day. And I hope this just doesn't get forgotten as we resume back to normal. Moore said she's grateful to Carter employees and other essential workers who are already exhausted from COVID for coming in to meet their life-saving mission day and night. For BU News Service, I'm Daphne Mark. More than 20,000 donations were canceled across 30 states this February, according to the American Red Cross of Massachusetts. State officials renewed warnings against celebrating St. Patrick's Day next Wednesday. As the annual celebration draws near, the Boston mayor reminds residents that private indoor gatherings are limited to 10 people. Outdoor gatherings are limited to 25 people. The South Boston St. Patrick's Day parade is canceled. More than half a million people attend the parade annually, but not this year. New Hampshire bars and restaurants are preparing for a big turnout this St. Patrick's Day, despite warnings. New Hampshire bars and restaurants reopened at full capacity in October. Owners complained that last year the pandemic shutdown caused them to throw out hundreds of kegs of beer and thousands of pounds of corned beef. Coming up on our BU newscast, Paradise is underwater. We'll show you where. And how will the explosive royal interview affect the monarchy in Britain? Reaction from overseas when we return. Hey, chat. Why do I wear a mask? Because when I'm not behind the screen, my mask is my cheat code. And when we stop the spread, we level up. What's the next level? Hanging with friends again. You're right. Mask have always been a part of our community. I miss you guys too. Being face to face is truly the next level. Here's the cheat code. Stop the spread of corona. Mask up America. I don't remember how it started. Our back and forth, it always came back. You probably don't remember what you told me. That was perfect. But I heard every word. More followed today from the third rail interview between Oprah and Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. Meghan Markle formally complained to the British ITV network about critical comments made by anchor Pierce Morgan, who just resigned from his job. BUTV News Service reporter Valerie Wences has more about how the interview is impacting the British royal family. More than 40,000 people complained to British broadcaster ITV about Pierce Morgan's comments, questioning the validity of comments made by Meghan Markle on the state of her mental health. During the Tell All interview, she and her husband Prince Harry did with Oprah Sunday evening. We've now learned that one of those who complained about Morgan was the Duchess of Sussex herself. Morgan, who stormed off the set of Good Morning Britain before resigning from the show, has now taken to Twitter, asserting he still doesn't believe Markle. I've had time to reflect on this opinion and I still don't believe her, Morgan tweeted. If you did okay. Freedom of speech is a hill and I'm happy to die on. Thanks for all the love and the hate. I'm off to spend more time with my opinions. Three days later, the world is still discussing Meghan and Harry's interview, which broached the topics of mental health and racism that they confronted in the royal palace and prompted a response from the royal family, released more than 24 hours later. Ariane Chernoch, an associate professor of history at Boston University, says this family controversy is very damaging, but the royal family has weathered many storms before. She notes popular attitudes which were dismal in the 90s at the heart of Prince Charles and Diana's rancorous split. But the race, the racial dimensions of this are new, troubling. And so the royal family is kind of on new ground here. Whether we'll see another statement from either party in this debate, Chernoch feels neither side would want to publicly escalate the situation. It would be a missed opportunity for the monarchy, though, if they don't use this as a learning moment for them to take seriously the claims and launch some sort of a public conversation around structural racism, let's say in the UK and beyond. Harry and William have taken on mental health. William has appeared on the cover of a game magazine. They've done other kind of really pathbreaking work as royals in recent years, that younger generation. There's no reason they couldn't also take on this issue. Reporting for BU News Service, I'm Valerie Wences. Jury selection is continuing today in the trial of the former police officer charged in the death of African American George Floyd. Two men and one woman were selected to be jurors in the trial of Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis. Attorneys are asking prospective jurors if they could keep an open mind about the evidence of the case given the widely seen video of the police officer kneeling on the victim's neck. Six prospective jurors were already dismissed from the murder trial. A second Myanmar political leader died in prison, suspected of being tortured during the military coup that is dividing the country. Protesters against the coup have been filling the streets and two of the ruling party leaders were imprisoned, including the latest victim, Mayet Lin. A U.S. State Department spokesperson condemns the violence. We strongly condemn the use of violence by Burmese security forces against the Burmese people, including peaceful protesters, journalists, and other elements of civil society. We urge and we continue to urge the Burmese military to exercise maximum restraint. Dozens of protesters have been killed and journalists detained during the coup, ousting democratically elected President Aung San Suu Kyi. Hawaii Governor issues an emergency declaration as damaging floods trapped residents outside of Oahu and Maui. Maui Fire Department responded to more than a dozen calls of citizens caught in the rising waters. The National Weather Service reported areas of Maui's north coast, receiving over a foot of torrential rain in one day. Maui Mayor's Office warns potential landslides and urges people to remain cautious. Coming up next, troubling video of a former Red Sox player during his arrest on drunk driving charges, and highlights from the Boston University's women's basketball team, those stories and the weather forecast when we return. When I first saw Turtle, my heart was full, not anything but lonely. We have this like deep connection, this heart connection. He just wants to be close to you and part of your life. Every day with Turtle is a perfect day. When I'm holding her, it makes me feel calmer. I think everything he does shows how much he loves us. When we adopt a shelter pet, we discover there are a little bit of a lot of things. But they're all pure love. I hear someone go, didn't it come from you guys? Strangers cough at me. Move away from me. Someone spit towards my direction. All the stereotypes that we've worked so hard to break are just going to be reversed, and it won't let that happen. We all have their player part. I donate my plasma. I've been making masks. We deserve respect as much as everybody else. I'm a firefighter, not a virus. I'm a mass maker, not a virus. I'm a nurse. I'm a delivery woman, chef, a neighbor. Artist. Bus driver. I'm a doctor. Fight the virus, fight the virus. It looks like we're getting a short break from the New England cold. Sierra, what's the weather look like this week? Well, as a California native, I'm loving the temperatures for the next couple days. There's finally a chance to ditch our winter coats and enjoy some sunshine. This week we'll have the warmest days Boston has seen all year and since that 60 degree Christmas day. Today a sea breeze will keep it cooler on the coast with highs around 45 to 55, reaching lows in the 30s tonight. Tomorrow we're going to have higher temps than my southern California hometown with the highest 69 degrees in Boston. A few towns may get lucky and reach 75 degrees. Enjoy the warm weather while it lasts because as we move towards the weekend we will face another cold front. This could mean a light shower on Friday. Saturday will be sunny but don't let that fool you as winds push us back down to around 37 to 33 degrees. These cold temps will continue on to the beginning of next week, ranging from upper to lower 30s for the high. Remember this Sunday, March 14th, we will get an extra hour of daylight in the evening. Daylight savings time begins at 2am when we set our clocks forward an hour, losing an hour of sleep as we spring forward. We're hearing a Red Sox legend got into some trouble. Laura Stickles has more. Laura? Thanks, Bart. Yes. Body cam footage from the February traffic stop and DUI arrest, a former Red Sox star, Johnny Damon was released Tuesday. The footage shows Damon and his wife allegedly disobeying police orders and reportedly resisting arrest. Damon was pulled over in Windermere, Florida after his car was seen swerving on the road. The video shows that Damon and his wife were asked by police to stay in the SUV but neither complied. Damon is charged with driving under the influence and resisting an officer without violence. His wife was charged with battering it on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest with violence. The Patriots confirmed they re-acquired offensive tackle Trent Brown from the Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday. Patriots are getting Brown in a 2022 7th round pick in exchange for a 2022 5th round pick. His one-year contract is worth up to 11 million dollars. Brown started every game for the Patriots during their 2018 Super Bowl Championship season but in the last two seasons with the Raiders, Brown played just 16 games. The Basketball Hall of Fame announced its 14 finalists on Tuesday and former Celtic star Paul Pierce and Bill Russell both made the cut. Russell was already inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player but this nomination is for his performance as a coach. Russell became the NBA's first black head coach in 1966 and led Boston to back-to-back NBA titles in 1968 and 1969. Pierce was a 10-time All-Star for the Celtics and was the MVP of the team's 2008 NBA Championship Series. The BU men's basketball team season ended Saturday after falling to Colgate in the Patriot League tournament quarterfinals but the women's team is powering ahead after beating Lafayette 74-68 on Sunday. The win earned the Terriers a spot in the semifinals of the Patriot League tournament for the second time in program history. The team's triple threat of Sydney Johnson, Maggie Pina and Katie Nelson was lethal shooting nearly 60% from behind the arc. Johnson led the team with 19 points and nine assists and head coach Marissa Mosley praised the sophomore guard for getting open shots for her teammates as well as herself. She's got great court vision and she delivers passes on the money and we just saw some of her really beautiful playmate passes. The more she understands kind of what her skill set enables her to do it makes our team better. And the Terriers star forward Marin Durant capitalized on a few of Johnson's passes. Durant found herself in foul trouble and spent 19 minutes on the bench but still contributed 17 points to the team's win. I've been telling her same thing I don't think anybody can guard her in the league. You know I think she's shooting like 70% from the floor which is ridiculous you know so I've just been trying to be her personal height man or woman as it were this year and just kind of tell her like when we throw the ball to you something good is going to happen you know you're unselfish so if you're doubled you kick it out to people but one-on-one in the peak go to work. Durant also pulled down seven boards for the team. Six of those were offensive rebounds. The Terriers have a chance to punch their first-ever ticket to the Patriot League Championship game when they take on American on Thursday in the tournament's semi-final round and congratulations to the BU women's cross-country team who won a tiebreaker to claim their fourth Patriot League championship on Friday afternoon. And in other BU post-season news the hockey east men's tournament begins today. Depending on the results from today's games the Terriers will host either UMass Lowell, Maine or New Hampshire in the quarter-finals at 1 p.m. on Sunday. And Laura speaking of hockey Jake DeBrusk was on the bench last night when the Bruins lost to the New York Islanders in a shootout. Coach Bruce Cassidy had DeBrusk sit this one out citing a lack of effort from the forward. A store in Germany is offering singles a fresh new way to shop for love during a pandemic. The first Fridays of every month is single shopping day and the supermarket is serving up new options to connect amid COVID. Customers who are interested can grab a numbered red heart balloon as they enter to shop. If there's a match customers simply leave their contact details with the supermarket which will help make the connection. And that's it for the BU news service newscast. I'm Bart Tocci. Thanks for joining us and have a great day.