Coronavirus News Roundup for April 28

States may be opening up, but some businesses are still holding out.

And probably for good reason. The United States is getting close to having one million cases of the virus. At the same time, researchers analyzing cellphone data have found that people have been leaving home more often in the past few weeks -- a sign that people are perhaps tired of social distancing and starting to cheat a bit.

I think it's safe to say that staying inside (or, at least, away from people) is still the best bet right now. To ease your boredom, here are some palate cleansers.

Local comedians are finding ways to make people laugh at a distance.

Artists are creating art on toilet paper and auctioning it off for charity. Not sure how I feel about this one, as I consistently find the toilet paper section at the store empty.

And, in case you missed it, Meryl Streep showed up to a virtual celebration in a bathrobe shaking a cocktail mixer. I can't wait to see the memes that come out of that.

I'd like to start something new. At a meeting each Friday morning, we have "pet Friday." My fellow reporters and I show off our furry pals, and I was thinking we could do the same as well. Send your best pet photos and a short blurb about your pet's likes and dislikes to madeline.stamour@insidehighered.com, and I just may feature them in a Friday roundup.

Let’s get to the news.

Betsy ​DeVos, education secretary, is giving nearly $130 million in CARES Act funds for Reimagining Workforce Preparation Grants, to be used to expand short-term postsecondary and work-based learning programs.

States that depend on tourism for revenue are likely to feel more of the impact of COVID-19, which has halted travel, according to S&P Global Ratings.

Some Senate Democrats are asking Congress to open up D-SNAP funds to college students who need food assistance.

Advocacy group Young Invincibles is asking wealthy universities to not return their stimulus funds, but rather use them to help their own vulnerable students or give the money to local community colleges.

Racist Zoombombers disrupted a meeting of the University of South Carolina’s Association of African American Students last week. The university's president has asked Zoom to investigate the incident.

Here’s a quick roundup of our latest stories, in case you’ve fallen a bit behind (we don’t blame you):

We surveyed college presidents about COVID-19, again, and found their attention has shifted to concerns for low-income students and the uncertainty of fall, Doug Lederman reports.

Meanwhile, institutions are bound to face more downward pressure on tuition costs as the recession gets worse, Rick Seltzer writes.

That won't help the mounting financial challenges that colleges are facing. Emma Whitford reported on what cuts institutions are making to stay afloat.

Scott Jaschik has a story on how parents are feeling about sending their kids to college in the fall. Hint: not very confident.

News From Elsewhere

Civil Beat in Honolulu takes a look at how high school seniors in Hawaii feel about college, especially as many hoped to go away to the mainland U.S. to study.

LGBTQ college students are sometimes returning to homes where they can't be themselves, The Chronicle of Higher Education reports.

The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators wrote about the stress the Pell Grant reserve fund might face as more students need aid.

Percolating Thoughts

This is a time when everyone has an opinion. As journalists, we try not to have opinions, but we've gathered some interesting ones from others.

The coronavirus pandemic could be the pin to burst higher ed's bubble in the U.S., the Financial Times writes.

An anonymous college staffer urges universities to dip into their endowments to help communities get through the pandemic.

The president of Brown University lays out in The New York Times why colleges have to open in the fall -- sparking some drama on Twitter.

Have any percolating thoughts or notice any from others? Feel free to send them our way or comment below.

We’ll continue bringing you the news you need in this crazy time. Keep sending us your questions and story ideas. We’ll get through this together.