Associated Press

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP)  New York will begin allowing visitors to see loved ones at nursing homes that have been coronavirus-free for 14 days, down from 28 days under previous rules, the health commissioner said Wednesday.

The policy goes into effect Thursday, Health Commissioner Howard Zucker said. State health officials will monitor to ensure more visits don't increase COVID-19 cases, he said.

"We understand how trying it has been for New Yorkers to not see their loved ones and the challenges they've had to endure during this unprecedented pandemic,'' Zucker said.

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP)  Josh Allen led three consecutive first-half touchdown drives, and the Buffalo Bills overcame their own sloppiness and injuries to two starting linebackers in a 27-17 season-opening win over the New York Jets on Sunday.

John Brown had six catches for 70 yards and a touchdown, and Stefon Diggs finished with eight catches for a team-leading 86 yards in his Bills debut after being acquired in a trade with Minnesota in March.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP)  As many as 2 million unemployed New Yorkers will start receiving their share of an extra $300-a-week assistance boost next week from a temporary federal fund that's running out of money.

The state is contacting another 435,000 individuals who are eligible for the boost once they submit additional documentation, according to a state Department of Labor press release Thursday.

State labor officials say eligible New Yorkers will start receiving payments for the weeks ending Aug. 2, 9, and 16.

LATHAM, N.Y. (AP)  The New York State Public High School Athletic Association announced Wednesday that football, volleyball and competitive cheer fall seasons will be postponed until March to address concerns associated with the novel coronavirus.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP)  Two protesters accused of attacking police officers during a demonstration over the suffocation death of Daniel Prude face federal charges, prosecutors said Wednesday.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP & WXXI News)  New York state marked a milestone of progress in fighting coronavirus infections on Monday, with a full month of fewer than 1% of virus tests coming back positive.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the 30-day stretch of good news while urging people to remain cautious during Labor Day weekend get-togethers. He attributed the state's progress to its statewide mask mandate and an approach to reopening that's been slower than in many other states.

NEW YORK (AP)  The NFL revealed Sunday that several positive COVID-19 tests were found a day earlier by one of its testing partners. The New York Jets said they had 10 false positives and the Chicago Bears said they had nine.

The league has asked the New Jersey lab BioReference to investigate the results "while the clubs work to confirm or rule out the positive tests." The NFL did not identify the teams or say how many tests were positive.

NEW YORK (AP)  New York state will apply for a federal program for unemployment money now that the state won't have to come up with additional funds to cover a portion of what the Trump administration had originally proposed, state officials said Friday.

Since "the federal government has blinked and will no longer make states provide funding they do not have, New York state will apply for the Lost Wages Assistance program," Budget Director Robert Mujica said in a statement.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP)  New York will allow voters to request absentee ballots for the general election because of coronavirus under a new state law signed Thursday.

Lawmakers passed the bill last month, and voting rights groups have been calling on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to sign the legislation for weeks.

The governor allowed voters in the June primary to vote by absentee ballots due to fears of spreading the virus at polling sites.

Election officials warn of an even bigger flood of mail-in votes in November than the June primary, which delayed results for six weeks.

WASHINGTON (AP)  President Donald Trump said Tuesday he will pardon Susan B. Anthony, a leader in the women's suffrage movement, who was arrested for voting in 1872 in violation of laws permitting only men to vote.

Anthony is best known for her role in the movement to secure voting rights for women, but she also was a strong anti-slavery and voting rights pioneer.

Trump's pardon, which he said he'll issue later Tuesday, comes 100 years after the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which ensured women the right to vote. It's also known as the Susan B. Anthony Amendment.