Former Grand Teton Park superintendent dies from COVID
JACKSON (WNE) â A onetime Grand Teton National Park superintendent who rose to the top of the National Park Service has died after contracting COVID-19.
Gary Everhardt, 86, led Teton Park from 1972 to 1975, departing to become the ninth director of the National Park Service under presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. Both Gary and his wife, Nancy, succumbed to complications from the novel coronavirus during the past week in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area, according to longtime friend and fellow Park Service retiree Phil Francis.
âThey both had COVID, and it was contracted through an assisted care facility,â Francis told the Jackson Hole Daily on Monday. âShe died Wednesday night, and Gary died last night.â
WASHINGTON â Officials have taken the extraordinary step of closing the Washington Monument starting Friday as a precaution after Interior Secretary David Bernhardt â who had been giving private, nighttime tours to associates â tested positive for the coronavirus.
Interior spokesman Nicholas Goodwin confirmed the temporary closure, saying the department acted after consulting with federal health officials. Bernhardt had led other Trump DOI appointees on a tour earlier this week. Some National Park Service staff at the site said they had been exposed to the secretary during his after-hours tour and are now in quarantine, which has led to a staffing shortage at the monument, Goodwin said.
By JULIET EILPERIN, LISA REIN, DARRYL FEARS | The Washington Post | Published: December 18, 2020
Stars and Stripes is making stories on the coronavirus pandemic available free of charge. See other free reports here. Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter here. Please support our journalism with a subscription. WASHINGTON Officials have taken the extraordinary step of closing the Washington Monument starting Friday as a precaution after Interior Secretary David Bernhardt who gave a private, nighttime tour to associates this week tested positive for the coronavirus. Interior spokesman Nicholas Goodwin confirmed the temporary closure, saying the department acted after consulting with federal health officials and that Bernhardt led other Trump DOI appointees on the tour earlier this week. Some National Park Service staff at the site said they were near the secretary during his tour and are now in quarantine, leading to a staffing shortage at the monument, Goodwin said.
Washington Monument shuttered after interior secretary tests positive for the coronavirus
Juliet Eilperin, Lisa Rein and Darryl Fears, The Washington Post
Dec. 18, 2020
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The COVID Memorial Project placed 20,000 American flags near the Washington Monument to memorialize the 200,000+ coronavirus deaths in the United States since the pandemic began. An interfaith memorial service was held Sept. 22 in Washington.Photo for The Washington Post by Amanda Voisard
WASHINGTON - Officials have taken the extraordinary step of closing the Washington Monument starting Friday as a precaution after Interior Secretary David Bernhardt - who gave a private, nighttime tour to other Trump appointees this week - tested positive for the coronavirus.