Elevated levels of red tide have been detected off the coast of Sarasota, the Florida Department of Health reported on Friday.

The state also received reports of respiratory irritation associated with the algal bloom, a release from the health department in Sarasota said.

Signs warning beachgoers about red tide are being placed at Longboat Key, Bird Key Park, North Lido Beach, Lido Casino, South Lido, Siesta Beach, Turtle Beach, Nokomis Beach and North Jetty Beach.

The Florida Department of Health reported Friday that 7,296 people tested positive for COVID-19, which brought the seven-day total to more than 38,000 cases.

That's roughly 4,000 more cases than last week's total.

The greater Tampa Bay region recorded 1,607 cases on Friday, with 9,700 reported over the past week.

Nearly 130,000 coronavirus tests were returned on Thursday and the positivity rate for new cases was 6.8%. The state averaged a positivity rate of 7.38% for the week.

Procrastinating Americans woke up on that April day knowing their taxes were due. President Richard Nixon had just eased a trade embargo on China. The Supreme Court was deciding whether busing was a constitutional means to desegregate American schools. In a few months, the voting age would be lowered to 18, and The New York Times would expose government secrets by publishing the Pentagon Papers, making the Vietnam War even more unpopular with the public. In Florida, Walt Disney World would open its doors, forever changing the tourism landscape of the state.

The St. Petersburg City Council on Thursday said it’s time to slow down redevelopment of the Tropicana Field site – and see what owners of the Tampa Bay Rays plan to do.

After hearing a short presentation from team owners for the first time since the development finalists were identified, the council unanimously passed a resolution asking Mayor Rick Kriseman to include the Rays in the site selection process.

Specifically, it asks that Kriseman delay bringing a final selection to the council for approval until the future of the Rays is determined.

Republican lawmakers handed Gov. Ron DeSantis one of his top legislative priorities Thursday, with the Florida Senate giving final passage to a contentious law-and-order measure spawned by nationwide protests after last year’s death of George Floyd.

The sweeping proposal, titled “Combating Public Disorder,” would create a new crime of “mob intimidation,” enhance penalties for riot-related looting and violence and create an affirmative defense for individuals who injure or kill violent protesters.

All federal prison inmates will have the opportunity to receive a vaccine by mid-May, according to the director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Michael Carvajal.

Vaccines have already been made available to all federal prison staff, he said, speaking before the Senate Judiciary Committee in a hearing Thursday.

More than 40,000 people incarcerated in federal prisons have received both doses of the vaccine, the bureau says, which is about a third of the people in BOP custody. Nearly 18,000 federal prison staff have been fully vaccinated.

Liberty University is suing former president Jerry Falwell Jr. for millions of dollars, accusing him of withholding damaging personal information from school officials while negotiating a lucrative employment agreement for himself, among other allegations.

Each week, we answer "frequently asked questions" about life during the coronavirus crisis. If you have a question you'd like us to consider for a future post, email us at goatsandsoda@npr.org with the subject line: "Weekly Coronavirus Questions."

I've been hearing about breakthrough infections in people who have been vaccinated. Should I be worried? What can I do to protect myself?

The short answer:

Russia retaliated Friday over a new round of U.S. sanctions imposed a day ago by the Biden administration over the SolarWinds cyberattack and the Kremlin's election meddling.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said 10 U.S. diplomats will be expelled from Russia, mirroring the 10 Russian diplomats ordered to leave the U.S. on Thursday. Moscow will also add eight U.S. officials to its sanctions list and will restrict the activities of U.S. nongovernmental organizations, or NGOs, operating in Russia.