Census Disappearing Act: You And Your Home May Have Vanished

Good morning. It’s Monday, Nov. 1, and the beginning of the season of gratitude. Patch launches a month-long initiative, “30 Days of Gratitude,” with the story of a young tenor who lost his golden voice and nearly his life in an accident 50 years ago and clinically died, but made an “irrevocable contract” to live his life with intentional gratitude.

Here are some of the other stories we’re following:

• You and your home may have vanished in the 2020 Census.
• Legendary Boston Red Sox broadcaster and player Jerry Remy dies
• American Airlines canceled hundreds of flights as the industry braces for increased travel from the holidays and the resumption of international travel.
• Lawmakers are getting creative with efforts to bridle social media companies.

30 Days Of Gratitude

Dan Knight "died" half a century ago. He coded during his long recovery from a motorcycle accident. A drunken driver had hit his bike hard, crushing his dreams, and his leg.

Before the accident, he had a promising future as an opera singer. A full-ride scholarship was practically a guarantee for a spot with The Met, the famed opera company in New York City.

He was clinically dead for a few minutes. As many people before him have described, he recalled hearing a voice that told him it wasn’t his time to die. “I felt this energy — almost like I had on suspenders,” he said, “and it yanked me back into my body. … What happened, literally, is it flipped a switch for me, and when I came back, I came back in hyper mode ... with a far deeper and far broader sense of purpose."

Today, Knight, 68, is an accomplished pianist and composer. It isn’t the path he intended, but it was paved with intentional gratitude. Read his story in the first installment of 30 Days Of Gratitude, and come back to Across America Patch every day through November for more stories about living with gratitude. » Opera Singer ‘Died,’ Lives On As Pianist: 30 Days Of Gratitude, via Across America Patch

Vanishing In The Census

Jessica Stephenson does live in a three-bedroom colonial-style house in majority Black neighborhood in Milwaukee. She hasn’t had it moved across town during the past decade. But the 2020 Census says the house is not there. Stephenson doesn’t live there, either.

It’s not an anomaly. From her majority-Black neighborhood in Wisconsin to a community of Hasidic Jews in New York's Catskill Mountains to a park outside Tampa, Florida,It's not a magic trick but rather a new statistical method the bureau is using called differential privacy, which involves the intentional addition of errors to data to obscure the identity of any given participant.

But the change could significantly affect redistricting and how federal funds are distributed to cities. » People, Homes Vanish Due To 2020 Census’ New Privacy Method, via Across America Patch

Airline Cancels Hundreds Of Flights

American Airlines canceled hundreds more flights Sunday at the end of a three-day Halloween weekend riddled by about 1,800 cancellations. The airline said normal flights will resume for the most part Monday, although there will be "some residual impact from the weekend."

By Sunday afternoon, American had already canceled more than 100 Monday flights, according to the FlightAware tracking service. The more than 900 flights canceled Sunday represented one-third of the airline's schedule for the day. American Airlines scrapped nearly 900 flights over the previous two days. » American Airlines Cancels Hundreds Of Halloween Weekend Flights, via Across America Patch

Red Sox Legend Dies

Jerry Remy, the former Red Sox player who went on to become even more well known as a broadcaster, died of cancer. He was 68. Remy took a leave as color commentator for NESN's Red Sox broadcasts on Aug. 4. His last public appearance was Oct. 5, when he threw out the first pitch before the American League wild card game against the Yankees. » Red Sox Broadcaster, Former Player Jerry Remy Dies, via Boston Patch

Today In History

The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome, a cornerstone work of High Renaissance art, was exhibited to the public for the first time on Nov. 1, 1512. The painting is considered one of Italian artist Michelangelo’s finest works, via History.com.

Around ‘The Patch’

• ‘Twindemic’ Threat Looms As Respiratory Virus Spikes In California, via Los Angeles Patch
• 4 Companies Announce Mass Layoffs, Furloughs In Ohio, via Cleveland Patch
• Biden Winds Up G-20 Summit, Dings Russia, China, via Across America Patch
• White House Press Secretary Psaki Says She Has COVID-19, via Across America Patch

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