Musician sidelined because of COVID-19, says state is ‘silent’ on updating unemployment claims

Don Miniard has been playing for crowds up and down the First Coast for around 40 years. However, in March, the music stopped and so did the gigs when COVID-19 shut down many of his popular hang-out spots. “I’ve played country clubs, bars and restaurants. I played a lot of retirement communities,” he explained. For the first time in his life, he applied for unemployment benefits. Miniard says it took almost two months to get any response from…