April 11, 2021 4:23 am
WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. (WPXI) — There are a number of changes you need to know if you’re planning to visit Kennywood this summer. Park officials said some attractions are closed for the 2021 season until further notice due to the pandemic: Skycoaster, Noah’s Ark, 4D Theater, Thomas Town Big Adventures Play Zone, Steelers Experience Building. Park guests and employees will be required to wear face coverings according to the CDC’s guidelines. Everyone wishing to enter the park will be required to have a temperature screening before entering. Anyone with a temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher or with symptoms of COVID-19 will be denied entry. Automatic hand sanitizer dispensers have been added at the park entrance and at various locations throughout. Markers will be placed on the ground to achieve six feet of social distance between people. The markers will be on the ground for all lines and waiting areas. Plexiglass barriers will be installed in areas where social distancing cannot be achieved. Guests on water rides must not wear masks due to the possibility of getting splashed. Additionally, park officials said state regulations still call for attendance to be capped at 50%. There will be efforts made to update guests via the park’s website and social media platforms on dates with large numbers of people or when capacity is expected to be limited. Guaranteed entrance will be given to guests with date-specific tickets and those visiting as part of a school or group outing. “While we cannot guarantee admittance in the event we have reached capacity, we will constantly monitor in-park attendance and admit new guests as others leave the park,” officials said on Kennywood’s website. There will no longer be self-serve condiments and topping stations. Pre-portioned condiments and toppings will be handed out to guests upon request with their food order. Self-serve soda fountain stations will also not be used. Kennywood is scheduled to open on May 8.
April 11, 2021 2:35 am
Allegheny County saw nearly 600 new COVID-19 cases Friday and 10 additional deaths as vaccination efforts ramp up across the area. In the last 24 hours, the county reported 593 new coronavirus cases, which includes 433 confirmed cases and 160 probable ones. The new cases involve people age seven months to 96 years old. The increases come as several COVID-19 vaccination clinics are being held Friday. Officials with Allegheny Health Network said there are thousands of vaccines still available for two clinics, and no appointment is needed for the one on Friday. In addition to everyone eligible in phases 1A and 1B, the state has granted AHN permission to open up eligibility to everyone in Phase 1C. COVID cases are up in Washington and Greene counties as well. On Friday, there were 94 new COVID cases reported in Washington County and 30 in Greene County. Neither county, though, saw any new deaths.
April 10, 2021 11:42 am
LONDON (AP) – Gun salutes across the U.K., in Commonwealth countries and at sea are marking the death of Britain’s Prince Philip as military leaders honor the former naval officer and husband of Queen Elizabeth II. Batteries of cannons and guns in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast fired off 41 rounds at one-minute intervals on Saturday. The Australian Defense Force offered its salute at 5 p.m. local time outside Parliament House in Canberra, while a Royal Navy crew shot from a salute from a ship in Oman. Members of the public left flowers outside Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle on Saturday, ignoring appeals from authorities and the royal family to refrain from gathering because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
April 10, 2021 11:40 am
KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent (AP) – Extremely heavy ashfall is raining down on parts of the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent and a strong sulfur smell is enveloping communities áa day after a powerful explosion at La Soufriere volcano uprooted the lives of thousands of people who evacuated their homes under government orders. Caribbean nations including Antigua and Guyana offered help by either shipping emergency supplies or agreeing to temporarily open their borders to the roughly 16,000 evacuees fleeing ash-covered communities. The volcano kept rumbling Saturday and experts warned that explosive eruptions could continue for days or weeks.
April 10, 2021 11:38 am
More Black Americans say they are open to taking the coronavirus vaccine. The shift in public opinion comes amid nationwide efforts to overcome a shared historical distrust of science and government. A poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research in late March found about 24% of Black American adults said they will probably or definitely not get vaccinated. That’s down from 41% in January. The executive director of the American Public Health Association says attitudes toward the vaccine among Black Americans have taken “almost a 180-degree turnaround” as outreach campaigns have sought to combat misinformation.
April 10, 2021 11:36 am
State lawmakers across the U.S. are taking actions to limit the emergency powers of governors – not just in the current coronavirus pandemic, but for any future emergencies. The pushback is coming primarily from Republican lawmakers but is not entirely partisan. GOP lawmakers are targeting both Democratic and Republican governors. And some Democratic lawmakers also have sought to limit the powers of governors in their own party. Lawmakers say some states have been operating under emergency laws that date back decades and didn’t envision a crisis that stretched for more than a year.
April 10, 2021 11:32 am
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – Republican state legislators have been in overdrive this year on so-called culture-war bills. They’ve moved firmly on abortion limits, restrictions on the rights of transgender youth and more. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson offered a rare rebuke of that effort this past week by vetoing a bill banning gender-confirming treatments for transgender youth. South Carolina, South Dakota, Oklahoma and Tennessee are among the states where GOP lawmakers are pushing similar cultural legislation from the right. The bills reflect the larger mood of the Republican Party as it portrays Democrats as out of touch with average Americans.
April 10, 2021 4:28 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – After a year of frustration over long waits for benefits, jammed phone lines and confusing filing procedures, Pennsylvania’s Department of Labor and Industry is promising a much quicker and easier unemployment compensation claims filing system. The new system scheduled to launch June 8 is based on what the department said Thursday is modern software to replace an “obsolete 40-year-old mainframe legacy system.” It arrives after a series of bungled efforts to replace the system began in 2006. Pandemic-related shutdowns starting last spring stressed the system like never before, as claims shot to record levels and swamped a barebones staff forced to work remotely.
April 10, 2021 4:27 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania’s largest public pension system are giving a little more detail about a federal probe, saying the agency received a subpoena, although it is staying silent about subpoenas said to have been received by top management officials. Officials at the Public School Employees’ Retirement System and board members have declined to answer questions publicly about what information federal investigators are seeking. In a brief statement Thursday, the $64 billion pension system said it had been served with a grand jury subpoena for documents. Pension system officials have said nothing about Tuesday’s revelation by state Treasurer Stacy Garrity that federal subpoenas were served on “several PSERS management officials.”
April 9, 2021 7:17 am
LONDON (AP) – Buckingham Palace officials say Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, has died. He was 99. Philip spent a month in hospital earlier this year before being released on March 16 to return to Windsor Castle. Philip, also known as the Duke of Edinburgh, married Elizabeth in 1947 and was the longest-serving consort in British history. He retired from public engagements in 2017 after carrying out more than 20,000 of them. Philip was a member of the Greek royal family and was born on the Greek island of Corfu in 1921. He was an avid sportsman who loved country pursuits. He had four children, eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. Prince Philip will be laid to rest with all the honors due a prince of the United Kingdom and a consort to Queen Elizabeth II. But the coronavirus pandemic means it will be a more low-key farewell than has marked many royal deaths. The pandemic has required changes to the well-prepared plans for Philip’s passing. Philip’s body will not lie in state and he will not have a state funeral, in keeping with his wishes. His funeral will be held in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, west of London, and is likely to be attended by close family. The palace has invited well-wishers to sign a book of condolences – but only online, to avoid crowds and queues.
