September 18, 2020 2:52 am
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Ohio has released guidelines for Halloween that discourage traditional trick-or-treating. The guidelines provided by the Ohio Department of Health on Friday also strongly recommend that haunted houses and hayrides be canceled. The guidelines recommend trick-or-treating alternatives such as drive-through events with children in cars collecting treats from individuals spaced at least six feet apart. The guidelines also suggest leaving treats in mailboxes or decorating houses and hiding treats outside. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has said that decisions to allow trick-or-treating will be up to local communities. The Health Department also says large in-person parties shouldn’t be held.
September 18, 2020 2:38 am
Gov. Tom Wolf and Pa. Department of Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine made good on their promise to loosen restrictions on indoor dining, as they announced capacity limits will increase to 50% starting Sept. 21st. The new order, which takes effect Monday, allows restaurants to increase capacity to 50% and be a part of the state’s new “Open & Certified” searchable online database. On-site alcohol serving is still required to end at 11 p.m., while customers will be able to drink until midnight starting Sept. 21. There is no change to the requirements for to-go sales and alcohol take-out sales. This order does not affect the gathering limits in Pennsylvania, both indoors and outdoors. That is still limited to 50 people and 250 people, respectively.
September 17, 2020 4:48 pm
SEATTLE (AP) – A U.S. judge on Thursday blocked controversial Postal Service changes that have slowed mail nationwide. The judge called them “a politically motivated attack on the efficiency of the Postal Service” before the November election. Judge Stanley Bastian in Yakima, Washington, said he was issuing a nationwide preliminary injunction as sought by 14 states that sued the Trump administration and the U.S. Postal Service. The states challenged the Postal Service’s so-called “leave mail behind” policy, by which trucks have been leaving postal facilities on time whether or not there is more mail to load. They also sought to force the Postal Service to treat election mail as First Class mail.
September 17, 2020 2:59 pm
HARRISBURG (AP) — Pennsylvania’s highest court on Thursday handed victories to the Democratic Party in an election-related lawsuit that sought favorable fixes to glitches and gray areas in the battleground state’s fledgling mail-in voting law. The state Supreme Court, which has a 5-2 Democratic majority, granted the Democratic Party’s request to order an extension of Pennsylvania’s Election Day-deadline to count mailed-in ballots for three days after Election Day. It also authorized the use of satellite election offices and drop boxes — which Philadelphia and its heavily populated suburbs are planning to use help relieve the pressure from an avalanche of mailed-in ballots expected in the Nov. 3 presidential election. The court’s ruling comes as Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, and the Republican-controlled Legislature are at a stalemate over some of the issues, less than seven weeks before the election.
September 17, 2020 12:36 pm
The West Greene School District in Greene County has confirmed that two students have tested positive for the coronavirus and as a result, the district has moved students to a full schedule of remote learning. The district returned to in-person classes on September 3rd. District officials say the COVID-19 cases were discovered in one elementary and one secondary student but were “unrelated to in-school transmission.” The confirmed virus cases though, has led to the postponement of Friday night’s football game between West Greene and California. West Greene’s Athletic Director, Bill Simms, says the game cancellation was a precautionary measure and has nothing to do with the athletic teams. The game has not been rescheduled.
September 17, 2020 8:50 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell last week to 860,000, a historically high figure that reflects economic damage from the coronavirus outbreak. Before the pandemic hit the economy, the number signing up for jobless aid had never exceeded 700,000 in a week, even in the depths of the 2007-2009 Great Recession. The Labor Department also said Thursday that 12.6 million are collecting traditional unemployment benefits, up from 1.7 million a year ago.
September 17, 2020 6:47 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania’s top lawyer is asking a federal judge to retain Gov. Tom Wolf’s limits on crowd size, at least for now. The attorney general’s office warned Wednesday that allowing large groups to congregate during a legal battle over Wolf’s public health orders “will result in people’s deaths” from the coronavirus. The office of Attorney General Josh Shapiro asked the judge, an appointee of President Donald Trump, to delay enforcement of his ruling that many of the Democratic governor’s pandemic shutdown orders were unconstitutional, including his limits on indoor and outdoor gatherings. A lawyer for the plaintiffs says they’ll “vigorously” oppose the state’s request for a stay.
September 17, 2020 4:17 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump is openly contradicting the government’s top health experts, predicting a safe and effective vaccine against the coronavirus could be ready as early as next month and in mass distribution soon after. That claim Wednesday undermined the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, whom Trump called “confused” in projecting a longer time frame. Trump is also disagreeing with Dr. Robert Redfield about the effectiveness of protective masks and says he has telephoned Redfield to tell him so. The CDC has sent all 50 states a “playbook” for distributing vaccine to all Americans free of charge, assuming one can be proven safe and effective.
September 17, 2020 4:15 am
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – In a surprise twist that fit an unexpected year of firsts, Carrie Underwood and Thomas Rhett tied for entertainer of the year at the Academy of Country Music Awards. Underwood, who has won the prize twice before, said she was more than happy to share the award, while Rhett is a first-time winner in the category. The show had been delayed and moved to Nashville due to the pandemic and was held in empty venues. Taylor Swift made a subdued return to the ACM stage with an acoustic performance, while Luke Combs walked away a winner, too, by picking up album of the year and male artist of the year. (Photo: CNN)
September 17, 2020 4:14 am
The smoke from dozens of wildfires in the western United States is stretching clear across the country – and even pushing into Mexico, Canada and Europe. While the dangerous plumes are forcing people inside along the West Coast, residents thousands of miles away in the East are seeing unusually hazy skies and remarkable sunsets. The sun was transformed into a perfect orange orb as it set over New York City on Tuesday. On Wednesday, New Jersey residents described a yellow tinge to the overcast skies. Experts say the smoke poses less of a health concern for those who are farther away.
