October 3, 2020 4:17 am
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Expected powerful winds didn’t materialize, allowing fire crews a chance to make some gains against a blaze in California’s wine country. But fire officials say winds of up to 30 mph (48 kph) are forecast to push through the hills of Napa and Sonoma counties into Saturday. The Glass Fire, which exploded in size earlier in the week, is threatening more than 28,000 homes and other buildings. Officials also say the death toll increased to 31 people after a person burned in a fire sparked by lightning in mid-August died from their injuries.
October 3, 2020 4:17 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Two Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee have tested positive for the coronavirus. The positive tests raise questions about upcoming Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Judge Amy Coney Barrett. North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis and Utah Sen. Mike Lee both said Friday that they had tested positive for the virus. Both attended a ceremony for Barrett at the White House on Sept. 25 with President Donald Trump, who announced Friday that he had tested positive and was later hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell vowed the confirmation process is going “full steam ahead” despite the outbreak.
October 3, 2020 4:15 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump’s campaign manager, Bill Stepien, has tested positive for the coronavirus. Campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh has confirmed the news, which was first reported by Politico. Politico said Stepien received his diagnosis Friday and is experiencing “mild flu-like symptoms.” Ronna McDaniel, the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, also announced Friday that she had tested positive, joining Trump, the first lady, top Trump aide Hope Hicks and numerous others. Stepien, who joined Trump at Tuesday’s first presidential debate, plans to quarantine until he recovers.
October 3, 2020 4:14 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Stricken by COVID-19, a feverish and fatigued President Donald Trump has been flown to a military hospital where he is being given Remdesivir therapy after being injected with an experimental drug combination in treatment at the White House. In a day of whipsaw events, the president had to rip up his reelection roadmap due to the virus that has killed more than 205,000 Americans, and others in his orbit tested positive as well. The White House said Trump’s expected stay of “a few days” at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center was precautionary and that he would continue to work from the hospital’s presidential suite, which is equipped to allow him to keep up his official duties. The experimental antibody drug given to President Donald Trump has been called one of the most promising approaches to preventing serious illness from a COVID-19 infection. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals said it gave a single dose of the drug under compassionate use provisions. Antibodies are proteins the body makes to help clear a virus. The drug is a concentrated version of two antibodies that worked best in lab tests. Trump was given the drug before he was take to a military hospital as a precaution.
October 3, 2020 4:08 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Tom Wolf is proposing a new government commission that would aim to slow the growth in health care spending and improve affordability by establishing an annual cost benchmark and holding large health providers and insurers accountable to it. The Health Value Commission would set a statewide target for the rate of growth in health spending, and require health care organizations that exceed the target to come up with a plan to bring costs under control. Officials say the commission would have the power to monitor compliance and levy fines. The proposal requires legislative approval. It’s unclear whether the Republican-controlled General Assembly will go along with it.
October 3, 2020 2:22 am
(AP) – A federal appeals court has temporarily restored Pennsylvania’s pandemic restrictions on indoor and outdoor gatherings, putting on hold a judge’s ruling that threw out statewide limits on crowd size. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday said the administration of Gov. Tom Wolf may once again enforce size limits on gatherings while it appeals the lower court order. U.S. District Judge William Stickman IV in Pittsburgh, an appointee of President Donald Trump, had ruled against the state’s size limits on indoor and outdoor gatherings. Stickman’s Sept. 14 order prompted many Pennsylvania school districts to allow more fans in the stands at high school football games and other athletic contests.
October 3, 2020 2:18 am
Santa Claus is still coming to Canonsburg this year, but will not be making his entrance via the annual Christmas Parade. Lisa Scarmazzi is chairman of Canonsburg’s Old Fashioned Christmas and she tells us that after careful consideration, and out of an abundance of caution regarding the coronavirus pandemic, they have decided to cancel this years parade and the Hallmark celebration. Scarmazzi though, says they won’t be letting the holiday season go by without some form of celebration, including a visit by Santa Claus himself. Scarmazzi says they’ll be decorating Canonsburg with lights and garland and have teamed up with Washington City Mission to use their storefront for Santa Claus. Scarmazzi says they’ve asked Santa to sit in the big picture window and wave as children drive by. Scarmazzi says they’ll also be featuring vendors in that building throughout the holiday season.
October 2, 2020 3:11 pm
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) – The University of Notre Dame’s president says he has tested positive for the coronavirus less than a week after he attended a White House event without wearing a mask. The Rev. John Jenkins sent an email Friday to university students and staff saying his symptoms are mild and that he will continue to work from home. The announcement came after Jenkins this week apologized for not wearing a mask during Saturday’s Rose Garden ceremony Saturday for Judge Amy Coney Barrett, President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee who is a Notre Dame graduate and law professor.
October 2, 2020 3:10 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – Joe Biden has tested negative for the coronavirus, according to his primary care doctor. The Democratic presidential candidate and his wife were tested earlier in the day after news of President Donald Trump’s infection was announced. Dr. Kevin O’Connor released the negative results in a statement issued by the Biden campaign. Biden was on the debate stage with Trump for more than 90 minutes earlier in the week. Biden, in a social media post, thanked his supporters for “messages of concern.” He added: “I hope this serves as a reminder: wear a mask, keep social distance, and wash your hands.”
October 2, 2020 1:37 pm
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – The NFL has rescheduled the Pittsburgh-Tennessee game postponed from Sunday to Oct. 25 in Week 7, and the Steelers will play Baltimore on Nov. 1 as a result of the Titans’ COVID-19 outbreak. The league announced the scheduling changes Friday, hours after the Titans’ outbreak expanded by two more players to a total of 14 within the past week. Officials from the NFL and its players union were in Nashville reviewing how the Titans have handled the outbreak. The Vikings, who played the Titans last week, again had no positive results and are on target to play Houston on Sunday
