October 5, 2020 4:23 am
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Deadly wildfires in California have burned more than 4 million acres this year, a new record for the number of acres burned in a single year. The previous record was two years ago when wildfires destroyed 1.67 million acres. California fire officials said the state hit the fearsome milestone Sunday with about two months still left in the fire season. Lightning strikes in mid-August caused some of the most devastating blazes and most of the damage has occurred since then. The wildfires have incinerated hundreds of homes and killed 31 people.
October 5, 2020 4:23 am
NEW YORK (AP) – New York City’s mayor says he has asked the state for permission to close schools and reinstate restrictions on nonessential businesses in several neighborhoods because of a resurgence of the coronavirus. Shutdowns would happen starting Wednesday in nine zip codes in the city. Mayor Bill de Blasio says about 300 public and private schools would have to close. Indoor dining, which just resumed a few days ago, would be suspended. Gyms would also close. áDe Blasio said the city needed the state to sign off on the restrictions. Over the past two weeks, though, the number of new cases of the virus has been rising in pockets of the city.
October 5, 2020 4:22 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – With a shift to the conservatives pending, the Supreme Court is opening a new term. That strengthened majority could roll back abortion rights, expand gun rights and shrink the power of government. Eight justices are getting back to work Monday less than a month before the presidential election. After their colleague Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died last month, the Senate could confirm President Donald Trump’s nominee for Ginsburg’s seat, Judge Amy Coney Barrett, before Election Day. They’re also working in the midst of a pandemic that has forced the court to meet by telephone.
October 5, 2020 4:21 am
For the second day in a row, the Navy commander in charge of President Donald Trump’s care left the world wondering: Just how sick is the president? Dr. Sean Conley is trained in emergency medicine, not infectious disease. He said Sunday that Trump is doing well enough that he might be sent back to the White House in another day — even as he announced the president was given a steroid drug that’s only recommended for the very sick. He also backtracked on whether the president has been given oxygen, confusing experts and raising questions about his credibility.
October 5, 2020 4:18 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany says she has tested positive for COVID-19. This comes days after President Donald Trump tested positive for the coronavirus. McEnany says in a statement that she tested positive Monday morning and is experiencing no symptoms at this time. She spoke briefly with reporters Sunday evening, but says that no members of the White House press corps spent enough time around her to be considered close contacts. She says that she is beginning the quarantine process and “will continue working on behalf of the American People remotely.”
October 5, 2020 4:12 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – Multiple crews battled a large house fire in Pittsburgh’s South Side Slopes neighborhood. According to officials, the fire started around 8 p.m. Sunday on Mt. Oliver Street and quickly engulfed the entire side of the structure. Channel 11 crews could see flames shooting out of the roof and side of the building, and officials said neighboring homes were also evacuated to keep residents safe from potential spread. The fire reached three alarms, and four firefighters were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries sustained while battling the flames. It’s unclear how the fire started, and safety officials told Channel 11 there were two collapses in the backside of the building. That is where most of the damage is. However, fire officials said two nearby buildings were severely damaged due to water and smoke. Luckily, everyone that was inside the building made it out safely after the fire started.
October 5, 2020 4:09 am
WESTMORELAND CO., Pa. — (WPXI) – Just three days after officials with the Penn-Trafford School District said one of its elementary schools would be closed for five days because three staff members tested positive for the coronavirus, two more have the virus. That prompted Level Green Elementary to shut down for the next 14 days. In a message sent to parents Saturday, the superintendent said these five positive cases caused the district to reevaluate its previous plan. Students will learn remotely during the closure, something not all parents agree with. “I think it’s more disruptive to the kids to sit at home, not interact with their friends, and not learn. I think these are key years for their growth and I think it’s really impacting them by not being in school. I think that’s a far greater risk than their health concerns to be honest,” said Dominic Bergamasco. However, the district said it has an obligation to ensure the health, safety and welfare of all members of the community — not just the schools. Another elementary school in the same district — Sunrise Elementary — is closed due to a staff member testing positive for COVID-19, but it is set to reopen Monday.
October 5, 2020 4:06 am
WASHINGTON CO., Pa. – (WPXI) – A Washington County family escaped a massive fire at their house but lost everything inside. Several fire departments responded to the blaze Sunday morning on Quarry Road in South Strabane Township. The homeowner told Channel 11 that the smoke and heat actually woke him up. “I could feel the heat coming right through the wall,” said Sonny Keeney. ““The heat and the fire just knocked me back into my bedroom. It literally knocked me back and I’m thinking, ‘I got to get out of this room.'” His home of 45 years turned into an inferno in just minutes. The house was charred, gutted by the large flames. The retired iron worker sprinted into action. Keeney said he plowed through the bedroom door, quickly getting his wife and two sons out of the house — and then tried to put the fire out himself with a garden hose. Keeney told Channel 11 he was able to find his wife’s wallet in the debris, but that was about it. He said he has insurance, and his family is staying with his daughter for now. The fire marshal is still investigating what exactly caused the destructive blaze.
October 4, 2020 8:13 am
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Tropical Storm Gamma hit the resort-dotted coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula at near-hurricane force on Saturday, flooding streets, knocking down vulnerable buildings and stranding people trying to return from outlying islands. The storm came ashore near Tulum with maximum sustained winds of nearly 70 mph (110 kph) — 4 mph (9 kph short of hurricane force), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. By night, winds had dipped to 60 mph (95 kph), and it was centered about 85 miles (135 kilometers) north-northwest of Tulum, moving to the northwest at 7 mph (11 kph).
October 4, 2020 8:12 am
PARIS (AP) — French authorities deployed about 1,000 firefighters, four military helicopters and troops Sunday to help search for at least eight people still missing in a mountainous southeastern region after devastating floods that killed two people in neighboring Italy. Floods washed away houses and destroyed roads and bridges surrounding the city of Nice on the French Riviera after almost a year’s average rainfall fell in less than 12 hours. Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi said over 100 homes were destroyed or severely damaged. Rescuers on Sunday were also providing emergency assistance, including food and water, to residents living in isolated villages.
