June 10, 2020 10:13 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. consumer spending plunged by a record-shattering 13.6% in April as the viral pandemic shuttered businesses, forced millions of layoffs and sent the economy into a deep recession. Last month’s spending decline was far worse than the revised 6.9% drop in March, which itself had set a record for the steepest one-month fall in records dating to 1959. The figures reinforced evidence that the economy is gripped by the worst downturn in decades, with consumers unable or too anxious to spend much. Even with employers cutting millions of jobs, though, incomes soared 10.5% in April, reflecting billions of dollars in government payments in the form of unemployment aid and stimulus checks.
June 10, 2020 9:37 am
PITTSBURGH – (WPXI) – Kennywood is opening and so are Sandcastle Waterpark and Idlewild & SoakZone after being unable to get up and running sooner because of COVID-19. An announcement was made Tuesday that the parks will open in phases, starting with a Friends & Family Day on July 6. Several dates after that will be exclusively for Season Passholders. All three parks will open to the general public on July 11. Enhanced safety and cleaning measures will be in place to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations. They include the following:
Limiting Capacity
Pre-Entry Temperature Checks
Face Coverings and Personal Protective Equipment
Social Distancing
Adding Sanitizing Stations
Enhancing Cleaning Measures
Educating Guests & Team Members
June 10, 2020 4:16 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump says he is ruling out changing the name of Army bases named for Confederate Army officers. This comes two days after Defense Secretary Mark Esper indicated he is open to a discussion of such changes, which have been urged by prominent retired Army officers and others. The issue has arisen periodically but is gaining new attention as the nation wrestles with questions of race after the death of George Floyd in the hands of Minneapolis police. In a series of tweets, Trump wrote, “My administration will not even consider” changing those Army base names.
June 10, 2020 4:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Trump administration is opposing a Democratic proposal to extend a $600 per week federal unemployment benefit approved in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia says the $600 payment has served its purpose but is no longer needed as the economy begins to recover. The payment is in addition to normal unemployment benefits, and has helped millions of workers stay in their homes and pay bills. The additional benefit is scheduled to end July 31, but Democrats want the extra benefit to continue through January.
June 10, 2020 4:11 am
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) – The remnants of Tropical Storm Cristobal have moved across parts of the Midwest after lashing the South, unleashing downpours and bringing gusty winds. Heavy rain hit Missouri on Tuesday morning and swept across Illinois, battering Chicago with high winds that downed trees and knocked out electricity to close to 20,000 customers of Commonwealth Edison. National Weather Service says Cristobal may produce flash flooding and isolated river flooding as rains continued overnight and into Wednesday. Cristobal weakened into a depression early Monday after inundating coastal Louisiana and ginning up dangerous weather along most of the U.S. Gulf Coast.
June 10, 2020 4:10 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – A D.C. National Guard spokeswoman says members of the Guard have tested positive for COVID-19 in the wake of the mass protests across the nation’s capital last week. Lt. Col. Brooke Davis says the Guard will not release the exact total. U.S. officials say they believe it is not a large number, at least so far. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information publicly. While some Guard troops responding to the protests wore protective equipment, most were not wearing masks and it was largely impossible to maintain social distancing.
June 10, 2020 4:09 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Despite President Donald Trump’s “law and order” approach to demonstrations over the death of George Floyd, Republicans in Congress are quickly, if quietly, trying to craft legislation to change police practices and accountability. The burst of legislative activity in the Republican ranks is an abrupt turnaround after years of black deaths at the hands of law enforcement. It comes as Trump lashes out at activists who want to “defund the police.” Democrats have unveiled the most sweeping police overhaul in years, and House leaders have recalled lawmakers back to Washington for a vote on it. The White House hopes for a Senate bill soon.
June 10, 2020 4:08 am
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – A statue of Christopher Columbus in Richmond has been torn down by protesters, set on fire and then submerged into a lake. News outlets report the figure was toppled less than two hours after protesters gathered in the city’s Byrd Park Tuesday chanting for the statue to be taken down. The figure was removed from its pedestal around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday by protesters using several ropes. NBC 12 reports it was then set on fire and submerged into a lake in the park. A sign that reads, “Columbus represents genocide” has been placed on the spray-painted foundation that once held the statue.
June 10, 2020 3:57 am
PITTSBURGH, Penn. (AP) – Pennsylvanians caught boating under the influence could face stiffer penalties as support for stricter laws grows in the state Legislature. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported that the House and a Senate committee passed a measure that would make the penalties for people driving a boat under the influence of alcohol or drugs similar to those imposed for driving a car under the influence. The legislation particularly focuses on those boating with minors on board. If the legislation passes, boating under the influence with a minor on board would carry a fine ranging from $1,500 to $10,000, or imprisonment not exceeding five years, or both.
June 9, 2020 4:48 pm
(WPXI) – A Latrobe man was arrested on Sunday for having a 9 mm handgun in his carry-on bag at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Latrobe. A Transportation Security Administration agent spotted the weapon on the checkpoint’s X-ray machine monitor, according to a news release. The gun was unloaded, but there was a magazine also in the bag that was loaded with four bullets. This is the first gun to be caught at that airport this year. Last year, four guns were found at the airport’s security checkpoint.
