June 3, 2020 1:52 pm
Firefighters from North Strabane Township were called out around eleven-thirty Wednesday morning to reports of a fire on the roof of the Doubletree Hotel on Racetrack Road. North Strabane Assistant Fire Chief Rich Yosi tells WJPA News that the fire started when an electrical unit on the building’s HVAC unit caught fire. Yosi says the fire burned a small, four-foot section of the roof and sent some smoke into the lobby. He says the building was briefly evacuated but firefighters had everything under control quickly and were only on the scene for about an hour and a half. There were no reports of any injuries.
June 3, 2020 4:09 am
(AP) – Researchers say that a malaria drug President Donald Trump took to try to prevent COVID-19 proved ineffective for that in the first large, high-quality study to test it in health workers and others closely exposed to people with the disease. Results published Wednesday by the New England Journal of Medicine show that hydroxychloroquine was no better than placebo pills at preventing illness from the coronavirus. The study involved 821 people in the U.S. or Canada who took the drug or placebo pills for five days. Two weeks later, illness rates were similar in both groups.
June 3, 2020 4:08 am
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) – President Donald Trump says he is seeking a new state to host the Republican National Convention after North Carolina refused to guarantee the event could be held in Charlotte without restrictions because of ongoing concerns over the coronavirus. Trump tweeted the news Tuesday night, complaining that the state’s governor, Democrat Roy Cooper, and other officials “refuse to guarantee that we can have use of the Spectrum Arena” and are not “allowing us to occupy the arena as originally anticipated and promised.” Trump and the Republican National Committee had been demanding that the convention be allowed to move forward with a full crowd and no face coverings.
June 3, 2020 4:07 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Army says Defense Secretary Mark Esper has overturned an earlier decision to send a couple hundred active-duty soldiers home from the Washington, D.C., region. The decision Wednesday comes amid growing tensions between the White House and the Pentagon over the military response to the protests. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy tells The Associated Press that the decision came after Esper attended a meeting at the White House, and after other internal Pentagon discussions. He says he believes the change was based on ensuring there is enough military support in the region to respond to any protest problems if needed.
June 3, 2020 4:06 am
NEW YORK (AP) – An 8 p.m. curfew didn’t stop thousands of defiant demonstrators from marching through the streets of New York City throughout the night though some of the repant destruction seen over the last few nights was quelleed. Mayor Bill de Blasio on Tuesday had doubled down on a citywide curfew, moving it up from 11 p.m. the night before. He rejected urging from President Donald Trump and an offer from Gov. Andrew Cuomo to bring in the National Guard. People marched in groups of thousands in parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn throughout the night Tuesday. Just after midnight Wednesday, most of the city’s streets were cleared aside from police patrolling, especially in hot-spot areas for demonstrations.
June 3, 2020 4:01 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania held a primary election amid civil unrest, a pandemic, the introduction of new voting machines in 22 counties and the debut of mail-in balloting that pushed county election bureaus to their limits. Polls closed at 8 p.m. Tuesday. Long lines were reported in Philadelphia, where polling places were dramatically consolidated, while two suburban Philadelphia counties won court decisions to extend counting of mail-in ballots. The result of the highest-profile contest on the ballot was a foregone conclusion: President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, uncontested for their party’s nominations, both won their primary Tuesday in Pennsylvania. County officials otherwise warned that many contest results would be delayed well past election night.
June 3, 2020 2:50 am
Gov. Tom Wolf announced on Friday that a number of counties will transition into the green phase, the phase with the fewest restrictions in the governor’s stoplight-colored three-phase reopening plan, starting next Friday, June 5th. Sixteen counties in western and central Pennsylvania, including much of the Pittsburgh area, will move into the green phase and they include Allegheny, Armstrong, Bedford, Blair, Butler, Cambria, Clinton, Fayette, Fulton, Greene, Indiana, Lycoming, Mercer, Somerset, Washington and Westmoreland counties. As for what the “Green Phase” will mean, see below:
Work-related restrictions:
- Continued telework is strongly encouraged.
- Businesses with in-person operations must follow updated business and building safety requirements.
- All businesses operating at 50% occupancy in the yellow phase may increase to 75% occupancy.
- Childcare facilities may open and must comply with state guidelines.
- Congregate care restrictions are in place.
- Prison and hospital restrictions to be determined by individual facilities.
- Schools subject to CDC and state guidance.
Social restrictions:
- Large gatherings of more than 250 persons are prohibited.
- Restaurants and bars can open at 50% occupancy.
- Personal care services (including hair salons and barber shops) can open at 50% occupancy and by appointment only.
- Indoor recreation, health and wellness businesses and personal care services (including gyms and spas) can open at 50% occupancy with appointments strongly encouraged.
- All entertainment facilities (including casinos, theaters and shopping malls) can open at 50% occupancy.
- Construction activity may return to full capacity with continued implementation of protocols.
More information on the state’s reopening plan can be found at this link: www.governor.pa.gov/process-to-reopen-pennsylvania/.
June 2, 2020 3:39 pm
NEW YORK (AP) – Though Blackout Tuesday was originally organized by the music community, the social media world also went dark in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, joining voices around the world outraged by the killings of black people in the U.S. Instagram and Twitter accounts, from record labels to everyday people, were full of black squares posted in response to the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor. Most of the captions were blank, though some posted (hash)TheShowMustBePaused, black heart emojis or encouraged people to vote. Seven states and the District of Columbia on Tuesday host presidential primary elections. But some on social media question if posting black squares diverts attentions.
June 2, 2020 3:35 pm
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) – The astronauts launched into orbit by SpaceX have joined in the ringing of the opening bell for Nasdaq. NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken took part in the ceremony from the International Space Station, three days after their historic launch on a rocket built and owned by Elon Musk’s company. They floated alongside space station commander Chris Cassidy as he rang a ship’s bell to open trading on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange.
June 2, 2020 7:57 am
The bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington is sharply criticizing President Donald Trump for staging a visit to the historic St. John’s Church across from the White House. During Trump’s visit Monday night, he held up a Bible after authorities had cleared out peaceful protesters. The diocese of the Rev. Mariann Budde includes St. John’s, and Budde said she was “outraged” by the moment and noted that Trump didn’t pray during his visit. Budde said the church was “completely caught off-guard” by the visit, with no sense that this it’s a sacred space to be used for sacred purposes.
