May 20, 2020 4:09 am
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) – New Jersey has launched a website to debunk rumors and hoaxes associated with the spread of the coronavirus, following a false text message of impending national lockdown that circulated widely across the United States. The effort comes amid a torrent of misinformation about the outbreak and is part of similar actions underway in other states to knock down potentially harmful misinformation. The lack of consistent, accurate information from the White House has put further pressure on state leaders to confront what misinformation experts have termed “an infodemic” surrounding the outbreak.
May 20, 2020 4:08 am
NEW YORK (AP) – U.S. births continued to fall last year, leading to the fewest number of newborns in 35 years. The decline is the latest sign of a prolonged national “baby bust” that’s been going on for more than a decade. Some experts believe the decline will get even worse because of the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the economy. The latest numbers were released Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Aside from a one-year uptick in 2014, U.S. births have been falling every year since 2007. Experts say there are a number of causes, but chief among them are shifting attitudes about motherhood.
May 20, 2020 4:07 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Republican political operatives are recruiting what are described as “extremely pro-Trump” doctors to go on television to prescribe reviving the U.S. economy as quickly as possible, without waiting to meet safety benchmarks proposed by public health experts to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. The plan was discussed in a May 11 conference call that included GOP-aligned groups and a Trump campaign staffer. A leaked recording of the hour-long call was provided to The Associated Press. A Trump campaign spokesman confirmed an effort to recruit doctors to publicly support the president is underway, but declined to say when the initiative would be rolled out.
May 20, 2020 4:06 am
EDENVILLE, Mich. (AP) – Rapidly rising water has overtaken dams and forced the evacuation of about 10,000 people in central Michigan. Michigan Gov. Gretchen says among the threatened areas is downtown Midland, which could be “under approximately 9 feet of water” by Wednesday. The city of 42,000 is home to Dow Chemical Co.’s main plant, which sits on the riverbank. The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for locations along the Tittabawassee River after the breach at the Edenville Dam in northern Midland County and the Sanford Dam located about 8 miles downriver. It urged residents along the river to immediately seek higher ground. (Photo: CNN)
May 20, 2020 4:06 am
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – A federal judge has ordered Texas to allow any of the state’s 16 million voters to cast a ballot by mail over fears of the coronavirus. The ruling Tuesday paves the way for what would be one of the most dramatic expansions of mail-in voting in the country. Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who says fear of catching the virus doesn’t meet the standard to vote by mail, says he’ll appeal. Texas will hold primary runoff elections in July.
May 20, 2020 4:04 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Nearly 50 Pennsylvania nursing homes have reported 20 or more deaths related to COVID-19. That’s according to preliminary data released Tuesday by the state Department of Health. Nursing homes and personal care homes have struggled for months to contain the virus, with residents of the facilities accounting for more than two-thirds of the state’s overall death toll of 4,624. The state’s worst nursing home outbreak is at Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center in Beaver County, near the Ohio border, where 358 residents and 25 workers have contracted the virus. Brighton has reported 76 deaths.
May 20, 2020 4:03 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Real estate sales and related activity can resume across Pennsylvania if guidelines designed to limit infection are followed. Gov. Tom Wolf announced Tuesday new guidance that says people in the real estate industry can get back to work as long as they all wear masks or other facial coverings, and use separate vehicles to drive to visit properties. Business that’s conducted in person must be scheduled ahead of time and limited to no more than the real estate worker and two people inside a property at a time. Pennsylvania reported fewer than 1,000 new coronavirus infections for a ninth consecutive day Tuesday.
May 20, 2020 4:01 am
Months after a previous deal to save his company fell through, Robert Levin has reached a deal to buy back Levin Furniture out of bankruptcy. According to a release, Levin had previously reached an agreement with Art Van Furniture to buy back the company in March, but that deal fell apart when Art Van Furniture — citing the COVID-19 pandemic — closed its doors and terminated all employees across the entire company. The deal will allow selected store in Pennsylvania and Ohio to reopen in the coming months. “We have worked tirelessly over the past two months for an opportunity to buy back the Levin Furniture brand,” Levin said in the release. “My goals have always been to protect as many jobs as possible for Levin associates, and to continue to serve our loyal customers. Today’s agreement is the first step in accomplishing those goals.” A month after the initial deal fell through, Levin made good on his promise to not forget about the 1,200 employees who lost their jobs. In April, he set up a $2 million assistance fund to help out, with checks arriving in former employees’ mailboxes. Levin said the headquarters will continue to be Pittsburgh-based, while Matt Schultz and John Schultz will be co-CEOs of the new company — which will still be called “Levin Furniture.” According to the release, several locations will open this summer. Details on locations and timing will come later as the transaction is finalized.
May 20, 2020 3:55 am
Because of the anticipated revenue gaps that might be caused by the Covid-19 Pandemic, North Strabane Supervisors last month froze the road paving program until anticipated income from the Meadows Casino arrived. Those funds arrived this week and supervisors released $611,669 in funding to allow the 2020 road paving program to be completed. Township Manager Andrew Walz was pleased that the over $1,000,000 project will be completed this year and nothing will be delayed until 2021. Supervisors are looking into drafting an ordinance to allow the township to recoup costs from individuals that are deemed to be abusing the 9-1-1 Emergency System. Walz gave an illustration of someone calling 9-1-1 because of a health issue and when responders arrive, the caller really wanted to have their air conditioner turned on. Walz says that the ordinance will allow the township to bill that caller for an abuse to the system. If the bill is not paid, the township will sue at the magistrate to recoup their costs. Finally, supervisors fired their current project engineer Pennoni Engineering and replaced them with Gibson-Thomas Engineering. Township officials were displeased with delays for permits that Pennoni was responsible in acquiring. The NPDES permit that had been sent back 5 times for additional information, was finally delivered and Pennoni was replaced upon the arrival of that permit.
May 20, 2020 2:19 am
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger released a video this week, showing him throwing a ball with teammates and then receiving a trim from a barber that Roethlisberger said would have to wait until he could make legit NFL throws following right elbow surgery. That video, of the haircut, drew the ire of Governor Tom Wolf. Roethlisberger visited a barber shop in Allegheny County and those businesses have not been cleared to reopen in that region yet. “My concern is just a general concern,” Wolf said, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “Anybody who puts himself or herself into harm’s way is something that I think we ought to try to avoid. And when you go to something like a barbershop and you’re not protected, I don’t care who you are, the chances of that virus actually wreaking havoc on your life increases. I don’t personally think any Pennsylvanian ought to take that chance and I certainly don’t want to take that chance myself.” Wolf did not say if any action would be taken against the barber shop that Roethlisberger visited after throwing to JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Conner and Ryan Switzer. (Photo: TMZ)
