April 27, 2020 9:42 am
NEW YORK (AP) – New York has canceled its Democratic presidential primary that was scheduled for June 23 amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Democratic members of the State’s Board of Elections voted Monday to nix the primary. New York will still hold its congressional and state-level primaries on June 23. The decision comes as Gov. Andrew Cuomo said stay-at-home restrictions could be eased in mid-May for parts of the state where the coronavirus outbreak is less severe. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday that New York City-run health clinics will soon use a procedure that lets people collect samples themselves at a health care worker’s direction. He said the “self-swab” tests would allow for more and easier testing, and make it safer for test-seekers and health care workers.
April 27, 2020 4:08 am
CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) – The average U.S. price of regular-grade gasoline fell 9 cents over the past two weeks, to $1.93 per gallon. Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg of the Lundberg Survey says prices at the pump have dropped 61 cents over the past nine weeks and 80 cents since mid-October. She says prices are expected to continue their slide as demand declines amid widespread stay-at-home orders during the coronavirus pandemic. The highest average price in the nation for regular-grade gas is $3.13 per gallon in Honolulu. The lowest average is $1.30 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. áThe average price of diesel is $2.62, down 7 cents.
April 27, 2020 4:07 am
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) – Police say a shooting in the Louisiana capital of Baton Rouge has left a police officer dead and a second officer wounded and fighting for his life. Baton Rouge Police Chief Murphy Paul told media outlets the two áwere shot Sunday while investigating reports of gunfire. The chief said a suspect was taken into custody after an hours-long standoff at a house in which shots were fired at a SWAT team and SWAT members returned fire. No one was reported hurt during the standoff. Paul identified the suspect as 36-year-old Ronnie Kato. The chief didn’t immediately say what charges Kato might face.
April 27, 2020 4:06 am
EL PASO, Teas (AP) – A hospital official says that a man shot in the Aug. 3 attack targeting Latinos in an El Paso Walmart has died after months in the hospital. Guillermo ‘Memo’ Garcia was fundraising for his daughter’s soccer team in front of the Walmart when he was shot nine months ago. His death raises the toll from the attack to 23. Garcia is survived by his family including his wife Jessica, who escaped the attack after being shot in the leg. Twenty-one-year-old Patrick Crusius, remains jailed and is awaiting trial. State prosecutors have charged him with murder and are pursuing the death penalty. Federal prosecutors charged him with hate crimes.
April 27, 2020 4:05 am
NEW YORK (AP) – The billions of dollars in coronavirus relief targeted at small businesses may not prevent some of them from ending up in bankruptcy court. The number of business filings under Chapter 11 of the federal bankruptcy law rose sharply in March, and attorneys who work with struggling companies are seeing signs that owners are contemplating the possibility of bankruptcy. Many businesses around the country remain uncertain when economic activity will be allowed to resume, potentially rendering any government relief money they get too little too late. But a federal law that took effect in February gives owners a better chance of keeping their companies under Chapter 11.
April 27, 2020 4:04 am
ATLANTA (AP) – Georgia’s reopening is set to continue as more restrictions against the coronavirus are loosened in the big Southern state. Movie theaters on Monday can welcome customers and limited in-restaurant dining may resume. This comes after other businesses, including barbershops, gyms, tattoo shops and nail salons, were allowed to start seeing customers Friday. Many establishments gratefully opened their doors after a month-long closure, but others didn’t feel ready yet amid the pandemic and remained shuttered. A similar mixed response is expected from the businesses allowed to reopen Monday.
April 27, 2020 4:03 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – White House strategists are planning to shift President Donald Trump’s public focus from the coronavirus to the burgeoning efforts aimed at easing the economic devastation caused by the pandemic. That will put him in the position of looking forward to more promising times, Aides intend to put him in more controlled settings than his daily briefings, where his ability to grab headlines with freewheeling performances has become a liability. And plans are being drawn up for a limited schedule of travel within the next few weeks. Meantime, Republican polling shows that his path to reelection depends on how the public assesses the pace of the economic rebound.
April 27, 2020 3:58 am
PITTSBURGH — The University of Pittsburgh released more details to students about its historic virtual graduation ceremony, scheduled for Sunday April 26. University officials said it will be the first online gathering of its kind in school history. Nearly 4,800 undergraduate students, their friends and family had expected to crowd the Peterson Events Center for graduation, but then the COVID-19 outbreak happened. Still, the university said it is determined to not let this milestone for the class of 2020 go unmarked. On April 26 at 11:30 a.m., nearly 8,000 undergraduate, master’s, professional and doctoral candidates will celebrate their graduation online. Pitt will host the virtual celebration on commencement.pitt.edu. The 30-minute event will include what you’d see in a traditional graduation ceremony, plus remarks from Chancellor Gallagher, Provost Ann E. Cudd, greetings from deans and alumni and remarks from four graduating seniors.
April 27, 2020 3:51 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WPXI) – The Wolf administration announced a second round of funding for Pennsylvania businesses. The administration says 160 companies in 43 counties will get more than $13 million. The funds are going to restaurants, wellness centers, wineries and breweries. “These loans will help businesses in the commonwealth quickly access capital to address their critical needs while we continue to follow the governor and health secretary’s orders,” said Sec. Davin. “Small businesses are the fabric of our commonwealth, and the Wolf Administration is committed to supporting them to the fullest extent during this unprecedented time.” Two Washington County businesses are among the latest to receive $100,000 grants. The law firm of Peacock Keller LLP in Washington and Model Uniform of Charleroi. Six other county businesses received similar grants in the initial round.
April 26, 2020 7:51 am
ATLANTA (AP) — As the global death toll from the coronavirus surpassed 200,000 on Saturday, countries took cautious steps toward easing lockdowns imposed amid the pandemic, but fears of a surge in infections made even some outbreak-wounded businesses reluctant to reopen. The states of Georgia, Oklahoma and Alaska started loosening restrictions on businesses despite warnings from experts that such steps might be premature. Shawn Gingrich, CEO and founder of Lion’s Den Fitness, decided after the Georgia governor’s announcement that his Atlanta gym would remain closed for now. “We’ve sacrificed so much already,” Gingrich said. “I feel like if we do this too soon, we’ll see a spike in cases and we’re back to square one.” Others were eager to get back to business, with precautions. Russ Anderson, who owns four tattoo studios in south Georgia, said he “couldn’t get up out of my chair quick enough” when restrictions were lifted. His main shop served 50 or 60 customers Friday when it reopened, with customers and tattoo artists wearing masks, he said. The worldwide death toll was over 202,000, according to a count by John Hopkins University from government figures. The actual death toll is believed to be far higher.
