March 31, 2020 10:50 am
NEW YORK (AP) – New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says deaths from the coronavirus continue to climb steeply in New York, topping 1,500 by Tuesday. The number of deaths was up by more than 300 from Monday. New York City reported its first coronavirus death of a person under 18 years old. Health officials report that the city’s 914 deaths from the pandemic include one person who is under the age of 18. Details including the person’s exact age have not been disclosed. More than 1,200 have died of COVID-19 across New York state, and 9,500 people are hospitalized with the disease statewide.
March 31, 2020 7:20 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump is expected to relax ambitious Obama-era vehicle mileage standards and raise the ceiling on damaging fossil fuel emissions for years to come. The rule expected to be announced Tuesday would gut one of the nation’s single-biggest efforts against climate change. A leaked version of the final rule shows the administration watering down an Obama mileage standard that would have encouraged automakers globally to ramp up production of electric vehicles and more fuel-efficient gasoline vehicles. The administration says the looser mileage standards will allow consumers to keep buying the less fuel-efficient SUVs that U.S. drivers have favored for years. Opponents say it will kill several hundred more Americans a year through dirtier air.
March 31, 2020 3:59 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva has retracted an order to close gun stores to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Villanueva announced Monday that he’ll heed a federal advisory that lists gun dealers as “essential critical infrastructure workers.” Last week, the sheriff ordered gun stores closed, saying panic-buying was risky to public safety. On Friday, the National Rifle Association and other groups sued the sheriff, saying his order violated Second Amendment rights. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has said that each of the state’s 58 counties can decide for themselves whether to list firearms dealers as nonessential businesses.
March 31, 2020 3:58 am
MIAMI (AP) – The U.S. Coast Guard says it’s working with Holland America on a detailed docking plan that would require two ships carrying passengers and crew from an ill-fated cruise to handle all medical issues without impacting South Florida’s already-stressed hospitals. Coast Guard Capt. Jo-Ann Burdian told the Broward County Commission that if a unified command of state, local and federal officials can’t unanimously agree on what to do with the people on the Zaandam and Rotterdam ships now headed to Florida, then they’ll punt the decision to Washington. Passengers are pleading with Florida officials to let them disembark despite a coronavirus outbreak on board. (Photo: CNN)
March 31, 2020 3:57 am
NEW YORK (AP) – New York’s governor has put out an urgent plea for medical volunteers as coronavirus deaths in New York City mount and hospitals are overwhelmed. Authorities say it could be a preview of what other cities across the U.S. will soon face. On Monday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said New York needed help now as the number of dead in the state climbed past 1,200, with most dying in the city. In Europe, hard-hit Italy and Spain saw their death tolls climb by more than 800 each. But the World Health Organization’s emergency chief said cases there were “potentially stabilizing.”
March 31, 2020 2:44 am
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice says his directive to have police monitor roads and check in on travelers from coronavirus hotspots might be unconstitutional but will continue for safety reasons. The Republican governor on Tuesday responded to constitutional concerns about his order that has threatened criminal charges if people from areas hard-hit by the virus don’t quarantine for two weeks. Justice says authorities will watch roads and conduct home checks to make sure people comply with the order. The leader of the American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia has said enforcing the order could lead to violations of constitutional rights on unreasonable searches and seizures.
March 31, 2020 2:22 am
(WPXI) – JCPenney officials have announced that the company will be temporarily laying off most hourly store workers as stores and offices remain closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The company made the announcement Tuesday that the furloughs will start Thursday. Starting April 5, workers at the company’s home office, Salt Lake City and Soho design offices will be furloughed, along with store employees who are salaried associates. The announcement adds to the employees who were furloughed on March 20th. Employees who were part of the JCPenney benefits program will still get health benefits and the company will cover 100% employee-paid premiums while on furlough. Employees will also be able to get state unemployment benefits while they are laid off. While the stores will not be open, JCPenney officials said that distribution centers and customer care divisions will still operate.
March 30, 2020 4:08 am
NEW YORK (AP) – New York has surpassed 1,000 deaths from the coronavirus outbreak, less than a month after the first case was detected in the state. The virus has torn through New York City and its suburbs with frightening speed. Most of the deaths have happened in a span of just a few days. New York City reported in the evening that its toll had risen to 776. The total number of statewide deaths isn’t expected to be released until Monday. But with at least 250 additional deaths recorded outside the city as of Sunday morning, the state’s total fatalities was at least 1,026.
March 30, 2020 4:07 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Joe Diffie had announced on Friday that he had tested positive for the coronavirus. Yesterday, he died of complications from the virus in Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 61, according to his publicist. Diffie was one of the mainstays of ’90s country with songs like “Home,” “Pickup Man” and “Prop Me Up Beside the Jukebox (If I Die).” Diffie said in a 2004 Associated Press interview he chose a song not only for its melody, but for a certain sound. For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and those with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.
March 30, 2020 4:04 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump is bracing the nation for a death toll that could exceed 100,000 people. Trump on Sunday extended restrictive social distancing guidelines through April. He was bowing to public-health experts who presented him with even more dire projections for the expanding coronavirus pandemic. It was a stark shift in tone by the president, who only days ago mused about the country reopening in a few weeks. From the Rose Garden, he said his Easter revival hopes had only been “aspirational.”
