May 15, 2020 2:19 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Gov. Tom Wolf announced on Friday 12 more counties will soon be joining a multitude of counties that have moved in the “yellow phase” of his reopening plan. Wolf announced that effective May 22nd, Adams, Beaver, Carbon, Columbia, Cumberland, Juniata, Mifflin, Perry, Susquehanna, Wyoming, Wayne and York will be the next batch of counties moving to the “yellow” phase of his reopening plan. That means the governor’s stay-at-home orders are lifted and retailers and other types of businesses may reopen but with restrictions. Wolf though, said he hasn’t changed his criteria for deciding which counties can emerge from his stay-at-home order and his business shutdown order. His health secretary echoed that, saying the administration will continue to count cases in prisons, factories and nursing homes in a county’s total. That is bad news for counties that blame much of their outbreak on a single institution.
May 14, 2020 4:38 pm
BELMAR, N.J. (AP) – New Jersey’s governor issued long-awaited guidance Thursday to Jersey Shore towns on how to safely reopen their beaches as the summer season beckons amid the coronavirus outbreak. Democrat Phil Murphy directed towns to set occupancy limits that can vary by town; require six feet of separation among beachgoers except family or household members or couples; and suggested towns limit the amount of daily beach badges sold. Bathrooms and showers should remain open and be cleaned frequently. Amusement rides, arcades and fireworks are still off-limits, at least for now. Two popular beaches, Point Pleasant Beach and Seaside Heights, plan to reopen on Friday.
May 14, 2020 1:37 pm
Authorities say the death of an elderly North Strabane Township man whose body was pulled from Canonsburg Lake Wednesday morning has been ruled a suicide. Authorities say the body of the 72-year-old was discovered on the Peters Township side of the lake near Dam Road. The Peters Township Fire Department was called to the scene around nine o’clock.
May 14, 2020 12:54 pm
(WPXI) – Pennsylvania’s second annual 1-4-3 Day will be held on May 22, and this year it takes on a special meaning during the coronavirus pandemic. 1-4-3 Day is a statewide day of kindness in honor of Fred Rogers, who often used 1-4-3 as a way of saying “I love you” on Mister Roger’s Neighborhood, with the 1-4-3 representing the number of letters in each word. This year, Gov. Tom Wolf is encouraging people to show kindness and appreciation to essential workers and neighbors. If you need some inspiration as you celebrate 1-4-3 Day at home, you can check out Pennsylvania’s Kindness Generator, a tally of positive things people are doing throughout the day.
May 14, 2020 9:49 am
OAK PARK, Ill. (AP) – Worries about having enough to eat are adding to the anxiety of millions of people across the United States. That’s according to a survey that finds 37% of unemployed Americans ran out of food in the past month. And 46% said they worried about running out. Those findings come from the second wave of the COVID Impact Survey, conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago for the Data Foundation. The survey also found that 2 in 10 working adults said that in the past 30 days, they ran out of food before they could earn enough money to buy more.
May 14, 2020 9:49 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Nearly 3 million laid-off workers applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week as the viral outbreak led more companies to slash jobs even though most states have begun to let some businesses reopen under certain restrictions. Roughly 36 million people have now filed for jobless aid in the two months since the coronavirus first forced millions of businesses to close their doors and shrink their workforces, the Labor Department said Thursday. Still, the number of first-time applications has now declined for six straight weeks, suggesting that a dwindling number of companies are reducing their payrolls.
May 14, 2020 9:43 am
Washington County District Attorney Eugene Vittone wants to be perfectly clear; he is not advocating businesses reopen in violation of Governor Tom Wolf’s shutdown order. However, Vittone says it would take “extraordinary circumstances” for his office to become involved in such legal matters. Vittone, who is a Republican, was reacting to some two-dozen State Representatives who endorsed a letter to the State District Attorney’s Association urging that they declare they will not prosecute any citation related to the Governor’s order. Vittone says no such citations have been issued in the county to date. He also says that the District Attorney’s part in all of this is very small. According to Vittone, it would be the Governor’s office, State Health Department, or state licensing officials who would enforce such matters. Vittone says Washington County Presidents Judge Katherine Emery is to sign an order soon that will outline procedures in the “unlikely event” that such citations result in the county.
May 14, 2020 4:12 am
MANILA, Philippines (AP) – A strong typhoon is roaring toward the eastern Philippines as authorities try to evacuate tens of thousands of people safely during a virus lockdown. The first typhoon to hit the archipelago this year is expected to slam ashore later Thursday. A lockdown to fight the coronavirus requires people to stay in their homes and prohibits all kinds of gatherings that can set off infections. Governors say social distancing will be nearly impossible for residents staying in emergency shelters. Some emergency shelters are now serving as quarantine facilities, and they may have to be turned back into storm shelters.
May 14, 2020 4:10 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump and Republicans are launching a broad election-year attack on the foundation of the Russia investigation. That includes declassifying intelligence information to try to place senior Obama administration officials under scrutiny. The effort has been aided by a Justice Department decision to dismiss its prosecution of former Trump administration national security adviser Michael Flynn. The decision coincides with a far-ranging push by Trump and his Republican allies to reframe the Russia investigation as a “deep state” plot to sabotage his administration.
May 14, 2020 4:09 am
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – The U.S. military has offered condolences to Iran over a friendly fire incident in the Islamic Republic that killed 19 of its troops earlier this week. In a statement, a U.S. Central Command spokesman identified the weapon used in the incident as an anti-ship cruise missile. He also criticized the training for taking place so close to the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of all oil passes. Analysts have warned regional tensions likely will increase again as Iran has overcome the initial chaos of its response to the coronavirus pandemic.
