March 25, 2020 3:57 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Gov. Andrew Cuomo has sounded his most dire warning yet about the coronavirus pandemic. He said Tuesday the infection rate in New York is accelerating and the state could be two to three weeks away from a crisis that sees 40,000 people in intensive care. Such a surge would swamp hospitals, which now have just 3,000 intensive care unit beds in the entire state. Cuomo said the rate of new infections is doubling about every three days. Johns Hopkins University data shows there have been more than 23,000 positive cases in New York state.
March 25, 2020 3:54 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Authorities say a 17-year-old boy who tested positive for the coronavirus has died but it’s not yet clear whether the virus was to blame. Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris says Tuesday that the Lancaster boy died from septic shock, which can occur as a reaction to infection. He believes it’s the first U.S. virus-related death of a youth under 18. But Los Angeles County health officials say there may be an “alternate explanation” for the death and more investigation is needed. Meanwhile, with California virus cases surging, Gov. Gavin Newsom said his stay-at-home order for 40 million Californians may stay in place into May.
March 25, 2020 3:53 am
South Korea says it plans to provide coronavirus testing materials to the United States in response to President Donald Trump’s request for help. The director of South Korea’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the country is willing to send chemical reagents used to extract genetic material during COVID-19 tests, but at a level that doesn’t affect its own testing capacity. She didn’t provide a detailed estimate on the size of supplies that could be shipped to the United States. South Korea is pushing an aggressive test-and-quarantine program that some experts say possibly contributed to its lower death toll in comparison with mainland China and hard-hit European nations.
March 25, 2020 3:52 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The White House and Senate leaders of both parties have agreed on unprecedented emergency legislation to rush sweeping aid to businesses, workers and a health care system slammed by the coronavirus pandemic. The urgently needed pandemic response measure is the largest economic rescue measure in history. It’s intended as a weeks- or months-long patch for an economy spiraling into recession and a nation facing a potentially ghastly toll. Top White House aide Eric Ueland announced the agreement in a Capitol hallway shortly after midnight, capping days of often intense haggling and mounting pressure. The package still needs to be finalized in detailed legislative language.
March 25, 2020 3:50 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Gov. Tom Wolf is quietly allowing gun shops to reopen on a limited basis during the coronavirus pandemic after several justices of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court urged him to do so. The governor’s office says firearms dealers may now sell their wares by individual appointment during limited hours as long as they comply with social distancing guidelines and take other measures to protect employees and customers from the coronavirus. Wolf on Tuesday also ordered residents of another county, Erie, to stay home, in another sign of the virus’s rapid spread across Pennsylvania.
March 25, 2020 2:21 am
Washington Mayor Scott Putnam announced that the city will be adopting an emergency declaration in the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak that has now spread to all 50 states. Putnam stressed however, that this action is a procedural step that will allow for cooperation among county, state and federal agencies should the need arise and is not indicative of any heightened threat of exposure to the city or its residents. “This is just a proactive measure that may be necessary if the response requires greater cooperation between government agencies and is in no way meant to heighten the anxiety people are already experiencing” Putnam said. “Our staff has been on top of this situation from the beginning, preparing a response and taking all steps to keep the public safe and the virus contained” the Mayor said calling for calm in the wake of the pandemic. Washington City Hall is temporarily closed to the general public and is staffed by only essential personnel. The Treasurer’s Office and City Clerk’s Office are still accepting payments via mail. There is also a drop off box/mail slot at the side entrance nearest the Senior Center.
March 24, 2020 3:26 pm
FAIRMONT, W.Va. (AP) – A West Virginia woman has filed a lawsuit against a police department, alleging officers were speeding in a department truck when they fatally struck her husband’s car. The Exponent Telegram reported Monday that Emily Santini filed the suit in Marion County Circuit Court. A crash reconstruction report cited by the lawsuit argues that a Fairmont Police Department pickup was going 73 mph in a 35-mph zone when it struck 72-year-old Steve Santini’s car in July. Police said on the day of the crash that the truck “was not being operated at an extensive rate of speed.” The lawsuit seeks punitive damages and a jury trial. The newspaper says the police chief declined to comment.
March 24, 2020 3:24 pm
NEW CASTLE, Pa. (AP) – Authorities say a man has been found shot to death inside a car parked near a western Pennsylvania apartment building. The shooting in New Castle occurred around 3:30 a.m. Tuesday, but a motive for the slaying was not immediately known. The victim’s name and further details on his injuries were not disclosed. The shooting occurred near the McGrath Manor apartment building, but it wasn’t immediately known if that’s where the victim lived. No other injuries were reported in the shooting.
March 24, 2020 3:19 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump is weighing how to refine nationwide social-distancing guidelines to put some workers back on the job amid the coronavirus outbreak. At a virtual town hall hosted by Fox News on Tuesday, Trump said he is hoping the country will be reopened by Easter. Health experts have made clear that unless Americans continue to dramatically limit social interaction, staying home from work and isolating themselves, the number of infections will overwhelm the healthcare system, as it has in parts of Italy, leading to many more deaths. While the worst outbreaks are concentrated in certain parts of the country, such as New York, experts warn that the highly infectious disease is certain to spread. (Photo courtesy of Fox News)
March 24, 2020 9:25 am
TOKYO (AP) – The Tokyo Olympics have been officially postponed until 2021. The International Olympic Committee along with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and local organizers have decided that the Tokyo Games cannot go ahead as scheduled this year because of the coronavirus outbreak. The IOC says the games will be held “not later than summer 2021” but they will still be called the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
