April 14, 2020 4:03 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Gov. Andrew Cuomo says New York’s death toll from coronavirus has topped 10,000, with hospitals still seeing 2,000 new patients a day. The death tally hit the milestone only about a month after the state recorded its first death. The state tallied 671 new deaths on Sunday. It was the first time in a week the daily toll dipped below 700. Still, the governor noted Monday that people are still dying at a “horrific level of pain and grief and sorrow.” Meanwhile, New York City’s health department says the city is in danger of running out of swabs for COVID-19 tests and should test only hospitalized patients.
April 14, 2020 4:02 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – South Korea’s military says a barrage of North Korean missiles fired from both the ground and fighter jets has splashed down on the waters off the country’s east coast a major show of force on the eve of a key state anniversary in the North and parliamentary elections in the rival South. The back-to-back launches Tuesday were the most high-profile among a series of weapons tests that North Korea has conducted recently amid stalled nuclear talks and outside worries about a possible coronavirus outbreak in the country.
April 14, 2020 4:01 am
BANGKOK (AP) – Singapore has reported its biggest daily jump in new coronavirus infections. Most of the new cases are linked to foreign workers living in crowded dormitories. Tens of thousands of foreign workers in the city-state are quarantined in their dorms and some were moved elsewhere to reduce crowding. A government minister says the three remaining weeks of Singapore’s partial lockdown will be “a critical window” in preventing large-scale spread. Elsewhere around the Asia-Pacific region, a U.S. sailor who was among hundreds of infections on the USS Theodore Roosevelt has died. India is extending the world’s largest lockdown into May, and almost 400 new cases were reported in Japan.
April 14, 2020 3:55 am
Peters Township Council has been keeping an eye on the financial effects of the Covid-19 virus. Township Manager Paul Lauer presented council with an early view of what needs to happen to scheduled projects for the balance of 2020. Lauer said that it is too early to tell what the full financial effects will be because we are only about a month into the stay in place order and there is no idea of when it will end. Lauer does expect to be able to weather the storm because the township conservatively budgets each year making sure that at least 15% of anticipated revenues are in savings as a rainy day fund. Lauer states that the township exceeds that 15% level. The township also has roughly $2 million dollars built into the budget in case of unforeseen expenses. Lauer is confident that Peters Township will be fine financially. That is not to say all is rosy, as some furloughs have occurred, but staff understands why they were furloughed. Because of contracts awarded and the way grants are funded, Peters Township will go forward with its 2020 road paving and sewer repair program. Also slated to begin is the Rolling Hills Drive project and the realignment of the intersection of E. McMurray Road and Valleybrook Road. One popular program that will not take place this year is Community Day. Council felt that bringing over 5000 people together in this age of social distancing would not be a good idea, furthermore, residents would probably shy away from the event because of social distancing.
April 14, 2020 3:53 am
Governors in the Northeast and along the West Coast are announcing separate state compacts to coordinate how to begin reopening society amid the coronavirus pandemic. They did not announce a timeline but said they will consider the health of residents first and will be guided by science. Nine of the 10 states involved have Democratic governors. The Northeast coalition includes Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. The West Coast one consists of California, Oregon and Washington.
April 14, 2020 3:51 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Some of Pennsylvania’s most populous counties are starting to press Gov. Tom Wolf to allow them to conduct the June 2 primary election entirely by mail amid fears that the coronavirus would pose a threat to poll workers and voters. Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald on Monday said holding an in-person election in the midst of the coronavirus crisis would be a “disaster.” Wolf’s office says the governor is evaluating options to increase the percentage of voters who vote by mail. Also Monday, the state Supreme Court upheld Wolf’s decision to shutter non-life-sustaining businesses during the pandemic.
April 14, 2020 3:50 am
Giant Eagle has announced updates to it’s pandemic plan that include limiting the number of shoppers in each store at one time, making aisles one-way and providing protective equipment to all staff members. The company started introducing one-way aisles for shoppers several days ago at locations that included West View. Security guards were also seen posted outside of stores around the same time, with some shoppers saying there were lines forming.
April 13, 2020 5:59 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – Bernie Sanders is endorsing Joe Biden for president. The two former rivals made a joint online appearance on Monday, with Sanders asking all Americans to come together to support Biden’s candidacy. The backing is a crucial development for Biden, who must bridge the Democratic Party’s ideological divide to unify voters against President Donald Trump in the fall. Biden and Sanders clashed throughout the primary over policy issues such as “Medicare for All.” The endorsement stands in contrast to the extended 2016 fight between Sanders and Hillary Clinton. (Photo: CNN)
April 13, 2020 10:41 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court says it will hold arguments by teleconference in May in key cases, including President Donald Trump’s bid to shield his tax and other financial records. The court will make live audio of the arguments available for the first time. It had previously postponed courtroom arguments for March and April because of the coronavirus. The court will hear 10 cases in all between May 4 and May 13. Other cases concern whether presidential electors are required to cast their Electoral College ballots for the candidate who won their state.
April 13, 2020 9:49 am
UNDATED (AP) – The U.S. Navy says an aircraft carrier crew member who was hospitalized in intensive care on the island of Guam last week has died of what officials called COVID-19-related complications. The sailor was among nearly 600 crew members of the USS Theodore Roosevelt to have tested positive for the new coronavirus. In announcing the death on Monday, the Navy said the sailor had been found “unresponsive” during an April 9 medical check while in isolation on Guam. The Navy said fellow sailors and an onsite medical team at the house in which the sailor was staying administered CPR. The USS Roosevelt pulled into port in Guam on March 27 shortly after the first coronavirus cases on board were detected.
