March 19, 2020 9:38 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits surged last week by 70,000, indicating that the impact of the coronavirus was starting to be felt in rising layoffs in the job market. The Labor Department reported Thursday that applications for benefits, a good proxy for layoffs, rose by 70,000 to a seasonally adjusted 281,000 last week.
March 19, 2020 4:01 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump is turning to a 1950 law to boost private production of supplies needed to confront the coronavirus pandemic. Trump says he’ll invoke the Defense Production Act. That law was signed by President Harry S. Truman during the Korean War. It gives the president broad authority to mobilize the resources and production of private companies to meet the needs of the national defense. That could be especially important for the U.S. government as it braces for a surge in coronavirus cases and shortfalls in medical supplies. The law has been invoked multiple times by presidents of both political parties during emergencies, including blackouts, war and hurricanes.
March 19, 2020 4:00 am
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) – State TV in Iran is reporting that the country’s top leader will pardon 10,000 more prisoners in an apparent effort to combat the coronavirus. As part of steps taken to try to curb the spread of the new virus that has killed more than 1,100 people in Iran, the country has already released 85,000 prisoners on temporary leave. State TV quoted a judiciary spokesman saying that the prisoners – among them an unknown number of inmates whose cases are political and related to activism or speech – would be granted amnesty under a decree by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the occasion of the Iranian new year, called Nowruz.
March 19, 2020 3:59 am
BANGKOK (AP) – Shares in Asia have slid further, with Japan’s benchmark failing to hold onto early gains after the latest selloff on Wall Street. South Korea’s Kospi sank 7% on Thursday as automakers considered closing factories to help slow the spread of the coronavirus that has infected more than 200,000 people worldwide. Fears of a prolonged recession have been taking hold, leading investors to shift to cash in hopes of better days to come.
March 19, 2020 3:58 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Federal officials are focusing on the Trump administration’s $1 trillion plan to stabilize a national economy reeling from the impact of the coronavirus outbreak. The pandemic endangering the health of untold millions of Americans is also threatening financial ruin for individuals and businesses. The plan’s centerpiece is $500 billion to start issuing direct payments to Americans by early next month. The plan would also funnel cash to businesses to help keep workers on payroll. On Wednesday, Congress approved a $100 billion-plus bill to boost testing for the virus and guarantee paid sick leave for millions of workers hit by it. Trump quickly signed the bill into law.
March 19, 2020 3:56 am
BEIJING (AP) – Last month, Wuhan was overwhelmed with thousands of new cases of coronavirus each day. But in a dramatic development that underscores just how much the pandemic has pivoted toward Europe and the United States, Chinese authorities said Wuhan and its surrounding province had no new cases to report. The news offered a rare glimmer of hope as the world battles the virus, and perhaps a lesson in the strict measures needed to halt its spread. It came as President Donald Trump likened the fight to “a war” and invoked emergency powers that allow him to compel manufacturers to deal with the pandemic.
March 19, 2020 3:54 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania’s Department of Health is working to open public testing sites for the coronavirus, as more services shut down and the state sees a spike in people filing for unemployment compensation. The Department of Labor and Industry said unemployment compensation claims exceeded 50,000 on Monday, and Tuesday’s filings were on course to exceed that number. In the entire first week of March, the state received barely 12,000 claims. Meanwhile, the state’s health systems and hospitals are working to open sample-taking sites and set up testing laboratories. Amtrak is shutting down lines in Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania Turnpike is ending dining service at its service plazas.
March 19, 2020 3:53 am
BEAVER CO, Pa. – (WPXI)- The Shell Cracker plant will shut down for the next week due to coronavirus concerns. The company provided the following statement: “The health and well-being of our workers and nearby communities remains Shell’s top priority. That’s an ethos we live by every day, but it’s especially relevant at time when the world is taking drastic measures to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus. We’re committed to doing our part. We have made the decision to temporarily suspend construction activities at Shell’s Beaver County site, effective March 18th. In the days ahead we will install additional mitigation measures aligned with CDC guidance. -Hilary Mercer, VP Shell Pennsylvania Chemicals. Earlier in the day ,officials in Beaver County called for the temporary closure of the Shell Cracker plant in Potter Township after workers raised concerns about working conditions amid the coronavirus outbreak.
March 19, 2020 3:48 am
SOUTH UNION TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – One person was flown to a local hospital after being shot outside a YMCA building in Fayette County. The shooting happened around 7 p.m. Wednesday in the parking lot of the Uniontown Area YMCA in South Union Township, according to investigators. Witnesses told our news partners at Channel 11 they heard five or six gunshots when it happened. State police are investigating the shooting, and officials said the victim was flown to a nearby hospital as investigators remain on scene. No information was provided regarding a suspected shooter, and the victim’s condition is unknown.
March 19, 2020 2:43 am
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission will reopen all 17 of its service plazas Friday, March 20. Starting tomorrow at 7 a.m., restrooms inside all service plazas will be open 24 hours. The outdoor portable toilets will remain in place at the service plazas for approximately one week. Limited food options will be available at all service plazas starting tomorrow at 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. for take-out only. (Thereafter, and until further notice, food will be served from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. except at North Midway and Valley Forge locations which will offer food 24/7.) All service plazas will have limited staffing for the safety of the employees of HMS Host and 7-Eleven, which operate the PA Turnpike service plazas. Fuel and all convenience stores inside the service plazas will continue to remain open 24 hours a day. For more information on service plazas
