April 4, 2020 4:16 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Joe Biden is set to announce a committee to oversee his vice presidential selection process and is already thinking about whom he’d choose to join his Cabinet. Biden made the disclosure Friday during a virtual fundraiser. He holds a significant lead in delegates over primary rival Bernie Sanders but hasn’t officially clinched the Democratic presidential nomination. He said he’s spoken to Sanders to let him know he’d be working on the vice presidential vetting process. Biden said he doesn’t want Sanders to think he’s “being presumptuous” by choosing a running mate. But he added that the vice presidential vetting process “takes time,” so he has to begin this month.
April 4, 2020 4:14 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump has fired Michael Atkinson, the inspector general for the intelligence community who handled the whistleblower complaint that triggered his impeachment. Trump informed the Senate intelligence committee Friday of his decision to fire Atkinson, according to a letter obtained by The Associated Press. Trump said in the letter that it is “vital” that he has confidence in the appointees serving as inspectors general, and “that is no longer the case with regard to this inspector general.” Atkinson was the first to inform Congress about an anonymous whistleblower complaint last year that described Trump’s pressure on Ukraine to investigate Democrat Joe Biden and his son.
April 4, 2020 4:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Attorney General William Barr has ordered the Bureau of Prisons to increase the use of home confinement. In a memo Friday, Barr says the agency must expedite the release of eligible high-risk inmates. beginning with three federal prisons where coronavirus cases have skyrocketed. They include FCC Oakdale, a prison complex in Louisiana where five inmates have died and more than a dozen others remain hospitalized. At FCI Elkton in Ohio, three inmates have died. And 20 inmates have tested positive for coronavirus at FCI Danbury in Connecticut. Congressional leaders and prison advocates have been pressing the Justice Department for weeks to release at-risk inmates ahead of a potential outbreak.
April 4, 2020 4:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Trump administration has abruptly changed its description of the Strategic National Stockpile and put forward a narrower vision of the role the federal government’s repository of life-saving medicines and equipment should play in supplying states’ needs. The change conforms with President Donald Trump’s insistence that it is only a short-term backup for states, not a commitment to ensure supplies get quickly to those who need them most during an emergency. The change was reflected on government websites on Friday. It came a day after Trump son-in-law and senior White House adviser Jared Kushner offered a new argument about the stockpile.
April 4, 2020 4:10 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Scarce supplies of medical equipment are leading to growing competition within the U.S. and among nations, in what one French politician called a “worldwide treasure hunt.” The governor of New York state, the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak, has vowed to seize unused ventilators from private hospitals and companies, while President Donald Trump says he’s preventing the export of N95 respirator masks and surgical gloves, a move he said was necessary to ensure that medical supplies are available in the U.S. Worldwide, confirmed infections rose past 1 million and deaths topped 58,000. Europe’s three worst-hit countries – Italy, Spain and France – accounted for more than 32,000 dead, or over half the global toll.
April 4, 2020 3:24 am
Due to the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 crisis, Monongahela Valley Hospital and United Steelworkers of America Local 8041 have agreed to a one-year extension of their contract. The agreement comes approximately three months before the contract was set to expire on June 30, 2020. Local 8041 represents nearly one-half of the hospital’s 1,300 employees including technical staff; nursing assistants; unit clerks; laundry; nutrition and food service; housekeeping; and maintenance personnel. Nurses at Monongahela Valley Hospital are not members of the union. “Hospital administration and the union both agreed that this was the right decision as we navigate through these challenging times in the delivery of health care to our patients and their families,” explained Louis J. Panza Jr., president and CEO of Monongahela Valley Hospital. “We share a common goal — to remain focused on providing the highest level of care to our community. “We appreciate the willingness by the union members to extend the contract so that we all could do what we do best — take care of our community,” Mr. Panza added. Richard McGinn, a boiler/fireman who serves as president of Local 8041, echoed Mr. Panza’s praise for the extension. “We all needed to do what was right for our members, the hospital staff and most importantly our community right now.” Under the extension, the language that governs employees’ wages, benefits and working conditions remains unchanged.
April 3, 2020 3:36 pm
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania’s governor says residents should wear a cloth mask in public to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. Gov. Tom Wolf notes the federal government is readying guidance on the wearing of masks. He urged Pennsylvanians on Friday to make their own masks and wear them when they go to the grocery store, pharmacy or other places where people congregate. The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported more than 1,400 additional people have tested positive for the virus, bringing the total number to over 8,420. There were 12 new deaths for a statewide toll of 102.
April 3, 2020 10:50 am
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – Walt Disney Co. officials announced they’ll start furloughing some workers in two weeks at its theme parks resorts in Florida and California. The company said late Thursday the first wave of furloughs will start April 19 and involve workers whose jobs aren’t necessary at this time. Anyone who’s furloughed will remain a Disney employee. The statement didn’t say how many of Walt Disney World’s 75,000 employees or Disneyland’s 31,000 workers would be furloughed. The company has been paying workers and providing health care benefits at its theme park resorts since the parks closed in mid-March due to coronavirus concerns.
April 3, 2020 10:46 am
Singer Bill Withers has died. He wrote and sang a string of soulful songs in the 1970s that have stood the test of time, including “Lean On Me,” “Lovely Day” and “Ain’t No Sunshine.” áAccording to a statement released from his family to The Associated Press, the 81-year-old died in Los Angeles from heart complications. “Lean On Me,” was performed at the presidential inaugurations of both Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. Lately, people have posted videos of their versions of the song as inspiration during the coronavirus pandemic.
April 3, 2020 7:27 am
Freedom Transit is making more changes as they deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Beginning Monday, April 6 fares will no longer be collected for any of the ‘Fixed Route’ or ‘Shared Ride’ programs. The move is being made to limit interaction between the driver and riders boarding the vehicle. In addition, on Tuesday, April 7 the Pittsburgh Metro route will undergo further service reduction. The runs will be limited to; Inbound, Run 3; 5:45 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. Outbound, Run 4; 7:45 a.m. to 9:10 a.m. Inbound, Run 15; 2:20 p.m. to 3:40 p.m. and Outbound, Run 16; 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. At this time, the ‘Local A’, ‘Local B’, Local Saturday, and Metro Saturday routes will operate as normal.
