April 25, 2020 3:58 am
Governor Tom Wolf reminded Pennsylvania residents that mental health is important and support is available during the Covid-19 Pandemic. Wolf directed residents to the “Reach Out PA: Your Mental Health Matters” program introduced in January. The initiative is to remove barriers to mental health care and remove stigma. The Wolf Administration conveyed its concern about mental health during the daily Coronavirus Updates. The administration states that it is not unusual for people to feel anxious, alone and frightened, and for some those feelings may be surfacing for the first time during this pandemic. They want residents to know where to turn for mental health needs.
April 24, 2020 12:42 pm
The annual Whiskey Rebellion Festival scheduled for July 9-12, 2020, in downtown Washington has been canceled. “Out of an abundance of caution due to ongoing COVID-19 concerns, the organizing committee decided, after much discussion, that it must, regrettably, cancel this year’s festival,” said festival co-chair Joseph Piszczor. The multi-day festival was created 10 years ago to celebrate the region’s unique place in the history of the Whiskey Rebellion. It is organized completely by volunteers and activities are free to the public. “We would like to thank the dozens of committee members who work diligently for months to make this festival the success it has been over years,” remarked Joe DeThomas, one of the festival co-chairs. Although the 2020 festival has been canceled, the committee hopes to celebrate the spirit of the Whiskey Rebellion with online “virtual” events this summer. Details will be announced at www.whiskeyrebellionfestival.com and on social media. “Hopefully, we will get the ‘all’s clear’ in 2021 to hold the festival during its usual second weekend in July next year,” he added. “We would also like to thank the community for its unwavering financial support for the festival,” noted Tracie Liberatore, Executive Director of the Bradford House Historical Association. “When funds are tight, sponsors and individuals step up and make sure the event, which is so vital for tourism and the area’s economy, becomes a reality.” Net proceeds from the festival benefit the organization, headquartered in the former home of attorney David Bradford, a key figure in the Whiskey Rebellion during the late 1700s.
April 24, 2020 2:37 am
TOKYO (AP) – Asian shares have fallen after a rally on Wall Street fizzled out, while oil prices extended gains. Benchmarks in Japan, Australia, South Korea and China fell in morning trading. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 flipped between gains and losses in a microcosm of markets’ extreme swings as investors struggle to set prices for where corporate profits and the economy will be months from now. Dismal economic data showed weak manufacturing and services activity in Europe and the United States and weak sales of new U.S. homes. The worst was an update on job losses, with roughly one in six U.S. workers filing unemployment claims in five weeks.
April 24, 2020 2:35 am
NEW YORK (AP) – The federal government is making it tougher for public companies to tap a small business relief program, and seeking refunds in some cases from companies that already did. Although the intent of the program is to help small businesses hit by the coronavirus outbreak, some publicly traded companies did secure loans, setting off a backlash. The government now says companies must certify that the loan is necessary and they don’t have other sources for the money, criteria public companies are unlikely to meet. The government also said public companies that already received them could refund the loans by May 7. Some have announced that they will.
April 24, 2020 2:35 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The maker of Lysol and another disinfectant says its products should not be used as an internal treatment for the coronavirus. The company issued a statement Friday to combat what it said was “recent speculation” after President Donald Trump raised the possibility of disinfectants being injected into people to combat the virus. The disinfectant manufacturer said that “under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body (through injection, ingestion or any other route).” Trump on Thursday also touted “emerging” research on the benefits of sunlight and humidity in diminishing the virus threat. Past studies have not shown good evidence of that.
April 24, 2020 2:33 am
TORONTO (AP) – A Canadian police official says the country’s worst mass shooting started as a domestic dispute between the gunman and his girlfriend, who survived the attack. The official confirmed to The Associated Press late Thursday that the weekend rampage erupted after an argument between the pair. The official spoke on condition of anonymity and said more details will be provided at a new conference Friday. The suspect was shot to death Sunday morning, about 13 hours after the attacks began. Police have said 51-year-old Gabriel Wortman acted alone.
April 24, 2020 2:32 am
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) – Barber shops, salons and spas are reopening in Georgia and Oklahoma as their Republican governors ease shutdown orders despite warnings from health experts of a potential new surge of coronavirus infections. As some customers ventured back to these venues, the confirmed number of coronavirus deaths in the United States passed 50,000, That’s according to a tally compiled by John Hopkins University from government figures. The actual number is believed to be much higher.
April 24, 2020 2:31 am
NEW YORK (AP) – After two months and more than 11,000 deaths that have made the nation’s nursing homes some of the most terrifying places to be during the coronavirus crisis, most of them still don’t have access to enough tests to help control outbreaks among their frail, elderly residents. Neither the federal government nor the nation’s leader in nursing home deaths, New York, has mandated testing for all residents and staff. And a nursing home industry group says only about a third of U.S. nursing homes have easy access to test kits. Says one industry official: “We’ve been ignored.”
April 24, 2020 2:30 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Congress has delivered a nearly $500 billion infusion of coronavirus spending, almost unanimously rushing new relief to employers and hospitals buckling under the strain of a pandemic that has claimed almost 50,000 American lives and one in six U.S. jobs. President Donald Trump is scheduled to sign the bill during a White House ceremony Friday. House lawmakers gathered in Washington for the first time since March 27, adopting stricter social distancing rules while aiming to prove they can do their work despite the COVID-19 crisis. Easy passage of the measure belies a potentially bumpier path ahead.
April 24, 2020 2:25 am
NORTH STRABANE, Pa. (WPXI) — Police said a man set his girlfriend on fire inside their Washington County apartment and held her there for days. The police chief in North Strabane Township told Channel 11 the woman had signs of being tortured and was covered in old and new injuries. There is also evidence that her bed was set on fire while she was sleeping in it. The investigation started Tuesday night when North Strabane Police responded to their apartment for a report of a domestic violence assault in progress. Officers arrested Douglas Schrecengost, who already had a Protection From Abuse (PFA) for strangulation in Allegheny County, after the victim’s cellphone was found in his pocket.
According to court documents, the victim told police that Schrecengost:
- Kept against her will for days
- Beat her, broke her eyeglasses, bit her, broke a wooden door and struck her with the pieces
- Held her down, stepped on her chest until she was unable to breathe
But the most frightening allegation was caught on camera. She told police he poured rubbing alcohol on her and her bedding, lit it on fire. Investigators said Schrecengost also recorded the whole incident with his cell phone and later texted it to her. The victim told North Strabane police she was abused continuously for days. North Strabane police said they found the empty rubbing alcohol container, burn marks on the bedding and a broken door frame. Schrecengost is being held without bond.
