March 4, 2020 4:06 am
(AP) – A state lawmaker is introducing legislation that would ban abortion in Ohio if the Supreme Court overturns the landmark Roe v. Wade decision. Republican state Rep. John Becker says he wants the state to be prepared if the nation’s high court overturns the 1973 decision legalizing abortion. His bill would ban all abortions in Ohio except those to save a woman’s life or prevent substantial and irreversible harm. The Cincinnati Enquirer reports eight states have similar laws that would take effect after a U.S. Supreme Court decision. Several other states have pre-existing bans that also would go into effect.
March 4, 2020 4:04 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania health officials say a state laboratory is now able to handle about six tests per day for a new coronavirus that’s sickening people across the globe. The state’s health secretary, Dr. Rachel Levine, said Tuesday test results are typically available within about a day. She says people who fear they may have COVID-19 should call their doctor or hospital. Those health care workers can take a sample if testing is necessary. Levine says the state lab is waiting for equipment that should increase its testing capacity and that private labs are likely to soon get federal permission to do testing.
March 4, 2020 4:03 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – The leader of Pennsylvania’s system of 14 state-owned universities told lawmakers that it is urgent they act to help the schools in the face of sinking enrollment, rising student debt and a lagging commitment of public tax dollars to higher education. The system’s chancellor urged the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday to approve a package of legislation that would deliver cash and greater authority to the system over how it spends money and administers the schools. The chancelloráhas rejected calls to close struggling schools in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and says Pennsylvania needs to greatly increase the number of adults with degrees for its economy.
March 4, 2020 2:40 am
State Police are searching for a missing teenager. Troopers say 14-year-old Shae Bedillion was last seen Tuesday in the Fredericktown area. He is described as a white male who is five feet nine inches tall and 190 pounds. Police say he left his home around two a.m. on February 28th. He was last seen wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt and black sweatpants and recently shaved his head. Anyone with information is asked to call state police at 724-223-5200.
March 3, 2020 1:29 pm
(WPXI) – Parents and students are fighting to keep Vincentian Academy in McCandless open. It was announced in late February the Catholic school, which is run by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, will shut down at the end of this school year. Reasons given for the closure include lack of financial resources and declining enrollment. On Monday, the Vincentian Academy Parent Association weighed in on the closure, sending a letter asking the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth to keep the school open until at least the incoming freshman class graduates. The letter brings up another school, Presentation Academy in Kentucky, that was in a similar situation in the 1990s. It was saved by a grassroots effort and is still open today. A meeting will be held Wednesday night in Vincentian Academy’s cafeteria by the parent association, which said it will separate fact from rumor and share a detailed plan of what lies ahead.
March 3, 2020 10:24 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – In a surprise move, the Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate by a sizable half-percentage point in an effort to support the economy in the face of the spreading coronavirus. Chairman Jerome Powell noted that the coronavirus “poses evolving risks to economic activity.” It was the Fed’s first rate cut since last year, when it reduced its key short-term rate three times. It is also the first time the central bank has cut its key rate between policy meetings since the 2008 financial crisis and the largest rate cut since then. Stock market averages which had fallen sharply after the opening bell, swung almost 700 points into positive territory after the Fed announcement. Earlier Tuesday, seven major economies pledged to use “all appropriate tools” to deal with the spreading coronavirus but announced no immediate actions.
March 3, 2020 4:47 am
PITTSBURGH — The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh has announced a number of changes in response to the global spread of coronavirus. So far there are no cases in the Pittsburgh area, but the Allegheny County Health Department and other public organizations are preparing for what they say is inevitable. To go along with these preparations, Catholics can expect the following changes when they attend Sunday Mass. The distribution of the Precious Blood during communion is temporarily suspended. Holy Water fonts will be cleaned and drained more often and the exchange of handshakes and other physical contact during the Sign of Peace is temporarily suspended. Those who feel ill are being advised to stay home from Mass until they are well.
March 3, 2020 4:23 am
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – The Walt Disney Co. was built on the shoulders of Mickey Mouse. So it may come as a surprise that there has never been a theme park attraction based on the lovable rodent. That’s about to change with the debut of Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway ride on Wednesday at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World. The ride gives visitors the impression that they are watching a cartoon featuring Mickey and Minnie come to life as the Disney characters look for the perfect place for a romantic picnic and then end up on a train ride on the “Runnamuck Railroad.
March 3, 2020 4:21 am
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Tornadoes have ripped across Tennessee overnight, shredding at least 40 buildings and killing at least 19 people. One of the twisters caused severe damage across downtown Nashville on Tuesday, leaving blown-down walls and roofs, snapped power lines, huge broken trees, and city streets in gridlock. Schools, courts, transit lines, an airport and the state Capitol are closed. A historic church lost its bell tower and stained glass window. Some polling stations were moved and others opened an hour late as Super Tuesday voting began. Nashville Mayor John Cooper says “last night was a reminder about how fragile life is.”
March 3, 2020 4:18 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Beto O’Rourke is the latest former Democratic presidential candidate to endorse Joe Biden. The former Texas congressman appeared at Biden’s rally in Dallas on Monday night, along with Amy Klobuchar, who ended her own 2020 bid earlier in the day. To cheers, O’Rourke said, “Tomorrow, March 3, 2020, I will be casting my ballot for Joe Biden.” Biden also nabbed the endorsement of Pete Buttigieg, who suspended his campaign on Sunday night and appeared with the former vice president ahead of Monday night’s rally. O’Rourke ended his own White House run last year after failing to recapture the enthusiasm, interest and fundraising prowess of his 2018 Senate bid.
