March 26, 2020 8:45 am
DETROIT (AP) – Ford says it wants to reopen five North American assembly plants in April that were closed due to the threat of coronavirus. The three Detroit automakers suspended production at North American factories March 19 ago under pressure from the United Auto Workers union, which had concerns about members working closely at work stations and possibly spreading the virus. Union spokesman Brian Rothenberg said Thursday that the UAW is reviewing Ford’s announcement “with great concern and caution.” The company says it’s aiming to reopen its factory in Hermosillo, Mexico, on April 6, followed by its Dearborn truck plant, Kentucky truck plant, the Ohio Assembly Plant and the Transit van line at the Kansas City plant on April 14.
March 26, 2020 5:10 am
WASHINGTON CO., Pa. — (WPXI) – The Greater Washington County Food Bank is used to putting together about 4,000 meals each month with 3,600 being distributed directly from the warehouse and 400 being boxed and sent to area food pantries. However, major changes are underway in the face of coronavirus and the nonprofit is on track to box 6,000 meals this month for pantries and truck-to-trunk distribution. The increased number of boxed meals is partially due to a drop in direct distribution, but also a preparation for increased demand. The food bank is asking for cash donations, canned fruits and vegetables, snacks, cereal, peanut butter, drinks and more – including soap. Volunteers hope they’ll have enough, so they can assure no one in need of food goes hungry.
March 26, 2020 4:02 am
SEATTLE (AP) – U.S. hospitals are rushing to find beds for a coming flood of COVID-19 patients, opening older closed hospitals and re-purposing other medical buildings. Simple math is spurring hospital leaders to prepare. With total U.S. cases now doubling every three days, empty intensive care unit beds, needed by an estimated 5% of the sick, will rapidly fill. An Associated Press analysis of federal hospital data finds more than 7 million people age 60 and older – those most at risk of severe COVID-19 illness – live in counties without ICU beds.
March 26, 2020 3:59 am
MEXICO CITY (AP) – The governor of a state in central Mexico is arguing that the poor are “immune” to the new coronavirus, even as the federal government suspends all nonessential government activities beginning Thursday in a bid to prevent the spread of the virus. Puebla Gov. Miguel Barbosa’s comment Wednesday was apparently partly a response to statistics saying three-fourths of Mexico’s 475 cases to date are related to international travel. Mexico’s poor don’t make many such trips. Barbosa is taking that to an extreme with his argument: “The majority are wealthy people. If you are rich, you are at risk. If you are poor, no. We poor people, we are immune.”
March 26, 2020 3:57 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Senate has passed an unparalleled $2.2 trillion economic rescue package steering aid to businesses, workers and health care systems engulfed by the coronavirus pandemic. The 880-page measure is the largest economic relief bill in U.S. history. The unanimous vote comes despite misgivings on both sides about whether it goes too far or not far enough. It caps days of difficult negotiations as Washington confronted a national challenge unlike any it has ever faced. The package is intended as relief for an economy spiraling into recession or worse and a nation facing a grim toll from an infection that’s killed nearly more than 21,000 people worldwide.
March 26, 2020 2:39 am
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – Officials say the West Virginia nursing home described as the epicenter of the state’s coronavirus caseload now has 28 positive cases as containment measures continue. Sundale nursing home medical director Carl Shrader on Thursday said 20 residents and eight staffers at the Morgantown facility have the virus. Four tests are still pending after an aggressive effort to screen nearly everyone at the center. Shrader has described Sundale as “ground zero” for the virus in West Virginia. Gov. Jim Justice says the situation there is a “horror story.” State officials reported at least 51 positive cases as of Wednesday night, with the largest number in Monongalia County where the nursing home is located.
March 25, 2020 5:55 pm
William Dufris, who voiced the title character in the U.S. and Canadian version of the children’s series Bob the Builder for its first nine seasons, has died of cancer. He was 62. Pocket Universe Productions, which Dufris co-founded, confirmed the news on social media Tuesday but did not give details.
March 25, 2020 3:54 pm
UNDATED (AP) – Jackson Browne has tested positive for COVID-19. The Rock Hall of Fame inductee is currently recuperating at his Los Angeles home. He first told Rolling Stone magazine and the news was confirmed by The Associated Press through his representatives. Browne tells Rolling Stone his symptoms are “pretty mild” and he does not require medication or hospitalization. The 71-year-old musician isn’t sure where he got it, but he suspected his recent trip to New York for the annual Love Rocks NYC benefit may have been the source. That benefit also featured Cyndi Lauper, Dave Matthews, Warren Haynes, Susan Tedeschi (teh-DES’-kee) and Derek Trucks. For most people the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, it can cause severe illness and death. The vast majority of people recover.
March 25, 2020 7:47 am
LONDON (AP) – Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, has tested positive for the new coronavirus. The prince’s Clarence House office says the 71-year-old is showing mild symptoms of COVID-19 and is self-isolating at a royal estate in Scotland. It says his wife Camilla has tested negative. The palace says Charles “has been displaying mild symptoms but otherwise remains in good health and has been working from home throughout the last few days as usual.”
March 25, 2020 3:58 am
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Governors across the nation are rejecting President Donald Trump’s new accelerated timeline for reopening the U.S. economy, as they continued to impose more restrictions on travel and public life in an attempt to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The dismissal of Trump’s new timeframe – he said he believes the U.S. could reopen by mid-April – came from both Republicans and Democrats, from leaders struggling to manage hot spots of the outbreak and those still trying to mitigate a further spread.
