March 11, 2020 1:54 pm
ROME (AP) – The World Health Organization is declaring that the global coronavirus crisis is now a pandemic. The assessment comes as Italy is weighing even tighter restrictions on daily life and has announced billions in financial relief to cushion economic shocks from the coronavirus. Premier Giuseppe Conte says he will consider requests to toughen an already extraordinary lockdown. The hardest-hit region of Lombardy is pushing for a shutdown of nonessential businesses and public transportation on top of travel and social restrictions. The death toll in Italy has risen to 631. In the U.S., more than 1,000 people have been infected.
March 11, 2020 11:44 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison for rape and sexual assault. It’s a sight the Hollywood mogul’s multitude of accusers thought they would never see. Weinstein was convicted last month of raping a woman in a New York City hotel room in 2013 and forcibly performing oral sex on another woman at his apartment in 2006. He faced a maximum of 29 years in prison. Both women that Weinstein was convicted of assaulting spoke in court Wednesday before Judge James Burke announced the sentence.
March 11, 2020 10:33 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Stocks are opening sharply lower on Wall Street as fears of economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak grip markets again. Major indexes are off 3% in early trading Wednesday, taking more than 800 points off the Dow Jones Industrial Average. European indexes were up slightly. The Bank of England cut its key interest rate as an emergency measure in response to the outbreak of the virus, following similar moves by central banks in the U.S. and Canada. The European Central Bank is likely to offer support on Thursday. Countries are shifting into damage-control as infections spread, prompting sweeping controls on travel and other public activities.
March 11, 2020 9:04 am
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) – West Virginia University will temporarily suspend in-person classes once students return from spring break late this month. The university made the announcement Tuesday night as it continues to monitor the threat of the new coronavirus in a state with no confirmed cases. WVU’s weeklong spring break starts Saturday. The university is calling off classes for a week after students return. Then, starting March 30, students will be offered online instruction or other alternative learning options. The university is telling students to take essential items with them when they leave. Officials say as of Tuesday, West Virginia has tested five people for the virus, with three negative results and two tests pending.
March 11, 2020 7:58 am
ROME (AP) – Expanding clusters of the new virus are being eyed warily on multiple continents as the outbreak reshapes everything from the U.S. presidential race to Pope Francis’ travel schedule. Italy’s 62 million people are under strict new rules, with police enforcing measures to keep people in public places a safe distance apart and making sure certain business close by nightfall. The death toll in Italy has risen to 631. In the U.S., more than 1,000 people have been infected and outbreaks on both sides of the country are stirring alarm.
March 11, 2020 4:40 am
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Pa. — (WPXI)- Roughly 200 animals, including cats, dogs and chickens, were rescued from two homes and a church building in Donora and Monessen last fall. Police said Christie Harr, 41, was arrested and faces over 1,000 charges in connection with the incident. Our news partners at Channel 11 say this is the most animal abuse charges ever filed against someone in Washington County. Humane officers said this is not a case of animal hoarding, they say it’s a case of animal abuse. According to the criminal complaint, the roof was caving in, there was no running water, and many of the animals were kept in a dungeon-type room in the basement. The church was filled with garbage, debris, urine and feces, fur stuck to cages, throw up and a massive amount of feces in every cage. Harr told WPXI she has taken care of unwanted animals for 20 years and that anyone who knows her realizes there is no basis for these charges. Approximately 200 rescue cats are now at an undisclosed location being cared for by the Humane Society of the United States. Workers said many of the cats are now showing their personalities and thriving, after they were held in cages for prolonged periods of time.
March 11, 2020 4:17 am
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) – After a series of delays, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has agreed to release 1,500 Taliban prisoners as a goodwill gesture to get intra-Afghan negotiations started. That’s despite the fact that a recent peace deal signed by the United States and the Taliban calls for freeing up to 5,000 prisoners ahead of the much sought-after negotiations. There was no immediate response from the Taliban. Wednesday’s decree came as the U.S. State Department issued a statement saying the level of violence is “unacceptable.” It said that while the Taliban have stopped attacks against the U.S.-led coalition forces and in Afghan cities, the violence in the countryside remains too high.
March 11, 2020 4:16 am
TOKYO (AP) – Asian stocks are falling despite gains on Wall Street on expectations the Trump administration will act to cushion the economic pain of the virus outbreak. Benchmarks in Japan, Australia and South Korea fell Wednesday, while Chinese shares erased morning gains to also lose ground. On Wall Street, stocks recouped most of their historic losses from Monday. Hopes rose, faded and then rose again that the U.S. government will take effective measures to help reduce disruptions to the economy. In Asia, governments have announced billions of dollars worth of subsidies, tax breaks and emergency loans as stopgap measures.
March 11, 2020 4:14 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Joe Biden had another big night in the Democratic presidential primary, capturing four more states, including Michigan. The key battleground state helped propel Bernie Sanders’ insurgent candidacy four years ago, and the loss on Tuesday dealt a serious blow to his 2020 campaign. The former vice president also won Missouri, Mississippi and Idaho, showing strength with working-class voters and African American voters. Sanders’ narrow hopes for good news rested on North Dakota and Washington state, where votes were still being tabulated. Addressing supporters in Philadelphia, Biden noted that many had “declared that this candidacy was dead” only days ago, but “now we’re very much alive.”
March 11, 2020 4:08 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Cases of the new coronavirus crept into a new county in Pennsylvania as Penn State and at least a dozen other schools moved classes online while St. Patrick’s Day parades in Philadelphia, Scranton and Pittsburgh were canceled. Bucks County confirmed its first two cases of COVID-19. That boosted the statewide total to at least 16 confirmed cases amid growing reports of people getting sick while in Pennsylvania. The state isn’t recommending that large gatherings be canceled. But Philadelphia officials are urging people not to attend events of more than 5,000 attendees, and Penn State encouraged students to stay home the next three weeks.
