March 5, 2020 4:17 am
BEIRUT (AP) – Syrian state media and an opposition war monitor say Israeli warplanes fired missiles toward military positions in central Syria. State news agency SANA said Israeli warplanes launched the missiles early Thursday while flying over Lebanon’s airspace. SANA reported that all the missiles were shot down by Syrian air defenses before reaching their targets. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, says the warplanes struck two air bases in the central province of Homs. There was no immediate comment from Israel. Israel has repeatedly struck Iran-linked targets in Syria in recent years and has warned against any permanent Iranian presence on the frontier.
March 5, 2020 4:16 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Senate has passed an $8.3 billion measure to help tackle the coronavirus outbreak in hopes of reassuring a fearful public and accelerating the government’s response. The money would pay for a multifaceted attack on a virus that is spreading more widely every day, sending financial markets spiraling, disrupting travel and potentially threatening the U.S. economy’s decade-long expansion. Thursday’s sweeping vote sends the bill to the White House for President Donald Trump’s signature. The plan would more than triple the $2.5 billion amount outlined by the White House 10 days ago.
March 5, 2020 4:14 am
TOKYO (AP) – Asian shares are rising, taking their cue from a surge on Wall Street as governments and central banks took more aggressive measures to fight the virus outbreak and its effects on the economy. Benchmarks in Japan, South Korea, China and Australia are all rising. Investors are anticipating that more central banks will follow the Federal Reserve’s lead in cutting rates. The gains on Wall Street more than recouped big losses from a day earlier as wild, virus-fueled swings around the world’s markets extend into a third week. The recovery came as China reported further progress in containing the outbreak.
March 5, 2020 4:12 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – A Pennsylvania state laboratory is improving its ability to handle samples that it is testing for the new coronavirus that is sickening people across the globe. State health officials said Wednesday that the lab can now handle about 25 samples a day. A spokesman said that rate should increase in the coming days after the lab gets a piece of equipment, an extractor, that boosts its testing capacity. Officials say there have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania. Hospital and state officials in Pennsylvania are encouraging people who fear they may have contracted coronavirus to call their doctor or hospital.
March 5, 2020 4:11 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Two brothers allege in a lawsuit that a tour bus driver behaved recklessly before a Pennsylvania Turnpike crash that killed five people. Anthony and Quwanjay Ellis were both hurt when the Z&D Tour Inc. bus crashed about 30 miles east of Pittsburgh on Jan. 5. They filed a lawsuit Thursday in a New Jersey court. According to the suit, Quwanjay Ellis observed the driver going faster than normal about a half-hour before the crash. In the suit, they claim negligence and seek damages. A message was left at a phone number listed for Z&D Tour Inc. of Rockaway, New Jersey.
March 5, 2020 4:09 am
No injuries resulted following a house fire late Wednesday night in Houston Borough. Washington County 9-1-1 says a caller reported their home was on fire just after 11:30 p.m. in the 20 block of East Grant Street. Both occupants were out of the home by the time firefighters arrived. The fire was put out in about 15 minutes. There is no word of what may have caused the fire.
March 5, 2020 4:01 am
The Charleroi Borough Council was updated by financial consultant Dennis Martinak on the progress of the Borough’s participation in the commonwealth’s Strategic Management Planning Program. The STMP is an early intervention program that allows municipalities to hire financial consultants to help guide them through difficult financial times. Council president Mark Alterici made clear that no borough tax dollars are being spent on this project. All monies are coming from grants from the commonwealth. Early indications from the report suggest that the Charleroi is not as bad off financially as people feared when the program started 18 months ago. Charleroi, like all of western Pennsylvania is suffering a population decline, but with companies moving into nearby municipalities like Speers and Allenport, Charleroi could benefit from those new jobs. Borough Council President Mark Alterici impressed upon council the need to welcome the idea of regionalization and disregard the rigid borders that have impeded progress in the Monongahela River Valley.
March 5, 2020 2:39 am
(WPXI) – Pittsburgh-based Levin Furniture has been saved from going out of business with the return of its former owner, who is coming out of retirement. “I’m coming back as the owner of Levin Furniture for the employees who were at risk of losing their jobs,” Robert Levin said in a statement. “They are the most loyal, dedicated, and hardworking people I’ve ever known.” A deal reached Wednesday has Levin acquiring Levin Furniture and Wolf Furniture locations in Pennsylvania and Ohio through a court restructuring of parent company Art Van Furniture, a news release said. “It will be a privilege and honor to once again lead this company as we prepare to celebrate 100 years in the furniture and mattress business,” Levin said. Levin is assuring customers that their deposits and purchases are safe and secure. Levin Furniture was founded in 1920 in Mount Pleasant by Robert Levin’s grandparents.
March 4, 2020 12:42 pm
CHICAGO (AP) – From Hawaii to Pennsylvania, states are scrambling to curb the impact of a new Trump administration rule that could cause nearly 700,000 people to lose food stamp benefits. They’ve filed a multi-state lawsuit, expanded publicly funded job training and created pilot programs. They’ve also doubled down on efforts to reach vulnerable communities, including the homeless, rural residents and people of color. The new rules hit particularly hard in places like Illinois, which is dealing with a separate, similar change in the nation’s third-largest city. The Trump administration has said the new rule will get people working and save $5.5 billion over five years.
March 4, 2020 11:06 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Billionaire Mike Bloomberg has ended his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination and endorsed Joe Biden. Bloomberg says he’s doing so to help “defeat Donald Trump.” It’s a stunning collapse for the former New York City mayor, who had pinned his 2020 hopes on the Super Tuesday states and pumped more than $500 million from his fortune into his ultimately unsuccessful campaign. Bloomberg announced his departure Wednesday after a disappointing finish on Super Tuesday in the slate of states that account for almost one-third of the total delegates available in the Democratic nominating contest. Some of his former Democratic rivals had coalesced around Biden as the moderate alternative to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
