May 23, 2020 9:24 am
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) – Health officials are worried that Alabama’s coronavirus caseload is increasing and residents aren’t guarding against COVID-19 as it opens its casinos, church and more. Parking lots are filling up again outside many businesses, and in many places it’s rare to see people wearing face masks. University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban has released a video encouraging people to cover their faces and practice social distancing. But it’s unclear whether that will help, and health officials are concerned. Hospitalizations have increased since April, as have the overall number of cases in the state. Officials say it’s unclear whether the increase is linked to more testing or more disease.
May 23, 2020 9:21 am
HOUSTON (AP) – A judge has criticized the Trump administration’s handling of detained immigrant children and families, ordering it to give the court detailed information about efforts to quickly release them in the wake of the coronavirus. On Friday, the judge ordered the U.S. government to better explain why it hasn’t released some of the approximately 350 parents and children in three family detention centers – one in Pennsylvania and two in Texas. Advocates allege that parents in those centers were asked to sign forms that would have allowed their children to be released to sponsors while the parents remained in custody. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says the forms are part of a “routine parole review consistent with the law.”
May 23, 2020 9:19 am
(AP)-A large new study suggests that malaria drugs pushed by President Donald Trump as treatments for the coronavirus not only do not help but also are tied to a greater risk of death and heart rhythm problems. Friday’s report involved nearly 100,000 patients around the world. It was not a rigorous test of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine, but is by far the largest look at their use in real world settings. Separately on Friday, preliminary results were published for a study of the experimental drug remdesivir. As previously announced, the Gilead Sciences drug shortened the time to recovery – 11 days on average versus 15 days for those just given usual care for COVID-19.
May 23, 2020 9:16 am
BANGKOK (AP) – South Korea has reported 23 new cases of the coronavirus, mostly from the densely populated Seoul area where authorities shut down thousands of nightclubs, bars and karaoke rooms in a desperate attempt to stem transmissions. Meanwhile, China reported no new confirmed cases for the first time since it started announcing infections in January. South Korea was reporting around 500 new cases a day in early March before using aggressive tracing and testing to stabilize its outbreak. But there’s growing concern over the steady rise of infections in the greater capital area, where about half of South Korea’s 51 million people live. It came after health authorities relaxed social distancing guidelines and allowed a phased reopening of schools, starting with high school seniors.
May 23, 2020 7:30 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate skyrocketed in April at the height of the state’s pandemic-driven shutdown to its highest rate in over four decades of record-keeping, the state Department of Labor and Industry said Friday. Meanwhile, payrolls fell by more than 1 million to the lowest level in at least three decades. Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate more than doubled to 15.1% in April, up from 5.8% in March, the department said. The national rate was 14.7% in April. Pennsylvania’s highest unemployment rate was 12.7% in 1983, according to federal data back to 1976 under the same methodology. Meanwhile, 2.2 million Pennsylvanians have sought unemployment benefits since mid-March, or one-third of the labor force.
May 23, 2020 3:57 am
The Department of Community and Economic Development announced $3 million in grant monies to help fund water and sewage improvements in five Pennsylvania counties. Department Secretary Dennis Davin announced the grants on Friday. Locally, Greene County will receive $660,212 to improve the Brave Water System in Wayne Township. The monies will go to the replacement of 95 meters and allow them to be read remotely, the replacement of 2250 feet of 6 inch PVC pipe, add fire hydrants where necessary and replace the roof on the water treatment building.
May 23, 2020 3:39 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. — With western Pennsylvania’s full transition to the ‘yellow’ area, restrictions on certain summer camp and “public bathing spaces” are being addressed. “We understand the need to secure child care options as parents and caregivers return to work across the state,” Gov. Wolf said Friday. That’s why any summer program that provides child care, enrichment and recreational activities for kids are now allowed to operate in counties that are in either the ‘yellow’ or ‘green’ phase. They do, however, need to develop a written health and safety plan. The activities can be either indoor or outdoors, but it’s encouraged to maintain social distancing and keep the same group of people together on a daily basis to avoid cross-contamination. Children and youth are not required to wear a face covering, just encouraged, while adults are required. Public playgrounds used by child care providers and summer programs in ‘yellow’ or ‘green’ counties are also part of Governor Wolf’s phased reopening plan. Outdoor community pools and other public bathing spaces are also now permitted to operate in counties that are in either the ‘yellow’ or ‘green’ phase.
May 22, 2020 3:32 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump says he has deemed churches and other houses of worship “essential” and is calling on governors to allow them to reopen this weekend despite the threat of the coronavirus. He says: “Today I’m identifying houses of worship – churches, synagogues and mosques – as essential places that provide essential services.” Trump made the announcement during a hastily arranged press conference Friday at the White House, where he didn’t take questions. He says if governors don’t abide by his request, he will “override” them, though it’s unclear what authority he has to do so.
May 22, 2020 7:41 am
KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) – An aviation official says a passenger plane belonging to state-run Pakistani International Airlines has crashed near the southern port city of Karachi. There were no immediate reports on the number of casualties. The aircraft arriving from the eastern city of Lahore was carrying 99 passengers and eight crew members, the official said. Witnesses said the Airbus A320 appeared to attempt to try and land two or three times before crashing in a residential area near Jinnah International Airport. Local television reports showed smoke coming from the direction of the airport.
May 22, 2020 4:59 am
A Charleroi man died following a one-vehicle crash in the borough Thursday night. The Washington County Coroner’s Office says 69 year old Charles Matava was pronounced dead in the emergency room at Mon Valley Hospital just before 10:30 pm. A cause and manner of death are pending. Matava was the driver of a vehicle which lost control and struck a building in the 700 block of Washington Avenue in Charleroi around 9 pm. Charleroi Regional Police continue to investigate.
