February 13, 2020 9:56 am
The publisher of the Miami Herald, The Kansas City Star and dozens of other newspapers nationwide is filing for bankruptcy protection. McClatchy Co. said it will continue to run normally as it pursues approval of its restructuring plan under Chapter 11. Its 30 local newsrooms are operating as usual. McClatchy expects fourth-quarter revenue of $183.9 million, down 14% from a year earlier. Its 2019 revenue is anticipated to slide 12.1% from the previous year. The publisher’s origins date to 1857 when it first began publishing a four-page paper in Sacramento, California, following the California Gold Rush. That paper became The Sacramento Bee.
February 13, 2020 8:58 am
A man had to be rescued from his vehicle after it became stranded along a flooded portion of Marianna Ten Mile Road in West Bethlehem Township near Rudnick’s. Washington County 9-1-1 says three people were in the vehicle. Fire crews from Marianna and Lone Pine along with State Police responded. No identities have been released. The flooding resulted from heavy rains overnight. Officials are reminding motorists not to drive through flooded out roads.
February 13, 2020 4:21 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Michael Bloomberg says none of the other candidates in the Democratic primary field had answers when asked in last week’s debate why they’re better prepared than he is to take on President Donald Trump. Bloomberg campaigned in Nashville on Wednesday to mark the first day of early voting in Tennessee. The billionaire former New York City mayor says he has “workable and achievable plans” and knows how to get work done. He says he could provide health insurance to everyone by building on “Obamacare” and without massive tax increases. That’s a clear distinction with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who won Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary and has championed “Medicare for All.”
February 13, 2020 4:20 am
DENVER (AP) – Sen. Bernie Sanders’ strong showing in Democrats’ presidential contests in Iowa and New Hampshire is worrying members of the party back in Congress. Their concern: that the Vermont independent is a self-proclaimed socialist who embraces programs like Medicare for All. And that could scare away the very moderate voters that Democrats will need to protect their majority in the House and to give them a shot at gaining enough seats to win Senate control. Democrats are holding numerous nervous huddles about Sanders and his impact on them, but many say there’s little they can do but watch the primaries and hope.
February 13, 2020 4:18 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Attorney General William Barr is about to face some of his harshest critics in Congress. Barr has agreed to testify on March 31 before the House Judiciary Committee. The appearance comes as questions swirl about whether Barr intervened in the case of Roger Stone, a longtime ally of President Donald Trump. Democrats plan to ask Barr about the department’s decision to overrule four federal prosecutors on the amount of prison time recommended for Stone. After the decision, the prosecutors immediately quit. Trump tweeted a congratulations to Barr “for taking charge of a case that was totally out of control and perhaps should not have been brought.”
February 13, 2020 4:16 am
TOKYO (AP) – Japan’s health ministry says 44 more people on a quarantined cruise ship have tested positive for the virus that causes the new disease known as COVID-19. The ship has 218 people infected with the virus out of 713 people tested since the ship returned to the Yokohama Port on Feb. 3. Health Minister Katsunobu Kato says five patients now in hospitals have severe symptoms and are on artificial respirators or under intensive care. Japan’s government has decided to allow passengers older than 80 to get off the ship if they wish to do so after testing negative for the virus. Those with chronic health problems or in cabins without windows will be given priority.
February 13, 2020 4:15 am
BEIJING (AP) – China is reporting 254 new deaths and a spike in virus cases of more than 15,000, after its hardest-hit province applied a new system that broadens the scope of diagnoses for the outbreak, which has spread to more than 20 countries. Japan is also reporting its first death. The hardest-hit Chinese province has replaced its top officials in an apparent response to public criticism of local authorities’ handling of the epidemic. The total deaths in mainland China now are more than 1,300, with confirmed cases exceeding 59,000. That number now includes patients who have been diagnosed with a doctors’ analysis combined with lung imaging, as opposed to waiting for laboratory test results.
February 13, 2020 4:09 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati tells The Associated Press he will not seek re-election. Scarnati made the announcement Wednesday night. The 58-year-old is a fifth-term Republican senator from Jefferson County in northwestern Pennsylvania. He says he wrestled with the decision but thought it was the right time to step down after 14 years in a job steering a Republican majority through turbulent elections and fights in the Capitol. Scarnati rose quickly, becoming Senate president in 2007 with the endorsement of his predecessor after just six years in the chamber. He said he will remain in his role until the legislative term ends Nov. 30.
February 13, 2020 4:06 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – The University of Pittsburgh announced it will receive samples of the novel coronavirus to work on a potential vaccine. In a tweet Wednesday, Pitt officials said its Center for Vaccine Research will obtain samples of the virus from the CDC in an effort to prevent its spread in the U.S. and beyond. Pitt said its CVR is one of the few labs nationwide that is qualified to handle pathogens like the coronavirus. More than 45,000 people cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed globally, with more than 1,000 dead from it. CDC officials said some of the coronavirus test kits sent to states and at least 30 countries have proved to be flawed.
February 13, 2020 2:59 am
Officials say a great deal of progress has been made in stabilizing Clare Drive in South Strabane township and they believe at least one lane of the roadway will be reopened Thursday. PennDot Assistant Construction Engineer Scott Faieta says crews have been working to stabilize the roadway after a partial collapse late Monday night. Township officials closed the roadway and advised residents of nearly a dozen homes to evacuate. Some stayed at area hotels but others remained in their homes. Faieta say the goal is to get at least one lane open to allow those residents to return but admits there will still be plenty of work to do after that happens. The slide has also led PennDot to close the far right lane of Interstate 70 east in the area because of concerns with that hillside. Tune to WJPA 95.3FM/1450AM for the very latest developments. (Photo: WPXI)
