April 8, 2020 3:48 am
The Service Employees International Union Local 668 hosted a press conference to alert members that in this Covid-19 pandemic, much more needs to be done to protect workers in all industries that the union represents. Steve Catanese, President of SEIU Local 668 led off stating that protections of all sorts are still falling short. Zack Perkins a County Assistance Case Worker in Delaware and Montgomery Counties is currently in self quarantine and described how in person interviews were being conducted without personal protective equipment and social distancing. Lesa Ramper, a Child Welfare Worker from Blair County is still looking for her superiors to provide PPE so that she can feel safe in her duties. Shawn Domenico, an Allegheny County Unemployment Counselor appreciates the guidelines supplied from the state and county, but looks for follow up to make sure that guidelines provided are being practiced and suggestions for improvements can be made. In all, Catanese summed up the union’s feelings that no employer should spare any expense in providing adequate physical protection with PPE and all employers should do better in implementing practices of social distancing. Catanese states that if the union and its limited budget can host a teleconference for its members, the state and other employers should be able to figure out a way to limit person to person contact and still perform the daily tasks needed.
April 8, 2020 2:48 am
(WPXI) – The roof of a church in New Kensington was torn off as powerful storms with intense winds ripped through the area early Wednesday morning. Debris was tossed onto the ground outside St. Mary of Czestochowa church on Kenneth Avenue as its roof was ripped apart. All five of New Kensington’s fire companies responded to the church about 2:30 a.m., according to a Facebook post from New Kensington Fire Department Company 2. Firefighters put down salvage covers inside the church’s sanctuary and checked utilities while a collapse zone was established in the event of further damage, officials said. St. Mary’s was one of many buildings that were assessed for wind damage, officials said. A couple blocks away from the church, a three-car garage on the roof of Baron Industries collapsed. New Kensington Fire Department Company 2’s Facebook post said its crew was also called for a tree that fell and damaged multiple vehicles, a sidewalk and a utility pole.
April 7, 2020 5:53 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump has removed the inspector general who was to chair a special oversight board of the $2.2 trillion rescue package for businesses and individuals affected by the coronavirus. That’s according to officials and a Defense Department email reviewed by The Associated Press on Tuesday. Glenn Fine is the acting Defense Department inspector general. He was selected last month for the oversight position. But Trump has instead nominated a replacement inspector general at the Pentagon. He’s also appointed an acting one to serve in Fine’s place. That means that Fine will no longer serve on the oversight board.
April 7, 2020 4:11 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump is disputing the veracity of a federal survey that found hospitals face severe shortages of coronavirus test supplies, the president questioning whether its conclusions are skewed by politics. With coronavirus cases rocketing toward their expected peak, the nonpartisan Health and Human Services inspector general’s office reported Monday that a shortage of tests and long waits for results are at the root of mounting problems for hospitals. It found that 3 out of 4 U.S. hospitals surveyed are already treating patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. Investigators say problems such as lagging testing are feeding off each other in a vicious cycle.
April 7, 2020 4:09 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Federal Reserve says it will support the government’s $349 billion small business lending program, which had a rocky start Friday. The Fed said Monday that it will purchase loans that banks make to small businesses as part of the program. The lending facility, carried out by banks and the Small Business Administration, was set up under the $2.2 trillion economic relief package. The loans can be forgiven if they are spent on payroll, to encourage firms to keep paying their employees or rehire workers they may have recently laid off.
April 7, 2020 4:09 am
LONDON (AP) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been moved to the intensive care unit of a London hospital after his coronavirus symptoms worsened. Johnson’s office says Johnson is conscious and does not require ventilation at the moment. Johnson was admitted to St. Thomas’ Hospital late Sunday, 10 days after he was diagnosed with COVID-19. Johnson has asked Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to deputize for him. “Over the course of this afternoon, the condition of the Prime Minister has worsened and, on the advice of his medical team, he has been moved to the Intensive Care Unit at the hospital,” his office said in a statement.
April 7, 2020 4:07 am
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Thousands of Wisconsin voters are waiting hours in line to cast ballots and the National Guard is staffing overcrowded polling stations. This is straining the state’s ability to hold Tuesday’s presidential primary election in the grip of an escalating pandemic. At the same time, many voters said they did not receive their requested absentee ballots and, unwilling to violate a stay-at-home order to vote in person, accepted their votes would not be counted. The chaos in Wisconsin underscores the lengths to which the coronavirus outbreak has upended politics as Democrats seek a nominee to take on President Donald Trump this fall. (Photo: CNN)
April 7, 2020 4:06 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly has resigned. That’s according to two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss the matter before an official announcement. The officials say Modly, who has been the acting Navy boss since November 2019, told staff he is quitting. Modly had publicly apologized Monday for his upbraiding of the officer he fired as captain of the coronavirus-stricken USS Theodore Roosevelt. Modly’s designated replacement will be James McPherson, a Navy veteran who is currently serving undersecretary of the Army. The leadership crisis comes as the Navy struggles with COVID-19 on land and at sea. (Photo: CNN)
April 7, 2020 4:04 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – More than 1 million Pennsylvania residents have filed unemployment compensation claims since the coronavirus began taking a severe toll on the economy in mid-March. That’s according to data released Monday. The state has forced businesses to close to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. Pennsylvania has reported about 13,000 virus cases and 162 deaths. Gov. Tom Wolf warned Monday that a “surge is coming,” but expressed some optimism that his worst fears may be avoided if Pennsylvania residents heed his order to stay at home.
April 7, 2020 3:56 am
Cecil Township Supervisors spent most of their live streamed Monday night meeting debating whether to resurrect a township authorized Facebook page. An earlier rendition of a page was taken down shortly after it was crafted due to lack of control. Supervisor Eric Sivavec is the driving force behind the page saying that it would be a method to get information to township residents immediately. Supervisor Cindy Fisher has been hesitant to bring back the page because of lack of control over comments that may be made by the public that could prove to be insulting, derogatory or defaming. Assistant Manager Jacque King is currently in charge of the township website and sees the need for immediate notice for the public, but is not sure that filters cutting off comments will be totally successful. Fisher would be in favor of a page that is information only and would not allow public comment. She is looking to hold off on the Facebook page until a new township website is created later this summer. The motion died for lack of majority. The vote was 2-2 with supervisor Frank Egizio absent from the meeting.
