May 8, 2020 2:28 am
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) – West Virginia University is furloughing around 875 staffers due to a possible $40 million loss from the coronavirus pandemic. The school issued a statement Friday saying the furloughs will start on May 24 and have staffers return to work either June 28 or July 26. WVU Vice President Rob Alsop has said college faculty, staffers scheduled to teach a class during the furlough period, student employees and federal work study or graduate student assistants are not being considered for the furlough. The college suspended in-person classes in March. Furloughed employees were notified Friday morning and will continue to receive their benefits.
May 8, 2020 2:25 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Justice Department says it’s dropping its criminal case against President Donald Trump’s first national security adviser Michael Flynn. That’s according to a court filing Thursday obtained by The Associated Press. Trump quickly celebrating the decision and said he hoped a “big price” would be paid by those who had brought it. The case was brought by special counsel Robert Mueller. Prosecutors said Flynn had lied to the FBI about his conversations with the Russian ambassador in a January 2017 interview. Flynn became a key cooperator for Mueller’s probe into ties between Russia and Trump’s campaign. (Photo: CNN)
May 7, 2020 8:42 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Nearly 3.2 million laid-off workers applied for unemployment benefits last week as the business shutdowns caused by the viral outbreak deepened the worst U.S. economic catastrophe in decades. Roughly 33.5 million people have now filed for jobless aid in the seven weeks since the coronavirus began forcing millions of companies to close their doors and slash their workforces. That is the equivalent of one in five Americans who had been employed back in February, when the unemployment rate had reached a 50-year low of just 3.5%.
May 7, 2020 4:43 am
Charleroi Council says they are supporting the Washington County Commissioners’ efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Council President, Mark Alterici, said at Wednesday’s agenda meeting that council will be sending a letter to the commissioners in support of their displeasure over Governor Tom Wolf’s decision not to re-open the area. While the borough wants to stress safety, they realize the economic impact on local businesses and the loss of tax revenue that could strain the budget. In other business, council made the decision to cancel their popular movie nights but remain optimistic about their farmer’s market and Community Days celebration in August. Alterici suggested adding a fireworks display for residents in July for something “positive” to look forward to. Lastly, a large “Truck to Trunk” food drive will take place for Mon Valley residents on Friday, May 15th from 2-6 p.m. at the Mon Valley VO-Tech in Speers.
May 7, 2020 4:23 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court says Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is glad to be home after being discharged Wednesday from a Baltimore hospital. Ginsburg, 87, spent one night at the Johns Hopkins Hospital to receive nonsurgical treatment for an infection caused by a gallstone. She participated in court arguments by telephone from her hospital room Wednesday. The court says she will return to the hospital for outpatient visits over the next few weeks and will eventually have the gallstone removed. The procedure does not involve surgery.
May 7, 2020 4:21 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court has thrown out the convictions of two political insiders involved in New Jersey’s “Bridgegate” scandal. The court says in a unanimous decision that the government had overreached in prosecuting Bridget Kelly and Bill Baroni for their roles in a political payback scheme that created days of traffic jams near the George Washington Bridge. Their aim was to punish a New Jersey mayor who refused to endorse the reelection of then-Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican. The justices say there was evidence of deception, corruption, and abuse of power in the political payback saga. But the ruling says “not every corrupt act by state or local officials is a federal crime. (Photo: CNN)
May 7, 2020 4:19 am
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) – The Trump administration has shelved a set of detailed documents created by the nation’s top disease investigators meant to give step-by-step advice to local leaders deciding when and how to reopen public places during the still-raging pandemic. Those public places include mass transit, day care centers, restaurants and bars. The report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was supposed to be published last Friday. A CDC employee tells The Associated Press that agency officials were told the report “would never see the light of day.” The Trump administration has been closely controlling the CDC’s release of information during the coronavirus pandemic.
May 7, 2020 4:18 am
MILTON, Fla. (AP) – Authorities say firefighters in the Florida Panhandle are battling wildfires that have forced some 1,600 people to evacuate from their homes. Smoke from the fires caused officials to close a stretch of Interstate 10 in both directions Thursday. Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried said Thursday that no rain is in the forecast and that residents should stay on alert for additional wildfires. She called the situation extremely dangerous and fast-moving. Some of the 1,100 people who were asked to evacuate in Santa Rosa County were allowed back home Thursday. Others will be asked to stay away at least one more night. In Walton County, a 575-acre fire prompted about 500 people to evacuate.
May 7, 2020 4:17 am
China is touting its assistance to countries struck by the coronavirus, saying it has provided direct government aid to 150 nations, including millions of testing kits. In a statement sent to The Associated Press, the foreign ministry said China has been providing within its means, including, 3.3 million testing kits, 2.6 million gowns, 53 million masks and 729 ventilators, among other supplies. China has in part promoted its assistance and role as a source of personal protective equipment as a way to deflect criticism that it delayed reporting information about the outbreak first detected in the central industrial city of Wuhan late last year.
May 7, 2020 4:15 am
PITTSBURGH– The U.S. Supreme Court will not hear a case challenging Governor Tom Wolf’s shutdown order. The court denied the case Wednesday. The lawsuit was filed by a group of Pa. businesses, spearheaded by local Republican Danny DeVito, who is running for the state house. The request was jointly filed by DeVito’s campaign along with realtor Kathy Gregory, “B and J” Laundry, Blueberry Hill Golf Course and the Caledonia Land Company. They say they believe businesses should reopen now and that if they don’t, they may never recover. Last month, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court rejected a similar challenge to the governor’s order.
