Dems push $3T coronavirus relief bill toward House vote
WASHINGTON — Democrats began pushing Congress’ biggest coronavirus relief bill yet toward expected House passage Friday, a $3 trillion behemoth they said a beleaguered country badly needs but that Republicans called a bloated election-year wish list. Democratic leaders were pressing ahead despite grumbling from party moderates leery of the measure’s...
No license required: Free fishing day May 24, local lawmaker wants more
What’s better than two days a year of free fishing without a license? Four days of free fishing. State Rep. Bill Kortz, D- Dravosburg, wants to double the number of free fishing days in the state from two to four. As it stands now, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission...
Pennsylvania reports 124 more coronavirus deaths as total case count tops 60,000
State health officials reported more than 100 more coronavirus deaths on Friday as the case total pushed past 60,000. Of the 124 deaths added to the total, 89 came from the Department of Health’s continued work to catch up with reporting by individual counties. The other 35 were reported to...
Leaders warn that coronavirus in care facilities presents wide-reaching public health concern
As coronavirus cases in nursing and personal care homes continue to rise, a growing chorus is calling for those numbers to be recorded separately from the overall number of cases and deaths. Those cries are getting particularly loud in Pennsylvania, where one of the metrics for easing pandemic-related restrictions focuses...
Election security experts urge Pennsylvania to begin planning for expanded mail-in voting this fall
With the Pennsylvania primary three weeks away, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh’s Institute for Cyber Law, Policy and Security say the state must begin planning immediately for secure balloting in the Nov. 3 presidential election. “Bold action is needed on nearly every front here in Pennsylvania, in the United...
Infections soar as Mexico moves toward restarting economy
MEXICO CITY — As Mexico moves toward a gradual reactivation of its economy Monday, the number of new coronavirus infections grows higher every day, raising fears of a new wave of infections that other countries have seen after loosening restrictions. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is straddling the issue, telling...
CDC alerts doctors to covid-19 linked condition in childrenVideo
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning doctors about a serious rare inflammatory condition in children linked with the coronavirus. In an alert issued Thursday, the CDC called the condition multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children. The agency’s case definition includes current or recent covid-19 infection or exposure...
Texas sees deadliest covid-19 day so far with 58 deathsVideo
DALLAS — Texas saw its deadliest covid-19 day of the coronavirus pandemic so far, with state officials reporting 58 deaths during a time span between Wednesday and Thursday afternoon, according to state tabulations. In Corpus Christi, 63 workers of the 747 employees, contractors and vendors at the STX Beef processing...
Appeals court reinstates lawsuit over Trump’s hotel profitsVideo
RICHMOND, Va. — A lawsuit accusing President Donald Trump of illegally profiting off the presidency through his luxury Washington hotel was revived Thursday by a divided federal appeals court. The lawsuit brought by the state of Maryland and the District of Columbia alleges that Trump has violated the emoluments clause...
Wisconsin governor warns of ‘massive confusion’ after rulingVideo
MADISON — Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers warned Thursday of “massive confusion” after the state Supreme Court tossed out the Democrat’s stay-at-home order and Republicans said they may leave it up to local governments to enact their own rules for combating the coronavirus pandemic. The court’s order threw communities into chaos,...
For Paul Manafort, home confinement won’t be same as shelter-in-placeVideo
Paul Manafort’s release from federal prison to serve his sentence at home amid the coronavirus pandemic probably won’t be a walk in the park. Unlike millions of other people who are allowed to get outdoor exercise and walk their dogs even while they’re under virus shelter-in-place orders, convicts serving home...
FDA: Trucks used to store bodies during pandemic can return to food use
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday said refrigerated trucks that preserved the bodies of coronavirus victims during the pandemic may be used for food transport after a thorough cleaning. The FDA has released a handbook on converting the trailers back to their original purpose of hauling food. New...
Hundreds protest stay-at-home order outside Michigan CapitolVideo
LANSING — Hundreds of people angry or frustrated over Michigan’s coronavirus stay-at-home order protested again outside the state Capitol on Thursday, braving heavy rain to call for a loosening of restrictions and for business owners to reopen in defiance of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The demonstration was smaller than previous rallies....
Pleasant Unity man accused of threatening Gov. Wolf is free on bail
The Pleasant Unity man accused of threatening Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf by allegedly saying he and his buddies “have a bullet waiting” for him remains free on bail. Rocco Anthony Naples, 28, of was taken into custody by state troopers Tuesday on a York County arrest warrant, police said. He...
CDC officials release edited coronavirus reopening guidanceVideo
NEW YORK — U.S. health officials on Thursday released some of their long-delayed guidance that schools, businesses and other organizations can use as states reopen from coronavirus shutdowns. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted six one-page “decision tool” documents that use traffic signs and other graphics to tell...
Trump says he’ll restock stockpile for future pandemics
ALLENTOWN — President Donald Trump said Thursday that he intends to prepare the country for future pandemics by restocking the national stockpile and bringing critical manufacturing back to the U.S. His comments came the same day a whistleblower testified that the Trump administration had failed to properly prepare for the...
Sen. Lindsey Graham to probe origins of Russia inquiry; won’t call ObamaVideo
WASHINGTON — Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham said Thursday his committee is opening a wide-ranging investigation into the origins of the Russia investigation, but rejected President Donald Trump’s call to bring in former President Barack Obama to testify. “I am greatly concerned about the precedent that would be set...
Invasive lizards that eat ‘anything they want’ invade GeorgiaVideo
Tegu lizards could eat “murder hornets” for breakfast. Tegus, the latest creature scare that appears in the form of a four-foot lizard and known to have a voracious appetite, have been sighted for the third straight year in Georgia. Biologists say the tegus, which established themselves in Tattnall and Toombs...
Pennsylvania’s largest area code is finally reaching its limit
One of Pennsylvania’s four original area codes finally is getting a little too crowded. The state Public Utility Commission announced Thursday the 814 area code would be assigned a new overlay code of 582. The change also means residents who never needed to dial more than seven digits to make...
Public officials cite virus while limiting access to records
Many state and local governments across the country have suspended public records requirements amid the coronavirus pandemic, denying or delaying access to information that could shed light on key government decisions. Public officials have said employees either don’t have the time or ability to compile the requested documents or data...
Obama emerges as central figure in 2020 presidential race
WASHINGTON — Nearly eight years after he was last on the ballot, Barack Obama is emerging as a central figure in the 2020 presidential election. Democrats are eagerly embracing Obama as a political wingman for Joe Biden, who spent two terms by his side as vice president. Obama remains the...
Richard Burr steps aside as Senate intelligence chair amid FBI probe
WASHINGTON — A Republican senator with access to some of the nation’s top secrets became further entangled in a deepening FBI investigation as agents examining a well-timed sale of stocks during the coronavirus outbreak showed up at his home with a warrant to search his cellphone. Hours later, Sen. Richard...
Wisconsin bars reopen after court ruling praised by Trump
MADISON, Wis. — A court ruling tossing out Wisconsin’s stay-at-home order threw communities into chaos Thursday, after some bars opened immediately and were packed with customers while other local leaders moved to keep strict restrictions in place amid the coronavirus pandemic. The conservative majority of the Wisconsin Supreme Court late...
Cassandra Callender, forced to undergo chemo, dies at 22
HARTFORD, Conn. — Cassandra Callender, who was forced by Connecticut courts as a teenager to undergo chemotherapy for cancer, has died after a five-year battle with the disease, her mother said Thursday. She was 22. Callender, of Windsor Locks, died Tuesday at home, where she had been in hospice care...
Pennsylvania coronavirus death toll tops 4,000
The coronavirus death toll in Pennsylvania surpassed 4,000 on Thursday, a day before more than a dozen new counties were set to ease restrictions and resume some semblance of everyday life. State health officials reported 275 more covid-19 deaths and 938 newly identified cases of the virus. The Department of...
