NYC mayor Bill de Blasio says deaths at home should be added to coronavirus toll
NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio acknowledged Wednesday that the city’s official coronavirus statistics have missed hundreds of people who died at home without ever being tested for the virus, and said the city would start including such victims in its covid-19 tally. “The blunt truth...
3 Sundays approved for Pennsylvania deer, bear hunting
Three Sundays this fall were approved for hunting by the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners. Archery deer hunting will be allowed on Nov. 15, bear hunters can take to the woods on Nov. 22 and deer hunters using firearms can be out Nov. 29, according to information released by the...
Gov. Wolf: Fly state flags at half-staff to honor covid-19 victims
Gov. Tom Wolf on Tuesday ordered all state flags on Pennsylvania public buildings and grounds flown at half-staff to honor the victims of the coronavirus pandemic. “Too many Pennsylvanians have lost their lives to covid-19, and, unfortunately, many more will die,” Wolf said as the state saw the largest single-day...
Wisconsin voters wait for hours, others stay home amid virusVideo
MADISON — Despite federal health recommendations, thousands of Wisconsin voters waited hours in long lines outside overcrowded polling stations on Tuesday so they could participate in a presidential primary election that tested the limits of electoral politics in the midst of a pandemic. Thousands more stayed home, unwilling to risk...
Pa. prosecutors urge lawmakers to help decide on freeing inmates
HARRISBURG — As officials consider releasing some inmates to lessen the impact of covid-19 on Pennsylvania prisons, county prosecutors are telling lawmakers that passing legislation to address that would avoid leaving those decisions to the governor alone. The Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association considers “a temporary, legislative solution” to be reasonable,...
Shark kills Australian wildlife worker on Great Barrier Reef
BRISBANE, Australia — A shark fatally mauled a young Australian wildlife worker on the Great Barrier Reef, officials said Tuesday. Queensland state Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the 23-year-old victim worked for the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service. “Once again a family out there is grieving for a young man who...
Trump ousts inspector general set to oversee relief spendingVideo
President Donald Trump has removed the head of a team of U.S. auditors that will oversee the $2 trillion in federal coronavirus relief spending, his latest move against inspectors general who are supposed to serve as independent watchdogs. Trump ousted Glenn Fine from his position as acting Defense Department inspector...
Louisiana data: Virus hits blacks, people with hypertensionVideo
BATON ROUGE — Louisiana is releasing more information about its coronavirus deaths, showing the virus’s victims are disproportionately black and two-thirds of those who have died suffered from high blood pressure. The new data released by Louisiana’s health department, which will be updated weekly, gives a glimpse of who is...
Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly reportedly offers his resignation
The acting secretary of the Navy offered his resignation Tuesday because of his handling of the coronavirus outbreak on the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier and the firing of its captain prompted sharp criticism, several news outlets have reported. Thomas Modly submitted his resignation letter to Defense Secretary Mark Esper...
Wall Street’s rally fizzles as oil prices suddenly plunge
NEW YORK — A big rally on Wall Street is losing steam in afternoon trading Tuesday, undercut in part by another plunge in the price of oil, but the market is still on track for a rare back-to-back gain. The S&P 500 was up 0.3% with a half-hour to go...
$25K bonuses, other resources for Pa. essential workers could be on the way
Additional resources soon could be headed to workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic if proposed legislation is passed. The resources would become available through a Heroes Fund introduced by U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, a Democrat from Scranton, and through legislation proposed by state Rep. Austin Davis, D-Allegheny....
Israeli security agency says it arrested alleged Iran spy
JERUSALEM — Israel’s domestic security agency said Tuesday it arrested an Israeli citizen alleged to have spied for Iran. The Shin Bet alleged in a statement the man was in contact with Iranian agents abroad, where he was given money, guidance and encryption tools. The Shin Bet said the man...
Sen. Rand Paul recovered from coronavirus; volunteering at hospitalVideo
FRANKFORT, Ky. — U.S. Sen. Rand Paul said Tuesday that he has recovered from the coronavirus and has started volunteering at a hospital in his Kentucky hometown. The Republican lawmaker tested positive for the virus in March, becoming the first case of covid-19 in the Senate. “I appreciate all the...
66 at South African hospital have coronavirus, mostly staffVideo
JOHANNESBURG — Sixty-six people at a single hospital in South Africa have tested positive for the coronavirus in the past few days, the health minister said Tuesday, as anxiety rose among health workers over the shortage of protective gear. At least 48 of the people who tested positive at St....
State police have cited 2, warned 8 for violating stay-at-home order
Pennsylvania State Police have begun enforcing Gov. Tom Wolf’s stay-at-home order now that it has become a statewide mandate, according to Lt. Col. Scott Price, deputy commissioner of operations for state police. So far, troopers have issued two citations and eight warnings to people who allegedly violated the stay-at-home order...
NYC coronavirus deaths exceed 3,200, topping toll for 9/11 attacksVideo
NEW YORK — New York City’s death toll from the coronavirus rose past 3,200 Tuesday, eclipsing the number killed at the World Trade Center on 9/11. In Britain, Prime Minister Boris Johnson lay in intensive care, believed to be the first major world leader hospitalized with the virus. The twin...
Split families make pacts, duel over custody amid virus
As the country hunkered down to fend off the coronavirus, Carolina McAuley expected her middle school-age kids would continue to shuttle between her house and her ex-husband’s — until she got sick. Suddenly, her long-standing custody arrangement unraveled as she came down with a fever and chills and lost her...
Trump shakes up press team as White House deals with coronavirus
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump shook up his communications team on Tuesday, replacing his press secretary and adding new staffers as he grapples with the coronavirus pandemic. Stephanie Grisham, who had held the titles of press secretary and White House communications director since last June, is out after never holding...
Navy official apologizes for calling fired captain ‘stupid’Video
WASHINGTON — The Navy’s acting secretary has been forced to apologize after a profanity-laden broadside in which he called the fired commander of the coronavirus-stricken USS Theodore Roosevelt “too naive or too stupid.” Thomas Modly issued a written apology Monday hours after President Donald Trump, at a White House news...
Pandemic politics: Wisconsin primary moving forward
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin is asking hundreds of thousands of voters to ignore a stay-at-home order in the midst of a pandemic to participate in Tuesday’s presidential primary election, becoming a test case for dozens of states struggling to balance public health concerns with a core pillar of democracy. The...
U.K.’s Boris Johnson spends night in ICU; not on ventilatorVideo
LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson spent the night in the intensive care unit of a London hospital with the new coronavirus, but is not on a ventilator, a senior government minister said Tuesday, as pressure grew on the government to release more details of Johnson’s condition. Johnson was...
Pakistan doctors jailed for virus protest demand protectionVideo
QUETTA, Pakistan — The Pakistani military promised Tuesday that dozens of doctors who were briefly jailed for taking to the streets in southwestern Baluchistan province to protest the lack of protective equipment to treat the growing number of coronavirus cases will get the equipment they need. The 47 doctors protested...
Region’s churches spread Holy Week message online
A number of the region’s churches will livestream Holy Week services as the state’s stay at home order remains in effect through the month’s end. • Catholic Diocese of Greensburg’s virtual Holy Week services will be streamed at dioceseofgreensburg.org, facebook.com/dioceseofgreensburg and youtube.com. • Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh Bishop David Zubik...
NYC parks could become ‘temporary’ burial sites as coronavirus deaths increase
NEW YORK — New York City has plans to turn parks into temporary cemeteries if the death toll from coronavirus continues to spike, according to a Manhattan politician. With morgues and funeral homes overwhelmed, the city will dig trenches with 10 caskets each if needed, Councilman Mark Levine tweeted Monday....
Body of Kathleen Kennedy Townsend’s daughter recovered
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The body of the daughter of former Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend was located in about 25 feet of water and recovered, authorities said Monday, and they will keep searching for her son, after the two went missing following a canoeing accident last week. The body of...
