Kentucky governor vetoes voter ID bill
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear on Friday vetoed a bill pushed by Republican lawmakers to require Kentucky residents to show a government-issued photo ID in order to vote. In his veto message, the governor said the measure would create an obstacle to voting, resulting in fewer people casting...
Cuomo orders shift in ventilators to overwhelmed hospitals
NEW YORK — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he would order the redistribution of critically needed ventilators. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called for a national enlistment program for doctors and nurses. And the coronavirus outbreak picked up speed with more deaths and more hospitalizations. The latest...
Face coverings recommended, but Trump says he won’t wear one
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced new federal guidelines Friday recommending that Americans wear face coverings when in public to help fight the spread of the new coronavirus. The president immediately said he had no intention of following the advice himself, saying, “I’m choosing not to do it.” The new...
US long-term mortgage rates drop; 30-year at 3.33%
WASHINGTON — U.S. long-term mortgage rates fell this week for the second straight week as anxiety has spiraled over devastation to the economy from the coronavirus pandemic. Home-loan rates have been hitting all-time lows. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the average rate on the benchmark 30-year loan dipped...
Western Pa. clergy send signs of hope to their communitiesVideo
As churches refrain from holding gatherings during this time of coronavirus precautions, we asked clergy for messages they would like to send to their parishioners. Revs. Gary and Lisa Lyon of Cross Roads Community Presbyterian Church in Leechburg; Jennifer Marsalese, director of children’s ministry at Cornerstone Ministries Murrysville; and JD...
Florida finally takes cruise passengers, some on stretchers
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Passengers from an ill-fated cruise were carefully freed from their cabins and allowed to touch dry land Friday for the first time in weeks, following the removal of 14 critically ill people who were wheeled off to Florida hospitals bracing for an onslaught of coronavirus patients....
Marvel remakes release calendar; ‘Mulan’ moves to late July
NEW YORK — The Walt Disney Co. on Friday overhauled its release schedule by moving the dates of half a dozen Marvel movies, announcing a new one for the live-action adaption of “Mulan” and pushing one movie, “Artemis Fowl,” to Disney Plus, in response to the coronavirus pandemic. “Black Widow,”...
Search underway for Kathleen Kennedy Townsend’s daughter, grandson
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Authorities were searching Friday for the daughter and a grandson of former Maryland Lt. Gov. Kathleen Kennedy Townsend after a canoe they were paddling in the Chesapeake Bay didn’t return to shore. Gov. Larry Hogan identified the missing relatives as Maeve Kennedy Townsend McKean, 40, and McKean’s...
In pivot, Pelosi sees next relief bill with bipartisan goals
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday that the next coronavirus aid bill should build on the bipartisan relief bills that Congress has passed so far rather than include broader Democratic agenda items such as infrastructure and rural broadband access. That’s a noteworthy pivot for the California Democrat, who...
Stocks fall on Wall Street, heading for another weekly loss
NEW YORK — Stocks are falling in afternoon trading Friday, putting Wall Street on track for its third losing week in the last four. The losses came after the government said U.S. employers cut 701,000 more jobs than they added last month, the first drop in nearly a decade. Many...
Field hospital to be set up at University of Kentucky
FRANKFORT, Ky. — A 400-bed field hospital will be set up at the University of Kentucky as health officials prepare for a potential surge of coronavirus patients, UK HealthCare officials said Friday. The goal is to have the makeshift hospital ready in the next two weeks at Nutter Field House,...
Governor to take ventilators for NYC as hospitals buckle
NEW YORK — With coronavirus deaths climbing rapidly in New York, the governor announced Friday he will use his authority to take ventilators and protective gear from private hospitals and companies that aren’t using them, complaining that states are competing against each other for vital equipment in eBay-like bidding wars....
Pennsylvania coronavirus deaths top 100 as state reports 1,404 new cases
Twelve more people died of coronavirus complications in Pennsylvania, bringing the state’s total to 102, and the state reported 1,404 new cases Friday, health officials said. The number of total cases in Pennsylvania now stands at 8,420. The 1,404 new cases mark the largest single-day increase since the state reported...
Pennsylvania halting pay for 9,000 state workers
Pennsylvania will stop paying about 9,000 state workers whose offices have been closed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, officials said Friday. Paid leave for state employees whose work locations are closed and who are unable to work remotely will end April 10, according to Gov. Tom Wolf’s Office...
State police cite Pa. woman for ‘going for a drive’ amid stay-at-home order
A York County woman this week was the first person in Pennsylvania to be cited for violating Gov. Tom Wolf’s stay-at-home order, according to state police. The 19-year-old woman was given a nontraffic citation for allegedly “going for a drive,” according to the citation obtained by Pennlive. State police spokesman...
Small biz rescue off to spotty start; some banks not readyVideo
NEW YORK — The federal government’s relief program for small businesses is off to a bumpy start Friday, with few businesses able to apply and some big banks saying they’re not ready to process applications. Millions of small businesses are expected to apply for these desperately needed rescue loans from...
100,000 tourists stuck in New Zealand to leave as rules ease
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — About 100,000 tourists stuck in New Zealand since it began a lockdown last week were starting to fly to their home countries Friday. The initial problem for many tourists had been that they were banned from catching domestic flights during the strict monthlong lockdown, which is...
Dr. Fauci’s face will soon be on a bobblehead
MILWAUKEE — The United States’ top infectious disease specialist is getting his own bobblehead. The creation from the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum in Milwaukee features Dr. Anthony Fauci wearing a suit as he makes a motion showing how the nation needs to “flatten the curve” in the...
Cardboard cutouts pose as guests for wedding amid covid-19
DOWAGIAC, Mich. — Cardboard cutout wedding guests will make for a not-so-cookie-cutter wedding as a Michigan couple prepares to tie the knot during the coronavirus pandemic. After Amy Simonson and Dan Stuglik’s wedding plans were disrupted amid the outbreak, a packaging company donated more than 100 cardboard cutouts to pose...
NYC mayor urges national enlistment program for doctors
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called Friday for a national enlistment program for doctors and nurses to handle an expected surge in coronavirus cases in New York and other places around the country where virus cases are straining existing health care systems. “Next week in New York City...
U.S. sheds 701,000 jobs, ending a record-long hiring streak
WASHINGTON — A record-long streak of U.S. job growth ended suddenly in March after nearly a decade as employers cut 701,000 jobs because of the viral outbreak that’s all but shut down the U.S. economy. The unemployment rate jumped to 4.4% from a 50-year low of 3.5%. The monthly job...
Florida finally takes cruise passengers, some on stretchersVideo
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Passengers from an ill-fated cruise were carefully freed from their cabins and allowed to touch dry land on Friday for the first time in weeks, following the removal of 14 critically ill people who were wheeled off to Florida hospitals bracing for an onslaught of coronavirus...
Mexican brewer of Corona beer suspends productionVideo
Looks like we won’t have Corona beer to kick around anymore. For a little while, at least. Grupo Modelo announced Thursday that it is suspending production of its Corona beer and other brands, including Modelo and Pacífico, after it was declared among the nonessential businesses in a Mexican government order...
In time of crisis, Trump-Pelosi relationship remains brokenVideo
WASHINGTON — Two of the most powerful people in Washington have not spoken in five months at a time when the nation is battling its worst health crisis in a century, one that has already killed more than 6,000 Americans and put 10 million others out of work. President Donald...
Global stocks down with U.S. jobs, oil rally in focusVideo
BEIJING — Global stocks declined Friday after soaring U.S. job losses tempered enthusiasm about a possible deal to stabilize oil prices amid anxiety over the global economic decline due to the coronavirus pandemic. Markets in London and Frankfurt traded lower while Shanghai, Hong Kong and Sydney closed down. Tokyo ended...
