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...
World virus roundup: Death toll in Spain nears 11,000; Merkel returns to workVideo
Here’s the latest on the coronavirus pandemic from around the world. From Spain Spain is closing Friday a black week with its death toll for the new coronavirus nearing 11,000, more than half of those during the past seven days, and more infections than any other country in Europe. The...
Employee at Murrysville Giant Eagle tests positive for covid-19
An employee at the Giant Eagle in Murrysville has tested positive for covid-19, store officials reported Thursday night. The regional chain has sought to keep customers informed by keeping a list of stores where employees have tested positive for the virus, and when that employee was last in the store....
Trump administration ended pandemic early-warning program to detect coronavirusesVideo
Two months before the novel coronavirus probably began spreading in Wuhan, China, the Trump administration ended a $200 million pandemic early-warning program aimed at training scientists in China and other countries to detect and respond to such a threat. The project, launched by the U.S. Agency for International Development in...
Juniper Village at Forest Hills senior community to begin proactive coronavirus testing
Juniper Communities, a senior housing company with sites in Forest Hills, Meadville, State College and eastern Pennsylvania, will begin taking a proactive approach to the coronavirus pandemic by testing residents and staff. “Senior living communities are the first line of defense for 3 million citizens most at risk for complications...
Georgia infections at 5,300 as Gov. Brian Kemp readies stay-home orderVideo
ATLANTA — Coronavirus infections in Georgia climbed past 5,300 and officials blamed the virus for record-shattering unemployment claims Thursday as Gov. Brian Kemp prepared to order residents statewide to shelter at home in hopes of slowing transmission. The sobering new figures on the pandemic’s toll in Georgia came just a...
Navy captain who pleaded for help in coronavirus outbreak on carrier relieved of commandVideo
The Navy on Thursday has relieved the captain of the coronavirus-stricken USS Roosevelt shortly after his plea for help for his sailors went public. Capt. Brett Crozier, who commands the aircraft carrier with a crew of about 5,000, will be relieved of his command but keep his rank and remain...
West Virginia doctor charged with groping VA patient
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A doctor at a Veterans Affairs hospital in West Virginia has been charged with groping and injuring a patient. Dr. Jonathan Yates was charged in a criminal complaint unsealed Thursday with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law — language used to describe crimes...
U.S. to recommend widespread wearing of masksVideo
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is formalizing new guidance to recommend that many, if not almost all, Americans wear face coverings when leaving home, in an effort to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. The recommendations were still being finalized Thursday. They would apply at least to those who...
Ill-fated cruise ships given approval to dock in FloridaVideo
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Passengers aboard two cruise ships that have had coronavirus cases and deaths have been given the green light to disembark at a Florida port, an official said Thursday. An agreement was reached between local, state and federal officials and Carnival Corp., which owns the Zaandam and...
Confirmed coronavirus cases hit 1 million worldwideVideo
NEW YORK - The number of coronavirus infections worldwide has hit 1 million, with more than 50,000 deaths, according to the tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. The figures were another bleak milestone in the epidemic that has forced the lockdown of entire countries and brought economies to a shuddering...
Memo: Some in U.S. may not get stimulus checks until AugustVideo
WASHINGTON — The federal government expects to begin making payments to millions of Americans under the new stimulus law in mid-April, but some people without direct deposit information may not get checks until mid-August or later, according to a memo obtained Thursday by The Associated Press. The document from the...
Coronavirus resets political calendar
Fears of coronavirus are resetting the political calendar in Pennsylvania and across the nation as the 2020 presidential election nears. Officials with the Democratic National Committee announced Thursday the party’s presidential nominating convention, previously scheduled for July 13 in Milwaukee, is rescheduled for Aug. 17. That announcement came as the...
U.S. border construction projects spur rural coronavirus fears
BILLINGS, Mont. — Major construction projects moving forward along the U.S. borders with Canada and Mexico are raising fears that the coronavirus could race through temporary camps and workers could spread it to nearby rural communities that would not be able to handle an outbreak. Despite a clampdown on people’s...
Fauci says he feels safe despite threats, is focusing on job
WASHINGTON — Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease official, said Thursday he feels safe despite reports he’s received online threats and has had uncomfortable personal encounters with admirers that prompted the Trump administration to assign him a security detail. Fauci, a key member of the White House coronavirus...