Keep your car clean to reduce risk from coronavirus
The spread of the novel coronavirus, and its associated covid-19 disease, is made worse because it is highly contagious. Since vehicle interiors are essentially small contained spaces, it is important to take steps to reduce the risk of contracting the virus while driving or riding inside. When it comes to...
Census Day arrives with U.S. almost paralyzed by coronavirus
ORLANDO, Fla. — Census Day — the date used to reference where a person lives for the once-a-decade count — arrived Wednesday with a nation almost paralyzed by the spread of the novel coronavirus. But census officials vowed the job would be completed by its year-end deadline. The virus’s spread...
Mass testing, empty ICUs: Germany scores early against coronavirus
BERLIN — Late last year — long before most people had heard of the new coronavirus now sweeping the globe — scientists in Germany sprang into action to develop a test for the virus that was causing an unusual respiratory disease in central China. They had one by mid-January —...
Olympic flame to stay a month in Fukushima; next stop Tokyo?Video
TOKYO — The Olympic flame will be on display until the end of April in Japan’s northeastern prefecture of Fukushima. Tokyo Olympic and prefecture officials held an official “handover ceremony”on Wednesday at the J-Village National Training Center in Fukushima. The public will have limited access to view the flame, and...
Ohio officer, armed suspect both wounded in confrontation
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A confrontation between police and an armed suspect in Ohio’s capital city ended early Wednesday with the suspect and an officer both shot and wounded, though both were expected to survive. The shooting in Columbus occurred shortly after 3 a.m. on South Ohio Avenue, when officers responded...
West Virginia, feds launch task force for coronavirus scamsVideo
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A task force to prosecute scams in West Virginia during the coronavirus pandemic has been launched by state and federal officials. The West Virginia Coronavirus Fraud Task Force will investigate online, phone and price-gouging scams targeting people in the state, the Department of Justice said in a...
World coronavirus roundup: Spain reports record 864 virus deaths in 1 dayVideo
Here’s the latest on the coronavirus pandemic from around the world. From Spain Spain reports a new record of 864 deaths in one day while total infections broke the 100,000 mark, making it the third country to surpass that milestone behind the United States and Italy. Spanish health authorities said...
Adapting: The ‘second first day of school’
Editor’s note: Adapting is a regular series spotlighting the ways the global coronavirus pandemic is changing the everyday lives of people in Western Pennsylvania. On Monday, students in many areas across Pennsylvania had their “second first day of school,” in the form of school districts’ online learning plan going into...
NY officials warn ‘the worst’ has yet to come as city, state scramble to contain coronavirusVideo
NEW YORK — Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio warned Tuesday that New York has likely only seen the tip of the coronavirus iceberg, even as the state’s death toll topped 1,500 and city hospitals scrambled to make room for thousands of new covid-19 patients. In his daily...
White House projects 100K to 240K U.S. deaths from covid-19Video
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Tuesday warned Americans to brace for a “rough two-week period” ahead as the White House released new projections that there could be 100,000 to 240,000 deaths in the U.S. from the coronavirus pandemic even if current social distancing guidelines are maintained. Public health officials...
Carnegie Museum researchers discover new reptile genus, species
The Carnegie Museum of Natural History might be closed to the public right now, but its staff is still busy with research — including the discovery of a reptile from the Late Paleozoic period that had a crucial role in shifting its species’ diet from eating insects to eating plants....
Las Vegas marking parking places for homeless encampmentVideo
LAS VEGAS — Homeless people in Las Vegas have been directed to sleep in rectangles painted on the pavement in a makeshift parking lot camp as a way to limit the spread of the coronavirus, a move that is stirring outrage by some on social media. Former Obama administration housing...
Sen. Kim Ward seeks state law change to provide covid-19 info to first responders
A Westmoreland County lawmaker wants to amend state law to require the Pennsylvania Department of Health to release the general location of covid-19 cases to first responders. State Sen. Kim Ward, R-Hempfield, is seeking co-sponsors for an amendment to require state health officials to release information about coronavirus cases by...
Toronto cancels city-led and permitted events to June 30
TORONTO — Canada’s largest city, Toronto, announced Tuesday it is canceling all city-led and permitted events through June 30 amid the coronavirus pandemic. Mayor John Tory said that includes Pride Toronto in late June. Don Peat, a spokesman for the mayor, said it applies to events that get city permits...
Former corrections officer from Greensburg loved family, games
Under normal circumstances, it might be concerning for a former county jail inmate to come walking up and say hello to a longtime corrections officer. But for Jacqueline Learn of Greensburg it was just another part of her day. “Even the prisoners called her ‘Miss Jackie,’” said Ms. Learn’s brother,...
Louisiana pastor says he’ll keep violating coronavirus ban
BATON ROUGE — A Louisiana pastor charged with six misdemeanors for holding church services in violation of a ban put in place to control the coronavirus said Tuesday that he would continue to ignore the ban because God told him to. Pastor Tony Spell was issued a summons Tuesday for...
Judge orders release of 13 immigrants in Pa., saying ICE not protecting them from coronavirus
PHILADELPHIA — A federal judge in Harrisburg ordered the immediate release Tuesday of 13 immigrants from detention centers across Pennsylvania, saying authorities have not taken adequate measures to protect them from the threat of a coronavirus outbreak behind bars. The group, from countries across the globe, are all being all...
Squabbling over 4th coronavirus bailout bill begins, but passage is likely weeks away
WASHINGTON — Political squabbling over what Congress should do next to address the coronavirus pandemic has begun, and the only point of agreement so far seems to be that the fourth relief bill is likely weeks from being passed, if not longer. Just days after President Donald Trump signed a...
Inspector general finds more problems with FBI surveillance applications
WASHINGTON — A Justice Department watchdog has found more problems with FBI applications to a secret court that approves surveillance as part of counterintelligence and counterterrorism investigations. The inspector general audit, released Tuesday, could play into the ongoing congressional debate over the program. In December, DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz...
U.S. finds major cross-border tunnel used to smuggle drugs
SAN DIEGO — A large haul of drugs, including opioids, methamphetamine and cocaine, being smuggled from Mexico to California was seized from a cross-border tunnel equipped with ventilation, lighting and an underground rail system, authorities said Tuesday. The tunnel connected warehouses in Tijuana and San Diego, extending about 2,000 feet...
Johnstown police say coughing led to parking lot assault, shots fired
JOHNSTOWN —A confrontation that apparently began over coughing in a convenience store parking lot resulted in gunfire, Johnstown police said in court documents released Tuesday. Two men were charged with aggravated assault. The police affidavit used to support charges against Guillermo Diaz Alvarez said the other defendant, William Suaro, said...
U.S. coronavirus death toll eclipses China’s
NEW YORK — The U.S. death toll from the coronavirus climbed past 3,500 Tuesday, eclipsing China’s official count. Elsewhere around the world, hard-hit Italy reported that the infection rate appears to be leveling off and new cases could start declining, but that the crisis is far from over. Spain struggled...
U.S. warship captain seeks crew isolation as coronavirus spreadsVideo
WASHINGTON — The captain of a Navy aircraft carrier facing a growing outbreak of the coronavirus is asking for permission to isolate the bulk of his roughly 5,000 crew members on shore, which would take the warship out of duty in an effort to save lives. In a memo to...
CNN anchor Chris Cuomo diagnosed with covid-19
CNN anchor Chris Cuomo revealed Tuesday he has been diagnosed with covid-19. The network reported it broke the news to employees in an internal memo. The anchor also tweeted the news himself. pic.twitter.com/e9Ym9jeT2R— Christopher C. Cuomo (@ChrisCuomo) March 31, 2020 “Soooo in these difficult times that seem to get more...
Un-baaaaa-lievable: Goats invade locked-down Welsh townVideo
LONDON — Un-baaaaa-lievable: This wild bunch is completely ignoring rules on social distancing. With humans sheltering indoors to escape the new coronavirus, mountain goats are taking advantage of the peace and space to roam in frisky clumps through the streets of Llandudno, a town in North Wales. Andrew Stuart, a...
