Western Pa. fish fries serve up precaution as coronavirus concern deepens
From fire halls to churches, organizers of the region’s extremely popular Lenten fish fries are employing a variety of precautions as concern over the spread of the coronavirus continues. “We are certainly stepping up our regular cleaning measures, which we take pretty seriously to begin with,” said Heather Dolhi, administrator...
Trump declares coronavirus pandemic a national emergency
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Friday that he is declaring the coronavirus pandemic a national emergency, as Washington struggles with providing Americans with relief and officials race to slow the spread of the outbreak. Speaking from the Rose Garden, Trump said, “I am officially declaring a national emergency.” He...
U.S. hospitals brace for ‘tremendous strain’ from new virus
U.S. hospitals are setting up circus-like triage tents, calling doctors out of retirement, guarding their supplies of face masks and making plans to cancel elective surgery as they brace for an expected onslaught of coronavirus patients. Depending on how bad the crisis gets, the sick could find themselves waiting on...
Delta slashes flights by 40% as virus cripples global travel
Delta Air Lines will cut passenger-carrying capacity by 40% to deal with a nosedive in travel demand, and it is talking to the White House and Congress about assistance to get through a downturn caused by the new coronavirus. The 40% cut in capacity is the largest in Delta’s history,...
Gov. Tom Wolf orders all Pa. schools shut down for 10 days
Schools across Pennsylvania will close for at least 10 business days amid efforts to stem the spread of coronavirus, state officials said Friday. Gov. Tom Wolf said in a statement that officials will re-evaluate after 10 days to decide whether schools should remain closed. The order – for 10 school...
Trump preparing to invoke emergency powers over coronavirus
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is preparing to invoke emergency powers as the country struggles to contain the coronavirus outbreak, according to two people familiar with the planning who spoke on condition of anonymity. It was still unclear Friday, however, precisely what mechanism Trump would use to free up additional...
In Pennsylvania, school closures spread amid coronavirus outbreak
HARRISBURG — School closings began radiating farther from the Philadelphia area, with schools in at least 10 Pennsylvania counties closed Friday as the state mounted a sweeping social distancing measure aimed at slowing the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak. Meanwhile, the number of positive tests grew from 22 to 33,...
Miami mayor tests positive for coronavirus after event with Brazil President Bolsonaro
MIAMI — Miami Mayor Francis Suarez has tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, four days after the mayor attended a Miami event with a Brazilian government official who later tested positive for the virus. Suarez confirmed the positive test Friday morning in an interview with...
Philadelphia officer shot and killed while serving warrant
PHILADELPHIA — A Philadelphia police officer was shot and killed early Friday as he served a homicide warrant at a home. Cpl. James O’Connor, 46, was shot around 5:45 a.m. in the city’s Frankford section, officials said. He was shot in the shoulder above his bulletproof vest when officers entered...
Masters postponed over coronavirus
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Augusta National on Friday postponed the Masters, another massive hit to the spring sports calendar by the coronavirus that already is responsible for the loss of March Madness and the delay of MLB’s Opening Day. So much for that annual rite of spring and the...
Trump administration: $1.3M for fast coronavirus test development
President Donald Trump’s administration announced Friday it is awarding $1.3 million to two companies trying to develop rapid covid-19 tests that could detect whether a person is positive for the new coronavirus within an hour. The Department of Health and Human Services said it is awarding $679,000 to DiaSorin Molecular,...
Latest on coronavirus: Gov. Wolf explains measures taken in Pa.; state cases rise to 41
Over the course of just a few hours Friday, cases of the novel coronavirus in Pennsylvania jumped from 33 to 41 — including the first patient to test presumptive positive from Western Pennsylvania. The Washington County case was announced during a 5 p.m. update by the state Department of Health....
Big city, big worry: New Yorkers fret as bustling city slows as coronavirus spreads
NEW YORK — New Yorkers will awake Friday to find the coronavirus has left their famously bustling city with no Broadway, no basketball games, no big gatherings, and a populace unnerved by an ever-worsening crisis. A dizzying series of temporary coronavirus-related closures announced Thursday included some of the city’s cultural...
Pa. state prisons suspend all visits amid covid-19 concerns
State prisons in Pennsylvania have suspended all visits for at least two weeks, the Department of Corrections announced late Thursday. Corrections Secretary John Wetzel also said enhanced screenings of staff, vendors, chaplains and other contractors will begin at all state correctional institutions. Wetzel had announced Wednesday that only SCI-Phoenix, which...
Holy Cross Academy in Ross closed Friday over fear of coronavirus exposure
Holy Cross Academy in Ross is closed Friday after officials learned that a student may have been exposed to the coronavirus, the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese announced this morning. Officials said the student was possibly exposed to the virus from a relative outside the school. They stressed that nobody in the...
Spain orders 1st mandatory lockdown for 60,000 amid coronavirus pandemic
The Latest on the world’s coronavirus pandemic: Spain’s has ordered its first mandatory lockdown, confining over 60,000 people to four towns as infections for the new coronavirus increase sharply. The rise is straining health services and putting more pressure on the government to act faster to fight the pandemic. The...
Disney World closes theme parks for rest of March as coronavirus concerns swell
ORLANDO, Fla. — Throughout its nearly 50-year history, Walt Disney World has closed briefly a handful of times from looming hurricanes and the 9/11 terrorist attacks, but late Thursday, the company announced it would shut down for nearly two weeks starting Sunday because of the coronavirus pandemic — an unprecedented...
3 Alle-Kiski Valley districts on 2-hour delay so staff can prep for possible closings due to coronavirus
Students in the Leechburg Area, Allegheny Valley and Riverview will be on a two-hour delay Friday so staff can develop plans to continue educating students if a decision is made to shut down school buildings to curb the spread of the coronavirus, district officials announced. The delay is for students...
Fox Chapel schools closed after student’s ill parent raises concerns about coronavirus exposure
The Fox Chapel Area School District will close all schools Friday after officials learned that the parent of a high school student is ill and concerned about potential exposure to coronavirus. While the student’s parent has not traveled to any areas known to have the virus, the district said it...
Golf pro loved the game, befriended by Deacon and Arnold Palmer
The game of golf gave Martin R. Statler entree to a world far different from the Latrobe in which he grew up during World War II. Mr. Statler was tutored in golf by Latrobe Country Club pro Jerome “Deacon” Palmer and golfed with his son, Arnold Palmer, as well as...
Trudeau’s wife tests positive for new coronavirus
TORONTO — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s wife has tested positive for the new coronavirus, his office announced Thursday night. It said Sophie Grégoire Trudeau was felling well and would remain in isolation. “The Prime Minister is in good health with no symptoms. As a precautionary measure and following the...
Boris Yaro, LA Times photographer who took iconic image of mortally wounded RFK, dies
LOS ANGELES — As Robert F. Kennedy was leaving the Ambassador Hotel on June 5, 1968, following his victory in that year’s California Democratic presidential primary, a part-time Los Angeles Times photographer, working on his own time in hopes of catching a shot for his wall, followed. “The idea went...
Horse-drawn carriages might be a thing of the past in Chicago as City Council considers measure to ban them
CHICAGO — Horse-drawn carriages could be pulled from the streets of Chicago if City Council passes an ordinance next week. The city’s Committee on License and Consumer Protection on Wednesday unanimously approved the ordinance, which would effectively take carriages off the streets by Jan. 1, 2021. The measure halts the...
Officials: U.S. strikes Iran-backed group that hit Iraq base
WASHINGTON — The U.S. launched airstrikes Thursday in Iraq, American officials said, targeting the Iranian-backed Shia militia members believed responsible for the rocket attack that killed and wounded American and British troops at a base north of Baghdad. One U.S. official said multiple strikes targeted Kataib Hezbollah weapons facilities inside...
U.S. surveillance powers set to temporarily expire
WASHINGTON — Three surveillance powers available to the U.S. government are set to temporarily expire Sunday after a trio of senators opposed a bipartisan House bill that would renew the authorities and impose new restrictions. The Senate will consider the House bill next week, but it is unclear if President...
