NYC mayor takes heat after lashing out at Jewish funeralVideo
NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio oversaw the dispersal of a large, tightly packed Hasidic Jewish funeral and lashed out at the mourners who had gathered in defiance of social distancing rules intended to curb the spread of the coronavirus. “My message to the Jewish community,...
South Korea construction fire kills 38
SEOUL, South Korea — At least 38 people were killed Wednesday when one of South Korea’s worst fires in years broke out at a construction site near the capital, officials said. They said the death toll could rise because more people could be trapped inside the warehouse that was under...
Covid-19 showing suburbs are just as vulnerable as citiesVideo
NEW YORK — Haunting images of an empty Times Square and the daily accounting of hundreds of fatalities in New York City have reinforced the idea of the coronavirus as an urban contagion. That may obscure an equally sobering truth: Many of the city’s suburbs have been hit just as...
Israel marks its Independence Day under coronavirus lockdownVideo
JERUSALEM — Israelis celebrated their Independence Day at home Wednesday amid a nationwide lockdown aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. The national holiday, which honors the creation of Israel after the end of the British Mandate in 1948, is usually a festive occasion, with people heading to...
U.S. economy shrank at 4.8% rate last quarter as virus struckVideo
WASHINGTON — The U.S. economy shrank at a 4.8% annual rate last quarter as the coronavirus pandemic shut down much of the country and began triggering a recession that will end the longest expansion on record. The Commerce Department estimated Wednesday that the gross domestic product, the total output of...
2005 video game event offers insights into coronavirus pandemic
Video games tend to be viewed as a fun departure from reality by those who play them and a total waste of time by many who don’t. It might be that neither of those perspectives is very close to the truth, as illustrated by the way a 15-year-old event in...
Rep. Justin Amash exploring 2020 run for Libertarian nomination
WASHINGTON — Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan said Tuesday that he is launching an exploratory committee for the 2020 Libertarian Party’s presidential nomination. The Republican-turned-independent said on Twitter that the U.S. was ready for new leadership. He also posted a link to a new campaign website. “Americans are ready for...
Bill would allow Pennsylvania restaurants to serve to-go cocktails during pandemic
At least one local restaurateur thinks a proposed bill that would allow restaurants to sell liquor products to-go is “too little, too late.” House Bill 327, which the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed Tuesday, would allow a restaurant or hotel with a valid liquor license that lost more than 25%...
Joe Biden wins Ohio’s mail-in primary delayed by coronavirusVideo
COLUMBUS — Joe Biden won Ohio’s presidential primary Tuesday, clinching a contest that was less about the Democratic nomination and more about how states can conduct elections in the era of the coronavirus. The primary was the first major test of statewide elections via mail amid an outbreak. And the...
Oklahoma, Utah face scrutiny over malaria drug purchases
OKLAHOMA CITY — Republican state leaders in Oklahoma and Utah are facing scrutiny for spending millions of dollars combined to purchase malaria drugs promoted by President Trump to treat covid-19 patients that many other states obtained free and that doctors warned shouldn’t be used without more testing. While governments in...
Ex-NAACP leader Kweisi Mfume wins Maryland seat in Congress
BALTIMORE — Democrat Kweisi Mfume won a special election Tuesday to finish the term of the late Elijah Cummings, retaking a Maryland congressional seat Mfume held for five terms before leaving to lead the NAACP. Mfume defeated Republican Kimberly Klacik in the heavily Democratic district. Maryland opened only three polling...
Prominent Manhattan ER doctor on coronavirus front lines kills herself
NEW YORK — A prominent Manhattan emergency room doctor who had treated a staggering number of coronavirus patients killed herself in Virginia, authorities said Monday. Dr. Lorna Breen, 49, the medical director of NewYork-Presbyterian Allen Hospital’s emergency department, died by suicide in Charlottesville, a spokesman for the local police department...
52 positive cases tied to Wisconsin electionVideo
MADISON, Wis. — More than 50 people who voted in person or worked the polls during Wisconsin’s election earlier this month have tested positive for covid-19 so far. The state Department of Health Services reported the latest figures on Tuesday, three weeks after the April 7 presidential primary and spring...
Teen pleads guilty to 2018 Kentucky school shooting
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A teen charged in the 2018 Kentucky school shooting that killed two students has pleaded guilty to murder. Gabriel Ross Parker was 15 when he fired a handgun into a crowd of students before classes started at Marshall County High School on Jan. 23, 2018. Parker was...
Florida coronavirus cases surpass 32,800 as death toll hits highest in single dayVideo
MIAMI — Florida’s Department of Health on Tuesday confirmed 708 additional cases of covid-19, bringing the state’s total of confirmed cases to 32,846. There were 83 new deaths announced — the highest reported on a single day — bringing the statewide death toll to 1,171. The 83 new deaths are...
CDC recommends social distancing for dogs, cats, other animals
The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention is now recommending that cats, dogs and other animals keep the same social distancing as recommended for humans. The recommendation was made after a small number of animals — including dogs and cats — were reported to test positive for covid-19 after they...
Ohio’s primary first big test of mail-in voting during coronavirus outbreak
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The first major test of an almost completely vote-by-mail election during a pandemic is unfolding Tuesday in Ohio, offering lessons to other states about how to conduct one of the most basic acts of democracy amid a health crisis. The process hasn’t been smooth as state officials...
How cool has Pittsburgh been in April? January had a warmer day
Everything about April 2020 has been unusual, including the temperature. It’s been cold out there. So far, no day in Pittsburgh has risen above 70 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. If the pattern holds, it would be the first time in weather service annual records the highest recorded...
Officials: US seeks indefinite United Nations arms embargo on Iran
UNITED NATIONS — The United States has circulated a draft U.N. resolution that would indefinitely extend a U.N. arms embargo on Iran set to expire in October, a move almost certain to spark opposition from Russia, which has made no secret of its desire to resume conventional weapons sales to...
Nearly 70 dead in ‘horrific’ outbreak at veterans’ homeVideo
Nearly 70 residents sickened with the coronavirus have died at a central Massachusetts home for aging veterans, as state and federal officials try to figure out what went wrong in the deadliest outbreak at a long-term care facility in the U.S. While the death toll at the state-run Holyoke Soldiers’...
Public safety officials: Don’t hesitate to call 911 over covid-19 concern
Pittsburgh-area medical personnel and public safety officials don’t want residents hesitating to call 911 if they have an emergency, especially if that hesitation is out of fear of going to a hospital during the coronavirus pandemic. “We don’t want anyone making their personal health situation worse by not calling 911...
Police: 3 to be charged in Ellwood City stabbing
Ellwood City police expect to obtain arrest warrants this week for three people in connection with a weekend domestic dispute and stabbing in the 200 block of Hillside Avenue. Ellwood City police said charges will range from aggravated and simple assault to violation of a protection from abuse order. According...
Pence comes under fire for going maskless at Mayo ClinicVideo
ROCHESTER, Minn. — Vice President Mike Pence chose not to wear a face mask Tuesday during a tour of the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, an apparent violation of the world-renowned medical center’s policy requiring them. Video feeds show that Pence did not wear a mask when he met with a...
No joke: Tupac Shakur needs unemployment benefits
FRANKFORT, Ky. — It’s no joke — Tupac Shakur lives in Kentucky and needs unemployment benefits to pay his bills. The Lexington man’s name was brought up by Gov. Andy Beshear on Monday night as he spoke about how the state is trying to process all unemployment claims filed in...
Trump orders meat processing plants to remain openVideo
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump took executive action Tuesday to order meat processing plants to stay open amid concerns over growing coronavirus cases and the impact on the nation’s food supply. The order uses the Defense Production Act to classify meat processing as critical infrastructure to try to prevent a...
