World’s last Blockbuster weathering covid-19 pandemicVideo
If the streaming revolution couldn’t kill the world’s last remaining Blockbuster store, what hope does the new coronavirus have? The store, located in Bend, Ore., has made adjustments — like curbside pickup and extra cleaning measures — to deal with the covid-19 pandemic, KTVC in Oregon reports. “We’re trying to...
Trump criticism aside, governors call for more federal help
WASHINGTON — A chorus of governors from both parties pushed back hard after President Donald Trump accused Democrats of playing “a very dangerous political game” by insisting there is a shortage of tests for the coronavirus. The governors countered that the White House must do more to help states do...
April in America is an unforgiving time, and now coronavirus
For a generation, mid-April has delivered some of American life’s most cataclysmic moments — a week when young men have shot up schools, terrorists have blown up fellow humans, members of a religious sect have burned to death in their compound and environmental calamity has sullied the ocean. Now, as...
Seoul says Kim Jong Un handling North Korea affairs as usualVideo
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appeared to be handling state affairs as usual, South Korea’s government said Tuesday after unconfirmed rumors described him as in fragile condition after surgery. The presidential Blue House said no unusual activity has been detected in North Korea and it...
Trump says he’ll ‘suspend immigration,’ offers no details
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Monday that he will sign an executive order “to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States” because of the coronavirus. “In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I...
Kim Jong Un surgery report fuels speculation about leader’s health
An online media report saying Kim Jong Un underwent a medical procedure is fueling new speculation about the North Korean leader’s health as a result of his unprecedented absence from events last week marking his grandfather’s birthday. The Daily NK, a Seoul-based website that gathers information from informants inside the...
Rampage leaves 18 dead in Canada’s worst mass shootingVideo
TORONTO — Police fanned out across more than a dozen crime scenes Monday after a rampage by a gunman disguised as a police officer left at least 18 dead and homes in smoldering ruins in rural communities across Nova Scotia — the deadliest mass shooting in Canada’s history. Officials said...
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice to ease virus rules on hospitals
CHARLESTON — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice pushed to ease coronavirus restrictions on hospitals even as confusion over the state’s testing capacity continued Monday. The Republican governor said he will allow hospitals to begin performing elective procedures if the facilities meet an unspecified set of criteria, saying it would be...
‘It’s going to backfire’: Fauci warns against reopening too quickly
As the rate of new infections and deaths from the coronavirus slowed in parts of the country Monday, some local governments began to ease stay-at-home restrictions, while others pleaded with residents to stay put amid scattered protests in support of reopenings. In Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp outlined an aggressive reopening...
Massachusetts becomes coronavirus hot spot as cases surge
Massachusetts has become a hot spot of coronavirus infections, drawing the concern of federal officials and promises of aid from hard-hit New York as the state’s death toll prepares to double in less than a week. Deaths from covid-19 are expected to surpass 2,000 this week in Massachusetts, where officials...
Covid-19 kills 5-year-old child of Detroit firefighter, officerVideo
DETROIT — A husband and wife who have jointly devoted decades to fighting crime and saving lives in Detroit lost their 5-year-old daughter to covid-19 — Michigan’s youngest victim in the coronavirus pandemic. Skylar Herbert died Sunday from complications because of the virus. Even in Detroit, where more than 600...
South Korean shipment to up Maryland coronavirus tests by 500KVideo
ANNAPOLIS — Maryland has dramatically boosted its testing capacity for the new coronavirus with a shipment of 500,000 tests from a South Korean company, the state’s governor announced Monday, noting his Korean-born wife played a major role in championing the $9 million purchase. As states have scoured the world for...
Gov. Brian Kemp: Some shuttered Georgia businesses can reopen FridayVideo
ATLANTA — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp on Monday rolled out aggressive plans to reopen the state’s economy, saying many businesses shuttered to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus may reopen their doors as early as Friday. Kemp announced that gyms, hair salons, bowling alleys and tattoo parlors are among businesses...
Feds to track, share information on nursing home outbreaksVideo
NEW YORK — Calling nursing homes ground zero of the coronavirus crisis, federal officials said Monday they plan to start tracking and publicly sharing information on infections and deaths in such facilities to help spot trends and early signs the virus is spreading in communities. The move comes as critics,...
Pa. State Police cancel all youth summer programs
Pennsylvania State Police said Monday all of its upcoming youth camps throughout the spring and summer are cancelled statewide as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. “Camp Cadet, the Commissioner’s Honor Camp, and Sunny Day Camp have deep roots in our department and are a source of pride for...
Ohio inmates constitute nearly quarter of coronavirus cases
COLUMBUS — Ohio inmates make up nearly one in four of the state’s coronavirus cases following a spike in identified infections as universal testing takes place inside three state prisons. Figures released Sunday show 1,828 positive tests at Marion Correctional Facility in north-central Ohio, out of about 2,500 total inmates,...
3 killed by suspected tornado, lightning as storms hit SouthVideo
HEADLAND, Ala. — Suspected tornadoes killed at least two people as severe weather blasted the Deep South and a house fire believed to have been caused by lightning claimed a third person, officials said Monday. Jerry Oliver Williams, 61, of Henry County died when the storm struck a rural area...
Protesters rally in Harrisburg to demand Gov. Wolf reopen economyVideo
HARRISBURG — Protesters gathered Monday outside the state Capitol to demand that Gov. Tom Wolf reopen Pennsylvania’s economy even as new social-distancing mandates designed to counter the new virus took effect at stores and other commercial buildings. Flag-waving protesters — some with masks, some without — massed in front of...
U.S. lockdowns coincide with rise in poisonings from cleanersVideo
NEW YORK — One toddler became dizzy, fell and hit her head after drinking from a large bottle of hand sanitizer. A woman had a scary coughing and wheezing fit while soaking her produce in a sink containing bleach, vinegar and hot water. Reports of accidental poisonings from cleaners and...
Study: Electric ferry isn’t feasible alternative to new Chesapeake Bay bridge
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland transportation officials say an all-electric ferry is not a feasible alternative to a new bridge for connecting shores of the Chesapeake Bay. The Capital Gazette reported Monday that an all-electric ferry would cost too much and that there isn’t one big enough to do the job....
Franklin Regional nurse wins state association’s Excellence in School Nursing Award
As Franklin Regional Middle School nurse Beth Frydrych was about to be recognized with a statewide award, she found herself forced to reinvent her role as the coronavirus pandemic made its way into Western Pennsylvania. “It’s all new, and who knows what will come up?” asked Frydrych of Murrysville, who...
Supreme Court: Criminal juries must be unanimous to convictVideo
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court ruled Monday that juries in state criminal trials must be unanimous to convict a defendant, settling a quirk of constitutional law that had allowed divided votes to result in convictions in Louisiana and Oregon. The justices’ vote overturned the conviction of Evangelisto Ramos. He is...
Losing face: The rise of the mask, and what’s lost behind it
On Saturday afternoons, the Strip District neighborhood of Pittsburgh becomes a jam-packed hub of old-fashioned shopping. People stride along Penn Avenue, hopping from greengrocer to butcher to fishmonger to Italian market, smiling and gesturing and jabbering as they go. Not this weekend. As strange, spaced-out lines formed outside favorite establishments,...
West Virginia house fire leaves 4 deadVideo
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Huntington firefighters found the bodies of three young children and a man Monday morning while responding to a house fire in which ammunition exploded. The children were found inside the house and the 30-year-old man was found dead outside, city spokesman Bryan Chambers said. The children are...
Fiery fatal crash ends pursuit; officer hurt in rescue bid
WILLOUGHBY HILLS, Ohio — A police pursuit along Ohio highways ended in a fiery crash that killed the fleeing driver’s passenger, who was pulled from the burning vehicle by an officer who was injured during the rescue attempt, authorities said. The Saturday night pursuit began when the Willoughby Hills officer...
