Environmental groups urge Americans to eat more fish while hunkering down against virus
Environmental groups have long fought for animal rights, rallied against pollution and pushed back on overfishing, but a new message this week urged the nation to eat more seafood as it hunkers down during the coronavirus pandemic. Specifically, many are asking you to please buy American-caught seafood. “Over the past...
Gov. Wolf delays shutdown order; authorities unclear about enforcement
Western Pennsylvania authorities are seeking clarification on how they are supposed to enforce a mandate from Gov. Tom Wolf ordering myriad businesses across the state to shut down. The order affects all businesses deemed non-life-sustaining, and enforcement begins Monday at 8 a.m. It was supposed to start at 12:01 a.m....
Borrowers get a 2-month grace period on interest rates for federal student debt
Millions of borrowers with federal student loan debt will get a brief break on interest rates for the next 60 days. U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos Friday afternoon announced the terms of the student debt relief President Trump promised last week. For the next two months, all borrowers with...
Illinois and New York join California in ordering lockdowns
Illinois and New York state joined California on Friday in ordering all residents to stay in their homes unless they have vital reasons to go out, restricting the movement of more than 70 million Americans in the most sweeping measures taken yet in the U.S. to contain the coronavirus. The...
Woman gives birth in toilet paper aisle of Walmart as customers cheerVideo
There may be little to celebrate in the toilet paper aisle of most stores these days but one woman created her own joy amid the empty shelves. The manager of a Walmart in Springfield, Mo., said a customer on Wednesday gave birth in the store in just 45 minutes. “We...
Internet service sagging amid coronavirus quarantine? Here’s what to do.
With so much of the U.S. workforce — and their families — cooped up at home to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus, it’s not a huge surprise that home internet is showing the strain. If you’ve had a business videoconference stutter while your teenagers play Call of Duty...
Remains of missing Colorado boy found in Florida
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Human remains found in Florida are believed to be those of a Colorado boy reported missing in January by his stepmother, who was later arrested and charged with killing him, authorities said Friday. The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office said the remains of 11-year-old Gannon Stauch...
Pittsburgh Langley staff member tests positive for coronavirus
A Pittsburgh Langley staff member has tested positive for the coronavirus, the Pittsburgh Public Schools announced Friday. The district announced early Wednesday that a staffer at Langley was being tested for covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. The district closed Langley’s grab-and-go lunches that day after learning of the...
Pa. ‘looking at every option’ to add hospital capacity as coronavirus cases grow
Health officials fear younger Pennsylvanians are ignoring state orders meant to slow the rise of coronavirus cases and could create a strain on the state’s hospitals and health care systems. “We are seriously concerned that individuals in the 20 to 44 age range are not heeding the message to stay...
Italy sees biggest day-to-day rise in coronavirus deaths
ROME — Italy has recorded its highest day-to-day-rise in the number of deaths of people infected with the new coronavirus. Civil Protection Chief Angelo Borrelli said Friday the country recorded 627 more deaths in the 24 hours since Italy surpassed China on Thursday as the nation with the most COVID-19-related...
All Pennsylvania standardized testing canceled amid coronavirus pandemic
All Pennsylvania System of State Assessment (PSSA), Pennsylvania Alternate System of Assessment (PASA) and Keystone exams have been canceled for the 2019-2020 school year amid the covid-19 pandemic, the state Department of Education announced Friday. “Our school communities are operating within unprecedented conditions,” said Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera. “Schools...
California locks down 40 million as Europe’s health system buckles
California’s 40 million people were all but confined to their homes Friday in the nation’s biggest lockdown yet, as America’s governors watched with growing alarm as southern Europe buckled under the strain of the coronavirus outbreak. Gasping patients filled the wards of hospitals in Spain and Italy, and the global...
U.S. and Mexico to curb border travel to control coronavirus
SAN DIEGO — Mexico and the U.S. announced plans Friday to sharply limit travel over their busy shared border as part of efforts to control the spread of the coronavirus. President Donald Trump and Mexican Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said the two governments agreed to prohibit recreational and tourist travel,...
Trump moves on invoking powers to spur virus supplies
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has invoked the Defense Production Act to get needed medical supplies on the front lines of the coronavirus outbreak, mobilizing the federal government to marshal the private sector to combat the pandemic. Trump had said earlier in the week he would tap the act as...
Philips Respironics hiring at Murrysville, Upper Burrell plants to meet demand for ventilators
Philips Respironics, a medical manufacturer that produces ventilators and related breathing equipment, is increasing production and hiring assemblers at its Murrysville and Upper Burrell plants to meet demand spurred by the spreading coronavirus. The company is recruiting for more than 50 positions for assemblers on all shifts at the two...
Income tax filing deadline moved from April 15 to July 15
WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says the Trump administration has decided to push the income tax filing date to July 15 from April 15. Mnuchin announced the decision in a tweet Friday saying that at President Donald Trump’s direction “we are moving Tax Day from April 15 to July...
Dutch court convicts tram shooter of deadly terror attack
THE HAGUE, Netherlnads — A Dutch court convicted a radicalized Muslim man Friday of murder with a terrorist motive and sentenced him to life imprisonment for opening fire on a tram and killing four people last year. The defendant, 38-year-old Gokmen Tanis, was not in court to hear the verdict...
This year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee has been canceled
The Scripps National Spelling Bee won’t be held as scheduled this year because of the coronavirus. Scripps informed the Associated Press of its decision Friday morning, citing recommendations against large gatherings by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the ongoing state of emergency in Maryland. The bee was...
Most renters will not receive protections under White House proposal
NEW YORK — Most Americans who rent their home, many of whom have lost their jobs in the sudden economic slowdown caused by the coronavirus outbreak, will not be eligible for eviction protections, despite what President Donald Trump said this week. Under the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s plan...
Fleeing virus for resort homes, some find welcome mat yankedVideo
OCEAN CITY, N.J. — Some city folk have been fleeing to their second homes in resort areas to ride out the coronavirus outbreak near the beach or the ski slopes. But neighbors in many of those places are yanking the welcome mat — fearing infection and the overwhelming of already...
Severe storms roar through Ohio; thousands without power
DAYTON, Ohio — Thousands of people remained without power early Friday after severe thunderstorms roared through Ohio, causing flooding and knocking down trees across the state. The storms that struck late Thursday and early Friday contained heavy rains and strong, gusty winds, officials said. The flooding led to travel issues...
Travelers rush to Moroccan airports for evacuation flights
RABAT, Morocco — Foreigners stranded in locked-down Morocco are getting on evacuation flights Friday as governments try to repatriate their citizens after days of travel frustration. Visitors from around the world have found themselves stuck in Morocco since the North African country suspended all international passenger flights and passenger ships...
Official says 25 Afghan forces killed in insider attack
KABUL, Afghanistan — At least 25 police and army personnel were killed in an apparent insider attack early Friday, Afghan officials said. The attack took place in southern Zabul province, a Taliban stronghold. Assadullah Kakar, a provincial council member, said the Taliban carried out the attack, but with the assistance...
Africa’s busiest airport says foreigners can’t disembarkVideo
JOHANNESBURG — Anxiety rose in Africa’s richest nation Friday as South Africa announced coronavirus cases jumped to 202, the most in the sub-Saharan region, while the country’s largest airport announced that foreigners would not be allowed to disembark. And state-owned South African Airways suspended all international flights until June. “The...
2020 campaigns go digital amid fears of coronavirus spread
WASHINGTON — No more rallies. No more door-knocking. And no more in-person fundraisers, raking in dollars from dozens of millionaires at once. The coronavirus has disrupted American life, and the 2020 presidential campaign is no exception. Amid calls for social distancing to stop the pandemic’s spread, President Donald Trump and...
