These cleaning chemicals do not mix, warns Westmoreland hazmat team
As residents and businesses continue deep cleaning efforts, those attempting to eradicate germs as a part of battling coronavirus need to keep their own health and safety in mind. Mixing some cleansing agents and inhaling the vapors can be toxic, experts warn. The Westmoreland County Hazardous Materials Response Team 800...
Gov. Wolf orders nonessential Pennsylvania businesses to shut down
Gov. Tom Wolf on Monday ordered nonessential Pennsylvania businesses to shut down to help curb the spread of coronavirus. Wolf said he expects the closures beginning Tuesday to last at least two weeks, but “we will be constantly reevaluating.” Wolf’s order came hours after New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and...
Easter Egg Roll on White House lawn called off
The White House is canceling its annual Easter Egg Roll over coronavirus concerns. The event, in which thousands of children and adults roll hard-boiled eggs across the lawn and play other games, had been scheduled for April 13. Melania Trump announced the cancellation Monday, saying it was being done “out...
Coronavirus in Pennsylvania: Philadelphia children’s hospital doctor tests positive; cases jump again
All nonessential business activity and city government operations will be halted for two weeks in Philadelphia, Mayor Jim Kenney announced Monday, in an effort to contain the coronavirus from spreading in the city of 1.6 million people. In issuing the order, Kenney asked that residents and businesses observe the restrictions,...
Pa. Turnpike suspends cash toll collection for now
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission announced Monday afternoon that it will temporarily stop accepting cash at tollbooths in an effort to safeguard employees and travelers in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The change takes effect at 8 p.m. Monday. Drivers are instructed not to stop at tollbooths. Tolls will be assessed...
5 questions heading into Tuesday’s Democratic primariesVideo
Four states are scheduled to hold Democratic presidential primaries on Tuesday amid a global pandemic and outbreak of the novel coronavirus. Here are five questions ahead of voting: Will the elections take place? Nothing is certain in the age of the coronavirus. Two states scheduled to vote after Tuesday postponed...
Retrial of U.S. Catholic official delayed over virus concerns
PHILADELPHIA — The retrial of the only church official who has ever gone to prison in the Roman Catholic Church sex abuse scandal was delayed Monday because of the coronavirus outbreak. The retrial of Monsignor William Lynn, the longtime secretary for clergy in the Philadelphia archdiocese, had been to start...
Images: Poignant moments, anxiety amid the coronavirus outbreak
It has been a week of global cancellations from vacations, to sporting events, to flights after the spread of the new coronavirus. Associated Press photographers from Washington state to Italy have captured touching moments, from family conversations through a window at a Seattle nursing home to home-bound Italians singing from...
U.S. officials: Foreign disinformation stoking virus fears
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is alleging that a foreign disinformation campaign is underway aimed at spreading fear in the country amid the coronavirus pandemic, three U.S. officials said Monday. On Sunday, federal officials began confronting what they said was a deliberate effort by a foreign entity to sow fears...
YMCA closes all 8 branches in Western Pa. in response to covid-19 outbreak
The YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh announced it will close all eight of its branches beginning Monday night. “This is not a decision we wanted to make. We are a community organization that thrives on bringing people together and creating personal connections that change lives through membership and programs,” the YMCA...
Millions holed up at home as U.S. routines shift profoundlyVideo
CHICAGO — Millions of Americans began their work week holed up at home Monday against the coronavirus outside their doors, as the escalating outbreak shifted the nation’s daily routines in ways never before seen in U.S. history. As wide swaths of the economy began shuddering to a halt, the financial...
Supreme Court postpones arguments because of virus outbreak
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court announced Monday that it is postponing arguments for late March and early April because of the coronavirus, including fights over subpoenas for President Donald Trump’s financial records. Other business will go on as planned, including the justices’ private conference on Friday and the release of...
Pa. bumping up outreach to workers left unemployed by coronavirus pandemic
Pennsylvania officials are bumping up outreach efforts to workers facing unemployment from the rising coronavirus pandemic. On Monday, state Secretary of Labor & Industry Jerry Oleksiak said workers facing a job loss may be eligible for unemployment and workers’ compensation benefits. That prospect has hit home for millions nationwide as...
White House moves to protect Trump, staff against virusVideo
WASHINGTON — The White House put in place new measures Monday to protect President Donald Trump and his staff during the coronavirus outbreak, including taking the temperature of anyone who enters the complex, such as visitors and members of the press corps. The steps expanded on screenings the White House...
U.S. surgeon general: U.S. coronavirus cases are where Italy was 2 weeks agoVideo
WASHINGTON — The U.S. surgeon general said Monday that the number of coronavirus cases in the United States has reached the level that Italy recorded two weeks ago, a sign that infections are expected to rise in America as the government steps up testing and financial markets continue to fall....
Virus toll in Iran climbs as lockdowns deepen across MideastVideo
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran reported another 129 fatalities from the new coronavirus on Monday, the largest one-day rise in deaths since it began battling the Middle East’s worst outbreak, which has claimed more than 850 lives and infected a number of senior officials in the country. Businesses in Iran’s capital...
Greece: 1 dead in refugee camp blaze
ATHENS, Greece — Authorities in Greece say a minor has died in a fire that damaged an overcrowded refugee camp on the island of Lesbos. The Fire Service said the migrant, who was not further identified, was found dead inside Moria camp after the fire broke out Monday. Moria is...
French judges order charges against 20 in 2015 Paris attacks
PARIS — French judges investigating the 2015 Islamic State attacks that left 130 people dead in Paris have ordered charges against 20 people, including a Belgian accused of masterminding the attacks who was held for years in Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq before being freed and returned home. Three of...
EU leaders set for virus talks amid border measure worries
BRUSSELS — European Union leaders are set to hold Tuesday a summit via video-conference on efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus, which has now infected more than 50,000 people across Europe, and claimed more than 2,000 lives. With Italy reporting the most virus cases and deaths anywhere in the...
Cincinnati shooting leaves man dead, 2 other people wounded
CINCINNATI — A street shooting in Cincinnati has left one man dead and two other people hospitalized, authorities said. The victims were found by police responding to reports of shots fired around 4:15 p.m. Sunday in the city’s Avondale section. Delmaris White, 25, was pronounced dead at the scene, while...
5 dead, including officer and gunman, in Missouri shooting
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Five people including a police officer and a gunman have died in a shooting at a Missouri gas station after the gunman went inside and opened fire, police said Monday. The dead also include three citizens, Springfield police Chief Paul Williams announced Monday, and an officer was...
Spain becomes 4th most virus-infected nationVideo
Spain has become the fourth most virus-infected country in the world, surpassing South Korea with a sharp curve of contagion, and closing its borders is a “real possibility” being considered. The topic will be discussed by European Union members on Monday, according to the country’s interior minister. Coronavirus cases in...
Olympic flame handover ceremony in Athens to be closedVideo
ATHENS, Greece — The Olympic flame handover ceremony for the Tokyo Games will take place without spectators in an effort to contain the coronavirus outbreak, the Greek Olympic committee said Monday. The committee said the accreditation cards that had been issued for Thursday’s ceremony at the stadium in Athens where...
5-year sentence for French priest who abused boy scouts
LYON, France — A French priest who acknowledged sexually abusing at least 75 boys over decades was sentenced Monday to five years in prison, in France’s worst case of clergy abuse to reach trial. The court in Lyon issued the verdict against 74-year-old Bernard Preynat behind closed doors because of...
Coronavirus vaccine test opens as U.S. volunteer gets 1st shot
SEATTLE — U.S. researchers gave the first shot to the first person in a test of an experimental coronavirus vaccine Monday — leading off a worldwide hunt for protection even as the pandemic surges. With a careful jab in a healthy volunteer’s arm, scientists at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Research...
