Coronavirus category, Page 195
Gov. Pete Ricketts: Nearly 1 in 6 Nebraska cases linked to meat plants
LINCOLN, Neb. — Nearly one out of six coronavirus cases in Nebraska have been linked to the state’s meatpacking plants, Gov. Pete Ricketts said Thursday amid criticism that not enough is being done to protect the health of their workers. Ricketts said public health officials have linked about 1,005 of...
Arizona reverses decision to halt coronavirus modeling team
TEMPE, Ariz. — Arizona health officials on Thursday backed down from their decision to abruptly end covid-19 modeling by a group of university researchers following a backlash that received national attention. The researchers will maintain access to health data, which the department had asked the researchers to return, Department of...
Giant Eagle teams with domestic violence groups to help raise awareness during pandemic
Giant Eagle and local domestic violence programs have teamed up to reach victims during covid-19 pandemic. Law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and around the world have cited an increase in domestic abuse incidents the past few months. Giant Eagle officials announced Thursday they have postcards in 42 locations in...
Elected officials, businesses in 4 Pa. counties sue to end coronavirus shutdown
Citing growing frustration with emergency orders that closed businesses and halted political campaigns, three state lawmakers and U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Butler, Thursday joined a group of local business owners and four southwestern counties in a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Gov. Tom Wolf’s orders. County commissioners from Butler,...
Proposal to test all inmates at Allegheny County Jail for coronavirus fails
The Allegheny County Jail Oversight Board voted down a proposal Thursday to test all inmates for coronavirus, including those who show no symptoms. The proposal was modeled after testing conducted in late April in Montgomery County, where officials tested all inmates at the county jail regardless of whether they were...
Reopened campgrounds see rush of guests while observing social distancingVideo
Families anxious to get away from it all after weeks under Pennsylvania’s stay-at-home orders have flocked to the area’s privately owned campgrounds. Still, they haven’t escaped from social-distancing guidelines in force as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus. While camping facilities at state parks aren’t set to open...
Lori Falce: The problem with pseudoscience
I love science. A casual glance at my high school report card might make that hard to believe, but it’s true. If social studies is the mythology of how we came to be where we are today, science is the magic. The simple recipes of adding this element to that...
Paul Kengor: Covid-19’s toll on tollbooths
As anxious Pennsylvanians push the commonwealth of Pennsylvania to open up and return to normal, I wonder about the new normal for state employees who collect tolls for the Pennsylvania Turnpike. It could be a new normal they will not be welcoming. The thought hit me while hopping on the...
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds moves to reopen state as new coronavirus cases persist
JOHNSTON, Iowa — A day after Gov. Kim Reynolds was complemented at the White House on her management of the coronavirus pandemic, Iowa on Thursday reported it has surpassed 11,000 positive cases and that 231 residents have died of covid-19. Reynolds issued orders Wednesday to open malls and fitness centers...
Community-supported agriculture thriving during pandemic
Community-supported agriculture has been around for years, said Don Kretschmann, owner of Kretschmann Family Farm in Beaver County. But now, during a public health crisis, the assets of local, organically-grown produce is really catching on. Moreover, the long-standing distribution method is built for the time of social distancing: Most customers...
Franklin Regional librarians start home-delivery service for students
What’s a school librarian to do with no students in the buildings? Take the books to the kids, of course. “Our theory was: they’re staring at a screen all day, and when we offered them the possibility of checking out e-books, the thought was ‘Oh, more screen time,’” said Franklin...
Rare inflammatory condition affects some children with covid-19Video
Dozens of U.S. children have been hospitalized with a serious inflammatory condition possibly linked with the coronavirus and first seen in Europe. New York authorities announced Wednesday that 64 potential cases had been reported to the state. The advisory followed an alert earlier this week about 15 cases in New...
Students eligible for free lunch to receive $370 in SNAP benefits to cover rest of school year
Students who are eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals at school can now be reimbursed for the meals they are no longer getting. The Wolf Administration announced a new program Thursday that will let students benefit from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Students who are eligible through the...
Trump valet has coronavirus; president again tests negativeVideo
WASHINGTON — A member of the military serving as one of President Donald Trump’s valets has tested positive for the coronavirus, the White House said Thursday. It said Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have since tested negative for the virus and “remain in good health.” It marked the latest...
Ohio restaurants, bars, salons, barbershops to fully reopen by May 21
Ohio restaurants with outdoor seating, salons and barbershops will begin to reopen next week, with a more expanded opening of restaurants coming the following week, Gov. Mike DeWine announced Thursday. Personal services — barbershops, hair salons, day spas, nail salons and others — can reopen May 15, as can outdoor-seating...
Trump administration buries detailed CDC advice on reopeningVideo
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Trump administration shelved a document created by the nation’s top disease investigators with step-by-step advice to local authorities on how and when to reopen restaurants and other public places during the still-raging coronavirus outbreak. The 17-page report by a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention team,...
Applications drop for student aid as pandemic raises questions about college enrollment
State officials say the covid-19 pandemic may be driving college decisions for students. Applications for Pennsylvania’s need-based grants for college costs are down by 31,000 — or about 8% — since mid-March compared to this time last year, officials with the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) said Thursday. The...
Baking supplies, other staples remain low — or altogether gone — at local grocers amid pandemic
Baking is helping people pass the time under stay-at-home orders, gauging from aisles normally filled with flour, sugar and brownie mixes at several local grocery stores. Cake mixes, chocolate chips and other staples were hard to come by at Target and Giant Eagle in North Huntingdon this week. Stocks of...
Pittsburgh dumps sand in skateboard park to prevent break-ins
Pittsburgh dumped sand into the bowl of a skateboard park in its Polish Hill neighborhood to thwart repeated break-ins by kids, the Department of Public Works director said. Director Mike Gable said he got the idea after seeing sand used to deter people from congregating during the coronavirus pandemic at...
Open-business rally proposed in Unity to urge easing of covid-19 restrictions
Local restaurant and small business owners anxious to see covid-19 restrictions eased in order to welcome back patrons plan to rally this month along Route 30 in Westmoreland County. Jamie Huemme, co-owner of Sharky’s Cafe in Unity, and township Supervisor Mike O’Barto are organizing the rally. They plan to hold...
UPMC officials say small Mother’s Day visits OK as they push Pennsylvania to reopen
UPMC’s top emergency medicine expert said Thursday that people can go out and “safely” partake in small Mother’s Day visits, maintaining his suggestion is not in conflict with the stay-at-home order that will remain in effect for Allegheny and 42 other counties this weekend. “I think having a visit with...
Pennsylvania’s pause on evictions and foreclosures extended
People can’t be evicted from rental properties and mortgage foreclosures will remain halted through July 10, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said Thursday. But rents, including back rent, and unpaid mortgage payments still will need to be paid, Wolf and state Attorney General Josh Shapiro said in a joint livestream. A...
Wolf extends stay-at-home order for red zones to June 4, will reveal next yellow-phase areas Friday
Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday night extended Pennsylvania’s stay-at-home order through June 4 for all counties deemed red zones, although which counties remain under that designation could change Friday. As of Thursday night, all of Southwestern Pennsylvania remains a red zone, where the strictest restrictions on people and businesses remain...
Rite Aid opens coronavirus testing to all, including at Monroeville location
Rite Aid is expanding its covid-19 testing. Starting Thursday, all of the national pharmacy’s testing sites will be available to anyone, including those who are not displaying coronavirus symptoms, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance. Patients will need to provide a government-issued identification, be at least 18...
Trump valet has coronavirus; president again tests negative
WASHINGTON — A member of the military serving as one of President Donald Trump’s valets has tested positive for the coronavirus, the White House said Thursday. It said Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have since tested negative for the virus and “remain in good health.” It marked the latest...
