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...
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...
Shooting over dining area closure hurts 3 McDonald’s workers in OklahomaVideo
OKLAHOMA CITY — Three McDonald’s employees in Oklahoma City suffered gunshot wounds when a customer opened fire because she was angry that the restaurant’s dining area was closed because of the coronavirus pandemic, police said Thursday. Gloricia Woody, 32, was in custody after the Wednesday night shooting on four counts...
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...
Republican donor, fundraiser Louis DeJoy named next postmaster general
RALEIGH, N.C. — A Republican fundraiser and prolific political donor from North Carolina will be the next postmaster general. Louis DeJoy of Greensboro, a close ally of President Donald Trump, was the unanimous pick of the U.S. Postal Service’s Board of Governors, which made the announcement. He’s expected to begin...
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,...
U.S. pulls anti-missile systems from Saudi Arabia amid oil disputeVideo
WASHINGTON — The United States is pulling two Patriot missile batteries and some fighter aircraft out of Saudi Arabia, an American official said Thursday, amid tensions between the kingdom and the Trump administration over oil production. The official said the decision removes two batteries that were guarding oil facilities in...
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...
Justice Department dropping Michael Flynn’s Trump-Russia caseVideo
WASHINGTON — The Justice Department on Thursday said it is dropping the criminal case against President Donald Trump’s first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, abandoning a prosecution that became a rallying cry for the president and his supporters in attacking the FBI’s Trump-Russia investigation. The action was a stunning reversal...
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...
Mermaids returning to Montana tiki bar as it reopens
GREAT FALLS, Mont. — For patrons at a Montana tiki bar that has a back wall of a window into a motel swimming pool, it’s typical to see mermaids in the water five nights a week. So as the owner of the O’Haire Motor Inn and the Sip ‘n Dip...
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...
Unanimous Supreme Court throws out New Jersey ‘Bridgegate’ convictions
WASHINGTON — A unanimous Supreme Court on Thursday threw out the convictions of two political insiders involved in the “Bridgegate” scandal that ultimately derailed the 2016 presidential bid of then-New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. The justices found evidence of deception, corruption and abuse of power in the scheme, but said...
Governor softens order over jailed Texas hair salon ownerVideo
AUSTIN, Texas — Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday removed jail as a punishment for violating his coronavirus restrictions following outcry by conservatives over a Dallas salon owner who was jailed for refusing to keep her business closed. In a swift reversal of his own rules, Abbott said his...
South African brewer says it may dump 400 million bottles of beer
CAPE TOWN, South Africa — South African Breweries, one of the world’s largest brewers, says it may have to destroy 400 million bottles of beer as a result of the country’s ban on alcohol sales that is part of its lockdown measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus. South...
Indianapolis police officer fatally strikes pregnant woman
INDIANAPOLIS — An Indianapolis police officer on his way to work struck and killed a pregnant woman who was walking on an expressway ramp, police said Thursday. Officer Jonathon Henderson, a 22-year veteran, struck the woman about 9:45 p.m. Wednesday, police said. The accident happened as he traveled on the...
Face masks make a political statement in era of coronavirus
WASHINGTON — The decision to wear a mask in public is becoming a political statement — a moment to pick sides in a brewing culture war over containing the coronavirus. While not yet as loaded as a “Make America Great Again” hat, the mask is increasingly a visual shorthand for...
Hundreds evacuated as wildfires rage in Florida Panhandle
PENSACOLA, Fla. — Firefighters in the Florida Panhandle have been battling wildfires that forced some 1,600 people to evacuate from their homes, and a stretch of Interstate 10 remained closed in both directions Thursday morning due to smoke, authorities said. A more than 575-acre fire in Walton County prompted about...
Trucker charged in serial killings faces scrutiny across U.S.
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Investigators from multiple states were looking Thursday into whether a long-haul trucker from Iowa who’s implicated in at least three women’s slayings in the 1990s could be responsible for other unsolved homicides. Officers arrested Clark Perry Baldwin, 58, in Waterloo on Wednesday after new DNA evidence...
California doom: Staggering $54 billion budget deficit loomsVideo
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California will have a budget shortfall of $54.3 billion because of the economic devastation wrought by the coronavirus, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration announced Thursday, a stunning reversal for a state that had a $21 billion surplus a year ago. The state has been under a mandatory stay-at-home...
Deadline near to sign up for free Penn State Extension online courses
Mother’s Day is the final day to register for more than 50 online courses Penn State Extension is offering to the public at no cost, to help families and businesses during the coronavirus pandemic. Topics of the courses, which normally require a fee, include healthy meals, food safety, gardening tips,...
Unemployment benefits now available for self-employed Pennsylvanians
Self-employed Pennsylvanians who are out of work because of coronavirus can file for unemployment benefits now that the state’s Pandemic Unemployment Assistance system is fully operational, according to the Department of Labor and Industry. The department launched the first phase of the system last month, which allowed people to file...
Police: 2 McDonald’s workers shot over dining area closure
OKLAHOMA CITY — Two McDonald’s employees in Oklahoma City were shot and wounded by a customer who was angry that the restaurant’s dining area was closed because of the coronavirus pandemic, police said. A female suspect was in custody after the Wednesday night shooting, but police have not yet released...
