Student develops program to let you know when food delivery slots open up
File this under “Things We Didn’t Know We Would Need,” but here we are. A Georgetown University student has created a computer program that alerts users when Amazon Fresh or Whole Foods have delivery time slots available, CNBC reported. It ‘s a response to how difficult it has become to...
Watchdog: Syrian air force responsible for chemical attacks
THE HAGUE — The global chemical weapons watchdog issued a report Wednesday blaming the Syrian air force for a series of chemical attacks using sarin and chlorine in late March 2017 on the central town of Latamneh. The report marks the first time the Investigation and Identification Team, set up...
Louisiana responds to coronavirus with rare bipartisanship
NEW ORLEANS — A simple gift from a bitter political rival — a medical mask emblazoned with Louisiana’s state seal — has helped Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards pound home a bipartisan plea for people to stay at home and avoid spreading the new coronavirus. The token from Republican Attorney...
U.K.’s Boris Johnson remains in ICU with coronavirus, condition improving
LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson remains in intensive care with the coronavirus but is improving and sitting up in bed, a senior government minister said Wednesday, as the U.K. recorded its biggest spike in covid-19 deaths to date. Johnson, the first world leader diagnosed with the disease, has...
Pennsylvania says short-term rental owners ignoring shutdownVideo
Short-term rental property owners in Pennsylvania continue to advertise lodging in defiance of Gov. Tom Wolf’s coronavirus shutdown order, administration officials said Wednesday. Wolf banned short-term residential rentals last week after state lawmakers in the Pocono Mountains complained that property owners had been trying to entice travelers from virus hotspots...
Bernie Sanders drops 2020 presidential bid, clearing path for Joe Biden
WASHINGTON — Sen. Bernie Sanders, who saw his once strong lead in the Democratic primary evaporate as the party’s establishment lined swiftly up behind rival Joe Biden, ended his presidential bid on Wednesday, an acknowledgment that the former vice president is too far ahead for him to have any reasonable...
Hawaii mayor to arrested Florida man: ‘Covidiot’
HONOLULU — A mayor in Hawaii is calling Florida man accused of trying to flout Hawaii’s traveler quarantine a “covidiot.” Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami isn’t taking credit for coining the word borne from the COVID-19 pandemic, but said he “may be the first elected official to bust it out in...
CDC considers loosening guidelines for some exposed to virus
WASHINGTON — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is considering changing its guidelines for self-isolation to make it easier for those who have been exposed to someone with the coronavirus to return to work if they are without symptoms. The public health agency, in conjunction with the White House...
Pennsylvania prison industries converted to produce personal protective equipment
Add Pennsylvania’s sprawling state prison system to the list of manufacturers now producing personal protective equipment to ward off infection during the coronavirus pandemic. Inmates working 12-hour shifts at garment factories within the prison system made more than 185,000 masks since March 17, Corrections Secretary John Wetzel said. All Department...
NYC mayor Bill de Blasio says deaths at home should be added to coronavirus toll
NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio acknowledged Wednesday that the city’s official coronavirus statistics have missed hundreds of people who died at home without ever being tested for the virus, and said the city would start including such victims in its covid-19 tally. “The blunt truth...
3 Sundays approved for Pennsylvania deer, bear hunting
Three Sundays this fall were approved for hunting by the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners. Archery deer hunting will be allowed on Nov. 15, bear hunters can take to the woods on Nov. 22 and deer hunters using firearms can be out Nov. 29, according to information released by the...
Gov. Wolf: Fly state flags at half-staff to honor covid-19 victims
Gov. Tom Wolf on Tuesday ordered all state flags on Pennsylvania public buildings and grounds flown at half-staff to honor the victims of the coronavirus pandemic. “Too many Pennsylvanians have lost their lives to covid-19, and, unfortunately, many more will die,” Wolf said as the state saw the largest single-day...
Wisconsin voters wait for hours, others stay home amid virusVideo
MADISON — Despite federal health recommendations, thousands of Wisconsin voters waited hours in long lines outside overcrowded polling stations on Tuesday so they could participate in a presidential primary election that tested the limits of electoral politics in the midst of a pandemic. Thousands more stayed home, unwilling to risk...
Pa. prosecutors urge lawmakers to help decide on freeing inmates
HARRISBURG — As officials consider releasing some inmates to lessen the impact of covid-19 on Pennsylvania prisons, county prosecutors are telling lawmakers that passing legislation to address that would avoid leaving those decisions to the governor alone. The Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association considers “a temporary, legislative solution” to be reasonable,...
Shark kills Australian wildlife worker on Great Barrier Reef
BRISBANE, Australia — A shark fatally mauled a young Australian wildlife worker on the Great Barrier Reef, officials said Tuesday. Queensland state Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the 23-year-old victim worked for the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service. “Once again a family out there is grieving for a young man who...
Trump ousts inspector general set to oversee relief spendingVideo
President Donald Trump has removed the head of a team of U.S. auditors that will oversee the $2 trillion in federal coronavirus relief spending, his latest move against inspectors general who are supposed to serve as independent watchdogs. Trump ousted Glenn Fine from his position as acting Defense Department inspector...
Louisiana data: Virus hits blacks, people with hypertensionVideo
BATON ROUGE — Louisiana is releasing more information about its coronavirus deaths, showing the virus’s victims are disproportionately black and two-thirds of those who have died suffered from high blood pressure. The new data released by Louisiana’s health department, which will be updated weekly, gives a glimpse of who is...
Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly reportedly offers his resignation
The acting secretary of the Navy offered his resignation Tuesday because of his handling of the coronavirus outbreak on the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier and the firing of its captain prompted sharp criticism, several news outlets have reported. Thomas Modly submitted his resignation letter to Defense Secretary Mark Esper...
Wall Street’s rally fizzles as oil prices suddenly plunge
NEW YORK — A big rally on Wall Street is losing steam in afternoon trading Tuesday, undercut in part by another plunge in the price of oil, but the market is still on track for a rare back-to-back gain. The S&P 500 was up 0.3% with a half-hour to go...
$25K bonuses, other resources for Pa. essential workers could be on the way
Additional resources soon could be headed to workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic if proposed legislation is passed. The resources would become available through a Heroes Fund introduced by U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, a Democrat from Scranton, and through legislation proposed by state Rep. Austin Davis, D-Allegheny....
Israeli security agency says it arrested alleged Iran spy
JERUSALEM — Israel’s domestic security agency said Tuesday it arrested an Israeli citizen alleged to have spied for Iran. The Shin Bet alleged in a statement the man was in contact with Iranian agents abroad, where he was given money, guidance and encryption tools. The Shin Bet said the man...
Sen. Rand Paul recovered from coronavirus; volunteering at hospitalVideo
FRANKFORT, Ky. — U.S. Sen. Rand Paul said Tuesday that he has recovered from the coronavirus and has started volunteering at a hospital in his Kentucky hometown. The Republican lawmaker tested positive for the virus in March, becoming the first case of covid-19 in the Senate. “I appreciate all the...
66 at South African hospital have coronavirus, mostly staffVideo
JOHANNESBURG — Sixty-six people at a single hospital in South Africa have tested positive for the coronavirus in the past few days, the health minister said Tuesday, as anxiety rose among health workers over the shortage of protective gear. At least 48 of the people who tested positive at St....
State police have cited 2, warned 8 for violating stay-at-home order
Pennsylvania State Police have begun enforcing Gov. Tom Wolf’s stay-at-home order now that it has become a statewide mandate, according to Lt. Col. Scott Price, deputy commissioner of operations for state police. So far, troopers have issued two citations and eight warnings to people who allegedly violated the stay-at-home order...
NYC coronavirus deaths exceed 3,200, topping toll for 9/11 attacksVideo
NEW YORK — New York City’s death toll from the coronavirus rose past 3,200 Tuesday, eclipsing the number killed at the World Trade Center on 9/11. In Britain, Prime Minister Boris Johnson lay in intensive care, believed to be the first major world leader hospitalized with the virus. The twin...
