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AP PA Headlines 4/27/20
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — State health officials say more than 1,500 deaths in Pennsylvania are now associated with the coronavirus pandemic. The state health department on Sunday also reported an additional 1,116 positive cases to bring the statewide total above 41,000 in all 67 counties. The number of infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.
Most hospitalizations and deaths have occurred in patients 65 or older, officials said. For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up in a couple of weeks. Older adults and people with existing health problems are at higher risk of more severe illness, including pneumonia, or death.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The state says 160 companies in 43 Pennsylvania counties are getting help from a second round of state loan funding to help firms during the coronavirus pandemic. The state Department of Community and Economic Development says the companies have received a total of $13.5 million in loans as part of the COVID19 Working Capital Access Program.
More than $23 million total has been awarded so far to businesses such as restaurants, wellness centers, wineries and breweries, consulting firms, salons and spas, officials said. Officials said the loans will help businesses quickly access capital to address critical needs while they follow shutdown and closure orders from the state.
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (AP) – A joint flyover by Air Force and Navy aircraft has been announced over three states next week to honor essential workers and first responders dealing with the coronavirus pandemic — but officials are cautioning people against traveling to view it. Philadelphia officials said the U.S. Air Force and Navy announced a joint flyover Tuesday of New York City; Newark and Trenton in New Jersey; and Philadelphia in Pennsylvania.
Officials said the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds demonstration squadrons will honor frontline COVID-19 essential workers and responders with formation flights. But military officials emphasize that residents will be able to see the flyover from the safety of their homes and should maintain all social distancing guidelines. Philadelphia officials said people should refrain from traveling to landmarks or hospitals or gathering in large groups to view the flyover. The city expects that the Blue Angels will release their specific route on Monday.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — State health officials say a total of 1,550 deaths in Pennsylvania are now associated with the coronavirus pandemic. The state health department said Sunday that an additional 1,116 positive cases has brought the statewide total above 41,000 in all 67 counties. The number of infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.
FLEETVILLE, Pa. (AP) — Authorities are investigating a fisherman’s discovery of a truck at the bottom of a northeastern Pennsylvania lake.WNEP-TV reports that someone on a fishing boat noticed what appeared to be a vehicle on the bottom of the Benton Township lake in Lackawanna State Park.The fisherman contacted authorities who confirmed the presence of some sort of truck at the bottom of the lake. Officials decided it was too difficult to remove the vehicle or send divers to investigate at night. The investigation was to continue Sunday.
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WASHINGTON (AP) — A couple of weeks ago, President Donald Trump was complaining some news outlets were not carrying his full briefings about the coronavirus. Now, he hints he wants no part of them anymore. In a weekend tweet, Trump gripes that the briefings are, in his words, “Not worth the time & effort.” Trump started speaking at the briefings to mention positive trends on the coronavirus and tout how his administration has handled the crisis. But after verbal clashes with reporters and mounting criticism of his tendency to overhype stats on testing, supplies and possible cures, Trump is rethinking whether the briefings are doing him more political harm than good.
SIMI VALLEY, Calif. — The family of a U.S. Marine killed in Iraq last month had to postpone his memorial service because of restrictions on large gatherings in California to slow the spread of the coronavirus. On Sunday morning, they were surprised with a parade outside their Simi Valley home that began with a police helicopter flyover, followed by about 1,500 law enforcement vehicles, fire engines and cars. The Ventura County Star reports the huge turnout to honor Gunnery Sgt. Diego D. Pongo was orderly. P
ongo’s sister-in-law helped organize the parade to surprise his parents and brothers. The city’s police department helped with traffic control. Community members kept the parade going for more than two hours, and many of their cars blasted music while kids hung out of windows waving flags. People who gathered on the sidewalk to watch the parade followed social distancing measures, Sgt. Patrick Zayicek told the newspaper. “It was a great show of support in our community.,” he said.
LOS ANGELES — A lingering heat wave lured people to Southern California beaches, rivers and trails again Sunday, prompting warnings from officials that defiance of stay-at-home orders could reverse progress and bring the coronavirus surging back. Tens of thousands of people packed the sand at Newport Beach in Orange County, where residents compared weekend crowds to the Fourth of July and lifeguards reminded people to stay apart if they were in groups of six or more.
Neighboring Huntington Beach also saw big gatherings, despite the closure of parking lots and metered parking restricted along Pacific Coast Highway. Temperatures were close to 90 degrees. Robin Ford surveyed the crush of visitors with concern. “Unless all these people are in one household, it does look like they are not social distancing,” Ford told the Orange County Register. “They could be spread out more.”
ROME — After Italy’s bishops complained that the latest lockdown rules still don’t allow public Masses, Premier Giuseppe Conte’s office has promised to come up with a plan that would let the faithful attend services while respecting social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since a national lockdown began in early March, churches in Italy haven’t been allowed to hold Masses for the public, although they can keep their doors open for those wanting to pray individually.
Conte on Sunday announced some easing of containment measures for the nation, starting May 4. In response, the Italian bishops conference quickly put out a sharply worded statement, saying bishops “cannot accept seeing the exercise of freedom of worship be compromised” and insisting that the faithful must have access especially to the sacraments.
ROME — After seven weeks in lockdown to contain one of the world’s worst outbreaks of COVID-19, Italians are regaining some freedoms. Premier Giuseppe Conte says that starting May 4, public parks and gardens will re-open and people will be able to visit relatives who live in the same region. However, Conte told the nation in a televised address Sunday night that citizens must practice social distancing. In the case of parks, mayors can impose limits, such as how many people enter, to avoid crowding.
During family visits, people will have to wear masks and can’t hold parties. If people don’t follow the new measures, Conte says “the curve of contagion can rise again, it will go out of control, deaths will climb and we’ll have irreparable damage” to the economy. Conte says professional sports teams can resume training on May 18 and athletes in individual sports can resume training on May 4.
FISHERS, Ind. — A church in suburban Indianapolis resumed in-person services for the first time in a over a month. The iTown Church in Fishers limited the number of attendees to 10 on Sunday in order to adhere to a state order that prohibits gatherings of over 10 people. According to the Indianapolis Star, the 40-minute services began on the hour, with each service followed by a 20-minute period to allow cleaning crews to sterilize the area.
LAUREL, Mont. — Montana took its first, halting step toward reopening as churchgoers returned to services after a month-long hiatus and a general stay-at-home order expired. While other states have been extending restrictions amid the continuing spread of the coronavirus, Montana is among those that are beginning to loosen rules in hopes of restoring battered economies and regaining some normalcy.
Roughly 100 people streamed into St. Anthony Catholic Church in Laurel on Sunday, where ushers tried to keep families separate from one another and large bottles of hand sanitizer were on offer at the sanctuary’s entrance. Church member Jack Auzqui says being unable to attend had been spiritually difficult for him and his wife. Returning, he said, was akin to a family being reunited.
Rev. Bart Stevens opened with an instruction for attendees “not to linger” after the Mass to minimize social interactions. At Christ the King Lutheran Church in Billings, Pastor Ryan Wendt said the church was mixing faith with common sense precautions. Every other pew was kept empty to comply with social distancing guidelines, while elderly and medically-vulnerable members of the congregation were advised to stay home.
CENTRAL, La. — A Louisiana pastor is holding services in his church, defying house arrest orders that followed an assault charge related to his decision to hold mass gatherings in defiance of public health orders during the coronavirus pandemic. A livestream from Life Tabernacle Church on Sunday showed Tony Spell walking among more than 100 congregants, often repeating the phrase, “I’ve just got to get to Jesus. … Come on America, let’s get back to Jesus.” Nearly all parishioners were not wearing face masks, and social distancing was not being practiced.
The police department in Central, a suburb Baton Rouge, says on their Facebook page that Spell turned himself into the department last week on charges of aggravated assault and improper backing. Trey Bennett has kept up a one-man demonstration in front of the church since Easter Sunday, when he noticed hundreds of parishioners still attending services in defiance of the state’s stay-at-home mandate, which bans gatherings of more than 10 people. Houses of worship across Louisiana have turned to online services instead.
Last Sunday, Spell drove a church bus in reverse in the direction of the sign-holding protester. Spell already faces misdemeanor charges for holding in-person church services despite the ban on gatherings. Dozens of Spell’s parishioners met him at the East Baton Rouge Parish prison, dressed in their Sunday best, arrived in church buses to show support. In a livestream from the church, images including photos from Spell’s arrest, as well as information for a GoFundMe account to help with his legal costs, played over music being performed at
WASHINGTON (AP) — After two months of frantic response to the coronavirus, the White House is planning to shift President Donald Trump’s public focus to the burgeoning efforts aimed at easing the economic devastation caused by the pandemic. Aides intend to put him in more controlled settings than his daily briefings, where his ability to grab headlines with freewheeling performances has become a liability. And plans are being drawn up for a limited schedule of travel within the next few weeks. Meantime, Republican polling shows that his path to reelection depends on how the public assesses the pace of the economic rebound.
UNDATED (AP) — Seth Markman was just as nervous as NFL coaches and general managers about the unknown factors involved with a virtual draft. But the ESPN executive producer said he was overwhelmed with how everything came together over the three days. It also ended up being must-see TV as the first significant live sporting event since the coronavirus pandemic ground everything to a halt. The draft averaged a record 8.4 million viewers over all three days, according to the NFL and Nielsen. The previous high was 6.2 million last year.
LAFAYETTE, La. (The Advocate) — A one-eyed squirrel that gained a social media following is being returned to nature. The Acadiana Advocate reports that the Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries has taken Willamina the squirrel from Emily Istre. The Lafayette resident created an Instagram account for the squirrel known as One Eyed Willa, and it had more than 1,600 followers. Istre started caring for the squirrel in mid-March. She says she tried to reach the wildlife department but didn’t get a response. The agency says it has remained open during coronavirus restrictions. It’s illegal to try to rehabilitate wildlife without a permit.
GRAY, Maine (AP) — It’s presumably hard to outfox a fox. But a Maine woman managed to turn the tables on one of the clever creatures after an encounter with a fox last week. Eliza Ruth Watson says the fox approached while she was gardening and she tried to run toward it to scare it off. Instead, the Sun Journal newspaper reports the fox ran toward her, biting her hand in the process. Watson grabbed the fox by the neck to keep it from biting again. After a struggle, she found a pot used to scald chickens for plucking, shoved the fox in, closed the lid — and dialed 911. Watson was taken to a hospital to have her cuts cleaned and to get a rabies shot. Game wardens trapped the fox and took it off to be tested for rabies.
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