Photo provided by Gov. Wolf
AP PA Headlines 3/13/20
UNDATED – As more schools announce closures and cancel events, parents are having to decide how to talk to their children about the coronavirus. Some parents say they’re checking in daily, while others said they’re limiting conversation out of concern it may make their children anxious. Child psychology experts’ advice is to be reassuring, focus on proactive steps and do research to truthfully answer their questions. One expert stresses that parents should not collude in their child’s anxiety by refusing to go outside or by buying face masks.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s governor is closing schools and other facilities in a suburban Philadelphia county hard-hit by the COVID-19 outbreak. Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday said his order in Montgomery County also applies to community centers and entertainment venues, but will keep open critical infrastructure, including health care facilities and pharmacies.
It takes effect Friday. He also canceled visits to inmates in state prisons. Pennsylvania is reporting 22 cases of COVID-19, more than half in Montgomery County. Dozens more tests are pending. Statewide, Wolf urged gatherings of 250 people or more to be canceled or postponed. In Philadelphia, officials banned gatherings of more than 1,000 people, but want schools to remain open.
NEW CASTLE, Pa. (AP) — Authorities say a Pennsylvania man has been charged with attempted homicide after he camouflaged himself in the woods and shot at a school van with children inside. WPXI reports police arrested 41-year-old Bryon Benetas after finding him Tuesday in a wooded area in Shenango Township with two guns. Benetas denied shooting at the van while being led away in handcuffs by police. Officials say the van with seven students on board was driving on Route 65 in the afternoon when two bullets shattered a side window, passed through the van and exited through a window on the other side. No one was injured.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Orchestra said it will perform Thursday’s scheduled concert to an empty Verizon Hall, but have it broadcast live online. The orchestra said that it is offering the concert as a way to share music during a wave of event cancellations in the Philadelphia region as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases grows. The orchestra’s radio partner, WRTI-FM, will broadcast the performance on Friday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. Otherwise, the orchestra has canceled all rehearsals, performances and events through March 23, including performances at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and the Academy of Music.
Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
Features
NEW YORK (AP) — Facebook and Twitter have revealed evidence that suggests Russian efforts to interfere in the U.S. presidential election are getting more sophisticated and harder to detect. The companies say they removed dozens of accounts and pages from their services. They note that the networks of accounts were in the early stages of building an audience. The companies say they were operated by people in Ghana and Nigeria on behalf of individuals in Russia. The accounts posted about topics such as black history, celebrity gossip and fashion. Twitter says the accounts tried to sow discord around social issues such as race and civil rights.
NEW YORK (AP) — The coronavirus is bringing the entertainment world almost to a standstill. Upcoming movies have been canceled, and all Broadway performances suspended. TV networks have eliminated live audiences from shows until it’s safe to welcome crowds back. To curb the spread of the disease, Hollywood has paused the normal hum of TV productions and the bustle of red-carpet movie premieres. After New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo banned gatherings of more than 500 people, Broadway theaters announced that they would close immediately and remain dark through April 12.
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — There’s still darts. Or New Zealand cricket. The fast-spreading coronavirus has led to an unprecedented slew of cancellations or suspensions of most major professional and college sports events in the U.S., particularly within the last 48 hours. Baseball, basketball, hockey, pro soccer and college basketball all announced they were either suspending or postponing the start of their seasons due to the virus. For those who routinely bet on sports, it has taken most of the action off the board. Its impact on sports books could depend on how long the shutdowns last. The Golden Nugget’s online sports book on Thursday featured a handful of soccer games in Europe, Brazil, Iceland and Mexico; a golf championship; a New Zealand cricket match, and three darts matches.
Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
