Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano

(Aliquippa, Pa.) On Saturday June 22, 2020 Aliquippa Fire Crews were called to assist Verizon with traffic control at Kiehl Street and Highland Avenue and for a cracked pole that fell  on power lines. The fire department closed the road until Verizon were able to make repairs.

Existing home sale plunge 9.7% in 3rd straight monthly drop
By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — US existing home sales plunged 9.7% in May. It was the third straight monthly decline and further evidence of the harm the virus pandemic has done to the housing market. The National Association of Realtors said Monday that the  May decline pushed sales down to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of  3.91 million, the slowest pace since a home buyers tax credit expired in October 2010. Sales were down in all parts of the country with the biggest decline coming in the Northeast.

PITTSBURGH, Pa (June 22, 2020) – Physicians from Allegheny General Hospital (AGH) in Pittsburgh, part of Allegheny Health Network (AHN), are among the first in the country to document a potential association between the onset of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) and the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The case study was just published in the June issue of the Journal of Clinical Neuromuscular Disease.

GBS is a disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks the myelin sheath of the peripheral nervous system, which significantly interrupts signal transmission to the brain.  Roughly two thirds of patients with GBS contract the illness shortly after a severe viral, respiratory or bacterial infection.

“Although the number of documented cases internationally is notably small to date, it’s not completely surprising that a COVID-19 diagnosis may lead to a patient developing GBS. In fact, similar connections were made during the 2016 Zika virus outbreak,” said Sandeep Rana, MD, neurologist at AGH and lead author of the case study. “The increase of inflammation and inflammatory cells caused by the infection may trigger an irregular immune response that leads to the hallmark symptoms of this neurological disorder.”

Patients diagnosed with GBS will experience progressive, ascending, symmetrical paralysis of the arms and legs, with or without cranial nerve involvement. For many, the disorder initially presents itself with tingling or numbness in the lower portion of the body and advances upward, with muscles losing complete ability to respond to stimuli.  In extremely severe cases, patients may progress to total paralysis.

According to a case study published in April in the Journal of Clinical Neuroscience, COVID-19 stimulates inflammatory cells and produces various inflammatory proteins or “cytokines” and as a result, creates immune-mediated processes. Since GBS is an immune-mediated disorder, the molecular imitation of the body’s response may play a critical factor.

In “Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Associated Guillain-Barré Syndrome: Case Report,” (doi: 10.1097/CND.0000000000000309) a 54-year-old man was transferred to AGH with ascending limb weakness and numbness that followed symptoms of a severe respiratory infection. Upon arrival, clinicians noted areflexia and further diagnostic testing showed he was positive for COVID-19.

He was started on a five-day regimen of intravenous immunoglobulin for a presumed diagnosis of GBS. However, he continued to progress and experienced complications of elevated heart rate at rest, double vision and burning sensation throughout the body.

During his follow-up neurological examination he was noted to have profound weakness in his legs, moderated weakness in his arms and facial muscles as well as minor weakness in his muscles that control eye movement.

“The electrical abnormalities of this patient were consistent with demyelinating form of GBS syndrome. As we continue to observe COVID-19 and its manifestations, we’re anticipating that the rate of GBS incidents may be higher than initially expected,” continued Dr. Rana.

A series of similar observations have been made by clinicians at three hospitals in northern Italy in April. Published in the New England Journal of Medicine (DOI: 10.1056/NEJMc2009191), “Guillain–Barré Syndrome Associated with SARS-CoV-2,” clinicians examined five patients that developed GBS of an estimated 1,200 cases with COVID-19 infections. Introductory reports of a potential connection were also published in The Lancet from researchers in Wuhan, China (doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(20)30109-5.)

“Since GBS can significantly affect the respiratory system and other vital organs being pushed into overdrive during a COVID-19 immune response, it will be critically important to further investigate and understand this potential connection,” Rana concluded.

For more information on Allegheny General Hospital and the Neuroscience Institute at Allegheny Health Network, visit ahn.org.

WHO reports largest single-day increase in coronavirus cases
By JOSEPH WILSON and JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press
GENEVA (AP) — The World Health Organization has reported the largest single-day increase in coronavirus cases by its count, at more than 183,000 new cases in the latest 24 hours. The UN health agency said on Sunday that Brazil led the way with 54,771 cases tallied and the US next at 36,617. Over 15,400 came in in India. Experts say rising case counts can reflect multiple factors including more widespread testing as well as broader infection. Overall in the pandemic, WHO has reported 8,708,008 cases _ 183,020 in the last 24 hours _ with 461,715 deaths worldwide, with a daily increase of 4,743. More than two-thirds of those new deaths were reported in the Americas.

(Mc Connell’s Mill State Park) A Fourth accident this year and the third in the last few weeks happened at Mc Connells Mill State Park on Saturday. A woman was climbing around 3:30 pm when she fell on the Alpha Pass Trail. She was rescued by first responders and parks rangers and flown to a Pittsburgh hospital. It’s being reported that the hiker injured her head and arm.

In May a man fell into Slippery Rock Creek at McConnell’s Mill and his body still has not been found. A couple weeks later a female hiker fell and hurt her head and had to be life-flighted to a Pittsburgh hospital and then in February a female hiker fell from a cliff and had to be rescued. There has not been any update on the women’s condition.

Andrea Sears

HARRISBURG, Pa. — White, evangelical Christians are a major part of President Donald Trump’s political base, but recent polling indicates conflicts between his actions and Christian teachings may be eroding that support.

Evangelical backing for Trump is largely grounded in his promises to ban abortion and ensure religious freedom.

But his own behavior often runs counter to what many consider to be core Christian values — opposition to extramarital affairs and dishonesty, and policies that negatively affect immigrants, the poor and the environment.

Ron Sider, founder of Evangelicals for Social Action, points out that the National Association of Evangelicals says civic engagement must have a “biblically balanced agenda.”

“That large evangelical network is saying you have to be concerned with all of those issues,” he stresses. “And, of course, we also have to look at the character of the candidates.”

Recent polls by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) and Pew Research Center have found decreases in support for Trump among white evangelicals since March of this year.

Sider notes there also has been a decrease in the number of Americans who identify themselves as evangelical, especially among young people.

“There’s no doubt but that large numbers of young evangelicals are abandoning the evangelical church in droves, some of them even abandoning Christianity,” he states.

Robert Jones, who heads PRRI, says the share of the American population that is white and evangelical has fallen by two percentage points, to 15%, since 2016.

Sider contends evangelicals need to avoid letting one or two issues override all the other values that are at the heart of their faith.

“This brings spiritual danger — not only to the future of American democracy, but even more to societal respect for Christianity, and even the person white evangelicals claim to worship and obey,” he points out.

Sider says the message in his recent book of essays by 30 evangelicals, entitled “The Spiritual Danger of Donald Trump,” isn’t to tell people how they should vote, but that they should apply a full range of biblical principles to this and every election.

PennDOT Driver’s Skills Test Appointment Scheduling Now Open

All customers, accompanying drivers must wear face masks; examiners required to wear PPE

Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) reminds customers beginning today any customer in need of an appointment for a skills test, including motorcycle skills tests, may now schedule online by visiting www.dmv.pa.gov or by contacting the PennDOT Driver and Vehicle Services Call Center at 717-412-5300.

The skills test has been modified to mitigate potential exposure of PennDOT staff and customers while maintaining the integrity of the testing process.

The following enhanced safety measures for non-commercial skills tests will continue and the following safety protocols will be in place:

• PennDOT staff will remain outside the vehicle during the entire skills test. The test taker and accompanying driver will remain in the vehicle.
• In yellow phase counties, examiner will conduct basic health pre-screening of applicant.  If applicant is displaying any COVID-19 symptoms, test will not be administered. There will be no pre-screening for customers in green counties.
• All customers and accompanying drivers must wear appropriate face masks during testing.
• Examiners will be required to wear appropriate personal protective equipment such as masks, gloves, eye protection during the exam.
• Examiners will utilize iPads during the administration of testing, which will be routinely disinfected using wipes or spray sanitizer.

PennDOT-Authorized Third Party Testers are also available for non-commercial testing. For a list of PennDOT Authorized Third Party Vendors, please visit our website.

Customers may continue to complete various transactions and access multiple resources online at www.dmv.pa.gov. Driver and vehicle online services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and include driver’s license, photo ID and vehicle registration renewals; driver-history services; changes of address; driver license and vehicle registration restoration letters; ability to pay driver license or vehicle insurance restoration fee; and driver license and photo ID duplicates. There are no additional fees for using online services.

More COVID-19 information is available at www.health.pa.gov. For more information, visit www.dmv.pa.gov or www.PennDOT.gov.

MEDIA CONTACT: Diego Sandino, 717-645-8296 or dsandino@pa.gov

EDITOR’S NOTE: Media are encouraged to honor the following guidelines to protect PennDOT’s Driver License Centers and Photo License Centers customers and employees.

• Please refrain from entering a driver license center or photo center to photograph, record or interview PennDOT staff or customers. Please use the media contact information above if you should have additional questions or requests.
• Follow social distancing guidelines, remaining at least six feet away from any other individual.
• Respect the wishes of PennDOT customers who do not want to be photographed, recorded, or approached outside our locations.
• Direct all questions to the Media Contact or PennDOT Press Office, as Driver License Center staff will be focused on assisting customers.

Police say 9 shot, wounded at party in Syracuse, New York
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — Nine people were shot at a large party in Syracuse, authorities said, and one victim, a 17-year-old boy, was in critical condition Sunday. No one was immediately taken into custody, and Syracuse Police Chief Kenton Buckner emphasized that the investigation was in its early stages in an appearance at a press conference alongside Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh. A woman who identified herself as the party’s hostess told the Post-Standard of Syracuse that the celebration was a birthday party for her son. She said she has held the party every year for 14 years and there was never a problem before.

Old cemetery on hiking trail spurs curiosity, more mystery
By DAVID WENNER, PennLive.com undefined
MIDDLESEX, Pa. (AP) — It’s a curious sight to come upon while walking the Appalachian Trail in Cumberland County: a tiny, ancient cemetery, nearly consumed by trees, brush and earth. Many a hiker has surely stepped inside the pitted iron fence and lichen-encrusted stone wall and wondered. Local historians know its name and tell of a related mystery: somewhere nearby is a cemetery for slaves who once lived on the property.