Florida reports largest, single-day increase in COVID cases
By TAMARA LUSH and TERRY SPENCER Associated Press
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Florida on Sunday reported the largest single-day increase in positive coronavirus cases in any one state since the beginning of the pandemic. According to state Department of Health statistics released Sunday, 15,299 people tested positive, for a total of 269,811 cases. California had the previous record of daily positive cases — 11,694, four days ago. New York had 11,571 on April 15. The numbers come at the end of a grim, record-breaking week in Florida, with about 500 fatalities. On Sunday, 45 more deaths were reported. Throughout May and into June, the state reopened much of its economy with some restrictions.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Florida shattered the national record Sunday for the largest single-day increase in positive coronavirus cases in any state since the beginning of the pandemic, adding more than 15,000 cases as its daily average death toll continued to also rise.
According to state Department of Health statistics, 15,299 people tested positive, for a total of 269,811 cases, and 45 deaths were recorded.
California had the previous record of daily positive cases — 11,694, set on Wednesday. New York had 11,571 on April 15.
The numbers come at the end of a grim, record-breaking week as Florida reported 514 fatalities — an average of 73 per day. Three weeks ago, the state was averaging 30 deaths per day. Since the pandemic began in March, 4,346 people have died in Florida of COVID-19, the state says.
Testing has doubled over the last month, going from about 25,000 tests per day to almost 50,000, but the percentage of people testing positive has risen even more dramatically. A month ago, fewer than 5% of tests came up positive on a daily average. Over the past week, the daily average exceeded 19%.
About 10.7% of Saturday’s 143,000 tests came up positive. “I still think we need to increase our testing a little bit more,” said University of Florida epidemiologist Dr. Cindy Prins, adding that the state and local health departments should ramp up their contact tracing.
Prins said that she’s still concerned about large crowds, gyms and some restaurants as being places of mass transmission. Reports of illegal clubs and raves in South Florida is also a worry, she said.
“I really do think we could control this, and it’s the human element that is so critical. It should be an effort of our country. We should be pulling together when we’re in a crisis, and we’re definitely not doing it,” she said. “I know people want to live their lives. There have been a lot of other times, people have made those sacrifices in order to benefit our society. It’s almost like a war effort. That’s what we need right now.”
Hospitals in several counties have stopped doing elective surgeries. HCA West Florida have ceased inpatient elective procedures at hospitals in Hillsborough, Pinellas and six other nearby counties, said an HCA spokeswoman on Sunday. Florida ceased elective surgeries statewide from March until early May in order to free up beds, and to reserve personal protective equipment for health care workers caring for COVID-19 patients.
Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach are the top three counties for hospitalizations, with 3,232 people hospitalized — 42 percent of the 7,542 people in hospitals statewide for coronavirus.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez told CNN on Sunday that his county’s hospitals will soon reach capacity, but he said more beds can be added, including for intensive care.
“We still have capacity, but it does cause me a lot of concern,” he said.
Throughout May and into June, the state reopened much of its economy with some restrictions — and the number of positive cases began rising, but it wasn’t until the last week that the daily death total began rising, too.
Because of the increase in cases and the positivity rate, doctors have predicted a rise in deaths, saying the mortality rate usually increases two to four weeks later as some of those infected get sicker and eventually die. Health experts are concerned that people are gathering in crowds, and have expressed concern that the Republican National Convention’s nomination party for President Donald Trump will be held in Jacksonville in August.
On Saturday, the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom reopened at Walt Disney World in Orlando, concerning health experts who urge people not to gather in groups. Guests at the park said that people were wearing masks and social distancing, and videos showed near-empty parks.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said that even with the rising rates, he still wants the schools to reopen as scheduled next month, saying children have not proven to be vectors for the disease in states and countries where campuses are open. He said while each county will have to come up with procedures, depending on their local infection rate, not opening the schools would exacerbate the achievement gap between high- and low-performing students.
“We know there are huge, huge costs for not providing the availability of in-person schooling,” he said. “The risk of corona, fortunately, for students is incredibly low.”
Meanwhile, a commissioner for a county near Jacksonville is seriously ill with the virus, according to a posting by his daughter on Facebook.
St. Johns County Commissioner Paul Waldron had recently voted against a county ordinance requiring masks, but not because he opposed them. He said he wanted more answers from county administrators about which masks are most effective and whether the county had enough for employees and visitors at government buildings.
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Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

Trump commutes longtime friend Roger Stone’s prison sentence
By JILL COLVIN and ERIC TUCKER Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has commuted the prison sentence of his longtime friend Roger Stone. Stone told The Associated Press that Trump called Friday to inform him he would commute his prison sentence for crimes related to the Russia probe.The White House later confirmed the commuting of the sentence in a statement, saying Stone was a victim of the Russia “hoax.” The move comes just days before Stone was set to report to prison for a more-than-three year term. He was convicted of lying to Congress, witness tampering and obstructing the House investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to win the 2016 election.

Comet streaking past Earth, providing spectacular show
By MARCIA DUNN AP Aerospace Writer
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A newly discovered comet is streaking past Earth, providing a stunning nighttime show after buzzing the sun and expanding its tail. Comet Neowise was spotted by the NASA space telescope bearing that name in March. The celestial snowball swept within Mercury’s orbit a week ago. Its close proximity to the sun caused dust and gas to burn off its surface and create an even bigger debris tail. NASA says the comet is about 3 miles across. It will be visible across the Northern Hemisphere until mid-August, when it heads back toward the outer solar system.

Border authorities use pandemic powers to expel immigrants
By ELLIOT SPAGAT Associated Press
SAN DIEGO (AP) — A Honduran family’s quest for asylum in United States shows how difficult it has become to seek asylum during the coronavirus pandemic. Because of the coronavirus, U.S. authorities wield extraordinary power to immediately expel Mexicans and Central Americans to Mexico, waiving laws that include rights to seek asylum. The father and 9-year-old son were whisked back to Mexico when encountered in San Diego. They were separated from the mother as she began going into labor. Two days later, she was also back in Tijuana — with her newborn son, a U.S. citizen.

Tropical Storm Fay shutters beaches as it heads north
By KAREN MATTHEWS and MICHAEL HILL Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — Beaches closed in Delaware and rain lashed the New Jersey shore as fast-moving Tropical Storm Fay churned north on a path expected to soak the New York City region. Forecasters expect Fay to bring 2 to 4 inches of rain, with the possibility of flash flooding in parts of the mid-Atlantic and southern New England. That’s down from earlier forecasts of about 3 to 5 inches of rain. A tropical storm warning remained in effect from Fenwick Island, Delaware, to Watch Hill, Rhode Island. The warning area includes Long Island and the Long Island Sound in New York.

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

At a special public meeting on Friday, the Beaver County Commissioners approved a ordinance that would have the county incur a debt not to exceed $40,000,000, in order that the County could pay off and restructure several bonds from 2012-2020. The ordinance allots for $8,000,000 to go to the reassessment funds.

Pittsburgh-based attorney Wayne Gerhold spoke of the details at the meeting before all three County Commissioners voted to approve of the move.

By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are drifting in early trading on Wall Street Friday, the latest eddies in a week full of erratic swings driven by worries about rising coronavirus counts. The S&P 500 was down 0.3% after flipping a couple times between small gains and losses in the first few minutes of trading. It followed up on a mixed performance for stocks in Europe and Asia. Most stocks in the U.S. market were up, though, and the Russell 2000 index of small-cap stocks was 0.2% higher. Treasury yields were dipping a bit, while the price of gold peeked higher in another sign of caution continuing to hang over markets.

 

DETROIT (AP) — Electric vehicle startup Rivian says it has raised another $2.5 billion in funding from accounts advised by investment firm T. Rowe Price. The company has a contract with Amazon to build 100,000 electric delivery vans starting next year at its factory, a former Mitsubishi plant in Normal, Illinois. Rivian also is rolling out a pickup truck and an SUV for sale to consumers next year. The company said Friday that investors in this round include Soros Fund Management, Coatue, Fidelity Management and Research, and Baron Capital Group. Amazon and hedge fund BlackRock have invested previously and also are part of this round, Rivian said. The new investment won’t bring any more seats to the Rivian board, the company said.

 

CHICAGO (AP) — Grain futures were mixed on Friday in early trading on the Chicago Board of Trade. Wheat for Sept. delivery rose 4.40 cents at $5.2740 a bushel; July corn lost 6.60 cents at $3.4860 a bushel; Sept. oats was up .80 cent at $2.8840 a bushel; while July soybeans fell 4.80 cents at 8.9660 a bushel.
Beef was mixed and pork was higher on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange.
Jun. live cattle was off .70 cent at $.9928 pound; Aug. feeder cattle was up .15 cent at $1.3490 a pound; June lean hogs rose 1.47 cents at .4612 a pound.

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. wholesale prices fell 0.2% in June as food costs dropped sharply, offsetting a big increase in energy prices. The Labor Department said the drop in its Producer Price Index, which measures inflation pressures before they reach consumers, followed a 0.4% gain in May. Wholesale prices have fallen in four of the past five months. The country has been pushed into a deep recession which is expected to see the economy shrink in the April-June quarter by a record-shattering amount. That downturn, triggered by efforts to contan the coronavirus pandemic, is expected to keep inflation under control.The 0.2% drop in wholesale prices in June reflected a 5.2% decline in food costs which helped to offset a 7.7% jump in energy prices.

BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets are following Wall Street lower today on worries economic recoveries might fade as coronavirus cases increase in the United States and some other countries.
The Shanghai Composite Index lost 1.2% today and the Nikkei in Tokyo shed 0.7%. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong retreated 1.9%.
The Kospi in Seoul lost 1.2% and Sydney’s S&P-ASX 200 declined 0.6%. India’s Sensex opened 0.6% lower.
Yesterday on Wall Street, the S&P 500 declined to 3,152.05. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1.4% to 25,706.09.
The Nasdaq composite, dominated by tech stocks that are seen as relatively resilient to the pandemic, added 0.5% to a record 10,547.75.

AP: After lobbying, Catholic Church won $1.4B in virus aid
NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. Roman Catholic Church used a special and unprecedented exemption from federal rules to amass at least $1.4 billion in taxpayer-backed coronavirus aid.
In totaling the church’s haul, The Associated Press also found that tens of millions of dollars went to dioceses whose financial stress was due not simply to the pandemic, but also to recent payouts to victims of clergy sex abuse.
The Paycheck Protection Program the church tapped was intended to help small businesses and nonprofits pay workers amid a cratering economy. The church was able to maximize its take after lobbying for an exemption that gave all religious groups preferential treatment. That helped make the Catholic Church among the biggest winners in the U.S. government’s pandemic relief efforts.

UN says Latin America and Caribbean are COVID-19 `hot spot’
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations secretary-general says Latin America and the Caribbean have become “a hot spot” for the COVID-19 pandemic. Antonio Guterres said Thursday that several countries now have one of the highest per capita infection rates and absolute number of cases in the world.
The U.N. chief says in a video and report that a 9.1% contraction in GDP is expected this year in the region, adding that would be the “largest in a century.”
The report says “COVID-19 represents a massive health, social and economic shock” and is expected to result in the region’s “deepest recession in living memory.”
According to the report, unemployment in the region is expected to rise to 13.5% from 8.1% last year, affecting more than 44 million people, compared to over 18 million in 2019. The poverty rate is expected to rise to 37.2% from 30.2%, meaning 230 million people will be affected compared to 185 million last year.

Appeals court pauses lawsuit over Trump hotel profits
RICHMOND, Virginia (AP) — A federal appeals court says subpoenas seeking financial records related to President Donald Trump’s Washington hotel can be kept on hold. On Thursday, the court agreed to extend the pause on the lawsuit — including the subpoenas — while the U.S. Department of Justice appeals the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The ruling from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals means the records sought by the attorneys general of Maryland and the District of Columbia will likely not be released until after the November election.
On Thursday, the court agreed to extend the pause on the lawsuit — including the subpoenas — while the U.S. Department of Justice appeals the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The two jurisdictions filed the lawsuit in 2017. They argue Trump has violated the Constitution’s emoluments clause by accepting profits through officials who stay at the Trump International Hotel.

Worker advocates file meat plants discrimination complaint
UNDATED (AP) — Worker advocates have filed a civil rights complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture alleging that meat processing companies Tyson and JBS have engaged in racial discrimination during the coronavirus pandemic.
The complaint filed Wednesday alleges the meatpacking companies haven’t implemented appropriate social distancing on production lines or slowed production speeds. As a result, it says, Hispanic, Black and Asian workers have suffered.
The complaint alleges the policies violate the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which protects individuals from racial discrimination by recipients of federal financial assistance.
The companies have together received more than $150 million from USDA programs this year.

Bolsonaro again urges reopening for Brazil
UNDATED (AP) — Two days after being diagnosed with COVID-19, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has made an online broadcast from the presidential residence as defiant as in previous occasions. He coughed once in his appearance Thursday, but did not show other symptoms of the disease that has killed more than 69,000 people in Brazil during the coronavirus pandemic.
Bolsonaro repeated his view that the looming economic crisis from the pandemic is more dangerous than the virus. He said mayors and governors need to reopen the country for business, saying that “otherwise the consequences will be harmful for Brazil”.
Bolsonaro said he is working from home and on Friday will appoint a new education minister.

Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is announcing preparatory slide repair work on Route 151 (Bocktown Road) in Independence Township, Beaver County will begin Monday, July 13 weather permitting.

Preparatory work will begin at approximately 9 a.m. Monday morning on Route 151 between Plunket Road and Park Road. Single-lane alternating traffic will occur while the prep work occurs.

Slide repair work will begin at approximately 9 a.m. on Monday, July 20 requiring the long-term closure of Route 151 between Plunket Road and Park Road. Crews from Gregori Construction will conduct slide repair work, installation of erosion and sedimentation controls, roadway paving, drainage improvements and other miscellaneous construction activities on this $836,083 project. To allow the work to occur, Route 151 will close to traffic in the slide location around-the-clock through early October.  Through traffic will be detoured.

Posted Detours

East of the Slide

• From Route 151, take Park Road (Route 3023) southbound
• Turn right onto Route 30
• Turn right onto Route 18
• Follow Route 18 back to Route 151
• End detour

West of the Slide

• Same detour in the opposite direction

Please use caution when traveling through the area.

Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles, including color-coded winter conditions on 2,900 miles, by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information, and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras.

511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA website.