Tropical Storm Cristobal draws nearer to US Gulf Coast
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Tropical Storm Cristobal is continuing its advance toward the U.S. Gulf Coast, having spawned a tornado in Florida. The National Hurricane Center in Miami says Cristobal’s maximum sustained winds are at 50 mph (85 kph) as of early Sunday and it’s forecast to make landfall by Sunday night. The storm already made its presence felt with a tornado that touched down near downtown Orlando, just missing a group of protesters. There appeared to be no injuries, but tree limbs were knocked down, and there were reports of power outages.

Erie zoo employee bitten on arm by orangutan, dispatches say
ERIE, Pa. (AP) — Authorities say an employee at a northwestern Pennsylvania zoo was bitten on the arm by an orangutan over the weekend. Erie County emergency dispatchers said the 29-year-old zookeeper sustained puncture and bit wounds to his forearm during Saturday afternoon’s attack at the Erie Zoo. Dispatchers said he was taken to Saint Vincent Hospital for treatment of injuries described as moderate and non-life-threatening. No further information was immediately available.

PA senator criticized for treatment of women loses primary
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania state senator who lost the support of Democratic officials after he was criticized for his treatment of women in his office and on his campaign has lost his suburban Philadelphia primary contest. The Associated Press projected Saturday that Amanda Cappelletti had prevailed in 17th district in Montgomery County. Leach, a longtime standard-bearer for liberal causes in the state Legislature, had rebuffed calls from Democrats to resign going back to 2017. Leach denied any predatory actions and said he never deliberately made anyone uncomfortable, though he acknowledged that he has used poor judgment in his choice of humor.

Line Painting Operations Next Week in District 11

Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is advising motorists that line painting operations on various roadways in Lawrence, Beaver and Allegheny counties will occur Monday through Friday, June 8-12, weather permitting.

Work to repaint lines will occur from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day in the following locations:

Lawrence County

• Various I-376 ramps between the Pennsylvania Turnpike exit (Exit 26) and the Route 208/New Wilmington exit (Exit 5)

Beaver County

• Route 65 in various municipalities
• I-376 in both directions between the Hopewell (Exit 48) and Center (Exit 42) interchanges
• Route 989 in various municipalities

Allegheny County

• I-279 Parkway North between the I-79 split in Franklin Park Borough to Camp Horne Road exit (Exit 8) in Ohio Township
• Various I-376 Parkway West ramps between the I-79 (Exit 59) interchange in Collier Township to the Campbells Run Road (Exit 62) in Robinson Township
• I-579 Veterans Bridge to I-579 Cap project in the City of Pittsburgh
• Route 837 in various municipalities
• Route 910 in various municipalities

PennDOT advises motorists to exercise caution and patience, and suggests allowing at least 250 feet (13 car lengths) behind line painting equipment to avoid damage.  Motorists should avoid passing the paint vehicles unless directed by a paint crew member or flag person to do so.  Passing too quickly can cause damage to fresh paint lines and may result in paint on the motorist’s vehicle.  Line painting vehicles normally pull over every two and one-half miles or when safety permits.  Recent technological advancements on the mix of formulas have produced fast dry paints that are dry to the touch within 2 to 3 minutes.  It is crucial to stay off these lines during the curing period.

Motorists who accidentally get paint on their vehicles should immediately wash the paint off with a high-pressure water stream and detergent.  Dried paint can be removed with de-natured alcohol and a soft cloth.  Generally, PennDOT is not responsible for paint on vehicles.

Roadway line painting is an important part of PennDOT’s highway safety initiatives. Paint lines provide direction, delineation, and guidance to motorists.

Glass beads applied on top of wet paint during the painting process provide retro reflectivity.  These small, spherical beads reflect light during dark hours and periods of low visibility.  As the glass beads become worn or wet, the reflectivity becomes greatly diminished resulting in reduced visibility during dark and wet hours.

Lines need repainting each year because of normal wear, tear, and weather. Winter maintenance activities such as plowing, spreading anti-skid materials, and studded tires are very abrasive to paint lines and can cause fading.  Normal weathering caused by snow, rain, and ice also contribute to line reflectivity reduction.

PennDOT establishes painting schedules to minimize delays to motorist.  On days before holidays and on Fridays, crews will focus on secondary routes to minimize inconvenience for motorists.

Motorists should use caution and be aware of changing traffic patterns when driving through the area.

Visit 511pa.com or call 511 from any phone to check traffic conditions on major roadways before traveling.

Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is advising motorists that line painting operations on various roadways in Lawrence, Beaver and Allegheny counties will occur Monday through Friday, June 8-12, weather permitting.

Work to repaint lines will occur from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day in the following locations:

Lawrence County

• Various I-376 ramps between the Pennsylvania Turnpike exit (Exit 26) and the Route 208/New Wilmington exit (Exit 5)

Beaver County

• Route 65 in various municipalities
• I-376 in both directions between the Hopewell (Exit 48) and Center (Exit 42) interchanges
• Route 989 in various municipalities

Allegheny County

• I-279 Parkway North between the I-79 split in Franklin Park Borough to Camp Horne Road exit (Exit 8) in Ohio Township
• Various I-376 Parkway West ramps between the I-79 (Exit 59) interchange in Collier Township to the Campbells Run Road (Exit 62) in Robinson Township
• I-579 Veterans Bridge to I-579 Cap project in the City of Pittsburgh
• Route 837 in various municipalities
• Route 910 in various municipalities

PennDOT advises motorists to exercise caution and patience, and suggests allowing at least 250 feet (13 car lengths) behind line painting equipment to avoid damage.  Motorists should avoid passing the paint vehicles unless directed by a paint crew member or flag person to do so.  Passing too quickly can cause damage to fresh paint lines and may result in paint on the motorist’s vehicle.  Line painting vehicles normally pull over every two and one-half miles or when safety permits.  Recent technological advancements on the mix of formulas have produced fast dry paints that are dry to the touch within 2 to 3 minutes.  It is crucial to stay off these lines during the curing period.

Motorists who accidentally get paint on their vehicles should immediately wash the paint off with a high-pressure water stream and detergent.  Dried paint can be removed with de-natured alcohol and a soft cloth.  Generally, PennDOT is not responsible for paint on vehicles.

Roadway line painting is an important part of PennDOT’s highway safety initiatives. Paint lines provide direction, delineation, and guidance to motorists.

Glass beads applied on top of wet paint during the painting process provide retro reflectivity.  These small, spherical beads reflect light during dark hours and periods of low visibility.  As the glass beads become worn or wet, the reflectivity becomes greatly diminished resulting in reduced visibility during dark and wet hours.

Lines need repainting each year because of normal wear, tear, and weather. Winter maintenance activities such as plowing, spreading anti-skid materials, and studded tires are very abrasive to paint lines and can cause fading.  Normal weathering caused by snow, rain, and ice also contribute to line reflectivity reduction.

PennDOT establishes painting schedules to minimize delays to motorist.  On days before holidays and on Fridays, crews will focus on secondary routes to minimize inconvenience for motorists.

Motorists should use caution and be aware of changing traffic patterns when driving through the area.

Visit 511pa.com or call 511 from any phone to check traffic conditions on major roadways before traveling.

Stocks surge on jobs report … Hiring up, unemployment down … Little progress in Brexit talks
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are rushing higher in early trading Friday after a stunningly good report on the U.S. job market gave Wall Street’s recent rally another shot of adrenaline. The S&P 500 was up 2.2% within the first 15 minutes of trading after the government said that U.S. employers added 2.5 million workers to their payrolls last month. Economists were expecting them instead to slash another 8 million jobs amid the ongoing fallout from the response to the coronavirus pandemic.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. unemployment rate fell unexpectedly in May to 13.3% — still on par with what the nation witnessed during the Great Depression — as states loosened their coronavirus lockdowns and businesses began recalling workers. The government says that the economy added 2.5 million jobs last month, driving unemployment down from 14.7% in April. The May job gain confounded economists’ expectations and suggests that thousands of stores, restaurants, gyms and other companies reopened and rehired more quickly than forecast.

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Statistics Canada says the Canadian economy added 289,600 jobs in May, with businesses reopening amid easing public health restrictions.  The unemployment rate rose to a record high of 13.7%, topping the previous high of 13.1% set in December 1982 in more than four decades of comparable data. The increase in the unemployment rate came as more people started looking for work. Some economists had predicted a loss of 500,000 jobs in May and an unemployment rate of 15.0 %, according to financial markets data firm Refinitiv.
UNDATED (AP) — Companies around the world continue to announce substantial job cuts. Bombardier Aviation is reducing its workforce by about 2,500 employees due to challenges caused by COVID-19. Luxury British carmaker Bentley plans to cut up to 1,000 jobs and has warned of the possibility of more to come as it tries to limit the damage caused by the virus outbreak.
BRUSSELS (AP) — The fourth round of talks for a future trade deal between the European Union and the U.K. ended Friday with little progress. Following four days of video discussions between officials from the two teams of negotiators, the two sides remain at loggerheads on many topics, including regulations for businesses. Their positions on fisheries remain distant, with the U.K. opposed to EU demands for long-term access to British waters. The U.K. is in a so-called transition until the end of this year and if it wants to extend it, it must do so by the end of this month.

(Beaver Falls, Pa,) Tune into 1230 WBVP, 1460 WMBA, 99.3 FM, and beavercountyradio.com at 2:00 p.m. today for a virtual press conference with  Governor Tom Wolf and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine. They will provide an update on the coronavirus known as COVID-19 and efforts to mitigate the virus in Pennsylvania. Governor Tom Wolf  is also expected to announce more counties moving from the yellow phase to green phase starting next Friday June 12, 2020.

We will have full coverage of the Governor’s Press Conference at 2:00 p.m. Courtesy of Common Wealth Media Services.

US unemployment drops unexpectedly to a still-high 13.3%
By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. unemployment rate fell unexpectedly in May to 13.3% — still on par with what the nation witnessed during the Great Depression — as states loosened their coronavirus lockdowns and businesses began recalling workers. The government said Friday that the economy added 2.5 million jobs last month, driving unemployment down from 14.7% in April.