Claims backlog persists; Pennsylvania park beaches to reopen
By MICHAEL RUBINKAM and MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania state officials say they’re making progress, but acknowledge more needs to be done to whittle down an unemployment compensation claims backlog that has persisted for more than two months. Jammed phone lines, balky computer systems and unreturned emails remain an issue despite a near doubling of staff at the agency that processes claims. More than 2.3 million people in Pennsylvania, including self-employed and gig workers, have filed for unemployment since mid-March. Meanwhile, state officials announced that all state park beaches and most pools will be open next month.

2 dead in house fire, cause under investigation

DUQUESNE, Pa. (AP) — Authorities in western Pennsylvania on Friday were trying to determine what sparked an early-morning house fire that claimed the lives of a man and a woman.
Firefighters found intense flames and heavy smoke when they arrived on the scene on Karl Avenue early Friday. Neighbors told them two people were trapped inside.
“Crews encountered heavy fire conditions and heavy fire load throughout,” said Fire Chief Frank Cobb. “So crews had to back out and then immediately through a transitional attack to get the fire knocked out and make entry to the house.”
Most of the damage was on the second floor, Cobb said, and that was where firefighters found the victims. One was at the top of the stairs and the other was in a bedroom.
Their names have not been released.
The Allegheny County fire marshal was investigating the cause.

Police across US speak out against Minneapolis custody death
By STEFANIE DAZIO Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The reaction from some law enforcement on the death of a handcuffed black man by a white Minneapolis officer stands in stark contrast to their responses to other in-custody fatalities. Sheriffs and police chiefs have strongly criticized Officer Derek Chauvin on social media and praised the city’s police chief for his quick dismissal of four officers. Authorities say George Floyd was detained Monday because he matched the description of someone who tried to pay with a counterfeit bill at the convenience store, and the 46-year-old resisted arrest. A bystander’s disturbing video shows Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck as Floyd begs for air.

Minneapolis police station torched amid George Floyd protest
By TIM SULLIVAN and AMY FORLITI Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Protesters angered by the death of a black man who died while pleading for air as a white police officer kneeled on his neck have torched a Minneapolis police station that the department abandoned. Thursday marked a third night of violent protests following the death of George Floyd, who died in a confrontation with officers outside a grocery store. Fires burned Friday morning in Minneapolis and nearby St. Paul. National Guard members were being stationed in locations to help stem looting. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s defended the city’s mostly hands-off approach with protesters. He said it was his decision to evacuate the police precinct because officers were at risk.

(Harrisburg, pa.) During a late session yesterday Pa House Republicans voted to reopen Pennsylvania In a press release they said that On behalf of the millions of Pennsylvanians who remain out of work and who are struggling every day to feed their families, pay their bills and protect their livelihoods, the House Republicans passed a resolution tonight that would end the business shutdown across Pennsylvania. As media reports across Pennsylvania show, the waiver process was inconsistent and unfair. Some businesses were both approved and denied, and worse, approved businesses had their waivers revoked with no explanation.
House Resolution 836 leaves in place the state’s emergency declaration and ensures nursing homes and long-term care facilities can continue to receive the added assistance they desperately need. The resolution would end the executive order to shut down businesses, which Wolf issued on March 17.
“Schools are not teaching; jobs are not paying; and government is not working for the people. The best step for all residents of our state is to allow workers, employers and nonprofits the ability to safely resume their work.”

The resolution now advances to the Senate for further consideration.

Wall Street pushes higher to extend week’s healthy gains
By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer

Stocks are pushing higher in midday trading on Wall Street Thursday, extending this week’s rally built on hopes for a coming economic revival.
The S&P 500 was up 0.7% as of noon Eastern time, on track for its fourth straight gain. That would be its longest winning streak since early February, before the market began to sell off on worries about the severe recession caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 145 points, or 0.6%, to 25,693, while the Nasdaq composite was up 0.8%.
Gains for health care stocks were one of the biggest factors nudging the market to its highest level since early March, and the S&P 500 has trimmed its loss to roughly 10% from its record high set in February. Johnson & Johnson was up 1.2%, Merck rose 2.2% and Eli Lilly added 3.1%.
Dollar Tree jumped 12% for the biggest gain in the S&P 500 after the retailer reported stronger revenue and earnings for its latest quarter than Wall Street expected. In an encouraging sign, executives also said recent trends have been improving for purchases of discretionary items, such as kitchenware and toys, instead of just essentials for hunkering down.
They helped offset losses for banks and energy stocks. Twitter also was down 2.6% as President Donald Trump prepared to sign an executive order aimed at curbing liability protections for social media companies. Trump has been railing against Twitter after it applied fact checks to two of his tweets.
Thursday’s gains have the S&P 500 on pace for its third weekly rise of at least 3% in the last four weeks. Following their breathtaking drop of nearly 34% in February and much of March, stocks began climbing after the Federal Reserve and Capitol Hill pledged unprecedented amounts of aid for the economy.
More recently, the market has pushed higher as investors move into stocks that would benefit most from a reopening economy. Governments around the country and world are slowly lifting restrictions meant to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, which has investors hoping the worst of the recession has already passed or will soon.
Longer-term Treasury yields rose Thursday after a government report showed that the number of workers filing for unemployment benefits dipped for the eighth straight week, though the number remains incredibly high.
Perhaps more importantly, the number of continuing claims for unemployment fell to 21.1 million from 24.9 million. It’s the first decline since the number of layoffs exploded in March. If it continues, economists said it could be a sign that more people are going back to work as states begin their reopenings.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 0.70% from 0.67% late Wednesday. It tends to move with optimism about the economy’s strength and inflation.
In Europe, the German DAX returned 1.1%, and the French CAC 40 rose 1.8%. The FTSE 100 in London added 1.2%.
Asian markets were mixed as tensions continue to heighten between the United States and China. The latest flashpoint between them stems from Beijing exerting more control over Hong Kong, and investors are worried about the risk that trade tensions between the world’s largest economies could reignite.
The Hang Seng in Hong Kong fell 0.7%, while stocks in Shanghai added 0.3%. The Nikkei 225 in Tokyo rose 2.3%, and the South Korean Kospi slipped 0,1%.
A barrel of U.S. crude oil for delivery in July rose 1.4% to $33.28. Brent crude, the international standard, was up 1% at $35.79 per barrel.

Flood of mail-in ballots spurs fight to change deadlines
By MARC LEVY Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Some county and state officials are warning that a flood of mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania will create problems in Tuesday’s primary election that must be fixed before November’s presidential election. For one, they are warning that there will be no way to produce timely election results in November unless the law changes. Even in Tuesday’s relatively low turnout primary election, election-night results might be unlikely in closely contested races. Of more immediate concern is the question of whether voters can mail their ballots back to county election offices in time to be counted in Tuesday’s primary election.

Violent protests rock Minneapolis for 2nd straight night
By DOUG GLASS Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Violent protests over the death of a black man in police custody rocked a Minneapolis neighborhood for a second straight night as angry crowds looted stores, set fires and left a path of damage that stretched for miles. The protests that began late Wednesday and stretched into Thursday were the most destructive yet since the death of George Floyd. He was seen on video gasping for breath during an arrest in which an officer kneeled on his neck for almost eight minutes. In the footage, George pleads that he cannot breathe before he slowly stops talking and moving.