At least 7 dead as storms hit Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana
MADILL, Okla. (AP) — Severe weather is blowing across the South after apparent tornadoes tore through parts of Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana. At least seven people have been killed, including a factory worker whose body was found a quarter mile from where an apparent tornado struck the factory in southern Oklahoma. A Louisiana man was swept away in flood waters after going out to grab a trash can, and a woman was killed on a bridge. Three more died when apparent tornado touched down near Onalaska, Texas. More than 150,000 customers are without power.
Matzie: More than $51,000 in funding to equip students for remote learning during pandemic
AMBRIDGE, April 23 – State grants totaling $51,200 will help put computers and other remote-learning tools into the hands of students who are unable to afford them, state Rep. Rob Matzie, D-Beaver/Allegheny, announced today.
Matzie said the Continuity of Education and Equity grants – including $46,200 to the Aliquippa School District and $5,000 for the Rochester Area School District – are vital to ensure remote learning continues for students in these districts.
“Online lessons are an excellent way to keep our students learning during the pandemic, but they’re only effective if kids have the equipment they need to access them,” Matzie said. “The whole point of public education is to put kids on an even playing field and give them a chance to succeed, regardless of their household income.
“Securing this funding is going to help make that happen by ensuring that access to education isn’t a matter of whose family can afford a laptop or tablet.”
The CEEG grants are administered by the Department of Education and designed to help provide access and inclusion for all learners by bridging the gap for students who are currently limited in their ability to participate in continuity of education.The grants may be used to purchase computer equipment, such as laptops, tablets and internet hot spots, or used to provide instructional materials, such as paper lessons and coursework.
Schools with the highest percentages of students lacking access to resources were given priority in receiving these grants.
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Pennsylvania slashes COVID-19 death toll by 201
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The Pennsylvania Department of Health has slashed the state’s COVID-19 death toll by 201, saying probable deaths it had previously included in the count require more investigation. The death toll stood at 1,421 on Thursday, down from 1,622 reported a day earlier. The number of deaths confirmed by a positive virus test actually rose overnight by 69. But Health Secretary Rachel Levine says hundreds of probable deaths need further investigation and have been removed from the official toll. A probable death is one in which a coroner lists COVID-19 as the cause or contributing cause, but the deceased was not tested for the virus.
Locally in Beaver County we have increased by 2 positive cases to 319 of the COVID-19. 1667 people have tested negative, and the county is down one death to a total of 46.
In the Nursing Homes in the County 3 are reporting that they have had a positive cases during the Pandemic. Today there was an increase of 2 cases to 193 and still only 11 employee cases. There has also been an additional 1 death bringing the total up to 39 of the 46 deaths in the county.
New House panel poised to track aid dollars, virus response
By MARY CLARE JALONICK and MATTHEW DALY Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional oversight of the coronavirus rescue effort is quickly expanding. The House is voting Thursday to create a new subcommittee to track more than $2 trillion in coronavirus aid, adding another layer of oversight as President Donald Trump’s administration spends the money. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the new House Oversight and Reform subcommittee is necessary to root out fraud and abuse. The new panel will also examine the government’s response to the virus. Republicans opposed the creation of the committee, saying it duplicates other work and will be politicized by Democrats.
Though the matters of the county have become fewer in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the county commissioners still took some time to acknowledge those who have fought and those who have fallen during this time.
At the start of the meeting, Commissioner Chairman Dan Camp asked for a moment of silence in memoriam of Aliquippa police chief Robert Sealock, Ambridge police chief Mark Romutis, and Beaver County Agriculture & Land Preservation Chairperson Joe Petrella.
Then after the trio passed 9 resolutions unanimously, Commissioner Jack Manning closed the meeting by thanking those who are working on the front lines in Beaver County:
The next public meeting is scheduled for May 14, 2020.
Biden’s ties to Obama could hamper appeal to Latino voters
By WILL WEISSERT Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden’s tenure as Barack Obama’s vice president is complicating his efforts to deepen ties with Latinos who could be critical to winning the White House. For many Latinos, Biden’s embrace of the Obama years is a frightening reminder of when the former president ejected about 3 million people living in the U.S. illegally. That’s one reason Latinos overwhelmingly backed Bernie Sanders during the Democratic primary. But with Sanders out of the race, Latinos face an agonizing choice. They could look past Biden’s resume and vote for him or sit out the election and risk another four years of President Donald Trump.
VA medical facilities struggle to cope with the coronavirus
By MICHAEL CASEY and HOPE YEN Associated Press
BOSTON (AP) — The Department of Veterans Affairs is struggling with shortages of workers at its health care facilities as it cares for veterans infected with the coronavirus. The agency responsible for the health care of 9 million veterans also is facing shortages of the equipment necessary to protect employees from contracting the virus. That’s according to VA staff and internal documents obtained by The Associated Press. The documents show about 1,900 VA health care workers have become sick with the coronavirus, and 20 have died. Another 3,600 health care workers are quarantined and unable to work because they have been exposed. The VA says it follows federal health guidelines when rationing personal protective equipment.
26 million have sought US jobless aid since virus hit
By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 4.4 million laid-off workers applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week as job cuts escalated across an economy that remains all but shut down, the government said Thursday. Roughly 26 million people have now filed for jobless aid in the five weeks since the coronavirus outbreak began forcing millions of employers to close their doors. About one in six American workers have now lost their jobs since mid-March, by far the worst string of layoffs on record. Economists have forecast that the unemployment rate for April could go as high as 20%.
White House shifts from raising alarms to reopening country
By ZEKE MILLER Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is shifting its message about the novel coronavirus. For weeks federal officials have raised alarms about the dangers of exposure to the virus in their effort to persuade Americans to stay at home. President Donald Trump is now aiming for a swift nationwide reopening and with that comes the challenge of convincing people it will be safe to resume their normal lives. At the White House, officials believe they’ve entered a new chapter of the pandemic response, moving from crisis mode to sustained mitigation and management. For Trump, his reelection likely rides on the pace of an economic rebound.
Another surge in US unemployment applications is likely
By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government is set Thursday to issue another gloomy report on the layoffs that have swept through America’s workforce since the coronavirus outbreak forced businesses to shut down beginning last month. The Labor Department will likely report that several million more people filed for unemployment benefits last week, after nearly 22 million applied for aid in the previous four weeks. It represents by far the largest streak of U.S. job losses on record. Throughout the economy, nonessential businesses have closed, although some governors have begun easing restrictions despite warnings from health authorities that it may be too soon to do so without sparking new infections.
