ROME (AP) — The death toll in Italy has overtaken China’s, a stark illustration of how the coronavirus pandemic has pivoted toward Europe and the United States. Italy now has 3,405 registered deaths, roughly 150 more than China _ a country with a population more than 20 times larger. The milestone came the same day that the Chinese city where the virus first emerged recorded no new infections, a sign that China’s draconian lockdowns were a powerful method to stop the virus’ spread. A visiting Chinese Red Cross team has criticized Italians’ failure to properly quarantine themselves, and and take the national lockdown seriously.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The first federal checks to families could be $3,000 for a family of four under the White House proposal to unleash $1 trillion for the coronavirus outbreak. That’s according to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. He said Thursday the checks would be direct deposited into people’s accounts. The payments would be $1,000 per adult and $500 per child, Mnuchin told Fox Business Network. Congress is racing to complete the Trump administration’s $1 trillion plan to stabilize a national economy. Late Wednesday, Trump signed into law a $100 billion-plus bill to boost testing for the virus and guarantee paid sick leave for millions of workers hit by it.

Pennsylvania gas prices plunge as oil prices drop below $30.00. Beaver County Radio’s Diane Brosius has more…

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Several more Beaver County school districts have announced their free lunch distribution plans for students during the coronavirus outbreak. Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano has details. Click on ‘play’ to hear Sandy’s report…

The State Attorney General’s office is dismissing charges against a former Aliquippa Assistant Police Chief. Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano has details. Click on ‘play’ to hear Sandy’s report…

The Freedom Area School District is offering free meals to students during the health crisis. Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano has more…

Members of the Riverdale Presbyterian Church in Moon Township are opening a community food pantry today. The church’s Give-and-Take Pantry will have open access to shelves seven days a week and 24 hours a day. Those shelves will be located under a portico near their parking lot. They are accepting donations of non-perishable food items and paper supplies sealed in their original packaging.

An Enon Valley man faces charges of theft from his employer. State Police said 42 year old Albert Farinelli allegedly wrote checks to himself over a seventh month period from Keister Kustom Kabinetry in Wampum totaling around 56 hundred dollars. Police said the investigation is ongoing.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s prisons are working to set up video conferences between inmates and family members now that visits have been suspended in an effort to keep the coronavirus out of the institutions. Corrections Secretary John Wetzel said the service should be available soon to family members in their homes. It had been available previously between prisons, if, say, a family member went to a prison to connect with a relative incarcerated somewhere farther away in a Pennsylvania state prison. But now, families will be able to sign up for 45-minute time slots and use devices in their homes to video chat.

State leaders are walking back a plan to close all rest stops along Pennsylvania highways. Following a plea from the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, PennDOT officials decided to reopen 13 of the state’s 30 rest areas for truck drivers carrying cargo through the commonwealth. Each of the locations will have its parking lots open at night to allow drivers to get some sleep. Indoor facilities will remain closed and a bank of five portable toilets will be positioned there, with each cleaned daily.