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COVID-19

Virus, violence and turmoil — Chicago community struggles with chaotic year

CHICAGO — In harrowing moments, in the sobs of grieving mourners and the incessant wail of sirens, the crises of 2020 have played out painfully within a single Chicago community: Patricia Frieson posted a hopeful Facebook message in late February when a mysterious new disease invaded her neighborhood: “May the world recover from coronavirus soon. May all be well and happy.” Less than three weeks later, she was gone. Ron Cashaw is a shopkeeper who has devoted 17 years to building his business. A community mainstay, he plays Santa every year. Alerted one horrible weekend that ...

President Trump, First Lady test positive for coronavirus

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said early Friday that he and first lady Melania Trump have tested positive for the coronavirus, a stunning announcement that plunges the country deeper into uncertainty just a month before the presidential election. Trump, who has spent much of the year downplaying the threat of a virus that has killed more than 205,000 Americans, said he and Mrs. Trump were quarantining. The White House physician said the president is expected to continue carrying out his duties “without disruption” while recovering. Still, Trump’s diagnosis was sure ...

Court: Wolf can limit crowd size

Pennsylvania can restore pandemic restrictions on indoor and outdoor gatherings, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday, putting on hold a judge’s ruling that threw out statewide limits on crowd size and other measures meant to limit the spread of the coronavirus. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling means the administration of Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, may once again enforce size limits on gatherings while it appeals the lower court ruling, including on the number of spectators permitted at school sporting events. The state immediately reimposed its gathering limit of ...

Committee calls for special group

The Republican-majority House State Government Committee is calling for creation of a “Select Committee on Election Integrity,” triggering an outcry from Democrats and Gov. Tom Wolf, who called the move a “partisan attack.” Given a recent ruling by the state Supreme Court favorable to Democrats, the creation of the committee is “an integral measure that ensures the Legislature can continue to exercise its constitutional prerogative and act as a check on this hijacked process” — for both the upcoming and future elections, stated Republican House Majority Leader Kerry ...

Levine: Virus symptoms can linger

A formula-derived statistic published by the state Department of Health every day for months has indicated that about 80% of those who’ve tested positive for COVID-19 in Pennsylvania have “recovered.” That means they’re no longer contagious, said state Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine in a news conference Wednesday. But it doesn’t mean that all of them are well: many — those known as long-haulers — remain freighted with symptoms, according to Levine. “True recovery can be a long process,” and hundreds of thousands of people who’ve been infected in the U.S. are ...

AASD: Student tests positive for COVID-19

The Altoona Area School District has reported a confirmed COVID-19 case at Penn-Lincoln Elementary School. According to a district release, a parent of a student at the elementary school notified the district of the positive test Tuesday. The district contacted the state Department of Health, as is protocol. Paula Foreman, AASD community relations director, said that parents of students in that class were contacted by phone Tuesday evening. The release said the student’s classmates remained home Wednesday and the classroom and common areas of the building were sanitized and ...