Economists looked at the spending and saving habits of more than 1,600 people who received their stimulus check by April 21.
In the first three days after the stimulus-check receipt, spending increased between $50 to $75 apiece on expenditures like food and non-durable goods, a category that includes supplies like laundry detergent, pens, paper and other items with a shorter life span.
• During that same time, the purchase of durable goods increased by $20 in those first three days. This category includes cars, appliances, furniture and others things meant for longer use.
• On the whole, households spent around one quarter to one third of their stimulus check money within 10 days of receipt.
• If people had less than $500 in their account, they went through almost half of their money within 10 days. People with over $3,000 in their accounts had essentially no extra spending after getting their check.
• A person who made less than $1,000 a month was twice as likely to spend money after getting their check, compared to someone making at least $5,000, researchers noted. That fits a historical pattern from past stimulus programs, the study said.
CDC Issues Decision Tools To Guide Reopening : Coronavirus Live Updates : NPR
The flowchart-like documents released by the CDC ask businesses, schools and workplaces to first and foremost consider whether reopening is consistent with state and local stay-at-home orders.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a set of documents on Thursday designed to provide guidance on how child care centers, schools, restaurants and bars, and other establishments could begin the process of reopening in the face of the coronavirus. The direction comes after calls from lawmakers and state officials mounted for the CDC to weigh in on how regions should reopen their economies.
The “decision tools” the agency released recommend that all workplaces hold off on reopening unless they are ready to protect employees at higher risk for severe illness, including those 65 and older and people of all ages with underlying medical conditions.
If an organization can protect workers and goes forward with reopening, the CDC recommends intensifying cleaning and sanitation and establishing health and safety actions “as feasible,” such as hand-washing, wearing a cloth face covering and social distancing. The documents also advise employers to encourage workers to stay home if they feel sick.
Schools, child care centers and camps should not reopen, the guidelines stipulate, unless they are able to implement coronavirus screening protocols, evaluating employees and children daily for symptoms and potential past exposures to COVID-19.
Source: CDC Issues Decision Tools To Guide Reopening : Coronavirus Live Updates : NPR
The #1 Way You’re Spreading Germs at the Grocery Store
You might think you’re being super cautious while food shopping, but there is one thing you’re doing that is spreading germs in the grocery store.
And that’s touching the produce.
Yes, even with gloves on, you’re actually spreading a ton of germs.
How is touching produce the biggest way you’re spreading germs in the grocery store?
Think about it—produce is one of those items that you often feel a few before you settle on the perfect avocado or that cucumber that seems like it’ll taste the best. If you touch a few different fruits or vegetables before settle on the right one, those are germs you’re spreading to all those other items you just didn’t buy. Other customers come along and do the same thing, along with taking home an item you already touched, then the wave of germs just keeps spreading. Even if you’re wearing gloves, that doesn’t stop the spread of germs, and cross-contamination is a very real thing.
While you are shopping, there’s a chance that you might whip out your cell phone to perhaps look at the list you carefully curated to keep you on track so you don’t wander around the store as well. Sorry to break it to you, but studies have proven that your cell phone is a breeding ground for germs and the virus could be present on touchscreens. So if you happen to take out your phone and then touch all the produce—well, it’s safe to say you get the picture by now!
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Source: The #1 Way You’re Spreading Germs at the Grocery Store
Fire Destroys Restaurant In Monroeville – News, Sports, Weather, Traffic and the Best of Pittsburgh
The Overlook Lounge In Monroeville was destroyed by a massive fire on Saturday afternoon. KDKA’s Royce Jones has the story from the scene.
Source: Fire Destroys Restaurant In Monroeville – News, Sports, Weather, Traffic and the Best of Pittsburgh
Fire And Explosion In Downtown L.A. Leave 11 Firefighters Injured – Deadline
A massive fire broke out in downtown Los Angeles Saturday evening, touching off an explosion and leaving nearly a dozen firefighters injured.
“There was a significant explosion that caused a mayday report,” Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Erik Scott said in a briefing carried live on Twitter. “This was upgraded to a major emergency category.”
Several firefighters suffered injuries while trying to bring the raging flames under control.
“Tragically, we have 11 firefighters with burn injuries,” Scott said. Their exact conditions were not known.
The fire was initially reported at 327 East Boyd St. just before 6:30 p.m. It started in a single-story commercial building, and quickly spread to other nearby structures.
Source: Fire And Explosion In Downtown L.A. Leave 11 Firefighters Injured – Deadline
Secret Service unearths overseas fraud ring stealing millions in unemployment benefits
The Secret Service has detected a large-scale foreign attack on the U.S.
Source: Secret Service unearths overseas fraud ring stealing millions in
How to save money at the grocery store during the coronavirus pandemic
Consumers paid 2.6% more for groceries in April than in March. But that doesn’t mean that the prices on all groceries are going to skyrocket or that shoppers won’t be able to find deals to keep their grocery budget low.
Source: How to save money at the grocery store during the coronavirus pandemic
PennDOT set to start signal upgrades, light-timing changes in downtown Greensburg | TribLIVE.com
PennDOT crews will begin traffic light upgrades and measures to lessen congestion in downtown Greensburg beginning Monday.
The project comes on the heels of fresh paving work completed last summer on Pittsburgh and Otterman streets.
“Work on this project will be in accordance with Centers for Disease Control and state Department of Health guidance as well as a project-specific covid-19 safety plan,” PennDOT officials wrote in a news release.
The plan includes protocols for social distancing, face coverings, personal and job-site cleaning, access to the job site and other related training.
Source: PennDOT set to start signal upgrades, light-timing changes in downtown Greensburg | TribLIVE.com
Fred Willard, ‘Best in Show’ and ‘A Mighty Wind’ Actor, Dead at 86 – Rolling Stone
Fred Willard, the prolific and beloved comic actor and master of the mockumentary genre who stood out in ensemble comedies like Best in Show, For Your Consideration and This Is Spinal Tap, died Friday at the age of 86.
Willard’s rep Glenn Schwartz confirmed his death to Rolling Stone, adding that the cause of death was natural causes. Willard’s daughter Hope Mulbarger said in a statement, “My father passed away very peacefully last night at the fantastic age of 86 years old. He kept moving, working and making us happy until the very end. We loved him so very much! We will miss him forever.”
Jamie Lee Curtis, wife of Willard’s longtime director Christopher Guest, first shared news of the actor’s death.
“How lucky that we all got to enjoy Fred Willard’s gifts,” Curtis tweeted. “He is with his missed Mary now. Thanks for the deep belly laughs Mr. Willard.” Willard’s wife of 40 years, Mary, died in 2018.
Fred Willard, the comic actor who stood out in mockumentaries like ‘Best in Show’ and ‘This Is Spinal Tap,’ has died at the age of 86.
Source: Fred Willard, ‘Best in Show’ and ‘A Mighty Wind’ Actor, Dead at 86 – Rolling Stone
Italy to open borders after three months of severe coronavirus lockdown | Fox News
Italy takes a bold step towards trying to revive its economy.
Italy will reopen its borders next month after months of lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, the government announced.
Both international and regional borders will open June 3 in an attempt to revive Italy’s tourism industry. The summer season is about to start, and tourism accounts for 13 percent of the country’s GDP.
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“We hope to work with the neighboring countries, those who can travel by car,” said Gianni Serandrei, owner of the 4-star Hotel Saturnia near St. Mark’s Square in Venice.
The hotel’s last guests — determined honeymooners from Argentina — checked out around March 11, two days after Italy started its national lockdown, including border closures.
Italy’s national hotel federation said that by April the sector had already shed 106,000 jobs, with occupancy dropping by 99 percent for foreigners and 96 percent for Italians. Another half-million jobs are at risk if the summer season isn’t successful, according to the association.
Source: Italy to open borders after three months of severe coronavirus lockdown | Fox News
Trump fires Steve Linick, Obama appointee who briefed Congress on Biden-Ukraine ties | Fox News
President Trump on Friday night fired the State Department’s inspector general, saying in a letter to Congress that he no longer had confidence in the Obama administration appointee.
Source: Trump fires Steve Linick, Obama appointee who briefed Congress on Biden-Ukraine ties | Fox News
Pittsburgh Popcorn Company Opens Mt. Lebanon Store – CBS Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh Popcorn Company opened a ninth location in Mt. Lebanon.
MT. LEBANON (KDKA) — Pittsburgh Popcorn Company has not allowed the coronavirus to stop its business.
The company opened a ninth location in the small suburb near the Pittsburgh area.The business also has locations in the Strip District, the Cultural District, Oakland, Ross Park Mall, Monroeville, Robinson Township, Bethel Park and Greensburg.
Source: Pittsburgh Popcorn Company Opens Mt. Lebanon Store – CBS Pittsburgh
One critically wounded in shooting on Pittsburgh’s North Side | TribLIVE.com
A male victim was in critical condition following a shooting early Saturday on Pittsburgh’s North Side, according to city police.
The victim was found with multiple gunshot wounds after police responded to a ShotSpotter notification around 1:40 a.m. in the 300 block of West Burgess Street in Perry South.
Medics took him to a local hospital.
Violent Crime Unit detectives are investigating.
Date: May 16, 2020
Incident Type: Shooting
Location: Zone 1
Summary:
Pittsburgh Bureau of Police officers responded to a ShotSpotter notification on the 300 block of W Burgess Street around 1:40 a.m.
Zone 1 officers found a male with multiple gunshot wounds. Medics transported the male to a local hospital in critical condition.
Violent Crime Unit detectives are investigating.
Source: One critically wounded in shooting on Pittsburgh’s North Side | TribLIVE.com
JC Penney, century-old mainstay of US malls, declares bankruptcy amid pandemic | Business | The Guardian
F.D.A. Halts Coronavirus Testing Program Backed by Bill Gates – The New York Times
The program allows people in the Seattle area to easily take a coronavirus test at home. Researchers say such testing is essential for future monitoring of the virus.
SEATTLE — An innovative coronavirus testing program in the Seattle area — promoted by the billionaire Bill Gates and local public health officials as a way of conducting wider surveillance on the invisible spread of the virus — has been ordered by the federal government to stop its work pending additional reviews.
The program involved sending home test kits to both healthy and sick people in the hope of conducting the kind of widespread monitoring that could help communities safely reopen from lockdowns. Researchers and public health authorities already had tested thousands of samples, finding dozens of previously undetected cases.
But the program, a partnership between research groups and the Seattle and King County public health department that had been operating under authorization from the state, was notified this week that it now needs approval directly from the federal government. Officials with the Food and Drug Administration told the partnership to cease its testing and reporting until the agency grants further approval.“Please discontinue patient testing and return of diagnostic results to patients until proper authorization is obtained,” the F.D.A. wrote in a memo.
Source: F.D.A. Halts Coronavirus Testing Program Backed by Bill Gates – The New York Times
Westmoreland County sheriff swears in doctor, pastor as special deputies | TribLIVE.com
At the outset of the coronavirus pandemic, Westmoreland County Sheriff James Albert said seven of his deputies came into contact with someone who may have had covid-19 and the department was desperate for information on the availability of tests and other support.
“We reached out, but couldn’t get answers initially, so all the deputies had to be quarantined. Fortunately, no one has caught it and they’ve returned to work,” Albert said.
Over the course the last month, those questions arose again with 10 more cases of deputies possibly being exposed.
Finally, Albert said his chief deputy Roger Eckels reached out to a longtime, Dr. A. Timothy Saloom of Mt. Pleasant Township. Saloom is medical director of Integrated Acute Care Services at Somerset Hospital and volunteer director of the Fayette County Tactical Medical Team.
Source: Westmoreland County sheriff swears in doctor, pastor as special deputies | TribLIVE.com
US job losses have reached Great Depression levels. Did it have to be that way? | World news | The Guardian
The US and Europe have taken different approaches to tackling pandemic-induced unemployment but which is best long term?
In two, terrible, months the coronavirus pandemic has driven unemployment in the US to levels unseen since the 1930s Great Depression. Did it have to be this way?
Covid-19 has cost more than 33 million Americans their jobs in the last seven weeks – 10% of the entire US population. The official unemployment rate had shot up from 4.4% to 14.7% on Friday – a figure that probably wildly underestimates the true scale of job losses.
Across the Atlantic in Europe unemployment rates, while rising sharply, have yet to match the devastating rises experienced in the US. The UK is facing 9%-plus unemployment. In Germany the International Monetary Fund is predicting an unemployment rate of just 3.9% for 2020, up from 3.2% last year.
Amber Alert issued for alleged abduction of 2 boys in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania
South Lebanon Township police are searching for two boys, ages 6 and 11, who are believed to be abducted, according to an Amber Alert issued by Pennsylvania State Police.
Source: Amber Alert issued for alleged abduction of 2 boys in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania
House passes $3 trillion coronavirus aid package, historic rules change to allow remote voting
Democrats have argued that the sweeping aid package, which allocates funding for state and local governments, coronavirus testing and a new round of direct payments to Americans, is urgently needed to address the unfolding crisis.
Source: House passes $3 trillion coronavirus aid package, historic rules change to allow remote voting
$2.5 million Route 30 improvement project near Westmoreland Mall set to begin | TribLIVE.com
A busy, four-mile section of Route 30 in Hempfield will become even more congested Monday night when a $2.5 million improvement project along the highway begins, PennDOT District 12 has announced.
Allison Park Contractors of Gibsonia will begin work 8 p.m. Monday on bridge and guiderail improvements on the highway section between Toll Gate Hill Road, near the Gabe’s store, east to Westmoreland Mall. Work will occur at night between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. and is scheduled to be completed in late August, according to PennDOT spokesperson Valerie Petersen.
Motorists will encounter roadway width restrictions during the work.
Work will include the removal and replacement of guiderails and minor bridge improvements on three bridges that cross over Route 30 at routes 136, 130 and 3103 near Jack’s Run.
Source: $2.5 million Route 30 improvement project near Westmoreland Mall set to begin | TribLIVE.com
House Democrats near passage of $3 trillion coronavirus relief bill despite Trump’s veto threat – The Washington Post
Rob Manfred details MLB testing plans in bid to return to play amid pandemi…
Military faces another potential coronavirus toll: Budget cuts
House Democrats near passage of $3 trillion coronavirus relief bill despite Trump’s veto threat
Speaker Pelosi brings bill to vote despite divisions in her own caucus; no sign of bipartisan negotiations
The sweeping legislation, dubbed the “Heroes Act,” also faces opposition within the House Democratic caucus, with some moderate lawmakers objecting to voting on a bill that they all know will not become law. Some liberals, meanwhile, have complained that the package does not go far enough to aid the public in the midst of an unprecedented economic meltdown.
More transparency needed from Gov. Wolf as some Pennsylvanians protest pandemic shutdown | Editorial
Pennsylvanians need to know the underlying criteria for when they can start partaking in aspects of life and commerce that have been shut down.
Source: More transparency needed from Gov. Wolf as some Pennsylvanians protest pandemic shutdown | Editorial
City Announces Changes to Summer Activities During COVID-19 Pandemic
PITTSBURGH, PA (May 15, 2020) As the City of Pittsburgh enters a phased reopening today under the guidance of Governor Tom Wolf, the City is announcing how summertime activities will be impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
While many activities will be allowed, others will be canceled or postponed. All decisions follow federal and state guidelines.
“Pittsburgh residents have done a great job during these trying times staying safe and looking out for each other. The data shows the battle against this pandemic is far from over, however, and we must keep social distancing and other measures in place to win this fight, even when we’re enjoying the outdoors,” Mayor William Peduto said.
The following is a list of permitted and non-permitted activities, with Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines attached when relevant.
Activities that can comply safely with social distancing guidelines will be allowed. They include:
- Drive-in movies (by the Special Events office)
- Farmers Markets
- Pickup of bulk trash
- Road closures in City parks (more information below)
- Tennis courts (singles matches encouraged)
- Pickle ball courts (singles matches encouraged)
- Skate parks
- Fields (but not for organized group sports)
- Frisbee Golf
- Lawn Bowling
- Expanded summer food program (likely to begin June 15)
Source: Welcome to the City of Pittsburgh – City Press Releases
Pittsburgh Diocese aims to resume public Mass on June 1
Will begin authorizing smaller gatherings for weddings, funerals, baptisms on Friday
Source: Pittsburgh Diocese aims to resume public Mass on June 1
6.4 magnitude earthquake hits western Nevada; shaking reportedly felt in California
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake was reported Friday morning in Nevada, near Tonopah, with some reporting they felt shaking in California.
Source: 6.4 magnitude earthquake hits western Nevada; shaking reportedly felt in California
Ellwood City hospital set to be sold
ELLWOOD CITY — The closed Ellwood City Medical Center is officially on the bidding block.The U.S. Bankruptcy Court Eastern Kentucky District this week granted a petition from trustee Carol Fox to sell all the assets of Americore Holdings LLC in Ellwood City this summer to repay debtors.Fox will begin receiving competitive bids for the former Ellwood City Hospital after filing the official sales motion with the court around June 1.
Police: 3 Teenagers Apprehended After Trying To Rob East Liberty Walgreens
Source: Police: 3 Teenagers Apprehended After Trying To Rob East Liberty Walgreens
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Three teenagers were apprehended after a Walgreens employee was assaulted, police say.
Just before 9 p.m. on Thursday, police responded to an attempted robbery call at the Walgreens at 5956 Centre Avenue.
Police say two others are wanted for questioning in the robbery attempt.
Mayor Bill Peduto Says Big Changes Coming Slowly To Pittsburgh As Allegheny County Enters ‘Yellow’ Phase
Peduto says that the city is still putting together guidelines on what Code Yellow means for us.
He predicts a lot more people on the streets and in parks — and in the not too distant future, we’ll see outdoor dining and shopping.
Most people have had enough of staying home. As of tomorrow, things are finally going too loosen up.
“You’ll see more people out. You’ll see more people in parks, public spaces. You’ll see more people as business become open,” said Peduto
White House would likely support a new round of stimulus checks, sources say
The White House would likely support a new round of stimulus checks, sources told CNBC on Thursday.
Source: White House would likely support a new round of stimulus checks, sources say
Beaver County moving into ‘yellow’ phase of reopening May 22, state rep says
Beaver County will move into the yellow phase of Gov. Tom Wolf’s reopening plan next Friday, according to a state lawmaker whose district includes Beaver County.
Source: Beaver County moving into ‘yellow’ phase of reopening May 22, state rep says