As businesses contemplate the return of workers to their desks, many are considering large and small changes to the modern workplace culture and trappings.
SAN FRANCISCO — The modern corporate office is renowned for open, collaborative work spaces, in-house coffee bars and standing desks with room for two giant computer monitors.
Soon, there may be a new must-have perk: the sneeze guard.
A plexiglass barrier that can be mounted on a desk is one of many ideas being mulled by employers as they contemplate a return to the workplace after coronavirus lockdowns. Their post-pandemic makeovers may include hand sanitizers built into desks that are positioned at 90-degree angles or that are enclosed by translucent plastic partitions; air filters that push air down and not up; outdoor gathering space to allow collaboration without viral transmission; and windows that actually open, for freer air flow.
Don Shula was arguably the greatest coach in the 100-year history of the National Football League as measured by his record 347 victories. He won two Super Bowls with the Dolphins, including a perfect season.
Two words, simply scrawled on a blackboard in the corner of a locker room. Amid all the celebrating and champagne and cameras, the message easily could have gone unnoticed, or faded from memory, if not so perfect.
BEST EVER.
An equipment man had written that in honor of the 1973 Miami Dolphins, who had just won their second consecutive Super Bowl. And although a wide smile managed to pierce the stern jaw of Don Shula when he saw it while walking out to pick up the trophy, years would pass before anyone, Shula included, could fully appreciate them.
BEST EVER. That’s Donald Francis Shula, who died Monday at age 90.
Shula was the greatest coach in the 100-year history of the National Football League as measured by his record 347 victories, that beacon of a bottom line he so treasured.
How strange that this morning, his legacy shines even brighter through the prism of the greatest loss that could ever be associated with him — the loss of the man himself.
Gone is an icon, a man who could stand alongside Henry Flagler for the sculpting of a Mount Rushmore for Florida. It’s not simply because he won some football games, or even all of them in that glorious 17-0 season of 1972.
It’s the manner in which he did so: stressing a work ethic, respect and integrity in a way that grabbed Larry Csonka and Dan Marino by the collar just as surely as it did the brick layer in Hialeah and the landscaper in Lantana.
Don Shula made us feel better about calling ourselves South Floridians.
The man U.S. President Donald Trump just named to speak for the Health Department accused George Soros and the Rothschild family of seeking to exploit the pandemic for control and to advance their agendas.
Michael Caputo, who advised Trump’s 2016 campaign, last week became the spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services, reportedly in part because of Trump’s dissatisfaction with how the department secretary, Alex Azar, was handling communications during the crisis.
Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, has extended the country’s state emergency until the end of the month, amid warnings that relaxing physical distancing advice too soon could flood already crowded hospitals with coronavirus patients.
Abe declared a month-long state of emergency in Tokyo and six other prefectures on 7 April, enabling local governors to request that people avoid unnecessary trips outside and that non-essential businesses close.
Though the coronavirus remains a serious threat in Washington, D.C., U.S. senators return to the Capitol from their home states on Monday, more than five weeks after their last formal gathering and roll call votes.
“All across our nation, American workers in essential sectors are following expert advice and taking new precautions while they continue reporting for duty and performing irreplaceable work their country needs,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement Friday. “Starting Monday, the Senate will do the same.”
That means up to 100 senators — along with their staffs, support workers, visitors and others — will return to the Capitol building, with some new health guidelines.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) on Sunday claimed that President Donald Trump’s travel restrictions on China did not do enough to prevent people from traveling to the United States.
CNN anchor Jake Tapper asked Pelosi if she believed travel restrictions on China were appropriate, noting Joe Biden’s recent endorsement of the ban.
Pelosi did not say whether she supported the restrictions but claimed the ban wasn’t a “great moment” because it still allowed some people to travel from China to the United States.
“If you’re going to shut the door because you have an evaluation of an epidemic, then shut the door,” Pelosi said during an interview on CNN’s State of the Union.
“Actually, tens of thousands of people were still allowed in from China,” she said. “So it wasn’t, as it is described, as this great moment. There were Americans coming back or green card holders coming back. But there were tens of thousands.”
Weeks following the travel ban, Pelosi encouraged San Francisco residents to join her and visit the city’s Chinatown.
“We think it’s very safe to be in Chinatown and hope that others will come,” Pelosi said at the time.
Approximately two weeks later, San Francisco recommended social distancing guidelines. California would become the first state to implement a statewide stay-at-home order on March 19.
The day the China travel ban was announced, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden criticized the president’s “record of hysteria and xenophobia.” Biden’s campaign has since stated that the former vice president was not referencing the travel restrictions on China.
The Trump administration implemented the China travel ban on Jan. 31 to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus from China, the virus’s place of origin. The policy restricted foreign nationals from traveling from China to the United States
The Mesa City Police Department’s homicide division is investigating the death of Gary Lenius, the Arizona man whose wife served him soda mixed with fish tank cleaner in what she claimed was a bid to fend off the coronavirus. A detective handling the case confirmed the investigation to the Washington Free Beacon on Tuesday after requesting a recording of the Free Beacon’s interviews with Lenius’s wife, Wanda.
Gary Lenius, 68, died on March 22. Wanda, 61, told several news outlets last month that both she and her husband had ingested a substance used to clean aquariums after hearing President Donald Trump tout one of its ingredients, chloroquine phosphate, from the White House briefing room.
Detective Teresa Van Galder, the homicide detective handling the case for the Mesa City Police Department, confirmed that the investigation is ongoing but declined to provide additional details.
“As this is an active investigation, I cannot go into any details at this time regarding the case,” Van Galder said. The Free Beacon provided a recording of its interview last month with Wanda Lenius.
News of the police probe comes after a series of Free Beacon stories raised questions about the portrayal of the couple in the initial NBC News report that vaulted the story onto the national stage.
Though that report and others suggested the couple mindlessly followed the president’s medical advice to disastrous results, friends of Gary Lenius told the Free Beacon they were skeptical he would knowingly ingest fish tank treatment.
Rather, they described Lenius as a levelheaded retired engineer and recounted a troubled marital relationship that included a previous domestic assault charge against his wife, of which she was ultimately found not guilty. The Free Beacon also reported that Wanda Lenius was a Democratic donor whose most recent contribution went to a “pro-science” super PAC.
“What bothers me about this is that Gary was a very intelligent man, a retired [mechanical] engineer who designed systems for John Deere in Waterloo, Iowa, and I really can’t see the scenario where Gary would say, ‘Yes, please, I would love to drink some of that Koi fish tank cleaner,'” one of his close friends told the Free Beacon. “It just doesn’t make any sense.”
Another source, who asked that all identifying information be withheld, told the Free Beacon earlier this month that Wanda Lenius “would constantly berate Gary in public.… Everyone was embarrassed for him, but he outwardly did not seem to care much.”
“In our opinion, their marriage was seen outwardly to be as one-sided as a marriage possibly could be: Gary worshiped Wanda,” this person said, adding that his wife “would routinely call him a doofus” and humiliate him in public.
Wanda Lenius was charged with domestic abuse assault in 2001 after she allegedly hit her husband and swung a mounted birdhouse at him. Gary Lenius declined to cooperate in the case, testifying that he was not injured or placed in fear of injury. His wife was exonerated.
Skywatchers can expect an exciting month of cosmic phenomena, starting with a meteor shower to mark a beautiful start to Cinco de Mayo. The Eta Aquarids meteor shower is expected to peak in the early hours of Tuesday, May 5.
With most people stuck inside, isolating due to the coronavirus pandemic, May’s celestial events present a much-needed opportunity to connect with nature.
What are the Eta Aquarids?
The Eta Aquarids meteor shower peaks each year during early May as Earth passes through the debris trail from Halley’s Comet (1P/Halley). The Orionids meteor shower in October also originates from this comet.
Russia reported a record number of new coronavirus cases for the fourth consecutive day Sunday, as the virus rapidly spreads in the country, which is fast becoming one of the global epicenters of COVID-19.
There were 10,633 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed on Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, some 1,000 more than were reported on Saturday, according to Worldometers data.
A total of 134,687 people have now contracted the coronavirus in Russia, making it the seventh most-infected country on the planet.
While in the early stages of the virus Russia was relatively unscathed, the number of cases is now increasing rapidly.
“The peak is not behind us, we are about to face a new and grueling phase of the pandemic,” President Vladimir Putin warned, according to CNN.
A city in Oklahoma that had required everyone to wear a face mask when going inside a business has decided to change that rule after store employees were threatened with violence by people who refused to cover their nose and mouth. “In the short time beginning on May 1, 2020, that face coverings have been required for entry into stores/restaurants, store employees have been threatened with physical violence and showered with verbal abuse,” Stillwater City Manager Norman McNickle said in a statement. One of those involved a threat using a firearm despite “clear medical evidence that face coverings helps contain the spread of COVID-19.”
The emergency measure that had been implemented Thursday called on businesses to require any customers to wear face masks in order to go inside. But for many that seemed to amount to an unacceptable violation of their rights. “Many of those with objections cite the mistaken belief the requirement is unconstitutional, and under their theory, one cannot be forced to wear a mask. No law or court supports this view,” McNickle said in a statement. “It is further distressing that these people, while exercising their believed rights, put others at risk.”
China’s Communist dictatorship mismanaged the outbreak of the coronavirus and tried to cover it up, lying to the United States and the rest of the world.
Indeed, the Chinese government is largely responsible for a local outbreak in the city of Wuhan becoming the global pandemic that has killed tens of thousands of Americans and puts tens of millions more out of work.
But we still don’t know the exact origins of the virus. Did it come from a Chinese wet market or a laboratory? We also need to figure out what responsibility China should bear for the devastation the pandemic has caused and how to hold Beijing accountable.
Gilead’s antiviral drug — remdesivir— has shown success in helping coronavirus patients recover faster.
“We intend to get [remdesivir] to patients in the early part of this next week, beginning to work with the government which will determine which cities are most vulnerable and where the patients are that need this medicine,” Gilead Sciences chairman and CEO Daniel O’Day told CBS’ “Face of the Nation.”
Gilead Sciences donated its entire supply of the drug to the U.S. government.
Giant Eagle announced Friday that it will convert its Parkway Center Mall location near Green Tree into a curbside pickup center, allowing the grocery giant to increase pickup and delivery orders its employees fill.
“As we’ve been piloting creative solutions to increase our curbside pickup and delivery capacity, we have been very pleased with the results of our recent supermarket-to-pickup-center conversions in our other markets,” said Giant Eagle spokeswoman Jannah Jablonowski.
The Parkway Center location will close at 9 a.m. May 1 and shift to a curbside pickup-and-delivery operation May 3.
All payments will be processed online, according to Giant Eagle. Orders can be placed through the Giant Eagle app as well as its new ordering website, Shop.GiantEagle.com.
The in-store and walk-up pharmacies will remain open.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s multistate investigation into sexual abuse among separatist Amish and Mennonite communities, reported in the “Coverings” series last year, has been awarded the G. Richard Dew Award in the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association’s 2020 Keystone Media Awards contest.
The series started with a single email query to Post-Gazette religion editor Peter Smith asking the newspaper to look into the issue. Over the next six months, Mr. Smith, former Post-Gazette public safety reporter Shelly Bradbury and photographer Stephanie Strasburg did the research, met victims and reported on dozens of cases of childhood sexual abuse and criminal cover-up.
The Dew award is given to an individual or organization that has made an outstanding contribution to the community through articles that demonstrate improvement in the quality of community life, enhancement of public understanding of the role of the news media and journalistic responsiveness to matters of public interest.
PITTSBURGH — A man crashed his vehicle into a Pittsburgh auto body shop and then jumped about 30 feet off a nearby bridge Saturday afternoon, according to police.
Investigators said the incident happened around 2 p.m. The driver’s vehicle was seen going at a high rate of speed before it crashed completely through the outside of Ron Flora Automotive on West Warrington Avenue.
Deadly hornets from Asia that measure up to 2 inches long have been found for the first time in the U.S., with researchers worried that the insects are colonizing, according to reports.
Governor Gavin Newsom decided to close Orange County beaches after 80,000 people flocked to them during a heatwave last weekend.Thousands of protesters have flocked to Huntington Beach to protest coronavirus lockdowns in the days following a mandatory closure of Orange County beaches. Angered by the forced closures, the protesters ignored social distancing guidelines and demanded the beaches be reopened.
North Korea fired gunshots at the wall of a South Korean guard post in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), a buffer area which separates the two countries, on Sunday,
The South Korean military responded by broadcasting a verbal warning and returning fire twice, according to protocol outlined in the response manual and on the judgment of the field commander, according to the JCS statement.
The South Korean military said that “the military is in the process of identifying situations over the military communication line with the North and preventing any additional situations from occurring.”
Under the military accord signed between the two Koreas on September 29, 2018, the South and North each demolished 11 guard posts along the DMZ, but dozens of guard posts remain.
There have been exchanges of fire between the Koreas in the past, including in 2017, when a North Korean solider defected at the JSA (Joint Security Area) and, in 2014, when a North Korean defector organization launched balloons of leaflets criticizing the country’s reclusive regime.
It is not known what caused this exchange of fire.
After all restaurants and bars were ordered to close dining rooms to help stop the spread of COVID-19, Pittsburgh eateries have started to expand take-out services
52nd St. Market 601 52nd St., Lawrenceville The Lawrenceville market will remain open.
Alta Via 46 Fox Chapel Road, Fox Chapel altaviapgh.com Takeout is available.
A’Pizza Badamo 1106 Federal St., North Side; 656 Washington Road, Mt. Lebanon apizzabadamo.com A’Pizza Badamo is open for takeout and delivery only.
Arnold’s Tea 502 E. Ohio St., North Side arnoldsteapittsburgh.com Take out and delivery are available.
Back to the Foodture 378 Broadway Blvd., Pitcarin Back to the Foodture is offering takeout. Check out their wing happy hour!
Bae Bae’s Kitchen 951 Liberty Ave., Downtown baebaes.kitchen Bae Bae’s is moving to takeout through phone, GrubHub, and Uber Eats.
Bar Botanico 4325 Butler St., Lawrenceville barbotanico.com Takeout is available.
Bar Louie
330 North Shore Drive, North Side barlouie.alohaorderonline.com Pickup and delivery options available Bartram House Bakery Multiple locations bartramhousebakery.com All locations have takeout available.
Benny Fierro’s 1906 E. Carson St., South Side bennysva.com Grab a slice of pizza for carry out only.
Catholic Community of South Pittsburgh volunteers will be distributing 1,200 meals starting at noon on Sunday at Saint Basil Church on Brownsville Road in Carrick.
The meals consist of meatloaf with mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, applesauce, a roll and dessert. Giant Eagle in Brentwood is donating the rolls, and the Waterfront Costco is supplying applesauce, cookies, and other desserts.
“We’re looking to help others find the comfort of Christ through a hot meal and to help remind them that they are not forgotten and that they are truly loved and cared for by our parish community,” said the Rev. Stephen Kresak, pastor/administrator of the grouping of Holy Apostles, Holy Angels, and Saint Sylvester.
Since the coronavirus struck our shores, my focus has been on keeping Americans safe and ensuring working people don’t get left behind. Their struggles today are greater than ever. Too many have suffered job losses, shrinking income, isolation, and health issues — all while caring for children and other loved ones.
The one-time $1,200 stimulus check that many Americans are now receiving under the CARES Act was a good start, but it does not go far enough as this quarantine enters its second month. Rent is still due, credit card bills keep coming in, utilities still need to be paid, our phone plans haven’t gotten cheaper, we still need to buy groceries to feed our families. How far do politicians think one $1,200 check can stretch?
Every American age 16 and older who earns less $130,000 per year will receive this money.
That is why Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA) and I introduced the Emergency Money for the People Act, which will provide almost every American $2,000 per month until employment levels reach pre-coronavirus levels. Every American age 16 and older who earns less $130,000 per year will receive this money tax-free.
Congress recently passed three different bills in response to the coronavirus. They included trillions of dollars of assistance for individuals and businesses, and while I supported all three, we immediately started noticing that many of Rep. Khanna’s constituents in Silicon Valley and my constituents in Youngstown, Ohio were still falling through the cracks.
I spoke to a woman who is low-income and receives Supplemental Security Income (SSI); she takes care of five other people in her home, yet was not eligible for the $1,200 check. I heard from a constituent on disability who has custody of her children, but the $1,200 check went to her former spouse. I talked to a college freshman living by himself, independent of his parents, but he did not qualify for any assistance.
This is just a small snapshot of the what real Americans are going through every day. They deserve a fair shake. They deserve to be cut in on the deal.
As businesses contemplate the return of workers to their desks, many are considering large and small changes to the modern workplace culture and trappings.
PITTSBURGH —
