Breaking News

COVID-19

Pandemic relief faces uncertainty in postelection session

WASHINGTON (AP)— Negotiations on a COVID-19 relief bill are inching forward, but it’s clear the window for action before the Nov. 3 election is closing and the issue will be tossed to a postelection lame-duck session of Congress. The only thing that seems certain beyond that is uncertainty, with Capitol Hill veterans cautioning against expecting a quick and smooth resolution for an aid package that has tied Washington in knots for months. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke again Wednesday but her office signaled no real progress, and she ...

Schools react to new rules for spectators at athletic events

Allowing family members to see their child participate, either as a student athlete, a member of the band or the cheerleading squad, is the first priority of area school districts as they respond to the governor’s new directives upping the amount of people allowed to be in sports venues ...

State sees biggest increase over 24 hours since April

The state is seeing its largest one-day increase of positive COVID-19 tests since April, including 24 new cases in Lycoming County, according to the state Department of Health. “We know that 15 cases (of the 24 in Lycoming County) are from longterm care facilities,” reported Maggi Mumma, ...

Care facility administrators discuss visitor restrictions

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, many nursing homes, residents and staff are challenged with waiting for it to be safe to reopen, having large group settings and programs as well as allowing visitors inside their doors. Local nursing homes and long-term care facilities now have the ...

Pandemic poses challenges to mental health field

“It is our responsibility to connect, protect and for everyone in the community to unite around what we can do for our aging population,” Matthew Groff, licensed clinical social worker and UPMC outpatient behavioral specialist, said. Groff explained to the Sun-Gazette that residents in long-term care facilities or nursing homes, even outside of COVID-19, are at much higher risks for negative impacts on their mental health. “There is already a disconnect from family members,” he said. “There is already a level of isolation that they are feeling.” “But with COVID-19, ...

Trump, stricken by COVID-19, taken to hospital

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump appeared in public Friday evening for the first time since being stricken by COVID-19, boarding his Marine One helicopter for a flight to a military hospital as the virus that has killed more than 205,000 Americans spread to the highest reaches of the ...