WPSU

Penn State To Announce Soon What Form Summer Session Will Take

Penn State will announce within the next few days what format the summer session will take, university Provost Nick Jones said in a town hall Thursday. Jones said the university will consider challenges and lessons from the spring semester, when the university decided to cancel in-person classes in March. “I anticipate what you will see emerge in the summer is a combination of synchronous and asynchronous delivery, designed to really support our students in the best way possible,” Jones said....

NIrmal Joshi, chief medical officer of Mount Nittany Health — Mount Nittany Health

Take Note: Mount Nittany Health's Chief Medical Officer On Beating COVID-19

How Colleges Are Grading Students During Coronavirus

Take Note: Mount Nittany Health's Chief Medical Officer On Beating COVID-19

By Anne Danahy • 2 hours ago

Nirmal Joshi has been the chief medical officer at Mount Nittany Health since November 2017. He has a background in infectious diseases, and has been helping lead Mount Nittany’s efforts to prepare for and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Penn State To Announce Soon What Form Summer Session Will Take

By Min Xian • 20 hours ago

Penn State will announce within the next few days what format the summer session will take, university Provost Nick Jones said in a town hall Thursday.

Jones said the university will consider challenges and lessons from the spring semester, when the university decided to cancel in-person classes in March.

This I Believe: I Believe In Abandoned Buildings

By Christina Baker • 21 hours ago

I believe in abandoned buildings.

The first thing you need to know about me is that I am a terrible driver. If I drive past something that I think is interesting, I will turn my eyes away from the road and look at that thing for a potentially dangerous amount of time. I'll be like, “Oo, look at that field!” Or, “Oo, look at that sunset!” And passengers in the car will be like, “No, look at the road!” And eventually I will, but I will always look at an old abandoned building.

Pennsylvania Asks Residents To Stay Close To Home For Outdoor Recreation

By Julie Grant • 22 hours ago

State officials, like Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn, left, want people to social distance while outside. — PA DCNR

Officials in charge of Pennsylvania’s natural resources are encouraging outdoor recreation during the coronavirus shutdown, but they want people to enjoy nature close to home.

With Schools In Pennsylvania Closed, Educators, Parents Work Out Best Ways To Finish The School Year

By Anne Danahy • Apr 9, 2020

Brian Toth is superintendent of the Saint Marys Area School District, at desk. — Anne Danahy / WPSU

UPDATE: Gov. Tom Wolf announced today (April 9) that all K-12 schools will be closed for the rest of the school year as part of efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Since Gov. Tom Wolf ordered Pennsylvania’s K through 12 schools to remain closed indefinitely to help slow the spread of COVID-19, school districts, teachers and parents have been trying to make the most of what’s left of the school year.

Checking In With One Of Centre County's First COVID-19 Patients, On Day 19

By Emily Reddy • Apr 9, 2020

Dean Lindsey on day 19 of his recovery from COVID-19. — Dean Lindsey

A couple of weeks ago, we talked with State College resident Dean Lindsey, who said he was one of the first people in Centre County to have a confirmed case of COVID-19.

Lindsey is the senior pastor at State College Presbyterian Church.

WPSU checked in with him again to see how he’s doing now.

TRANSCRIPT:

Emily Reddy: Dean Lindsey, thanks for talking with us again.

Pa. Schools Ordered To Remain Closed Until End Of Academic Year

By AP & Mark Scolforo and Michael Rubinkam • Apr 9, 2020

Outside of the newly renovated Spring Creek Elementary School. — Brittany Krugel / WPSU

Pennsylvania schools will remain shuttered for the rest of the academic year because of the coronavirus pandemic that has sickened thousands and caused hundreds of deaths statewide, under an order signed Thursday by the state’s education secretary.

The extended shutdown order affects more than 1.7 million students in public and private K-12 schools. It means children will spend the rest of the year learning remotely.

The order applies through the last day of the current academic year, a date that varies among districts because calendars are set by school boards.

Pa. Sen. Corman Fields Questions on COVID-19, Gov. Wolf Gives State Control Over Supplies

By Anne Danahy • Apr 8, 2020

State Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman — Min Xian / WPSU

State Senator Jake Corman fielded questions on COVID-19 during a telephone town hall Wednesday, pushing back on parts of Gov. Tom Wolf’s response to the pandemic.

Wolf signed an order Wednesday allowing the state to transfer personal protective equipment and other medical supplies from one health care provider to another that needs them.

“This will allow us to move key equipment, like personal protective equipment and ventilators to high population, high impact areas," Wolf said.

Pa. State Police Enforcing Stay-At-Home And Business Closure Orders With Discretion

By Min Xian & Ed Mahon • Apr 7, 2020

The Pennsylvania State Police is enforcing orders from the Governor for people to stay home and for non-life sustaining businesses to close physical locations. — AP Photo/Matt Rourke

Pennsylvania State Police are enforcing Gov. Tom Wolf’s orders for Pennsylvanians to stay at home and for non-life sustaining businesses to close their physical locations as part of the effort to slow down the coronavirus.

Centre County Sees Largest One-Day COVID-19 Increase, All Pa. Counties Now Have Confirmed Cases

By Emily Reddy • Apr 7, 2020

A map from the Pennsylvania Department of Health showing COVID-19 cases by county as of April 7, 2020. — Pa Department of Health

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 jumped by 11 in Centre County to a total of 55 and Elk and Jefferson County reported their first cases meaning every county in the state now has at least one confirmed case, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

With Tuesday’s DOH updates, the total number of confirmed cases in Pennsylvania is 14,559. That’s an increase of 1,462 from Monday.

The report also marked the largest single day’s deaths, with 78 more reported since Monday.

NPR Stories

'Final Draft' Compiles The Best Of Late Journalist David Carr

By editor • 20 minutes ago

The journalist David Carr was a master of his craft and a mentor to many aspiring journalists, including Ta-Nehisi Coates, who Carr hired as an intern when he was the editor of the Washington City Paper.

A new book, “Final Draft: The Collected Work of David Carr,” includes more than 50 of his stories, from his early days as a freelancer in Minneapolis to his writing about the media at The New York Times.

Americans Returning To U.S. Say They're Surprised By Lack Of Stringent Health Checks

By Bill Chappell • 20 minutes ago

Americans returning home from abroad are being greeted with varying levels of health screenings at U.S. airports — with some saying the U.S. measures are less stringent than what they've experienced overseas.

Internal Emails Show VA Hospitals Are Rationing Protective Gear

By Quil Lawrence • 1 hour ago

The Department of Veterans Affairs runs the largest health care network in the country. Nine million vets are enrolled in VA health care, and recently the departmnt announced it would treat all veterans who need help during this crisis.

But VA health workers say they need help. At least seven VA staff have died from the virus, and NPR has seen internal emails telling VA staff to use the same surgical mask for up to a week.

American Workers Confront Range Of Challenges In Wake Of Pandemic

By editor • 1 hour ago

The coronavirus pandemic has brought big changes in how Americans work.

Some are fortunate to work from home, while others, including health care workers and delivery drivers, still have to go out in public.

Sabrina Lee is working through the crisis doing deliveries for DoorDash, UberEats, Postmates and others. She says she wears a face mask and gloves when she can find them but thinks delivery companies “could be doing more” to protect their workers.

Could Lessons From The Early Fight Against AIDS Inform The Coronavirus Response?

By Scott Shafer • 1 hour ago

AIDS began as a frightening medical mystery, with clustered outbreaks in California and New York City. Dr. Paul Volberding, who later helped San Francisco General Hospital open a dedicated AIDS ward, remembers seeing his first AIDS patient on July 1, 1981, although he didn't know it at the time.

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FEMA Predicted Pandemic Effects In July 2019

In a remarkably prophetic report last summer, the Federal Emergency Management Agency accurately predicted that a nationwide pandemic would result in a shortage of medical supplies, hospitals would be overwhelmed and the economy would shut down. The warnings were contained in the 2019 National Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment , published last July. Its existence was first reported by E&E News. The pandemic warning was part of an array of nine scenarios that were gamed out...

Will Summer Slow The Spread Of COVID-19? Scientists Try To Figure It Out

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Animal Rescues Report Uptick In Pet Adoptions Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

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Food Banks See Surge In Demand As Coronavirus Pandemic Puts Millions Out Of Work

Food banks across the country are reporting a surge in demand from families impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. At the same time the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps, has also seen a spike in applications as millions of Americans find themselves out of work. Here & Now s Tonya Mosley speaks with Kate Leone , chief government relations officer for Feeding America. This article was originally published on WBUR.org. Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more,...