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COVID-19

Valley leaders plan ARP spending

WARREN — A large federal spending bill providing aid to local governments in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic is bringing a collective $250 million to the Mahoning Valley this year and next, and much of 2021 has been spent by local government officials figuring out the best way to use the funding. Trumbull County commissioners received the largest portion of funding in the county with $38 million, followed by Warren with $30 million, Niles with $1.903 million, Howland with $1.719 million and Liberty with $1.197 million. Every community in the county received an amount calculated in ...

Mercy Health getting help of 20 National Guardsmen

YOUNGSTOWN — About 20 EMT-trained Ohio National Guardsmen will be assisting at St Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital and St. Joseph Warren Hospital, according to a statement from Mercy Health Youngstown. Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff announced Wednesday 750 Guardsmen, including 150 medical personnel, would be deployed to seven hospitals in northern Ohio hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Gov. Mike DeWine initially announced the deployment of 1,050 National Guard members to hospitals last week. Guardsmen are being sent to larger regional hospitals so ...

Staff cases rise at nursing homes across state, area

During a week when Ohio has recorded record-high numbers of COVID-19 cases among the general public, the number of infections among nursing home staff members also rose. The Ohio Department of Health’s COVID-19 website says the state’s nursing homes and assisted-living facilities saw an increase of staff cases from 1,000 last week to 1,306 this week. The number of patient cases declined by 13 — from 895 last week to 882 this week. The number of deaths among nursing homes and assisted-living facilities in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties rose by seven this week, one ...

Fri. 9:47 a.m.: US to lift travel ban on 8 southern African countries

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. will lift travel restrictions to eight southern African countries on New Year's Eve, the White House announced today. The restrictions, imposed last month, were meant to blunt the spread of the COVID omicron variant. The Nov. 29 ban barred nearly all non-U.S. citizens who had recently been in South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi. White House spokesman Kevin Munoz said on Twitter that the decision was recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Munoz said the temporary travel bans bought ...

Fri. 9:20 a.m.: Lufthansa, United, Delta cancel flights over Christmas

Lufthansa, United, Delta cancel flights over Christmas FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — At least three major airlines said they have canceled dozens of flights because illnesses largely tied to the omicron variant of COVID-19 have taken a toll on flight crew numbers during the busy holiday travel ...

Fri. 8:31 a.m.: Coronavirus dampens Christmas joy in biblical Bethlehem

BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — The biblical town of Bethlehem marked its second straight Christmas Eve under the shadow of the coronavirus -- with small crowds and gray, gloomy weather dampening celebrations today in the traditional birthplace of Jesus. A ban on nearly all incoming air traffic ...