April 2020

NASA call for astronauts draws 12,000 spaceflight hopefuls

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Who wants to be an astronaut? More than 12,000 people do, resulting in NASA’s second-largest group of astronaut hopefuls.

NASA said Wednesday that Americans from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and four U.S. territories applied to be part of the space agency’s next astronaut class. The monthlong application period ended Tuesday.

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More evidence indicates healthy people can spread virus

NEW YORK (AP) — Scientists offered more evidence Wednesday that the coronavirus is spread by seemingly healthy people who show no clear symptoms, and the federal government issued new guidance warning that anyone exposed to the disease can be considered a carrier.

A study by researchers in Singapore became the latest to estimate that somewhere around 10 percent of new infections may be sparked by people who carry the virus but have not yet suffered its flu-like symptoms.

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Nearly 3,000 sailors to leave carrier amid virus outbreak

WASHINGTON (AP) — Nearly 3,000 sailors aboard a U.S. aircraft carrier where the coronavirus has spread will be taken off the ship by Friday, Navy officials said Wednesday as they struggle to quarantine crew members in the face of an outbreak.

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Payton back at work, unsure if Brees plays beyond 2020

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Saints coach Sean Payton said he didn’t mean to insinuate on a television appearance that record-setting quarterback Drew Brees informed him of plans to retire after the upcoming season.

“I’m a big dummy,” Payton said Wednesday during a conference call with media in New Orleans. “I honestly don’t know if it’s his last year. I think the thing he’s done, and we’ve all done, is taking it year by year.”

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Coast Guard: Cruise ships must stay at sea with sick onboard

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard has directed cruise ships to prepare to treat any sick passengers and crew on board while being sequestered “indefinitely” offshore during the coronavirus pandemic.

The new rules outlined in a memo are required for ships in the district that covers Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Puerto Rico. They also come with a stiff warning: Any foreign-flagged vessels “that loiter beyond U.S. territorial seas” should try first to medically evacuate the very sick to those countries instead.

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How and why to keep kids on a schedule during school closures

(StatePoint) School closures have forced families nationwide to readjust to the current reality. However, a sense of structure is important for children’s developmental growth. To create a routine for your kids that sticks, consider the following tips:

• Just because there is no formal school day doesn’t mean kids should sleep in or stay up late at night. Keep the same bedtimes, wake-up routines and mealtimes you always maintained during a regular school week. Doing so will bookend the mornings and evenings with a sense of normalcy.

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Feds: Man intentionally derailed LA train near hospital ship

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A train engineer intentionally drove a speeding locomotive off a track at the Port of Los Angeles because he was suspicious about the presence of a Navy hospital ship docked there to help during the coronovirus crisis, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.

The locomotive crashed through a series of barriers and fences before coming to rest more than 250 yards (230 meters) from the U.S. Navy Hospital Ship Mercy on Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a release.

Nobody was hurt.

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Trump: US to deploy anti-drug Navy ships near Venezuela

MIAMI (AP) — President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that Navy ships are being moved toward Venezuela as his administration beefs up counternarcotics operations in the Caribbean following a U.S. drug indictment against Nicolás Maduro.

The president’s announcement was a break from the daily White House press briefing to discuss the coronavirus pandemic, which has left much of the country in lock-down and which the government warns could cause 100,000 to 240,000 deaths.