There are now six presumptive positive cases of coronavirus in Pennsylvania. Four of them are in Montgomery County where Val Arkoosh is a county commissioner. "I want to stress to the public not to be nervous about this," Arkoosh says. The other two cases are in Wayne and Delaware counties. A presumptive positive case is a test that comes back positive for coronavirus but is not yet officially confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control.
New Jersey health officials say two more Garden State residents have tested positive for coronavirus. One is a 70-year-old male from Teaneck and the second is a 32-year-old man from West New York. Another 27 New Jersey residents are being monitored.
The largest health insurance provider in New Jersey, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, says it will cover tests for the coronavirus. Another major insurance provider, AmeriHealth New Jersey, says it will cover the exams, too. The Trump administration has said Medicare and Medicaid would view coronavirus testing as an essential benefit.
Officials with the Special Olympics are canceling their Indoor Winter Games for this year. The event, which was expected to begin Saturday in York, was cancelled for the protection of the athletes, coaches and volunteers. Outdoor competitions are still on for Messiah College April 16th and the Summer Games at Penn State in June.
One firefighter is injured after a Sunday morning fire at a troubled Allentown nightclub. Crews were called to the DejaVu Nightclub in the 300-block of Hamilton Street around 3:30 Sunday morning. It took firefighters about 90 minutes to extinguish the flames. One firefighter fell from a ladder and suffered minor injuries. The fire, which caused an estimated $100,000 in damage, began just after the club closed and remains under investigation. The nightclub has also been the scene of several shootings and nuisances in the past, including a shooting outside the club that left ten people injured.
A brush fire broke out late Sunday afternoon and spread to a home in Northampton County. It started around 5:45 p.m. in the 200 block of Hatch Gravel Road in Moore Township. Much of the home was gutted, but no one was hurt. The cause of the brush fire has not yet been determined.
The Monroe County district attorney is investigating a deadly shooting involving a police officer, who shot and killed an assault suspect Saturday afternoon in Coolbaugh Township. Pocono Mountain Regional Police responded to a home in the 9200 block of Westwood Drive after a woman said she was stabbed. When police got there, the suspect, 33-year-old Matthew Miller, allegedly ran off while armed with a knife. He was found at the rear of the property and confronted by an officer, who shot and killed him. The Monroe County district attorney is investigating if the shooting was justified.
State officials are focusing on the underrepresented for the upcoming census survey. Representatives from Governor Tom Wolf's office, including the lieutenant governor's wife, Gisele Fetterman, are traveling to undercounted areas across the state. "The Census is the one thing that unites every single one of us. It's the one thing that's going to affect every single one of us for the next ten years," Fetterman says. Officials remind residents it is important to be counted and direct anyone with census questions to the 2020 U.S. Census website.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is out of the hospital after surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his kidney. His office says Murphy was discharged from the hospital and resumed his duties. He's recuperating at his home. Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver will continue as acting governor until Murphy fully returns to work.