Senate votes to extend small biz loan program for 2 months

Quebec logs 35 new deaths as hospitalizations continue to drop Health Minister Christian Dubé has said he would introduce a bill in March to lift the state of emergency, but he has also said it would be up to the opposition as to whether the legislation passes before June.Eric Duhaime, the leader of the Conservative Party of Quebec, which has one seat in the province’s legislature but has seen its support rise in recent polls, said he thinks the government is delaying the introduction of the bill to avoid scrutiny.Quebec’s Public Health Act requires the government to submit a report on the state of emergency, including details about contracts that were awarded without public tenders, within a specific period after the emergency order is lifted. If the bill is passed in June, Duhaime told reporters in Quebec City on Thursday that the government could avoid tabling that report until after an October election.“The (legislature) will not be in session until November,” he said.

Peterborough Public Health reported a new death and hospitalized case along with 26 new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to data released late Thursday afternoon. Timeline to lift all COVID-19 measures in Ontario coming soon, top doctor says The health unit’s COVID-19 tracker, issued at 4:22 p.m., reported the following data for the jurisdiction of Peterborough, Peterborough County, Curve Lake First Nation and Hiawatha First Nation: 54 since the pandemic was declared. The health unit says death reported Thursday was a woman in her 90s who was vaccinated.: 26 since the Wednesday, Feb.

Dr. Kieran Moore was asked on Thursday about the eventual removal of COVID-19 restrictions in the province, including mask mandates and proof of vaccination.

Canada brought home another four more medals on day 6 of the Beijing Olympics with a bronze in freestyle skiing, a bronze in speed skating, a bronze in alpine skiing — a first-time podium placement for the country in the event — and a silver in snowboard cross.

The Washington Post is reporting that Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officials are telling vaccine providers to prepare for a Feb 21 rollout of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 6 months to 4 years, just 1 week after advisers from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are set to vote on an emergency authorization of the vaccine.

A cross-sectional study of more than half a million National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 athletes and 3.5 million nonathletes suggests that participation in collegiate athletics was not tied to higher COVID-19 test positivity in the 2020-21 academic year.

Ontario’s top medical official, Dr.

On Thursday, due to a decrease in COVID-19 cases and higher rate of youth vaccinations, Ontario’s top doctor Dr. Kieran Moore announced schools have the green light to resume extra-curricular activities such as sports and musical practices – to which students could remove their face masks.

Bob Saget’s autopsy report showed that he had contracted COVID-19 at the time of his death. The report, which showed that he’d died from head trauma and internal injuries, also found that a test on his respiratory system showed that he was positive for COVID when he died on January 9.

RELATED: COVID-19 may make common pregnancy complications worse, study suggestsThe study bolsters evidence from small case reports and it confirms that placenta damage rather than an infection of the fetus is the likely cause of many COVID-19-related stillbirths, said Dr. Jeffery Goldstein, a pathologist at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine.He was not involved in the study, which was published Thursday in Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine.RELATED: COVID-19 vaccines could temporarily impact length of menstrual cycles, study saysDr.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Astra Space, Inc. launched its first rocket from Florida on Thursday marking a historic milestone for the Alameda, California-based company.

HAZLETON, Pa. - DNA and a 20-year-old genealogy expert helped state police identify the man who abducted, raped and murdered a young girl in a case that rattled a Pennsylvania coal town nearly six decades ago, officials announced Thursday.State police exhumed the long-dead assailant's body last month and said his DNA precisely matched DNA left on the jacket of the victim, 9-year-old Marise Ann Chiverella, who was snatched on the morning of March 18, 1964, as she walked to school in Hazleton, about 80 miles (129 kilometers) north of Philadelphia.Her body was found that afternoon in a nearby waste coal pit. Authorities say she was raped and strangled.Police identified her killer as James Paul Forte, a bartender with a record of violent sexual assault, who died of natural causes in 1980 at age 38.

ATLANTA - While several studies already show that face masks and respirators effectively filter virus-sized particles and help reduce the spread of COVID-19 transmission, yet, another study is backing this evidence up. According to a study, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week, consistent use of a face mask or respirator in indoor public settings was associated with lower odds of a positive COVID-19 test. The study enrolled randomly selected California residents who had received a test result for COVID-19 between Feb. 18, 2021 and Dec.

Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan has opened up on his fears for the Queen after Prince Charles tested positive for Covid-19 just two days after seeing her. Piers said he feels "deep unease" about the news.It is the second time Charles has contracted the virus, testing positive on Thursday (February 10) morning.

Patty Hajdu says the number of COVID-19 infections in First Nations communities has begun to decline, bringing hope that the worst of the Omicron wave has passed.Hajdu says she understands why Indigenous leaders are sounding an alarm that progress could be lost in regions where provincial governments are rapidly moving to lift public health orders.“Indigenous leaders obviously are concerned,” Hajdu said during a news conference Thursday. High anxiety levels expected in Canadians wary of COVID restrictions lifting - experts Daily active case counts in Indigenous communities have declined 13.2 per cent from last week.

A study in Qatar estimates that previous COVID-19 infection imparts 56% protection against future symptomatic infection caused by the highly transmissible Omicron variant, down from about 90% for other SARS-CoV-2 strains.The study, published yesterday in the New England Journal of Medici

COVID-19 update since Sunday, the Saskatchewan government reported 5,401 provincial PCR confirmed cases and 22 new deaths between Jan. 30 and Feb.

Super Bowl this weekend. The DHS said in a bulletin sent to local and state law enforcement agencies that it has received reports that truckers are planning to "potentially block roads in major metropolitan cities" in a protest against vaccine mandates and other issues. DHS said the convoy could begin in Southern California as early as this weekend, possibly disrupting traffic around the Super Bowl, and reach Washington in March in time for the State of the Union, according to a copy of Tuesday’s bulletin obtained by The Associated Press. It said that the protest could be disruptive and tie up traffic but that there have been no calls for violence. Meanwhile, the truck blockade by Canadians protesting the country’s COVID-19 restrictions is tightening the screws on the auto industry, forcing Ford, General Motors and other car companies to shut down plants or otherwise reduce production on both sides of the U.S.

Middlesex-London Health Unit said Thursday that anyone who visits any of its vaccine clinics will be able to choose between the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines.However, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is currently the only COVID-19 vaccine approved by Health Canada for children aged five to 11 years old. COVID-19 vaccine and booster tracker: How many Canadians are vaccinated? The MLHU’s decision impacts all of the health unit’s mass vaccination clinics, as well as the pop-up vaccination clinics hosted by the Middlesex-London Paramedic Service and the Community Hub COVID-19 vaccination clinics in schools.Since late December, the MLHU had been prioritizing the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for people age 29 and under and providing the Moderna vaccine to clients 30 and over, citing limited supply of the Pfizer vaccine.The health unit is hoping the ability to choose will help increase vaccine availability and uptake, noting that only 51.9 per cent of eligible residents aged 18 and older had received a third dose as of Jan.

PHILADELPHIA - Investigators with the Philadelphia Police Department are offering a $20,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest in a homicide from January. According to police, the department is working to identify the people responsible for the death of an 18-year-old woman on Jan. 13, 2022.

CULPEPER, Va. - President Joe Biden on Thursday touted how his "Build Back Better" policies would limit the cost of prescription drugs and make life more affordable for U.S. families during an appearance in Virginia.Biden’s visit to the town of Culpeper, Virginia, came on the heels of the release of the U.S.

Boris Johnson ending Covid isolation rules is a "distraction" from the PM's lockdown party scandal, said Professor Devi Sridhar who is a member of the Scottish Government Covid-19 Advisory Group.

2022 Academy Awards are just over a month away and while the night is sure to be unforgettable with surprises and snubs, one thing will not be in the cards: covid-19 vaccinations.Hollywood’s biggest night won’t require COVID-19 vaccinations proof for anyone attending the event.The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, according to The Hollywood Reporter, is only asking for attendees to show a negative PCR test or a negative rapid antigen test on the day of the ceremony. Nominees, presenters and stars will gather on March 27 at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theater to celebrate the best and brightest in film.This year’s SAG Awards and Critics Choice Awards, on the other hand, will both require vaccinations.A rep for the SAG Awards (to be held on Feb.

The Queen is being monitored despite not showing any COVID-19 symptoms after her son Prince Charles contracted the virus for a second time Thursday.

Middlesex-London Health Unit reported seven deaths and 115 COVID-19 cases on Thursday, compared with three deaths and 189 cases last Thursday.The deaths involved three men and four women ranging in age from their 60s to 90s. Three were associated with long-term care.LHSC, meanwhile, is caring for 91 inpatients with COVID-19, 22 of whom are in adult critical care.As noted, LHSC is caring for 91 COVID-19 inpatients, with 22 inpatients in adult critical care.

NEW CASTLE, Del. - Delaware State Police is investigating a fatal pedestrian crash that took place on Wednesday evening. According to police, the incident happened near Frenchtown Road in the area of Quigley Boulevard around 5:58 p.m. A 21-year-old woman, who has not yet been identified, was walking on the right shoulder of eastbound Rt. 273.

DARBY TOWNSHIP, Pa. - Briarcliffe Fire Company has been shut down for at least the next 30 days as Delaware County officials investigate the alleged use of racial slurs on a recent virtual meeting. The fire company, located in Darby Township will not be receiving fire calls during the suspension. The suspension comes after a Jan. 27 virtual meeting between township fire companies and commissioners about a potential consolidation. According to a letter from the Goodwill Fire Company obtained by FOX 29, following the end of the meeting, a group of people remained on the call. The letter says there was then a group of people that could be heard discussing the meeting using foul language, and identifies those involved in the conversation as members of the Briarcliffe Fire Company. The conversation, which lasted an hour and 45 minutes, allegedly included racial slurs when discussing members of other fire companies and township residents.One of the Briarcliffe Fire Company members was also accused of making a joke about, Fanta Bility, a young girl who was killed in a shooting in Sharon Hill last fall.Derogatory and otherwise offensive comments were also allegedly made about other township officials.Township officials say the incident is under investigation, and that a criminal referral is expected to be made to the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office. MORE HEADLINES:In their letter, the Goodwill Fire Company Board of directors expressed their concern for the fire companies and safety of the community. "This is not appropriate and does not belong in the township," the letter read. Darby Township officials are scheduled to speak on the issue at 2 p.m.

FILE - US President Joe Biden speaks about the Colorado shootings in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on March 23, 2021. WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed a two-month extension of the Paycheck Protection Program a day before the COVID-19 small business relief fund was set to expire. The extension will give small business until May 31 to apply for a forgivable loan. Senators voted 92 to seven to pass the PPP Extension Act of 2021 last week, extending the program's deadline from March 31 and giving the Small Business Administration an additional 30 days after that to process pending applications.

WASHINGTON - Nearly two dozen Democratic senators are urging President Joe Biden to extend rescue measures for Americans — including recurring direct payments and extended jobless benefits — in his "Build Back Better" legislation set to be partly unveiled this week. In a letter posted Tuesday, 21 members of of the Senate Democratic caucus wrote to the president asking him to "include recurring direct payments and automatic unemployment insurance extensions" tied into economic conditions in his new legislation.Biden is expected to unveil the first part of his "Build Back Better" package, a sweeping multitrillion-dollar infrastructure plan, on Wednesday in Pittsburgh. The ambitious plan aims to make generational investments in infrastructure,

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 29: The news ticker at Fox News headquarters scrolls headlines before Special Counsel Robert Mueller makes a statement about the Russia investigation, May 29, 2019 in New York City. Mueller said that he is stepping down as special WASHINGTON - Dominion Voting Systems filed a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News on Friday, arguing the cable news giant, in an effort to boost faltering ratings, falsely claimed that the voting company had rigged the 2020 election.The lawsuit is part of a growing body of legal action filed by the voting company and other targets of misleading, false and bizarre claims spread by President Donald Trump and his allies in the aftermath of Trump's election loss to Joe Biden.

Democrats have seized on new voting restrictions in Georgia to focus attention on the fight to overhaul federal election laws, setting up a slow-building standoff that carries echoes of the civil rights battles of a half-century ago.

President Joe Biden on Friday called sweeping a Republican-sponsored overhaul of Georgia's elections laws “outrageous” and urged Congress to move quickly to bolster voting rights across the nation in response.

WASHINGTON – Dominion Voting Systems on Friday filed a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News, arguing the cable news giant falsely claimed in an effort to boost faltering ratings that the voting company had rigged the 2020 election.

WASHINGTON – Wrapping up the most tumultuous Senate start in recent memory, new Majority Leader Chuck Schumer took stock of accomplishments including the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 rescue while vowing action ahead on voting rights, hate crimes and mounting Democratic priorities hitting stiff opposition from Republicans.

WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden at his first news conference left the door open to backing fundamental changes in Senate procedure to muscle key parts of his agenda like immigration and voting rights past Republican opposition “if there’s complete lockdown and chaos.”

WASHINGTON - The White House on Thursday officially withdrew the nomination of Neera Tanden to serve as director of the Office of Management and Budget from the Senate — capping off the first high-profile defeat of one of President Joe Biden's nominees.Earlier this month, Tanden withdrew her nomination after she faced opposition from key Democratic and Republican senators for controversial tweets."Unfortunately, it now seems clear that there is no path forward to gain confirmation, and I do not want continued consideration of my nomination to be a distraction from your other priorities," Tanden wrote in a letter to Biden at the time.The president, in a statement, said he has "utmost respect for her record of accomplishment, her experience

WASHINGTON – Democrats are renewing their efforts to muscle through the largest overhaul of U.S. elections in a generation, setting up a fight with Republicans that could bring partisan tensions to a climax in the evenly split Senate and become a defining issue for President Joe Biden.

Voting mostly along party lines, the U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed former Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine to be the nation’s assistant secretary of health. She is the first openly transgender federal official to win Senate confirmation.

Vivek Murthy to be US President Joe Biden's surgeon general, handing the administration one of its top public health officials amid the Covid-19 pandemic.US Senators voted 57-43 to confirm the Indian American as Biden's surgeon general. Murthy served as surgeon general under the Obama administration but was fired by former President Donald Trump in 2017.Taking to Twitter, Vivek Murthy said, "I am deeply grateful to be confirmed by the Senate to serve once again as your Surgeon General.

Sen. Bill Nelson tries out the Hubble Space Telescope repair tools ahead of space shuttle Atlantis' STS-125 mission in 2009.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – President Joe Biden has chosen a former senator from Florida who flew on the space shuttle just days before the Challenger launch accident to lead NASA.

WASHINGTON - The Senate on Thursday confirmed California Attorney General Xavier Becerra as President Joe Biden's health secretary, filling a key position in the administration's coronavirus response and its ambitious push to lower drug costs, expand insurance coverage, and eliminate racial disparities in medical care.The 50-49 vote makes the 63-year-old Becerra the first Latino to head the Department of Health and Human Services.

WASHINGTON – It's not that different from the movies. President Joe Biden said the Senate should operate like it did in the “old days,” with senators forced to stand up and speak all day and night if they plan to object to his legislative agenda with a filibuster.

WASHINGTON – The Senate confirmed Katherine Tai as the top U.S. trade envoy in an overwhelming bipartisan vote on Wednesday . She will be the first Asian American and first woman of color to hold the position.

CHESTER, Pa. – President Joe Biden turned up at a minority-owned flooring business in suburban Philadelphia to highlight how his $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package can help small businesses and to put a face on those who have struggled throughout the pandemic.

WASHINGTON – Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell warned ominously Tuesday of a “scorched earth” landscape if Democrats use their new majority to bring an end to the Senate filibuster in hopes of muscling legislation supporting President Joe Biden's agenda past GOP opposition.

WASHINGTON – The Senate on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved President Joe Biden's pick to oversee the Small Business Administration, an agency that has seen its portfolio expand in response to the coronavirus pandemic.