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NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks closed slightly higher today on Wall Street as volatility continues to be the dominant force in Wall Street’s tumultuous September. The S&P rose 9.67 points to 3,246.59 or 0.3% higher after having been close to a correction earlier. The Dow gained 52.31 points, or 0.2%, to 26,815.44. The Nasdaq composite added 39.28 points, or 0.4%, to 10,672.27. The Russell 2000 index of small company stocks inched up 0.36 points, or less than 0.1%, to 1,451.82.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Many American workers applying for unemployment benefits after being thrown out of a job by the coronavirus face a new complication: States’ efforts to prevent fraud have delayed or disrupted their payments. California has said it will stop processing new applications for two weeks as it seeks to reduce backlogs and stop phony claims. Pennsylvania has found that up to 10,000 inmates improperly applied for aid.
IOWA CITY, IOWA (AP) — Iowa regulators have issued their first citation to a meatpacking plant with a large coronavirus outbreak that sickened its workforce. The $957 fine was for a minor record-keeping violation. Inspection records show the April outbreak at the Iowa Premium Beef Plant in Tama resulted in 338 of the plant’s 850 workers testing positive for the virus. That’s 80 more than the state previously acknowledged. Facing criticism for its response, Iowa OSHA decided to inspect the Tama plant May 21 based on news reports of the 6-week-old outbreak. Records show that the inspections did not lead to any citations at four other plants, where at least nine workers have died. Those plants include Tyson Foods plants in Waterloo, Columbus Junction and Perry and the JBS plant in Marshalltown.
LONDON (AP) — The British government says it may take part in a study that tries to deliberately infect volunteers who have been given an experimental vaccine against the coronavirus in an effort to more quickly determine if the vaccine works. The approach, called a challenge study, is risky but proponents think it may produce results faster than typical studies, which wait to see if volunteers who have been given an experimental treatment or a dummy shot get sick. The Financial Times newspaper reported Wednesday that the government planned to sponsor a study that is set to begin in January.
PARIS (AP) — The U.N. is trying to help more than 300,000 merchant mariners who are trapped at sea because of coronavirus restrictions. One captain described the desperation of seafarers who’ve been afloat for a year or more, and the importance of their profession to transporting food and medicine around the world. He pleaded their case Thursday at a U.N.-organized meeting with shipping executives and government transport officials. The captain was stuck for an extra three months at sea as the pandemic washed over the world and made shipping crews unwelcome in many ports. It’s still complicated to change crews because of border closures and limited flights.
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