August 16, 2022 9:48 am
KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. (AP) – First lady Jill Biden has tested positive for COVID-19 and is experiencing “mild symptoms.” The White House announced it on Tuesday. The first lady has been vacationing with President Joe Biden in South Carolina. She began experiencing symptoms on Monday. She has been prescribed the antiviral drug Paxlovid and will isolate at the vacation home for at least five days. Joe Biden tested negative for the virus on Tuesday morning but will be wearing a mask indoors for 10 days in line with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance. The president recovered from a rebound case of the virus on Aug. 7.
August 16, 2022 4:30 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. regulators have finalized a long-awaited rule that’s expected to allow millions of Americans to buy hearing aids without a prescription. The rule announced Tuesday by the Food and Drug Administration goes into effect this fall. It creates a new class of hearing aids that don’t require a medical exam, a prescription and other specialty services. Instead the devices will be sold online or over-the-counter at pharmacies and other retail stores. The move follows years of pressure from medical experts and consumer advocates to make the devices cheaper and easier to get. Devices for more severe hearing loss will remain prescription only.
August 16, 2022 4:29 am
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – Iran says it has submitted a “written response” to what has been described as a final roadmap to restore its tattered nuclear deal with world powers. Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency offered no details Tuesday on the substance of it response, but suggested that Tehran still wouldn’t take the European Union-mediated proposal, despite warnings there would be no more negotiations. Tehran under hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi has repeatedly tried to blame Washington for the delay in reaching an accord. Monday was reported to have been a deadline for their response. An EU spokesperson said Tuesday that it had received Iran’s response. The EU has been the go-between in the indirect talks.
August 16, 2022 4:28 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Justice Department is rebuffing an effort to make public the affidavit supporting the search warrant for former President Donald Trump’s estate in Florida. In court papers Monday, prosecutors argue the investigation “implicates highly classified material” and the affidavit contains sensitive information about witnesses. The government’s opposition came in response to court filings by several news organizations, including The Associated Press, seeking to unseal the underlying affidavit the Justice Department submitted when it asked for the warrant to search Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate earlier this month. In a statement on his social media platform, Trump called for the release of the unredacted affidavit in the interest of transparency.
August 16, 2022 4:26 am
KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. (AP) – President Joe Biden is preparing to sign Democrats’ landmark climate change and health care bill. It’s the “final piece” of the president’s pared-down domestic agenda as he aims to boost his party’s standing with voters ahead of midterm elections. The legislation includes the biggest federal investment ever to fight climate change – some $375 billion over a decade. It also caps prescription drug costs at $2,000 out-of-pocket annually for Medicare recipients, and helps an estimated 13 million Americans pay for health care insurance by extending subsidies provided during the coronavirus pandemic. The measure is paid for in part by new taxes on large companies.
August 16, 2022 4:25 am
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) – Wyoming congresswoman Liz Cheney, a leader in the Republican resistance to former President Donald Trump, is fighting to save her seat in the House on Tuesday. Voters in Alaska as well as Wyoming are weighing in on the direction of the GOP. Cheney’s team is bracing for a loss against a Trump-backed challenger, Cheyenne attorney Harriet Hageman, who has harnessed the full fury of the Trump movement in her bid to defeat Cheney. In Alaska, a new nonpartisan primary system is giving a periodic Trump critic, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, an opportunity to survive the former president’s wrath.
August 16, 2022 4:22 am
Final visitation and funeral services were held Tuesday for Washington County Sheriff’s Deputy Chad Beattie. Family and friends were received from 10 a.m to 1 p.m at McGuffey High School followed by a funeral service. Beattie, who was 45-years-old, was buried at Claysville Cemetery. Beattie died last week after assisting South Strabane Township police on a call at the Target store. Beattie suffered a cardiac emergency and was transported to Washington Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The Washington County Coroner has ruled that he died of natural causes. Meanwhile, County President Judge John DiSalle ordered most courts closed for the day to allow colleagues, staff and judicial officers to pay final respects.
August 16, 2022 4:13 am
ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pa. — (WPXI)- Commuters in the South Fayette/Bridgeville area experienced long traffic backups Monday, after Pennsylvania Department of Transportation closed the on-ramp to Interstate 79 North. The shutdown officially started Friday evening, but the large delays from commuters started early this morning. “It normally takes me 3-4 minutes to get here and this morning it took me a little over a half an hour!” said Loretta Checca, a Bridgeville nurse. PennDOT officials told our news partners at Channel 11 the Miller’s Run Road Ramp to northbound I-79 closure is part of the Chartier’s Bridge Replacement project, which will be widened into seven lanes. The project will also include an exclusive lane from southbound Washington Pike to northbound I-79, while Chartier’s Street will be widened to include a turning lane. Bridgeville small business owners say the area has already seen significant traffic due to all of the growth in the area, and they’re hoping for some traffic relief when the construction is finally complete.
August 16, 2022 4:09 am
PETERS TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – The Peters Township school board voted Monday to hire three additional full-time school resource officers. Our news partners at Channel-11 News talked to parents who are glad that more police officers will be inside their children’s schools. “I have a kindergartner. That’s all you need to say,” said Kristina Rossin. Rossin has a daughter that will start kindergarten on Aug. 24. She tells Channel 11 that after a gunman shot and killed 19 children and two teachers at a school in Uvalde, Texas, she contacted the Peters Township School District. “We regularly review all of this. Those crises bring a lot of attention, but this is something that we do everyday,” said Shelly Belcher, communications coordinator for the school district. Belcher says they walked the school buildings in the district this summer with Peters Township police and found areas that needed more security. They already have two full-time school resource officers, and the school board just voted to hire three more. The district and Peters Township will share the costs for the new officers.
August 16, 2022 4:04 am
The Pennsylvania Trolley Museum held a “topping off ceremony” to celebrate the last piece of structural steel being laid in place at its New Welcome and Education Center. Local officials and county officials along with invited guests were asked to sign the final beam before it was put in its final position. Scott Becker, Executive Director and CEO of the museum says the new center will be much more than just a museum. The center has a class room and multi-purpose room so groups may hold meetings or celebrations. Interactive exhibits designed by the Carnegie Science Center will be available. Becker said that visitors will be able to have their own “Menu Experience” where they will be able to choose the types of tours and rides that they would like to take. Becker stated that they hope to have the 21,000 square foot center completed in the summer of 2023.
