December 2, 2022 2:43 am
The city of Washington is ready to officially kick-off the holiday season on Friday with the annual Christmas Parade and Holiday Market. The Holiday Market opens at four p.m. under the Community Pavilion on South Main Street in downtown Washington and will feature vendors, pictures with Santa Claus, carriage rides and new this year, a Beer Garden. The parade will kick-off at seven o’clock and begin at the intersection of North Main and Chestnut Street. The parade will travel south on Main Street and end at East Railroad Street. City Police say there will be parking restrictions along the parade route. They say parking meters will be bagged starting at 3:30 p.m. and parking along the route will be prohibited. They say any vehicle still parked along the route by 6 o’clock may be ticketed and/or towed. Street closing will begin at 5:30 and are as follows: North Main Street will be closed from Walnut Beau Street; West Chestnut Street will be closed from Franklin to North Main Street, and East Chestnut Street will be closed from Main to North College Street. The streets will be shut down beginning at 6:45 p.m. Motorists who chose to be in those areas are advised that they can expect delays.
December 1, 2022 5:38 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court says the Biden administration program to cancel student loans will remain blocked for now, but the justices have agreed to take up the case in late winter. The court’s decision to hear arguments relatively quickly means it is likely to determine whether the widespread loan cancellations are legal by late June. That’s about two months before the newly extended pause on loan repayments is set to expire. The administration had wanted a court order that would have allowed the program to take effect even as court challenges proceed. But as a fallback, it suggested the high court hold arguments and decide the issue.
December 1, 2022 5:18 pm
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) – Believe it or not, an iconic part of the Atlantic City Boardwalk is closing soon. The Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! museum will close on Dec. 31 after more than 26 years of tempting Boardwalk strollers with oddities including shrunken heads, mutant animals and models of unbelievably tall or short humans. The building that houses the museum is an instantly recognizable feature of the Boardwalk. It is designed with a giant globe that appears to have smashed into the front of the building and wedged part of the way inside it. It became popular with families looking for non-gambling entertainment, gamblers taking a break from the action, and curious passersby.
December 1, 2022 4:15 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Senate has moving quickly to avert a rail strike that the Biden administration and business leaders say would greatly damage the economy. The Senate passed a bill Thursday to bind rail companies and workers to a proposed settlement that was reached between the rail companies and union leaders in September. That settlement had been rejected by some of the 12 unions involved, creating the possibility of a strike. The Senate vote was 80-15. It came one day after the House voted to impose the agreement. The measure now goes to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature.
December 1, 2022 5:09 am
A Washington man is in the Washington County Jail on multiple charges following a brief police chase just after midnight. City Police Chief Dan Rush tells WJPA that 31-year-old Leonard Weiser faces multiple charges, including terroistic threats and fleeing or eluding police, following an incident in which he allegedly threatened to “shoot up a house.” Rush says police were called to a home in the 300 block of Burton Avenue but Weiser fled the scene in a vehicle. After a brief chase, Rush says he crashed the vehicle into a home on Lewis Avenue and then fled on foot. He was eventually captured behind a house on Victoria Street. Rush says no one was injured in the incident.
December 1, 2022 4:24 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Christine McVie, the soulful British musician who sang lead on many of Fleetwood Mac’s biggest hits, has died at 79. The band announced her death on social media Wednesday, saying “there are no words to describe our sadness at the passing of Christine McVie.” No cause of death or other details were immediately provided. McVie was a steady presence and personality in a band known for its frequent lineup changes and volatile personalities. During its peak commercial years, from 1975-80, the band sold tens of millions of records and was an ongoing source of fascination for fans as it transformed personal battles into melodic, compelling songs.
December 1, 2022 4:23 am
ATLANTA (AP) – Georgia voters have cast more than 1 million ballots ahead of the Dec. 6 runoff between Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker. Warnock is looking to juice an apparent Democratic head start in early voting with a visit Thursday from Barack Obama. The former president will campaign with Warnock on the eve of the final day of early voting. The rally promises to be the largest event of Warnock’s four-week runoff blitz. Democrats are pushing to bank as many votes as possible while Republicans, especially Walker himself, have taken a less aggressive approach that could leave Walker heavily dependent on runoff Election Day turnout.
December 1, 2022 4:21 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden is acknowledging “glitches” in his clean energy law that have raised concerns in Europe, but says “there’s tweaks we can make” to satisfy allies. Biden made the comments during a joint news conference with French President Emmanuel Macron. Biden, who is honoring Macron with the first state dinner of his presidency on Thursday evening, said he and the French president spoke a á”a good deal” about European concerns over his signature climate change law during an Oval Office meeting. Since arriving in Washington on Tuesday, Macron has made clear that he and other European leaders are concerned about the incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act that favor American-made climate technology, including electric vehicles.
December 1, 2022 4:19 am
BEIJING (AP) – More Chinese cities are easing some anti-virus restrictions as police patrol their streets to head off protests. Meanwhile, the ruling Communist Party is preparing for the funeral of late leader Jiang Zemin. Guangzhou in the south and other cities announced they are easing controls on movement and will reopen factories, markets and bus service.Last weekend, protesters in Shanghai, Beijing and at least six other cities demanded an end to controls that confine millions of people to their homes. The timing and publicity of the easing suggests President Xi Jinping’s government is trying to mollify public anger. Notes on social media complained that police are stopping people at random to check smartphones, possibly looking for prohibited apps such as Twitter.
December 1, 2022 4:09 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania elections officials say “a handful” of counties have not fully reported results from this month’s election, at least in part because organized efforts to seek recounts are pending in court. The Department of State, however, declined to say how many of the state’s 67 counties failed to meet the deadline for certification — the end of the day Monday. Challenges organized or supported by Republican and other conservative groups are being pursued weeks after the election without evidence emerging of problems that might change the results and after counties have completed post-election checks to verify the vote tallies are accurate. The Department of State needs certified election results from all counties so it can compile the official results that acting Secretary of State Leigh Chapman will produce, including for the high-profile contests for governor won by Attorney General Josh Shapiro and for U.S. Senate won by Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, both Democrats. There is no deadline for Chapman’s certification, but terms in the state Legislature start next month and the results of federal elections such as U.S. Senate and House are normally sent to Congress in mid-December, the agency said.
