June 15, 2022 4:12 am
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) – Workers at Atlantic City’s nine casinos will vote Wednesday on whether to authorize a strike against the gambling halls, with whom they have not reached new contracts. The day-long vote by members of Local 54 of the Unite Here union is likely to ratchet up pressure on the casinos to reach new pacts with the union, particularly with the crucial July 4 holiday weekend approaching. Contracts expired over two weeks ago and talks have yet to reach a new deal. Voting will take place from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Union leadership will announce the result of the vote Wednesday evening after balloting ends.
June 15, 2022 4:09 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Federal Reserve intensified its drive to tame high inflation by raising its key interest rate by three-quarters of a point – its largest hike in nearly three decades – and signaling more large rate increases to come that would raise the risk of another recession. The move the Fed announced after its latest policy meeting will increase its benchmark short-term rate, which affects many consumer and business loans. The central bank is ramping up its drive to tighten credit and slow growth with inflation having reached a four-decade high of 8.6%, spreading to more areas of the economy and showing no sign of slowing.
June 15, 2022 4:05 am
High heat and humidity is on tap this week, with temperatures jumping into the 90s this week. A heat advisory was in effect for most of Wednesday thanks to temperatures and high humidity that will push heat index values between 100 and 104 degrees in the advised areas. Health officials are urging residents to make sure to find a way to stay cool and safe in the heat. Stay hydrated and keep your pets out of the heat. There is a chance of an isolated storm Wednesday, but there will be a better chance of scattered strong thunderstorms Thursday. Storms Thursday could become severe, producing damaging winds and hail, with isolated tornadoes also being possible.
June 15, 2022 2:19 am
Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh has confirmed that a third person has been arrested in the murder of a Washington woman last month. Walsh says the individual has been arrested in the drive-by shooting death of 58-year-old Kristin Barfield, but he could not release the suspect’s name. He says court paperwork has been sealed for now to protect witnesses and the integrity of the investigation. Barfield was sitting on her front porch on Ridge Avenue when she was shot and killed. Authorities have said that fifteen-year-old Tyriq Moss and thirty-year-old Brandon Allen had agreed they were going to shoot Barfield’s son, Trey Willis, but apparently missed hitting him and instead, hit Barfield. (Photo: WPXI)
June 14, 2022 5:36 pm
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – President Joe Biden has told the largest federation of labor unions that he’s rebuilding the U.S. economy around workers. He’s drawing a contrast with Republicans who have increasingly attracted blue-collar votes. Biden says, “We should encourage unions.” His speech Tuesday at the AFL-CIO convention in Philadelphia was an attempt to reset the debate on the economy. His approval ratings have slid as consumer prices and the cost of gasoline have surged. That’s overshadowed strong job gains and a healthy unemployment rate. Biden says the GOP is focused on cutting taxes for companies and the wealthy. Republicans argue that their 2017 tax overhaul helped growth by reducing corporate tax rates, making U.S. companies more competitive.
June 14, 2022 12:59 pm
HELENA, Mont. (AP) – Communities bordering Yellowstone National Park are isolated and tourists stranded after record floodwaters knocked out roads and bridges in Wyoming and Montana and forced the closure of all entrances to the park. There were no immediate reports of injuries and water levels were dropping Tuesday but it was unclear when the park could reopen. National Park Service photos showed a landslide, washed-out bridges and roads undercut by floodwaters. Roads through the park’s northern entrance are washed out and hundreds of tourists remained stuck in and around the town of Gardiner. The flooding triggered evacuations in the park and several Montana towns. (Photo: ABC News)
June 14, 2022 4:21 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Federal Reserve is expected to announce its largest interest rate hike since 1994 – a bigger increase than it had previously signaled and a sign that the central bank is struggling to restrain stubbornly high inflation. The central bank is considered likely to raise its benchmark short-term rate by three-quarters of a percentage point, far larger than the typical quarter-point increase. It will also likely forecast additional large rate hikes through the end of the year. A flurry of large Fed rate hikes will heighten borrowing costs for consumers and businesses, likely leading to an economic slowdown and raising the risk of a recession.
June 14, 2022 4:19 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has announced his support for his chamber’s emerging bipartisan gun agreement. The Kentucky Republican’s endorsement Tuesday boosted momentum for modest but notable election-year action by Congress on an issue that’s deadlocked lawmakers for three decades. An outline of the accord was released Sunday by 10 Democrats and 10 Republicans. Leaders hope it can be translated into legislation in days and voted on by Congress before lawmakers’ July 4 recess. McConnell’s backing was the latest indication that last month’s gun massacres in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, had reconfigured the political calculations for some in the GOP.
June 14, 2022 4:18 am
More than 100 million Americans are being warned to stay indoors if possible as a heat wave settles over states stretching through parts of the Gulf Coast to the Great Lakes and east to the Carolinas. The National Weather Service Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland, said Monday that a combination of heat advisories, excessive heat warnings and excessive heat watches will impact 107.5 million people, and record-setting temperatures are expected to last through midweek. St. Louis, Memphis, Minneapolis and Tulsa are among several cities under excessive heat warnings, with temperatures expected to reach above 100 in some areas. High humidity is forecast to accompany the heat, adding to the dangerous conditions.
June 14, 2022 4:16 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol has postponed a hearing that was to feature Trump-era Justice Department officials. The hearing had been set for Wednesday, but the committee on Tuesday morning said that it had been postponed. It did not give a reason or a new date for the hearing. The witnesses at Wednesday’s hearing were to include Jeffrey Rosen, who was the acting attorney general at the time of the Capitol insurrection, as well as two other former top officials, Richard Donoghue and Steven Engel. Lawyers for all three men did not immediately return messages seeking comment.
