June 15, 2022 4:26 am
North Franklin Township Supervisors heard a complaint about their recently installed emergency alert siren at their monthly meeting on Tuesday. Matthew Hensler spoke to supervisors and made his displeasure with the siren clear. He tracked five weeks worth of siren soundings and indicated that the siren sounded 27 times with four times sounding in the middle of the night. He indicated that the township website states its use is for weather emergencies and is not clear that it is being used for other emergency purposes. Supervisors did not dispute the frequency of use as the fire chief later gave a report that indicated the use of it is very much once per day. Supervisor Josh Polan explained that weather alerts are just one aspect of the siren’s usage. He stated that it is also to alert residents to all emergencies. It is not to summon firemen to the station, it is meant to have residents and children get off the streets as emergency vehicles may be approaching. Supervisors were sensitive to Hensler’s complaint, but explained that the overall public safety is what is most important. They explained that roughly 80% of residents approve of the siren.
June 15, 2022 4:21 am
UNDATED (AP) – Dr. Anthony Fauci, the face of America’s pandemic response through two White House administrations, has tested positive for the coronavirus. The 81-year-old Fauci is fully vaccinated and has received two booster shots. He is experiencing mild COVID-19 symptoms. That’s all according to a statement from the National Institutes of Health on Wednesday. Fauci has not recently been in close contact with President Joe Biden or other senior government officials. He tested positive using a rapid antigen test. He will return to work at the NIH when he tests negative. (Photo: ABC News)
June 15, 2022 4:18 am
EL MONTE, Calif. (AP) – Authorities say two police officers were shot and killed while investigating a possible stabbing in a Los Angeles suburb. It happened about 4:45 p.m. Tuesday at a motel in the city of El Monte. Authorities say officers confronted a man in a motel room where shots rang out and the gunman then fled to the parking lot where more gunfire was exchanged. The gunman was shot and died. The officers who died were described as a veteran with more than two decades of experience and a rookie with less than a year on the job. El Monte’s interim police chief called them heroes who died serving their community.
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.
