January 20, 2022 4:20 am
CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (AP) – Authorities say two U.S. Marines were killed and 17 others injured when the 7-ton truck they were riding in overturned near their North Carolina base. The State Highway Patrol said the truck was making a right turn onto a highway Wednesday afternoon when it lost control and overturned. A highway patrol spokesman, Lt. Devin Rich, said indications were that the truck was traveling too fast for the turn. The patrol says 17 Marines aboard the truck were ejected. It said a second vehicle trailing the truck hit one of those passengers. The accident occurred a few miles away from Camp Lejeune.
January 20, 2022 4:18 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden says he thinks Russia will invade Ukraine and is warning President Vladimir Putin that his country would pay a “dear price” in lives lost and a possible cutoff from the global banking system if it does. Biden also said a “minor incursion” by Russia would elicit a lesser response. He later sought to clarify that he was referring to a non-military action, such as a cyberattack, that would be met with a similar reciprocal response, and that if Russian forces cross the Ukrainian border, “that changes everything.” He was speaking at a news conference to mark his one-year anniversary in office.
January 20, 2022 4:17 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden acknowledges that the pandemic has exhausted and demoralized many Americans in his first year in office. Yet Biden is defending his administration’s efforts on the pandemic and noting the economy is actually surging despite concerns about inflation. He says he may well have to settle for “big chunks” of his stalled economic agenda being passed into law before the 2022 midterm elections. And he says voters will back Democrats in those elections – and support his efforts in the White House – so long as they are well informed. At a news conference marking his first year in office, Biden insisted he has “outperformed” expectations in dealing with the crises he’s faced.
January 20, 2022 4:15 am
GENEVA (AP) – People are used to giving to the Red Cross. But now the aid group finds itself affected by some who’ve taken from it. The International Committee of the Red Cross says hackers have broken into its servers and gotten personal, confidential information on more than a half-million people. The hack is of great concern to the organization because the data includes info on people who have had to be separated from their families because of war, migration or disaster. The head of the ICRC implores those involved in the hack to please not share, sell, leak or otherwise use the data.
January 20, 2022 4:13 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Voting legislation that Democrats and civil rights groups argue is vital for protecting democracy has collapsed. The outcome late Wednesday in the Senate was a setback for President Joe Biden and his party after a raw, emotional debate. Democrats were unable to change Senate rules to push past a Republican filibuster. Biden has failed to persuade two holdout Democratic senators, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, to change Senate rules for this one bill. Advocates warn that new state laws are making it more difficult to vote in elections. Biden says he is disappointed but “not deterred.”
January 20, 2022 4:07 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Authorities say a 15-year-old student died at a hospital after two people fired into a van at a Pittsburgh school. Pittsburgh Public Schools said the male student was shot in the school van at dismissal time Wednesday afternoon at Oliver Citywide Academy. No arrests were immediately announced. Police say they are reviewing surveillance videos and seeking witnesses. Oliver Citywide Academy describes itself on its website as “a full-time special education center serving grades 3-12.” School officials say all other students were safe inside the building. The school was locked down for a time.
January 20, 2022 4:04 am
The Ringgold School Board met Wednesday night and on the agenda was a motion to amend their Health and Safety Plan. This follows last month’s vote by the board to require masks in the district because of rising numbers of Covid-19 in the district and in the community at large. The motion last month was a late addition to the agenda placed just before the meeting began. This month, the agenda advertised the proposed action and public comment was heated in support of bringing back the original mask optional plan. Wednesday’s motion to amend the plan read that wearing of masks would only be required if mandated. Before the vote was taken, Superintendent Randall Skrinjorich announced that the administration was in favor of keeping masks mandatory. Ultimately, the vote to make masks optional failed by a 4-5 vote. Skrinjorich indicated that the administration’s stance is that mask wearing is the best method to keep students and staff safe and keep the school buildings open. Directors and administration will develop criteria to use to roll back the mask mandate over the next month. A vote on that criteria is anticipated in the February board meeting.
January 20, 2022 2:36 am
(WPXI) – The I-79 North on-ramp in South Fayette coming from Bridgeville was temporarily closed Wednesday afternoon due to a “public safety issue,” according to officials. That incident turned out to be the body of a man found alongside the roadway. Investigators said multiple 911 calls were placed by people passing by saying they could see a man’s body slumped over the guardrail just before the highway entrance. Police said the man was dead by the time they arrived. Authorities say the man was 69 years old, but his identity is not being released yet. Officials said they’re not sure how the man got there. They said he could have walked but they’re also not ruling out any vehicles being involved. Troopers said the man may have died from natural causes and there was no obvious trauma to his body.
January 19, 2022 5:37 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – At a Wednesday news conference to mark his first year in office, President Joe Biden is admitting that the pandemic has exhausted and demoralized many Americans. Yet Biden also struck a defensive tone as he acknowledged that he could get “big chunks” of his stalled economic agenda passed into law before the 2022 midterm elections. He stressed that voters would back him so long as they were informed, something he plans to do this year by traveling the country. Biden also discussed the situation with Ukraine, saying he believes Vladimir Putin doesn’t want full blown war in Ukraine and would pay a “dear price” if he moves forward with a military incursion. Biden, speaking at a news conference to mark his one-year anniversary in office, also said he believes that Russia is preparing to take action on Ukraine, though he doesn’t think Putin has made a final decision. He suggested that he would limit Russia’s access to the international banking system if it did further invade Ukraine. He said: “I’m not so sure that he is certain what is he going to do,” adding, “My guess is he will move in.” (Photo: ABC News)
January 19, 2022 2:52 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Biden administration will begin making 400 million N95 masks available for free to Americans starting next week. The step comes after federal officials emphasized the masks’ better protection against the omicron variant of COVID-19 over cloth face coverings. The White House said Wednesday the masks will come from the government’s Strategic National Stockpile, which has more than 750 million of the highly protective masks on hand. The masks will be available for pickup at pharmacies and community health centers across the country. The White House says the masks will begin shipping this week for distribution starting late next week. (Photo: AP)
