January 5, 2022 4:15 am
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – Virginia officials are defending their response to the snowy gridlock that resulted on Interstate 95 after a winter storm dumped nearly 11 inches of snow. Officials noted the storm that started as rain, meaning roads couldn’t be pretreated. It was followed by an unusually heavy snowfall and plunging temperatures. That created poor conditions that resulted in the stranding of hundreds of motorists overnight Monday into Tuesday along a stretch of one of the nation’s biggest interstate highways. Many motorists sent out pleas for help on social media and criticized the response from Gov. Ralph Northam’s administration.
January 5, 2022 4:14 am
CHICAGO (AP) – Chicago schools have canceled classes Wednesday after the teachers union voted to switch to remote learning due to record COVID-19 levels. The move comes amid an escalating battle over safety protocols in schools. Officials in the nation’s third-largest school district say they won’t switch back to online instruction districtwide, as it was devastating for children’s learning and mental health. But the union says the district’s safety protocols are lacking and both teachers and students are vulnerable. Both sides are negotiating metrics that would trigger school closures, among other things. School officials say buildings would remain open for administrators and staff and essential services like meals for students. The status of class the rest of the week was unknown.
January 5, 2022 4:06 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – The Democratic Party’s presumed nominee for governor this year is endorsing a Pittsburgh-area state lawmaker to be his running mate and lieutenant governor. Attorney General Josh Shapiro on Tuesday endorsed 32-year-old Austin Davis, who’s in his third term in the state House of Representatives and has connections to Allegheny County’s party leaders. If elected, Davis would be the state’s first Black lieutenant governor. Also seeking the party’s nomination for lieutenant governor is five-term state Rep. Brian Sims of Philadelphia. Sims made history in 2012 when he became Pennsylvania’s first openly gay candidate to be elected to the Legislature. The primary election is May 17.
January 4, 2022 9:17 am
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – Hundreds of motorists are waiting desperately for help after being stranded all night in freezing temperatures along a 50-mile stretch of highway south of the nation’s capital. Police say that part of Interstate 95 became impassable when tractor-trailers jackknifed in a winter storm. The disabled trucks triggered a chain reaction as other vehicles lost control and blocked lanes in both directions of the main north-south highway along the East Coast. As hours passed and night fell, motorists posted messages on social media about running out of fuel, food and water. By Tuesday morning, a single lane of traffic was creeping forward between many stalled trucks and cars in one direction.
January 4, 2022 4:20 am
Some school systems around the U.S. have extended their holiday break or switched back to online instruction because of the explosion in COVID-19 cases. Others are pressing ahead with in-person classes amid a seemingly growing sense that Americans will have to learn to co-exist with the virus. School districts in cities such as Milwaukee, New York, Detroit and beyond found themselves in a difficult position at the start of the second half of the academic year because of the super-contagious omicron variant. Many parents want their children back in school, while some teachers fear infection.
January 4, 2022 4:18 am
A winter storm hitting the mid-Atlantic combined with the pandemic to further frustrate air travelers whose return flights home from the holidays were canceled or delayed in the first few days of the new year. According to tracking service FlightAware more than 3,000 U.S. flights and more than 4,800 worldwide were grounded as of Monday evening. Another 13,000 flights were delayed, including 6,000 in the U.S. That follows Sunday’s cancellations of more than 2,700 U.S. flights, and more than 4,400 worldwide. Travelers could take hope from an improving weather forecast. Airlines had canceled fewer than 400 U.S. flights scheduled for Tuesday.
January 4, 2022 4:17 am
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (AP) – A Marine Corps panel is convening to decide if an officer should be discharged over the sinking of an amphibious assault vehicle in the ocean off Southern California that killed nine service members. Lt. Col. Michael J. Regner was relieved of his command shortly after the mishap off the coast of San Clemente Island in July 2020. The hearing at Camp Pendleton is scheduled to last up to four days. A Marine Corps investigation found that inadequate training, shabby maintenance and poor judgment by leaders led to one of the deadliest Marine training accidents in decades.
January 4, 2022 4:15 am
AT&T and Verizon say they will delay new 5G wireless service for two weeks, putting off a planned start this Wednesday. The company says it’s delaying the launch after a request from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and concern about possible interference with systems on board planes. AT&T and Verizon had planned to launch the new 5G service on Wednesday in many U.S. cities. Last week, a trade group for the airline industry asked the Federal Communications Commission to delay the so-called C-Band 5G service around airports.
January 4, 2022 4:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says the Senate will vote soon on easing filibuster rules in an effort to advance stalled voting rights legislation. Schumer says in a letter to colleagues that the Senate “must evolve” on the rules. Pointing to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, the New York Democrat says the rule changes are needed to protect the nation’s democracy. Schumer says the Senate will “debate and consider” the rule changes on or before Jan. 17, which is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. In the 50-50 Senate, Democrats are trying to overcome the 60-vote threshold needed to turn back a Republican filibuster blocking their election law package.
January 4, 2022 4:07 am
Peters Township began its reorganization meeting on Monday evening by swearing in five council members, three of them brand new to the board. Dr. Tom Pirosko, Matt Rost and Allison Shanafelt joined incumbent council members Gary Stiegel and Frank Arcuri as this year’s elected officials to council. Council appointed Gary Stiegel as chairman and Frank Kosir as vice-chairman. Pirosko is a second generation councilman as his father served on council. As far as a project that Pirosko would like to see taken on, cell phone service. Pirosko says that cell phone service is terrible in the township. Rost would like some of the road conditions in his district addressed. He pointed to a section of Churchill Road that is deteriorating and needs to be addressed. Shanafelt is in agreement with her new colleagues with their thoughts. She is in agreement with Rost and Pirosko in keeping Peters Township a community that attracts people to move to. She would like to see more restaurants and family entertainment outlets to allow residents and visitors to enjoy. In township business, council authorized a reaffirmation of the township’s application for a Local Share Account grant for the Rolling Hills Aquatic center. They also authorized the prequalification of bidders for the construction of the fire department substation to be built in Venetia.
