December 29, 2021 4:10 am
NEW YORK (AP) – A surge of coronavirus cases in New York has forced the postponement of another signature event, the Westminster Kennel Club’s annual dog show. The show announced Wednesday it has postponed its 146th annual event to have been contested in late January. The announcement didn’t give a new date for the show but said it would be later in 2022. The dog show normally is held in February at Madison Square Garden but was moved to June last year and held at the Lyndhurst estate in suburban Tarrytown. Spectators weren’t allowed, and human participants had to be vaccinated or newly tested. (Photo: ABC)
December 29, 2021 4:08 am
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) – A judge has postponed the penalty trial for Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz to Feb. 21. Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer said both parties requested more time to prepare experts for trial, which had been scheduled to start on Jan. 4. Cruz pleaded guilty in October to the February 2018 killings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Jurors will now decide in February whether he is sentenced to death or to life without parole. The trial has been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and arguments over what evidence and testimony will be permitted. (Photo: AP)
December 29, 2021 4:02 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – Pittsburgh police will be changing the way they have always done their jobs. They will no longer be allowed to make traffic stops for minor and secondary violations. Some of those violations include having a tail light out, registration in the wrong place, or overdue registration. Reverend Ricky Burgess introduced the legislation. “I’m proud of council for being supportive of his legislations that we believe is common sense. It will help to increase police-community relationships, and give the community more confidence in the police,” Reverend Burgess told our news partners at Channel 11. Mayor Bill Peduto, who only has a few days left in office, agreed with the vote. “Large number of traffic stops that are taking place are happening in predominately Black neighborhoods. And, they tend to lead into more serious incidents than a tail light that’s out, or somebody that runs a stop sign,” Mayor Peduto said. However, during Tuesday’s city council meeting, community members pleaded for a public hearing to further discuss the legislation. Councilman Anthony Coghill echoed their concerns, and was the only council member who voted against the bill.
December 29, 2021 3:06 am
State Police have charged an Avella man with 77 counts of animal cruelty and neglect. Troopers say they rescued 16 cats and 13 cockatiels from the Browntown Road home of 46-year-old James Lane. Authorities say the animals were living in deplorable conditions and were found among piles of feces and garbage spread throughout the house. Police say Lane agreed to surrender the animals, some of which were infested with fleas. Troopers say at least one cat had an infection and possibly a tumor on its body. Officials say the birds are sheltering in safe places while the cats have been put in reputable shelters.
December 28, 2021 12:57 pm
(WPXI) – Pennsylvania State Police are investigating an incident that occurred in Menallen Township in Fayette County, after one person was shot. While one person was hit, they are still alive at this time. Officers are waiting on an update of their condition. Authorities say the shooting happened on Searight Herbert Road at the Village of Searights Housing Complex around two-thirty Tuesday morning.
December 28, 2021 4:09 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Flight cancellations that disrupted holiday travel stretched into Monday. Staffers calling out sick because of COVID-19 have left airlines short in recent days. Airline tracker FlightAware says airlines have canceled more than 4,000 flights to, from or inside the U.S. since Friday, with over 1,000 U.S. cancellations on Monday. Delta, United, JetBlue and American have all said that COVID was causing staffing problems, and European and Australian airlines also canceled holiday-season flights because staff were out sick. Other factors such as weather have played a role as well. Flight delays and cancellations tied to staffing shortages have been common this year.
December 28, 2021 4:08 am
SEATTLE (AP) – Severe weather sweeping parts of the U.S. has brought frigid temperatures to the Pacific Northwest and heavy snow to mountains in Northern California and Nevada. Across western Washington and Oregon officials and private groups opened emergency centers for people to find refuge as forecasters said the extreme cold from an arctic blast could last until the weekend. Many facilities would be open through the new year. Farther south blowing snow in the mountains of Northern California and Nevada closed key highways, with forecasters warning travel in the Sierra Nevada could be difficult for several days.
December 28, 2021 4:05 am
DENVER (AP) – Police are investigating the aftermath of a shooting rampage that spanned several locations in and around Denver and left five people dead, including the gunman. The Monday evening shootings also wounded three people, including an officer as police pursued the suspect. The suspect died after exchanging gunfire with officers in a shopping district in the Denver suburb of Lakewood. Police said Tuesday they’re still investigating what led to the shootings, which started in central Denver and mostly happened in commercial areas. The wounded officer was undergoing surgery Monday night, and his condition was not immediately known.
December 28, 2021 4:03 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. health officials’ decision to shorten the recommended COVID-19 isolation and quarantine period from 10 days to five is drawing criticism from some medical experts and could create confusion among many Americans. The move has raised questions about how the guidance was crafted and why it was changed now, in the middle of another wintertime spike in cases, this one driven largely by the highly contagious omicron variant.
December 28, 2021 4:03 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden has signed the National Defense Authorization Act into law, authorizing $768.2 billion in military spending, including a 2.7% pay raise for service members, for 2022. The NDAA authorizes a 5% increase in military spending over last year, and is the product of intense negotiations between Democrats and Republicans over issues ranging from reforms of the military justice system to COVID-19 vaccine requirements for soldiers. The price tag marks $25 billion more than Biden initially requested from Congress, a prior proposal that was rejected by members of both parties out of concerns it would undermine U.S. efforts to keep pace with China and Russia.
