December 28, 2021 4:02 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo won’t face criminal charges stemming from allegations from two women that he planted unwanted kisses on their cheeks. One is a state trooper who was assigned to protect him. Westchester County District Attorney Mimi Rocah says while there was evidence to conclude the conduct the women described did occur, she couldn’t pursue charges under New York law. Cuomo had no immediate comment. The Democrat has denied sexually harassing anyone or touching anyone inappropriately. A number of prosecutors around the state launched investigations after state Attorney General Letitia James chronicled accusations from 11 women against Cuomo. He resigned soon after. (Photo: AP)
December 28, 2021 2:40 am
One person has died as the result of a fire in an apartment building in Washington County early Thursday morning. According to the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office, 78-year-old Frances Venen died in an area hospital around ten o’clock Sunday morning. Venen was one of six people who were taken to local hospitals after a fire broke out in the Thomas Campbell Apartment Building on Beech Street in South Strabane Township. Authorities say some one-hundred people were evacuated from the building and many of those have not yet been able to return to their apartments due to smoke and water damage. Firefighters say they believe the blaze began in a kitchen in one of the units.
December 28, 2021 2:17 am
(WPXI) – Prosecutors in Washington County said they’re going over 100,000 text messages sent between a couple in the months leading up to their baby’s death. Kylie Wilt Hollis and her husband Alan Hollis appeared for their preliminary hearing on Monday and listened as a detective read pages of graphic texts that they exchanged, often referring to Archer, their baby, by explicit names and showing anger that he wouldn’t stop crying. A detective testified that Kylie Wilt initially said her baby passed away from SIDS at six months old, but she changed her story multiple times. In one version of events, she said she didn’t see, feed or check on her baby for 7-10 days while Alan took care of him. And that she eventually found the baby dead in the swing, inside the only bathroom in the home where the baby slept. Another detective testified that Alan Hollis said he had asked Wilt where the baby was. Wilt had replied that she was pregnant, his questions stressed her out and said she was going to have a miscarriage. Alan told the detective that he found the baby dead in the swing, with blood coming out his nose. Coroner Tim Warco testified that the baby’s cause of death is still pending while a forensic anthropologist works on the case because the body was “extremely decomposed” — exposed to the elements and insects. Both defense attorneys tried to have the homicide charges dismissed because there is no cause of death yet, but the judge held all charges for court.
December 27, 2021 5:22 pm
NEW YORK (AP) – U.S. health officials are cutting isolation restrictions for Americans who test positive for the coronavirus and shortening the time that close contacts have to quarantine. People with the virus can leave isolation after five days, down from 10 days. People exposed to the virus can also leave quarantine after five days. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the changes Monday. CDC officials said the guidance is in keeping with growing evidence that the coronavirus is most infectious in the two days before and three days after symptom onset. The decision also was influenced by a recent surge in COVID-19 cases, driven by the omicron variant. (Photo: ABC)
December 27, 2021 10:28 am
New York City’s sweeping mandate requiring nearly all private-sector businesses to ban unvaccinated employees from the workplace has taken effect amid a spike in coronavirus infections. Workers at roughly 184,000 businesses were required to show proof they have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by Monday. Businesses that don’t comply could face fines starting at $1,000. But Mayor Bill de Blasio has said imposing penalties will be a last resort. Employers have to verify and keep a record of each worker’s proof of COVID-19 vaccination. Workers who have only received one shot will have to get a second one within 45 days.
December 27, 2021 4:22 am
DALLAS (AP) – Sarah Weddington, a Texas lawyer who at 26-year-old successfully argued the landmark abortion rights case Roe v. Wade before the U.S. Supreme Court, has died. She was 76. Weddington’s former student and colleague Susan Hays said she died in her sleep early Sunday morning at her Austin home. Hays told The Associated Press that Weddington had been in poor health for some time and it was not immediately clear what caused her death. Weddington was also a state lawmaker, general counsel of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and an advisor to President Jimmy Carter.
December 27, 2021 4:20 am
COLFAX, Calif. (AP) – A major Christmas weekend storm caused whiteout conditions and closed key highways amid blowing snow in mountains of Northern California and Nevada, with forecasters warning that travel in the Sierra Nevada could be difficult for several days. Authorities near Reno reported a 20-car pileup on a snow-blow highway where drivers described whiteout conditions A 70-mile stretch of Interstate 80 was shut Sunday from Colfax, California, through the Lake Tahoe region to the Nevada state line. The California Department of Transportation also closed other mountain routes while warning of poor visibility and slippery conditions for drivers.
December 27, 2021 4:18 am
SYDNEY (AP) – Australia’s New South Wales state has reported more than 6,000 new COVID-19 cases and confirmed its first death from the omicron variant. The fatal case was identified as a man in his 80s who was infected at an aged care facility in western Sydney. He was fully vaccinated but had underlying health conditions. New measures came into force in New South Wales, the country’s most populous state, on Monday, including limits of one person per 2 square meters (22 square feet) in bars and restaurants and required “check-ins” with QR codes in hospitality venues. The health minister says the state government is considering lifting the requirement for health workers to isolate after being exposed to COVID-19 because of staff shortages.
December 27, 2021 4:17 am
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) – The latest COVID-19 variant is upending holiday plans for tens of thousands of travelers – but it didn’t do much damage to holiday shopping. Airlines canceled hundreds more flights Sunday, citing staffing problems tied to COVID-19, as the nation’s travel woes extended beyond Christmas. There was no clear indication when normal schedules would resume. But shoppers shrugged off the omicron variant, and holiday sales rose at the fastest pace in 17 years. Omicron is likely to slow the economy’s unexpectedly strong rebound from last year’s coronavirus recession and could add more heat to already simmering inflation. But it’s not yet clear how deep the hurt will go or how long it will last.
December 27, 2021 4:15 am
Emergency crews were called to a tractor trailer crash along Interstate 70 early Monday morning. Washington County 9-1-1 says it happened just after 3:30 a.m. near mile-marker 7.5 in Donegal Township. Reports are that the tractor trailer was traveling in the eastbound lanes, but crossed into the westbound lanes and ended up on its side. Both westbound lanes were initially blocked. Dispatchers say there were no injuries and no other vehicles were involved.
