June 19, 2022 8:00 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s workforce grew again in May as the state’s unemployment rate sank to another post-pandemic low, according to new state figures released Friday. Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate dropped two-tenths of a percentage point to 4.6% from April’s rate, the state Department of Labor and Industry said. The national rate was 3.6% in May. In a survey of households, the labor force grew by 30,000, as the number of employed grew by 40,000 to farther above 6.1 million and the number of unemployed fell by 10,000 to below 300,000. The state’s labor force is rebounding after falling during the COVID-19 pandemic. It hit a record high of almost 6.6 million just before the pandemic hit, and still remains below 2008′s levels. In a separate survey of employers, non-farm payrolls in Pennsylvania grew in May by almost 7,000, driven primarily by hiring in leisure and hospitality and the education and health services sectors. The trade, transportation and utilities sector fell the most. At just above 5.9 million, payrolls are at their highest point since hitting a record high of nearly 6.1 million just before the pandemic, according to state figures. Pennsylvania has regained more than 80% of the 1.1 million jobs lost in the early months of the pandemic, figures show.
June 19, 2022 7:52 am
WESTMORELAND COUNTY, Pa. (WPXI)— A fatal car accident in Westmoreland County shut down a portion of Interstate 70 overnight. According to Westmoreland County 911, the interstate was shut down for a few hours because of the crash. According to police, the crash happened at mile marker 53 at the Yukon exit at 12:05 a.m. Dispatch said one person, later identified as 25-year-old David Ott from Perryopolis, was killed and another person was flown to UPMC Presbyterian. Pennsylvania State Police said Ott wasn’t wearing his seatbelt at the time of the crash. There’s no word on the injured person’s condition or identity.
June 19, 2022 4:29 am
Washington Police were called to 246 Burton Avenue for an alleged shooting at 2:00 AM Saturday. According to county 9-1-1 officials, when police arrived they found a man with a gunshot wound near the intersection with East Hallam Avenue. The victim was taken to an undetermined hospital. The Washington Fire Department was called to wash down the area. WJPA will update this story as details emerge.
June 19, 2022 3:30 am
A state police trooper accused of being drunk while on patrol last month waived the case to court during his preliminary hearing Friday. Jared Clyde Johnson, 46, of South Franklin, is facing one misdemeanor charge of drunken driving and two summary offenses after state police said he damaged his police vehicle after hitting a curb on patrol and was later found by a supervisor to be intoxicated. Johnson waived his case to court and will appear in DUI court on August 22.Johnson was on patrol when he was dispatched to a report of an injured deer on Interstate 70 near the Claysville exit. According to court documents he never went to the scene, and a supervisor later tracked Johnson down and found him sitting in his police vehicle in a gravel parking lot near the Taylorstown exit. The supervisor found a rum bottle in the passenger seat. A state police spokesman said Johnson has been suspended without pay pending the outcome of his case. He could face termination because the alleged offense happened with a state-issued vehicle.
June 19, 2022 1:37 am
LONDON (AP) – The price of bitcoin has fallen below $20,000 for the first time since late 2020, in a fresh sign that the selloff in cryptocurrencies is deepening. Bitcoin, the most popular cryptocurrency, fell below the psychologically important threshold on Saturday. It dropped as much as 9% to less than $19,000, according to CoinDesk. The last time bitcoin was at this level was November 2020, when it was on its way up to an all-time high. Bitcoin has now lost more than 70 percent of its value since reaching that peak. It’s the latest sign of turmoil in the cryptocurrency industry amid wider turbulence in financial markets.
June 19, 2022 1:32 am
REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. (AP) – President Joe Biden fell when he tried to get off his bike at the end of a ride Saturday at Cape Henlopen State Park near his beach home in Delaware, but said he wasn’t hurt. “I’m good,” he told reporters after U.S. Secret Service Agents quickly helped him up. He said he got his foot caught in the toe cages. The 79-year-old Biden and first lady Jill Biden were wrapping up a morning ride when the president decided to pedal over to a crowd of well-wishers standing by the bike trail. Biden tumbled when he tried to dismount. The president quickly collected himself and spent several minutes chatting with people who had gathered to watch him bike.
June 18, 2022 10:43 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – A federal appeals court has rejected a Trump administration finding that the active ingredient in the weed killer Roundup does not pose a serious health risk and is “not likely” to cause cancer in humans. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on Friday ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to reexamine its 2020 finding that glyphosate did not pose a health risk for people. Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Roundup, the most widely used herbicide in the world. Its original producer, Monsanto, was bought in 2018 by pharmaceutical giant Bayer, which now faces thousands of claims from people who say Roundup exposure caused their cancer.
June 18, 2022 10:41 am
Hot real estate markets have made some homeowners wary of participating in voluntary flood buyout programs. And that is impacting efforts to move people away from flooding from rising seas and more frequent storms. Flood buyout programs typically purchase flood-prone homes, raze them and turn the property into green space. They can help prevent flood-related deaths and health problems. Buyouts are also considered cheaper for taxpayers compared to rebuilding flooded houses with government payouts and federal flood insurance. Some cities have seen waning interest in the programs in the wake of rising home prices. People who take buyouts usually want to relocate to similar homes in the same community. But some worry that buyout dollars won’t be enough to buy the homes they want.
June 18, 2022 10:39 am
MEXICO CITY (AP) – Celia weakened to a tropical depression off Central America Saturday, as Tropical Storm Blas headed out to sea off Mexico’s southern Pacific coast. Celia is expected to remain off the coast of El Salvador and Guatemala over the weekend before moving toward Mexico. The depression could regenerate into a storm. The U.S. National Hurricane Center warned of heavy rains over portions of Central America and Mexico. The Hurricane Center said Celia had maximum sustained winds of 35 mph (55 kph) and was about 80 miles (130 kms) south-southwest of San Salvador. Tropical Storm Blas continued to weaken Saturday in the Pacific.
June 18, 2022 10:35 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden’s top political advisers are bracing for big election losses in November. They know the party holding the White House nearly always losses congressional seats in the first midterm election of a new presidency. They also understand that gas prices racing past $5 per gallon on average, inflation exceeding its highest rates in four decades and crime rising in some areas could intensify historic headwinds. So could Biden’s low approval ratings. Some Democrats nonetheless worry the White House hasn’t fully grasped just how bad things may get and so far has been slow to prepare for that possibility.
