November 30, 2021 4:26 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Prosecutors have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reinstate Bill Cosby’s sexual assault conviction. In a petition filed Monday, they wrote that courts should not equate a decision announced in a press release to lifetime immunity. They believe the Pennsylvania Supreme Court erred when it overturned Cosby’s conviction in June and released the 84-year-old actor from prison. The state’s high court says Cosby relied on a promise he would never be charged when he gave damaging testimony that was later used against him. Cosby was accused of drugging and molesting a woman in 2004. He spent nearly three years in prison.
November 30, 2021 4:24 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. health advisors have endorsed an antiviral drug from Merck to treat COVID-19. It sets the stage for an expected authorization of the first pill that Americans could take at home for the coronavirus. A Food and Drug Administration panel voted that the drug’s benefits in curbing hospitalizations and deaths outweigh its risks. Those risks include potential birth defects if used during pregnancy. The FDA isn’t bound by the panel’s recommendation and is expected to make its own decision before the end of the year. Merck’s pill could provide a much-needed therapy as colder weather pushes case counts higher and U.S. officials brace for the arrival of the new omicron variant.
November 30, 2021 4:23 am
CHICAGO (AP) – Testimony is set to begin in the trial of ex-“Empire” actor Jussie Smollett. Prosecutors said at Smollett’s trial in Chicago on Monday that he staged a homophobic and racist attack in January 2019. But his defense attorney says Smollett is “a real victim” of a “real crime.” Defense attorney Nenye Uche told jurors that two brothers attacked Smollett because they didn’t like him. He also suggested a third person was involved in the attack. Prosecutor Dan Webb says Smollett and the brothers faked the attack after a television studio didn’t take hate mail he received seriously. Webb says testimony will start Tuesday with a Chicago police officer taking the witness stand.
November 30, 2021 4:22 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Conservative congresswoman Lauren Boebert has spoken by phone with congresswoman Ilhan Omar just days after likening the Minnesota Democrat to a bomb-carrying terrorist. By both lawmakers’ accounts, the call Monday did not go well. Omar ended the call after Boebert, a Colorado Republican, refused to issue a public apology. Boebert accused Omar of engaging in “cancel culture” by hanging up on her. Omar has called on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Republican Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to “take appropriate action” against Boebert for her remarks.
November 30, 2021 4:19 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – All 13 Propel Schools will be remote on Nov. 30 after warnings were posted on social media. The schools sent out a statement to all Propel families, stating going remote is “out of an abundance of caution.” It was previously reported that only Propel Hazelwood and Propel Montour would go remote. Alleged threats were originally posted to Snapchat, but they later circulated to other forms of social media. Administration said they’re working closely with police to identify the person who wrote the threats and they intend to file criminal charges once that person is found. Anyone with information regarding their identity is urged to call 911.
November 30, 2021 4:14 am
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Pa. — (WPXI)- COVID-19 cases are climbing in Western PA and an alarming trend is being seen in Washington County. That area is seeing the highest average of COVID-19 hospitalizations of any time during the pandemic. “When you go to emergency rooms in Washington County, you will likely have a four-hour delay for treatment,” Washington County Commissioner, Diana Irey-Vaughn says. Irey-Vaughn says more people are getting sick from COVID-19 and they’re requiring hospitalization. Washington County health leaders say 80-percent of the significantly ill folks in hospitals are unvaccinated. Those who are vaccinated and become sick have less severe symptoms, the county commissioner added. “We continue to be concerned about the numbers rising,” Irey-Vaughn said. “It makes it more challenging to receive treatment when your symptoms are significant.” The beds are available, but the staff isn’t on top of flu season and more people returning to doctor’s offices and hospitals for treatment they put off earlier in the pandemic.
November 30, 2021 2:49 am
A criminal contempt hearing is scheduled for later this week for Washington County Clerk of Courts Brenda Davis. President Judge John DiSalle scheduled the hearing for Thursday morning at nine o’clock after Davis refused an order last week to turn over juvenile court files that were kept in her office. Under the latest order, DiSalle said that Davis should be prepared to answer to her actions and should she fail to appear before the court, a warrant will be issued for her arrest. DiSalle’s order says Davis interfered with the Juvenile Probation staff while they attempted to remove the files. Davis, however, claims the transfer order violated state law. Davis is also claiming she was assaulted by multiple sheriff’s deputies and denied legal representation and medical treatment after she was briefly handcuffed for refusing to cooperate with the order.
November 29, 2021 5:41 pm
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – A man accused of raping a woman on a commuter train outside Philadelphia while other passengers were present has been ordered held for trial by a magistrate judge. Thirty-five-year-old Fiston Ngoy is charged with rape and related offenses in the Oct. 13 attack on a Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority train that drew international attention after police initially said bystanders should have intervened. Authorities later said they believe the passengers did not realize that a rape was occurring. The court appearance Monday came the same day as Philadelphia City Council committees held a joint hearing on SEPTA safety.
November 29, 2021 2:55 pm
GENEVA (AP) – The World Health Organization says the global risk from the omicron variant of the coronavirus is “very high” based on early evidence, and it could lead to surges with “severe consequences.” The U.N. health agency, in a technical memo to member states, says “considerable uncertainties” remain about the new variant that was first detected in southern Africa. But it says the likelihood of possible further spread around the world is high.
November 29, 2021 9:44 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden is urging Americans to get vaccinated, including booster shots, as he seeks to quell concerns over the newly identified coronavirus variant named omicron. But he said Monday he won’t be seeking any severe business or other widespread lockdown. The new variant is “a cause for concern, not a cause for panic,” the president said in televised remarks from the White House. He was accompanied by Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert. Fauci said Monday that there are as yet no cases of the variant identified in the U.S. but that it is “inevitable” that it will make its way into the country.
