March 15, 2022 4:34 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden will travel to Europe next week for face-to-face talks with European leaders about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced Tuesday. Biden will meet with NATO and European leaders in Brussels on March 24. The trip follows on Vice President Kamala Harris’ visit to eastern flank NATO countries of Poland and Romania last week to discuss the growing refugee crisis in eastern Europe sparked by the Russian invasion and underscore the Biden administration’s support for NATO allies. Poland’s foreign minister says a visit by Biden to Poland was “very probable” when he comes to Europe. But Psaki said she had no details on whether that would happen.
March 15, 2022 4:32 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – South Korea had its deadliest day yet of the pandemic on Tuesday, with 293 deaths reported in the latest 24 hours. The country is grappling with a record surge in coronavirus infections driven by the fast-moving omicron variant. The 1,196 virus patients in serious or critical conditions were also a new high. Health officials said the country’s medical response remains stable with more than 30% of intensive care units designated for COVID-19 treatment still available. But the strain on the hospital system is expected to increase in coming weeks. The country’s caseload is now over 7.2 million, with 6.4 million added since February.
March 15, 2022 4:31 am
BEIJING (AP) – China has reported a more than doubling of new COVID-19 cases as it faces by far its biggest outbreak since the early days of the pandemic. The National Health Commission said Tuesday that 3,507 new locally spread cases had been identified in the latest 24-hour period, up from 1,337 a day earlier. A fast-spreading variant known as “stealth omicron” is testing China’s zero-tolerance strategy, which has largely kept the virus at bay after a deadly initial outbreak in early 2020. Most of the new cases were in northeast China’s Jilin province, where 2,601 were reported. Smaller outbreaks have broken out around the country.
March 15, 2022 4:31 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – Ukraine says Russia seemed to adopt a more constructive tone in the latest round of talks aimed at halting fighting. However, Russian troops continued to bombard Kyiv on Tuesday with long range fire. Ukrainian presidential aide Ihor Zhovkva said the talks between Russian and Ukrainian representatives over video have become more constructive, and Russia has stopped airing its previous demands for Ukraine to surrender. Zhovkva said that Ukrainian representatives feel “moderately optimistic” after the talks. The conversations came as the leaders of three European Union countries – including Poland, a NATO member on Ukraine’s doorstep – visited the embattled capital in a bold show of support.
March 15, 2022 4:26 am
The Washington School District has its new Superintendent and they didn’t have to look far. George Lammay, who has served as the interim Superintendent since December 1 was unanimously approved by the school board during Monday’s meeting. The removal of the interim tag will be official on April 1. Lammay agreed to a deal that runs through June of 2025 at an annual salary of $130,000. He was named interim Superintendent following the resignation of Dr. James Konrad who left the district in November to take the Superintendent’s job at Pleasant Valley School District in eastern Pennsylvania. Lammay has spent more than thirty years in education and actually retired as the Assistant Superintendent in the Bentworth School District last July.
March 15, 2022 4:16 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – Port Authority employees are calling off just before the agency’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate goes into effect. Over the weekend and again on Monday, dozens of routes were canceled, including those during the morning and evening rush. The Port Authority is asking riders to consider another method of transportation, but for some, it’s not that easy. The agency says 500 employees aren’t vaccinated against COVID-19 despite a mandate going into effect Tuesday. Employees who do not comply will be held off with pay until disciplinary meetings later in the week. The Port Authority says the courts ruled on their side of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. “Human resources is telling them not to report to work,” ATU Local 85 president Ross Nicotero says. “So, we have people who want to come to work, and they’re being told to go home.” The Port Authority says they expect disruptions for the next several weeks.
March 15, 2022 4:11 am
CALIFORNIA, Pa. — (WPXI) – A hit-and-run suspect accused of hitting a 7-year-old boy turned himself into police on Monday. California Borough police said 26-year-old Allen Csonka was under the influence of drugs and speeding when he hit the boy. First-grader Chevy Marody was playing tag on the sidewalk near his parents’ skateboard shop. Witnesses said he leaned over to tie his shoe, with his head sticking out from the sidewalk, when he was hit by the car. Police said before he fled, Csonka picked up Chevy and carried him to safety before fleeing the scene. The boy was flown by medical helicopter to Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital. “By the time we got down there my son was calmed down and pretty excited to go in a helicopter. It’s the first thing he said whenever I seen him with a big smile on his face,” said Chevy’s father Dillion Marody. Csonka has been charged and is currently in the Washington County Jail.
March 15, 2022 2:55 am
SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania’s former top state prosecutor was arrested over the weekend and is expected to be formally charged with driving under the influence. Scranton police said Monday that 55-year-old Kathleen Kane was involved in a two-vehicle crash in the city at about 6:30 p.m. Saturday. Police haven’t released details about the crash. Until charges are filed there’s no paperwork with information about the investigation. Kane, 55, was the first Democrat and remains the only woman to have been elected as the state’s attorney general. While in office, she leaked grand jury documents about a civil rights leader and a jury found she lied to the grand jury investigating the leak. She served more than eight months.
March 15, 2022 2:55 am
Water is slowly coming back on for many residents around the Park Avenue area of Washington and North Franklin Township. Pennsylvania American Water Company spokesman Gary Lobaugh tells WJPA News that crews have been working since Monday morning on emergency repairs and they expect them to be completed by Tuesday evening. Lobaugh says the affected residents and businesses were notified that their water service could be affected in various forms, including discolored or cloudy water, low water pressure or no water service at all.
March 14, 2022 2:46 pm
FAIRMONT, W.Va. (AP) – Several West Virginia towns will get assistance from five new AmeriCorps teams for projects that include tax preparation, park and river cleanups and rural infrastructure upgrades. The AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps teams will go to Fairmont, Thomas, Mullens, Gandeeville and Elkview. U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito announced the plan. The programs include Tygart Valley United Way in Fairmont, Friends of Blackwater in Thomas, Rural Appalachian Improvement League in Mullens, Roane County Commission in Gandeeville and Elk River Trail Foundation in Elkview.
