October 17, 2021 8:00 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Mask rules, vaccination mandates and business shutdowns have all landed in the courts during the COVID-19 outbreak, confronting judges with questions of science and government authority. Now they are increasingly being asked to weigh in on the deworming drug ivermectin. At least two dozen lawsuits have been filed around the U.S., many in recent weeks, by people seeking to force hospitals to give their COVID-stricken loved ones ivermectin, a drug for parasites that has been promoted by conservative commentators as a treatment despite a lack of conclusive evidence that it helps people with the virus. Interest in the drug started rising toward the end of last year and the beginning of this one, when studies — some later withdrawn, in other countries — seemed to suggest ivermectin had some potential and it became a hot topic of conversation among conservatives on social media.
October 17, 2021 7:58 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — New York real estate heir Robert Durst, who days ago was sentenced in a two-decade-old murder case, has been hospitalized after contracting COVID-19, his lawyer said Saturday, Defense Attorney Dick DeGuerin said he was notified that Durst was admitted after testing positive for the coronavirus. DeGuerin told multiple media outlets that Durst is on a ventilator. Additional details on his condition were not immediately made available. The Los Angeles Superior Court said in a statement Saturday that the court was notified someone present for the sentencing hearing for Durst on Thursday had tested positive for COVID-19. No additional COVID-19 cases have been reported. Durst, 78, was sentenced Thursday to life in prison without a chance of parole for the murder of his best friend more than two decades ago. Durst, who has numerous medical issues, sat in a wheelchair with a catatonic stare during much of the sentencing hearing.
October 17, 2021 7:57 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — An 11th-hour deal was reached Saturday, averting a strike of film and television crews that would have seen some 60,000 behind-the-scenes workers walk off their jobs and would have frozen productions in Hollywood and across the U.S. After days of marathon negotiations, representatives from the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees and from the studios and entertainment companies who employ them reached the three-year contract agreement before a Monday strike deadline, avoiding a serious setback for an industry that had just gotten back to work after long pandemic shutdowns. “This is a Hollywood ending,” union president Matthew Loeb said. “Our members stood firm.” The workers still must vote to approve it, but the strike has been called off with the tentative deal.
October 17, 2021 7:55 am
PITTSBURGH (WPXI)— Crews were called out to a home near the intersection of Bandera Street and Ater Way just after 7 p.m. Saturday for a 3-alarm fire. Firefighters worked for multiple hours trying to extinguish the flames. As they doused the three-story home from above, flames persisted, pouring out of the roof. Several streets nearby were blocked by fire trucks, and many people just stood by watching crews get to work. Fire officials believe no one was present in one of the homes. Pittsburgh Public Safety says a firefighter had to be checked out by a medic on scene for breathing issues and another had to be taken to the hospital. There’s no word yet on what sparked the flames or how much damage was done.
October 17, 2021 4:31 am
WASHINGTON, Pa. — A Washington County Commissioner has been reappointed to serve on two national committees of The American Legion. Earlier this month, Larry Maggi was re-selected by the National Executive Committee of the Legion to serve on the Youth Cadet Law Enforcement and the Law and Order & Homeland Security committees. Maggi says the Youth Cadet Law Enforcement Committee oversees, organizes and conducts youth law enforcement programs throughout the nation, while the Law and Order & Homeland Security Committee discusses law and order, homeland security issues and writes policies why lobbying national legislators. Maggi says that this year’s theme is “No Veteran Left Behind” and he has been asked to focus on that message as an appointee. The Commissioner is a lifelong resident of Claysville who served in the U.S. Marine Corps, is a member of the American Legion, the Mon Valley Leathernecks, the Marine Corps League, Sons of the American Legion and the American Legion Riders.
October 16, 2021 4:46 am
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – President Joe Biden says he would prefer to slash the length of the new and expanded programs in his $3.5 trillion social safety net and climate change legislation, rather than eliminate programs entirely. Biden is trying to reassure progressives who are worried their priorities may get cut in the negotiations. Democrats on Capitol Hill are working to reduce the sweeping package down to about $2 trillion in spending, which would be paid for with higher taxes on corporations and the wealthy. The proposal includes everything from free child care and community college to significant provisions meant to combat climate change.
October 16, 2021 4:44 am
GOLDEN, Colo. (AP) – A truck driver accused of causing a fiery pileup that killed four people and injured six others on a Colorado highway has been convicted of vehicular homicide and other charges. Rogel Lazaro Aguilera Mederos was convicted by a Jefferson County jury on Friday in connection with the April 2019 crash on Interstate 70 west of Denver. The Denver Post reports that Aguilera Mederos faces decades in prison when he is sentenced Dec. 13. The driver testified that the brakes on his semitrailer failed before he plowed into vehicles that had slowed because of another wreck in the Denver suburb of Lakewood. Prosecutors argued he could have used one of several runaway ramps.
October 16, 2021 4:43 am
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – A crowd of 100 people wreaked havoc in downtown Portland, Oregon, this week, smashing storefront windows, lighting dumpsters on fire and causing at least $500,000 in damage. But police officers didn’t stop them. Portland Police Bureau officials say that’s because legislation passed by Oregon lawmakers this year restricts the tools they can use as people vandalize buildings and cause mayhem. The measure prohibits the use of things like pepper spray and rubber bullets for crowd control. However there are exceptions, and lawmakers say police should still be able to use the tools they need to quell riots. Portland has seen ongoing, often violent protests since the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis.
October 16, 2021 4:42 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. Defense Department says it is committed to offering condolence payments to relatives of the 10 people who were killed in an errant U.S. drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan, in August. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a statement Friday that the Defense Department is also working with the State Department to help surviving family members relocate to the United States. Kirby did not say how much money would be offered. He says Dr. Colin Kahl, under secretary of defense for policy, discussed the matter Thursday with Dr. Steven Kwon, founder and president of the nonprofit group Nutrition & Education International.
October 16, 2021 2:42 am
The Meadows Casino has taken the final step in its three year journey since being sold to Penn National Gaming in 2019. At a Friday morning unveiling of the new marquee, the casino is now officially named the Hollywood Casino at The Meadows. Vice President and General Manager Tony Frabbiele announced the name change and highlighted renovations that ran $25 million in investments. The Eatery by Fabio Vivani, The H Lounge and Embers Lounge by the racetrack are just a few upgrades that visitors will see. The casino will celebrate all weekend long with a “Pink Out” event and Family Fun night with Corgi Dog races, food trucks and entertainment. The Casino along with the Meadows Standardbred Owners Association will also have a check presentation to the American Cancer Society in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Saturday events include hourly lucky draws and merchandise giveaways, food trucks and music. The weekend will come to an end with fireworks at 7:15 pm and an 8:00 pm grand prize drawing for a brand new Mercedes Benz. The celebration will continue all month long with more giveaways and lucky draws.
