September 30, 2021 9:36 am
A survey of Americans on President Joe Biden’s plan to require most workers to get either vaccinated or regularly tested for COVID-19 finds a deep and familiar divide: Democrats are overwhelmingly for it, while most Republicans are against it. With the highly contagious delta variant driving deaths up to around 2,000 per day, the poll released Thursday by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research showed that overall, 51% say they approve of the Biden requirement, 34% disapprove and 14% hold neither opinion.
September 30, 2021 9:35 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose for the third straight week, a sign that the highly contagious delta variant may be slowing the job market’s recovery. The Labor Department said Thursday that claims were up by 11,000 last week to 362,000 the previous week. áSince topping 900,000 in early January, applications have mostly fallen steadily as the economy bounces back from last year’s shutdowns. But they’ve risen recently as coronavirus cases tick up again. The numbers, which are a proxy for layoffs, remain elevated: Before the pandemic hit the United States hard in March 2020, they were typically coming in at around 220,000 a week.
September 30, 2021 4:16 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden appears unable to strike swift agreement with two wavering Democratic senators over his big $3.5 trillion government overhaul. That likely means trims for the measure, which will collapse without their support. Biden canceled a Wednesday trip to Chicago to keep negotiating with members of his own party. Attention is focused on Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona to articulate what size package they can live with. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi indicated she may shelve a Thursday vote on a companion $1 trillion public works bill without movement on Biden’s package. Meanwhile, Congress moved closer to resolving a separate issue over keeping the government funded past Thursday’s fiscal year end.
September 30, 2021 4:14 am
HONOLULU (AP) – Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano is erupting. Officials with the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed Wednesday that an eruption has begun in Kilauea’s Halemaumau crater at the volcano’s summit. The eruption is not in an area with homes and is entirely contained within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The volcano’s alert level has been raised to warning and the aviation code changed to red. Officials say increased earthquake activity and ground swelling had been detected, and at that time raised the alert levels accordingly. Kilauea had a major eruption in 2018 that destroyed scores of homes and displaced thousands of residents.
September 30, 2021 4:13 am
A second hospital in Alaska is beginning to ration health care as the state deals with a spike in coronavirus cases. Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corp. in Bethel announced the move Wednesday as it reported it is operating at capacity. Rationing of care had already been imposed by Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage, which is the state’s largest hospital. Coronavirus infections in Alaska have risen 42% in the last week. The president of the Bethel region hospital says it did everything possible to delay rationing but had to take the step. Hospital CEO Dan Winkelman is urging “every resident of the Yukon-Kuskokwim region to get vaccinated, wear a mask in indoor public areas, and social distance.” He warns that “this is our last stand against this virus.”
September 30, 2021 4:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – With only hours to spare, Congress passed legislation that would avoid a partial federal shutdown and keep the government funded through Dec. 3. The bill now goes to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. The votes will help avert one crisis, but efforts to stave off a second crisis seem likely to continue for the next couple of weeks as Democrats and Republicans dig in on a dispute over how to raise the government’s borrowing cap. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says that failure to raise the debt limit will lead to a financial crisis and economic recession.
September 30, 2021 4:07 am
BURGETTSTOWN, Pa. — (WPXI) – If you’ve got tickets to an upcoming show at Star Lake, make sure you take your COVID-19 vaccination card or have proof you’ve tested negative. The venue announced the new rules on their website. Here’s the message in full:
“Starting October 4th, prior to entry into The Pavilion at Star Lake, ALL shows will require attendees to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result within 72 hours of the event OR full COVID-19 vaccination (at least two weeks after final dose). Proof must be a PRINTED copy of a negative test result or vaccination, or the original vaccination card.”
September 30, 2021 2:31 am
All Allegheny County employees will be required to get a COVID-19 vaccination, Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald announced Wednesday. Unvaccinated employees have until Dec. 1 to comply, subject to such exceptions as required by law. It’s the latest in an effort to promote the health and safety of Allegheny County’s workforce and to protect the public, Fitzgerald said in a news release. Employees will need to provide proof of vaccination to department management. While employees do not have to be considered fully vaccinated by Dec. 1, they will have to have received the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, or received the second dose of the two-shot Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, on or before Dec. 1st. On Dec. 2nd, anyone in violation of the requirement who does not meet any exception will face termination. Vaccinated employees who still get COVID-19 or have been ordered or directed to quarantine will also have an additional benefit of being provided 10 days of paid leave.
September 29, 2021 5:25 pm
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – West Virginia’s largest outdoor festival has been canceled, a week after a group representing parachutists bailed out. The Bridge Day Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to cancel the Oct. 16 event on the New River Gorge Bridge. A parachutists’ group organizer last week cited concerns about available health care in case of an emergency because of the coronavirus pandemic. He also was concerned whether enough bus drivers would be available to transport the parachutists. Bridge Day is the only day of the year that the nation’s third-highest bridge is open to pedestrian traffic. Last year’s event in Fayetteville was canceled due to the pandemic.
September 29, 2021 4:11 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Senior Pentagon officials say the collapse of the Afghan government and its security forces in August could be traced to a 2020 U.S. agreement with the Taliban that promised a complete U.S. troop withdrawal. Gen. Frank McKenzie, the head of Central Command, told the House Armed Services Committee that once the U.S. troop presence was pushed below 2,500 as part of President Joe Biden’s decision in April to complete a total withdrawal by September, the unraveling of the U.S.-backed Afghan government accelerated. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he agreed with McKenzie’s analysis.
