September 16, 2021 3:24 am
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – West Virginia hospitals continue to be overrun with COVID-19 patients as the number of people seeking treatment for the virus hit a record of 893 at midweek. The 893 people hospitalized for the coronavirus Wednesday is 41 more than Monday’s record. That’s up from a total of 52 people hospitalized for the virus on July 4. Gov. Jim Justice says 745 of those hospitalized are unvaccinated – or about 85%. He said people who choose to be unvaccinated have made a bad choice. There have been 212 deaths reported this month statewide, far surpassing the total for all of August.
September 16, 2021 3:22 am
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (WPXI) — An increase in COVID-19 cases and staffing shortages are affecting local ER wait times and taking a toll on frontline workers, not only nationally but also locally. Parents reported to our news partners at Channel 11 that wait times at the emergency room of UPMC Children’s Hospital were up to eight hours before their children were seen. But officials say this issue is hardly unique and is a result of the pandemic. Across western Pennsylvania, emergency departments are slammed and staffing is short. The demand for care is higher now than it was months ago and even a year ago, and much of that is related to COVID-19 illness or the concern about it. Officials at UPMC Children’s Hospital ER said higher wait times can also be contributed to the ER being misused by parents, coming in to get their child tested for COVID-19, sprained ankles, runny nose and other non-life-threatening medical issues.
September 16, 2021 3:12 am
WASHINGTON, Pa. — The Washington County Commissioners have a new start time for their regular voting meetings each month, starting today. The usual meeting times for the agenda and voting meetings would normally occur Wednesday and Thursday mornings at 10:00 a.m. once a month. Due to an update to the state’s Sunshine Act signed into law by Governor Tom Wolf on June 30th, government agencies are required to post their agendas at least 24 hours before the vote. Moving forward, the agenda meeting will remain at 10:00 a.m on Wednesdays, followed by a 2:00 p.m. voting meeting the next day each month. The County Commissioners will continue to meet in the first-floor conference room in Courthouse Square.
September 16, 2021 1:57 am
A Florida teen has been arrested for calling in a bomb threat at Canon-McMillan High School last week. The Bay County Sheriff’s Office posted on its Facebook page that 14-year-old Alex Solorio of Panama City, Florida, has been charged with making a false bomb threat on September 9th. Police in Florida, working with North Strabane Township Police, discovered that Solorio was the one who called in the threat at Canon-McMillan High School. In return, a student here had agreed to call a threat in to Arnold High School in Florida. Solorio is facing charges for making a false bomb threat in Florida and North Strabane. Police said more charges are expected and the Washington County District Attorney’s Office says it has not ruled out charges at this time. Canon-McMillan sent a statement to parents Wednesday saying the school supports prosecution to the greatest extent of the law following “the significant disruption caused by this senseless act.”
September 15, 2021 12:59 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles has told Congress that “enough is enough” in emotional testimony along with other young gymnasts about her sexual abuse at the hands of USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar. Biles used congressional testimony Wednesday to blame not only the gymnastics organization but also federal law enforcement that “turned a blind eye” to the crimes as hundreds of young athletes were abused. The hearing is part of a congressional effort to hold the FBI accountable after multiple missteps in investigating the case – including the delays that allowed Nassar to abuse additional young gymnasts.
September 15, 2021 9:14 am
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) – Cabbage Patch Kids touched off the first big holiday toy craze nearly 40 years ago. Now the dolls are among 12 finalists vying for induction into the National Toy Hall of Fame. The finalists were announced Wednesday at The Strong museum in Rochester, which houses the hall. The finalists also include five games: Battleship, Risk, The Settlers of Catan, Mahjong and billiards. Rounding out the list are the pinata, sand, toy fire truck, American Girl Dolls, Masters of the Universe and Fisher-Price Corn Popper. Three will be inducted in November. Fans are invited to weigh in as part of a “Player’s Choice” ballot that closes Sept. 22.
September 15, 2021 9:13 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden says nearly 3 million consumers took advantage of a special six-month period to sign up for private health insurance coverage made more affordable by his COVID-19 relief law. Biden ordered the HealthCare.gov marketplace to reopen Feb. 15 for six months to give people who lost their jobs and health care benefits due to the pandemic the opportunity to buy coverage for themselves and their families. Otherwise, they would have had to wait until November, the annual sign-up season for the Affordable Care Act. The coverage became more affordable due to enhanced subsidies in Biden’s COVID-19 relief law.
September 15, 2021 9:11 am
NOTTINGHAM TOWNSHIP, Pa. — A Bentleyville man was killed in a crash Tuesday afternoon. Reports say the crash happened around 3:00 p.m. on Sugar Run Road in Nottingham Township. Officials say Carl Yates, 85, was on Sichi Hill Road when he reached the intersection with Sugar Run Road and didn’t stop at a stop sign. Police say his vehicle went off the road and hit a tree. Reports say Yates died of injuries he suffered in the crash before he could be taken to an area hospital.
September 15, 2021 3:19 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – North Korea has fired two ballistic missiles into waters off its eastern coast two days after claiming to have tested a newly developed missile in its first such weapons displays in six months. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the ballistic missiles were launched Wednesday afternoon. Japan’s coast guard says they landed outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone between Japan and the Korean Peninsula. Seoul said South Korean and U.S. intelligence authorities are analyzing more details about the launches. They came as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is in Seoul for meetings with South Korean leaders. It’s unusual for North Korea to make provocative launches when China, its last major ally and biggest aid provider, is engaged in major diplomatic events.
September 15, 2021 3:18 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – House Democrats have begun the serious work of trying to implement President Joe Biden’s expansive spending plan. But getting there will require remarkable legislative nimbleness, since Biden has said the revenue to pay for it must come only from Americans who earn more than $400,000 a year. Republicans have vowed lockstep opposition to the plan, and they are turning their anger against proposed tax breaks they portray as subsidies for wealthy elites rather than help for the poor and middle class. Electric vehicles became a rallying symbol as class-warfare overtones echoed through a committee session Tuesday.
