September 4, 2021 4:43 am
PHOENIX (AP) – An Arizona man who sported face paint, no shirt and a furry hat with horns when he joined the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 pleaded guilty Friday to a felony charge. Jacob Chansley is now seeking release from jail while he awaits sentencing. Chansley was among the first wave of pro-Trump rioters to force its way into the Capitol building and was widely photographed in the Senate chamber with a flagpole topped with a spear. A prosecutor estimated Chansley would face 41 to 51 months in prison under sentencing guidelines. He has been jailed for nearly eight months since his arrest.
September 3, 2021 4:24 am
MIAMI (AP) – Florida is reporting its deadliest peak since the pandemic began, surpassing previous coronavirus surges in the state. Data provided to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals that at least eight days in August have produced more daily deaths than at the last peak in August 2020. The typical lag times in the reporting of deaths means the true toll of the pandemic can take weeks to come to light. The figures show the seven-day average in daily deaths reached 244 last month, as compared with their highest previous rate of 227 in August 2020. The numbers for mid to late August of this year could still rise as the Florida Department of Health reports more data to the federal government.
September 3, 2021 4:22 am
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – Almost instantly after most abortions were banned in Texas, Democrats were decrying the new law as unconstitutional, an assault on women’s health that must be challenged. But the reaction from many Republicans on the other side hasn’t been nearly as emphatic. Wary of political backlash, a number of GOP candidates and officeholders are minimizing the meaning of the Supreme Court’s Wednesday midnight decision that allowed the bill to take effect. A few are even slamming the court and the law. Polls show a solid majority of Americans favor at least some basic access to abortion.
September 3, 2021 4:20 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – America’s employers added just 235,000 jobs in August, a surprisingly weak gain after two months of robust hiring. The number reported by the Labor Department Friday fell far short of the roughly 940,000 that employers had added in each of the previous two months, when widespread vaccinations allowed the economy to fully reopen from pandemic restrictions. Still, the number of job openings remains at record levels, and hiring is expected to stay solid in the coming months. The unemployment rate dropped to 5.2% from 5.4% in July.
September 3, 2021 4:19 am
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (AP) – Fire crews are taking advantage of decreasing winds to battle a California wildfire near Lake Tahoe but dry weather and a weekend warming trend mean the battle is far from over. The Caldor Fire remains only a few miles from South Lake Tahoe, which was emptied of 22,000 residents days ago, along with casinos and shops across the state line in Nevada. However, fire crews say they’re steadily carving out fire lines and making progress as gusty winds ease. However, the fire danger continues because of extremely dry weather Friday and a warming trend expected over the weekend.
September 3, 2021 4:18 am
NEW ORLEANS (AP) – The death toll from Hurricane Ida has climbed, with the loss of three nursing home residents blamed on the storm. Tens of thousands of struggling Louisiana residents, meanwhile, have sought financial relief and other help from the federal government. President Joe Biden was scheduled to visit the state Friday to survey the damage after promising full federal support to Gulf states and the Northeast, where the remnants of Ida dumped record-breaking rain and killed at least 46 people from Maryland to Connecticut. At least 13 deaths were blamed on the storm in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, including the three nursing home residents who had been relocated to a warehouse in Louisiana ahead of the storm.
September 3, 2021 4:14 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – The CEO of Chrome Federal credit union told our news partners at Channel 11 they had good intentions when they rolled out a plan to help the less fortunate. But outcry from customers quickly had this program shutting down. “I’m all about helping people, but you didn’t ask us,” said Lexy Simpson. Simpson was one of dozens of union members who reached out to Channel 11 upset over seeing what they thought was a new fee on their bank statements. She went to the nearest location to start asking questions and found a long line of customers in a similar situation. A dollar was collected from every member each month and would be put in a community impact fund. That fund could then help credit union members who were facing hardships. Chrome’s CEO said the money was going to customers who took a financial hit during the pandemic. He said they followed proper regulations in notifying customers of the new fee, but acknowledged it was not effective. He said the money will be refunded to all customers and there will be an apology issued. The money should be back in customers’ accounts by end of business Friday.
September 3, 2021 2:30 am
COVID deaths and infections in Washington County continue to climb. Washington County has added another new COVID death, bringing the death toll to 320, There were also 150 new infections reported, bringing the overall total to 19,576. Across Pennsylvania, health officials reported one of the highest daily totals in several months. There were 4,816 new cases along with 90 new deaths. Hospitalizations across the state are going up as well, with more than eighteen-hundred individuals hospitalized and 481 of those patients in the intensive care unit. Vaccinations continue to remain rather stagnant, even with the FDA approval of the Pfizer vaccine. State health officials say sixty-six-percent of eligible adults have been fully vaccinated.
September 2, 2021 10:25 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell last week to 340,000, a pandemic low, another sign that the job market is steadily rebounding from the economic collapse caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Jobless claims dropped by 14,000. Vaccinations for COVID-19 have been supporting the job market by encouraging businesses to reopen or expand hours and consumers to return to restaurants, bars and shops. In response, employers across the country have been boosting hiring to meet a surge in consumer demand. Still, a resurgence of cases tied to the highly contagious delta variant has clouded the economic outlook.
September 2, 2021 4:22 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Millions of jobless Americans who have depended on federal unemployment aid as a financial lifeline are about to lose those benefits just as the delta variant of the coronavirus poses a renewed threat to the economy and the job market. Two programs – one that provides jobless aid to self-employed and gig workers, the other to people who’ve been unemployed for more than six months – will expire Monday. As a result, an estimated 8.9 million people will lose these weekly benefit payments. An additional 2.1 million people will lose a $300-a-week federal supplemental unemployment payment, which also expires Monday. These recipients will continue to receive state unemployment benefits.
