April 2, 2022 9:25 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Will Smith resigned Friday from the motion picture academy following his Oscars night slap of Chris Rock and said he would accept any further punishment the organization imposed. Smith’s resignation came two days after the academy met to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Smith for violations against the group’s standards of conduct. Film Academy President David Rubin says Smith’s resignation has been accepted and disciplinary proceedings will continue. On Sunday, Smith strode from his front-row Dolby Theatre seat on to the stage and smacked Rock, who had made a joke at the expense of Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
April 2, 2022 1:59 am
(WPXI) – Two children were stabbed in Pittsburgh’s Crawford-Roberts neighborhood Friday morning. Police said a man showed up at the Zone 2 police station along Centre Avenue before 7 a.m. with his 3-year-old son who was stabbed. That child was then taken to a hospital. Police said the father and police officers returned to a home in the 200 block of Dinwiddie Street, where a 7-year-old boy was also stabbed. Medics transported that child to the hospital, as well. Both children are in stable condition. Pittsburgh police said there was also a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old inside the home. They did not have any apparent injuries, police said, but were taken to a hospital as a precaution. Police said there is no threat to the public, and that everyone involved is in police custody and are being being interviewed.
April 2, 2022 1:59 am
District 12 of PennDot held a press conference to announce construction projects that will be taken on in 2022. Several projects are already underway and several more will be taking place. The reconstruction of Rt. 18 near Wylie Avenue will continue this year between Wylie Avenue and the I-70 eastbound ramps. That work will begin on April 6 and require a detour until June 16. The detour will take northbound motorists onto I-70 east to Murtland Avenue onto Rt. 19 north to I-70 west and back onto Rt. 18 from the Jefferson Avenue exit. A bridge replacement over I-70 near Speers will begin on April 4 and detours will be in place until the project is complete at the end of October. The reconstruction of the I-70 and PA 51 interchange will continue this year with a completion date of 2027. A traffic circle will go out to bid for the intersection of Valleybrook Road and Bebout Road in Peters Township. That bid will be issued in October with the project to be started and completed in 2023. Information on these and all other projects can be found on the PennDot website at www.PennDot.gov
April 1, 2022 5:20 pm
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) – COVID-19 hospitalization numbers have plunged to their lowest levels since the early days of the pandemic, offering a much needed break to health care workers and patients alike following the omicron surge. The number of patients hospitalized with the coronavirus has fallen more than 90% in more than two months, and some hospitals are going days without a single COVID-19 patient in the ICU for the first time since early 2020. The freed up beds are expected to help U.S. hospitals retain exhausted staff, treat non-COVID-19 patients more quickly and cut down on inflated costs. More family members can visit loved ones. And doctors hope to see a correction to the slide in pediatric visits, yearly checkups and cancer screenings.
April 1, 2022 5:18 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it’s ending a policy that limited asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The government says it’s already making plans to erect tents and take other steps to prepare for an expected influx of migrants. The continued use of public health powers had been widely criticized by Democrats and immigration advocates as an excuse for the United States to shirk its obligations to provide haven to people fleeing persecution. The policy went into effect under President Donald Trump in March 2020. Since then, migrants trying to enter the U.S. have been expelled more than 1.7 million times.
April 1, 2022 4:49 pm
NEW YORK (AP) – Amazon workers in Staten Island, New York, have voted to unionize, marking the first successful U.S. organizing effort in the retail giant’s history. Warehouse workers cast 2,654 votes in favor of a union, giving the fledgling Amazon Labor Union enough support to pull off a victory. According to the National Labor Relations Board, which is overseeing the process, 2,131 workers rejected the union bid. The 67 ballots that were challenged by either Amazon or the ALU were not enough to sway the outcome. The victory was an uphill battle for the ALU, made up of former and current workers who lacked official backing from an established union and were out-gunned by the deep-pocketed retail giant.
April 1, 2022 2:16 pm
(WPXI) – The Food and Drug Administration has announced the recall of two types of Suave antiperspirants because of high levels of a potential cancer-causing chemical. Unilever has voluntarily recalled Suave 24-hour Protection Aerosol Antiperspirant powder and fresh scents – because of unexpected levels of benzene in the propellant that sprays the antiperspirant out of the can. Benzene is considered a human carcinogen and exposure can happen by inhalation, orally or through the skin. It can cause cancers such as leukemia and blood cancer of the bone marrow. It can also cause other blood disorders, the FDA reported. Benzene is also found in the environment and people are exposed to it daily. The amount found in the recalled products is not expected to cause adverse health issues.
April 1, 2022 8:41 am
America’s employers extended a streak of robust hiring in March, adding 431,000 jobs in a sign of the economy’s resilience in the face of a still-destructive pandemic and the highest inflation in 40 years. The Labor Department’s report showed that last month’s job growth helped reduce the unemployment rate to 3.6%, the lowest level since the pandemic erupted two years ago. Despite the inflation surge, persistent supply bottlenecks, the damaging effects of COVID-19 and now a war in Europe, employers have added at least 400,000 jobs for 11 straight months.
April 1, 2022 4:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The House has approved a bill decriminalizing marijuana and letting states set their own policies on pot. The bill faces an uphill climb in the Senate and is unlikely to become law. But Friday’s vote gave lawmakers the chance to show their views on the legalization trend spreading across the country. Thirty-seven states and District of Columbia allow the medical use of cannabis products while 18 states and the District of Columbia allow for recreational marijuana. Democrats said the federal prohibition on marijuana has had particularly devastating consequences for minority communities. Republicans mostly opposed the bill and called it a distraction from more pressing issues.
April 1, 2022 4:10 am
DETROIT (AP) – General Motors is recalling nearly 682,000 small SUVs because the windshield wipers can fail. The recall covers the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain from the 2014 and 2015 model years. Ball joints in the wiper module can rust, causing one or both wipers to fail, increasing the risk of a crash. Dealers will inspect the module and repair or replace it. Owners will be notified by letter starting May 2nd. Ford is issuing two recalls covering over 737,000 vehicles to fix oil leaks and trailer braking systems that won’t work. The oil leak recall includes the 2020 through 2022 Ford Escape SUV and the 2021 and 2022 Bronco Sport SUV with 1.5-Liter engines. A housing can crack and oil can leak onto engine parts, possibly causing fires. The trailer brake recall includes F-150 pickups from 2021 and 2022, as well as the 2022 F-250, 350, 450 and 550. Also covered are the 2022 Maverick pickup, and Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator SUVs. A software error can stop trailers from braking.
