August 27, 2021 4:23 am
MIAMI (AP) – Tropical Storm Ida has prompted a hurricane warning for New Orleans and an emergency declaration for the state of Louisiana as it pushes across the Caribbean toward an anticipated strike on Cuba Friday. Forecasters say Ida could be near major hurricane strength by the time it reaches the northern Gulf Coast. That’s projected to happen sometime late Sunday or early Monday. Tropical Storm Ida is expected to bring heavy rainfall to parts of Jamaica, the Cayman Islands and Cuba. Dangerous storm surge is possible for the Gulf Coast depending on the tide by the time the system reaches the U.S.
August 27, 2021 4:22 am
UNDATED (AP) – President Joe Biden’s national security team has told the president that another terror attack is “likely” in Kabul, and that “maximum force protection” measures are being taken at the airport in the Afghan capital. White House press secretary Jen Psaki did not go into detail on the assessment Biden received from his team one day after an Islamic State suicide bomber killed 13 U.S. service members and scores of Afghans outside the airport. Psaki says the next few days of the mission to evacuate Americans and vulnerable Afghans fleeing Taliban rule “will be the most dangerous period to date.” Biden has said he intends to complete the evacuation by Tuesday’s deadline.
August 27, 2021 4:20 am
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) – Evacuation flights from Afghanistan have resumed with new urgency a day after two suicide bombings targeted the thousands of desperate people fleeing the Taliban’s takeover. The U.S. says further attempted attacks are expected ahead of the Tuesday deadline for foreign troops to leave, ending America’s longest war. Kabul residents say several fights took off Friday morning. Thursday’s bombings near Kabul’s international airport killed at least 60 Afghans and 13 U.S. troops, Afghan and U.S. officials said, in the deadliest day for U.S. forces in Afghanistan in a decade.
August 27, 2021 4:15 am
BURGETTSTOWN, Pa. – (WPXI) – Confusion and frustration are reported at The Pavilion at Star Lake as KISS fans flocked to the venue to see the band take the stage. KISS member Paul Stanley reportedly tested positive for COVID-19. Our news partners at Channel 11 say the gates were scheduled to open at 6 p.m. but they were closed and there was nobody there. LiveNation’s website simply had a banner that says the show was rescheduled. Calls to both LiveNation and Star Lake were unanswered. Around 7:30 p.m. a social media message from Star Lake said the show will be rescheduled.
August 27, 2021 2:51 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Top Republican lawmakers have rejected Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s call for legislation mandating masks in schools, saying it should remain a local decision. Leaders of the GOP-controlled House and Senate said Thursday that many local officials had already made decisions about masking in schools. The Republican response came one day after Wolf asked GOP leaders to summon lawmakers to Harrisburg to pass legislation requiring schools and child care facilities to require masks in classrooms.
August 27, 2021 2:34 am
Funeral Services were held Thursday at Immaculate Conception Church for Washington County District Attorney Gene Vittone. Vittone, who was sixty-one, died Saturday after a year-long battle with lung cancer. A procession from the Warco-Falvo Funeral Home stopped in front of the Washington County Courthouse to allow the county’s judges and others who were close to Vittone to join and continue on to the church. Vittone had served as district attorney since 2012, after 12 years as an assistant district attorney. Vittone leaves behind his wife Jane Ann and two children. Jason Walsh, the county’s first assistant district attorney says he has been notified that he will be filling out Vittone’s term, but said he’s not concentrating on that now. He says the focus needs to be on Vittone’s family.
August 26, 2021 11:40 am
Washington County’s Register of Wills is facing a preliminary hearing next month on a misdemeanor charge for allegedly bringing a gun into the Washington County Courthouse. The Washington County Sheriff’s Department filed the weapons possession charge on Tuesday, after a sheriff’s deputy who was monitoring the X-ray machine at the entrance to the courthouse saw a pistol in Roman’s bag. Roman has called the incident an accident. He says he has a concealed carry permit and usually leaves the gun in his vehicle. Roman, along with other row officers, have often been at odds with Washington County Commissioners and other county officials over procedural issues, including Controller Mike Namie. Roman’s preliminary hearing has been set for September 27th in front of District Magistrate Robert Redlinger.
August 26, 2021 4:17 am
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) – New York’s new governor is acknowledging that the state has had nearly 12,000 more deaths from COVID-19 than former Gov. Andrew Cuomo told the public. Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office says almost 55,400 people have died of the coronavirus in New York based on death certificate data submitted to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s up from about 43,400 that Cuomo reported to the public as of Monday, his last day in office.
August 26, 2021 4:14 am
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) – Just over half of Florida’s 2.8 million public school students now face mandates to wear masks in classrooms. More districts are defying Gov. Ron DeSantis amid a courtroom battle over the Republican’s efforts to leave such decisions to parents. The Orange County School Board voted to tighten its mask mandate through October. That makes at least 10 of Florida’s largest districts who say they’re following federal public health recommendations to reduce coronavirus infections. Meanwhile in Tallahassee, a three day hearing is wrapping up on a lawsuit by parents who want strict mask rules to keep their kids safe.
August 26, 2021 4:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The House committee investigating the January insurrection at the U.S. Capitol is demanding a trove of records from federal intelligence and law enforcement agencies. The requests show the sweep of the lawmakers’ review of the deadly attack by a mob of Donald Trump supporters. The committee is seeking information about events leading up to the Jan. 6 riot, including communication within the White House under then-President Trump and other agencies, and information about planning and funding for rallies held in Washington.
