January 20, 2022 2:36 am
(WPXI) – The I-79 North on-ramp in South Fayette coming from Bridgeville was temporarily closed Wednesday afternoon due to a “public safety issue,” according to officials. That incident turned out to be the body of a man found alongside the roadway. Investigators said multiple 911 calls were placed by people passing by saying they could see a man’s body slumped over the guardrail just before the highway entrance. Police said the man was dead by the time they arrived. Authorities say the man was 69 years old, but his identity is not being released yet. Officials said they’re not sure how the man got there. They said he could have walked but they’re also not ruling out any vehicles being involved. Troopers said the man may have died from natural causes and there was no obvious trauma to his body.
January 19, 2022 5:37 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – At a Wednesday news conference to mark his first year in office, President Joe Biden is admitting that the pandemic has exhausted and demoralized many Americans. Yet Biden also struck a defensive tone as he acknowledged that he could get “big chunks” of his stalled economic agenda passed into law before the 2022 midterm elections. He stressed that voters would back him so long as they were informed, something he plans to do this year by traveling the country. Biden also discussed the situation with Ukraine, saying he believes Vladimir Putin doesn’t want full blown war in Ukraine and would pay a “dear price” if he moves forward with a military incursion. Biden, speaking at a news conference to mark his one-year anniversary in office, also said he believes that Russia is preparing to take action on Ukraine, though he doesn’t think Putin has made a final decision. He suggested that he would limit Russia’s access to the international banking system if it did further invade Ukraine. He said: “I’m not so sure that he is certain what is he going to do,” adding, “My guess is he will move in.” (Photo: ABC News)
January 19, 2022 2:52 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Biden administration will begin making 400 million N95 masks available for free to Americans starting next week. The step comes after federal officials emphasized the masks’ better protection against the omicron variant of COVID-19 over cloth face coverings. The White House said Wednesday the masks will come from the government’s Strategic National Stockpile, which has more than 750 million of the highly protective masks on hand. The masks will be available for pickup at pharmacies and community health centers across the country. The White House says the masks will begin shipping this week for distribution starting late next week. (Photo: AP)
January 19, 2022 11:35 am
Authorities in Greene County are investigating the cause of an early morning fire in Franklin Township that destroyed somewhat of a landmark there. According to reports, the blaze broke out just before five o’clock in the old skating rink. The building was no longer being used as a skating rink, but was housing several small businesses and apartments. There’s been no word on any injuries or how the fire started. (Photo courtesy of Randy Laskody)
January 19, 2022 4:14 am
UNDATED (AP) – The Biden administration has announced the release of $14 billion to the Army Corps of Engineers to fund 500 projects aimed at easing the supply chain problem. The spending stems largely from President Joe Biden’s $1 trillion infrastructure deal. The projects include upgrades to improve shipping on the Ohio River, the Port of Long Beach in California and Norfolk Harbor in Virginia. That’s according to a White House fact sheet. U.S. ports have struggled to manage the inflow of container ships and move containers onto trucks as the economy recovered from the pandemic, prompting delays in sending goods to consumers and higher prices.
January 19, 2022 4:11 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Fred Parris, the lead singer of the 1950s harmony group the Five Satins and composer of the classic doo-wop ballad “In the Still of the Night,” has died at age 85. Released in 1956, “In the Still of the Night” only reached No. 24 on the Billboard pop charts but became a multimillion seller through reissues and appearances on compilation and soundtrack albums. It now helps define an era of harmony groups along with such favorites as the Penguins’ “Earth Angel” and the Cadillacs’ “Speedoo.” The Five Satins were elected into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2003. (Photo: Facebook)
January 19, 2022 4:10 am
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – Major international airlines have canceled flights heading to the U.S. or changed the planes they’re using. The moves Wednesday represented the latest complication in a dispute over concerns that 5G mobile phone service could interfere with aircraft technology. Carriers took widely different approaches to the brewing crisis affecting international travel, from Emirates drastically reducing its U.S.-bound flights to Air France saying it would fly as normal. It wasn’t immediately clear why the airlines made those decisions – or whether they took into account a pause in the rollout of the new high-speed wireless service near key airports. But some said they received warnings from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration or Boeing that the plane maker’s 777 was particularly affected.
January 19, 2022 4:07 am
The Peters Township School Board voted to maintain its universal mask requirement for students and staff with their most recent update to their health and safety plan. Directors voted on two options on keeping masks in schools and the least restrictive of the options was approved. The 5-4 roll call vote approved masks in schools as long as Washington County is in a high level of community transmission based on the PA Early Warning Monitoring Dashboard. Masks will become strongly recommended once the county enters substantial or low levels of community transmission. According to Superintendent Dr. Jeannine French, the dashboard is updated weekly on Monday. If Washington County were to enter into substantial or low levels of transmission, parents would be notified of the change in mask requirements on the district website and by an email blast letting them know the change would take effect two days later on Wednesday. Directors are not concerned about a yo-yo effect of moving in and out of masking requirements. It is their feeling that once cases trend downward, they will maintain that downward trend, so they feel it is unlikely that masks would be optional one week and required the next.
January 19, 2022 2:27 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Biden administration on Tuesday quietly launched its website for Americans to request free at-home COVID-19 tests, a day before the site was scheduled to officially launch. The website, COVIDTests.gov, now includes a link for Americans to order four tests per residential address, to be delivered by the Postal Service. It marks the latest step by President Joe Biden to address criticism of low inventory and long lines for testing during a nationwide surge in COVID-19 cases due to the omicron varian. A White House official website is “currently in its beta phase” and operating at a “limited capacity ahead of its official launch” on Wednesday. To order your free COVID-19 tests, click here COVIDTests.gov.
January 19, 2022 2:14 am
(WPXI) – Pittsburgh Police and Pittsburgh School Police are at Oliver Citywide Academy in Marshall-Shadeland after a student was shot on a school van outside the school. Pittsburgh Public Schools confirm that two people approached the van at dismissal and fired shots into the van. PPS says that a student, a 15-year-old boy, was in the van and taken to the hospital. Police say that the victim was shot twice in the chest. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
