June 25, 2021 4:19 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden has announced a bipartisan agreement on a pared-down but still huge infrastructure plan. The agreement with a group of Republican and Democratic senators on Thursday would make a start on his top legislative priority and validate his efforts to reach across the political aisle. However, Biden acknowledged that Democrats will likely have to tackle much of his remaining agenda alone. The first package, with around a trillion dollars in new and existing spending, has rare bipartisan backing and could open the door to the president’s more sweeping $4 trillion proposals later on.
June 25, 2021 4:14 am
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Civil rights organizations and people who were part of a Biden campaign caravan last fall that was surrounded on a Texas highway by Trump supporters have filed two federal lawsuits, including allegations that local law enforcement failed to respond to efforts to intimidate them. Videos shared on social media from Oct. 30 show a group of cars and pickup trucks adorned with large Trump flags riding alongside the campaign bus as it traveled from San Antonio to Austin. The Trump supporters at times boxed in the bus. Plaintiffs, including former Texas Senator Wendy Davis, say police in San Marcos “turned a blind eye.” The lawsuits were filed Thursday.
June 25, 2021 4:11 am
SURFSIDE, Fla. (AP) – Officials say there are still 159 people unaccounted for after the partial collapse of a beachside building in Florida. Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava noted Friday that rescue officials were still searching for survivors. Raide Jadallah, an assistant Miami-Dade County fire chief, said rescue operations continued throughout the night. He said that 130 firefighters are working at the site. Miami-Dade Police Director Freddy Ramirez said they are working with the medical examiner’s office to identify four victims.
June 25, 2021 4:05 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Lawmakers are sending the governor a bill to let Pennsylvania parents decide whether to have their children repeat a year of school. It’s a measure designed to help children catch up after a year of schooling disrupted by the pandemic. The Senate voted 50 to 0 on Thursday for the proposal. It also would permit students in special education to return for another year, even if they have reached the maximum age of 21. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf hasn’t said if he’ll sign it. Under the bill, parents would have to decide by July 15 whether their child should repeat a grade.
June 25, 2021 4:05 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania’s plans for its share of coronavirus relief and a potential boost in education funding are among the issues being negotiated as lawmakers and the governor entered the final week of their budget year. Leaders say the budget could wrap up this weekend, but details are scanty as high-level negotiations continued Thursday inside the Capitol. The final days of budget talks invariably are accompanied by deals on other issues. For example, talks on whether to reauthorize mixed-drinks to go for restaurants are still being discussed. The state’s fiscal year ends on June 30.
June 25, 2021 4:02 am
Canon McMillan School Directors met Thursday evening and were greeted by roughly 50 residents. Parents and students packed the meeting room to hear just what school directors had to say about one particular subject for the next school year. It was not the budget; it was not the health and safety plan. Seven of the nine people that spoke wanted to offer their support for their candidate for varsity wrestling coach. Ron Dami, whose son is a wrestler stated that issues of nepotism may have come into play in trying to block who he and many others felt was the best candidate to coach. Ultimately the board reopened the interview process and hired Brian Krenzelak as head coach by a 7-2 roll call vote. Directors Darla Bowman Monaco and Bernard Price were the dissenters. In school district business items, directors unanimously passed a $95 million operating budget for the 2021-2022 school year without raising taxes. Assistant Superintendant Scott Chambers stated that the board worked countless hours to craft a budget that did not raise taxes, to be fair to residents because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Directors also approved the health and safety plan that calls for students to return to classrooms 5 days a week. Masks and vaccinations are optional and daily sanitation of buildings and buses will continue.
June 24, 2021 12:37 pm
NEW YORK (AP) – An appeals court has suspended Rudy Giuliani from practicing law in New York because he made false statements while trying to get courts to overturn Donald Trump’s loss in the presidential race. An attorney disciplinary committee said in its motion to suspend Giuliani’s license that there was “uncontroverted evidence” that Giuliani had made false statements to the courts, the public and lawmakers as he pushed theories that the election was stolen through fraud. The ruling, signed Thursday, will prevent Giuliani from representing clients as a lawyer. A message seeking comment about the ruling was sent Thursday to Giuliani and his lawyer.
June 24, 2021 9:52 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits dropped last week, a sign that layoffs declined and the job market is improving. The Labor Department said Thursday that jobless claims declined just 7,000 from the previous week to 411,000. The number of weekly applications for unemployment aid has fallen steadily this year from about 900,000 in January. The level of unemployment claims generally reflects the pace of layoffs.
June 24, 2021 7:50 am
SURFSIDE, Fla. (AP) – Part of a 12-story beachfront condo building has collapsed in a town outside Miami, killing at least one person while trapping others in rubble and twisted metal. Rescuers pulled dozens of survivors from the tower Thursday morning and continued to look for more. Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett warned during a news conference that the building manager told him the tower was quite full, and the death toll was likely to rise. Rescuers have pulled 35 people from the building. The mayor says two people were brought to the hospital and one died. Authorities did not say what may have caused the collapse. (Photo: AP)
June 24, 2021 4:58 am
Two people were flown to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh following a one-vehicle crash Wednesday evening along Interstate 79 in South Strabane Township. State Police say it happened near mile-marker 38 just after 6 p.m. A vehicle driven by 30 year old Drew Scholato of Washington was traveling south when it left the roadway and overturned in the center, grass median. Scholato was ejected. A passenger, 56 year old Gary Salansky of Jupiter, Florida climbed out of the vehicle. State Police do not believe either was wearing a seatbelt. There is no word on their conditions. The investigation is ongoing.
