August 6, 2021 2:54 am
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – The Ohio Attorney General’s Office has rejected summary language in a petition to legalize marijuana use and sales in the state. Attorney General Dave Yost on Thursday listed seven deficiencies in the petition filed by a group called Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol. Among the technical problems Yost cited in the summary language was that it fails to inform signers of the petition about the measure’s “character and limitations.” The group wants to make it legal for adults 21 and older to buy and possess 2.5 ounces (71 grams) of marijuana and grow as many as six plants inside their homes.
August 5, 2021 5:36 pm
(AP) – The nation’s top aviation regulator is asking local officials to consider filing criminal charges more often against people who act up during airline flights. Federal Aviation Administration chief Stephen Dickson says airline crews often ask police to meet their plane when it lands because of unruly passengers. In some cases, flight attendants report being assaulted. Dickson says many of the passengers are interviewed by police and then released without any charges. He calls that a missed opportunity to hold passengers accountable for dangerous behavior.
August 5, 2021 8:55 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell last week by 14,000 to 385,000. It’s the latest evidence that the economy and the job market are rebounding briskly from the coronavirus recession. The Labor Department says unemployment claims – a proxy for layoffs – dropped from a revised 399,000 the week before. The applications have mostly fallen steadily since topping 900,000 in early January. Still, they remain high by historic levels. Before the pandemic slammed the United States in March 2020, they were coming in at around 220,000 a week.
August 5, 2021 4:14 am
(AP) – Investigators say an overloaded van carrying 29 migrants has crashed on a remote South Texas highway, killing at least 10 people, including the driver, and injuring 20 others. The crash happened shortly after 4 p.m. Wednesday on U.S. 281 in Encino, about 50 miles north of McAllen. Sgt. Nathan Brandley of the Texas Department of Public Safety says the van, designed to hold 15 passengers, was speeding when the driver lost control of the top-heavy van on a curve, slamming into a metal utility pole and a stop sign. Brooks County Sheriff Urbino Martinez said the passengers were migrants.
August 5, 2021 4:14 am
GREENVILLE, Calif. (AP) – A fast-moving wildfire has engulfed a Northern California town, leveling much of the downtown and several homes. The Dixie Fire tore through the Greenville on Wednesday evening, destroying businesses and homes as the sky was cast in an orange glow. A photographer on assignment for The Associated Press described seeing a gas station, hotel and local bar burned to the ground in the town of 800 people. The 3-week-old fire has grown to over 428 square miles across Plumas and Butte counties.
August 5, 2021 4:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says his Republicans will oppose raising the federal debt limit if Democrats pursue their $3.5 trillion plan to strengthen social and environment programs. The Kentucky Republican’s threat was the most explicit he’s been about his desire to force Democrats into either of two unpalatable options. They could either take the politically unpopular step of unilaterally renewing the government’s ability borrowing authority, or to pare back President Joe Biden’s domestic policy agenda. His remarks suggest a showdown between the two parties, with the government’s financial soundness in the balance, may loom.
August 5, 2021 4:11 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Biden administration is taking the first steps toward requiring nearly all foreign visitors to the U.S. to be vaccinated for the coronavirus. That’s according to a White House official who previewed the developing policy. The requirement would come as part of the administration’s phased approach to easing travel restrictions for foreign citizens to the country. No timeline has yet been determined, as interagency working groups study how and when to safely move toward resuming normal travel. Eventually all foreign citizens entering the country, with some limited exceptions, are expected to need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to enter the U.S.
August 5, 2021 4:04 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – Pittsburgh Police detectives are asking for help finding a missing, endangered woman who may be traveling to Greene County. Investigators said Tonya Prevade, 37, is about 5 feet 6 inches tall, 185 pounds and has brown hair and blue eyes. She has a distinctive blue face piercing on her right cheek and police said she may be wearing glasses. She was last seen in the Carrick neighborhood around 12:30 a.m. Police said she may be heading to Greene County in a 2019 Toyota Tacoma with Pennsylvania license plate ZKM-7511. If you have any information, you’re asked to call police.
August 5, 2021 3:30 am
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) – Penn State University says it will require students, staff and visitors at all its campuses to wear masks while indoors. Wednesday’s announcement came as the state deals with a surge in coronavirus cases. Pennsylvania is now reporting more than 1,000 cases of COVID-19 per day, nearly tripling over the past two weeks. Penn State officials say the reinstated masking rule will apply to everyone, regardless of vaccination status. The school is also urging students and employees to get vaccinated. Officials say anyone not fully vaccinated by Aug. 9 will be required to undergo virus testing during the fall semester.
August 5, 2021 3:03 am
Washington County President Judge John DiSalle issued an administrative order on Wednesday that mandates the wearing of masks when inside the Washington County Courthouse. DiSalle’s order comes on the heels of Washington County having entered into the “substantial” level of transmission risk for COVID-19. DiSalle’s order states that everyone, regardless of vaccination status, must wear a mask inside of the building. His order also states that judicial officers will have the discretion to limit the number of individuals present in a courtroom or judicial facility in order to allow for social distancing. DiSalle also authorized the Washington County Sheriff’s Office to enforce his orders.
