December 18, 2021 3:59 am
Federal environmental officials have announced a $1 billion infusion to the Superfund program. The money comes from the infrastructure billáthat President Joe Biden recently signed into law. It’ll help officials tackle a backlog of highly polluted Superfund sites in 24 states. Nearly 50 toxic waste sites will be cleaned up, and ongoing work at dozens of others will get a funding boost. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan made the announcement Friday at a Superfund site in Philadelphia. He says most of the sites are in minority communities that have suffered disproportionately from contamination.
December 18, 2021 3:54 am
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) – The jury that will weigh 11 charges of fraud and conspiracy against former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes finally got the case late Friday after a three-month trial that captivated Silicon Valley. The hand-off came after lawyers for the opposing sides wrapped up a second day of painstaking final arguments to sum up their respective interpretations of the evidence submitted to the jury. That included the testimony of 32 witnesses – including Holmes herself – and more than 900 exhibits. The eight men and four women on the jury began their deliberations late on Friday and will take the weekend off before resuming Monday morning.
December 18, 2021 3:51 am
All the former hostages from a U.S.-based missionary group kidnapped in Haiti have been flown out of the country after a two-month ordeal and are “doing reasonably well.” That’s according to a statement Friday by the head of Christian Aid Ministries, the Ohio-based missions organization. David Troyer, its general director, also says the organization is offering forgiveness to the captors. The group was kidnapped Oct. 16 by the 400 Mawozo gang. The last 12 hostages were freed Thursday, following the release of the other five previously. Details on the circumstances surrounding their release, such as whether ransom was paid, have not been made public.
December 18, 2021 3:47 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – The Republican-controlled state House of Representatives still lacks the votes to block the centerpiece of Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan to fight climate change, a cap-and-trade program to clamp down on carbon dioxide emissions from power plants. Wednesday’s vote, 130-70, was on a resolution that Wolf can veto. The authorizing regulation would make Pennsylvania the first major fossil fuel state to adopt carbon pricing. It can take effect if both the House and Senate cannot must a two-thirds majority to override the veto. A Senate vote in late October to disapprove the policy, like the House’s vote Wednesday, was just short of the number needed to override a gubernatorial veto.
December 18, 2021 3:45 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – The Legislative Reapportionment Commission is advancing new preliminary Pennsylvania state House and Senate maps over objections from the state House’s Republican leader. The Legislative Reapportionment Commission voted 5-0 for the Senate map and 3-2 for the House map on Thursday. A vote on the final maps is likely a month or more away. The approval on Thursday is a key step in the once-in-a-decade process that will reverberate politically for years to come. There are about two months left before candidates are scheduled to begin circulating nominating petitions to get on the May 17 primary ballot.
December 18, 2021 3:25 am
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents that there is a telephone scam making its way around the county and they are urging residents to be aware of it. Sheriff’s officials say the caller identifies him or herself as a Washington County Sheriff’s Deputy and advises the resident that they have missed jury duty and are in contempt of court and can face fines. The caller then advises the resident that they can pay the fines with cash or gift cards. The sheriff’s office says they would never call residents in that manner and should anyone have any legitimate concerns over a jury summons, they should contact the court administrator or the jury management office.
December 17, 2021 7:35 am
The Washington County Coroner’s office says an Aliquippa woman was killed following a crash along Route 22 near Mile Marker 1 around 2 a.m. Friday. According to the coroner’s office, 47 year old Lori Ann Dickey was traveling east when her vehicle crossed the center median and entered the westbound lanes. Her vehicle then collided with an oncoming tractor trailer. She exited her vehicle and began to approach the operator of the tractor trailer when she was struck by another vehicle. She was pronounced dead at the scene. State Police continue to investigate and are not releasing any other information involving that third vehicle.
December 17, 2021 4:23 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Biden administration is asking the Supreme Court to block lower court orders that are keeping President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate for health care workers from going into effect in about half of the states. The administration asked the justices to allow the “urgently needed health and safety measure to take effect before the winter spike in COVID-19 cases worsens further.” It said the requirement “will save hundreds or even thousands of lives each month.” Two federal appeals court have kept the mandate blocked in a total of 24 states.
December 17, 2021 4:21 am
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) – Authorities say the body of a Kentucky teenager has been found after a tornado ravaged her neighborhood. Nyssa Brown was the seventh member of her family to die in the tornado that hit Bowling Green last week. A coroner says the 13-year-old’s body was found Thursday in a wooded area near her subdivision. The girl’s parents, three siblings ranging in age from 4 to 16, and a grandmother also died in the tornado. Kirby says eight children were among the 12 victims who died on a single street. The teen’s death pushes the total of storm-related casualties in five states to 90, including 76 in Kentucky.
December 17, 2021 4:19 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – “Sex and the City” actor Chris Noth has been accused of sexually assaulting two women, who shared their accounts with the trade publication The Hollywood Reporter. Noth denies the allegations, saying his interactions with the women in 2004 and 2015 were “consensual.” The actor isn’t under criminal investigation over the allegations. Noth questioned the timing of the allegations, which come days after he reprised his Mr. Big character in the “Sex and the City” sequel “And Just Like That.” One of the women said the new show prompted her to go public.
