July 18, 2021 7:45 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump’s false claims of a stolen election have been debunked by the courts, his own Justice Department and scores of recounts. But in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, where Trump lost by 80,000 votes eight months ago, they’re finding new signs of life. A Republican state lawmaker, bolstered by support from top Republican candidates, has launched a push for a “forensic investigation” of the presidential election results, a review modeled on the widely discredited process underway in Arizona. The effort is likely to face legal challenges and is still limited to three counties, where it is getting pushback even from Republican commissioners. But its march forward is forcing many to stop viewing it as one lawmaker’s pet project and take it seriously. The audit has fast become a litmus test in an election cycle where an open governor’s office and an open U.S. Senate seat — the political equivalent of a blue moon — have triggered fiercely competitive Republican primaries.
July 18, 2021 7:42 am
MCKEESPORT, Pa. — Residents in part of McKeesport have been advised not to use water after firefighting efforts possibly contaminated the drinking water system. The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County issued the Do Not Use advisory early Saturday morning for about 500 customers in the Lower 10th Ward, as well as the streets between 5th Avenue and the Monongahela River, among other places. The advisory stated that firefighting foam containing perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are synthetic chemicals, and glycol, may have been sucked into a fire hydrant Friday during an emergency incident, introducing it into the drinking water system. PFAS and glycol in drinking water may be a serious health concern. Officials also say those chemicals can’t be removed by boiling, freezing or letting the water stand, so they say to use bottled water or alternative sources for drinking, bathing, hand washing, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, cooking, or food preparation until further notice. This possibly happened during efforts to put out a fire at McKeesport Auto Body on Rebecca Avenue on Friday. As MAWC awaits test results, a flushing program was started to purge the system Saturday morning as a precaution.
July 18, 2021 4:07 am
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported Friday that 11.3 million vaccines have been administered, and 61.5% of Pennsylvania adults have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The state reported 415 additional positive COVID-19 cases, bringing the statewide total to 1,215,767. The state also recorded an additional four deaths, bringing the statewide total death attributed to COVID-19 to 27,786.
July 18, 2021 1:02 am
WASHINGTON, Pa – The State Police Fire Marshall was called to the scene of a fire at Lombardi’s Auto Body along Highland Avenue in the City of Washington Friday afternoon. According to Washington County 911, the fire broke out around 5:00 p.m. after a car caught fire inside the shop. Crews quickly handled the blaze and remained on scene to ventilate the building and check for hot spots. No update on a cause or if there were any injuries.
July 17, 2021 4:45 am
DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) – A 50-year-old employee has died after falling from an elevated catwalk at a Detroit-area steel company. Dearborn police say the man was pronounced dead at the former AK Steel facility following the fall which occurred about 3:15 a.m. Friday. Police add that foul play is not suspected, and Michigan’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has been notified and will be conducting a thorough investigation. A company spokeswoman says the worker was conducting a maintenance activity at the time he fell. The employee was a resident of Dearborn, just west of Detroit.
July 17, 2021 4:38 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Advocates are calling on Congress and President Joe Biden to act quickly on legislation that would provide a path to citizenship to hundreds of thousands of young immigrants after a federal judge in Texas ordered the end to an Obama-era program that protects them from deportation. The ruling Friday keeps the program in place for existing recipients but bars the government from approving any new applications. U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen ruled in favor of Texas and eight other conservative states that sued to halt the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, also known as DACA, which provides limited protections to about 650,000 people.
July 17, 2021 4:30 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – A cooped-up flock of law-breaking Philadelphians continued to grow in number and prosper during the pandemic. Thousands of chickens are being raised citywide, according to one estimate, despite a 2004 ordinance designed to eliminate the practice. This particular urban farming trend is becoming more popular, as penned-up residents look to the unconventional pets as a diversion during the lockdown and by concerns among increasingly health-conscious consumers about the source and quality of their food.
July 17, 2021 4:24 am
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Forecasters say dry, unstable and windy conditions will keep fueling a massive wildfire in southern Oregon. The largely uncontained blaze grows by miles each day. The Bootleg Fire was just one of numerous wildfires burning across the U.S. West. Crews had to flee the fire lines of the Oregon blaze late Thursday after a dangerous “fire cloud” started to collapse, threatening them with strong downdrafts and flying embers. An initial review Friday showed the Bootleg Fire destroyed 67 homes and 117 outbuildings overnight in one county. Authorities were still counting the losses in a second county where the flames are surging up to 4 miles a day.
July 17, 2021 4:18 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Biz Markie, a hip-hop staple known for his beatboxing prowess, turntable mastery and the 1989 classic “Just a Friend,” has died. He was 57. Markie’s representative, Jenni Izumi, said the rapper-DJ died peacefully Friday evening with his wife by his side. The cause of death has not been released. Markie, who real name is Marcel Theo Hall, became known within the rap genre realm as the self-proclaimed “Clown Prince of Hip-Hop” for lighthearted lyrics and a humorous nature. He’s made music with the Beastie Boys, opened for Chris Rock’s comedy tour and was a sought-after DJ for countless star-studded events.
July 17, 2021 4:17 am
LORDSTOWN, Ohio (AP) – Lordstown Motors, an Ohio manufacturer that has come under scrutiny over the number of orders it claimed it had for the electric trucks that it wants to produce, acknowledged that it has received two subpoenas from federal regulators and that prosecutors in New York have opened an investigation. The company and its executives have given conflicting accounts of whether it has received any orders for its trucks, and if so, how many orders have been placed. The company’s stock is down nearly 60% this year.
