December 14, 2021 8:52 am
CALIFORNIA, Pa. — (WPXI) – A hockey player for California University of Pennsylvania died unexpectedly over the weekend. According to university officials, Branson King was 23-years old and had just finished the fall semester of his junior year. It’s not clear what led to his death. Here is what the university put out about King: “Branson was the heart and soul of the team; he approached hockey like everything in his life with passion and 100% commitment,” Vulcans head coach Jason Greenway said. “He was a true leader who was selfless and would sacrifice anything he had to do for our team’s success. He epitomized our team culture with passion, hard work, and a huge heart; he was a coach’s dream.” King, had just finished the fall semester of his junior year for the Vulcans, where he served as an assistant captain. He was majoring in education with a concentration in social studies. A native of Hamburg, PA, King previously played for the Philadelphia Revolution. Visitation and funeral details have not yet been determined. (PHOTO; WPXI)
December 14, 2021 8:25 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Pfizer says that its experimental COVID-19 pill appears effective against the omicron variant. The company also confirmed Tuesday that the pill delivered on promising early results in reducing COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths. The updates come as U.S. regulators are expected to soon decide on whether to authorize Pfizer’s pill and a competing drug from Merck. If authorized, the pills would be the first COVID-19 drugs that Americans could take at home to treat the virus. Pfizer is seeking U.S. authorization for high-risk adults but is also studying the drug in lower-risk adults. The company said the drug missed a key study goal in ongoing testing of those patients.
December 14, 2021 4:16 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Sen. Joe Manchin is signaling anew Monday that he’s still not ready to back his party’s $2 trillion social and environment legislation as party leaders scramble for a pathway to advance the long-stalled package – preferably by Christmas. The West Virginia Democrat spoke to President Joe Biden by phone Monday but declined to describe the conversation. Democrats must have Manchin’s backing because the Senate is evenly divided and Republicans oppose the legislation unanimously. Manchin has been pushing for months for Democrats to curb the bill’s size and drop some initiatives, including one requiring paid family and medical leave.
December 14, 2021 4:14 am
LAS VEGAS (AP) – O.J. Simpson is a free man. A Nevada State Police spokeswoman said Tuesday the 74-year-old former football hero and actor, acquitted California murder defendant and convicted Las Vegas armed robber was granted good behavior credits and discharged from parole effective Dec. 1. Simpson’s lawyer, Malcolm LaVergne, says his client declined an immediate interview. LaVergne also declined to talk about Simpson’s future, including whether he intends to remain in Nevada. Simpson was acquitted in Los Angeles in the 1994 killings of his ex-wife and her friend, and convicted in Las Vegas in October 2008 of armed robbery. He served nine years in prison for leading several men in a confrontation with two sports collectibles dealers. (Photo: ABC)
December 14, 2021 4:13 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The House panel investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection has voted to pursue contempt charges against former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. Lawmakers have also revealed a series of frantic texts he received as the attack was underway. The texts reveal that members of Congress, Fox News anchors and even President Donald Trump’s own son were urging Meadows to push Trump to act quickly to stop the siege by his supporters. The panel voted 9-0 to recommend the contempt charges. The House is expected to vote Tuesday to refer the charges to the Justice Department, which will decide whether to prosecute the former Republican congressman.
December 14, 2021 4:11 am
MAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) – Workers, volunteers and members of the National Guard were spreading across tornado-damaged areas of Kentucky to assist with recovery tasks large and small. The work ranges from replacing thousands of damaged utility poles to delivering bottles of drinking water. The tornado outbreak Friday killed at least 88 people in five states. Seventy-four of them were in Kentucky. Gov. Andy Beshear said that the death toll could grow as authorities continue to work around debris that slowed recovery efforts. Nearly 450 National Guard members have been mobilized in the state, and 95 of them are doing fatality searches.
December 14, 2021 4:04 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania is again aiming to put its presidential primary in position to determine the winner, rather than let other states play that role. The state Senate on Tuesday unanimously approved a bill to move up Pennsylvania’s primary elections in presidential election years by five weeks to the third Tuesday in March. Critics of Pennsylvania’s current date – the fourth Tuesday of April – say its presidential primary clout is diminished by its late vote. The bill goes to the House. A spokesperson for the House Republican majority said it hasn’t been discussed in the caucus. The Senate passed an identical bill last year, but it died in the House.
December 14, 2021 4:03 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – The Republican-controlled Pennsylvania Senate is advancing legislation to prevent school children from being required to get a COVID-19 vaccination to attend school, although it likely faces a veto by Gov. Tom Wolf. The bill passed on party lines Monday, and goes to the House of Representatives. Neither the state nor any school district in Pennsylvania require the COVID-19 vaccination to attend school. In cases of other infectious diseases, school children in Pennsylvania can invoke medical, religious or philosophical exemptions for immunization requirements. Evidence of immunity is sometimes acceptable. Wolf’s office says there are no plans to require the vaccine and is urging Pennsylvanians to get vaccinated.
December 14, 2021 3:59 am
Taxes will go up slightly in Peters Township in 2022. Council approved a .078 mil increase in township taxes. Township Manager Paul Lauer has been warning council of this increase since it issued bonds for the construction of Rolling Hills Park in 2019. The Township has been absorbing the additional debt service on this bond since 2019. This increase will offset roughly $250,000 of the $300,000 that that bond costs. Lauer says that the tax increase will be $25.74 annually to the average tax payer whose home is assessed at $320,000. The budget plan is flexible in that it is balanced as far as operations and expenses are concerned. There appears to be a $17 million difference between $22 million in revenues and $39 million in spending. Lauer states that the budget shows three large spending projects that council could take on. Most likely, council would only take on one of the projects. Those projects could be the $10 million aquatic center, a $4 million fire station and a $500,000 fire truck. American Rescue Plan monies will largely fund storm sewer projects. That will free up township money to aggressively pursue a road maintenance program that will include upgrades to streets once designated as minimum maintenance streets. Council began the meeting with a public hearing regarding the township’s participation in a sharpshooter program to enhance its deer culling program. The township is half way through the application process. Several people spoke against the program. The township’s Environmental Quality Board spoke in favor. Council will need to consider the idea at a future meeting.
December 13, 2021 3:32 pm
NEW YORK (AP) – Calling him a “clown, genius, edgelord, visionary, industrialist, showman,” Time magazine has named Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk as its Person of the Year for 2021. Musk, who is also the founder and CEO of the space exploration company SpaceX, is estimated to be the richest person in the world with a net worth of around $300 billion. Tesla shares have risen about 60% in the past year, helping Musk to pass Amazon founder Jeff Bezos as the world’s richest person. With a market value around $1 trillion, Tesla is by far the most valuable car maker in the world. (Photo: AP)
