May 25, 2021 4:10 am
JERUSALEM (AP) – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Israel at the start of a Middle East tour aimed at shoring up the Gaza cease-fire. But he will face the same obstacles that have stifled a wider peace process for more than a decade, including a hawkish Israeli leadership, Palestinian divisions and deeply rooted tensions surrounding Jerusalem and its holy sites. The truce that came into effect Friday and halted the 11-day Gaza war has so far held, but it did not address any of the underlying issues. Blinken is the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the region since President Joe Biden assumed office.
May 25, 2021 4:07 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania will resume work search requirements in July for hundreds of thousands of people receiving unemployment compensation. Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration said Monday that the requirement will resume July 18. That means that people claiming jobless benefits will have to search for work during the previous week. A work registration requirement will resume in September. The requirements have been waived by Wolf under his emergency disaster authority invoked during COVID-19 pandemic. Some 750,000 people in Pennsylvania have been receiving jobless benefits either through a state or federal program were also receiving the extra $300 a week.
May 25, 2021 4:06 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – The Republican floor leader of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives want to keep in place some parts of the state’s coronavirus disaster declaration until October but end fast-track contracting rules and other provisions much sooner. Republican Leader Kerry Benninghoff of Centre County introduced a concurrent resolution Monday that aims to halt the use of no-bid contracts, force those getting jobless benefits to look for work and end social distancing mitigation orders. Mitigation orders are currently being phased out, and on Monday Wolf’s acting labor secretary outlined a schedule for resumption of job search requirements. Wolf’s office offered no immediate comment.
May 25, 2021 4:04 am
In an unexpected motion, Peters Township Council unanimously rejected construction bids for its aquatic center that was supposed to make its debut one year from now in Rolling Hills Park. The vote to reject the bids was 6-0 with councilman and the pool’s biggest advocate Robert Lewis absent from the meeting. Bids received from five prequalified contractors came in significantly higher than the $10.8 million price that council approved for the project. The nearest bid came in nearly $1.4 million dollars over the approved budget number. Township Manager Paul Lauer stated that staff will be going back to the bidders to see exactly why the bids came in so high. This will delay the project, but some council members thought that it would give the township another opportunity to survey residents on exactly what they are looking for in an amenity like this. Councilpersons Monica Merrell and Frank Arcuri both indicated that they have fielded many calls regarding the size and scope of the project. Council expects to hold a public hearing on the project in the future.
May 24, 2021 3:29 pm
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania will resume work search requirements in July for people receiving unemployment compensation. Gov. Tom Wolf’s acting labor and industry secretary, Jennifer Berrier, told a state House of Representatives committee hearing Monday that the requirement will resume July 18. That means that people claiming jobless benefits will have to search for work during the previous week. She also said that a work registration requirement will resume in September. The requirements have been waived by Wolf under his emergency disaster authority invoked during COVID-19 pandemic. Some 750,000 people in Pennsylvania have been receiving jobless benefits either through a state or federal program were also receiving the extra $300 a week.
May 24, 2021 3:25 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – The White House and the Kremlin are working to arrange a summit between President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Switzerland in June. National security adviser Jake Sullivan is meeting with his Russian counterpart in the proposed host city of Geneva this week to finalize details. The summit would come at the end of Biden’s first foreign trip as president, a weeklong swing through Europe that includes a stop in the United Kingdom for a summit of the Group of Seven, leaders of the world’s richest nations. He also will visit the Brussels headquarters of NATO.
May 24, 2021 1:10 pm
The Pennsylvania Utility Commission announced a series of four mid June telephonic hearings to gather input on a rate increase request filed by Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania. Columbia Gas is seeking an overall revenue increase of approximately $98 million dollars. Under this proposal the average customer now using 70 therms a month and paying $100.77 would then pay $115.37, a 14.49% increase in rates. The meetings are on June 14 at 1 PM and 6 PM and on Wednesday June 16 at 1 PM and 6 PM. Those that wish to testify or listen need to pre-register. Details are on the PUC website.
May 24, 2021 4:18 am
ORANGE, Calif. (AP) – The family of a 6-year-old California boy who was shot to death by another driver in a road-rage attack announced a $50,000 reward on Sunday for information leading to the arrest of a suspect. The mother of Aiden Leos said she was driving her son to school Friday morning when a white Volkswagen cut her off on State Route 55 in the city of Orange. She said as she continued driving, the suspect vehicle slipped behind her and someone in the car fired a shot. She said the bullet went through the trunk and struck her son. The tearful mother said her son “just didn’t deserve that.”
May 24, 2021 4:17 am
TOKYO (AP) – Japan mobilized military doctors and nurses to give shots to elderly people in Tokyo and Osaka as the government desperately tries to accelerate its vaccination rollout and curb coronavirus infections just two months before hosting the Olympics. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is determined to hold the Olympics and has made an ambitious pledge to finish vaccinating elderly people by the end of July, despite skepticism it’s possible. Worries about public safety while many Japanese remain unvaccinated have prompted growing protests and calls for canceling the Games set to start on July 23. The two mass inoculation centers in Tokyo and Osaka aim to give shots to 15,000 people a day for the next three months.
May 24, 2021 4:16 am
ROME (AP) – Italy’s transport minister is heading to the scene of a cable car disaster that killed 14 people. Witnesses and local authorities say the lead cable apparently snapped and the emergency brake failed to stop the cabin from careening back down the mountain until it pulled off the line and crashed to the ground. The lone survivor is a 5-year-old boy who remains hospitalized in Turin Monday with multiple broken bones. The Israeli foreign ministry identified him as Eitan Biran. His parents, two great-grandparents and his 2-year-old brother were killed. The disaster raised questions anew about the quality and safety of Italy’s transport infrastructure.
