January 6, 2022 12:56 pm
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice says he will ask the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for permission to offer a fourth dose of COVID-19 vaccines to residents 50 and older as well as to essential workers. At a news conference Thursday, Justice pointed to Israel, which last month became one of the first countries to approve a fourth vaccine dose for people. Justice’s request comes as West Virginia set a pandemic record for the number of daily positive coronavirus cases. The 3,345 confirmed cases reported Thursday were 29% higher than the previous mark of 2,585 cases set last Friday.
January 6, 2022 9:16 am
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Powerball tickets sold in Wisconsin and California were winners of the latest jackpot and will split $632 million. The Wisconsin Lottery didn’t immediately announce where the winning ticket was sold in Wisconsin. The California Lottery says the winning ticket in its state was sold at a 7-Eleven convenience store in Sacramento. The winners have a cash option of splitting $450 million. The jackpot is one of the largest in the history of the Powerball game, but didn’t rank among the Top 10 largest in U.S. lottery history. The winning numbers for the Powerball jackpot drawn Wednesday night were 6, 14, 25, 33 and 46. The Powerball was 17.
January 6, 2022 8:55 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week but remained at historically low levels, suggesting that the job market remains strong. U.S. jobless claims rose by 7,000 last week to 207,000. áThe four-week average of claims, which smooths out week-to-week gyrations, rose by nearly 4,800 to just below 205,000. Despite the increases, the numbers show that claims remained below the 220,000 typical before the pandemic struck the U.S. economy in March 2020. The highly transmissible omicron variant so far does not appear to have triggered layoffs.
January 6, 2022 4:44 am
CANONSBURG, Pa. — (WPXI) – The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Weights and Measures Department is investigating after receiving complaints about cars breaking down after getting gas at a Canonsburg gas station. Inspectors got samples Wednesday from Sunoco on West Pike Street. The mayor of Canonsburg said his office and the police station also received complaints. “I got calls yesterday from many residents in the community,” Rhome said. “On Sunday, I also experienced an issue after I filled up, but it corrected itself after a half-hour. Then it acted up later, and I took it to the mechanic (who) said it sounds like there might be water in the gas.” While at the scene, managers expressed their anger about social media posts regarding their gas situation. Managers at the Sunoco told our news partners at Channel 11, “There is nothing to fix. No problem at all,” after expressing anger about social media posts regarding the situation. One Facebook user said he drove a mile and broke down, and the autobody shop told him his gas tank was filled with 80% water. State inspectors said they’ll determine if there was any malicious intent — either from the delivery company or the gas station — or if it was an accident. They could issue fines. They added that, if any vehicle owners are looking for reimbursement for money spent getting towed and fixed, it will have to be handled civilly.
January 6, 2022 4:12 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – California extended its indoor mask mandate into mid-February to help prevent the astonishing spike in coronavirus cases from overwhelming hospitals. But the state’s health director said Wednesday that additional restrictions are not being considered. California’s confirmed cases have shot up nearly 500% in the last two weeks and hospitalizations have doubled since Christmas to more than 8,000. State models forecast hospitalizations could top 20,000 by early next month, a level nearly as high as last January, when California experienced its deadliest surge. The fast-spreading omicron variant of COVID-19 is sidelining exposed or infected health care workers, leading to staffing shortages.
January 6, 2022 4:10 am
CHICAGO (AP) – Chicago school leaders canceled classes in the nation’s third-largest school district for the second straight day after failing to reach an agreement with the teachers union over remote learning and other COVID-19 safety protocols. The Chicago Teachers Union sought to revert to remote instruction during the latest surge of infections and while both sides hammer out a deal. But leaders in the nation’s third-largest school district say remote learning didn’t work and schools can safely remain open with protocols in place. Classes were canceled for Thursday, affecting roughly 350,000 students. Schools CEO Pedro Martinez says students may be able to start returning to schools on Friday for services like tutoring or counseling depending on how many staff members show up.
January 6, 2022 4:09 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden and members of Congress are solemnly marking the first anniversary of the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection. Biden assailed then-President Donald Trump and his supporters, saying that “they failed” to overturn democracy. The ceremonies at the Capitol were widely attended by Democrats, but almost every Republican on Capitol Hill was be absent. It’s a stark reminder of the rupture between the parties, worsening since hundreds of Trump’s supporters violently pushed past police, broke through the Capitol’s windows and interrupted the certification of Biden’s victory. Biden said that “at this moment we must decide what kind of nation we are going to be.”
January 6, 2022 4:07 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Philadelphia fire officials say two sisters and several of their children were among 12 people killed when a fire tore a row-home that apparently had no working smoke detectors. Eight children lost their lives. Officials say it’s the city’s deadliest single fire in at least a century. The blaze broke out Wednesday morning as 26 people were staying at the three-story duplex, which is public housing. As many as eight people were able to escape. The cause of the fire is still being investigated. The public housing authority says the home’s smoke alarms were inspected annually and at least two were replaced in 2020.
January 6, 2022 4:04 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for part of western Pennsylvania. Areas affected include Westmoreland, Fayette and Greene counties in Pennsylvania. Plan for snow travel on Thursday evening into Friday morning. Model updates are bringing snow in faster and moving it farther north which will increase the snowy impacts for the evening commute. Temperatures will be cold enough for snow to stick as it falls and untreated surfaces could become icy. Several hours of steadier snow will be possible for parts of the area on Thursday night with several inches of accumulation possible for Pittsburgh by Friday morning.
January 6, 2022 3:10 am
CLEVELAND (AP) – Police in Ohio have released body camera footage showing an officer firing multiple rounds through a wooden privacy fence without warning at someone shooting gunfire into the air on the other side. Forty-six-year-old James Williams, of Canton, was shot in the chest minutes into the new year and pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. The video was released by the Canton Police Department. Marquetta Williams, James’ wife, told The Canton Repository her husband had been using her AR-15 rifle to fire celebratory rounds that she said were a New Year’s tradition in their neighborhood. Canton Police Chief Jack Angelo has said the officer feared for his life.
