May 12, 2021 4:10 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Rising prices for a variety of commodities are contributing to a jump in prices at the consumer level. The government said Wednesday that consumer prices surged 0.8% in April from March, while the year-over-year rise was the fastest since 2008. The cost of corn and soybeans used for animal feed is at the highest since 2012, boosting the price of meat. The price of lumber is at an all-time high, contributing to record home prices. Higher oil prices and rising demand for gasoline has helped push the average price of a gallon above $3 for the first time since 2014. Prices for diapers and toilet paper are also going up.
May 12, 2021 4:05 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – House Republicans have ousted Rep. Liz Cheney from her post as the chamber’s No. 3 GOP leader. They used a voice vote to punish her after she repeatedly rebuked former President Donald Trump for his false claims of election fraud and his role in inciting the Jan. 6th Capitol attack. A closed-door meeting to depose her lasted less than 20 minutes. By removing the Wyoming congresswoman from her leadership perch, the GOP produced the latest evidence that challenging Trump can be career-threatening. Cheney was defiant and made clear inside the meeting, and afterward, that she would continue trying to steer the party away from the former president.
May 12, 2021 3:32 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Sean Parnell announced his candidacy Tuesday for the Republican nomination for Pennsylvania’s open U.S. Senate seat. Parnell is a decorated Army veteran and regular guest on Fox News programs who became a favorite of former President Donald Trump. Parnell unsuccessfully challenged Democratic U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb in western Pennsylvania last year. The Senate seat in the presidential battleground state is being left open after two-term Republican Sen. Pat Toomey announced in October that he wouldn’t run again. Both the Democratic and Republican fields are getting crowded, with next year’s primary election still a year away.
May 12, 2021 2:45 am
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – Democratic U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin is joining first lady Jill Biden and actor Jennifer Garner during a visit to West Virginia on Thursday. Biden’s office says she and Manchin will arrive at Charleston’s Yeager Airport. They’ll join Garner at a coronavirus vaccination center and speak at Capital High School. A previously announced visit to Arnoldsburg Elementary School in Calhoun County has been scrubbed due to a COVID-19 quarantine in the school district. Biden and Manchin will then greet West Virginia National Guard members at the airport before departing. Garner grew up in Charleston. She has previously testified before Congress in support of education programs for preschoolers in poverty.
May 12, 2021 2:20 am
There is bad news for folks hoping to beat the heat this summer by heading to Washington Park Pool. The pool will not be opening this summer. Washington City Councilman Joe Manning, who is currently serving as the Acting Director of the Parks & Buildings Department, due to the incarceration of Matt Staniszewski on a probation violation, says they received an electrical inspections report that pointed out numerous problems with the pool, including unsafe lighting and areas of the pool that are not grounded. Manning says they had set some money aside to make those repairs, but it wasn’t feasible to do it at this point in time. He says that even though the pool was shutdown last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, they didn’t really take a big hit in lost revenue because they operate the facility mostly as a community asset. Manning says council is hopeful they’ll be able to make the necessary repairs as soon as possible and be able to have the pool back open for business next year.
May 11, 2021 12:59 pm
The trial for a Greene County man charged with attacking a group of teenagers inside the Washington Crown Center’s movie theater in North Franklin Township is underway. Fifty-five-year-old Chris Williams is charged with pulling out a gun and firing a single shot that struck 17-year-old Anthony Ward in the leg. Authorities contend that Ward, who was with a group of teenagers, were talking loudly and that upset Williams and he allegedly then punched one of the teens, which eventually led to the altercation and shooting. Williams is facing two felony counts of aggravated assault, along with several lesser charges. The shooting occurred on March 23, 2019. A jury of eight women and four men were seated Monday afternoon.
May 11, 2021 4:14 am
The U.S. is expanding use of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to children as young as 12. The Food and Drug Administration announced Monday that the shot is safe and offers strong protection for younger teens based on testing of more than 2,000 U.S. volunteers. Shots could begin soon once a federal vaccine panel issues recommendations for using the vaccine in 12- to 15-year-olds. Most vaccines rolling out worldwide have been authorized for adults. The latest news is welcome for U.S. families struggling to decide what activities are safe to resume when the youngest family members remain unvaccinated.
May 11, 2021 4:12 am
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) – The Israeli city of Tel Aviv is under fire from a barrage of rockets launched from the Gaza Strip. The volleys killed a 50-year-old woman who was the third Israeli citizen killed on Tuesday. The attack set off air raid sirens across the city and closed the main international airport. Hamas said it launched a total of 130 rockets, its most intense strike so far, in response to Israel’s destruction of a high-rise building in Gaza earlier in the evening. The sound of the outgoing rockets could be heard in Gaza. As the rockets made their way up in the skies, mosques across Gaza blared with chants of “God is great,” “victory to Islam” and “resistance.”
May 11, 2021 4:11 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Republicans are preparing an all-out assault on a sweeping voting rights bill from Democrats. They plan to force dozens of politically difficult votes during a hearing Tuesday that will spotlight an increasingly charged national debate over access to the ballot. The bill as written would bring about the largest overhaul of U.S. elections in a generation. Democrats say the changes are even more important now as Republican-controlled states impose new voting restrictions. Yet it’s a motivating issue for Republicans as well. They plan to argue against public financing for congressional campaigns and an overhaul of the federal agency that polices elections.
May 11, 2021 4:10 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. officials are seeking to soothe concerns about price spikes or damage to the economy from last week’s cyberattack on a major fuel pipeline. Officials stress that the fuel supply has so far not experienced widespread disruptions, and the pipeline company says it’s working toward “substantially restoring operational service” by this coming weekend. The White House says it is monitoring supply shortages in parts of the Southeast, and that President Joe Biden has directed federal agencies to bring their resources to bear. Colonial Pipeline delivers about 45% of the fuel consumed on the East Coast.
