November 29, 2021 2:55 pm
GENEVA (AP) – The World Health Organization says the global risk from the omicron variant of the coronavirus is “very high” based on early evidence, and it could lead to surges with “severe consequences.” The U.N. health agency, in a technical memo to member states, says “considerable uncertainties” remain about the new variant that was first detected in southern Africa. But it says the likelihood of possible further spread around the world is high.
November 29, 2021 9:44 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden is urging Americans to get vaccinated, including booster shots, as he seeks to quell concerns over the newly identified coronavirus variant named omicron. But he said Monday he won’t be seeking any severe business or other widespread lockdown. The new variant is “a cause for concern, not a cause for panic,” the president said in televised remarks from the White House. He was accompanied by Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert. Fauci said Monday that there are as yet no cases of the variant identified in the U.S. but that it is “inevitable” that it will make its way into the country.
November 29, 2021 4:23 am
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) – Australian authorities have announced a third case of the omicron COVID-19 variant as government leaders reconsider plans to relax border restrictions this week. The Northern Territory health minister says a South African man who flew from Johannesburg to the northern Australian city of Darwin last week tested positive for the new variant. New South Wales state authorities earlier reported that two travelers from South Africa to Sydney had become Australia’s first omicron cases.áSenior federal government ministers are meeting Monday to consider the national response, including whether to alter plans to relax border restrictions starting Wednesday.
November 29, 2021 4:22 am
TOKYO (AP) – As cases of a new coronavirus variant are confirmed around the world, Japan has announced it will suspend entry of all foreign visitors, joining an increasing number of countries that are tightening their borders as fear spreads of yet another extension of pandemic suffering. Japan, which has yet to detect any cases of the omicron variant, reimposed border controls that it eased earlier this month for short-term business visitors, foreign students and workers. Despite the global worry, however, scientists caution that it’s still unclear whether omicron is more dangerous than other versions of a virus that has killed more than 5 million people. Some countries are continuing with previous plans to loosen restrictions, with signs of reopening in Malaysia, Singapore and New Zealand.
November 29, 2021 4:20 am
Weather officials are urging Northwest residents to remain alert because more rain is on the way to an area with lingering water from extreme weather from a previous storm. Everson Mayor John Perry says the Nooksack River topped Main Street in his city on Sunday afternoon. Main Street’s flooding is about a foot deep. He says he’s continuing to monitor things even though the rain has slowed down. November has been wet for northwest Washington. The National Weather Service said Bellingham recorded 11.64 inches at midnight Sunday – an all-time record for the month.
November 29, 2021 4:19 am
NEW YORK (AP) – It’s an omnipresent truth: Merriam-Webster has declared vaccine its 2021 word of the year. Peter Sokolowski, editor at large for the dictionary company, tells The Associated Press that lookups for the word vaccine increased 601% over 2020. Even more telling, searches on the Merriam-Webster website increased by 1,048% over 2019, before the COVID pandemic took hold. The selection follows “vax” as word of the year from the folks who publish the Oxford English Dictionary. And it comes after Merriam-Webster chose “pandemic” as tops in lookups last year on its online site.
November 29, 2021 4:17 am
CHICAGO (AP) – A jury has been seated in the trial of Jussie Smollett. The former “Empire” actor is accused of staging what he says was a racist and homophobic attack in Chicago in January 2019. Authorities say he concocted and staged a fake attack, with help from two brothers. The men say they took part in the “attack” that made headlines around the world but say Smollett planned the whole thing and paid them to do it. Potential jurors were asked Monday if they have been the victim of a hate crime and if they’ve watched “Empire” or TMZ. The trial is expected to last a week.
November 29, 2021 4:15 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – The Republican field of candidates aiming to capture Pennsylvania’s open U.S. Senate seat is churning. Out is Sean Parnell, the candidate endorsed by former President Donald Trump. Parnell’s exit is reshuffling the race. Getting in might be a couple guys who are relative unknowns to many party figures. First, there’s Mehmet Oz, the cardiac surgeon and host of TV’s “Dr. Oz Show.” He’s a longtime New Jersey resident. The other is David McCormick, a Connecticut resident who runs one of the world’s largest hedge funds, but grew up in Pennsylvania. The campaign could determine Senate control in next year’s election.
November 29, 2021 4:13 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI)- The sale of the Pittsburgh Penguins to Fenway Sports Group is another step closer to being official. On Monday, it was announced that FSG has entered into an agreement to acquire controlling interest in the Penguins. Pending approval from the NHL Board of Governors, the deal is expected to close by the end of the year. Under the deal, both Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle will remain part of the team’s ownership group. “As the Penguins enter a new chapter, I will continue to be as active and engaged with the team as I always have been and look forward to continuing to build on our success with our incoming partners at FSG,” Lemieux said in a statement. “They have an organizational philosophy that mirrors the approach that worked so well for Ron and me over the past 22 years.” In a news release, the Penguins said Lemieux will “continue his role guiding hockey operations for the organization. In addition, continuity of leadership will be maintained among the club’s senior management team of CEO David Morehouse, COO Kevin Acklin, President of Hockey Operations Brian Burke, General Manager Ron Hextall, and Head Coach Mike Sullivan.” Lemieux and Burkle purchased the team in 1999.
November 29, 2021 3:11 am
The body of a Washington teenager was found Sunday morning in a vacant lot on Seminole Avenue in Washington. Police say 18-year-old Connor Brock had been shot and his body was found shortly after nine o’clock by a woman living near the property. The coroner says that Brock died from an apparent gunshot wound. Police say they believe he had been shot sometime between 10:30 Saturday night and 9:15 Sunday morning. The coroner’s office and Washington city police detectives are investigating the shooting as a suspected homicide. Police say they have no suspects at this time and are asking for the public’s help. If anyone has information they are asked to call police.
