December 17, 2021 4:16 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Senate parliamentarian says a Democratic effort to let millions of immigrants remain temporarily in the U.S. should be dropped from an expansive social and environment bill. It deals another blow to a longtime priority of the party, migrant advocates and progressives. The ruling by Elizabeth MacDonough, the Senate’s nonpartisan arbiter of its rules, all but certainly means Democrats will have to drop the proposal from their 10-year, $2 trillion package of health care, family services and climate change initiatives championed by President Joe Biden.
December 17, 2021 4:15 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – A judge says that a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit brought against Fox News by Dominion Voting Systems can go forward. In a ruling released Thursday, Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis denied the cable news giant’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit. Dominion filed the lawsuit against Fox earlier this year alleging that some of its employees elevated false charges that Dominion had changed votes in the 2020 election and spread Donald Trump allies claims of fraud by the voting machine company. There was no widespread fraud in the 2020 election, a fact that a range of officials across the country and Trump’s own attorney general confirmed.
December 17, 2021 4:14 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden has all but acknowledged negotiations over his sweeping domestic policy package will have to be pushed into the new year. It was a setback Thursday as Senate Democrats rushed to try to send the roughly $2 trillion bill to his desk by Christmas. But Biden does not yet have the votes, in large part because of opposition from one holdout: Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia. Biden’s discussions with Manchin will continue. He says he is confident the package will eventually pass. Biden also says Democrats must press forward on voting rights legislation.
December 17, 2021 4:12 am
RICES LANDING, Pa. — (WPXI) – Three people are in Pennsylvania State Police custody after being involved in a lengthy standoff in Greene County in Rices Landing. State police surrounded a home on Bayard Avenue after trying serve an arrest warrant. After some confrontation, police entered into a standoff with the person. After some time, police were able to place them in custody Two other people are in custody for questioning, according to police sources. State police wouldn’t say what the suspect was wanted for. “I’ve never witnessed anything like it in this small town,” Jacob Broadwater said. Broadwater lives across the street from the home police were focused on. He said a member of the SWAT team used his house to keep eyes on the other. “We have a gentleman from the SWAT team come in and sit in our window,” he said.
December 17, 2021 4:09 am
Washington County Commissioners approved the 2022 county budget on Thursday. The budget calls for nearly $148.98 million in spending with no tax increase for residents. That is about $45 million more than the 2021 budget. Those budget figures are inflated by $40 million in American Rescue Plan funds that the county has been allotted. According to county Finance Director Joshua Hatfield, the two biggest projects being considered for those funds are the expansion of broadband capabilities to make sure the underserved communities are provided access and a needs/space assessment at the jail. Hatfield described the budget as anything but typical. The expanded Human Services Department is new to the spending plan. Hatfield states that the county is always making adjustments to spending and searching for new revenue streams. Hatfield also stated that this is the twelfth year that Washington County Residents have not seen a raise in their taxes.
December 17, 2021 2:34 am
There will be no in-person classes in the Charleroi Area School District on Friday, December 17th. District Superintendent Dr. Edward Zelich announced on Thursday that classes would be held remotely after the district was alerted to a potential threat to the middle/high school that was to happen on Friday. Zelich says the threat was rumored to have been posted on the the Tik/Tok social media platform. Zelich says police were notified and after an investigation, determined that the threat was not posted and after interviewing the student twice, investigators found the threat not to be credible.
December 16, 2021 5:50 pm
(WPXI) – There was a police standoff in Rices Landing in Greene County Thursday afternoon. State police have surrounded a home. Check back for more information.
December 16, 2021 4:38 pm
(AP) – U.S. health advisors are recommending that most Americans get the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines instead of the Johnson & Johnson shot. Thursday’s recommendation came after government advisers reviewed new safety data about rare but potentially life-threatening blood clots linked to J&J’s shot. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines don’t come with this risk and are widely available. Of the 200 million fully vaccinated Americans, only a small fraction – about 16 million – got the J&J option. Now the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must decide whether to accept the unusual recommendation. (Photo: AP)
December 16, 2021 12:41 pm
(WPXI) – More than 50,000 Harbor Breeze and Honeywell ceiling fans are being recalled because the fan blades can come off while in use and can cause damage or injury. Hong Kong China Electric Appliance Manufacture Company announced the recall for 77,900 Harbor Breeze 52-inch Belleisle Bay and Honeywell 52-inch Rio ceiling fans. The company has received 60 reports of the blades detaching from the fan, and three reports of damage to drywall as a result. There have been no reports of injuries. The fans were sold online at Lowes.com, Amazon.com, Wayfair.com, Overstock.com, Hayneedle.com, Houzz.com, eAcces.com and Build.com between February 2018 and August 2021 for about $150. Anyone with these fans should stop using them immediately and contact the company. You will be asked to disconnect the fan, provide pictures of it, and then you will be mailed a replacement, Consumer Reports reported.
December 16, 2021 8:58 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week despite signs that the U.S. labor market is rebounding from last year’s coronavirus recession. Jobless claims were up by 18,000 to a 206,000, still low by historical standards. The four-week average, which smooths out week-to-week volatility, fell by 16,000 to less than 204,000, the lowest level since mid-November 1969. Altogether, 1.8 million Americans were receiving traditional jobless benefits the week that ended Dec. 4, down by 154,000 from the previous week.
