February 24, 2022 4:11 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The number of children in America living in poverty jumped dramatically after just one month without the expanded child tax credit payments, according to a new study. Advocates fear the lapse in payments could unravel what they say were landmark achievements in poverty reduction. Columbia University’s Center on Poverty and Social Policy estimates 3.7 million more children were living in poverty by January. That’s a 41% increase from December, when families received their last check. The federal aid started last July but ended after President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better bill stalled in the sharply divided Congress.
February 24, 2022 4:08 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden has announced a new round of sanctions targeting Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, charging that Russia’s Vladimir Putin “chose this war” and his country will bear the consequences. The sanctions target Russian banks, oligarchs, and high-tech sectors. The penalties fall in line with the White House’s insistence that it would look to hit Russia’s financial system and Putin’s inner circle, while also imposing export controls that would aim to starve Russia’s industries and military of U.S. semiconductors and other high-tech products. Biden, for now, is holding off imposing some of the most severe sanctions, including cutting Russia out of the international SWIFT bank payment system. (Photo: AP)
February 24, 2022 4:06 am
The European Union says it is planning the “strongest, the harshest package” of sanctions it has ever considered at an emergency summit Thursday, as the Russian military attacked Ukraine. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that “the target is the stability in Europe and the whole of the international peace order, and we will hold President (Vladimir) Putin accountable for that.” She said that “we will present a package of massive and targeted sanctions to European leaders for approval.” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called it the “strongest, the harshest package” ever considered.
February 24, 2022 4:06 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – A presidential adviser says Ukraine lost control of the Chernobyl nuclear site, where Ukrainian forces had waged a fierce battle with Russian troops. Adviser Myhailo Podolyak told The Associated Press that Ukrainian authorities did not know the current condition of the facilities at Chernobyl, the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster. Podolyak said, “After the absolutely senseless attack of the Russians in this direction, it is impossible to say that the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is safe.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had announced several hours earlier Thursday that Russian forces were trying to seize the plant. A nuclear reactor at the plant 130 kilometers (80 miles) north of Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, exploded in April 1986. (Photo: ABC News)
February 24, 2022 4:02 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – A man is dead after he was shot in the back in Pittsburgh Wednesday evening. According to investigators, officers were called to the area of Reifert Street near Roll Way for reports of a shooting just after 6 p.m. They found the 18-year-old victim in the area of Wilbur Street. Officers rendered first aid before the man could be taken to a local hospital. Police said he later died from his injuries. No one is in custody at this time and police said they’re still investigating.
February 23, 2022 1:57 pm
NEW YORK (AP) – U.S. health officials say some people getting Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines should consider waiting up to eight weeks between the first and second doses. That’s instead of the three or four weeks previously recommended. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention quietly changed its advice on Tuesday. They says they are reacting to research showing that a longer interval can provide more enduring protection against the coronavirus. They also say the longer wait may help diminish an already rare vaccination side effect: a form of heart inflammation seen in some young men. The suggestion doesn’t apply to those under 12 years old or over 65.
February 23, 2022 3:24 am
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) – Tonga’s main internet connection to the rest of the world has finally been restored more than five weeks after a huge volcanic eruption and tsunami severed a crucial undersea cable. Three people in Tonga were killed by the Jan. 15 tsunami and dozens of homes destroyed. The fiber-optic cable is fully operational again after being reconnected Tuesday. Elon Musk’s SpaceX company has also been helping restore connections through its network of low-orbit satellites called Starlink. Meanwhile, Tonga has been grappling with its first outbreak of the coronavirus. The country of 105,000 people has begun easing some restrictions after initially imposing a lockdown.
February 16, 2022 4:14 am
MOSCOW (AP) – Russia has made two overtures to ease tensions around Ukraine. It reported a pullback of troops near its neighbor and welcomed talks with the West. But the United States and its allies say they need evidence of the troop movements and that the threat of a Russian invasion still looms. For the second day Tuesday, there were signs of hope that Europe might avoid war following weeks of escalating East-West tensions. President Vladimir Putin says that Russia does not want war and will rely on negotiations in efforts to eliminate any chance that Ukraine could one day join NATO. At the same time, he did not commit to a full pullback. President Joe Biden said American officials had not verified Russia’s claim about its troops.
February 16, 2022 4:10 am
MONONGAHELA, Pa. — (WPXI) – Parents of students in the Ringgold School District have told our news partners at Channel 11 they feel helpless and that their children are not safe when they walk into the classroom. Multiple families shared similar stories of fights breaking out and bullying so bad they’re afraid for the mental and physical health of the kids. Even worse, parents say an Instagram page was created just to highlight the brutal fights — some in school buildings. “A lot of us are just shocked by what’s going on in the bathrooms and the hallways,” parent Tiffany Stotka tells Channel 11. Lisa Black-Wysochanski says her daughter is being severely bullied, comes home crying most days and, at just 11, is seeing a counselor. Channel 11 talked to nearly a dozen parents. One says her son’s knee was fractured when another student kicked him in the hallway. Another pulled their child out of the district and someone else opted for online learning. The district says it shares the parents’ concerns about what’s in the videos, but says it gives a false impression of the district. The superintendent of Ringgold School District tells Channel 11 he’s working with Instagram to remove the fight videos, adding they’re not all taking place on school property. As for the no contact contracts, the district says it’s a behavioral management tool to help kids with conflict resolution and learn and grow from their mistakes. The superintendent says that is part of what a school district is created to do.
February 16, 2022 4:06 am
North Strabane Township Supervisors had a busy night of meetings on Tuesday. Starting off, supervisors reopened a public hearing that began on January 18. That hearing concerned a 5 acre, 24 unit expansion to the Greenwood Village development. In a previous public hearing residents had concerns about traffic on Garden Street and sight line difficulties as Garden intersected Rt. 980. Also at issue were traffic concerns as Locust Avenue intersected Rt. 19. The developer of the plan did a new traffic study as directed by the township. Residents were not happy as only an in depth study was done on the intersection of Garden Street and Rt. 980. Residents were not happy with the times selected to do the study either. Supervisors asked the developer to do another study but they refused. They stated that the study performed was exactly what the supervisors requested and it was. Residents complained about the possibility of accidents on Garden Street due to its very thin nature and cars parked along the road. Supervisors closed the meeting and will have 45 days to approve the conditional use application that was applied for. Supervisors then denied a text change to a zoning ordinance citing too little information as to the effects it would have on other zones. They then conducted their non legislative meeting. Committee reports from public works indicate an increase in paving materials costs. Supervisors will meet for their voting meeting on February 22.
