November 30, 2021 4:19 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – All 13 Propel Schools will be remote on Nov. 30 after warnings were posted on social media. The schools sent out a statement to all Propel families, stating going remote is “out of an abundance of caution.” It was previously reported that only Propel Hazelwood and Propel Montour would go remote. Alleged threats were originally posted to Snapchat, but they later circulated to other forms of social media. Administration said they’re working closely with police to identify the person who wrote the threats and they intend to file criminal charges once that person is found. Anyone with information regarding their identity is urged to call 911.
November 30, 2021 4:14 am
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Pa. — (WPXI)- COVID-19 cases are climbing in Western PA and an alarming trend is being seen in Washington County. That area is seeing the highest average of COVID-19 hospitalizations of any time during the pandemic. “When you go to emergency rooms in Washington County, you will likely have a four-hour delay for treatment,” Washington County Commissioner, Diana Irey-Vaughn says. Irey-Vaughn says more people are getting sick from COVID-19 and they’re requiring hospitalization. Washington County health leaders say 80-percent of the significantly ill folks in hospitals are unvaccinated. Those who are vaccinated and become sick have less severe symptoms, the county commissioner added. “We continue to be concerned about the numbers rising,” Irey-Vaughn said. “It makes it more challenging to receive treatment when your symptoms are significant.” The beds are available, but the staff isn’t on top of flu season and more people returning to doctor’s offices and hospitals for treatment they put off earlier in the pandemic.
November 30, 2021 2:49 am
A criminal contempt hearing is scheduled for later this week for Washington County Clerk of Courts Brenda Davis. President Judge John DiSalle scheduled the hearing for Thursday morning at nine o’clock after Davis refused an order last week to turn over juvenile court files that were kept in her office. Under the latest order, DiSalle said that Davis should be prepared to answer to her actions and should she fail to appear before the court, a warrant will be issued for her arrest. DiSalle’s order says Davis interfered with the Juvenile Probation staff while they attempted to remove the files. Davis, however, claims the transfer order violated state law. Davis is also claiming she was assaulted by multiple sheriff’s deputies and denied legal representation and medical treatment after she was briefly handcuffed for refusing to cooperate with the order.
November 29, 2021 5:41 pm
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – A man accused of raping a woman on a commuter train outside Philadelphia while other passengers were present has been ordered held for trial by a magistrate judge. Thirty-five-year-old Fiston Ngoy is charged with rape and related offenses in the Oct. 13 attack on a Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority train that drew international attention after police initially said bystanders should have intervened. Authorities later said they believe the passengers did not realize that a rape was occurring. The court appearance Monday came the same day as Philadelphia City Council committees held a joint hearing on SEPTA safety.
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.
