November 9, 2021 4:05 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Congress has created a new requirement for automakers: Find a high-tech way to keep drunken people from driving cars. It’s one of the mandates along with a burst of new spending aimed at improving auto safety in the $1 trillion infrastructure package that President Joe Biden is expected to sign soon. Under the legislation, monitoring systems to stop intoxicated drivers would roll out in all new vehicles as early as 2026, after the Transportation Department assesses the best form of technology to install in millions of vehicles.
November 9, 2021 4:04 am
GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) – Former U.S. President Barack Obama has dropped in on U.N. climate talks to urge young climate activists to stay in the fight. Obama is credited as one of the leaders responsible for the 2015 Paris climate accord. In a speech, a roundtable and other events Monday in Glasgow, Scotland, Obama told young people that their marches and protests have been key in forcing governments to start acting on climate. Climate activist Luisa Neubauer of Germany told Obama she feared that disillusionment over the slow pace of climate progress is threatening peoples’ faith in democracy.
November 9, 2021 2:24 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania’s governor expects to let school districts modify or end the mask mandate for K-12 students in January. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf announced Monday that his administration plans to turn over decisions about masking to local school officials on Jan. 17. The acting health secretary’s mask mandate will remain in place for early learning programs and child care facilities. The Wolf administration imposed a statewide mandate in early September, citing a surge in infections and hospitalizations from the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus.
November 8, 2021 1:20 pm
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Anyone going to a shopping mall, theater, gym or nail salon in Los Angeles must now verify they are vaccinated against COVID-19. The mandate that took effect Monday requires proof of shots for everyone entering a wide variety of businesses. Mayor Eric Garcetti, who tested positive for the virus last week, says the rules will encourage people to get vaccinated and make businesses safer for employees and customers. Business trade groups say the mandate will sow confusion and could present safety concerns for employees tasked with checking customers’ vaccination status. City officials say they won’t start enforcing the rules until Nov. 29. Fines up to $5,000 could be imposed.
November 8, 2021 4:21 am
HOUSTON (AP) – Mourners began building a memorial to those lost at a Texas concert as authorities said they would watch video, interview witnesses and review concert protocols to determine how eight people died when fans suddenly surged toward the stage to watch rapper Travis Scott. Flowers and votive candles surrounded NRG Park in Houston Sunday as city officials said they were just starting to investigate how pandemonium started Friday evening at Astroworld, a sold-out, two-day event headlined by Scott. An estimated 50,000 people were in attendance. The dead ranged in age from 14 to 27, and 13 people were still hospitalized.
November 8, 2021 4:17 am
LAS VEGAS (AP) – Republicans this weekend projected newfound confidence about their chances of retaking control of Congress in 2022 at the first large party gathering since they claimed major victories in Tuesday’s off-year elections. The mood was jubilant at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual leadership meeting in Las Vegas, where potential future presidential candidates worked to woo some of the party’s biggest and most influential donors. Those appearing included former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former New Jersey Gov, Chris Christie, as well as candidates running for Congress and governor next year.
November 8, 2021 4:15 am
(AP) – The U.S. has fully reopened its borders with Mexico and Canada and lifted restrictions on travel that covered most of Europe. The new rules set the stage for emotional reunions nearly two years in the making and provided a boost for the travel industry decimated by the pandemic. Lines moved quickly Monday morning at San Diego’s border with Mexico, the busiest crossing in the United States. That’s despite the added checks for vaccinations required to enter the country. The new rules also allow air travel from a series of countries from which it has been restricted since the early days of the pandemic. Air travelers need proof of vaccination and a negative COVID-19 test.
November 8, 2021 4:13 am
BEIJING (AP) – Satellite images show China has built mock-ups of U.S. warships in its northwestern desert, possibly to practice for a future naval clash. China is massively upgrading its military, and its capability and intentions are increasingly concerning to the United States. The images captured by Maxar Technologies show the outlines of a U.S. aircraft carrier and a destroyer at a desert location in Xinjiang. The independent U.S. Naval Institute said the mock-ups were part of a new target range. China has emphasized countering other naval forces in building up its military and has concentrated its vessels in the South China Sea. The U.S. Navy remains predominant; however, its ships are spread across several regions where U.S. interests lie.
November 8, 2021 4:11 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Jake Corman is the ranking Republican in Pennsylvania’s state Senate. He is widely expected to run for governor and has begun inviting donors to an announcement next Thursday night. The event is billed as a “special announcement” in Corman’s hometown of Bellefonte. Corman’s entry into the race would swell an already big field of Republicans running for governor. It’s double-digits deep and growing. The party is searching for a nominee to potentially succeed outgoing Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat. Corman is the Senate’s president pro tempore and has served in the Senate since 1999. Corman has said he would discuss his political plans after Tuesday’s election.
November 8, 2021 4:08 am
KITTANNING, Pa. (AP) – A female high school hockey goalie in Pennsylvania is returning to the ice Monday for her first school game since she was the target of vulgar and abusive chants from spectators. The chants from students at Armstrong High School targeted the female goalie for the Mars Fighting Planets at an Oct. 28 game near Kittanning. The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Hockey League on Thursday barred Armstrong students from attending their school’s hockey games and placed the team on probation. Team USA Women’s Hockey Olympian Meghan Duggan has even weighed in with support for the player.
