October 8, 2021 4:14 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Senate has dodged a U.S. debt disaster by approving legislation to lift the federal limit on new borrowing by nearly a half-trillion dollars. The bill, likely to be approved by the House as well, should temporarily avert an unprecedented U.S. default that experts say would have devastated the economy and harmed millions of Americans. Approved Thursday night by the Senate, it will extend the government’s authority to borrow into December. However, that will provide only a temporary reprieve. The same battle will be revived as Democrats argue before year-end with Republicans, who say Democrats must lift the cap without their help.
October 8, 2021 4:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Nearly all Americans agree that the rampant spread of misinformation is a problem. Most also think individual users, along with social media companies, bear a good deal of blame for the situation. But relatively few are very concerned that they themselves might be responsible. That’s according to a new poll from The Pearson Institute and the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Ninety-five percent of Americans identified misinformation as a problem. About half put a great deal of blame on the U.S. government, and about three-quarters point to social media users and tech companies. Only 2 in 10 Americans say they’re very concerned that they have personally spread misinformation, though about 3 in 10 say they’re somewhat concerned.
October 8, 2021 4:11 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Donald Trump intends to assert executive privilege in a congressional investigation into the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. That’s according to a letter sent by lawyers for the former president. The move could prevent the testimony of onetime aides. The letter went to at least some witnesses who were subpoenaed, and it makes clear that Trump plans to invoke privileges meant to protect presidential communications from being shared with Congress. The substance of the letter was described by a person who has seen it. That person spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because the letter was not yet public.
October 8, 2021 4:05 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – The governors of four northeastern states are agreeing to share information about firearms purchases to help detect and investigate straw buyers and other gun crimes. Governors in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania signed an agreement Thursday to exchange gun crime data for use only by law enforcement. The agreement includes provisions governing security and mandated notice if the information is misused. The four Democratic governors say the initiative will help target gun networks that cross state lines. The states plan to share details they get from federal government reports that show who first bought and sold guns recovered during criminal investigations.
October 8, 2021 2:56 am
Authorities are investigating the cause of an accident in Smith Township that left a home delivery propane truck on its side, leaking fuel. Washington County Emergency Management spokesperson Ryan Frazee tells WJPA that the truck rolled over onto its side on Bavington Road Thursday afternoon, before three o’clock. Frazee says Hazmat crews were called to the scene to stop the leak and they have secured the area, closing down Bavington Road. The road was closed from Route 18 to Route 22 for several hours. Frazee says the driver was injured and flown to a Pittsburgh area hospital but he did not know the extent of those injuries.
October 8, 2021 2:21 am
Authorities have arrested a Pittsburgh man and charged him with murder in the shooting death of a United States Postal worker. Officials say 53-year-old Eric Kortz is believed to have shot and killed Louis Vignone, who was in his postal vehicle in Collier Township. He was pronounced dead at the scene of multiple gunshot wounds to the head. Authorities say that shortly after the shooting, Kortz arrived at the Carnegie Borough Police Department and turned himself in for the shooting. During a subsequent interview, Kortz informed Investigators that he shot Vignone because Kortz believed that Vignone and Vignone’s family had poisoned Kortz and Kortz’s family with cyanide when Vignone and Kortz were previously neighbors. Kortz informed Investigators that Kortz was aware of where Vignone worked. Kortz said he located Vignone on his mail route, drove his vehicle toward Vignone’s USPS vehicle, and stopped in front of the vehicle to stop Vignone. Kortz then stated that he “went to put some bullets in him”, referring to shooting Vignone. Kortz said that he then dropped the firearm at the scene, got into his van, and drove to the Carnegie Borough Police Department. Kort was expected to be arraigned Thursday evening.
October 7, 2021 12:30 pm
(WPXI) – A woman whose body was found Wednesday morning near Route 51 in Beaver County is the victim of an apparent homicide, police said. Sharon Benyo, 46, was found dead in a field around 8:15 a.m. by utility workers, investigators said. Chippewa Township police were quickly able to secure the area until forensics was able to process evidence. On Thursday, the Beaver County Coroner’s Office said Benyo died of gunshot wounds to her head. Chippewa Township’s police chief added that the gunshot wounds were to the back of her head. Benyo, the ex-wife of well-known Beaver County defense attorney Gerald Benyo, was released from state prison about three weeks ago and was on the right track to getting her life in order, according to Beaver County District Attorney David Lozier.
October 7, 2021 10:28 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – A report by the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Democratic majority details Donald Trump’s extraordinary effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election that he lost. His pursuit of fraud claims brought the Justice Department to the brink of chaos and prompted top officials there and at the White House to threaten to resign. The report describes how Trump’s efforts to undo the election and exert his will on the department led to a near-revolt at Justice headquarters that receded only after senior leaders warned of a mass resignation. The details in the report point to serious concerns for upcoming elections and show just how fragile the U.S. system is.
October 7, 2021 10:22 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell last week, another sign that the U.S. job market and economy continue their steady recovery from last year’s coronavirus recession. The Labor Department said Thursday that unemployment claims were down by 38,000 to 326,000, the first drop in four weeks. Since surpassing 900,000 in early January, the weekly applications, a proxy for layoffs, had fallen more or less steadily all year. Still, they remain elevated from pre-pandemic levels: Before COVID-19 hammered the U.S. economy in March 2020, weekly claims were consistently coming in at around 220,000.
October 7, 2021 8:52 am
Pfizer is asking the U.S. government to allow use of its COVID-19 vaccine in children ages 5 to 11. If regulators agree, shots could begin within a matter of weeks. Pfizer already had announced that a lower dose of its vaccine worked and appeared safe in a study of the youngsters. Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech on Thursday officially filed its application with the Food and Drug Administration. FDA’s advisers are scheduled to debate the evidence later this month. Until now the vaccine was available only as young as 12, and many parents and pediatricians are clamoring for protection for younger kids.
