March 18, 2021 4:05 am
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Pa. — One person was flown from the scene of a crash and fire along Interstate 79 North Wednesday night. It happened just before 10:30 p.m. between the Houston and Canonsburg exits. North Strabane Township Fire officials say the vehicle was on fire and up against a guardrail when they arrived. The injured occupant was out of the vehicle. After being evaluated by first responders a medical helicopter was then requested. There is no word on the identity of the victim nor their condition. Both North and Southbound lanes of the Interstate were closed for more than an hour. Traffic returned to normal around 11:40 p.m. (PHOTO: North Strabane Township Fire Department Facebook)
March 17, 2021 5:28 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Treasury Department says it has sent out 90 million economic impact payments totaling $242 billion since President Joe Biden signed a $1.9 trillion pandemic relief plan last week. The bulk of those payments were made by the IRS as direct deposits. Officials said Wednesday that recipients started to see the payments showing up in their bank accounts last weekend. In addition, Treasury has mailed out roughly 150,000 checks worth about $442 million. Processing of the payments began last Friday, the day after Biden signed the American Rescue Plan.
March 17, 2021 4:18 am
ATLANTA (AP) – Authorities say a 21-year-old man has been captured hours after eight people were killed in shootings at three Atlanta-area massage parlors. Cherokee County sheriff’s Capt. Jay Baker said Robert Aaron Long of Woodstock, Georgia, was taken into custody in Crisp County on Tuesday night. Crisp County is about 150 miles south of Atlanta. Four people were killed at a massage parlor in Acworth. Shortly after, three people were killed at a spa in northeast Atlanta, while a fourth person was killed at another spa across the street. The killings came amid a recent wave of attacks against Asian Americans that coincided with the spread of the coronavirus across the United States.
March 17, 2021 4:16 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell is warning ominously of a “scorched earth” landscape if Democrats use their new majority to bring an end to the Senate filibuster process. Senators have been considering changes to the decades-old rules that typically require 60 votes to advance legislation. With Democrats controlling the chamber that’s evenly split 50-50, they’re facing a tough time approving their priorities and President Joe Biden’s agenda. McConnell unleashed the dire forecast Tuesday, implying that Republicans would grind business to a halt by refusing to give consent for routine operations. Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer dismissed the warnings as a “diversion.”
March 17, 2021 4:14 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized influence operations to help Donald Trump in last November’s presidential election. That’s according to a declassified intelligence assessment that found broad efforts by the Kremlin and Iran to shape the outcome of the race but ultimately no evidence that any foreign actor changed votes or otherwise disrupted the voting process. The report was released Tuesday from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and represents the most detailed assessment of the array of foreign threats to the 2020 election. These included efforts by Iran to undermine confidence in the vote and harm Trump’s re-election prospects as well as Moscow operations that used Trump’s allies to smear Joe Biden, the eventual winner.
March 17, 2021 4:12 am
CHESTER, Pa. (AP) – President Joe Biden has visited a small, minority-owned business in suburban Philadelphia to showcase his $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. He underscored that the huge relief package was passed without any help from Republican lawmakers as he sought to highlight how the bill will help small businesses imperiled by the public health crisis. The visit to Smith Flooring, Inc. was Biden’s first stop in an ongoing administration roadshow to publicize, and take credit, for the virus relief package. Vice President Kamala Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff delivered a similar message during stops in Colorado.
March 17, 2021 4:11 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – A surge of migrants on the Southwest border has the Biden administration on the defensive. The head of Homeland Security acknowledged the severity of the problem Tuesday but insisted it’s under control and said he won’t revive a Trump-era practice of immediately expelling teens and children. An official says U.S. authorities encountered nearly double the number children traveling alone across the Mexican border in one day this week than on an average day last month. The administration is rushing to open temporary child holding facilities, while Republicans say it’s all the Democrats’ fault for easing the child-expulsion rules and talking up other proposed changes.
March 17, 2021 4:09 am
North Strabane Township Supervisors will look to adjust the possibility of continuing its property tax penalty easement. In 2020 Supervisors agreed to allow residents to pay their property taxes at discount until July 31. Face value payments were then accepted from August 1 through December 31 of 2020. As of January 1, 2021 property taxes for 2020 became delinquent and penalties were assessed. Supervisors will look to offer the similar program this year with the discount ending on July 31 and face value ending on December 31, 2021. Township Manager Andrew Walz stated that the economy of North Strabane Township is strong especially now that pandemic restrictions are being eased. The township recognizes that not all residents have recovered financially from the pandemic and this offers them a way to pay their taxes without incurring a penalty. Supervisors will also entertain an offer from neighboring Peters Township. Township officials in Peters Township are offering North Strabane Township an opportunity for its residents to take advantage of the new aquatic facility in Peters Township at Peters Township resident rates. North Strabane Township Supervisors will need to weigh whether an annual contribution to Peters Township would be worth the discount to North Strabane residents who would like to patronize the neighboring swimming pool.
March 17, 2021 2:22 am
Washington County hospitality businesses can now apply for some of $2.3 million in state funding as part of the ‘COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Recovery Program, or CHIRP. Washington County Commissioners partnered with the Washington Industrial Development Corporation, the Washington County Chamber of Commerce, and the Mon Valley Alliance to administer the program. Businesses will need to demonstrate a 25-percent or more loss in revenue due to the pandemic and must provide documentation to substantiate those losses. Applications will be reviewed based on the criteria in the guidelines. Grant applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis and awarded until funding is exhausted. Program guidelines and the application portal are available at www.WashCoGrant.com. You can also find links to the website on the Washington County and Washington County Chamber of Commerce websites.
March 17, 2021 2:14 am
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – West Virginia leaders cautioned residents to continue taking the coronavirus seriously as the state witnesses a slight bump in deaths and hospitalizations. Hospitalizations went up by 35 patients in two days to 190 on Wednesday. There have also been 34 new deaths reported this week so far. Outbreaks at churches grew to seven places across five counties. Republican Gov. Jim Justice said “we got to be really cautious.” Earlier this month, he lifted capacity limits on bars, restaurants and businesses. A statewide mask mandate remains in effect.
