March 13, 2021 9:26 am
MOSCOW (AP) – Russian police have detained over 170 participants at a forum of independent members of municipal councils, an action that comes amid the authorities’ multi-pronged crackdown on dissent. Police showed up at the gathering in Moscow shortly after it opened on Saturday, saying that all those present would be detained for taking part in an event organized by an “undesirable” organization. A police officer leading the raid said the detainees will be taken to police precincts and charged with administrative violations. OVD-Info, an independent group monitoring arrests and political repression, said that more than 170 participants in the forum were detained.
March 13, 2021 9:23 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Gov. Andrew Cuomo has urged New Yorkers to “wait for the facts.” But patience has grown thin in the state legislature, where leaders in the state Assembly have announced an impeachment investigation, a first step toward potentially removing Cuomo from office. Cuomo has rebuffed calls to resign and staked his political future on the outcome of an independent investigation by state Attorney General Letitia James, who is examining allegations that the governor sexually harassed or inappropriately touched several female aides. The road to any impeachment proceeding is complicated, though, and could take months to play out.
March 13, 2021 9:20 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden has directed his administration to order another 100 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine, growing a likely U.S. surplus of doses later this year when much of the rest of the world struggles with deep shortages. Even before Wednesday’s order, the U.S. was to have enough approved vaccine delivered by mid-May to cover every adult and enough for 400 million people total by the end of July. Enough doses to cover 200 million more people are on order should vaccines from AstraZeneca and Novavax receive approval from the Food and Drug Administration.
March 13, 2021 9:16 am
The leaders of Austria, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Latvia and Bulgaria are calling for talks among European Union leaders about the distribution of vaccines. Austrian media reported Saturday that the five leaders wrote a joint letter to the heads of the European Commission and European Council. That came after Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz complained on Friday that, even though the EU had agreed on distribution of the vaccines on a per-capita basis, some countries were receiving considerably more than others. Officials elsewhere have noted that countries have wanted differing amounts of various vaccines and have not always taken up their full allocation. Kurz’s own health ministry has also rejected his claims.
March 13, 2021 9:13 am
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Portland police detained a crowd of at least 100 protesters Friday night at a demonstration, halting the march minutes after it started. The Oregonian/Oregonlive.com said the mass detainment shortly after 9 p.m in the Pearl District appeared to an example of kettling, a police tactic of surrounding a crowd and containing people within a perimeter. In a tweet and at the scene, police said they were detaining everyone within the boundary for the “investigation of a crime.” Portland has been the site of frequent protests, many involving violent clashes between officers and demonstrators, ever since the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May. Over the summer, there were demonstrations for more than 100 straight days.
March 13, 2021 4:36 am
NORTH HUNTINGDON, Pa. (AP) – A man who authorities say was driving drunk when he caused a head-on crash in western Pennsylvania that killed four people last month has been arraigned on numerous charges, including homicide by vehicle and reckless endangerment. Timothy Richardson, of Pitcairn, was westbound on Route 30 in North Huntingdon when he failed to negotiate a curve on Feb. 14 and crossed into the eastbound lane. Authorities say he collided with an eastbound vehicle carrying three women who were returning home from a Lunar New Year Mass at a Pittsburgh church. The women and a passenger in Richardson’s car were all killed, while Richardson suffered multiple injuries.
March 13, 2021 4:33 am
PennDot is enforcing a statewide St. Patrick’s Day Safety Campaign. They are trying to reduce instances of impaired driving and pedestrian crashes during the holiday period. Enforcement began on March 9 and will run through March 18. PennDot suggests that if you are hosting a party, to limit road travel,have snacks prepared ahead of time. Have plenty of water available especially in the presence of alcohol, never mix medications and alcohol and make sure there is a safe and sober driver available if there is a need to leave. PennDot suggests mocktails as an alternative to alcoholic beverages. In addition to having a sober designated driver, PennDot suggests a designated sober walker to make sure that all guests are able to travel safely.
March 13, 2021 4:21 am
Governor Tom Wolf and the COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force announced another bi-partisan effort to complete vaccinations in the Phase 1A category and vaccinate frontline workers. The announcement focuses on three key areas where significant progress has been made. First, scheduling vaccine appointments for those in Phase 1A, second, establishing regional vaccination clinics and third, target frontline workers and first responders. More than 3 million Pennsylvanians have received their first vaccine dose. More than 72,000 vaccinations are being administered every day. Law enforcement staff, firefighters, grocery workers agricultural workers are among those being prioritized as frontline workers and will be offered the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.
March 12, 2021 1:29 pm
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania’s program to vaccinate teachers and other school workers, starting in the youngest grades, immunized more than 6,500 people in its first days. Officials said Friday that 10 of the school clinics, organized by intermediate units, are up and running. Ten more were expected to become operational on Friday and the other eight should begin over the coming weekend. In this first round, the clinics are administering the state’s allocation of single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccines to school employees in kindergarten through third grade. The current expectation is to vaccinate all school workers by the end of March.
March 12, 2021 12:15 pm
NEW YORK (AP) – Netflix is testing a way to crack down on password sharing. The streaming service has been asking some users of the popular streaming site to verify that they live with the holder of the account. The test, first reported by Streamable.com, comes as streaming services proliferate and more people share passwords and services. Netflix did not say how many people were part of the test or if it was only in the U.S. or elsewhere. “This test is designed to help ensure that people using Netflix accounts are authorized to do so,” the company said in a statement.
