May 5, 2021 4:08 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration is solidifying its intention to begin imposing a price on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants next year, over the protests of coal- and gas-region lawmakers and elements of the energy industry. Wolf’s administration issued a final rule for the regulatory plan Tuesday with the same timeline and same goals for reductions in carbon dioxide. The rule must still go through two state regulatory boards. Wolf, a Democrat, in 2019 ordered his administration to start drafting regulations for the plan. If Wolf is successful, Pennsylvania would become the first major fossil fuel state to adopt a carbon pricing policy.
May 5, 2021 3:50 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Teams of experts are projecting that COVID-19’s toll on the U.S. will wane dramatically by the end of July. That’s according to research released by the government Wednesday. But they also warn a “substantial increase” in hospitalizations and deaths is possible if unvaccinated people do not follow basic public health guidelines such as wearing a mask and social distancing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention paper included projections from six different research groups.
May 5, 2021 3:19 am
Gov. Tom Wolf announced Tuesday that his office would be lifting the COVID-19 mitigation orders, except the masking order, on Memorial Day. According to a news release, Wolf said the current order requiring state residents to wear a mask will be lifted once 70% of Pennsylvanians age 18 and older were fully vaccinated. Right now, masks are required to be worn indoors and outdoors when away from your home. Requirements such as testing and reporting new cases will remain in place for hospitals and long-term care facilities. Maintaining requirements for hospitals and long-term care facilities will allow Pennsylvania to continue to closely monitor COVID-19 spread while lifting other restrictions. The Department of Health recommends that Pennsylvanians refer to CDC guidance and recommendations regarding ongoing COVID-19 safety measures and procedures. These updates will not prevent municipalities and school districts from continuing and implementing stricter mitigation efforts.
May 4, 2021 5:51 pm
DOYLESTOWN, Pa. (AP) – Two suburban Philadelphia women are facing misdemeanor voter fraud charges after authorities allege they completed mail-in ballots for the November 2020 election by signing the names of their deceased mothers. Bucks County prosecutors say 56-year-old Danielle Dooner of Buckingham Township and 51-year-old Melissa Ann Fisher of Quakertown were both charged by summons with third-degree misdemeanor violations of provisions relating to absentee and mail-in ballots. Prosecutors cited handwriting analysis in alleging they signed declarations and other documents for the ballots of their mothers, both of whom died in September. Neither ballot was counted or opened. Court documents don’t list attorneys representing the defendants.
May 4, 2021 12:52 pm
DETROIT (AP) – Hyundai is recalling over 390,000 vehicles in the U.S. and Canada for problems that can cause engine fires. In one recall, owners are being told to park outdoors until repairs are made. That recall covers more than 203,000 Santa Fe Sport SUVs from 2013 through 2015. Some are being recalled a second time. Brake fluid can leak into a brake computer, causing an electrical short that can lead to fires.
May 4, 2021 4:16 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to authorize Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for kids ages 12 to 15 by next week, setting up shots for many before the beginning of the next school year. That’s according to a federal official and a person familiar with the process. The FDA action would be followed by a meeting of a federal vaccine advisory committee to discuss whether to recommend the shot for 12- to 15-year-olds. Then the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would act on the committee’s recommendation. Those steps could be completed in a matter of days.
May 4, 2021 4:14 am
NEW DELHI (AP) – A top expert is warning that the coming weeks in India will be “horrible,” as COVID-19 infections and deaths mount with alarming speed and there is no end in sight to the crisis. The country of nearly 1.4 billion has witnessed scenes of people dying outside overwhelmed hospitals and funeral pyres lighting up the night sky. India’s official count of coronavirus cases surpassed 20 million, nearly doubling in the past three months, while deaths officially exceed 220,000. But the true figures are believed to be far higher, the undercount an apparent symptom of the troubles in the health care system.
May 4, 2021 4:12 am
MEXICO CITY (AP) – Officials say 24 people were killed when an elevated section of Mexico City’s metro collapsed as a train was traveling along it. Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said the train fell onto a busy boulevard late Monday night. It was one of the deadliest incidents in the history of the subway system, which is among the busiest in the world. Of the 24 killed, the mayor said 21 died at the scene, while the others died at hospitals, and children were among the fatalities, Crews used a crane to lower a train car to the ground as they untangled the steel and concrete wreckage. Officials say 77 people were hospitalized.
May 4, 2021 4:10 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – Bethel park police officers and a school resource officer were serving a search warrant at the high school this morning when they arrested a security guard. Bernard Allen Switala had a handgun in a backpack that was next to him at his post at the front door of the high school, police said. Switala also had another firearm in his personal vehicle which was parked in the school parking lot. He’s charged with two counts of possession of a weapon on school property. The warrant that police had been trying to serve on Switala was in connection with a recent incident where he is accused of pulling a firearm on a person in South Park, police said. In that incident, a motorcyclist told police a vehicle pulled up next to him and the driver had a gun, pointed to his glove box and made several threats to kill both people on the motorcycle.
May 4, 2021 4:06 am
The Washington School District held a workshop meeting Monday evening and approved a preliminary budget for the 2021-2022 school year. The approval was unanimous for the $29,126,045 budget that calls for no tax increase. Also during the workshop, attendance in the district’s cyber academy was discussed. Fifty nine students are currently enrolled to outside cyber schools. In the district cyber school there has been an 8.5% decrease in usage with those students coming back to the building. Currently 49% of seniors are enrolled in cyber and 43% of juniors are registered cyber. The district is paying close attention to make sure students that opt for cyber are able to keep up academically with those students enrolled in the brick and mortar program.
