May 4, 2021 2:10 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 3, 2021 5:51 pm
SEATTLE (AP) – Bill and Melinda Gates say they’re divorcing. The Microsoft co-founder and his wife, who launched the world’s largest charitable foundation, said they would continue to work together at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In identical tweets, they said they had made the decision to end their marriage of 27 years. They asked for space and privacy for their family. The couple were married in 1994 in Hawaii. They met after she began working at Microsoft as a product manager in 1987. Last year, Bill Gates said he was stepping down from Microsoft’s board to focus on philanthropy. (Photo: CNN)
May 3, 2021 2:51 pm
(WPXI) – Kennywood is set to open on Saturday, May 8 with new food stands and special events as it kicks off its 123rd season of operation. The first full season since the COVID-19 pandemic will feature the return of favorites, from the record-setting Steel Curtain to attractions like the Gran Prix, Black Widow and Raging Rapids. They’ll be joined by The Old Mill, which was reborn last season after a 17-year absence. “We can’t wait to begin a new year that brings us closer to the typical Kennywood experience,” says Mark Pauls the general manager. “The 2021 season offers a lot to be excited about, and we’ll keep the safety of our Guests and Team Members as top priority as we welcome everyone back to the park.” Opening Day will begin with a centennial celebration 101 years in the making: a ceremonial first ride on the legendary Jack Rabbit roller coaster, the fifth-oldest operating coaster in the world. Per state regulations, Kennywood attendance will be limited to 75% capacity, and the park will also limit capacity within indoor facilities such as restaurants and retail shops. To better monitor attendance, the park will have an optional, online reservation system.
May 3, 2021 4:27 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The United States and Iran are in active talks over the release of prisoners, but Washington is denying a report by Iranian state-run television that deals had been struck. Prisoner swaps between the U.S. and Iran are not uncommon and both countries in recent years have routinely sought the release of detainees. But any movement between the two countries is particularly sensitive as the Biden administration looks to restart nuclear talks. The issue burst into public view with a report in Iran of a deal for the Islamic Republic to release U.S. and British prisoners in exchange for Tehran receiving billions of dollars.
May 3, 2021 4:26 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden is formally raising the nation’s cap on refugee admissions to 62,500 this year. The move comes weeks after Biden faced bipartisan blowback for his delay in replacing the record-low ceiling of 15,000 set by former President Donald Trump. Biden last month moved to expand the eligibility criteria for resettlements, removing one roadblock to refugees entering the U.S., but he initially stopped short of lifting the annual cap. But Biden faced sharp pushback and swiftly reversed course. Biden says the previous limit “did not reflect America’s values as a nation that welcomes and supports refugees.”
May 3, 2021 4:23 am
ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. (AP) – The funeral for Andrew Brown Jr., a Black man shot and killed by deputies in North Carolina, brought calls for justice from the Rev. Al Sharpton and attorneys for the family. Sharpton delivered a fiery eulogy that likened delays in the release of law enforcement footage to a con job done on the public at the service Monday in a church in Elizabeth City. Other speakers included civil rights attorney Ben Crump and the Rev. William Barber II, who leads the Poor People’s campaign. The 42-year-old Brown was shot and killed on April 21 by deputies attempting to serve drug-related search and arrest warrants. His death sparked days of protests in the city in rural northeastern North Carolina. (Photo: CNN)
May 3, 2021 4:22 am
SAN RAMON, Calif. (AP) – Apple’s lucrative app store was alternately portrayed as a price-gouging monopoly and a hub of world-changing innovation during the preamble to a trial that may reshape the technological landscape. The contrasting portraits were drawn on Monday as lawyers for Apple and its foe, Epic Games, outlined their cases in an Oakland, California, federal court. While Apple depicted its app store as an invaluable service beloved by consumers and developers alike, Epic Games attacked it as a breakthrough idea that has morphed into an instrument of financial exploitation that illegally locks out competition. The trial revolves around the 15% to 30% commission that Apple collects on in-app purchases.
May 3, 2021 4:19 am
PITTSBURGH — You can now go into any Rite Aid store in Pennsylvania and get a Covid-19 vaccination. Rite Aid is expanding Covid-19 vaccines to all 2,500 stores in 17 states, including Pennsylvania. Pharmacists are administering the Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. Scheduling an appointment in advance is recommended to reduce wait time, however, walk-in vaccinations are available on a limited basis in every store. If you’d like to schedule an appointment— you can do that on the Rite Aid website.
May 3, 2021 4:14 am
(AP) – Republican state lawmakers say Pennsylvania should immediately terminate the no-bid state contract of a company that performed COVID-19 contact tracing and exposed the private medical information of tens of thousands of residents. GOP leaders on Monday also called for state and federal probes into the Atlanta-based contractor’s mishandling of the data, and what they said was the slow response by the Wolf administration. Employees of Insight Global used unauthorized Google accounts to store names, phone numbers, email addresses, COVID-19 exposure status, sexual orientations and other information about residents who had been reached for contact tracing. The company’s contract with the state required it safeguard people’s data.
May 3, 2021 4:13 am
CLAIRTON, Pa. — (WPXI) – A Clairton family is searching for answers after their step-father was trying to deliver pizza Saturday night. Steve Linn, 64, is in the hospital after being beaten. His step-son Keith says he was helping out and was taking a while to get back to the pizza shop. So they tried to call him and eventually they got a call back from first responders saying there was a crime scene on North Third in Clairton. Keith rushed over, and after seeing his dad, he’s convinced this wasn’t just a robbery. Keith said that his step-dad is now on life support. He says his step-dad was driving a red sedan at the time of the attack. “Right now he’s in a coma, he’s not responding, he has breathing tubes, we’re hoping he makes it through,” Keith explained. The family said that they’re offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
