August 21, 2021 4:26 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – For senior military and Pentagon leaders, this week’s news was profoundly personal. The photos and videos pouring out of Afghanistan hit a nerve, and triggered searingly vivid flashbacks to battles fought, troops lost and tears shed during their own deployments there. And in a response shaped by their memories and experiences in the war, they urged troops to check in on their buddies, talk to each other and seek help and solace if they need it. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says, “We have a moral obligation to help those who helped us.”
August 21, 2021 4:20 am
NORTH HUNTINGTON, Pa. — A couple from Westmoreland County was found dead in their home Thursday of what police believe is carbon monoxide poisoning, according to the coroner. Joseph and Freda Polinski, both 88, of North Huntingdon, were found dead in their Altman Street home after a family member was unable to contact his parents, police Chief Robert Rizzo said. Police believe the pair died of carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide is odorless, but medics did describe a strong smell in the home and had to ventilate it before they could go inside to investigate. Their official cause of death has not yet been released by the Westmoreland County Coroner.
August 21, 2021 3:24 am
COVID cases in Washington County are climbing, with state health officials recording 45 new infections over the past twenty-four hours, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases to 18,789. Washington County also recorded a new COVID related death this week, bringing the death toll to 314. COVID cases are continuing to climb across the state as well. Over the past twenty-four hours, the state confirmed 2,128 new infections and 22 new deaths. Health officials say there are 1,307 people hospitalized with COVID and out of that number, 338 are in the intensive care unit. Vaccinations are still remaining rather stagnant. State officials say there are now sixty-four-point-seven-percent of eligible residents fully vaccinated.
August 21, 2021 2:52 am
Row officers in Washington County once again clashed with the board of Commissioners. During the board’s regular meeting on Thursday, they awarded a contract to Minnesota-based Thompson-Reuters for its case management system as requested by the county’s board of judges. That decision did not sit well with Register of Wills Jim Roman and Prothonotary Laura Hough (pictured). Hough claims they were not consulted on the decision and she was in favor of another company, Paperless Solutions, from Pennsylvania. Commission Chairperson Diana Irey-Vaughan said the company commissioners chose will provide a fully integrated system while the Pennsylvania company did not. The new contract totals one-point-five-million-dollars up front, plus 350-thousand-dollars annually for software upgrades, maintenance and IT support. Irey-Vaughan says the money to pay for the system will come from federal American Rescue Plan Funds.
August 20, 2021 11:43 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Producer Mike Richards stepped down as host of “Jeopardy!” after a report about past misogynistic comments surfaced this week and following a drumbeat of criticism about his selection and how it was made. Richards was chosen last week as the successor to Alex Trebek, but his selection was seen as divisive from the beginning after the show embarked on a broad search that included actors, sports figures, journalists and celebrities. Earlier this week, a report on the website The Ringer revealed demeaning comments about women that Richards had made on a podcast. Richards says in a note to the “Jeopardy!” staff on Friday that moving forward would be too much of a “distraction for our fans.”
August 20, 2021 4:47 am
The Canon McMillan School Board met Thursday evening for a voting meeting that was delayed a week because the board could not meet the minimum for a quorum one week before. As in other school districts attendance was high in anticipation of modifications to the health and safety plan for the upcoming school year. Before the meeting allowed public comment Superintendent Michael Daniels announced that there is no agenda item for the health and safety plan and that the one adopted on June 24 is still in place. That means that masks will be recommended but not required. Public comment was spirited. Fourteen residents spoke on several subjects. Several comments were made to director Joe Zupancic regarding his recent letter to the editor that appeared in the Observer-Reporter newspaper. He was criticized for his support of masks in schools. Several more parents called for students to not wear masks on school buses saying that school buses do not fall under the guidelines of public transportation. They cited sources including professional publications for superintendents and a phone conversation with State Senator Doug Mastriano. Superintendent Daniels indicated that their legal counsel feels that the CDC does have the authority to make that mandate and buses will still require masks. Two people did speak in favor of masks but both were drowned out during their comments by parents that did not share their view. The board accepted the resignation of director Darla Bowman Monaco with regret. The board voted 4-3 to accept the resignation. The first day of school for students is August 26.
August 20, 2021 4:18 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Three senators say they have tested positive for COVID-19 despite being vaccinated. The lawmakers announced their breakthrough cases Thursday as the delta variant spreads rapidly across the United States. Sens. Angus King of Maine, Roger Wicker of Mississippi, and John Hickenlooper of Colorado all said they have tested positive. The Senate is away from Washington this week, but lawmakers were on the Senate floor together on Aug. 11 during a marathon voting session. The new cases came the day after U.S. health officials announced plans to dispense COVID-19 booster shots to all Americans.
August 20, 2021 4:17 am
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) – A Florida judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the order by Gov. Ron DeSantis that parents should decide if their children wear masks at school to combat the coronavirus. The order Thursday by Leon County Circuit Judge John C. Cooper clears the way for a three-day hearing next week on whether to block enforcement of the order. The DeSantis order bans schools from imposing mask mandates unless parents can opt out of the requirements. Five Florida school districts – including four of the largest – are defying that order by permitting mask opt-outs only for medical reasons rather than parental choice.
August 20, 2021 4:15 am
NEW ORLEANS (AP) – A federal appellate court has refused to delay implementation of a judge’s order reinstating a Trump administration policy forcing thousands to wait in Mexico while seeking asylum in the U.S. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued the ruling late Thursday. President Joe Biden suspended former President Donald Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy on his first day in office. A federal judge last week ordered that the program be reinstated. The Biden administration appealed and had asked for a delay in re-implementing the program pending appeal.
August 20, 2021 4:14 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – California’s wildfires have already made plenty of news this summer and the worst may be yet to come. Some of the state’s most devastating fires have started in the fall when powerful, dry winds blow out of the desert. More land has burned this year than at the same point last year, which set the record for most acreage charred. The largest fire currently burning is the second-largest in state history. Most of the large fires have been in the northern half of the state. But the biggest fires in Southern California have usually been sparked in September or later in the year.
