October 4, 2021 7:37 am
The CEO of Washington Health System has some concerns as COVID-19 cases spike in Washington County. Brook Ward says Washington Hospital and WHS Greene had 54 patients with COVID-19, as of late last week. That is approaching the highest peak of 58 reached last November at those facilities. In a Facebook video post, Ward says 83 percent of those patients are not vaccinated. According to Ward, people seeking testing to return to school, work or to travel are driving the positivity rate down but if you take those people out the community is seeing a high incident rate. Ward calls that “concerning”. Ward is also advising residents to prepare for long wait times should you have to go to the emergency room at either facility.
October 4, 2021 4:28 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Facebook prematurely turned off safeguards designed to thwart misinformation and rabble rousing after Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump in last year’s elections in a moneymaking move that a company whistleblower alleges contributed to the deadly Jan. 6 invasion of the U.S. Capitol. The whistleblower, former Facebook product manager Frances Haugen, also asserted during an exclusive interview that aired Sunday on CBS’ “60 Minutes” that a 2018 change to Facebook’s news feeds contributed to more divisiveness and ill will in a network ostensibly created to bring people closer together. Facebook contends Haugen’s allegations are misleading and insists that there is no evidence to support the premise that it’s the primary cause of social polarization.
October 4, 2021 4:26 am
HAVANA (AP) – The Cuban government has confirmed that nine of the 24 players on its national team at baseball’s U-23 World Cup defected during the tournament in Mexico. Cuban officials called the players’ actions “vile abandonments” in a note published Sunday by the web portal JIT, which is the official organ of the island’s National Sports Institute. The institute has not identified the players who stayed in Mexico. The defection of nine players is one of the biggest such losses by a Cuban team playing abroad. Cuban baseball players are often recruited by scouts looking to sign them to play with major league clubs, and the strained relations between the U.S. and Cuba prevents them from a regular hiring process.
October 4, 2021 4:24 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Teachers and other school staff members are supposed to be vaccinated against COVID-19 when the bell rings Monday morning for New York City’s sprawling school system. Mayor Bill de Blasio has warned that unvaccinated school staffers will not be allowed to work Monday. De Blasio said 90% of Department of Education employees had received at least one vaccine dose, including 93% of teachers, as of Friday. New York City’s school district is one of the first in the nation to require all school employees to be inoculated against the coronavirus. A similar mandate is set to go into effect in Los Angeles on Oct. 15.
October 4, 2021 4:24 am
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP) – Crews on the water and on shore worked feverishly to limit environmental damage from one of the largest oil spills in recent California history. An underwater Southern California pipeline started leaking oil late Friday or early Saturday. The pipeline is owned by Amplify Energy. CEO Martyn Willsher said Sunday that divers were still trying to determine exactly where the leak occurred. The pipeline and three oil platforms it serves have been shut down. Officials said Saturday that at least 126,000 gallons of oil spilled into the waters off Orange County. Huntington Beach Mayor Kim Carr said the city’s beaches could remain closed for weeks or even months.
October 4, 2021 4:21 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – The deadline is past for Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration to comply with a subpoena from a Republican-controlled state Senate committee pursuing what the GOP calls a “forensic investigation” of last year’s presidential election. The deadline was Friday, as courts sorted through three legal challenges. Wolf’s administration and Senate Republicans remained silent in the matter. The court was expected to set up an expedited briefing schedule. Republicans maintain they are attempting to find and fix problems in last year’s presidential election and this year’s primary election. Democrats accuse them of helping perpetuate baseless claims that former President Donald Trump was cheated out of victory.
October 4, 2021 4:16 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI)- Kodiak the Stellar’s Sea Eagle has been found and is back safe at the National Aviary on Pittsburgh’s North Side. Kodiak was spotted at a home in Pine Township on Sunday, according to Aviary officials. Using professional falconry techniques and equipment, a team was able to safely capture Kody and take him back to the facility. After examining him, veterinarians determined he was in “excellent health and body condition.” Officials said the bird is now resting comfortably in a behind-the-scenes area of the Aviary and is enjoying meals of fresh meat. Kodiak went missing on Saturday, Sept. 25 after officials said he flew through weakened chain netting around his habitat.
October 3, 2021 8:08 am
BEIJING (AP) — The ruling Communist Party is tightening political control over China’s internet giants and tapping their wealth to pay for its ambitions to reduce reliance on U.S. and European technology. Anti-monopoly and data security crackdowns starting in late 2020 have shaken the industry, which flourished for two decades with little regulation. Investor jitters have knocked more than $1.3 trillion off the total market value of e-commerce platform Alibaba, games and social media operator Tencent and other tech giants. The party says anti-monopoly enforcement will be a priority through 2025. It says competition will help create jobs and raise living standards.
October 3, 2021 8:05 am
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The biggest lottery prize in months grew larger after no ticket matched all five numbers and the Powerball drawn on Saturday night. The estimated jackpot for the next drawing on Monday is $670 million. Saturday night’s numbers were 28, 38, 42, 47 and 52. The Powerball was 1. The Powerball jackpot has slowly climbed thanks to 40 consecutive drawings without a grand prize winner, a record streak for the game dating back to June 5. There hasn’t been a bigger Powerball jackpot since a $731.1 million prize was won on Jan. 20. Saturday’s grand prize of $635 million would have been the 10th largest U.S. lottery jackpot ever won. Since Aug. 23, Powerball drawings have been held three times a week to increase interest and grow prizes more quickly. Drawings are held each Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 10:59 p.m. EDT. One thing that hasn’t changed, though, are the long odds of winning the jackpot — one in 292.2 million.
October 3, 2021 8:03 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea has warned the U.N. Security Council against criticizing the isolated country’s missile program, in a statement Sunday that included unspecified threats against the international body. During an emergency closed-door meeting of the top U.N. body Friday, France circulated a proposed statement that expresses concern over North Korea’s missile launches and calls on it to fully implement council resolutions that ban its ballistic missile firings. On Sunday, Jo Chol Su, a senior North Korean Foreign Ministry official, warned the U.N. council it “had better think what consequences it will bring in the future in case it tries to encroach upon the sovereignty” of North Korea. Jo also accused the U.N. body of a “double-dealing standard” because it doesn’t equally take issue with similar weapons tests by the United States and its allies, according to the statement circulated by state media.
