January 27, 2021 4:06 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden plans to reopen the HealthCare.gov insurance markets for a special sign-up opportunity, as he promised during his campaign. It would be geared to people needing coverage in the coronavirus pandemic. Two people familiar with the plan tell The Associated Press that Biden is expected to sign an executive order Thursday, with details still being finalized. The new enrollment period would not go into effect immediately. Instead, the White House wants to provide time for the government to mount a marketing campaign, and for insurers to get ready for an influx of new customers.
January 27, 2021 4:05 am
North Strabane Township Supervisors held a busy voting meeting on Tuesday night. North Strabane Municipal Authority Manager Mark Wolinsky kicked off the meeting by delivering the authority’s budget that included no rate increase to township residents. Supervisors then went on to approve a conditional use application for the construction of a Starbucks restaurant and Chase Bank drive through ATM location adjacent to the Doubletree Hotel on Racetrack Road. And in a tense vote, supervisors approved Fire Chief Mark Grimm as the township’s new Public Safety Director. Grimm will take on the responsibilities of this position in addition to his position as Fire Chief. The approval was 4-1 with supervisor Marcus Staley dissenting indicating that attention needs to be paid to an eleventh hour set of concerns from the Chief of Police. Staley also pointed to possible budget impacts and alleged cronyism in his objection to the appointment. The remaining supervisors were not swayed. They pointed to the fact that this has been in the works since budget workshops in the fall and there was plenty of time to raise concerns over the last three months. When asked for further comment, Staley did not want to make a comment indicating he would have more to say in the future.
January 27, 2021 2:19 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania’s state Senate is advancing legislation to distribute just over $900 million to aid schools and hospitality-related businesses hit hard by the coronavirus, as well as people struggling to pay rent or utility bills. The bill passed the Senate unanimously on Wednesday. It still requires approval from the state House of Representatives and Gov. Tom Wolf. Most of the $912 million is federal aid. Some of it, $145 million, is reserve cash from a worker’s compensation fund that Wolf asked lawmakers to send to businesses hit hard by the pandemic. The majority of the money, $570 million, would help people struggling to pay rent or utilities. Private schools would get $150 million.
January 26, 2021 9:57 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Hundreds of members of the Pennsylvania National Guard will be in Washington for the next two months. The Guard said Tuesday they’ll be helping help with crowd management, assisting with traffic control and performing other duties. The Guard says about 2,350 members of the Pennsylvania National Guard were in Washington at one point to help secure the Capitol after the Jan. 6 riot and for Joe Biden’s inauguration last week. About 450 members are expected to be helping in Washington until mid-March. They will be housed in hotel rooms. Their duties also include communications, logistics and medical services.
January 26, 2021 6:51 am
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) – Officials say one person is dead after a tornado tore through an Alabama city north of Birmingham, leaving the area significantly damaged. Fultondale Police Chief D.P. Smith told AL.com a young man trapped in the basement of his home was pronounced dead at the scene around 3 a.m. Tuesday. Smith says a tree fell onto the family’s home, causing it to collapse. Several other family members were critically injured and one escaped harm. The National Weather Service in Birmingham says officials are evaluating the damage to determine the strength of the tornado, which hit the Fultondale area of Jefferson County late Monday night.
January 26, 2021 4:19 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – After two days of silence, Republican U.S. Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania is confirming a New York Times report, saying he had introduced then-President Donald Trump to a top Justice Department lawyer who, according to the newspaper, discussed a plan to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Perry, who has disputed the validity of President Joe Biden’s victory in Pennsylvania, said in Monday’s statement that he obliged Trump’s request for an introduction. The Justice Department’s inspector general says he’s launching an investigation to examine whether any Justice Department officials “engaged in an improper attempt” to overturn the results of the presidential election.
January 26, 2021 4:15 am
(AP) – Internet users across the northeast U.S. experienced widespread outages for several hours Tuesday, interrupting work and school, because of an unspecified Verizon network issue. The company said in the afternoon, Eastern time, that the issue affecting its Fios service had been resolved and that service was returning to normal. A fiber cut in Brooklyn was unrelated to the problem, which Verizon said it was still investigating. People complained about internet issues and not being able to use major online services in an area that stretched from Washington to Boston.
January 26, 2021 4:14 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Janet Yellen has been confirmed as President Joe Biden’s treasury secretary in an overwhelming Senate vote. She is the first woman to hold the job in the 232-year history of the department. Yellen is a former chairwoman of the Federal Reserve and is expected to play a key role in gaining congressional approval of Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. The plan is running into stiff opposition from Republicans who believe the price tag is far too high. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says the support for Yellen reflects “just how well suited she is to manage the economic challenges of our time.”
January 26, 2021 4:12 am
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A major winter storm blanketed parts of the middle of the country with snow that was forecast to continue into late Tuesday in some areas, disrupting traffic and closing some coronavirus testing sites. The National Weather Service said at least 4 inches of snow fell across most of an area stretching from central Kansas northeast to Chicago and southern Michigan. The weather service forecast the light snowfall that began around sunset Monday in northern Illinois was expected to get heavier overnight, accumulation totaling about three to six inches by early Tuesday. Snowfall in the area could total up to eight inches or more before it ends Tuesday evening.
January 26, 2021 4:11 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell is backing off his demand that Senate Democrats preserve the procedural tool known as the filibuster. In its current form, the tool requires a 60-vote threshold to advance most legislation. McConnell said late Monday he has essentially accomplished his goal after two Democratic senators said they would not agree to the rules change. With McConnell’s announcement, a standoff over organizing the Senate that has stalled proceedings in the opening days of the Biden administration may subside. The new Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, had refused to cede to McConnell’s demands.
