August 11, 2021 2:25 am
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) – New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul says she is prepared to lead after Gov. Andrew Cuomo steps down. Hochul gave her first public remarks Wednesday. It came a day after Cuomo’s announcement that he would step down rather than face a likely impeachment trial over allegations that he sexually harassed several women. He denies touching anyone inappropriately. Hochul says she planned to bring in new people to her administration and eliminate anyone “unethical” named in the attorney general’s report on Cuomo. Hochul will become the state’s first female governor when she takes over from Cuomo.
August 10, 2021 4:23 pm
(AP) – Emmy Award-winner Christina Applegate has announced that she has multiple sclerosis, describing her diagnosis as a “tough road.” The 49-year-old actor known for her roles in “Married… with Children” and “Dead to Me,” said in a tweet late Monday that she was diagnosed “a few months ago.” Multiple sclerosis – also known as MS – affects the nervous system and often results in progressive physical and cognitive decline. Applegate won her Emmy in 2003 for a guest spot on “Friends” and has a Tony Award nomination for the musical “Sweet Charity.” (Photo: AP)
August 10, 2021 11:57 am
Two men are being held in the Washington County Jail without bond while they await trial on homicide and firearms charges. During a preliminary hearing on Monday, 32-year-old Sydney Devon McLean of McKeesport and 31-year-old Devell Dexter Christian of White Oak were identified as the men authorities believe shot and killed 28-year-old Nicholas Tarpley on February 24th inside Anna Lee’s Convenience Store on Allen Avenue in Donora. No motive has been given for the murder, although authorities suggest that the two men may have been targeting someone else and Tarpley was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
August 10, 2021 4:16 am
MIAMI (AP) – Tropical storm watches have been issued for various Caribbean islands for what soon could become the sixth named tropical storm of this year’s Atlantic hurricane season. The National Hurricane Center announced Monday evening that watches for the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Culebra, and Vieques have been upgraded to a tropical storm warning. Forecasters believe the disturbance heading toward the Lesser Antilles could become Tropical Storm Fred later Monday night or early Tuesday morning. It has been more than a month since the last storm, Hurricane Elsa, formed. The disturbance had maximum sustained winds of 35 mph. A tropical storm has maximum sustained winds of at least 39 mph.
August 10, 2021 4:15 am
California’s largest single wildfire in recorded history is running through forestlands as fire crews try to protect rural communities from flames that have destroyed hundreds of homes. The Dixie Fire in the northern Sierra Nevada is just 22% contained and fire officials warn that hot, dry weather and gusts could push flames harder in the next few days. On Monday, however, crews managed to make progress, cutting thousands of acres of fire lines. The fire has destroyed more than 600 homes and other buildings and gutted the town of Greenville. It’s the largest of some 100 large blazes burning in more than a dozen Western states.
August 10, 2021 4:15 am
(AP) – The surge in COVID-19 infections across the U.S. has caused a shortage of nurses and other front-line staff in virus hotspots that can no longer keep up with the flood of unvaccinated patients. Some facilities are also losing workers to burnout and lucrative out-of-state temporary gigs. Florida, Arkansas and Louisiana all have more people hospitalized with COVID-19 than at any other point in the pandemic. In Florida, ambulances and fire departments are straining to respond to emergencies. One person who suffered a heart attack in New Orleans was even bounced from six hospitals before finding an emergency room that could take him in.
August 10, 2021 4:13 am
DETROIT (AP) – Nissan says its huge factory in Smyrna, Tennessee, will close for two weeks starting Monday. The shutdown is due to computer chip shortages brought on by a coronavirus outbreak in Malaysia. The shutdown is among the longest at any U.S. auto plant of this size since the semiconductor shortage started to hit late last year. The shortage has hobbled auto production worldwide. Nissan said in a statement Tuesday that it ran short of chips due to a COVID-19 outbreak at a chip factory in Malaysia. It expects production to resume Aug. 30.
August 10, 2021 4:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – With a robust vote after weeks of fits and starts, the Senate has approved the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan. A rare coalition of Democrats and Republicans joined together Tuesday to deliver a cornerstone of President Joe Biden’s agenda. Passage provides momentum as it’s now headed to the House. The package would provide almost $550 billion in new spending over five years for roads, bridges, broadband internet, water pipes and other public works systems. Senate Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said it will “do a lot of good for America.” The Senate turns next to Biden’s bigger package, a $3.5 trillion plan with debate likely to extend into the fall.
August 10, 2021 4:09 am
The Board of Directors of the Washington County Agricultural Fair previewed the 2021 Washington County Agricultural Fair on Tuesday morning. The fair is in its 223rd year and board members are excited for this year’s event after having to take last year off due to the coronavirus pandemic. Board President Todd Richards is looking forward to working with the children and seeing their smiles in the show arena. Board Secretary Wayne Hunnell pointed to the new entrance gate and digital sign that greets fairgoers as the biggest addition to the fairgrounds this year. The board thanks Ellen Rossi, President of the EQT Foundation for their generous grant of $100,000 to fund that gate and other improvements around the fairgrounds. The EQT Corporation will also donate $50,000 each year for the next five years to support the fair. All of the traditional attractions such as animal shows and assorted vehicle races return, along with concerts by several local artists. The Washington County Agricultural Fair kicks off at 9:00 am Saturday August 14 and runs through Saturday August 21 Information about the fair can be found at www.washingtonfair.org.
August 10, 2021 4:08 am
Authorities are investigating the death of a Washington County man who was killed in a motorcycle crash on Interstate 70 westbound Monday night. They say the crash occurred shortly after 10 o’clock at the Murtland Avenue on-ramp in South Strabane Township. The Washington County Coroner’s Office has identified the motorcycle rider as 41-year-old Homer Howard Thomas Jr. of Washington. State Police say Thomas was driving a 2022 Harley Davidson motorcycle, entering the interstate – when he crossed into the center lane and into the path of a tractor-trailer driven by a 48-year-old man. Police said the motorcycle hit the passenger side of the truck and then slid. The interstate in that area was closed until around one o’clock Tuesday morning.
