July 15, 2021 3:52 am
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) – Pfizer Inc. and two of its subsidiaries have agreed to pay $345 million under a proposed settlement to resolve litigation over EpiPen price hikes. KCUR-FM reports that the New York-based Pfizer and its subsidiaries – Maryland-based Meridian Medical Technologies Inc. and Tennessee-based King Pharmaceuticals – asked a federal court in Kansas City, Kansas, on Thursday to grant preliminary approval to the settlement. Numerous class action lawsuits were filed alleging the companies engaged in anticompetitive conduct. EpiPens are auto-injectable devices that deliver the drug epinephrine and are used to treat life-threatening allergic reactions. When Mylan acquired the right to market and distribute the EpiPen in 2007, a package cost about $100. Today, it costs more than $650.
July 14, 2021 4:24 am
United Steelworkers members at Allegheny Technologies, Inc. have ratified a new, four-year contract. The specialty steelmaker made the announcement Tuesday night. The union, however, did not provide any details on the results of the voting. The deal puts an end to their strike that began March 30 over disagreements on pay and healthcare coverage. The union says workers will receive a raise and their health care was preserved without premiums. They are expected to be back to work by Monday.
July 14, 2021 4:16 am
(AP) – New COVID-19 cases per day in the U.S. have doubled over the past three weeks, driven by the fast-spreading delta variant, lagging vaccination rates and Fourth of July gatherings. Infections jumped to an average of about 23,600 a day on Monday, up from 11,300 on June 23. And all but two states – Maine and South Dakota – reported that case numbers have risen over the past two weeks. Some parts of the country are running up against deep vaccine resistance.
July 14, 2021 4:14 am
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) – An appeals court has ruled that a federal law banning licensed firearms dealers from selling handguns to young adults between age 18 and 21 is unconstitutional. In a 2-1 opinion Tuesday, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond overturned a lower court ruling upholding the law, which has been in place since 1968. Judge Julius Richardson, a Donald Trump Appointee, wrote that the law relegates both the right to bear arms and young adults under age 21 to second-class status. The Biden administration has the option to appeal the ruling.
July 14, 2021 4:13 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Americans hoping to travel abroad this summer may have to delay their plans if they need new or renewed passports. The State Department says the wait for a passport is now between 12 weeks and 18 weeks, even if you pay for expedited processing. That’s because of ripple effects from the coronavirus pandemic that caused extreme disruptions to the process at domestic issuance facilities and overseas embassies and consulates. A department official says a backlog of 1.5 to 2 million applications means that applications submitted now probably will not be issued until the fall.
July 14, 2021 4:12 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – President Joe Biden is declaring that preserving voting rights is “a test of our time” as he urges passage of federal legislation to combat efforts by Republican-led state legislatures to restrict access to ballots. Biden laid out what the White House called “the moral case” for voting rights in a speech in Philadelphia Tuesday afternoon. Meanwhile, Democratic Texas state legislators took dramatic action to stymie their state’s latest effort in a nationwide Republican push to tighten ballot restrictions. They took flight to Washington to keep the Texas Legislature from a quorum that would allow legislative action.
July 14, 2021 4:10 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Senate Democrats say they’ve reached a budget agreement envisioning spending an enormous $3.5 trillion over the coming decade. It would pave the way for their drive to pour federal resources into climate change, health care and family-service programs sought by President Joe Biden. The accord marks a major step in the party’s push to meet Biden’s goal of bolstering an economy that was ravaged by the pandemic and setting it on course for long-term growth. But Democrats face possible objections from rival moderate and progressive factions. And they’ll have to work hard to convert their plans into legislation they can push through the closely divided Congress.
July 14, 2021 4:08 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Legislative leaders on the five-person group redrawing Pennsylvania state lawmakers’ district lines based on census data are hearing how the delay in the release of updated population figures may require them to move more quickly than anticipated. The state’s Legislative Reapportionment Commission heard Tuesday that census numbers might not be ready before the end of September. Counties need the new maps by Jan. 24 in order to provide the requisite information to candidates and others circulating nominating petitions during a period that kicks off on Feb. 15. Candidates have until March 8 to submit signed nominating petitions to appear on next year’s May 17 primary ballot.
July 14, 2021 3:56 am
The Master Revitalization Steering Committee held their second input meeting on Tuesday to discuss restoration plans for Claysville. The revitalization project seeks to revive businesses and explore new economic opportunities for all nine municipalities. Although more borough residents attended the second meeting, their survey responses were in line with those from the first meeting. There are a few essential common themes shared between the first and second meeting, according to committee member Rick Newton. “Infrastructure, utilities, broadband internet access, cell phone access, sewage- all of those were common themes from last meeting that continued to this meeting”, said Newton. Popular audience topics included repairing old roads, developing new young centers, preserving lakes and trails, and removing dilapidated houses. Some people, like Morris inhabitant Dale Leech, complained about the deteriorating buildings around their property. Leech proposes that these buildings should be sold and “put back onto the taxbase for the property value” before any new houses are built from the plan. For the second meeting, there was reportedly a greater demand for retail centers to be built in areas like Taylorstown. The committee’s consultant, Herbert, Rolland, and Grubic Inc., will count all of the survey responses and officially publish their results on the committee website.
July 14, 2021 3:44 am
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – A week after the state enacted an anti-hazing law in honor of an Ohio University student who died in 2018, the university suspended another fraternity for allegedly violating hazing rules. The Athens-based school sent the Beta Chapter of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity a notice Tuesday that it will be suspended for four years. An investigation by the university revealed a pattern of student code of conduct violations. It’s not clear what prompted the investigation. The suspension follows Gov. Mike DeWine signing a bill into law that places tougher penalties for hazing at Ohio universities and colleges starting this fall.
