December 2, 2021 4:18 am
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Kellogg’s has reached a tentative agreement with its 1,400 cereal plant workers that will deliver 3% raises and end a nearly two-month-long strike if it is approved. The Battle Creek, Michigan-based company said Thursday the five-year deal with the Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union also includes cost of living adjustments in the later years of the contract and it maintains the workers’ current health benefits. The deal covers workers at four plants in Battle Creek; Omaha, Nebraska; Lancaster, Pennsylvania; and Memphis, Tennessee where all of Kellogg’s well-known brands of cereal, including Frosted Flakes and Rice Krispies. The workers who have been on strike since Oct. 5 will vote Sunday on the new contract.
December 2, 2021 4:15 am
A criminal contempt proceeding scheduled for Thursday morning for Washington County Clerk of Courts Brenda Davis has been continued to Monday, December 6, at 9:30 a.m. President Judge John DiSalle issued that order Wednesday. That order also outlines numerous conditions for the proceeding, including court access, allocation of seating and COVID-19 precautions. The order says the public will be seated in the gallery with a maximum of 70 people. Members of the public will not be permitted in the hallways and masks are to be worn at all times. Only those permitted will have standing to address the court or speak during the session. No electronic transmission, video recording, or any other electronic duplication of the proceedings of any type will be permitted.
December 2, 2021 4:04 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – A Pittsburgh man who threw concrete at a police vehicle and injured an officer amid last year’s protests over the murder of George Floyd has been sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison. George Allen, will also have to serve three years of probation after he’s released under the sentence imposed Wednesday. The 31-year-old Allen had pleaded guilty to obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder. Prosecutors say Allen threw “multiple pieces” of concrete at an occupied Pittsburgh police vehicle that was parked on a city street during the protests in downtown Pittsburgh on May 30, 2020. One piece shattered the front passenger window and hit an officer, causing minor bruising to his arm.
December 2, 2021 4:03 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – TV stations in Philadelphia, New York City and Cleveland are taking down the “Dr. Oz Show,” now that the show’s host, Mehmet Oz, has formally become a candidate for U.S. Senate. The stations were compelled by the Federal Communications Commission’s “equal time” rules that give rival candidates the ability to request matching air time. A spokesperson for Fox Television Stations said Wednesday that its stations in New York City and Philadelphia have dropped the “Dr. Oz Show.” Cleveland’s WJW-TV said it made the decision because its signal bleeds into Pennsylvania. Other stations in Pennsylvania may follow suit.
December 2, 2021 3:23 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Federal prosecutors say a Pittsburgh synagogue massacre defendant’s statements at the scene and at a hospital should be allowed at trial because concerns about public safety were a valid reason to question him even after he’d asked for an attorney. U.S. District Judge Donetta Ambrose is considering whether to grant Robert Bowers’ request to suppress statements made after he had been shot and was being treated. His lawyers say Bowers’ repeated assertion of his rights to remain silent and to confer with a lawyer should mean his statements can’t be used against him. Bowers is accused of killing 11 in October 2018 in what is the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history.
December 1, 2021 5:39 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden has unveiled his new HIV/AIDS strategy to end the more than 40-year-old epidemic, calling for a renewed focus on vulnerable Americans. The new strategy asserts that gay and bisexual Black and Latino men are too often stigmatized even as they are disproportionately affected by HIV. The new strategy, which declares racism a “public health threat,” was released Wednesday on the annual commemoration of World AIDS Day. áIt is meant to serve as a framework for how the administration shapes its policies, research, programs and planning over the next three years. The epidemic has killed more than 36 million worldwide, including 700,000 Americans.
December 1, 2021 4:20 pm
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – The U.S. identified its first known case of the omicron variant Wednesday – in a vaccinated traveler returning to California from South Africa – as scientists around the world raced to establish whether the new, mutant version of the coronavirus is more dangerous than the previous ones. The first U.S. case is a person who returned from South Africa on Nov. 22. The person had mild symptoms that are improving, and has agreed to remain in quarantine. All the individual’s close contacts have been contacted and have tested negative. Nigeria and Saudi Arabia also reported omicron infections Wednesday, marking the first known cases in West Africa and the Persian Gulf region.
December 1, 2021 12:35 pm
SOMERSET, Pa. (AP) – A prosecutor accused of sexual assault is now without his public salary and benefits. The Somerset County salary board voted Tuesday to halt payments to Somerset County District Attorney Jeffrey Lynn Thomas. His $185,000 salary goes to acting District Attorney Molly Metzgar. The move is in response to a change in state law that requires district attorneys to hold an active law license. Thomas’ law license was temporarily suspended by the state Supreme Court on Oct. 27. áHe faces charges that include sexual assault and false imprisonment. A Republican, Thomas was elected two years ago.
December 1, 2021 4:28 am
The State Police Fire Marshall is investigating an overnight fire in Avella. The fire broke out just before 2 a.m. Wednesday at a home along Gardner Street. Officials say one person was inside the home at the time but did get out. That person has not been identified but was reportedly taken to an area hospital after suffering burns. Fire officials say the home was fully engulfed when they arrived. There is no word on what may have sparked the fire. That investigation is ongoing. (Photo: WPXI)
December 1, 2021 4:20 am
NEW YORK (AP) – CNN says it is suspending anchor Chris Cuomo indefinitely pending a further review of documents revealing how he helped his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, when he was facing charges of sexual harassment. The network said transcripts released by New York’s attorney general revealed its anchor had a greater involvement in his brother’s case than they knew and raise serious questions. Cuomo is anchor of ‘Cuomo Prime Time’ on the network, frequently CNN’s most-watched show. He anchored Monday night after the documents were released, but did not discuss the matter.
