January 4, 2021 4:14 am
WHITE OAK, Pa. — After three weeks, restaurant owners were finally allowed to reopen their doors for indoor dining at 8 a.m. Monday. They are limited to 25% capacity or 50% capacity if they complete an online certification. The online certification is basically a form that indicates they will follow all COVID-19 guidelines set forth by the state, city or county. This includes social distancing and mask-wearing. Alcohol still can’t be served without a meal, and alcohol sales must stop at 11 p.m.
January 4, 2021 4:11 am
ERIE, Pa. (AP) – Prosecutors in northwestern Pennsylvania are expected to begin a review this week of the state police investigation into a shooting death at a gun range three days before Christmas. The Erie Times-News reports that Erie County District Attorney Jack Daneri said last week that police investigators were getting all of their reports and videotaped interviews of witnesses to his office, and a review was anticipated during the first week of January. State police said earlier that a man firing shots at the State Gamelands gun range in Greene Township on Dec. 22 began firing at another man and was then shot to death by a third man.
January 4, 2021 2:16 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania Turnpike officials are reminding drivers that toll increases went into effect this past weekend along with a hefty surcharge on non-EZ-Pass users. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission in July approved a 6% increase to begin Sunday for EZ-Pass users as well for those without passes in the “Toll by Plate” program. They also approved a 45% surcharge on people whose tolls are assessed by mail based on their license plates. Under the Toll by Plate option, high-speed cameras capture license-plate images as vehicles pass by. The registered owner then receives an invoice for trips made through the tolling point.
January 4, 2021 2:01 am
PITTSBURGH (WPXI) — U.S. Senator Pat Toomey, a Republican from Pennsylvania, blasted his fellow GOP Senators opposing certification of the 2020 presidential election. In a statement released over the weekend, he said “A fundamental, defining feature of a democratic republic is the right of the people to elect their own leaders. The effort by Senators Hawley, Cruz, and others to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in swing states like Pennsylvania directly undermines this right. The senators justify their intent by observing that there have been many allegations of fraud. But allegations of fraud by a losing campaign cannot justify overturning an election. They fail to acknowledge that these allegations have been adjudicated in courtrooms across America and were found to be unsupported by evidence.” “I acknowledge that this past election, like all elections, had irregularities. But the evidence is overwhelming that Joe Biden won this election.” “I voted for President Trump and endorsed him for re-election. But, on Wednesday, I intend to vigorously defend our form of government by opposing this effort to disenfranchise millions of voters in my state and others.” Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and 10 other senators are planning to fight the Electoral College results unless an audit commission is appointed.
January 3, 2021 8:14 am
Before he blew himself up in a Christmas Day attack that devastated blocks of downtown Nashville, Anthony Warner sent materials about his views to people he knew, federal investigators said Saturday. In a statement to The Associated Press, FBI Special Agent Jason Pack said authorities are “aware the suspect sent materials which espoused his viewpoints to several acquaintances throughout the country.” Authorities have said Warner, 63, was responsible for the explosion, which damaged dozens of buildings and injured several people. Officials have not released a motive. Pack did not release additional details about what the packages from Warner contained but he urged anyone who may have received material from Warner to contact the FBI at 800-CALL-FBI.
January 3, 2021 8:12 am
HELSINKI (AP) — Rescue teams searching for survivors four days after a landslide carried away homes in a Norwegian village found no signs of life Saturday amid the ruined buildings and debris. Three bodies have been recovered but searchers are still looking for seven more people believed to be missing. The landslide in the village of Ask is the worst in modern Norwegian history and has shocked citizens in the Nordic nation. Search teams patrolled with dogs as helicopters and drones with heat-detecting cameras flew amid harsh winter conditions over the ravaged hillside in Ask, a village of 5,000 people 25 kilometers (16 miles) northeast of Oslo. Norwegian police pledged not to scale down the search even though a rescue team from neighboring Sweden has already returned home.
January 3, 2021 8:10 am
BALTIMORE, M.D. — The COVID-19 death toll in the United States has surpassed 350,000 as experts anticipate another surge in coronavirus cases and deaths stemming from holiday gatherings over Christmas and New Year’s. Data compiled by Johns Hopkins University shows the U.S. passed the threshold early Sunday morning. More than 20 million people in the country have been infected. The U.S. has begun using two coronavirus vaccines to protect health care workers and nursing home residents and staff but the rollout of the inoculation program has been criticized as being slow and chaotic. Multiple states have reported a record number of cases over the past few days, including North Carolina and Arizona. Mortuary owners in hard-hit Southern California say they’re being inundated with bodies. The U.S. by far has reported the most deaths from COVID-19 in the world, followed by Brazil, which has reported more than 195,000 deaths.
January 3, 2021 8:09 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress is preparing to convene for the start of a new session, swearing in lawmakers during a tumultuous period as a relative handful of Republicans work to overturn Joe Biden’s victory over President Donald Trump and the coronavirus surge imposes limits at the Capitol. Democrat Nancy Pelosi is set Sunday to be reelected as House speaker by her party, which retains the majority in the House but with the slimmest margin in 20 years after a November election wipeout. Opening the Senate could be among Mitch McConnell’s final acts at majority leader. Republican control is in question until Tuesday’s runoff elections for two Senate seats in Georgia. The outcome will determine which party holds the chamber. It’s often said that divided government can be a time for legislative compromises, but lawmakers are charging into the 117th Congress with the nation more torn than ever, disputing even basic facts including that Biden won the presidential election. Fraud did not spoil the 2020 presidential election, a fact confirmed by election officials across the country. Before stepping down last month, Attorney General William Barr, a Republican appointed by Trump, said fraud did not affect the election’s outcome. Arizona’s and Georgia’s Republican governors, whose states were crucial to Biden’s victory, have also stated that their election results were accurate.
January 3, 2021 8:08 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former CNN talk show host Larry King has been hospitalized with COVID-19 for more than a week, the news channel reported Saturday. Citing an unidentified person close to the family, CNN said the 87-year-old King is undergoing treatment at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Hospital protocols have kept King’s family members from visiting him. The Peabody Award-winning broadcaster was among America’s most prominent interviewers of celebrities, presidents and other newsmakers during a half-century career that included 25 years with a nightly show on CNN. He has had medical issues in recent decades, including heart attacks and diagnoses of diabetes and lung cancer. Last year, King lost two of his five children within weeks of each other. Son Andy King died of a heart attack at 65 in August, and daughter Chaia King died from lung cancer at 51 in July, Larry King said then in a statement.
January 3, 2021 2:28 am
(WPXI) – The new COVID-19 mandates that have been in effect in Pennsylvania since the week before Christmas will be allowed to expire next week, Gov. Tom Wolf announced in a virtual press conference on Wednesday. Wolf initially announced the new restrictions on Dec. 10 that most notably prohibited indoor dining at Pa. restaurants for a three-week period. Beginning at 8:01 a.m. the following may resume:
- Child care may open, complying with guidance.
- Schools subject to CDC and commonwealth guidance.
- Telework must continue unless impossible.
- All in-person businesses may operate at 75% occupancy, except where noted
- Self-certified restaurants may open at 50% capacity for indoor dining; Restaurants that have not self-certified are at 25% capacity for indoor dining.
- On-premises alcohol consumption prohibited unless part of a meal; cocktails-to-go and carryout beverages are allowed.
- Serving alcohol for on-site consumption must end at 11 p.m. and all alcoholic beverages must be removed from patrons by midnight.
- Personal care services (including hair salons and barbershops) open at 50% occupancy and by appointment only.
- Indoor recreation and health facilities (such as gyms and spas) open at 50% occupancy with appointments strongly encouraged.
- All entertainment (such as casinos, theaters, and museums) open at 50% occupancy.
- Mask-wearing requirements are still in effect.
