August 23, 2021 4:05 am
HELENA, Mont. (AP) – A shortage of bus drivers is complicating the start of a new school year already facing a surge in COVID-19 cases and conflicts over whether masks should be required in school buildings. School districts are offering hiring bonuses, training to get commercial driver’s licenses and pay increases in an effort to attract more drivers. First Student contracts with school districts across the country to provide bus service, and held test driving events this summer. Its “Big Bus, No Big Deal” events were an effort to show people that driving a bus is not as difficult as people might think.
August 22, 2021 7:32 am
PLACERVILLE, Calif. (AP) – Crews were digging in and burning out fire lines amid another round of high winds Saturday that contributed to the fury to a Northern California wildfire. The Caldor Fire in the northern Sierra Nevada has destroyed dozens of homes and on Friday authorities closed down a 46-mile stretch of Interstate 50, the main route between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe. The National Weather Service says that by Saturday evening winds “combined with continued extremely dry fuels will result in critical fire weather conditions in the vicinity of the Caldor Fire.” The blaze is one of about a dozen large wildfires that have scorched Northern California, incinerating at least 700 homes.
August 22, 2021 7:30 am
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) – The British military says seven Afghan civilians have been killed in a panicked crush of people trying to enter Kabul’s international airport. The deaths happened amid the chaos of those fleeing the Taliban takeover of the country. The Defense Ministry said in a statement Sunday that “conditions on the ground remain extremely challenging but we are doing everything we can to manage the situation as safely and securely as possible.” The airport has been the focal point for thousands trying to flee the Taliban, who swept into Kabul a week ago after their lightning advance seized the country.
August 22, 2021 7:29 am
PHOENIX (AP) – Across the country, more anti-vaccine and anti-mask demonstrations are taking scary and violent turns. People have been stabbed, punched or harassed at their homes for being in favor of vaccine and mask mandates. Often the assailants are parents. Educators, medical professionals and public figures have been stunned at the level at which they have been vilified. But with just over half the U.S. population vaccinated and the surging delta variant, harassment and outright assaults over efforts to curb the virus’ spread are looking to become their own epidemic. There is worry this kind of conduct will be tolerated as a new normal.
August 22, 2021 7:28 am
Henri weakened slightly to a tropical storm early Sunday as it edged closer to landfall. Millions of people on New York’s Long Island and in southern New England braced for flooding, toppled trees and extended power outages. Henri was on course to crash into a long stretch of northeastern coastline by midday Sunday. The center of the storm was projected to pass over the eastern tip of Long Island. Rain and flooding began in some areas late Saturday. Storm surges were also expected early Sunday. People in the projected path spent Saturday scrambling to stock up on groceries and gasoline. Those close to the coast boarded up windows, and some evacuated.
August 22, 2021 4:23 am
NORTH UNION TWP, Pa. — State police are investigating a deadly shooting Friday afternoon in North Union Township. It happened at Meridian Point Apartments on Confer Vista Drive shortly after 12:30 p.m. According to police, Michael Cole Debeary, 32, was shot during an altercation involving two other men. Debeary died at the scene. The other two men required medical treatment for unspecified injuries. State Police said the Fayette County district attorney has been consulted as part of the ongoing investigation.
August 22, 2021 4:16 am
PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A man is in stable condition after being shot in the leg at the Rivers Casino overnight. According to officials, Pittsburgh EMS, Police and the Pennsylvania State Police responded to the 700 block of Casino Drive for a male shot around 1 a.m. When first responders arrived, they located the male victim on the upper level of the garage. He was transported to a local hospital. The suspect was arrested on scene without incident. According to officials, police learned the victim and suspect knew each other and there was no immediate danger to the public. SWAT was called on scene to clear the parking garage. The investigation is ongoing at this time.
August 22, 2021 2:16 am
SOUTH STRABANE TWP., Pa. – An Eighty Four man is dead following an accident at the South Junction of Interstates 70 and 79 early Saturday morning. According to the Washington County Coroner’s Office, Samuel Schoedel, 22, was the operator and lone occupant of a vehicle traveling on Interstate 79 northbound attempting to take the ramp onto Interstate 70 eastbound. The man collided with a guardrail and overturned his vehicle. Schoedel was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the incident. This accident happened just before 2:00 a.m. The cause and manner of Schoedel’s death are still pending. The accident is under investigation by Pennsylvania State Police. Ambulance and Chair Service as well as the South Strabane Fire Department responded to the incident.
August 21, 2021 4:31 am
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Singer-songwriter Tom T. Hall, who composed “Harper Valley P.T.A.” and sang about life’s simple joys as country music’s consummate blue collar bard, has died. He was 85. His son, Dean Hall, confirmed the musician’s death Friday at his home in Franklin, Tennessee. áHall was known as “The Storyteller” for his unadorned yet incisive lyrics. He composed hundreds of songs and had several No. 1 hits as a singer. Born in Kentucky, Hall wrote his first song by age 9. Throughout the ’70s, Hall became one of Nashville’s biggest singer-songwriters. His hits included “I Love,” “Country Is,” “I Care,” “I Like Beer,” and “Faster Horses (The Cowboy and The Poet.)”
August 21, 2021 4:30 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – A man who claimed he had a bomb in a pickup truck near the U.S. Capitol has told a federal judge he has not taken his “mind medication” and was ordered to undergo a mental competency hearing. Floyd Ray Roseberry appeared Friday before a judge in Washington and was charged with threatening to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to use an explosive device. The 49-year-old drove a pickup truck onto the sidewalk outside the Library of Congress Thursday morning and began shouting that he had a bomb. Police later searched the vehicle and said they did not find a bomb but did collect possible bomb-making materials.
