February 2, 2021 4:11 am
Cecil Township Supervisors welcomed the public back to their meetings on Monday night. For the first time in several months meetings were open to public attendance. One item of particular interest was the approval to begin the hiring process of a Township Fire Chief. Supervisor Chairperson Cindy Fisher says that the position will be one of organization and coordination. One of the responsibilities will be the oversight of fire department funds. Cecil Township does not have one distinct fire department. It is served by three separate and totally independent fire departments that are responsible for their own existence. Fisher indicated that she met with the three chiefs last week and she felt supported in the township’s decision to go forward. The position will be a paid township position. Hiring will be done through advertisements and qualifications set forth by the civil service. Fisher says they hope to have the new chief in place in the next several months.
February 2, 2021 2:46 am
The body of a missing Morgantown, West Virginia woman was found in the trunk of her car in a Walmart parking lot in Morgantown, West Virginia, police said. Thirty-two-year-old Alexa Randolph, a native of Fayette County, Pennsylvania, had last been seen Thursday at her apartment on Overdale Street. Randolph’s car was found Friday afternoon in the parking lot of the Walmart on Hornbeck Road. Investigators then discovered her body in the trunk. The Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office said the case is being investigated as a homicide and they are asking anyone with information on Randolph’s disappearance or death to contact the sheriff’s office at 304-291-7218.
February 2, 2021 2:31 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Former AFL-CIO President John Sweeney has died at age 86. The Washington, D.C.-based union’s current president, Richard Trumka, says Sweeney “was a great leader and true innovator, driving the labor movement forward.” Sweeney spent 14 years steering the nation’s largest labor federation during declining union membership and rising internal dissent. He helped build the AFL-CIO into a political powerhouse more firmly aligned with the Democratic Party and progressive groups on the left. Sweeney stepped down as president in 2009, then served as president emeritus, offering advice to the group’s executive council and delivering speeches. Sweeney was born in New York City, the son of working-class Irish immigrants. He died Monday at his Maryland home.
February 2, 2021 2:25 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Administration officials say Gov. Tom Wolf will propose a sweeping new plan to dramatically boost funding for public schools to be supported by an increase in the state’s personal income tax rate. The Democratic governor will ask the Republican-controlled Legislature for what could approach $2 billion for public schools. The personal income tax increase would take the rate to 4.49% from 3.07%, but increase the exemption for the lowest earners. The last increase in Pennsylvania’s personal income tax rate took effect in 2004. The governor’s plan to increase the personal income tax would raise about $3 billion extra. Wolf’s administration began releasing details of the plan ahead of Wednesday’s planned budget address.
February 2, 2021 2:13 am
NEW YORK (AP) -The award-winning character actor who toured the world as Mark Twain in a one-man show and uttered the immortal advice “Follow the money” in the political thriller “All the President’s Men,” has died. His representative Steve Rohr says Holbrook died Jan. 23. He was 95. Holbrook played the mysterious informant “Deep Throat” who helped steer Washington Post reporters during Watergate and played Twain whenever he wasn’t busy with other acting jobs. He would update the show to fit the times and performed the role by his account some 2,200 times and hung up the white suit in 2017.
February 1, 2021 10:46 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Tony Bennett has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease but it hasn’t quieted his legendary voice. The singer’s wife and son reveal in the latest edition of AARP The Magazine that Bennett was first diagnosed with the áirreversible neurological disorder in 2016. The magazine says he endures “increasingly rarer moments of clarity and awareness.” Still, he continues to rehearse and twice a week goes through his 90-minute set with his longtime pianist, Lee Musiker. The magazine says he sing with perfect pitch and apparent ease. His wife tells the magazine: “When he sings, he’s the old Tony.”
February 1, 2021 4:11 am
GRAND CHUTE, Wis. (AP) – Police say one person has died and another person suffered minor injuries in a shooting at a northern Wisconsin mall. Grand Chute Police Officer Travis Waas didn’t immediately identify either victim on Sunday night. He said the shooter left the mall before officers arrived and remained on the loose Sunday night. Police were called to the Fox River Mall in Grand Chute, a suburb of Appleton, at about 3:30 p.m. Photos from the scene showed officers, some in tactical gear, staging outside the mall and what appeared to be customers walking out with their hands in the air. Grand Chute is about 100 miles north of Milwaukee.
February 1, 2021 4:09 am
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – An effort to reopen schools in California is foundering, stoking the frustration of parents and the governor of America’s most populous state. As the one-year anniversary of distance learning approaches, parents are grappling more than ever with the toll of isolation and intense screen time on their kids’ academic and emotional well-being. A $2 billion plan by Gov. Gavin Newsom to reopen schools next month has not been well received. The Legislature shows no sign of fast-tracking its approval. The state’s powerful teachers unions and biggest school districts say it is unworkable, raising questions about whether K-12 schools will open at all this academic year.
February 1, 2021 4:08 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden and a group of 10 Senate Republicans are offering competing proposals to help the United States respond to the coronavirus pandemic and provide economic relief to businesses and families. The president met with the senators on Monday at the White House. White House press secretary Jen Psaki described the meeting as “an exchange of ideas” and not a forum for Biden to “make or accept an offer.” The topline numbers are this: Biden’s plan calls for an additional $1.9 trillion in federal spending. The 10 GOP senators are calling for about $618 billion.
February 1, 2021 2:04 am
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (WPXI) — The Steelers announced the death of Patricia Rooney on Saturday night. She was 88 years old. She was the wife of longtime Steelers owner and former ambassador to Ireland, Dan Rooney. She was born to Mary Duffy Regan and Martin Regan originally of Co. Mayo in Ireland. Rooney was born on the North Side of Pittsburgh and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh. Due to COVID precautions, funeral arrangements are private. A memorial Mass will be scheduled at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to the Salvation Army or the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, or the charity of the donor’s choice. The family would also like to thank the many caregivers who provided wonderful care to her. The Steelers said Rooney passed away peacefully at home Saturday night.
