July 18, 2021 7:50 am
BERLIN (AP) — The death toll from flooding in Western Europe climbed above 180 on Sunday after rescue workers dug deeper into debris left by receding waters. Heavy rain fueled new floods in southeastern Germany and Austria, though not on the scale of last week’s devastating onslaught. Police put the toll from the hard-hit Ahrweiler area of western Germany’s Rhineland-Palatinate state at more than 110 and said they feared the number may still rise. In neighboring North Rhine-Westphalia state, Germany’s most populous, 46 people were confirmed dead, including four firefighters. And Belgium has confirmed 27 casualties. Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived Sunday in Schuld, a village located on a curve of the Ahr river that was devastated by the flooding, to see the damage for herself. Her visit comes after Germany’s president went to the area on Saturday and made clear that it will need long-term support. Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said he will propose a package of immediate aid at a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, telling the Bild am Sonntag newspaper that more than 300 million euros ($354 million) will be needed. And he said that officials must start setting up a rebuilding program which, from experience with previous flooding, will be in the billions of euros.
July 18, 2021 7:49 am
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A rapidly growing wildfire south of Lake Tahoe jumped a highway, prompting more evacuation orders and the cancellation of an extreme bike ride through the Sierra Nevada on Saturday as critically dangerous wildfire weather loomed in the coming days. The Tamarack Fire, which was sparked by lightning on July 4, exploded overnight and was over 32 square miles (82 square kilometers) as of Saturday evening, according to the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. The blaze was threatening Markleeville, a small town close to the California-Nevada state line. It has destroyed at least three structures, authorities said, and was burning toward the Alpine County Airport after jumping a highway. A notice posted on the 103-mile (165-kilometer) Death Ride’s website said several communities in the area had been evacuated and ordered all riders to clear the area. The fire left thousands of bikers and spectators stranded in the small town and racing to get out.
July 18, 2021 7:45 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump’s false claims of a stolen election have been debunked by the courts, his own Justice Department and scores of recounts. But in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, where Trump lost by 80,000 votes eight months ago, they’re finding new signs of life. A Republican state lawmaker, bolstered by support from top Republican candidates, has launched a push for a “forensic investigation” of the presidential election results, a review modeled on the widely discredited process underway in Arizona. The effort is likely to face legal challenges and is still limited to three counties, where it is getting pushback even from Republican commissioners. But its march forward is forcing many to stop viewing it as one lawmaker’s pet project and take it seriously. The audit has fast become a litmus test in an election cycle where an open governor’s office and an open U.S. Senate seat — the political equivalent of a blue moon — have triggered fiercely competitive Republican primaries.
July 18, 2021 7:42 am
MCKEESPORT, Pa. — Residents in part of McKeesport have been advised not to use water after firefighting efforts possibly contaminated the drinking water system. The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County issued the Do Not Use advisory early Saturday morning for about 500 customers in the Lower 10th Ward, as well as the streets between 5th Avenue and the Monongahela River, among other places. The advisory stated that firefighting foam containing perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are synthetic chemicals, and glycol, may have been sucked into a fire hydrant Friday during an emergency incident, introducing it into the drinking water system. PFAS and glycol in drinking water may be a serious health concern. Officials also say those chemicals can’t be removed by boiling, freezing or letting the water stand, so they say to use bottled water or alternative sources for drinking, bathing, hand washing, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, cooking, or food preparation until further notice. This possibly happened during efforts to put out a fire at McKeesport Auto Body on Rebecca Avenue on Friday. As MAWC awaits test results, a flushing program was started to purge the system Saturday morning as a precaution.
July 18, 2021 4:07 am
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported Friday that 11.3 million vaccines have been administered, and 61.5% of Pennsylvania adults have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The state reported 415 additional positive COVID-19 cases, bringing the statewide total to 1,215,767. The state also recorded an additional four deaths, bringing the statewide total death attributed to COVID-19 to 27,786.
July 18, 2021 1:02 am
WASHINGTON, Pa – The State Police Fire Marshall was called to the scene of a fire at Lombardi’s Auto Body along Highland Avenue in the City of Washington Friday afternoon. According to Washington County 911, the fire broke out around 5:00 p.m. after a car caught fire inside the shop. Crews quickly handled the blaze and remained on scene to ventilate the building and check for hot spots. No update on a cause or if there were any injuries.
July 17, 2021 4:45 am
DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) – A 50-year-old employee has died after falling from an elevated catwalk at a Detroit-area steel company. Dearborn police say the man was pronounced dead at the former AK Steel facility following the fall which occurred about 3:15 a.m. Friday. Police add that foul play is not suspected, and Michigan’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has been notified and will be conducting a thorough investigation. A company spokeswoman says the worker was conducting a maintenance activity at the time he fell. The employee was a resident of Dearborn, just west of Detroit.
July 17, 2021 4:38 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Advocates are calling on Congress and President Joe Biden to act quickly on legislation that would provide a path to citizenship to hundreds of thousands of young immigrants after a federal judge in Texas ordered the end to an Obama-era program that protects them from deportation. The ruling Friday keeps the program in place for existing recipients but bars the government from approving any new applications. U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen ruled in favor of Texas and eight other conservative states that sued to halt the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, also known as DACA, which provides limited protections to about 650,000 people.
July 17, 2021 4:30 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – A cooped-up flock of law-breaking Philadelphians continued to grow in number and prosper during the pandemic. Thousands of chickens are being raised citywide, according to one estimate, despite a 2004 ordinance designed to eliminate the practice. This particular urban farming trend is becoming more popular, as penned-up residents look to the unconventional pets as a diversion during the lockdown and by concerns among increasingly health-conscious consumers about the source and quality of their food.
July 17, 2021 4:24 am
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Forecasters say dry, unstable and windy conditions will keep fueling a massive wildfire in southern Oregon. The largely uncontained blaze grows by miles each day. The Bootleg Fire was just one of numerous wildfires burning across the U.S. West. Crews had to flee the fire lines of the Oregon blaze late Thursday after a dangerous “fire cloud” started to collapse, threatening them with strong downdrafts and flying embers. An initial review Friday showed the Bootleg Fire destroyed 67 homes and 117 outbuildings overnight in one county. Authorities were still counting the losses in a second county where the flames are surging up to 4 miles a day.
