May 29, 2021 4:29 am
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) – President Joe Biden started the Memorial Day weekend by visiting a rock climbing gym in northern Virginia as the state lifted all COVID-19 distancing and capacity restrictions at private businesses and much of the nation pushes toward a greater sense of normalcy. Biden sought to use the stop on Friday at Sportrock Climbing Centers to celebrate progress made as the country looks to turn the corner on the coronavirus pandemic. Biden later traveled to Joint Base Langley Eustis to thank troops for their service. After beginning with an emotional remembrance of his late son Beau, a veteran, Biden acknowledged the unheralded sacrifices that the service members and their families make.
May 29, 2021 4:20 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – State health officials say the just-concluded flu season was one of the mildest on record in Pennsylvania. Department of Health officials said Friday that COVID-19 precautions like masking and social distancing helped prevent the spread of the influenza virus as well as the novel coronavirus. Through last week reported, Pennsylvania reported more than 3,600 confirmed cases during the 2020-21 flu season. That’s down 97% from nearly 131,000 cases the previous season. There were 45 hospitalizations and 21 flu-related deaths. Flu cases were unusually low throughout the U.S. this flu season despite a big increase in testing.
May 29, 2021 4:16 am
PITTSBURGH (WPXI) — After a year of restrictions, shutdowns and worry over the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium is holding their first Opening Season Parade. The Monday event will feature princesses, superheroes, dancers from the Shovlin Academy of Irish Dance, mascots and other surprises. It will kick off at the Forest Passage and travel throughout the park before ending in the Kids Kingdom. The parade steps off at 11 a.m.
May 29, 2021 4:14 am
CLAYSVILLE, Pa. — Four people were reportedly injured after a rollover accident on Interstate 70 in Washington County Friday night. According to officials, the eastbound lanes in Donegal Township were closed at 8:30 p.m. after a one-car rollover crash between the Claysville and Taylorstown exit near mile marker 11. According to reports, a total of 4 people were injured in the crash, including a 16-year old who was ejected and suffered head and neck problems. Another victim was reportedly trapped inside of the vehicle at the time of the accident. It took emergency personnel roughly three hours to clear the scene, with major traffic delays after one lane of traffic reopened an hour into the response. There is no word on the identities or statuses of the victims involved. The accident is under investigation by the Pennsylvania State Police.
May 29, 2021 2:40 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania is lifting its mask mandate no later than June 28. The Department of Health announced Thursday that it will no longer require unvaccinated people to wear masks in public on June 28 or once 70% of adults are fully vaccinated, whichever comes first. People are considered fully vaccinated once they are two weeks beyond their last required dose of COVID-19 vaccine. According to federal data, 70% of Pennsylvania residents aged 18 and over have already received at least one vaccine dose, with just over half of the adult population fully vaccinated.
May 29, 2021 1:11 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – Temperatures are going in the wrong direction heading into the holiday weekend. And it will be soggy to start the weekend, too. You’ll need the sweatshirts and jackets Saturday. A big push of cool air will keep high temperatures in the upper 50s, more than 15° below the average high temperature for this time of the year. On and off showers will add to the dreariness. Sunday will still be cloudy and damp with isolated showers. It all pays off Memorial Day with a good deal of sunshine and highs back in the 70s.
May 28, 2021 1:49 pm
SAN DIEGO (AP) – U.S. officials say they will fast-track the immigration court cases of families arriving on the southwest border. The move comes comes as the Biden administration has eased some asylum restrictions that had expelled many arriving immigrant families from the country. Under the plan, immigrant families stopped on the border starting Friday could be placed in expedited immigration court dockets in 10 cities. Immigration judges would aim to decide their cases within 300 days of an initial hearing. The immigration courts are notoriously backlogged and it can take years for immigrants to get a decision on whether they can remain in the country legally.
May 28, 2021 1:44 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden is proposing a $6 trillion budget for next year that fails to slow spiking government debt. It seeks tax hikes on corporations and the wealthy to pay for ambitious infrastructure and safety-net programs. Biden has already announced major plans on infrastructure and won a major victory on COVID-19 relief earlier this year. But Friday’s rollout tallies up the cost and incorporates them into the government’s existing budget framework, including Social Security and Medicare. That provides a fuller view of the administration’s fiscal posture. The government’s accumulated debt is topping a mammoth $28 trillion.
May 28, 2021 12:25 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – Senate Republicans have blocked the creation of a bipartisan panel to study the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. The Senate fell sort of the 60 votes needed to consider a House-passed bill that would have formed a 10-member commission evenly split between the two parties. It was another sign of GOP fealty to former President Donald Trump and an overtly political effort to shift the focus off of the violent insurrection of his supporters that day. Trump has called the bill a “Democratic trap.” Four people died in the riot, and a police officer collapsed and died afterward of what authorities said were natural causes.
May 28, 2021 9:47 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas says people traveling for Memorial Day weekend should be patient because there will be long lines at U.S. airports. Mayorkas told ABC on Friday the Transportation Security Administration has been in a hiring surge so it can be ready for increased travel this weekend and over the summer as the nation emerges from the coronavirus pandemic. Mayorkas notes masks are still required in airports and on airplanes and probably will continue to be required until mid-September. Airline executives say domestic leisure travel is at pre-pandemic levels, and the number of people passing through U.S. airports daily is likely to top 2 million before the week is over.
