January 5, 2021 4:05 am
LONDON (AP) – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced a new national lockdown for England until at least mid-February to combat a fast-spreading new version of the coronavirus. Johnson said people must stay at home again, as they were ordered to do so in the first wave of the pandemic in March, this time because the new virus variant was spreading in a “frustrating and alarming” way. He said Monday that hospitals are under more pressure from COVID than at any time since the start of the pandemic. From Tuesday, primary and secondary schools and colleges will be closed for face to face learning except for the children of key workers and vulnerable pupils. People were told to work from home unless it’s impossible to do so.
January 5, 2021 4:04 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Police in the nation’s capital have arrested the leader of the Proud Boys for burning a Black Lives Matter sign that was torn down from a historic Black church in downtown Washington last month. The Metropolitan Police Department says Henry “Enrique” Tarrio was arrested Monday after he arrived in Washington ahead of protests planned by supporters of President Donald Trump to coincide with the congressional vote expected Wednesday to affirm Joe Biden’s election victory. Tarrio was arrested on destruction of property and weapons charges. Police say officers found him with two high-capacity firearm magazines when he was arrested.
January 5, 2021 4:02 am
DALTON, Ga. (AP) – With mounting desperation, President Donald Trump is declaring he will “fight like hell” to hold on to the presidency. And he’s appealing to Republican lawmakers to reverse his election loss to Joe Biden when they convene this week to confirm the Electoral College vote. He shouted his objections to his loss, which he insists was a victory, at a long rally in Georgia Monday night. His announced reason for the appearance was to boost Republican Senate candidates in Tuesday’s runoff election. But he spent much of his speech insisting he was cheated out of victory, though election officials in state after state have said he’s wrong – Republican officials as well as Democratic. Meanwhile, more Republicans are turning against him.
January 5, 2021 4:00 am
UNDATED (AP) – Sen. Kelly Loeffler is urging Republican voters to turn out in Georgia’s runoff elections to ensure the GOP holds the Senate as a “firewall” against President-elect Joe Biden and congressional Democrats. Loeffler told reporters while campaigning in the Atlanta suburb of Sandy Springs that “the future of the country is on the ballot.” Tuesday’s election pits her against Democrat Raphael Warnock and Republican David Perdue against Democrat Jon Ossoff. The outcome will determine which party controls the Senate. Warnock is criticizing Loeffler for saying she will join a number of Senate Republicans on Wednesday in challenging Congress’ certification of Biden’s victory.
January 5, 2021 3:53 am
On the first Monday of each new year, Pennsylvania townships and municipalities are required to reorganize their governmental boards and make appointments to specialists to serve the interest of those entities. On Monday North Franklin Township held all of their main positions intact. Bob Sabot will remain supervisor chairman and Mike Quinn will serve as vice chairman. Gary Sweat will remain solicitor. All of those appointments were by a unanimous 3-0 vote. Supervisor meetings will take place on the second Tuesday of each month beginning at 5:30 pm. In Peters Township councilman Frank Kosir applauded the efforts of Chairman David Ball and Vice Chairwoman Monica Merrell for their efforts during the pandemic and asked council to nominate both council persons to their same positions. In a 4-3 vote David Ball retained his chairmanship and in a unanimous vote Monica Merrell retained her vice chair position. John Smith will continue as solicitor. Council meetings will be the second and fourth Monday of each month beginning at 7:30 pm.
January 5, 2021 2:45 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Tanya Roberts, who captivated James Bond in “A View to a Kill” and appeared in the sitcom “That ’70s Show,” died Monday, several hours after she was mistakenly declared dead by her publicist and her partner. Roberts’ partner Lance O’Brien confirmed her death Tuesday after picking up her personal effects at a Los Angeles hospital. One of Roberts’ highest-profile roles was playing geologist Stacey Sutton opposite Roger Moore in 1985’s “A View to a Kill.” Roberts appeared in the final season of “Charlie’s Angels” and later played Midge Pinciotti in the sitcom “That ’70s Show.”
January 4, 2021 5:20 pm
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Police in Pittsburgh are searching for a white pickup truck after explosions in two neighborhoods that shook homes and damaged a parked car. Police said an incendiary device was thrown from a moving vehicle in the Lawrenceville neighborhood just after 9 p.m. Sunday. They said another explosion was reported just after 10:30 p.m. Sunday in the Hill district, with residents “feeling their homes shake and some type of odor in the air,” police said. A bomb squad with explosive detection dogs responded, but police said no evidence had been recovered. A pickup truck is being sought in the first blast, which damaged the parked car. No injuries were reported.
January 4, 2021 5:18 pm
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) – Police say they haven’t found any indication of aggressive action on the part of a dog that a 911 caller said was found lying on top of a 4-month-old Ohio girl who was later pronounced dead on New Year’s Eve. But police told the Dayton Daily News on Monday that despite those initial indications, a referral “was made to the Animal Resource Center to follow up on the animals” in the Dayton home. Emergency dispatchers in Montgomery County said the 911 caller said he awoke to find the “puppy” on top of the baby, who was unconscious and wasn’t breathing. Raelynn Larrison was pronounced dead at a hospital.
January 4, 2021 4:23 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Nancy Pelosi has been narrowly reelected as House speaker. Her victory gives her the reins of Democrats’ slender House majority as she and President-elect Joe Biden set a challenging course of producing legislation to tackle the pandemic, revive the economy and address other party priorities. The California Democrat received 216 votes compared to 209 for California Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who will be House minority leader. Pelosi told lawmakers that her top priority will be defeating the coronavirus pandemic. But from the House floor, McCarthy accused her of running a House that has done little, an accusation that Democrats dismiss. But the comments offer a reminder that Congress’ partisan divide is bitter.
January 4, 2021 4:22 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – All 10 living former secretaries of defense have joined in cautioning against any attempt to use the military in the cause of overturning November’s presidential election. The former Pentagon chiefs, both Republicans and Democrats, put their names to an opinion article published Sunday in The Washington Post. The article says the time for questioning the results of the election has passed. And they say that attempting to involve the military in resolving election disputes would take the county “into dangerous, unlawful and unconstitutional territory.” While not naming President Donald Trump, the article appears as Trump and his allies continue to falsely claim fraud spoiled November’s election.
