October 24, 2020 3:58 am
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – Shelley Moore Capito has leaned hard on her record as she tries to become the first West Virginia Republican re-elected to the U.S. Senate in more than a century. And she hopes to ride the overwhelming popularity of President Donald Trump in the state from the 2016 election. Standing in her way on Nov. 3 is Democrat Paula Jean Swearengin, who is using her stances on progressive issues, her popularity from a role in a Netflix movie, and the hard realities of life in the southern coalfields to try to snap Capito’s two-decade streak in political office.
October 23, 2020 12:40 pm
The cancellation of Light Up Night is among changes being made to the 2020 holiday season in downtown Pittsburgh because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Pivoting efforts towards a reimagined holiday season, we’re excited to bring back other returning traditions and new surprises that can be hosted safely,” an announcement said. The Peoples Gas Holiday Market will return for a ninth year, though it will be reconfigured with social distancing in mind. It is scheduled to open on Nov. 27. Another change coming is “Santa Zoom: Live from the North Pole,” replacing the traditional Santa’s House in Market Square with a unique experience offering a live chat with Santa while providing a digital keepsake for families. Open daily between Thanksgiving and Christmas, it will be free with a minimum $5 suggested donation to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. This year would have been the 60th year of Light Up Night.
October 23, 2020 4:15 am
SAN DIEGO (AP) – A federal judge is urging the Trump administration to do more to help court-appointed researchers find hundreds of parents who are still separated from their children three years after they crossed the U.S.-Mexico border. The judge didn’t issue an order Thursday but asked the government to explore ways to make it easier to find the parents. Most of them were deported to their Central American homelands. A court filing revealed this week that researchers have been unable to track down the parents of 545 children. The number is much larger than previously known and has drawn outcry.
October 23, 2020 4:14 am
U.S. regulators have approved the first drug to treat COVID-19. Remdesivir is an antiviral medicine given through an IV. Its maker, Gilead Sciences Inc., said Thursday that the drug is approved for people at least 12 years old who need hospitalization for their coronavirus infection. The company is calling it Veklury. A large U.S. study found it cut the time to recovery by five days — from 15 days to 10 on average. It has been authorized for use on an emergency basis since spring. It works by inhibiting a substance the virus uses to make copies of itself.
October 23, 2020 4:13 am
BOISE, Idaho (AP) – Members of an Idaho health department board have voted to repeal a local mask mandate despite hearing a hospital was overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients. Similar scenes of doctors and nurses asking officials for help, only to be met with reluctance or even open skepticism, have played out across the conservative state. Idaho is sixth in the nation for new coronavirus cases per capita, with the average number of new confirmed cases increasing by more than 55% every day over the past two weeks. Republican Gov. Brad Little has repeatedly left decisions on mask rules up to local health departments.
October 23, 2020 4:10 am
BEIJING (AP) – China is vowing to retaliate if the U.S. proceeds with the sale of advanced weaponry to Taiwan worth more than a billion dollars. The statement from China’s defense ministry gave no specifics but the development marks a further deterioration in ties between Beijing and Washington that have hit their lowest ebb in decades. The State Department on Wednesday announced it had greenlighted the sale of 135 precision land attack missiles, associated equipment and training to Taiwan to improve its defense capabilities. China regards Taiwan as its own territory to be annexed by force if necessary. Washington maintains only unofficial relations with Taipei but U.S. law requires it to ensure Taiwan can maintain a credible defense.
October 23, 2020 4:09 am
JERUSALEM (AP) – The Israeli military says it launched airstrikes in the Gaza Strip after Palestinian militants fired two rockets. There were no reports of casualties or major damage on either side. The military said early Friday that fighter jets and other aircraft struck a weapons manufacturing site and “underground infrastructure” belonging to the Islamic militant group Hamas, which rules Gaza. Late Thursday, Palestinian militants fired two rockets into Israel. One was intercepted by Israeli missile defenses while the other fell in an open area. Israel and Hamas have fought three wars and several skirmishes since the militants seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007.
October 23, 2020 4:08 am
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – After a raucous first debate led organizers to introduce a mute button, the second and final meeting between President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden was a downright civil affair. Whether because of that button or the terrible reviews in their earlier meeting – especially for Trump – the candidates interrupted each other far less frequently Thursday night, even as they clashed on issues ranging from the coronavirus to crime to global warming. While Trump and Biden responded to each other’s answers – shaking their heads disapprovingly or smiling, in the case of Biden – the two largely avoided speaking over one another this time.
October 23, 2020 4:03 am
CONNELLSVILLE, Pa. — (WPXI) – A crash shut down part of a major road in Fayette County. Route 119 was shut down in both directions at the intersection of Arch Bridge Road in Dunbar but has since reopened. Our news partners at Channel-11 say multiple ambulances and a medical helicopter were called to the scene. Dispatchers confirmed at least three people were taken to the hospital following the crash. It appeared that a tractor-trailer and at least two other vehicles were involved.
October 23, 2020 3:58 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – The Trump campaign has been videotaping people as they deposit ballots in drop boxes in Philadelphia in what it says is an attempt to catch violations. The state’s Democratic attorney general suggests that the tactic could amount to illegal voter intimidation. The campaign acknowledged the taping in a letter that complained voters were caught on video illegally depositing multiple ballots. Elections officials say they can’t confirm the activity is inappropriate under Pennsylvania law. Also, a new lawsuit filed Thursday challenged a court-ordered extension of the deadline to receive mailed presidential ballots in Pennsylvania. The state’s 20 electoral votes are key in the presidential race.
