August 11, 2021 4:15 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Eight months after the death of beloved “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek, the daily syndicated quiz show chose its executive producer Mike Richards as Trebek’s successor over a field of celebrity candidates. But after fan backlash to a selection process that turned messy in recent weeks, producer Sony split the pie by naming another guest host, actor Mayim Bialik, as emcee for “Jeopardy!” primetime and spinoff series, including a new college championship. In another nod to “Jeopardy!” devotees, longtime champion Ken Jennings will return as a consulting producer.
August 11, 2021 4:10 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – A Republican-majority county board in rural northern Pennsylvania is accusing a state senator of creating “unnecessary chaos” in pushing for a detailed review of how the county collected and counted votes in former President Donald Trump’s reelection defeat last year. The three Tioga County commissioners all read portions of a statement at a board meeting Tuesday. They’re urging Republican state Sen. Doug Mastriano to reverse his demand that Tioga and two other counties turn over election records and equipment to the Intergovernmental Operations Committee that he chairs. Mastriano didn’t respond to messages seeking comment.
August 11, 2021 2:25 am
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) – New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul says she is prepared to lead after Gov. Andrew Cuomo steps down. Hochul gave her first public remarks Wednesday. It came a day after Cuomo’s announcement that he would step down rather than face a likely impeachment trial over allegations that he sexually harassed several women. He denies touching anyone inappropriately. Hochul says she planned to bring in new people to her administration and eliminate anyone “unethical” named in the attorney general’s report on Cuomo. Hochul will become the state’s first female governor when she takes over from Cuomo.
August 10, 2021 4:23 pm
(AP) – Emmy Award-winner Christina Applegate has announced that she has multiple sclerosis, describing her diagnosis as a “tough road.” The 49-year-old actor known for her roles in “Married… with Children” and “Dead to Me,” said in a tweet late Monday that she was diagnosed “a few months ago.” Multiple sclerosis – also known as MS – affects the nervous system and often results in progressive physical and cognitive decline. Applegate won her Emmy in 2003 for a guest spot on “Friends” and has a Tony Award nomination for the musical “Sweet Charity.” (Photo: AP)
August 10, 2021 11:57 am
Two men are being held in the Washington County Jail without bond while they await trial on homicide and firearms charges. During a preliminary hearing on Monday, 32-year-old Sydney Devon McLean of McKeesport and 31-year-old Devell Dexter Christian of White Oak were identified as the men authorities believe shot and killed 28-year-old Nicholas Tarpley on February 24th inside Anna Lee’s Convenience Store on Allen Avenue in Donora. No motive has been given for the murder, although authorities suggest that the two men may have been targeting someone else and Tarpley was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
August 10, 2021 4:16 am
MIAMI (AP) – Tropical storm watches have been issued for various Caribbean islands for what soon could become the sixth named tropical storm of this year’s Atlantic hurricane season. The National Hurricane Center announced Monday evening that watches for the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Culebra, and Vieques have been upgraded to a tropical storm warning. Forecasters believe the disturbance heading toward the Lesser Antilles could become Tropical Storm Fred later Monday night or early Tuesday morning. It has been more than a month since the last storm, Hurricane Elsa, formed. The disturbance had maximum sustained winds of 35 mph. A tropical storm has maximum sustained winds of at least 39 mph.
August 10, 2021 4:15 am
California’s largest single wildfire in recorded history is running through forestlands as fire crews try to protect rural communities from flames that have destroyed hundreds of homes. The Dixie Fire in the northern Sierra Nevada is just 22% contained and fire officials warn that hot, dry weather and gusts could push flames harder in the next few days. On Monday, however, crews managed to make progress, cutting thousands of acres of fire lines. The fire has destroyed more than 600 homes and other buildings and gutted the town of Greenville. It’s the largest of some 100 large blazes burning in more than a dozen Western states.
August 10, 2021 4:15 am
(AP) – The surge in COVID-19 infections across the U.S. has caused a shortage of nurses and other front-line staff in virus hotspots that can no longer keep up with the flood of unvaccinated patients. Some facilities are also losing workers to burnout and lucrative out-of-state temporary gigs. Florida, Arkansas and Louisiana all have more people hospitalized with COVID-19 than at any other point in the pandemic. In Florida, ambulances and fire departments are straining to respond to emergencies. One person who suffered a heart attack in New Orleans was even bounced from six hospitals before finding an emergency room that could take him in.
August 10, 2021 4:13 am
DETROIT (AP) – Nissan says its huge factory in Smyrna, Tennessee, will close for two weeks starting Monday. The shutdown is due to computer chip shortages brought on by a coronavirus outbreak in Malaysia. The shutdown is among the longest at any U.S. auto plant of this size since the semiconductor shortage started to hit late last year. The shortage has hobbled auto production worldwide. Nissan said in a statement Tuesday that it ran short of chips due to a COVID-19 outbreak at a chip factory in Malaysia. It expects production to resume Aug. 30.
August 10, 2021 4:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – With a robust vote after weeks of fits and starts, the Senate has approved the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan. A rare coalition of Democrats and Republicans joined together Tuesday to deliver a cornerstone of President Joe Biden’s agenda. Passage provides momentum as it’s now headed to the House. The package would provide almost $550 billion in new spending over five years for roads, bridges, broadband internet, water pipes and other public works systems. Senate Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said it will “do a lot of good for America.” The Senate turns next to Biden’s bigger package, a $3.5 trillion plan with debate likely to extend into the fall.
