June 28, 2021 4:19 am
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Intense. Prolonged. Record-breaking. Unprecedented. Abnormal. Dangerous. That’s how the National Weather Service described the historic heat wave that is hitting the Pacific Northwest, pushing daytime temperatures into the triple digits and breaking all-time high temperature records in places where many residents don’t have air conditioning. Portland, Oregon, reached 112 degrees Fahrenheit (44.4 Celsius) Sunday, breaking the all-time temperature record of 108 degrees, which was set just a day earlier. The temperature hit 104 F (40 C) in Seattle. The National Weather Service said that was an all-time record for the city better known for rain than heat.
June 28, 2021 4:18 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Defense Department says the U.S. military conducted airstrikes against what it says were “facilities used by Iran-backed militia groups” near the border between Iraq and Syria. Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby says the militias were using the facilities to launch unmanned aerial vehicle attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq. Kirby says the U.S. military, under the direction of President Joe Biden, targeted three operational and weapons storage facilities Sunday – two in Syria and one in Iraq. He is describing the airstrikes as “defensive,” saying they were launched in response to an “ongoing series of attacks by Iran-backed groups targeting U.S. interests in Iraq.”
June 28, 2021 4:17 am
SURFSIDE, Fla. (AP) – The Miami-Dade mayor says another body was recovered overnight from the site of a collapsed condo building, bringing the confirmed death toll to 10. Daniella Levine Cava said Monday that 151 people who may have been in the building remained unaccounted for. Andy Alvarez is a deputy incident commander with Miami-Dade Fire Rescue. He tells ABC’s “Good Morning America” that more than 80 rescuers at a time are breaching the collapsed walls and tunneling underneath. He says they’ve found voids in the rubble where someone might have survived the collapse that happened Thursday.
June 28, 2021 4:13 am
HARRISBURG (AP) – College athletes in Pennsylvania would be able to receive compensation for their name, image and likeness in proposed legislation associated with the new state budget package. PennLive.com reports that a document obtained from the state House Republican Appropriations Committee and tied to the state’s budget negotiations contains language saying a college student athlete “may earn compensation” for their “name, image or likeness.” Athletic scholarships couldn’t be reduced or revoked because of such compensation. Student-athletes would be barred from agreements with certain industries. Six other states have similar legislation going into effect in July and more are considering the idea.
June 28, 2021 4:10 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – Whether you have the vaccine or not, you will no longer be required to wear a mask in Pennsylvania unless a private business or building requires you to do so. No mask, even without the vaccine: that’s the latest guidance from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The CDC guidelines still say to wear masks at airports, on planes, buses, trains and other forms of public transit. Freedom Transit is reminding riders that are still required on their buses and when entering transit hubs. That is based on the Transportation Security Administration and Federal Transit Administration mandates. Private venues can now have the final say on masks.
June 28, 2021 3:09 am
A Bentleyville man has died following an early morning motorcycle accident in Twilight Borough Sunday. According to the Washington County Coroner’s Office, Dustin Michael Chiodo, 35, was the sole rider of the bike traveling on Twilight Hollow Road when he failed to negotiate a curve. Chiodo reportedly lost control of the vehicle and struck a guiderail. Reports say a passing motorist found Chiodo and reported the crash to 911 just after 4:30 a.m. The cause and manner of his death are pending an autopsy and investigation by Charleroi Regional Police. Crews assisting on the scene included Mon Valley EMS, the Charleroi Fire Department, Pennsylvania State Police and PennDOT.
June 28, 2021 1:37 am
UNDATED (AP) – The COVID-19 vaccination drive is falling far behind in the deeply religious and conservative Amish communities across the U.S. The Amish don’t have any religious beliefs that forbid them from getting vaccines. But experts say their mistrust of the government and wariness about preventive medicine are fueling the low rates. Another factor they say is the widespread skepticism in the rural places where the Amish live. Public health officials are trying to combat that. They’ve put up billboards, posters and reached out to bishops in Amish churches. But that has done little to increase vaccinations among the Amish.
June 27, 2021 8:01 am
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon’s largest city broke its all-time heat record on Saturday. It could beat the new mark on Sunday. Forecasters say many Pacific Northwest communities may sweat through the hottest days in their histories as temperatures soar during a heat wave that has sent residents scrambling for relief. Stores sold out of portable air conditioners and fans, hospitals canceled outdoor vaccination clinics, cities opened cooling centers, baseball teams canceled or moved up weekend games, and utilities braced for possible power outages. Portland, Oregon, reached 108 degrees Fahrenheit (42.2 degrees Celsius) Saturday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. The previous heat record for Oregon’s largest city was 107 F (41.7 C), a mark hit in 1965 and 1981. Seattle reached 101 F (38.3 C) Saturday, making it the hottest June day on record and only the fourth time in recorded history the usually temperate city had topped 100 degrees. The forecast was for even hotter temperatures on Sunday and Monday. Many all-time heat records could be broken. In Seattle, the highest temperature ever measured was 103 F (39.4 C), in 2009.
June 27, 2021 8:00 am
BANGKOK (AP) — Faced with a sharp rise in coronavirus cases, the Thai capital on Sunday announced a ban on indoor dining and gatherings of more than 20 people, in addition to the closure of construction sites and the sealing off of workers’ quarters in Bangkok and nine other provinces. The measures will remain for 30 days. Thailand reported 3,995 confirmed cases and 42 dead in the last 24 hours. The numbers have doubled recently, and health officials blame a lack of cooperation from migrant workers employed in construction and in factories. The situation has become critical as the number of hospital beds in Bangkok for seriously ill COVID-19 patients is running short despite the creation of several field hospitals. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said Friday that a proposal for a seven-day curfew for all of Bangkok has been rejected for the time being. Under the new restrictions, construction workers will be isolated in camps in Bangkok and five neighboring provinces, and in the country’s four southernmost provinces, all virus hotspots.
June 27, 2021 7:58 am
WELLINGTON, Ohio (AP) — Former President Donald Trump reprised his election grievances and baseless claims of fraud as he returned to the rally stage Saturday, holding his first campaign-style event since leaving the White House. The event was held to support Max Miller, a former White House aide who is challenging Republican Rep. Anthony Gonzalez for his congressional seat. Gonzalez was one of 10 GOP House members who voted to impeach Trump for his role in inciting the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol building. Trump has vowed to back those who run against them. And while he praised Miller as an “incredible patriot” and a ”great guy” who “loves the people of Ohio,” Trump spent much of the rally fixating on the 2020 election, which he insists he won, even though top state and local election officials, his own attorney general and numerous judges, including some he appointed, have said there is no evidence of the mass voter fraud he alleges took place. Trump has been consumed with ongoing efforts to overturn the results in various states, and has even publicly entertained the idea that he could somehow be reinstated into office, even though no legal or constitutional basis for doing so exists.
