July 27, 2021 4:08 am
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – A pro-marijuana group is pushing to have the Ohio Legislature legalize recreational marijuana in the state. A spokesperson for the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol says 1,000 signatures will be submitted to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office on Tuesday to review the summary language for the proposed law. Supporters will then have to collect nearly 133,000 signatures to put the issue before the Republican-led Legislature. Supporters can collect an additional 133,000 signatures to get a measure on the ballot if the Legislature votes against legalization. It voted to make medical marijuana legal in 2016.
July 27, 2021 4:06 am
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – Hospitalizations in West Virginia due to COVID-19 have more than doubled since the Fourth of July and cases are up. The increases come during the spread of the more contagious delta variant of the coronavirus. State officials said they do not currently plan to bring back an indoor mask mandate, but they indicated they are open to shifts. There are 111 hospitalizations in the state, a steady uptick since early July. There were 121 new confirmed cases reported on Tuesday, up from 51 cases a week ago. Officials have repeatedly urged more residents to get vaccinated. Nearly 59% of all residents have received at least one dose, while 49% are fully vaccinated.
July 27, 2021 4:02 am
CANONSBURG — (WPXI) – The Canonsburg Police Department came across a young boy, between the ages of three and five, walking through the streets around 8 p.m. on Monday. He was wearing only a diaper and was found walking in the Greenside Ave, Smithfield St. and Vine St. areas. He was safely reunited with his family. However, at this time there is no word as to if any charges will be filed.
July 26, 2021 4:26 am
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) – Dr. Anthony Fauci says the United States is in an “unnecessary predicament” of soaring COVID-19 cases fueled by unvaccinated Americans and the virulent delta variant. The nation’s top infectious diseases expert tells CNN’s “State of the Union” that “we’re going in the wrong direction,” and he describes himself as “very frustrated” with rising infection rate. He says recommending that the vaccinated wear masks is “under active consideration” by the government’s leading public health officials. Fauci also suggests booster shots may be suggested for people with suppressed immune systems who have been vaccinated.
July 26, 2021 4:24 am
KANOSH, Utah (AP) – Utah Highway Patrol says 20 vehicles were involved in a pileup crash during a sandstorm that killed at least seven people. The agency says in a news release that the crashes happened Sunday afternoon on Interstate 15 near the town of Kanosh. Several other people were reportedly taken to hospitals in critical condition. Ground and air ambulances were used to transport crash victims. Highway patrol says the crashes happened during a period of high winds that caused a dust or sandstorm which reduced visibility. The interstate remained partially shut down late Sunday. Traffic was redirected around the crash site.
July 26, 2021 4:22 am
WASCO, Calif. (AP) – The mayor of a California city says one deputy has died and another is wounded following a shooting during a standoff at a home. Wasco Mayor Alex Garcia says in a statement that the Kern County deputies were shot Sunday afternoon. News outlets report both were taken to a nearby hospital. KGET-TV video shows an American flag covering what appears to be a casket being loaded into a van with the words “coroner transport” on the dashboard and being driven away from the medical center. The suspect in the standoff has been shot by law enforcement and taken to a hospital. Two other people were also found inside the home with gunshot wounds.
July 26, 2021 4:22 am
INDIAN FALLS, Calif. (AP) – California’s largest wildfire merged with a smaller blaze and destroyed homes in remote areas with limited access for firefighters. Meanwhile, numerous other fires gained strength and threatened property across the U.S. West. The massive Dixie Fire had already leveled a dozen houses and other structures when it tore through the tiny community of Indian Falls after dark Saturday. An updated damage estimate was not available Sunday. That blaze is 21% contained. Firefighters also reported progress against the nation’s largest wildfire, the Bootleg Fire in southern Oregon. It’s 46% contained. Fires also burned in Washington, Idaho and Montana.
July 26, 2021 4:20 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – A Republican who announced his candidacy for governor last month says he is cooperating with a police investigation into an accident in which a motorcyclist was killed and that shut down the Pennsylvania Turnpike for seven hours. In a statement Friday through a spokesperson, Charlie Gerow said that he didn’t cause the accident. Pennsylvania State Police have released little information about the accident Wednesday night, saying only that it involved a motorcycle and a car that Gerow has identified as the one he was driving. A witness told Spotlight PA that Gerow drove several miles with the motorcycle stuck to the front of his car.
July 26, 2021 4:18 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Republican state lawmakers are criticizing the decision by Pennsylvania’s top election official to decertify the voting machines of a sparsely populated county. Acting Secretary of State Veronica Degraffenreid decertified the voting machines used by Fulton County in the 2020 presidential election after the county disclosed it had allowed a software firm to inspect the machines as part of a post-election assessment. Republican elected officials from that area argued in a news conference on Friday that the decision should be reversed. The software firm that conducted the assessment was not among the state’s certified vendors.
July 26, 2021 4:17 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – President Joe Biden will head to the Allentown area Wednesday. Biden is seeking passage in the Senate of a nearly $1 trillion infrastructure measure that a bipartisan group of senators brokered with him. The White House is billing Biden’s visit to Macungie as a stop to “emphasize the importance of American manufacturing, buying products made in America, and supporting good-paying jobs for American workers.” In the Senate, Republicans rejected an effort this week to begin debate on the infrastructure deal. Macungie is near the home of Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, who voted against opening debate. Supporters expect another vote, possibly next week.
