Two People Die In A Fire At A Wheeling Home

October 7, 2020 2:48 am

WHEELING, W.Va. (AP) – Two people have died in a fire in northern West Virginia. The Wheeling Fire Department says the bodies of two adults were pulled from a home in Wheeling on Tuesday night. A passerby reported the fire. Firefighters battled the fire for more than an hour. The bodies have been sent to the state medical examiner and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Audit Faults Wolf’s Business Shutdown Waiver Program

October 6, 2020 4:52 pm

(AP) – Pennsylvania’s chief fiscal watchdog is criticizing a state program under which businesses could seek permission to operate under Gov. Tom Wolf’s pandemic shutdown. Auditor General Eugene DePasquale says waivers were granted inconsistently and with little transparency, comparing the process to a “Keystone Kops routine.”  DePasquale spoke Tuesday at a virtual news conference. The auditor general’s office has been investigating the business shutdown waiver program amid complaints it was managed unfairly. Wolf’s spokesperson referred questions to the Department of Community and Economic Development, which ran the program. The department says its waiver decisions were based on whether the business offered “life-sustaining services.”

AMC Theaters Will Remain Open

October 6, 2020 4:28 pm

UNDATED (AP) – The 2020 theatrical release calendar is getting even slimmer in the wake of the announcement that Regal cinemas are temporarily closing, although AMC Entertainment says it will remain open. Warner Bros. said late Monday that its sci-fi pic “Dune” will now open in October 2021, instead of this December. The studio also pushed “The Batman” to 2022 and moved up its “Matrix” sequel. That leaves a mere handful of big films set to still open in 2020. The nation’s largest theater chain, AMC, plans to remain open and cited its shortened theatrical window agreement with Universal as a reason.

Top Military Leaders In U.S. Self-Quarantining

October 6, 2020 3:12 pm

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Pentagon says that top military leaders are under self-quarantine after a senior Coast Guard official tested positive for the coronavirus. While the Pentagon didn’t identify those affected, two U.S. officials say that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, was among those affected. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss information that has not been made public. The military leaders had been in contact with Adm. Charles W. Ray, the vice commandant of the Coast Guard, who has tested positive. Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman says none of the other officials have tested positive so far and that the quarantining of leaders won’t affect the operational readiness of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Cecil Township Man Faces Trial

October 6, 2020 1:44 pm

District Justice Gary Havelka held all charges against Alfred Quevi for court. Quevi is charged with felony aggravated assault, attempted homicide and illegal possession of firearms. Quevi, 53 of McDonald is accused of shooting his stepson with a shotgun at point blank range. Quevi’s wife Melanie Quevi testified to the contentious relationship between her son Tyler Shrum and her husband. Mrs. Quevi testified to a string of text messages threatening her son while she was at work. Mrs. Quevi returned home after work to find her husband gone. He returned and pointed the shotgun at her before he entered. Shortly after Alfred Quevi entered the home to gather some belongings, Shrum appeared and Quevi began to shout at him with the gun pointed at him. Quevi lowered the gun causing his wife to move from between the two men. When she moved, Quevi allegedly shot Shrum. Quevi will be formally arraigned on November 24. He is being held in the Washington County Jail without bond.

Cecil Township Approves Park Enhancements

October 6, 2020 4:18 am

Cecil Township Supervisors are taking steps to upgrade pathways around Cecil Township Park. Supervisors on Monday approved the purchase of 3 bridges to be installed in the park to make access easier to several areas of the park. The cost is $141,525 for the bridges and most of that will be paid with grants. Monies already earmarked for township improvements will also be used to offset installation costs. Supervisors also voted to submit a cease and desist order to the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission for violation of noise ordinances. Those violations are related to the construction of the Southern Beltway. Supervisors also approved a conditional use application for the Bernard Well Site on Galati Road. Range Resources will need to comply with 46 conditions approved by supervisors.

Hurricane Delta Roars Toward Mexico’s Yucatan

October 6, 2020 4:15 am

MEXICO CITY (AP) – A strengthening Hurricane Delta was on a course to pass by the Cayman Islands early Tuesday before hitting Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula as a major storm and continuing on to strike the U.S. Gulf coast later in the week. As Delta shifted west Monday, Cuba withdrew a hurricane warning for its province of Pinar del Rio and replaced it with a tropical storm warning. There is also a tropical storm warning for the Cayman Islands. But the brunt of the hurricane was expected to be felt by Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, which was forecast to start seeing hurricane conditions Tuesday night with the storm reaching land early Wednesday.

Trump’s Tweet Angers COVID-19 Survivors

October 6, 2020 4:12 am

SEATTLE (AP) – Some survivors of COVID-19 and people who have lost loved ones to the pandemic are angry over President Donald Trump’s advice not to fear the disease. The world’s most prominent coronavirus patient tweeted Monday that he’s feeling great and that people shouldn’t let COVID-19 dominate them. Seneca Nation member and New York resident Marc Papaj lost his mother, grandmother and aunt to the virus. He was finding it tough to follow the president’s advice not to let the virus “dominate your life.” On the contrary, he says his loss will forever dominate the rest of his life. At least 210,000 Americans have died from the virus since March.

Trump Tells Supporters ‘Don’t Be Afraid’

October 6, 2020 4:11 am

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump has tweeted a new video, taped after he returned to the White House, in which he tells the American public not to be afraid of COVID-19, which has killed more than 200,000 people in the U.S. and more than a million worldwide. In message that is sure to infuriate medical doctors trying to keep the country safe, Trump says he has “learned so much” about the virus he contracted. And he says: “Don’t let it dominate. Don’t let it take over your lives.” He is telling his followers: “Don’t be afraid of it. You’re going to beat it.”

Biden Expands Map As Trump Recovers

October 6, 2020 4:09 am

MIAMI (AP) – As President Donald Trump recovers from the coronavirus, Joe Biden is trying to capitalize on having the campaign trail all to himself. Starting with Florida, he is stepping up travel to areas long thought to be leaning Republican as his campaign looks to expand the electoral map. The former vice president was in Miami’s conservative Little Havana on Monday and plans to visit Arizona on Thursday. And his Democratic presidential campaign is increasing advertising in the traditional red-state strongholds of Texas and Georgia. Biden has been careful not to criticize Trump, wishing him a speedy recovery, but also made clear he’s not going to stop campaigning.