March 22, 2021 4:15 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – State Senate Republicans have killed a proposal to employ an emergency process to amend the Pennsylvania Constitution to give victims of child sexual abuse a two-year window in which to file civil lawsuits. Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward announced Monday that the Wolf administration’s failure to advertise a proposed constitutional amendment doesn’t justify using the emergency amendment process. She says the Republican majority plans to start over, using the conventional amendment process. The Department of State announced six weeks ago it had failed to arrange the mandatory advertisement for a conventional constitutional amendment last year. Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa accused Republicans of delaying justice “over a clerical mistake.”
March 22, 2021 2:26 am
The Washington County Coroner’s Office has identified a man who was struck and killed by a train Friday afternoon in Carroll Township. Authorities say an autopsy is pending on the body of 50-year-old Christopher Sydlik of Freeport. He was hit by a Norfolk Southern Train near Route 837 and Jones Lane. The coroner’s office say evidence at this point in time leads them to believe that this was a deliberate act on Sydlik’s part. Sydlik’s death remains under investigation by Norfolk Southern Police.
March 21, 2021 8:00 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. relations with its two biggest geo-political rivals are facing severe tests as President Joe Biden tries to assert America’s place in the world and distinguish himself from his predecessor. Airing myriad complaints, the Biden administration took an extraordinarily tough line with China and Russia this past week. Public spats between the countries erupted as Biden characterized Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “killer” and his top national security aides excoriated China for a litany of issues. Moscow and Beijing both fired back, setting the stage for months, if not more, of escalating tensions that are unlikely to be resolved without intense discussions at the leadership level and major concessions from all sides. Biden himself kicked off the latest round of recrimination in a television interview in which he sought to draw clear differences between his Russia policies and those of former President Donald Trump. who was accused of being soft on Putin. Just 24 hours later, Biden’s top diplomat and national security adviser blasted Chinese officials in face-to-face talks. Although Biden’s strong comments about Putin reflected a shift from Trump’s often conciliatory approach to the Kremlin, the harsh criticism directed at China by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan in many ways mirrored the previous administration’s hard line toward Beijing.
March 21, 2021 7:53 am
LONDON (AP) — Britain said Saturday that half the country’s adults have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine as the government races to reach everyone over age 18 by the end of July. The National Health Service has put shots in the arms of 26.9 million people, or 51% of the adult population, according to the latest government statistics. The NHS passed the halfway point by delivering 589,689 first doses on Friday, the highest daily total since the mass vaccination program began in early December. “It’s a huge success,” Health Secretary Matt Hancock said in a video celebrating the milestone. “And I want to say many, many thanks to all those involved, including the half of all adults who have come forward. It’s so important because this vaccine is our way out of this pandemic.” The announcement followed the news from health authorities earlier this week that Britain would see a “significant reduction” in vaccine supplies next month. The NHS will continue during April to deliver first doses to those most at risk from COVID-19, along with 12 million second jabs, Hancock said Saturday.
March 21, 2021 7:52 am
MIAMI (AP) — Officials are imposing an emergency 8 p.m.-6 a.m. curfew for Miami Beach, effective immediately after hard-partying spring break crowds trashed restaurants, brawled in the streets and gathered by the thousands without masks or social distancing, according to authorities. At a news conference, officials blamed overwhelming and out-of-control spring break crowds for the curfew, which was taking effect Saturday night in South Beach, one of the nation’s top party spots. Tourists and hotel guests are being told to stay indoors during curfew hours. It’s unclear how long the curfew will remain in effect, but Interim City Manager Raul Aguila told the Miami Herald that he recommends keeping the rules in place through at least April 12. A countywide midnight curfew was already in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “These crowds are in the thousands,” Aguila said. “We’re at capacity.” No pedestrians or vehicles will be allowed to enter the restricted area after 8 p.m. and all businesses in the vicinity must close, Aguila said, reading from a statement released by the city. The curfew comes as a prominent bar, the Clevelander South Beach, announced it was temporarily suspending all food and beverage operations until at least March 24 after crowds crammed Ocean Drive, breaking out into street fights. At another restaurant next door, tables and chairs were smashed during a fight, news outlets reported.
March 21, 2021 7:49 am
ATLANTA (AP) — A diverse crowd gathered Saturday near the Georgia state Capitol to demand justice for the victims of recent shootings at massage businesses and to denounce racism, xenophobia and misogyny. Hundreds of people of all ages and varied racial and ethnic backgrounds gathered in Liberty Plaza in Atlanta, and in similar rallies across the country, waving signs and chanting slogans. In Atlanta, they cheered U.S. Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, and Georgia state Rep. Bee Nguyen, the first Vietnamese American to serve in the Georgia House. Robert Aaron Long, a 21-year-old white man, is accused of killing four people inside two Atlanta spas and four others at a massage business about 30 miles away in suburban Cherokee County. Six of the eight people killed Tuesday were women of Asian descent. Another person was shot but survived. Investigators have said Long confessed to the slayings but said they weren’t racially motivated. He claimed to have a sex addiction, which caused him to lash out at what he saw as sources of temptation, according to authorities. Police have said they’re still working to establish a motive, including looking into whether the attacks can be classified as hate crimes.
March 21, 2021 7:45 am
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (WPXI)– Police said a 12-year-old boy was stabbed at a McDonalds’ restaurant in Downtown Pittsburgh just after 2 p.m. Investigators said it happened at the store on Liberty Avenue. The boy was rushed to the hospital for treatment in critical condition. Police said a family of four was standing in line when a man approached and stabbed the boy in the neck. 51-year-old Charles Edward Turner was arrested and charged with criminal attempt homicide, four counts of aggravated assault, two counts of simple assault and resisting arrest. He is being held at the Allegheny County Jail.
March 21, 2021 4:40 am
A Washington City Councilman has withdrawn his nominating petitions to be on the ballot in the upcoming May Primary. Joe Manning, whose nominating petitions were challenged this week by Washington resident Georgianna Farkas, for falling short of the required one-hundred signatures, told WJPA News that he withdrew the petitions, but he is not going to withdraw from his efforts to win re-election. Manning, who is a Democrat, says he plans to file nomination papers to run for re-election in the fall, as an Independent. Manning has served on council since 2010.
March 20, 2021 10:31 am
SAN DIEGO (AP) – A father allegedly carried his 2-year-old daughter into an elephant habitat at the famous San Diego Zoo to take a photo with the animals. An elephant seemed like it wanted to charge at them, and the father dropped his child when they tried to escape the enclosure Friday. The elephant was not harmed, and the man was able to get his daughter out of the habitat safely. The 25-year-old father was arrested on suspicion of child endangerment. Police told The San Diego Union-Tribune that the man “wanted to take a photo with the African bull elephant.”
March 20, 2021 9:58 am
DALLAS (AP) – Authorities say someone opened fire at a Dallas nightclub early Saturday, killing one person and wounding five others. Police say in a news release that the shooting happened during a fight between two groups inside Pryme Night Club, and that the shooter got away. The six people who were shot were taken to hospitals, where one was pronounced dead. The conditions of the wounded range from stable to critical condition.
