March 17, 2021 4:11 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – A surge of migrants on the Southwest border has the Biden administration on the defensive. The head of Homeland Security acknowledged the severity of the problem Tuesday but insisted it’s under control and said he won’t revive a Trump-era practice of immediately expelling teens and children. An official says U.S. authorities encountered nearly double the number children traveling alone across the Mexican border in one day this week than on an average day last month. The administration is rushing to open temporary child holding facilities, while Republicans say it’s all the Democrats’ fault for easing the child-expulsion rules and talking up other proposed changes.
March 17, 2021 4:09 am
North Strabane Township Supervisors will look to adjust the possibility of continuing its property tax penalty easement. In 2020 Supervisors agreed to allow residents to pay their property taxes at discount until July 31. Face value payments were then accepted from August 1 through December 31 of 2020. As of January 1, 2021 property taxes for 2020 became delinquent and penalties were assessed. Supervisors will look to offer the similar program this year with the discount ending on July 31 and face value ending on December 31, 2021. Township Manager Andrew Walz stated that the economy of North Strabane Township is strong especially now that pandemic restrictions are being eased. The township recognizes that not all residents have recovered financially from the pandemic and this offers them a way to pay their taxes without incurring a penalty. Supervisors will also entertain an offer from neighboring Peters Township. Township officials in Peters Township are offering North Strabane Township an opportunity for its residents to take advantage of the new aquatic facility in Peters Township at Peters Township resident rates. North Strabane Township Supervisors will need to weigh whether an annual contribution to Peters Township would be worth the discount to North Strabane residents who would like to patronize the neighboring swimming pool.
March 17, 2021 2:22 am
Washington County hospitality businesses can now apply for some of $2.3 million in state funding as part of the ‘COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Recovery Program, or CHIRP. Washington County Commissioners partnered with the Washington Industrial Development Corporation, the Washington County Chamber of Commerce, and the Mon Valley Alliance to administer the program. Businesses will need to demonstrate a 25-percent or more loss in revenue due to the pandemic and must provide documentation to substantiate those losses. Applications will be reviewed based on the criteria in the guidelines. Grant applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis and awarded until funding is exhausted. Program guidelines and the application portal are available at www.WashCoGrant.com. You can also find links to the website on the Washington County and Washington County Chamber of Commerce websites.
March 17, 2021 2:14 am
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – West Virginia leaders cautioned residents to continue taking the coronavirus seriously as the state witnesses a slight bump in deaths and hospitalizations. Hospitalizations went up by 35 patients in two days to 190 on Wednesday. There have also been 34 new deaths reported this week so far. Outbreaks at churches grew to seven places across five counties. Republican Gov. Jim Justice said “we got to be really cautious.” Earlier this month, he lifted capacity limits on bars, restaurants and businesses. A statewide mask mandate remains in effect.
March 16, 2021 5:45 pm
Several area fire departments were called out Tuesday afternoon to a house fire in the Windsor Highlands neighborhood. There’s been no word on what may have caused the fire or if there were any injuries.
March 16, 2021 11:01 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Yaphet Kotto, the commanding actor who brought tough magnetism and stately gravitas to films including the James Bond movie “Live and Let Die” and “Alien,” has died. He was 81. Kotto’s wife, Tessie Sinahon, announced his death in a Facebook post. She said he died Monday in the Philippines. Kotto was best known for his infuriated FBI agent in “Midnight Run,” the James Bond villain Mr. Big in “Live and Let Die” and the technician Dennis Parker in 1979’s “Alien.” On TV, he played Al Giardello from 1993 to 1999 on the NBC series “Homicide: Life on the Street.” He’s survived by his wife and six children. (Photo: imdb)
March 16, 2021 4:17 am
One of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s sexual harassment accusers met with investigators working for the state attorney general’s office for more than four hours Monday via Zoom. A lawyer for Charlotte Bennett says that during the interview she revealed new details about Cuomo’s behavior and a “sexually hostile work environment.” Bennett also provided investigators with 120 pages of records. Cuomo, a Democrat, has said that he will cooperate with the investigation. His office didn’t immediately comment Monday when asked about Bennett’s interview. Bennett says Cuomo quizzed her last June about her sex life and inquired about her willingness to have a sexual relationship with an older man.
March 16, 2021 4:16 am
BOSTON (AP) – U.S. guidelines that say students should be kept 6 feet apart in schools are receiving new scrutiny from federal health experts, state governments and education officials working to return as many children as possible to the classroom. The distancing guidelines have remained a major hurdle for schools as they aim to open with limited space. But amid new evidence that it may be safe to seat students closer together, states including Illinois, Indiana and Massachusetts are allowing 3 feet of distance, and others including Oregon are considering it.
March 16, 2021 4:15 am
(AP) – China’s U.N. ambassador says China is donating 300,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to U.N. peacekeepers, with priority given to those serving in Africa.Ambassador Zhang Jun sent a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres informing him of the donation. It follows the announcement by China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi of Beijing’s intention to donate vaccines at a U.N. Security Council meeting on Feb. 17. The mission said “China attaches great importance to the safety and security of peacekeepers” and the donation “is a further step to make China’s vaccines a global public good, and also a demonstration of China’s firm and continuous support to the U.N. and multilateralism.”
March 16, 2021 4:14 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Security officials say they will soon scale back fencing that has circled the U.S. Capitol and cut off the entire area to pedestrian and vehicular traffic since a mob attacked the building on Jan. 6. The acting House sergeant-at-arms, Timothy Blodgett, said Monday in a memo to members of Congress that the fencing will be scaled back in two phases. The decision comes in response to guidance from the U.S. Capitol Police that “there does not exist a known, credible threat” that warrants keeping the temporary barrier in place.
