November 18, 2020 4:07 am
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) – Rudy Giuliani showed some rust returning to a courtroom as an attorney for the first time in decades as he tried to make a stand in Pennsylvania for President Donald Trump. During several hours of arguments in a Williamsport federal courtroom, Giuliani threw around unsupported accusations about a nationwide conspiracy by Democrats to steal the election from Trump. No such evidence has emerged since Election Day. It’s not clear whether Giuliani making a personal appearance for Trump helped the case. Withering questions from the judge gave Trump’s opponents hope that the lawsuit will be tossed out of court.
November 18, 2020 4:03 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump has fired the nation’s top election security official, a widely respected member of the administration who had dared to refute the president’s unsubstantiated claims of electoral fraud. The dismissal Tuesday of the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Christopher Krebs, was abrupt but not a surprise. Since his loss to Democrat Joe Biden, Trump has been ridding his administration of officials seen as insufficiently loyal and denouncing how the election was conducted. Krebs has been issuing a stream of statements and tweets over the past week attesting to the proper conduct of the election.
November 18, 2020 2:17 am
Students at the Washington Junior/Senior High School will be moved to remote learning, effective Wednesday, November 18th, after a second case of COVID-19 was confirmed at the school. District officials say the school will be closed for in-person learning until Tuesday, December 1st. Part of that time, they say, is due to the scheduled Thanksgiving holiday break. Officials say all athletic activities have also been cancelled until December first and no students will be attending the Western Area Vo-Tech School during that time. District officials say the elementary school remains on a hybrid schedule but parents should pay attention to school updates by phone, text and email. They say they are monitoring the district’s health daily and as situations change, the their pandemic team is making adjustments.
November 17, 2020 5:57 pm
(AP) – Two COVID-19 vaccines might be nearing the finish line, but scientists say it’s critical that enough people volunteer to help finish studying other candidates. Moderna and competitor Pfizer recently announced preliminary results showing their vaccines appear to be strongly effective. More vaccine types will be needed to meet global demand. And different types may work better in different people, something only testing can tell. Most vaccines in late-stage testing around the world target the “spike” protein on the coronavirus surface but they’re made using a variety of technologies, some of them brand new. Still, some countries are sticking with older vaccine approaches.
November 17, 2020 5:28 pm
SEATTLE (AP) – A federal judge in Seattle has awarded $10 million to the family of a severely disabled child who was born after a community clinic nurse inadvertently gave the mother a flu shot instead of a birth-control injection. The Seattle Times reports a federal judge last week awarded the child $7.5 million for her medical, educational and other expenses. The award came on top of $2.5 million in damages for her parents. The judge found that the mother would not have become pregnant in 2011 if the nurse at a clinic had given her the correct shot. The federal government is responsible for the damages because the clinic is federally funded.
November 17, 2020 5:24 pm
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – A deadly rise in COVID-19 infections is forcing state and local officials to adjust their blueprints for fighting a virus that is threatening to overwhelm health care systems. Schools are scrapping plans to reopen classrooms. More states are adopting mask mandates. But they often face blowback from dissenters who fear the new restrictions will kill off more businesses and jobs. With Thanksgiving coming up next week, public health officials are bracing for a holiday-fueled surge. Physicians have been urging families to stick to small gatherings and avoid large parties and events where vulnerable populations could be infected.
November 17, 2020 12:33 pm
(WPXI) – Ten percent of Pittsburgh’s police department has been forced to quarantine after officers, firefighters and paramedics tested positive for COVID-10. The Department of Public Safety is dealing with a total of 21 positive coronavirus cases across fire, EMS and police. A number of first responders are in self quarantine because of possible exposure. There are nine Pittsburgh police officers who tested positive for COVID-19 and because of possible exposure, between 90 and 130 police officers are now at home in quarantine. Pittsburgh’s Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich told Channel 11’s Rick Earle that he’s concerned about that number but believes the police department can manage it. He said there will be no drop off in service and response, but if the number grows to 20 or 25% of the police bureau, they may have to make changes.
November 17, 2020 7:17 am
CANONSBURG, Pa. – (WPXI) A potential bus driver shortage could force the Canon-McMillan School District to return to full remote learning. District officials said it will be a day-to-day decision. In a letter sent to parents on Monday, the district said it will alert families if the decision must be made Tuesday morning. The letter also informed families that the district learned of one additional positive COVID-19 case in the district. A staff member at Borland Manor Elementary tested positive and contact tracing was conducted. There was also one positive case at the support facility, and another is awaiting test results while in quarantine, the letter said.
November 17, 2020 4:16 am
MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) – Hurricane Iota has roared ashore as a dangerous Category 4 storm along almost exactly the same stretch of Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast that was devastated by an equally powerful Hurricane Eta 13 days earlier. Iota had intensified into an extremely dangerous Category 5 storm during the day Monday, but the U.S. National Hurricane Center says it weakened slightly as it neared the coast late Monday and made landfall with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph (250 kph). Iota came ashore just 15 miles (25 kilometers) south of where Hurricane Eta made landfall Nov. 3, also as a Category 4 storm. Eta’s torrential rains saturated the soil in the region, leaving the land new deadly landslides and floods.
November 17, 2020 4:15 am
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) – SpaceX’s newly launched capsule with four astronauts has arrived at the International Space Station. The Dragon capsule pulled up and docked late Monday night, following a 27-hour, completely automated flight from Florida. This is the second astronaut mission for SpaceX. But it’s the first time Elon Musk’s company delivered a crew for a full six-month stay. The three Americans and one Japanese astronaut will remain at the orbiting lab until their replacements arrive next spring on another Dragon. They gave a tour of their capsule Monday, and first-time space flyer Victor Glover was presented his gold astronaut pin.
