October 8, 2020 4:11 am
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic challenger Kamala Harris traded barbs through plexiglass shields Wednesday night in a debate dominated by the coronavirus pandemic. Harris said President Donald Trump’s handling of the pandemic, which has killed more than 210,000 Americans is “the greatest failure of any presidential administration.” Pence said Trump has constantly put the American people first. The president himself was back at the White House recovering from his own battle with the virus. The debate was far more civil that last week’s when Trump constantly interrupted and was almost yelling at times in his faceoff with Joe Biden.
October 8, 2020 4:10 am
NEW ORLEANS (AP) – A hurricane warning has been issued for a stretch of the northern U.S. Gulf Coast as Hurricane Delta has begun its trek on a path forecast to take it toward Louisiana. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Delta is expected to become a major hurricane again, like it was days earlier before crossing part of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. But some weakening is forecast once Delta approaches the northern Gulf Coast on Friday. As of 10 p.m. CDT Wednesday, Delta was about 525 miles south-southeast of Cameron, Louisiana. The storm has maximum sustained winds of 90 mph, slightly stronger after crossing part of southern Mexico into the lower Gulf.
October 8, 2020 4:07 am
GREENSBURG, Pa. — Our news partners at Channel 11 have confirmed two residents at Westmoreland Manor have died from COVID-19. One of those people, Ed Gavlak, died Tuesday morning. Gavlak’s family said he was diagnosed last Wednesday and was transferred to the hospital on Friday. The county coroner confirmed that Gavlak died from the coronavirus. He is the 52nd person in the county to die from the virus. “I don’t know what the problem is. I’m sure people are trying the best they can, but why is it happening so suddenly?” said his daughter Denise Gavlak. The identity of the other person who died is not yet known. Channel 11 has reached out to officials from Westmoreland County, which owns the facility, about the escalating outbreak. Westmoreland Manor has been dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak in recent weeks. The National Guard was brought in to help control the outbreak and take over testing so that employees can focus on patient care. County Commissioner Gina Cerilli posted on Facebook on Monday that National Guard members will remain with the facility through at least Oct. 12. As of Wednesday afternoon, 104 residents and 32 staff members had tested positive. Most of the residents are asymptomatic, but four required hospitalization.
October 7, 2020 7:38 am
Two people were transported by ambulance to area hospitals following a three vehicle crash Wednesday morning in Canton Township. It happened just after 5:30 a.m. at the intersection of Jefferson Avenue and Smiley Road. Washington County 9-1-1 dispatch tells us one of the vehicles was a motorcycle. There is no word on the identity or condition of those injured. Crews from numerous departments cleared the scene and had traffic flowing normally through the area less than two-hours later. An investigation into the crash continues.
October 7, 2020 5:24 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI)- The mother of a former California University of Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh Central Catholic football standout confirmed that her son died of COVID-19 complications and blasted President Donald Trump’s statements about the illness. The mother of Jamain Stephens, Kelly Allan, expressed her frustrations Tuesday on MSNBC. “I feel taunted,” Allen said during an interview with Ayman Mohyeldin. “To see the devastation that the coronavirus has had on over 200,000 people, no other country has experienced the devastation and loss that the U.S. has.” Trump announced Friday morning that he tested positive for COVID-19 and went to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for treatment. He tweeted Monday “Don’t be afraid of Covid.”
October 7, 2020 4:33 am
The writer, singer and producer of the classic “I Can See Clearly Now” has died. Johnny Nash’s son says his father died Tuesday at his home in Houston of natural causes at 80. Nash was a Houston-born artist who rose from pop crooner to early reggae star to chart-topping status with “I Can See Clearly Now.” Released in 1972, the tune was covered by artists ranging from Ray Charles and Donny Osmond to Soul Asylum and Jimmy Cliff, whose version was featured in the 1993 movie “Cool Runnings.” It also turned up in the film “Thelma and Louise,” and a Windex commercial.
October 7, 2020 4:10 am
CANCUN, Mexico (AP) – Hurricane Delta has made landfall south of Cancun along the northeastern coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, blowing down trees and knocking out power in some of the area’s resorts. The National Hurricane Center in Miami says the center of Delta came ashore around 5:30 a.m. local time as a Category 2 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (175 kph). About 2,000 people took refuge in shelters in Quintana Roo state, whose governor is warning residents and tourists that it is the strongest storm since Hurricane Wilma in 2005. Forecasters predicted a storm surge of up to 13 feet (4 meters). (Photo: AP)
October 7, 2020 4:09 am
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) – A federal judge is scheduled to hear arguments over whether North Carolina is providing voters sufficient opportunity to fix absentee ballots that arrive without full information on who witnessed it. U.S. District Judge William Osteen was holding a hearing on Wednesday afternoon concerning a trio of lawsuits filed over how the state handles absentee ballot. Late last month, the State Board of Elections had agreed to allow voters to fix problems with incomplete witness info by sending in an affidavit and not starting a new ballot from scratch and having it witnessed again. But that change was temporarily halted by a different federal judge, who sent two cases brought by GOP leaders to Osteen.
October 7, 2020 4:08 am
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – Vice President Mike Pence and his Democratic challenger, California Sen. Kamala Harris, are poised to meet for a debate that will offer starkly different visions for a country confronting escalating crises. The faceoff Wednesday night in Salt Lake City is the most highly anticipated vice presidential debate in recent memory. It will unfold while President Donald Trump recovers at the White House after testing positive last week for the coronavirus and spending several days in the hospital, a serious setback for his campaign that adds pressure on Pence to defend the administration’s handling of the pandemic.
October 7, 2020 4:07 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The White House is trying to salvage its favored proposals for coronavirus aid now that President Donald Trump has ended negotiation with Democrats. Trump has used a flurry of tweets to press for Congress to approve $1,200 stimulus checks and new aid for airlines and other businesses hard hit by the pandemic. It’s an about-face from his abrupt move on Tuesday to abandon talks with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She has rejected such piecemeal entreaties all along. Pelosi did speak with Trump’s treasury secretary on Wednesday morning about the possibility of passing a rescue bill just for the airline industry.
