June 10, 2021 10:18 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell for the sixth straight week as the U.S. economy reopens rapidly after being held back for months by the coronavirus pandemic. The Labor Department reported Thursday that jobless claims fell by 9,000 to 376,000 from 385,000 the week before. áThe number of people signing up for benefits exceeded 900,000 in early January and has fallen more or less steadily ever since. Still, claims are high by historic standards. Before the pandemic brought economic activity to a near-standstill in March 2020, weekly applications were regularly coming in below 220,000.
June 10, 2021 8:20 am
An internal inventory report determined that more than $298,000 in food purchased by the Greater Washington County Food Bank went undistributed last year. The report says that food was bought through a state food program with federal COVID-19 relief funds. It came as food insecurity was at its highest during the pandemic. Staff reportedly conducted the inventory in February after Washington County Commissioners voted to redirect some $240,000 in state and federal money to the Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank. Commissioner’s Chairman Diana Irey-Vaughan tells WJPA News that they were aware “there was an issue with the distribution of product” but says “the volume was larger than we had anticipated”. Irey-Vaughan says “twelve pantries were closed during the pandemic” and “going from the truck-to-trunk model, we knew that food insecurity was on the rise and there wasn’t enough product getting to the community.” WJPA has reached out to the Greater Washington County Food Bank for comment but has yet to hear back from them.
June 10, 2021 5:10 am
A lengthy search for a new borough manager in Charleroi has ended with the hiring of a Washington City Councilman. Joe Manning was approved for the position in a 5-1 vote by council Wednesday evening. Councilman Frank Pattera cast the lone no vote. Manning is to be paid a salary of $60,000 and will begin work this month. Manning tells WJPA that he plans to finish out his current term on Washington City Council. However, he hasn’t ruled out another re-election bid in the fall. To do so, Manning says he “would have to determine that he could effectively serve both communities.” Charleroi hasn’t had a borough manager since 2014 and officials say they received applications from throughout the state. All applications were submitted through the State Department of Community and Economic Development.
June 10, 2021 4:13 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Johnson & Johnson says U.S. health officials have extended the expiration date for its COVID-19 vaccine by six weeks. The drugmaker said Thursday that the Food and Drug Administration approved a shelf life of 4 1/2 months for the one-dose shots. State officials recently warned that millions of doses would reach their original three-month expiration by the end of June. The extension comes as the number of U.S. vaccinations continues to slip. Vaccine expiration dates are based on information from drugmakers on how long the shots stay at the right strength. Regulators are reviewing those dates as companies have continued to test batches.
June 10, 2021 4:12 am
DETROIT (AP) – Lawyers say a son of legendary University of Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler was among the hundreds of men who were sexually assaulted by a campus doctor. Matt Schembechler and two players who were also victims of Dr. Robert Anderson will speak about the abuse during a news conference Thursday. A recent report commissioned by the university found that Bo Schembechler and others were aware of complaints about Anderson, yet he remained at the school for decades. Hundreds of men say Anderson molested them. He spent 37 years on campus and died in 2008.
June 10, 2021 4:10 am
The world’s largest meat processing company says it paid the equivalent of $11 million to hackers who broke into its computer system. Brazil-based JBS SA said on May 31 that it was the victim of a ransomware attack, but Wednesday was the first time the company’s U.S. division confirmed that it paid the ransom. JBS said the vast majority of its facilities were operational at the time it made the payment. It said it decided to pay in order to avoid any unforeseen issues and ensure no data was exfiltrated. The FBI has attributed the attack to REvil, a Russian-speaking gang that has made some of the largest ransomware demands on record in recent months.
June 10, 2021 4:10 am
LONDON (AP) – Leaders of some of the world’s richest nations will be meeting at the English seaside for a three-day Group of Seven summit in a world that has changed hugely since their last gathering two years ago. The coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 3.7 million people and decimated economies. Helping countries recover will top the agenda when British Prime Minister Boris Johnson welcomes U.S. President Joe Biden and the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Canada to the cliff-ringed Carbis Bay beach resort in southwestern England on Friday. But while there is likely to be broad agreement on issues such as vaccines, it might prove to be harder to actually deliver on the promises.
June 9, 2021 6:02 pm
SAN ANTONIO (AP) – An Air Force base in San Antonio was placed on lockdown for about an hour after military officials said gunfire was reported near a gate to the base. Air Force officials said two gunshots were heard Wednesday coming from outside Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland onto the base. Lt. Col Brian Loveless says investigators are trying to determine whether the gunfire report was a false alarm. It’s also unclear if anyone saw a shooter. No injuries were reported. Lackland is where all Air Force basic training is given. Officials said the shots were reportedly fired near the Valley Hi gate on the western side of the main base, just east of Interstate 410 and near a shopping center.
June 9, 2021 4:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. will buy 500 million more doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to share through the COVAX alliance for donation to 92 lower income countries and the African Union over the next year. President Joe Biden was set to make the announcement Thursday in a speech before the start of Group of Seven summit. The news was confirmed to The Associated Press by a person familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of the president’s announcement. The person says 200 million doses would be shared this year, with the balance to be donated in the first half of 2022.
June 9, 2021 4:11 am
NEW YORK (AP) – The U.S. saw remarkable increases in the death rates for heart disease, diabetes and some other common killers last year. And experts believe a main reason may be that many people who suffered dangerous symptoms made the lethal mistake of staying away from the hospital for fear of catching the coronavirus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week posted new 2020 information on a number of causes of death.
