September 12, 2021 7:54 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — President Biden has declared a major disaster in Pennsylvania due to heavy rains, severe flash flooding and tornadoes in the commonwealth from the remnants of Hurricane Ida. Biden approved a request from Gov. Tom Wolf for a major disaster declaration allowing assistance to individuals for Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Philadelphia, and York counties, the White House said Friday night. Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures for the entire commonwealth, which the Pennsylvania governor had also requested. Damage assessments continue and more counties and additional forms of assistance may be added after they are completed.
September 12, 2021 7:52 am
NORTH VERSAILLES (WPXI) — One teen has died and another one is injured after a shooting at the opening night of the Haunted Hills Hayride along Route 48 in North Versailles shortly before 8:30 p.m. Saturday. Both teens were 15 years old. They were taken to the hospital, where one teen died and the other is listed in critical condition. The suspected shooter is approximately 15 to 17 years old, wearing a black shirt and blue pants and a backpack. Police don’t know if he left on foot or drove from the scene, but he did get away. The road was shut down and Haunted Hills Hay Ride was closed when Channel 11 arrived. Police said the incident occurred in the front of the line to get on the hayride when a group of teenagers started arguing and one pulled out a gun and started shooting. Officers haven’t said what the argument as about, only that it was between a large group of teenagers when three to four shots were fired. Police are still searching for that teenage suspect.
September 12, 2021 1:23 am
SOUTH STRABANE, Pa. — Washington County came together Saturday morning to remember the lives lost and tragedy that struck America that day 20 years ago. South Strabane Police and Fire held the annual ceremony for the September 11th Attacks at the 9/11 Memorial in the old Washington Mall parking lot. This year’s ceremony had a large attendance compared to last year due to the pandemic. First responders and members from around the county came to pay their respects. South Strabane Fire Chief Scott Reese, who organizes the event each year, says he was happy with the turnout, especially two decades after the attacks. Ambulance and Chair member John Patterson serves as the anthem singer each year and says it is important to keep having events like these to ensure the younger generations realize the importance of the day.
September 11, 2021 5:48 am
A 45 year-old Pittsburgh man died Friday night in a motorcycle crash in Ligonier. Adam Kocher was riding his Ducati motorcycle about 9:15 p.m. on Route 30 west when he failed to negotiate a curve and crossed the roadway and hit a metal fence and sign. Westmoreland County Coroner pronounced him dead around 10:24 p.m. from blunt force injuries to torso and extremities. The Ligonier Valley Police Department is investigating. Toxicology results are pending.
September 11, 2021 4:17 am
VATICAN CITY (AP) – Pope Francis is making his first foreign trip since undergoing intestinal surgery in July. His four-day visit to Hungary and Slovakia starting Sunday will not only test his health but also provide what may be one of the most awkward moments of his papacy – a meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the sort of populist, right-wing leader Francis scorns. Francis is only spending seven hours in Budapest before moving on to a three-day, hopscotch tour of neighboring Slovakia. The lopsided itinerary can’t help but suggest that Francis wanted to avoid giving Orban the bragging rights and political boost that come with hosting a pope for a proper state visit.
September 11, 2021 4:16 am
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Firefighters battling massive California blazes say thunderstorms that dropped light rain gave them a little breathing room but lightning sparked several new blazes in the drought-stricken north. Storms rolling through Thursday night and Friday dumped up to a half-inch of rain over portions of the Dixie Fire in the Sierra Nevada. The Dixie Fire is the second-largest blaze in state history. Firefighters say the wet vegetation will slow its progress for a couple of days until things begin heating up and drying out again. Meanwhile, lightning strikes ignited at least 17 new fires, although most were tiny. More than 13,000 firefighters are working to rein in 13 major blazes across the state.
September 11, 2021 4:14 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Republicans are blasting President Joe Biden, threatening lawsuits and going as far as to call for civil disobedience to block his new vaccination mandates. It’s all in response to his sweeping new federal vaccine requirements that would force as many as 100 million Americans to be vaccinated against COVID-19, or risk losing their jobs. Biden’s move marks a dramatic escalation in the federal government’s campaign against the virus as the highly contagious delta variant continues to spread. It also sets the stage for a new, more caustic chapter in the COVID culture wars, which have thus far focused mainly on masking mandates.
September 11, 2021 4:13 am
COLUMBUS (AP) – Gov. Mike DeWine has delayed four more executions in keeping with his contention that lethal injection is no longer an option in Ohio because of the ongoing lack of drugs with which to put inmates to death. The Republican governor has said lawmakers must choose a different method of capital punishment before any inmates can be executed. DeWine on Friday postponed executions scheduled for next winter and spring until 2024 and 2025. Despite the unofficial moratorium on executions, the Ohio Supreme Court recently set new execution dates for two inmates, both in 2025.
September 11, 2021 4:07 am
UNDATED (AP) – Pennsylvania health officials say some physicians are offering stock “doctor’s notes” for use by parents wishing to have their children exempted from wearing masks in school. The Health Department says it has referred these doctors for possible disciplinary action. A statewide, universal mask mandate for Pennsylvania schools went into effect Tuesday. The order contains a medical exemption, but parents have complained it’s been difficult to find a physician who will sign off. The Health Department says some doctors are pushing stock exemptions that are available to anyone, regardless of medical necessity.
September 10, 2021 4:14 pm
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) – The on-again, off-again ban imposed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to prevent mandating masks for Florida school students is back in force. The 1st District Court of Appeal ruled Friday that a Tallahassee judge should not have lifted an automatic stay two days ago that halted enforcement of the mask mandate ban. The upshot is that the state could resume its efforts to impose financial penalties on the 13 Florida school boards currently defying the mask mandate ban. The U.S. Department of Education has begun a grant program for school districts that lose money for implementing anti-coronavirus practices such as mandatory masks.
