March 4, 2021 4:14 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI)- The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh is urging area Catholics to choose the Pfizer, Moderna vaccine over Johnson and Johnson, if given the choice, over concerns of using vaccines developed with the help of abortion-derived cells. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Doctrine and Committee on Pro-Life Activities issued a statement Tuesday saying the vaccine “raises questions about the moral permissibility of using vaccines developed, tested, and/or produced with the help of abortion-derived cell lines.” “Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines raised concerns because an abortion-derived cell line was used for testing them, but not in their production. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine, however, was developed, tested and is produced with abortion-derived cell lines raising additional moral concerns. Therefore, if one has the ability to choose a vaccine, Pfizer or Moderna’s vaccines should be chosen over Johnson & Johnson’s,” according to the statement. The Diocese of Pittsburgh shares the sentiments of the USCCB on this issue, according to officials with the Diocese.
March 4, 2021 4:08 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Spring sports student athletes and coaches don’t need to wear masks when outside as long as they can keep 6 feet apart according to new PIAA guidelines. According to our partners at Channel 11, the board met Wednesday and approved the new rules for baseball, softball, track and other spring sports. Preseason practices could start statewide on Monday. Spring sports were shut down last year because of the pandemic, meaning athletes had no season.
March 4, 2021 2:36 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gov. Tom Wolf has formally announced at a news conference Wednesday morning that teachers will be moving up on the state’s priority list to get the COVID-19 vaccine. “We have all decided to recommend that this Johnson & Johnson stream go to our teachers, school employees. Public and private,” Gov. Wolf said. Teachers will now be moved into the Phase 1A tier of the vaccine rollout. The aim is to get students back to in-person learning across the state as soon as possible. Wolf’s office says giving the vaccine to teachers and other school staff will “help protect school communities and get more students back into classrooms.” So far, the state’s Phase 1A tier has included vaccines for health care workers, people age 65 and over and younger people with high-risk medical conditions. Gov. Wolf’s office says teachers will now get priority access to the state’s first shipment of 94,000 doses of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine. They say the hope is “to offer it to public and private school workers, early childhood education workers, and child care workers.”
March 3, 2021 5:27 pm
Authorities in Allegheny County say several people have been taken into custody following a report of an abduction in Pittsburgh Wednesday afternoon. The reported abduction occurred in the 300 block of Bausman Street around 2:30 p.m. and a heavy police presence responded shortly thereafter to the Days Inn hotel in Pittsburgh’s Banksville neighborhood. A vehicle that was allegedly associated with the abduction was found in the parking lot of a hotel on Banksville Road. SWAT was called out due to the possible hostage situation. Police say no one is hurt and everyone involved is accounted for.
March 3, 2021 4:44 pm
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Detectives are looking at data from the “black box” of Tiger Woods’ SUV to get a clearer picture of what occurred during the Southern California rollover crash last week that seriously injured the golf star. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department says Wednesday that traffic investigators executed a search warrant to retrieve the data from the device from the Genesis SUV that Woods was driving. Deputy Trina Schrader says there was no immediate information regarding what was found in the black box. Woods suffered a serious leg injury when the SUV he was driving went off a Los Angeles County road and rolled over on a downhill stretch.
March 3, 2021 4:18 am
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Texas is lifting a COVID-19 mask mandate that was imposed last summer but has only been lightly enforced. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s announcement Tuesday makes Texas the largest state to do away with a face covering order. The new rule takes effect March 10. The decision comes as governors across the U.S. have eased coronavirus restrictions, despite warnings from health experts that the outbreak is far from over. Texas has seen a sharp plunge in cases and hospitalizations in recent weeks. More than 42,000 people have died from the virus in Texas, trailing only California and New York.
March 3, 2021 4:16 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden says the U.S. expects to take delivery of enough coronavirus vaccine for all adults by the end of May – two months earlier than anticipated. He’s also pushing states to get at least one shot into the arms of teachers by the end of March to hasten school reopenings. Biden has also announced that drugmaker Merck will help produce rival Johnson & Johnson’s newly approved one-shot vaccine. Despite the stepped-up pace of vaccine production, the work of inoculating Americans could extend well into the summer. It depends on both the government’s capacity to deliver doses and Americans’ willingness to roll up their sleeves.
March 3, 2021 4:14 am
HOLTVILLE, Calif. (AP) – The Border Patrol says 13 people killed in a Southern California crash were among more than 40 migrants who entered the U.S. through a hole cut into the border fence with Mexico. Authorities say surveillance video showed a Ford Expedition and Chevrolet Suburban drive through the opening Tuesday. It’s believed they were part of a migrant smuggling operation. The Suburban carried 19 people, and it caught fire after entering the U.S. All escaped the vehicle and were taken into custody. The Expedition crammed with 25 people slammed into a tractor-trailer a short time later. Thirteen were killed, and others were injured.
March 3, 2021 4:13 am
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) – A somber New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is apologizing following sexual harassment allegations against him. He said Wednesday he “learned an important lesson” about his own behavior around women, but he said he intended to remain in office. Cuomo said he will “fully cooperate” with the state attorney general’s investigation into sexual harassment allegations. Attorney General Letitia James is in the process of selecting an outside law firm to conduct an investigation into the allegations and produce a report that will be made publicly. Cuomo had avoided public appearances for days as some fellow Democrats call for him to resign.
March 3, 2021 4:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Capitol Police say they have intelligence showing there is a “possible plot” by a militia group to breach the U.S. Capitol on Thursday. The new threat appears to be connected to a far-right conspiracy theory, mainly promoted by supporters of QAnon, that former President Donald Trump will rise again to power on March 4, the presidential inauguration day until 1933. On Wednesday, federal agents were seeking to determine whether there was an increase in the number of hotel rooms being rented in Washington, as well as monitoring flights to the area, car rental reservations and bus charters, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.
