January 15, 2021 2:39 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Gov. Tom Wolf has ordered the Pennsylvania Capitol closed for two days next week around the swearing-in of three statewide officials and the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. The complex is already closed to the general public because of the coronavirus pandemic. Most Capitol employees under Wolf’s jurisdiction currently work remotely. But the new order Thursday advises employees who report to work in person to take off Tuesday and Wednesday. Wolf’s Office of Administration says it isn’t aware of any specific threats at this time. The agency that protects the Pennsylvania Capitol building is adding police officers inside and out and erecting barriers.
January 14, 2021 9:43 am
A Burgettstown restaurant is among two dozen ordered to close for not following the state’s COVID-19 orders. The State Department of Agriculture made the announcement Wednesday. Rough Cut Tavern and Hotel was one of twenty-four to receive closure notices for denying the Governor’s orders. The inspections took place from January 4 through the 10th. Enforcement currently targets the 50-percent indoor capacity limit and the mandated use of masks by employees. The department says they conducted 729 inspections over a one-week period. 171 of those visits were prompted by complaints and about 130 more were deemed follow-ups for COVID-specific complaints. It was the only Washington County restaurant listed.
January 14, 2021 9:33 am
BERLIN (AP) – German news agency dpa is reporting that illusionist Siegfried Fischbacher, the surviving member of duo Siegfried & Roy has died in Las Vegas at age 81. The news agency said Thursday that Fischbacher’s sister, a nun who lives in Munich, confirmed his death of cancer. Sister Dolore told dpa that spoke with her brother on the phone before he died and they prayed together. Fischbacher’s long-time show business partner, Roy Horn, died in May of complications from COVID-19 at a Las Vegas hospital. The duo astonished millions with their extraordinary magic tricks until Horn was critically injured in 2003 by one of the act’s famed white tigers.
January 14, 2021 9:21 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The number of people seeking unemployment aid soared last week to 965,000, the most since late August and evidence that the resurgent virus has caused a spike in layoffs. The latest figures for jobless claims, issued Thursday by the Labor Department, remain at levels never seen until the virus struck. Before the pandemic, weekly applications typically numbered around 225,000. Last spring, after nationwide shutdowns took effect, applications for jobless benefits spiked to nearly 7 million – 10 times the previous record high. After declining over the summer, weekly claims have been stuck above 700,000 since September.
January 14, 2021 4:13 am
Charleroi Borough is looking to hire a borough manager. At Wednesday’s meeting, council approved to advertise for the position they hope to have filled by the end of February or the beginning of March. Charleroi has operated for the past five years without a manager, after firing Donn Henderson in 2016. Council President, Mark Alterici, said they are looking for a candidate with municipal experience, strong communication skills, and a background in grant writing. Alterici said the manager will also help “lift the burden off the office staff.” The application process is being handled by the state and they are due by February 5th.
January 14, 2021 4:11 am
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Wednesday night’s Powerball jackpot was worth at least $550 million and grew to an estimated $640 million without a winner. Numbers for Wednesday night’s Powerball were: 4-19-23-25-49 and a Powerball of 14, with the next drawing Saturday. The Powerball prize drawing was only a day after no one won a $625 million Mega Millions jackpot, causing that prize to grow to $750 million ahead the next drawing on Friday night. It’s been months since anyone has matched all six numbers and won either jackpot. The odds of winning jackpots are 1 in 292.2 million for Powerball and one in 302.5 million for Mega Millions. Both games are played in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Powerball also is offered in Puerto Rico.
January 14, 2021 4:10 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. officials say Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy has approved bringing in 21,000 National Guard members to Washington, D.C., to assist with security surrounding the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. Army officials have been grappling with requests for assistance from a number of law enforcement agencies who will be providing security across the city and surrounding the U.S. Capitol. Officials said Thursday that in the ongoing discussions with law enforcement, it has been determined that 21,000 Guard members should be enough. Others said requests for assistance at one point totaled as many as 26,000, but officials said those were not formal, official requests. Officials had initially said up to 15,000 would be needed, but law enforcement had asked for more help locking down the Capitol and the city. Officials also said that the total still may grow. The U.S. officials weren’t authorized to discuss security details publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. As of Thursday, there are roughly 7,000 Guard members in Washington, with thousands more on the way.
January 14, 2021 4:09 am
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey defended his company’s ban of President Donald Trump as the “right decision,” his first public comment on the subject. In a philosophical Twitter thread, he warned that such actions could set a dangerous precedent. Banning an account, he said, revealed Twitter’s “failure” to avoid such situations in the first place. But the executive had little specific to say about how Twitter or other Big Tech companies could do so beyond extolling a long-term project to decentralize social networks, which would theoretically limit the ability of big corporations to decide who stays and who goes on their networks.
January 14, 2021 4:08 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial could begin at 1 p.m. on Inauguration Day. That would be just as Democrat Joe Biden takes the oath of office, which is typically held a bit after 12 noon. The trial timing is not yet set for the Senate, but it is linked to when the House delivers the article of impeachment. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has not yet said when that will be. Whatever the schedule for Jan. 20, it will mark an extraordinary end to the defeated president’s tenure as his successor takes over the White House. Trump was impeached Wednesday by the House over the violent siege of the Capitol and faces a single charge of “incitement of insurrection.”
January 14, 2021 4:06 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is not ruling out that he might vote to convict the now twice-impeached President Donald Trump. The Kentucky Republican is blocking a quick Senate trial of Trump. But he’s told colleagues he’s not made up his mind about how he’ll vote whenever that trial begins. McConnell is Washington’s most influential Republican. The trial probably won’t begin till around Jan. 20. That’s around when Democrats will take majority control of the chamber and the day of Democrat Joe Biden’s presidential inauguration.
