January 12, 2021 12:27 pm
PITTSBURGH (AP) – A judge has denied bail for a man who police say was handcuffed when he allegedly shot a western Pennsylvania police officer three times with a gun police didn’t know he had before fleeing to West Virginia. The Tribune-Review reports that Allegheny County Common Pleas Judge Edward Borkowski said Tuesday there were no conditions that could guarantee that 22-year-old Koby Lee Francis would appear in court. The McKeesport resident was returned Friday to Pennsylvania from Clarksburg, West Virginia. He was arraigned on charges including aggravated assault, criminal attempt homicide, person not to possess a firearm, and flight to avoid apprehension trial or punishment as well as an escape charge.
January 12, 2021 12:24 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump is taking no responsibility for his part in fomenting a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol last week, despite his comments encouraging supporters to march on the Capitol and praise for them while they were still carrying out the assault. Trump says, “People thought that what I said was totally appropriate.” He made the comments Tuesday during his first appearance in public since the Capitol siege, which came as lawmakers were tallying Electoral College votes affirming President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. He was heading to Texas to trumpet his campaign against illegal immigration in an attempt to burnish his legacy with eight days remaining in his term. (Photo: CNN)
January 12, 2021 9:29 am
LONDON (AP) – Twitter says it has suspended more than 70,000 accounts associated with the far right QAnon conspiracy theory following last week’s U.S. Capitol riot. The social media company said Tuesday that given the events last week in Washington, D.C., it was taking action against online behavior “that has the potential to lead to offline harm.” The company says in a blog post that in many cases, a single individual operated numerous accounts, driving up the total number of affected accounts. It says the accounts were engaged in sharing harmful QAnon-associated content at scale.
January 12, 2021 7:45 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Trump administration is asking states to speed delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to people older than 65 and others at high risk by no longer holding back the second dose of the two-dose shots, The Associated Press has learned. The Trump administration is expected to recommend opening up vaccines to everyone older than 65 and to get the vaccines to more people by not holding back the second vaccine dose. That’s according to a Trump administration official familiar with the decision, who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of an announcement. States determine who should get the vaccine based on CDC guidelines.
January 12, 2021 4:10 am
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) – Indonesian officials say rescuers are searching for 26 people still missing after two landslides hit a village in West Java province over the weekend. At least 13 people were killed and 29 others injured in the landslides that were triggered by heavy rain on Sunday in Cihanjuang, a village in West Java’s Sumedang district. Some of the victims were rescuers from the first landslide. National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesperson Raditya Jati said Tuesday that the search and rescue operation has been hampered by rainy weather around the disaster site, said áSeasonal rains and high tides in recent days have caused dozens of landslides and widespread flooding across much of Indonesia.
January 12, 2021 4:09 am
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – California has reached 30,000 coronavirus deaths but there may be some light ahead. The state reached the grim milestone Monday but Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state’s top health officer offered some hope, noting hospitalizations finally have leveled off in the last week. But they warn not to get complacent. They say the peak of the holiday-driven surge is expected near the end of January. Meanwhile, the pace of vaccinations in California will accelerate. A center capable of providing vaccinations to 5,000 people per day opened Monday in San Diego. In Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium’s parking lots will be converted into a massive vaccination center, as will fairgrounds in Sacramento and Fresno and a Disneyland Resort parking lot in Anaheim.
January 12, 2021 4:07 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Federal prosecutors are considering sedition charges against at least some of the Trump loyalists who stormed the U.S. Capitol last week and will be examining the movement and money flow of the rioters who converged on Washington. That’s according to U.S. officials who spoke at a Tuesday afternoon press conference. They say some of the original misdemeanor charges are intended as placeholder counts and more serious counts like sedition and conspiracy are being contemplated.
January 12, 2021 4:06 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – With impeachment pressure mounting, the House is speeding ahead to try to oust President Donald Trump from office. Democrats are pushing first for the vice president and Cabinet to invoke constitutional authority to remove Trump from office. If that fails, impeachment proceedings are set for Wednesday. Pence met with Trump Monday evening for the first time since the Capitol attack, and the vice president he has shown no inclination to invoke the Constitution’s 25th Amendment to push Trump out. President-elect Joe Biden said Monday that those who “engaged in sedition” must be held accountable. Trump is to face a single charge – “incitement of insurrection” – over the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol. The FBI is warning of more unrest ahead of Inauguration Day.
January 12, 2021 4:01 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania will soon begin vaccinating people 75 years and older and “essential workers” like police officers, grocery store clerks and teachers. That’s according to the state health secretary. Dr. Rachel Levine said Monday that the state remains focused on giving the COVID-19 vaccine to health workers and residents of long-term care facilities. But she says the state is making plans to move to the next stage of its vaccination plan. Levine says this group, which also includes clergy, postal employees and factory workers, will be eligible to receive the vaccine before everyone in the first group has been inoculated.
January 12, 2021 3:58 am
The Peters Township School Board previewed their 2021-2022 Preliminary Budget on Monday evening. Board Director Dr. Jamison Hardy chaired the meeting that directed the board through the details of the budget that calls for a .42 mil hike in taxes. The proposed budget is for $74,797,000. That is an increase of $3.5 million dollars from the year prior. The largest cost drivers over the previous year’s budget are staff/pension, $1.3 million and debt service, $1.9 million. Currently the proposed budget is showing a $2.7 million deficit that will most likely be made up through reserves. Expenditures per student in the district are among the lowest in Washington County and are the lowest when compared to Allegheny County peer districts. The district states that their return on investment in Washington County and among Allegheny County peer districts is the highest. Superintendent Dr. Jeannine French gives credit to the Board of Directors for not chasing shiny objects or the flashiest new programs but investment into staff and proven educational programs. The proposed budget will be adopted at the next regular school board meeting. At the end of the meeting, Dr. Jamison Hardy announced his resignation from the board effective January 19. He will be relocating to Michigan because of employment obligations.
