January 17, 2021 8:03 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — In his first hours as president, Joe Biden plans to take executive action to roll back some of the most controversial decisions of his predecessor and to address the raging coronavirus pandemic, his incoming chief of staff said Saturday. The opening salvo would herald a 10-day blitz of executive actions as Biden seeks to act swiftly to redirect the country in the wake of Donald Trump’s presidency without waiting for Congress. On Wednesday, following his inauguration, Biden will end Trump’s restriction on immigration to the U.S. from some Muslim-majority countries, move to rejoin the Paris climate accord and mandate mask-wearing on federal property and during interstate travel. Those are among roughly a dozen actions Biden will take on his first day in the White House, his incoming chief of staff, Ron Klain, said in a memo to senior staff. Other actions include extending the pause on student loan payments and actions meant to prevent evictions and foreclosures for those struggling during the pandemic.
January 17, 2021 8:01 am
The threat of extremist groups descending on state capitals in a series of demonstrations Sunday prompted governors to roll out a massive show of force and implement tight security measures at statehouses across the country. Fencing, boarded-up windows and lines of police and National Guard troops have transformed statehouse grounds ahead of expected demonstrations leading up to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday. The stepped-up security measures were intended to safeguard seats of government from the type of violence that occurred at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, when a mob supporting President Donald Trump overran the building while Congress was certifying the Electoral College vote. The FBI has warned of the potential for armed protests at the nation’s Capitol and all 50 state capitol buildings beginning this weekend. Some social media messages had targeted Sunday for demonstrations, though it remained unclear how many people might show up.
January 17, 2021 7:55 am
ROSTRAVER TOWNSHIP, Pa. (WPXI) — Crews from more than six departments rushed to put out a fire at a vacant home in Rostraver Township. When firefighters arrived, they found flames coming from the windows and through the roof. No injuries were reported. The crews were on the scene for about three hours getting the fire under control. The cause is still under investigation.
January 17, 2021 4:15 am
CRAFTON, Pa. (WPXI) — One person was killed and another injured in a shooting incident on Stratmore Street in Crafton Heights Friday night. City police responded to the 300 block of Stratmore Street shortly before 10 p.m. where they found Martell D. Good, 22, of Pittsburgh, with a gunshot wound to his abdomen. He was taken to the hospital, where he later died, police said. Shortly after that, a two-vehicle crash on Middletown Road at Berry Street was called in, which was less than a mile away. Police said a man inside one of the vehicles had a gunshot wound and he was taken to the hospital in critical condition. One of the vehicles rolled as a result of the crash. The driver was an off-duty Pittsburgh Police detective who was not hurt. The detective was able to stay at the scene and help give first aid until medics could arrive. Witnesses reported two other men ran from the vehicle after the crash. Police said the fatal shooting of Good is connected to the crash nearby.
January 17, 2021 1:04 am
WASHINGTON, Pa. – Snowy conditions caused treacherous roadways here in Washington County Saturday. Multiple accidents have been reported in the area, including a multi-vehicle accident that closed the northbound lanes of Interstate 79 just after 9:00 a.m. Saturday morning. The accident took place in between the Canonsburg and Southpointe exits. All lanes were closed for over an hour while crews cleared the highway. The road reopened after 10:00 a.m. There is no word on the condition of the individuals involved.
January 16, 2021 4:23 am
Federal safety officials are investigating people who took part in last week’s riot at the U.S. Capitol to decide whether they belong on the federal no-fly list. The move is one of several that officials outlined Friday. They say they are increasing security at Washington-area airports leading up to next week’s presidential inauguration. The head of the Transportation Security Administration says that includes more police and bomb-detecting dogs, and more federal air marshals on certain flights.
January 16, 2021 4:22 am
COPAN, Honduras (AP) – More than 1,000 Honduran migrants have pushed their way into Guatemala without registering, a portion of a larger migrant caravan that had left the Honduran city of San Pedro Sula before dawn. Honduran migrants are driven by deepening poverty and the hope of a warmer reception if they can reach the United States border. They quickly dispersed along the heavily trafficked highway to border crossings in western Honduras on Friday. Estimates of their number ranged from 2,000 to more than twice that. The migrants leave with little certainty about how far they will make it. Regional governments appear united in stopping their progress.
January 16, 2021 4:21 am
MAMUJU, Indonesia (AP) – Damaged roads, power blackouts and lack of heavy equipment are hampering Indonesia’s rescuers after a 6.2 magnitude earthquake left at least 45 dead and hundreds injured on Sulawesi island. Operations are focused on about eight locations in the hardest-hit city of Mamuju, where people are still believed trapped following Friday’s nighttime quake. Cargo planes carrying food, tents, blankets and other supplies from Jakarta landed for distribution in temporary shelters. Still, thousands spent the night in the open fearing aftershocks and a possible tsunami. Many survivors say aid has not reached them yet due to damaged roads. Mamuju city was strewn with debris from collapsed buildings. Patients with drips laid on folding beds under tarpaulin tents outside one of the damaged hospitals.
January 16, 2021 4:20 am
The global death toll from COVID-19 has topped 2 million as vaccines developed at breakneck speed are being rolled out around the world in an all-out campaign to vanquish the threat. The milestone was reached on Friday, which is just over a year after the coronavirus was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan. The number of dead was compiled by Johns Hopkins University. It is about equal to the population of Brussels, Mecca, Minsk or Vienna. It took eight months to hit 1 million lives lost. It took less than four months after that to reach the next million.
January 16, 2021 4:19 am
DALLAS (AP) – A Dallas-area real estate agent is facing charges for allegedly being part of the pro-President Donald Trump mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol last week. A criminal complaint filed in a Washington federal court charges Jenna Ryan with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority” and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds on Jan. 6. Five people, including a police officer, died in the violent attack. Matt DeSarno, special agent in charge of the FBI Dallas office, confirmed that Ryan had turned herself in and her Carrollton apartment was searched Friday.
