November 24, 2020 3:52 pm
NEW YORK (AP) – Beyonce is bringing her black parade to the Grammys: The pop star’s anthem about Black pride scored multiple nominations Tuesday, making her the leading contender with nine. Beyonce picked up song and record of the year bids with “Black Parade,” which she released on Juneteenth, the holiday that commemorates when the last enslaved African Americans learned they were free. The song, which reached the Top 40 on the pop charts, is also nominated for best R&B song and best R&B performance. Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa and Roddy Ricch each earned six nominations and are the second-most nominated acts. (Photo: CNN)
November 24, 2020 2:37 pm
(AP) – OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma has pleaded guilty to criminal charges and formally admitted its role in the opioid crisis. Tuesday’s plea before a judge in Newark, New Jersey, is part of a larger settlement with the U.S Department of Justice that also includes resolving civil claims. The Stamford, Connecticut-based company is to pay $225 million as part of the deal, while $8 billion in forfeitures and penalties could be waived because of a proposed deal to resolve thousands of other lawsuits. Advocates are upset that the guilty plea applies only to the company and not executives or members of the Sackler family who own it.
November 24, 2020 4:19 am
DETROIT (AP) – General Motors will recall about 7 million big pickup trucks and SUVs worldwide to replace potentially dangerous Takata air bag inflators. The move came Monday after the U.S. government told the automaker it had to recall 6 million of the vehicles in the U.S. GM says it will not fight the recall, which will cost $1.2 billion. The company had petitioned the agency four times starting in 2016 to avoid a recall, contending the inflators are safe. Takata used ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion to fill air bags in a crash. But the chemical can deteriorate and blow apart a metal canister, spewing shrapnel. Twenty-seven people have been killed worldwide by the exploding inflators.
November 24, 2020 4:15 am
NEW YORK (AP) – “Jeopardy!” says champion contestant Ken Jennings will be the first interim guest for the late Alex Trebek, and the show will try other guest hosts before naming a permanent replacement. Jennings begins taping next week and his first episodes will air on the week of Jan. 11. He’s well-known to fans of the game show for his 74-game winning streak and victory in last year’s prime-time ‘Greatest of All Time’ competition. ‘Jeopardy!’ announced that the last week of shows recorded by Trebek before his death will air starting on Jan. 4, in order to give more fans the chance to see them.
November 24, 2020 4:13 am
NEW YORK (AP) – New York City’s first African-American mayor, David Dinkins, has died. He was 93. Dinkins broke barriers when he was elected to lead the city in 1989 but the Democrat’s calm and low-key demeanor was seen by critics as a flaw and Dinkins only served one term. The New York Police Department says initial indications were that he died of natural causes. Dinkins, a calm and courtly figure with a penchant for tennis and formal wear, was a dramatic shift from both his predecessor, Ed Koch, and his successor, Rudolph Giuliani – two combative and often abrasive politicians in a city with a world-class reputation for impatience and rudeness.
November 24, 2020 4:12 am
ATLANTA (AP) – County election workers across Georgia have begun an official machine recount of the roughly 5 million votes cast in the presidential race in the state. The recount was requested by President Donald Trump after certified results showed him losing the state to Democrat Joe Biden by 12,670 votes, or 0.25%. Under state law, the losing candidate can request a recount when the margin is less than 0.5%. Trump’s campaign on Saturday formally requested the recount. The recount is being done using high-speed scanners, which read and tabulate the votes in accordance with a state election board rule. Last week, election officials completed a hand tally of the votes that confirmed President-elect Joe Biden’s lead.
November 24, 2020 4:09 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The federal government has recognized President-elect Joe Biden as the “apparent winner” of the Nov. 3 election. That formally starts the transition of power after President Donald Trump spent weeks testing the boundaries of American democracy. The move came after Trump suffered yet more legal and procedural defeats in his seemingly futile effort to overturn the election with baseless fraud claims. In recent days, senior Trump aides including chief of staff Mark Meadows and White House counsel Pat Cipollone had encouraged him to allow the transition to begin, telling the Republican president he didn’t need to concede but could no longer justify withholding support to the Biden transition.
November 24, 2020 4:06 am
Peters Township Council adopted a preliminary 2021 budget that showed no tax increase. Township Manager Paul Lauer detailed the budget for council showing $33,703,897 in expenditures and revenues of $20,369,194. The $13,000,000 deficit will be offset by a $10,000,000 bond obtained in 2019 for the development of Rolling Hills Park. Lauer states that those borrowed funds will now be expended. The other $3,000,000 is dedicated to initial development of the township’s proposed aquatic center. Should council approve the project, funds for that project will need to be borrowed. Also included in that possible bond would be the development of a new fire station on the Venetia side of the township. Lauer did caution council that come 2022, a modest tax increase may be in store.
November 24, 2020 2:42 am
Gov. Tom Wolf and Pa. Department of Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine held a press conference Monday to announce new measures as coronavirus cases continue to surge across the state. Levine issued several advisories, including a statewide stay-at-home advisory and the suspension of alcohol sales at all bars and restaurants between 5 p.m. Nov. 25th and 8 a.m. Nov. 26th. Pa.’s positivity rate has climbed to 11.1% with its seven-day case increase of over 36,000 new cases and 63 of the state’s counties with substantial transmission status, health officials said. Wolf and Levine said during the press conference that the state strongly recommends residents stay home when possible. The stay-at-home advisory was expanded from individual counties to the entire state. Below is a brief list of some of the other statewide restrictions:
- Indoor dining capacity remains capped at 50%
- Employees must telework when possible starting Nov. 27
- Retail businesses can remain open at 75% capacity
- Indoor events with more than 500 people prohibited
- Outdoor events with more than 2,500 people prohibited
- Stay-at-home advisory statewide
November 23, 2020 1:53 pm
(AP) – Several members of the Baltimore Ravens organization have tested positive for COVID-19, leaving the team to conduct all activities virtually with a game against OUR unbeaten Pittsburgh STEELERS coming up Thursday night. The Ravens said they were informed late Sunday night that “multiple” people tested positive. The team has shut down its practice facility and started the process of contact tracing. The names of those who tested positive for COVID-19 have not been released. THEY SAY THEY will continue to work closely with and follow guidance from the NFL, team doctors and THEIR medical trainers.
