December 28, 2020 4:13 am
ATLANTA (AP) – Georgia Republican Kelly Loeffler and Democrat Raphael Warnock advanced to the Jan. 5 U.S. Senate runoff with the challenge of winning over the 2 million voters who chose one of the 18 other candidates in November’s election. Polls show they have largely succeeded. Turnout could be the deciding factor in that race and the runoff between Republican U.S. Sen David Perdue and Democrat Jon Ossoff. One thing helping line voters up is the decision of both sides to run as tickets and make joint appearances. Two wins would give Democrats control of the U.S. Senate. A split or two GOP wins would maintain Republican control.
December 28, 2020 4:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. health officials believe the coronavirus mutation that set off alarms in parts of Britain is no more apt to cause serous illness or be resistant to vaccines than the strain afflicting people in the United States. That’s according to Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Even so, he says the variant still must be taken “very seriously” and is being studied intensively by U.S. officials now. Fauci endorsed the decision of U.S. officials to require negative COVID-19 tests before letting people from Britain enter the U.S. and declined to weigh in on whether that step should have been taken sooner.
December 28, 2020 4:10 am
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Federal officials now turn to exploring the monumental task of piecing together the motive behind the Christmas Day explosion that severely damaged dozens of downtown Nashville buildings and injured three. Officials have named 63-year-old Anthony Quinn Warner as the man behind the mysterious explosion in which he was killed, but the motive has remained elusive. In just a few days, hundreds of tips and leads have been submitted. Yet thus far, officials have not provided information on what possibly drove Warner to set off the explosion. The director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation told reporters on Sunday that Warner had not been on the radar before Christmas.
December 28, 2020 4:08 am
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) – President Donald Trump has signed into law a $900 billion pandemic relief package, ending days of drama over his refusal to accept the bipartisan deal. At stake was long-sought cash for businesses and individuals and funding to avoid a federal government shutdown. The massive bill includes $1.4 trillion for government agencies through September. Trump signed the bill at his private club in Florida during a holiday break marked by trips to the golf course. Republicans as well as Democrats had criticized the president for creating eleventh-hour chaos around an agreement that had been negotiated with input from the White House.
December 28, 2020 4:05 am
GREENSBURG, Pa. — A woman who fled police at speeds exceeding 130 mph on Route 119 faces multiple charges and will appear before a judge next month. According to reports, 44-year-old Roxanna Varriano of Jeannette was charged with illegally operating a vehicle without an ignition interlock device, illegal possession of marijuana, failing to use a seat belt and other charges after the incident in East Huntingdon. State police said a trooper was patrolling the area around 12:30 p.m. Dec. 7 when Varriano flew past his patrol vehicle. The trooper said in court documents that Varriano’s 2020 Camaro was going more than 130 mph before she pulled off the road. The posted speed limit in the area is 65 mph. There are reports Varriano pleaded guilty in 2015 to a charge of driving under the influence. She also pleaded guilty to a 2014 DUI charge after a traffic stop in Hempfield.
December 28, 2020 4:04 am
WASHINGTON CROSSING, Pa. (AP) – An annual reenactment of George Washington’s crossing of the Delaware River on Christmas morning is taking place in this COVID-19 impacted year, but onlookers will have to watch it via video online. Washington Crossing Historic Park said the reenactment filmed earlier in the month provided a “close-up view” of the event since crowd-size restrictions barred holding it this year. Normally, thousands gather every Christmas morning on the banks of the river in Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania, and Titusville, New Jersey, to watch historical reenactors set out in boats to retrace the daring 1776 voyage of Washington and his troops.
December 28, 2020 3:58 am
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (WPXI) – Residents and workers at personal care homes in the Pittsburgh area will soon get vaccines. Pennsylvania Health Department Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said the shots will start being administered at long-term care facilities on Monday. The state is prioritizing nursing homes that have been vulnerable to the virus, so some residents could be waiting a little longer to get their shots. Westmoreland Manor, which had a COVID-19 outbreak, will be getting doses this week, county commissioners confirmed to our news partners at Channel 11.
December 28, 2020 2:15 am
WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Washington County Courthouse will continue with COVID-related restrictions through the end of March, according to reports. President Judge Katherine Emery signed an order this week to extend the restrictions. The new order extends the restrictions put in place on November 13th and added other additional restrictions until March 31. Only direct participants in the legal proceedings will be allowed inside the courthouse. Those directly involved must also arrive 15 minutes before the proceeding. Video conferencing will continue to be used, and in-person formal arraignments will not be in place during the restriction. Jury trials have been canceled through January 31st. The county’s row offices will remain open, but appointments will still be needed and the public is encouraged to contact and work with those offices electronically when possible.
December 27, 2020 7:58 am
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Barry Lopez, an award-winning writer who tried to tighten the bonds between people and place by describing the landscapes he saw in 50 years of travel, has died. He was 75. Lopez died in Eugene, Oregon, on Friday after a years-long struggle with prostate cancer, his family said. Longtime friend Kim Stafford, former Oregon poet laureate, said Lopez’s books “are landmarks that define a region, a time, a cause. He also exemplifies a life of devotion to craft and learning, to being humble in the face of wisdom of all kinds.” An author of nearly 20 books on natural history studies, along with essay and short story collections, Lopez was awarded the National Book Award in 1986 for “Arctic Dreams: Imagination and Desire in a Northern Landscape.” It was the result of almost five years of traveling the Arctic. His final work was “Horizon,” an autobiography that recalls a lifetime of travel in more than 70 countries.
December 27, 2020 7:56 am
ISTANBUL (AP) — An earthquake with a 5.3 magnitude shook Elazig province in eastern Turkey on Sunday. Turkey’s Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu tweeted there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. The quake struck at 09:37 a.m., Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate said. It was felt in several neighboring provinces. Turkey is crisscrossed by major fault lines and earthquakes are frequent. In January, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck Elazig, killing 41 people in that province and neighboring Malatya. Another deadly quake struck western port city of Izmir in October, killing 116 people.
