January 5, 2021 4:00 am
UNDATED (AP) – Sen. Kelly Loeffler is urging Republican voters to turn out in Georgia’s runoff elections to ensure the GOP holds the Senate as a “firewall” against President-elect Joe Biden and congressional Democrats. Loeffler told reporters while campaigning in the Atlanta suburb of Sandy Springs that “the future of the country is on the ballot.” Tuesday’s election pits her against Democrat Raphael Warnock and Republican David Perdue against Democrat Jon Ossoff. The outcome will determine which party controls the Senate. Warnock is criticizing Loeffler for saying she will join a number of Senate Republicans on Wednesday in challenging Congress’ certification of Biden’s victory.
January 5, 2021 3:53 am
On the first Monday of each new year, Pennsylvania townships and municipalities are required to reorganize their governmental boards and make appointments to specialists to serve the interest of those entities. On Monday North Franklin Township held all of their main positions intact. Bob Sabot will remain supervisor chairman and Mike Quinn will serve as vice chairman. Gary Sweat will remain solicitor. All of those appointments were by a unanimous 3-0 vote. Supervisor meetings will take place on the second Tuesday of each month beginning at 5:30 pm. In Peters Township councilman Frank Kosir applauded the efforts of Chairman David Ball and Vice Chairwoman Monica Merrell for their efforts during the pandemic and asked council to nominate both council persons to their same positions. In a 4-3 vote David Ball retained his chairmanship and in a unanimous vote Monica Merrell retained her vice chair position. John Smith will continue as solicitor. Council meetings will be the second and fourth Monday of each month beginning at 7:30 pm.
January 5, 2021 2:45 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Tanya Roberts, who captivated James Bond in “A View to a Kill” and appeared in the sitcom “That ’70s Show,” died Monday, several hours after she was mistakenly declared dead by her publicist and her partner. Roberts’ partner Lance O’Brien confirmed her death Tuesday after picking up her personal effects at a Los Angeles hospital. One of Roberts’ highest-profile roles was playing geologist Stacey Sutton opposite Roger Moore in 1985’s “A View to a Kill.” Roberts appeared in the final season of “Charlie’s Angels” and later played Midge Pinciotti in the sitcom “That ’70s Show.”
January 4, 2021 5:20 pm
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Police in Pittsburgh are searching for a white pickup truck after explosions in two neighborhoods that shook homes and damaged a parked car. Police said an incendiary device was thrown from a moving vehicle in the Lawrenceville neighborhood just after 9 p.m. Sunday. They said another explosion was reported just after 10:30 p.m. Sunday in the Hill district, with residents “feeling their homes shake and some type of odor in the air,” police said. A bomb squad with explosive detection dogs responded, but police said no evidence had been recovered. A pickup truck is being sought in the first blast, which damaged the parked car. No injuries were reported.
January 4, 2021 5:18 pm
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) – Police say they haven’t found any indication of aggressive action on the part of a dog that a 911 caller said was found lying on top of a 4-month-old Ohio girl who was later pronounced dead on New Year’s Eve. But police told the Dayton Daily News on Monday that despite those initial indications, a referral “was made to the Animal Resource Center to follow up on the animals” in the Dayton home. Emergency dispatchers in Montgomery County said the 911 caller said he awoke to find the “puppy” on top of the baby, who was unconscious and wasn’t breathing. Raelynn Larrison was pronounced dead at a hospital.
January 4, 2021 4:23 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Nancy Pelosi has been narrowly reelected as House speaker. Her victory gives her the reins of Democrats’ slender House majority as she and President-elect Joe Biden set a challenging course of producing legislation to tackle the pandemic, revive the economy and address other party priorities. The California Democrat received 216 votes compared to 209 for California Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who will be House minority leader. Pelosi told lawmakers that her top priority will be defeating the coronavirus pandemic. But from the House floor, McCarthy accused her of running a House that has done little, an accusation that Democrats dismiss. But the comments offer a reminder that Congress’ partisan divide is bitter.
January 4, 2021 4:22 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – All 10 living former secretaries of defense have joined in cautioning against any attempt to use the military in the cause of overturning November’s presidential election. The former Pentagon chiefs, both Republicans and Democrats, put their names to an opinion article published Sunday in The Washington Post. The article says the time for questioning the results of the election has passed. And they say that attempting to involve the military in resolving election disputes would take the county “into dangerous, unlawful and unconstitutional territory.” While not naming President Donald Trump, the article appears as Trump and his allies continue to falsely claim fraud spoiled November’s election.
January 4, 2021 4:21 am
MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Court documents show that a Wisconsin pharmacist told police he tried to ruin hundreds of doses of coronavirus vaccine because he believed the shots would mutate people’s DNA. Police in Grafton, about 20 miles north of Milwaukee, arrested Advocate Aurora Health pharmacist Steven Brandenburg last week following an investigation into the 57 spoiled vials of the Moderna vaccine. Ozaukee County District Attorney Adam Gerol said during a virtual hearing Monday that Brandenburg believed the vaccine was unsafe. Detectives say in court documents that Brandenburg was an admitted conspiracy theorist. Health experts say there is no truth to claims that the vaccines can genetically modify humans.
January 4, 2021 4:20 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration will include a “virtual parade across America” consistent with crowd limits during the coronavirus era. Following the swearing-in ceremony on Inauguration Day on Jan. 20 on the west front of the U.S. Capitol, Biden and his wife, first lady Jill Biden, will join Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and her husband in participating in a socially distanced Pass in Review on the Capitol’s opposite front side, organizer said Sunday. Those are military traditions where Biden will review the readiness of military troops. Biden will also receive a traditional presidential escort from 15th Street to the White House that will be socially distanced. Organizers said the virtual parade will be designed to let people across the nation participate.
January 4, 2021 4:19 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – With mounting desperation, President Donald Trump is calling on Republican lawmakers to reverse his election loss to Joe Biden. Trump is whipping up support ahead of a joint session of Congress this week to confirm the Electoral College vote. But more and more Republicans are turning against him. Many current and former officials, including all living former defense secretaries, are saying the time to dispute the election “has passed.” The unprecedented attempt to overturn the presidential election is splitting the Republican Party. It’s unclear the extent to which GOP leaders in Congress will be able to control Wednesday’s joint session, which could drag into the night.
