December 18, 2020 4:12 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Gov. Gavin Newsom’s dire view of California’s out-of-control surge of coronavirus cases, hospitalizations and deaths is based partly on projection models that he says are becoming alarmingly more accurate. Newsom was referring earlier this week to models that estimate the state’s hospitals could be overflowing with five times the current level of patients and an average of 400 people dying each day in a month. That estimate of hospitalizations is a kind of worst-case scenario if residents don’t change behaviors that can halt spread of COVID-19. The governor’s stay-home order aims to curb the infection, but it could take weeks to have an impact.
December 18, 2020 4:11 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – All fingers are pointing to Russia as the source of a punishing hack of U.S. government agencies. But President Donald Trump, long wary of blaming Moscow for cyberattacks, has so far been silent. The lack of any statement seeking to hold Russia responsible casts doubt on the likelihood of a swift response to the attacks and suggests any retaliation will be left in the hands of President-elect Joe Biden’s incoming administration. The new administration could have a menu of choices to select from in responding. They include criminal charges, sanctions or retaliations in cyberspace. Biden issued a statement Thursday saying cybersecurity would be a top priority.
December 18, 2020 4:10 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The government’s cybersecurity agency is expressing increased alarm about a hack of computer systems in the U.S. and around the globe that officials suspect was carried out by Russia. The cybersecurity unit of the Department of Homeland Security says the hack “poses a grave risk” to the U.S. government and state and local governments as well as critical infrastructure and private business. The hack creates a fresh foreign policy problem for President Donald Trump in his final days in office. President-elect Joe Biden says his new administration “will make dealing with this breach a top priority from the moment we take office.”
December 18, 2020 4:09 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – It’s a hurry up and wait moment on Capitol Hill as congressional negotiators on a must-pass, almost $1 trillion COVID-19 economic relief package struggle through a handful of remaining snags. The holdups mean a weekend session now appears virtually certain, and a top lawmaker warned that a government shutdown this weekend can’t be ruled out. All sides appear hopeful that the wrangling won’t derail the legislation. The central elements of the hard-fought aid compromise appear in place: more than $300 billion in aid to businesses; a $300-per-week bonus federal jobless benefit and renewal of soon-to-expire state benefits; $600 direct payments to individuals; vaccine distribution funds; and money for renters, schools, the Postal Service and people needing food aid.
December 18, 2020 4:07 am
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. (AP) – Police say a crash involving dozens of vehicles on an interstate in central Pennsylvania has claimed the lives of two people. State police said the crash was reported Wednesday afternoon in the westbound lanes of Interstate 80 in Clinton County between the Loganton and Lock Haven exits. Police said initial reports indicated that the crash involved 30 to 60 vehicles with multiple injuries including two fatalities. The National Weather Service shortly after noon Wednesday issued a winter storm warning telling people in northern Pennsylvania to expect heavy snow with accumulations of 10 to 22 inches.
December 18, 2020 4:05 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – More than 1,200 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to health care workers at 16 Pennsylvania hospitals so far. That’s according to the state health secretary. Dr. Rachel Levine said at a news briefing Thursday that no adverse health effects have been reported in the state among those who have gotten the shot so far. Dozens of other hospitals across the state are expected to get more than 96,000 vaccine doses by the end of the week. The state anticipates weekly shipments of the new Pfizer vaccine and a second vaccine from Moderna that is expected to win government approval. But Levine says the state doesn’t know how many doses it should expect from week to week.
December 18, 2020 2:54 am
The Executive Director of the LeMoyne Center in Washington has died. Joyce Ellis was a lifelong resident of Washington and was well known throughout the area for her entrepreneurial drive, propelling her successful dance studios, and her charitable zeal in resurrecting the abandoned LeMoyne Community Center beginning in 2007. Board members from the center say the facility was a shell of what it had once been and was considered for demolition. They say Joyce applied her grit and determination to continue to overcome obstacles, major and minor, to not only bring the center back to life, but take it into new programs of community outreach. Ellis died Wednesday and friends and elected officials are remembering her tireless community service. Ellis was also a motivational speaker and the owner of the former Joyce Ellis Dancers. According to a release from the LeMoyne Centers Board of Directors, due to COVID-19 restrictions, any in-person remembrance will be deferred until an appropriate “Celebration of Life” event can be held later in 2021. To ensure Joyce’s legacy continues into the future, the Board has named Linda Harris as the Interim Executive Director.
December 17, 2020 6:33 pm
President-elect Joe Biden plans to nominate New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland as interior secretary. That’s according to two people familiar with the selection who weren’t authorized to discuss it publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday. The historic pick would make her the first Native American to lead the powerful federal agency that has wielded influence over the nation’s tribes for generations. If confirmed by the Senate, the first-term congresswoman would also be the first Native American member of a president’s Cabinet. Tribal leaders and activists around the country, along with many Democratic figures, have urged Biden for weeks to choose Haaland.
December 17, 2020 6:29 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – A U.S. government advisory panel has endorsed a second COVID-19 vaccine. The action Thursday paves the way for the shot from Moderna to be added to the U.S. vaccination campaign. The Food and Drug Administration is expected to act quickly to authorize the vaccine for emergency use. The vaccination effort kicked off this week with a vaccine from Pfizer. A second vaccine is urgently needed as coronavirus infections, hospitalizations and deaths in the U.S. climb to new highs ahead of the holidays. Doses for now are being earmarked for health care workers and nursing home residents.
December 17, 2020 4:20 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Two people are dying of COVID-19 every hour in California’s most populous county as hospitals struggle to keep up with the surge of coronavirus patients. On Wednesday, the state set daily records for newly reported cases and deaths. Most of California’s 40 million residents are under stay-at-home orders because of dwindling intensive care unit capacity. The massive rise in infections began in October and is being blamed largely on people ignoring safety measures and socializing with others. A pair of state advisory committees has started making potential life-and-death decisions over who is next in line for scarce vaccines.
