December 8, 2020 9:38 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump is continuing his futile appeal to battleground state lawmakers to subvert the votes of their constituents. The president has reached out twice to Pennsylvania House Speaker Bryan Cutler, a Republican, to see what might be possible for the president to do about “legal votes.” A person briefed on the matter says Trump pressed for the state’s legislature to replace the electors for President-elect Joe Biden with those loyal to Trump. The person was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Cutler’s spokesperson says Trump did not pressure Cutler to take any sort of action.
December 8, 2020 4:25 am
Cecil Township Supervisors met Monday and passed their budget for 2021. The tax millage rate will remain at 1.5 mills with 1.05 being dedicated for general purpose, .27 for fire protection and .18 m for road machinery. The general budget total is $9,797,126. Resolutions for the millage rate and the budget total both passed unanimously. Supervisors also approved a measure to award a contract to Kukurin Contracting to replace 3 bridges in Cecil Twp. Park. The $139,850 contract will replace one drivable bridge and two pedestrian bridges.
December 8, 2020 4:21 am
SEATTLE (AP) – A federal judge has found the Seattle Police Department in contempt of court for the indiscriminate use of pepper-filled “blast balls” and pepper spray during Black Lives Matter protests. The Seattle Times reports U.S. District Judge Richard Jones issued a 27-page order Monday in response to a motion by BLM Seattle-King County to find the police department in contempt of his earlier injunction preventing police from using force against peaceful protesters. Jones found four “clear violations” of his order: one involving the use of pepper spray and the other three involving blast balls, a grenade-like device that explodes and spews pepper gas.
December 8, 2020 4:19 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President-elect Joe Biden will nominate retired four-star Army general Lloyd J. Austin to be secretary of defense. That’s according to four people familiar with the decision who spoke on condition of anonymity because the selection hadn’t been formally announced. If confirmed by the Senate, Austin would be the first Black Pentagon chief. Austin retired from the Army in 2016, which means he would require a congressional waiver to take the job. One of the people who confirmed the pick said Austin’s selection was about choosing the best possible person but acknowledged that pressure had built to name a candidate of color and that Austin’s stock had risen in recent days.
December 8, 2020 4:18 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Trump administration opted last summer not to lock in a chance to buy millions of additional doses of one of the leading coronavirus vaccine contenders. That decision could delay the delivery of a second batch of doses until manufacturer Pfizer fulfills other international contracts. The revelation was confirmed Monday by people familiar with the matter. It came a day before President Donald Trump aimed to take credit for the speedy development of forthcoming coronavirus vaccines at a White House summit Tuesday. Pfizer’s vaccine is expected to be endorsed by a panel of Food and Drug Administration advisers as soon as this week.
December 8, 2020 4:16 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – A deadline set Tuesday under federal law essentially locks in President-elect Joe Biden’s victory, even though President Donald Trump is still falsely claiming he won reelection. Other than Wisconsin, every state appears to have met the safe harbor deadline, which means Congress has to accept the electoral votes that will be cast next week and sent to the Capitol for counting on Jan. 6. Those votes will elect Biden as the country’s next president. It’s called a safe harbor provision because it’s a kind of insurance policy by which a state can insulate its electoral votes against challenges in Congress by finishing up certification of the results and any state court legal challenges by the deadline.
December 8, 2020 4:15 am
World War II flying ace Chuck Yeager, the first pilot to break the sound barrier, has died at 97. His wife, Victoria Yeager, said on his Twitter account that Yeager died Monday. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine called the death “a tremendous loss to our nation.” The retired Air Force brigadier general became the fastest human in 1947 when he piloted the experimental X-1 rocket plane past 660 mph. It was the first time anyone had flown faster than the speed of sound. Yeager became a fighter pilot in World War II and shot down 13 German planes. He was shot down over German-held France but escaped with the help of French partisans.
December 8, 2020 4:14 am
LONDON (AP) – British health authorities have rolled out the first doses of a widely tested and independently reviewed COVID-19 vaccine, starting a global immunization program that is expected to gain momentum as more serums win approval. The first shot was given Tuesday to Margaret Keenan (pictured), who turns 91 next week, at one of several hospitals around the country that are handling the initial phase of the program on what has been dubbed “V-Day.” Public health officials have asked the public to be patient because only those who are most at risk from COVID-19 will be vaccinated in the early stages. Most will have to wait until next year before there is enough vaccine to expand the program.
December 8, 2020 4:10 am
PITTSBURGH- (WPXI) – Two employees of the Port Authority of Allegheny County recently died from COVID-19. “Today, our hearts are broken,” Port Authority CEO Katharine Kelleman said in a news release. “We are mourning the loss of two members of the Port Authority family. One employee was an operator for 21 years and, most recently, worked out of the East Liberty bus garage, the release stated. Marlon Lucas, 57, last worked Nov. 25. According to reports, Lucas went to the hospital after getting COVID-19. By Friday, he was on a ventilator. And early Sunday morning, he died. The second employee was an operator for seven years and, most recently, worked out of the Collier bus garage. Patrick Hazlett last worked Nov. 24, and a member of his family reported that he had tested positive for COVID-19 the following day. He died Monday at 34 years old. (Photo: WPXI)
December 7, 2020 5:22 pm
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Republican lawmakers in Pennsylvania are drafting a boatload of voting-related legislation and are vowing to make a major initiative out of addressing what they deem to be problems arising from the election. Top Democrats quickly accused Republicans on Friday of setting up a “sham process” and undermining faith in elections. Republicans have already issued more than a half-dozen memos about forthcoming legislation stemming from the election. They will push to pass something before the May 18 primary election, although getting it signed into law will depend on Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat. Democrats say Republicans should have simply allowed counties to process mail-in ballots before Election Day.
