September 10, 2020 4:28 pm
LONDON (AP) – Whether in the 1960s spy TV series “The Avengers,” on the London stage or in the streaming hit “Game of Thrones” – Diana Rigg was a standout actor. The legendary star has died of cancer. She was 82. Her daughter Rachael Stirling says Rigg “spent her last months joyfully reflecting on her extraordinary life, full of love, laughter and a deep pride in her profession.” Rigg first rose to attention in the U.S. in “The Avengers” as secret agent Emma Peel – who performed alongside Patrick Macnee’s bowler-wearing partner John Steed. She also was in the 1969 James Bond movie, “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.” She played Tracy di Vicenzo – the only woman to marry Agent 007, even though it was for only a short time. In her later life, she played Olenna Tyrell, “Queen of Thorns” – in “Game of Thrones,” receiving an Emmy Award nomination for the role. On the stage, Rigg won a Tony Award for “Medea” on Broadway – and was nominated three other times.
September 10, 2020 8:56 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The number of Americans applying for jobless aid was unchanged last week at 884,000, a sign that layoffs are stuck at a historically high level six months after the viral pandemic flattened the economy. The latest figure released by the Labor Department Thursday still far exceeds the number who sought benefits in any week on record before this year.
September 10, 2020 4:36 am
Charleroi Borough has adopted an ordinance that creates a position for a new borough manager. At Wednesday’s regular meeting, council voted to move forward with the process of hiring a new leader after operating for the past five years without one. According to Council President, Mark Alterici, the move comes after a state study recommended that Charleroi hire a manger to write grants and oversee day-to-day operations in order to help “The Magic City” reach its full potential. While details regarding salary and exact job duties have not been released, Alterici hopes to have the new manager hired by the first of the New Year.
September 10, 2020 4:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Senate Democrats have scuttled a scaled-back GOP coronavirus rescue package, saying the measure shortchanges too many pressing needs as the pandemic continues its assault on the country. Thursday’s mostly party-line vote capped weeks of wrangling over a fifth relief bill that all sides say they want but are unable to deliver. The bipartisan spirit that powered earlier relief bills has given way to election-season political combat and name-calling. The 52-47 vote fell well short of what was needed to overcome a filibuster and seems likely to end hopes for coronavirus relief before the November election.
September 10, 2020 4:10 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The National Institutes of Health director is telling Congress that AstraZeneca’s suspension of its COVID-19 vaccine study shows there will be “no compromises” on safety in developing the shots. AstraZeneca has put on hold its late-stage studies in the U.S. and other countries while it investigates if a British volunteer’s “potentially unexplained illness” is related to vaccination or a coincidence. NIH chief Dr. Francis Collins pledged that science will be behind decisions of if and when any COVID-19 vaccine is good enough for widespread use. AstraZeneca’s shot is one of three vaccines in late-stage testing in the U.S.
September 10, 2020 4:09 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The top U.S. general for the Middle East says the Trump administration will pull thousands of troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan by November. Gen. Frank McKenzie says the number of troops in Iraq will drop this month from about 5,200 to 3,000. And he says troop levels in Afghanistan will shrink to 4,500 by November. The general made the comments during a visit to Iraq on Wednesday. This development comes during the later stages of President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign as he tries to make the case that he’s fulfilled promises of four years ago to bring U.S. combat troops home.
September 10, 2020 4:08 am
OROVILLE, Calif. (AP) – A Northern California wildfire is threatening thousands of homes after winds whipped it into a monster that incinerated houses in a small mountain community and killed at least three people. The North Complex fire northeast of San Francisco exploded to six times its previous size between Tuesday and Wednesday thanks to gusting winds. The winds have subsided but only after flames critically burned several people and damaged or destroyed hundreds, if not thousands, of homes and other buildings. Some 20,000 people are under evacuation orders or warnings in three counties. Other large fires are burning around the state and the West.
September 10, 2020 2:32 am
NEW YORK (AP) – The coronavirus pandemic has reshaped how the U.S. is observing the anniversary of 9/11. The terror attacks’ 19th anniversary will be marked Friday by dueling ceremonies at the Sept. 11 memorial plaza and a corner nearby in New York. Vice President Mike Pence is expected at both remembrances. The two ceremonies reflect a divide over how to observe the anniversary in a time of social distancing. The double beams of light that evoke the fallen twin towers were nearly canceled because of virus concerns, until an uproar restored the tribute. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden plan to attend a truncated ceremony at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania.
September 10, 2020 2:17 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump is heading for a rally in battleground Michigan Thursday as he tries to move past revelations that he was determined to play down the threat of the coronavirus last winter -even as he talked of the dangers in private. He’s getting new pushback concerning the virus and his rallies, too. Local leaders are worried that the rallies are growing in size and flouting public health guidelines intended to halt the spread of the virus. This week, the state of Nevada became the first to scuttle Trump’s plans for rallies initially set for Las Vegas and Reno. Michigan’s Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has also raised alarms about Thursday’s event.
September 9, 2020 5:57 pm
(AP) – The National Toy Hall of Fame has announced the 12 toys that are up for induction later this year. Breyer Horses and My Little Pony are neck and neck. Also nominated is Baby Nancy, an ethnically correct Black doll unlike any that had been produced before her. The games Risk, Sorry, Yahtzee, bingo and Jenga also made the list released Wednesday. Nominees are rounded out by Lite-Brite, Masters of the Universe, sidewalk chalk and the 1990s virtual pet, Tamagotchi. Three of the finalists will be inducted into the hall in Rochester, New York, on Nov. 5.
