May 26, 2020 4:08 am
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) – A U.S. biotechnology company has begun injecting a coronavirus vaccine candidate into people in Australia with hopes of releasing a proven vaccine this year. A Novavax official says 131 volunteers will get an injection in the first phase of the trial testing the safety of the vaccine and looking for signs of its effectiveness. About a dozen experimental vaccines are in early stages of testing or poised to start. It’s not clear that any will prove safe and effective. But they use different methods and technologies, increasing the odds one might succeed. Novovax expects the results of the Australian trial to be known in July and it’s making more doses in anticipation the vaccine will work.
August 6, 2019 5:46 pm
VATICAN CITY (AP) – Letters and postcards the former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick wrote to three men he allegedly sexually abused and harassed show how he groomed his victims, experts say.
Two abuse prevention experts reviewed the correspondence at the request of The Associated Press. They said McCarrick’s use of familiarity and boasts about his own power were ways he made the men feel special. AP is publishing the correspondence ahead of the promised release of the Vatican’s own report into who knew what and when about McCarrick’s misconduct.
Pope Francis defrocked McCarrick in February. McCarrick denies the allegations. (Photo: CNN)
September 18, 2024 5:11 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate by an unusually large half-point, a dramatic shift after more than two years of high rates that helped tame inflation but also made borrowing painfully expensive for consumers. The rate cut, the Fed’s first in more than four years, reflects its new focus on bolstering the job market. Coming just weeks before the presidential election, the Fed’s move also has the potential to scramble the economic landscape just as Americans prepare to vote. The policymakers signaled that they expect to cut their key rate by an additional half-point in their final two meetings this year, in November and December. And they envision four more rate cuts in 2025 and two in 2026.
November 20, 2023 2:13 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro says his list of unfinished business for the state Legislature includes passing a private school voucher program, increasing the minimum wage and approving bills to curb gun violence. Shapiro also said Monday he wants lawmakers to lift limits that prevent adult victims of childhood sexual assault from suing their assailants and institutions. Looking forward to next year, the governor says he wants to address a court ruling that found Pennsylvania unconstitutionally discriminates against its poorest school districts. Speaking at a Pennsylvania Press Club luncheon, Shapiro acknowledged that the politically divided Legislature is a challenge to his agenda.
December 29, 2022 4:22 am
BELLEVUE, Pa. — (WPXI) – It’s hard to find someone who hasn’t come down with something this month. “Yea they’ve gotten sick but nothing too severe or I’ve had to take them to the hospital,” said Allison Park mom Valerie Harper. Haper has two little ones and knows firsthand what it’s like dealing with the constant sniffles and colds. She’s not alone, a multitude of viral infections are making it’s rounds in western Pennsylvania. “We are actually seeing numbers of everything. Covid numbers are going up, especially people testing at home, we are seeing increased numbers in the hospitals. We are seeing increased numbers of the flu; flu really took off this fall and we aren’t even deep into flu season,” said Allegheny Health Network Dr. Brian Lamb. Combine that with RSV cases and the common cold, Dr. Lamb said it’s a perfect storm that will last you several weeks. That’s leading people to have weakened immune systems causing these cases to spike. Lamb told our news partners at Channel 11 he doesn’t think this is the end. Following the holidays, he believes COVID cases will keep rising and flu numbers too. Dr. Lamb does advise if you are going out in big crowds for New Years to at least carry a mask as some protection. Also remember to keep washing your hands and disinfecting to prevent spreading even more germs.
February 16, 2022 4:54 pm
(AP) – The nation’s top federal health official says the U.S. is moving closer to the point that COVID-19 is no longer a “constant crisis” as more cities, businesses and sports venues began lifting pandemic restrictions around the country. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said at White House briefing Wednesday that the government is contemplating a change to its mask guidance in the coming weeks. Walensky noted recent declines in COVID-19 cases, hospital admissions and deaths and acknowledged “people are so eager” for health officials to ease masking rules and other measures. With the omicron variant waning and Americans eager to move beyond the virus, government and business leaders have been out ahead of the CDC in ending virus measures. (Photo: ABC)
March 23, 2021 3:58 pm
EVANSTON, Ill. (AP) – Evanston, Illinois, has become the first U.S. city to make reparations available to its Black residents for past discrimination and the lingering effects of slavery. The Chicago suburb’s City Council voted 8-1 to distribute $400,000 to eligible black households. Each qualifying household would get $25,000 for home repairs or down payments on property. The program is being funded through donations and revenue from a 3% tax on the sale of recreational marijuana. The city has pledged to distribute $10 million over 10 years. Qualifying residents must either have lived in or been a direct descendant of a Black person who lived in Evanston between 1919 to 1969 and who suffered discrimination in housing because of city ordinances, policies or practices. Alderman Rue Simmons, who proposed the program adopted in 2019, said pro-reparations groups have offered pro-bono legal assistance if the program is challenged in court.
Simmons says, “This is set aside for an injured community that happens to be Black, that was injured by the city of Evanston for anti-Black housing policies.”
May 26, 2020 4:06 am
MOSCOW (AP) – The Russian military says one of its helicopters has crash-landed on an airfield in the far eastern Chukotka region, killing four people. The Defense Ministry said the crash Tuesday involving a Mi-8 helicopter may have been caused by a technical malfunction. áThe region’s governor says three crew members and a technician on board died in the crash. It’s the second fatal incident with a military Mi-8 helicopter in a week. On May 19, another Mi-8 crash-landed near the town of Klin, 90 kilometers (56 miles) from Moscow, killing all three crew members. The Mi-8 is a multipurpose, medium twin-turbine helicopter, originally designed in the Soviet Union and now produced by Russia.
August 6, 2019 4:55 pm
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) – The FBI has opened an investigation into the Ohio mass shooting, citing the gunman’s interest in violent ideology. The head of the FBI’s Cincinnati field office says investigators will try to determine what ideologies influenced 24-year-old Connor Betts. Special Agent Todd Wickerham did not specifically say what the FBI was investigating, but said the agency is looking into who might have helped Betts, and why he chose the specific target of Dayton’s Oregon entertainment district. Dayton’s police chief says Betts had expressed “a desire to commit a mass shooting.” Betts was wearing a mask and body armor when he opened fire with an AR-15 style gun outside a strip of nightclubs in Dayton early Sunday. He killed his younger sister and eight others before officers fatally shot him less than 30 seconds into his rampage.
September 18, 2024 4:44 am
North Strabane Township Supervisors will consider several agenda items that have been working through the different departments for several months. Two of the items that supervisors will consider will center on the approval of a personal warehouse. CC Realty Advisors wishes to develop the concept at the corner of Morganza and Curry Roads. Supervisors have been trying to write a definition of the use for the buildings to best grant appropriate zoning for the project. One item will be the advertisement for a special hearing for that definition. The second item will be to possibly vote on whether the project should be in a commercial or industrial zone. Supervisors will consider a bid package to renovate their new municipal building at 1957 Route 519 and they will also set dates for budget workshops for the upcoming annual budget.
