October 2, 2023 5:43 pm
STOCKHOLM (AP) — The MRNA vaccines developed to fight Covid-19 were created through the work of two University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine doctors, The two scientists have won the Nobel Prize in medicine for discoveries that enabled the creation of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 and that could be used to develop other shots in the future. Hungarian-American Katalin Karikó and American Drew Weissman were cited for contributing vaccine development during what the panel that awarded the prize called “one of the greatest threats to human health in modern times.” The panel said the pair changed “our understanding of how mRNA interacts with our immune system.” Simply injecting lab-grown mRNA into the body triggered an inflammatory reaction that usually destroyed it. Karikó and Weissman figured out a tiny modification to the building blocks of RNA that made it stealthy enough to slip past those immune defenses.
October 2, 2023 5:39 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has opened its new term with a case about prison terms for drug dealers and rejections of hundreds of appeals, including one from an attorney who pushed a plan to keep former President Donald Trump in power. The only case argued Monday concerns the meaning of the word “and” in a federal law dealing with prison terms for low-level drug dealers. The length of thousands of sentences a year is at stake. The term is shaping up as an important one for social media as the court grapples with applying older laws and rulings to the digital age.
October 2, 2023 12:30 pm
(WPXI) – More plane troubles for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The team’s plane was delayed leaving Houston Sunday due to a mechanical issue after the Steelers’ loss to the Texans, a team spokesman announced. “We were delayed this evening due to a mechanical issue with our charter plane following the game in Houston. We have now been cleared to safely fly back to Pittsburgh,” Burt Lauten, senior director of communications for the Steelers posted on X around 8:40 p.m. The plane trouble comes a week after the team was forced to make an emergency landing in Kansas City due to engine trouble after leaving Las Vegas on September 24th. That delay pushed their expected arrival at Pittsburgh International Airport from around 5:30 a.m. on Monday morning to after noon.
October 2, 2023 5:15 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Late-night talk shows are returning after a five-month absence brought on by the Hollywood writers strike. John Oliver returned to his “Last Week Tonight” with a full-throated endorsement of the strik and its successful outcome. As shows like “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” will return to the air Monday, actors will resume talks that could end their own strike. Colbert will have Astrophysicist and author Neil deGrasse Tyson on his first show back. Kimmel will host Arnold Schwarzenegger. Jimmy Kimmel will greet Matthew McConaughey to “The Tonight Show.” The writers last week struck a deal with an alliance of Hollywood’s biggest studios, streaming services and production companies.
October 2, 2023 5:13 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Some of Europe’s top diplomats have gathered in Kyiv in a display of support for Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s invasion as signs emerge of political strain in Europe and the United States about the war. The foreign ministers from the European Union’s 27 member countries converged on the Ukrainian capital for an unannounced informal meeting that officials said would review the bloc’s support for Ukraine and discuss Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s proposed peace formula. The United States, the EU and the United Kingdom have provided massive support to Ukraine, enabling it to stand up to the Kremlin’s attack. But uncertainty has set in over how long Kyiv’s allies will keep sending it billions of dollars (euros).
October 2, 2023 5:11 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump has sat through hours of sometimes testy opening statements in a fraud lawsuit that could cost him control of some of his most prized properties. As he left court during a lunch break Monday, he called it a “disgraceful trial.” Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit accuses the Republican ex-president and his company of deceiving banks, insurers and others by habitually lying about his wealth in financial statements. Trump attorney Alina Habba said in the trial’s opening statements Monday that Trump’s holdings are “Mona Lisa properties” that can command top dollar. The judge already has ruled Trump committed fraud in his business dealings. If the ruling is upheld on appeal, it could force Trump to give up several New York properties.
October 2, 2023 5:10 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — One of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s harshest critics plans to make good on his threat to remove the California Republican from his leadership post. Rep. Matt Gaetz says he will use a procedural tool — called a motion to vacate — to try and strip McCarthy of his office as soon as this week. This comes after McCarthy relied on Democrats to provide the necessary votes to fund the government. The resolution at hand is a rare and strong procedural tool that has only been used twice in the past century. But in recent years, conservatives have wielded the motion as a weapon against their leaders.
October 2, 2023 5:04 am
HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – A man died after he was hit by a vehicle in Westmoreland County early Sunday morning. The Westmoreland County Coroner’s Office says Dominic Bottino, 22, of Monongahela, was crossing U.S. 30 in Hempfield Township around 2 a.m. when he was hit by a vehicle. The coroner’s office said Bottino died of blunt force injuries and considers his manner of death an accident. Pennsylvania State Police in Greensburg is investigating.
October 2, 2023 1:21 am
EAST WASHINGTON, Pa. — A candidate running for East Washington borough council in November has been arrested and charged with several counts related to sexual contact with an underage boy, according to reports. Anthony J. Dinch, 28, was arraigned Friday on nine charges, including involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a person less than 16 years of age, unlawful contact with a minor — sexual offenses, and indecent assault of a person less than 16 years of age. A criminal complaint against Dinch alleged the incidents occurred in November 2022 and May 2023. Dinch knew the child — who was 14 when the first incident allegedly happened — for about nine years, according to the complaint. The complaint said that the victim stayed overnight with Dinch at his apartment approximately 25 times over the course of several years. “Dinch would provide alcohol to ‘John Doe’ during these overnights and ‘John Doe’ stated it was common for Dinch to walk around shirtless in his shorts or boxers,” the criminal complaint alleged. “‘John Doe’ stated he and Dinch would frequently sleep in the same bed.” In May of 2023, when Dinch was allegedly perpetrating these crimes, he was also running for mayor of East Washington in the Republican primary. Dinch lost that race, but an apparent write-in bid for a borough council seat was successful and propelled him to the general election.
October 1, 2023 8:08 am
There were no winners in Saturday’s Powerball drawing, meaning that Monday’s prize will be an estimated $1.04 billion. It marked the 32nd consecutive drawing without a jackpot winner, lottery officials said. Ticket sales could push Monday’s drawing into the top three in the history of the promotion. If someone wins the big prize, they will have two options: An annuity, in which the winner receives one immediate payment followed by 29 annual payments that increase by 5% each year; or the lump sum option. Choosing the second option will make the cash value amount approximately $478.2 million before taxes. There were solo tickets sold in North Carolina and Indiana that matched all five white numbers and had the 2x multiplier, meaning they won $2 million apiece. Two tickets in Florida and one each in Maryland, Michigan and Pennsylvania matched five numbers to earn a $1 million payday for each winner.
