August 16, 2023 5:09 am
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Transgender rights are taking center stage in North Carolina as the GOP-controlled General Assembly plans votes Wednesday seeking to override the governor’s veto of legislation banning gender-affirming health care for minors. The state House is to cast the first vote Wednesday afternoon seeking to enact the bill over Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s opposition. The Senate said it could take the decisive, final vote as early as Wednesday evening. Republicans hold narrow veto-proof majorities in both chambers, indicating Cooper’s veto is likely be overridden. If the override drive succeeds, North Carolina would become the 22nd state to enact legislation restricting or banning gender-affirming medical care for transgender minors.
August 16, 2023 5:08 am
Washington (AP) — Congressional leaders are pitching a stopgap government funding package to avoid a federal shutdown after next month. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy raised the idea to House Republicans on a members-only call. On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the two leaders had spoken about such a temporary measure. It’s an acknowledgement the Republican-led House and Democratic Senate are nowhere near agreement on spending levels. The fiscal year starts Oct. 1, when funding will be needed. The stopgap measure would fund operations into December but McCarthy needs support from Republicans who are loathe to agree as they push for steeper cuts.
August 16, 2023 5:07 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea is asserting Pvt. Travis King bolted across the border last month after becoming disillusioned with the inequality of American society and racial discrimination in its Army. The state media report Wednesday was the first word on North Korea’s detention of King. It said North Korea’s investigation into King’s “illegal” entry would continue. It’s impossible to verify the authenticity of the comments attributed to King. The United States and others have accused North Korea of using past detainees to wrest diplomatic concessions. A U.S. Defense Department official said the Pentagon was working to bring King back to the U.S. The soldier’s family said his mother is appealing to North Korea to treat her son humanely.
August 16, 2023 5:03 am
LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — Maui County released the names of two people killed in the wildfire that all but incinerated the historic town of Lahaina Tuesday evening, as the death toll rose to 106. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services deployed a team of coroners, pathologists and technicians along with exam tables, X-ray units and other equipment to identify victims and process remains, said Jonathan Greene, the agency’s deputy assistant secretary for response. The county said in a statement Lahaina residents Robert Dyckman, 74, and Buddy Jantoc, 79 were among the dead, the first people so named. A further three victims have been identified, the county wrote, and their names will be released once the county has identified their next of kin.
August 16, 2023 4:53 am
The North Strabane Board of Supervisors moved forward with plans for their next legislative meeting. The board recognized four structures to be demolished under the 2023 Community Development Block Grant allocation with the Washington County Redevelopment Authority. Only one of those sites is owned by the township, a rare occurrence. The rest is from requests by property owners. Property owners see value in not having to deal with unused property anymore, and they can move forward with using that land for future use. The board discussed amendments to the township fee schedule for wireless facilities for cell phone service. Last month the board amended where the facilities could be placed. Policies and procedures in place at the federal and state government levels, limit charges to people who want to and entities that want to place tower based non tower based small WCF within the township. For a large tower base, the application fee will be $2,500. A non-tower which or antenna on a structure is $1,000. A small wireless facility, the cost is $1,000. A colocation on a wire, it’s $500. For small wireless right of way maintenance fee, it’s $270 a year. After Linden Vue Drive residents submitted a request for a traffic calming policy will have a future meeting. The area requested is between Linden Creek and Forest Lane Roads. The first step is requesting and screening driver speeds. The traffic engineer agreed to proceed to step 2 of the policy, a discussion on fixing the issue. Future steps are supervisor approval and installation of approved measures. It was the second time in the five years he’s been the township manager that Andrew Walz, has seen the calming policy request. The process depends on the PennDOT handbook and the grade of the road. It could be anything from speed humps, to rumble strips. In similar news residents of Greenwood Drive are requesting stop signs at certain intersections. Recommendations may be in time for the legislative meeting later this month or in September.
August 16, 2023 4:49 am
In 2019, Governor Tom Wolf funded a $2.5 million study to be overseen by the Department of Health regarding effects of Unconventional Natural Gas Development otherwise known as “fracking” on the health of Pennsylvanians. In 2020 the DOH authorized the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health to perform an epidemiological study that asked the question “Does living near unconventional natural gas development activities or other environmental hazards in Southwest Pennsylvania increase the risk of specific health issues?” The study concentrated on three main areas, Asthma, Birth Outcomes and Childhood Cancer. Results of that study were revealed Tuesday at the Natali Student Center on the campus of PennWest California University. According to Alison Steele, Executive Director of the Environmental Health Project, the results were what she expected. Because epidemiological studies only show correlation and not causation she was not surprised at the results. In the area of adverse birth outcomes, the study learned that babies born to mothers living near actively producing wells had babies that were born 1 ounce lighter than average. That lighter weight poses no significant risk. In the Asthma study, there was a strong link between actively producing wells and severe exacerbations of asthma and hospital emergency department visits for people living within 10 miles of an active well. They also have a 4-5 times greater risk of having an asthma attack. The disappointing result for the audience was with Childhood Cancer. No associations were found between fracking activities and the development of childhood leukemia, brain or bone cancers including Ewing’s Sarcoma. Ther results did show that children living within a mile of one or more wells had a 5-7 times more likelihood of developing lymphoma. A two hour question and answer period displayed frustration from the audience. They wanted to know why this type of study was performed. They are looking for studies that relate to radioactive elements in the soil and water along with air pollution studies. A written statement put out by the DOH after the meeting states that they are working on implementing the findings of the Statewide 43rd Grand Jury report released by then Attorney General, now Governor Josh Shapiro regarding fracking activities.
August 16, 2023 2:09 am
(AP) – United States Steel Corp. seems poised to be soon purchased by a competitor, with two bidders revealed in a matter of days and more in the wings. It would mean the takeover of a symbol of American industrialization that for more than a century helped build everything from the United Nations building in New York City to the New Orleans Superdome. After rejecting a $7.3 billion buyout proposal from rival Cleveland-Cliffs on Sunday, U.S. Steel said it was considering alternatives. On Monday, industrial conglomerate Esmark offered $7.8 billion for Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel.
August 15, 2023 5:28 pm
ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — Movie theaters in Algeria have been ordered to stop showing the “Barbie” movie, almost a month after it’s been shown there. Online news outlet 24H says Algeria’s Ministry of Culture and Arts notified theaters to pull the movie immediately, without giving a reason. Authorities in Kuwait and Lebanon have banned “Barbie,” saying it goes against their values.
August 15, 2023 1:52 pm
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Researchers in heavily drilled Pennsylvania are preparing to release findings from taxpayer-financed studies on possible links between the natural gas industry and pediatric cancer, asthma and poor birth outcomes. The four-year, $2.5 million project is wrapping up on Tuesday. It comes after other studies are finding higher rates of cancer, asthma and other afflictions among people who live near drilling fields. Pennsylvania’s former governor agreed to commission the study in 2019, under pressure from the families of pediatric cancer patients. There will be a public meeting Tuesday to discuss the findings, hosted by University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health and the state Department of Health.
August 15, 2023 5:11 am
TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Russia’s central bank has made a large interest rate hike of 3.5 percentage points. The move Tuesday is designed to fight inflation and strengthen the ruble after the country’s currency reached its lowest value since early in the war with Ukraine. The decision to bring the key rate to 12% came after an emergency meeting of the bank’s board of directors was called a day earlier as the ruble declined. The fall comes as Moscow increases military spending and Western sanctions weigh on its energy exports. The Russian currency passed 101 rubles to the dollar Monday and has lingered there Tuesday, losing more than a third of its value since the beginning of the year.
