FDA Approves Updated COVID-19 Vaccine

August 22, 2024 5:53 pm

WASHINGTON (AP) — Updated COVID-19 vaccines are on their way. The Food and Drug Administration approved new shots from Pfizer and Moderna on Thursday, and the companies are set to begin shipping millions of doses. The shots are cleared for adults and children as young as 6 months, and health authorities hope far more Americans get them this year. Vaccinations could begin in days, as a summer wave of COVID-19 continues. Authorities say anyone who’s recently been infected can wait three months after recovering to get vaccinated.  (Photo:  AP)

Canadian Government Orders Arbitration In Rail Strike

August 22, 2024 5:49 pm

TORONTO (AP) — The Canadian government has ordered the country’s two major freight railroads to enter binding arbitration. Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon announced the decision at a news conference Thursday, moments after The Associated Press broke the news publicly. The railroads have said that once the dispute enters arbitration the trains will be able to get moving again. But it wasn’t immediately clear how quickly the union’s engineers, conductors and dispatchers will return to work.  (Photo:  AP)

Democrats Wrapping Up Their Convention

August 22, 2024 5:48 pm

CHICAGO (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris will close out the Democratic National Convention when she accepts her party’s historic presidential nomination. Harris will lay out her vision Thursday night for the country and prosecute her case against Republican Donald Trump, capping a whirlwind month that began when President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid and endorsed her to replace him atop the Democratic ticket. On Wednesday, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz accepted the vice presidential nomination and thanked the packed Chicago arena for “bringing the joy” to the election. Also speaking Thursday are Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, civil rights leader Al Sharpton and Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers.

Trump Touts Immigration Plans In Arizona

August 22, 2024 5:47 pm

SIERRA VISTA, Ariz. (AP) — Appearing in Arizona, Donald Trump has used a stretch of wall and a pile of steel beams to draw a visual contrast between his approach to securing the border and that of his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris. The visit on Thursday was the fourth in a series of events held in battleground states this week to try to draw the focus away from Democrats’ celebration of Harris’ presidential nomination in Chicago. Speakers at the convention on Wednesday night accused Trump of using the border to stir up his base by demonizing immigrants.

At Least Eight Students Injured In School Bus Crash

August 22, 2024 3:51 pm

At least eight students and the bus driver were injured in a school bus crash in Washington County on Thursday. The crash happened along Westland Road in Mount Pleasant Township at 2:36 p.m. Authorities say high school students from Fort Cherry were on the bus at the time and were returning from the VoTech School near Houston.  Two students were flown to area hospitals and six others were taken by ambulance.  Their conditions have not been released.  Authorities say the bus driver lost control, causing the bus to go across the road and into a grassy area which has cement blocks in it.

Democrats Get Third-Party Candidate Off Ballot

August 22, 2024 5:14 am

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Democrats have won legal challenges keeping the left-wing Party for Socialism and Liberation off Pennsylvania’s presidential ballot. A Commonwealth Court judge, in a Tuesday decision, agreed with two Democratic Party-aligned challenges that the paperwork filed by the Party for Socialism and Liberation was fatally flawed and ordered the party’s presidential candidate off Pennsylvania’s Nov. 5 ballot. A Commonwealth Court judge agreed with two Democratic Party-aligned challenges on Tuesday, ruling that the paperwork filed by the Party for Socialism and Liberation was fatally flawed and ordering the party’s presidential candidate, Claudia De la Cruz, off Pennsylvania’s Nov. 5 ballot. Meanwhile, a lawyer with deep ties to the Republican Party is working to help get independent candidate Cornel West on it. The lawyer argues that the Secretary of State’s office under Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro was wrong to reject West’s paperwork.

Parents Of American Held By Hamas Appeal For Release

August 22, 2024 5:08 am

The parents of a 23-year-old American taken hostage by Hamas during the Oct. 7 attack on Israel have given a moving speech at the Democratic National Convention. The parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin on Wednesday pleaded for the release of the dozens of people who continue to be held captive in Gaza. They were greeted with an extended ovation and chants of “bring him home” by the thousands of Democratic delegates in Chicago. More than 100 hostages remain in Gaza, including eight American citizens. The parents steered clear of politics but said President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are “working tirelessly” for a deal to release the hostages and end the fighting in Gaza.

Activists Call Chicago Protests A Success

August 22, 2024 5:04 am

CHICAGO (AP) — As far as Chicago’s storied protests go, the numbers outside the Democratic National Convention were unremarkable. But organizers say they did something leaders inside didn’t: Make the war in Gaza part of the agenda. The stakes were high for the nation’s third-largest city. Despite hosting more political conventions than any other American city, comparisons to the infamous 1968 convention when police clashed with protesters were hard to shake. And one unsanctioned protest that resulted in dozens of arrests and tense police standoffs didn’t help. But both organizers and police say they were successful in helping broadcast different narratives about Chicago.

One Flown From Chartiers Township Crash

August 22, 2024 4:59 am

One person was injured in a one-vehicle crash in Chartiers Township Wednesday night.  Washington County 9-1-1 says it happened just before 9 p.m along N. Main Street extension.  The vehicle reportedly struck a guardrail.  The person injured was flown by medical helicopter to a Pittsburgh hospital but there is no word on their identity or condition.

Three Injured In Separate Accidents On I-79

August 22, 2024 4:56 am

It was a busy night for emergency crews.   Washington County 9-1-1 dispatchers tell us there were two, separate crashes on Interstate 79 late Wednesday night.  The first was a one-vehicle accident that  occurred just before 10 p.m near the 40 mile-marker in South Strabane Township.  Two people were injured and transported to Pittsburgh hospitals by ambulance.   We have no word on their identities or conditions.  A short time later, dispatchers say there was a two-vehicle crash near the 31 mile-marker in Amwell Township in the southbound lanes of I-79.  One person was transported by ambulance.  Again, the identity and condition of the person injured is not available.