February 14, 2022 5:22 pm
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – A Republican state senator from south central Pennsylvania is bowing out of the governor’s race, saying that a broken leg he suffered last month in a fall on ice is more severe than originally believed. In a statement Friday, Republican Sen. Scott Martin of Lancaster County said he’ll need to spend more time rehabilitating his leg than he initially thought. He says continuing to campaign would endanger his ability to fully recover and it leaves him unable to campaign effectively. Martin exits a Republican primary field that’s still double-digits deep as GOP rivals vie for the nomination to take on the presumed Democratic nominee, two-term state Attorney General Josh Shapiro.
February 14, 2022 5:20 pm
No one was hurt in a train derailment Monday morning in Greene County. According to authorities, bad weather and rail conditions may have caused the coal train to derail in a remote area of Morris Township. Officials say the train was carrying coal and some of the load spilled
February 14, 2022 4:25 am
Ivan Reitman, the influential filmmaker and producer behind beloved comedies from “Animal House” to “Ghostbusters,” has died. He was 75. Reitman died peacefully in his sleep Saturday night at his home in Montecito, Calif., his family told The Associated Press. His children say in a statement that they are “grieving the unexpected loss of a husband, father, and grandfather who taught us to always seek the magic in life.” “We take comfort that his work as a filmmaker brought laughter and happiness to countless others around the world. While we mourn privately, we hope those who knew him through his films will remember him always.”
February 14, 2022 4:23 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) – Albuquerque police say they’ve arrested a man suspected of stabbing 11 people in the city. The incidents were reported at multiple locations on Sunday, including the downtown area and near the University of New Mexico. Police say the suspect rode a bike and was armed with a large knife. The victims were taken to several hospitals and are all in stable condition. Police say two victims were critically injured and some were treated and released. Spokesman Gilbert Gallegos told TV station KRQE that the stabbings “appear to be random.” Police did not identify the suspect Sunday.
February 14, 2022 4:22 am
WINDSOR, Ontario (AP) – The busiest U.S.-Canada border crossing has reopened after protests against COVID-19 restrictions closed it for almost a week, while Canadian officials are holding back from a crackdown on a larger protest in the capital, Ottawa. Detroit International Bridge Co. said in a statement late Sunday that “the Ambassador Bridge is now fully open allowing the free flow of commerce between the Canada and US economies once again.” The crossing normally carries 25% of all trade between the two countries, and the blockade on the Canadian side had disrupted business in both countries. The protest in Ottawa, meanwhile, has paralyzed downtown, infuriated residents who are fed up with police inaction and turned up pressure on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
February 14, 2022 4:20 am
MOSCOW (AP) – The Kremlin is signaling it is ready to keep talking with the West about security grievances that led to the current Ukraine crisis, offering hope that Russia might not invade its beleaguered neighbor within days as the U.S. and Europe increasingly fear. Questions remain about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s intentions, however. On a last-ditch diplomatic trip, Germany’s chancellor said there are “no sensible reasons” for the buildup of more than 130,000 Russian troops on Ukraine’s borders, and he urged more dialogue. Britain’s prime minister said Europe is “on the edge of a precipice” – but added, “there is still time for President Putin to step back.”
February 14, 2022 4:16 am
Wisconsin is one of four states emerging as top priorities for Democrats in an election year when the party is facing fierce political headwinds. Wisconsin as well as Kansas, Michigan and Pennsylvania have Republican-controlled legislatures and Democratic-held governorships. And those governorships are on the ballot in the fall. If the governorships switch parties, a flood of GOP legislation that has been blocked so far would likely become law. If Democrats hold the northern trio of states that helped Democrat Joe Biden become president, Democrats improve their chances of holding them in the race for the White House in 2024.
February 14, 2022 1:17 am
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – West Virginia has surpassed 6,000 coronavirus deaths. But a health official warns that while confirmed cases and hospitalizations are on the decline, the rate of fatalities isn’t expected to slow in the state just yet. Gov. Jim Justice says 6,023 people have died during the pandemic. The number of confirmed cases over the past week represents the fourth straight week of declines, and those hospitalized for the virus is far below the record set on Feb. 2. But while the COVID-19 weekly death rate nationwide is going down, Dr. Clay Marsh, the state’s coronavirus expert, says that won’t be the case in West Virginia for another week or two.
February 13, 2022 8:03 am
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghanistan’s former president on Sunday called a White House order to unfreeze $3.5 billion in Afghan assets held in the U.S. for families of 9/11 victims an atrocity against the Afghan people. Former President Hamid Karzai at a packed news conference sought the help of Americans, particularly the families of the thousands killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, to press President Joe Biden to rescind last week’s order. He called it “unjust and unfair,” saying Afghans have also been victims of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden was brought to Afghanistan by Afghan warlords after being expelled from Sudan in 1996. Those same warlords would later ally with the U.S.-led coalition to oust the Taliban in 2001. However, it was Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar who refused to hand over bin Laden to the U.S. after the devastating 9/11 attacks that killed thousands.
February 13, 2022 8:01 am
MOSCOW (AP) — Some airlines have canceled or diverted flights to Ukraine amid heightened fears that an invasion by Russia is imminent despite intensive weekend talks between the Kremlin and the West. In an hourlong Saturday call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Joe Biden said that invading Ukraine would cause “widespread human suffering” and that the West was committed to diplomacy to end the crisis but “equally prepared for other scenarios,” the White House said. It offered no suggestion that the call diminished the threat of an imminent war in Europe. The two presidents spoke a day after Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, warned that U.S. intelligence shows a Russian invasion could begin within days. Russia denies it intends to invade but has massed well over 100,000 troops near the Ukrainian border and has sent troops to exercises in neighboring Belarus. U.S. officials say Russia’s buildup of firepower has reached the point where it could invade on short notice. Dutch airline KLM has canceled flights to Ukraine until further notice, the company said Saturday. Dutch sensitivity to potential danger in Ukrainian airspace is high in the wake of the 2014 shooting down of a Malaysian airliner over an area of eastern Ukraine held by Russia-backed rebels. All 298 people aboard died, including 198 Dutch citizens.
