December 13, 2021 3:37 am
(AP) – USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee have reached a $380 million settlement with hundreds of victims of sexual abuse. The settlement conditionally approved in federal bankruptcy court also includes some non-monetary provisions dedicated to making the victims stakeholders in USA Gymnastics going forward. The vast majority of the 500-plus victims voted in favor of the settlement. Rachael Denhollander, the first woman to detail sexual abuse at the hands of former USA team doctor Larry Nassar, says the lawsuit wasn’t about the money but the hope of effecting change within the organization.
December 13, 2021 3:37 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Air Force has discharged 27 people for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine, making them what officials believe are the first service members to be removed for disobeying the mandate to get the shots. The Air Force gave its forces until Nov. 2 to get the vaccine, and thousands have either refused or sought an exemption. Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said Monday that these are the first to be administratively discharged for reasons involving the vaccine. She said all of them were in their first term of enlistment, so they were younger, lower-ranking personnel.
December 13, 2021 3:36 am
ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. (AP) – A Michigan judge has declined to move the 15-year-old charged with killing four students at Oxford High School out of an adult jail. But she agrees that the jail needs to ensure the boy can’t hear or see grown-up inmates. Ethan Crumbley’s probable cause conference Monday in Rochester Hills District Court was adjourned to Jan. 7 to allow his lawyers to review witness statements and other evidence. Paulette Loftin, his court-appointed attorney, had argued that he should be moved to a juvenile facility because he “should not be considered a menace to other juveniles.” But District Judge Nancy Carniak ordered Crumbley to continue to be held in adult jail.
December 13, 2021 3:35 am
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The trial of a Minnesota police officer charged in the shooting death of Daunte Wright opens its second week of testimony Monday. A medical examiner is expected to walk jurors through Wright’s autopsy. The 20-year-old Black motorist was slain April 11 after being pulled over by police in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Center for expired license plate tags and an air freshener hanging from his rearview mirror. Kim Potter resigned two days after the shooting. The 26-year veteran officer is charged with manslaughter. Prosecutors spent the first week of testimony showing jurors body-camera and dashcam video that showed the traffic stop and shooting.
December 13, 2021 3:34 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The House panel investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection is set to recommend contempt charges against former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. The expected action Monday comes as lawmakers are releasing new details about documents Meadows has handed over to the committee. In laying out the case for the contempt vote, the nine-member panel released a 51-page report Sunday evening that details its questions about the documents he has already provided. The panel did not release the documents but described some of them, including details about Meadows efforts’ to help Donald Trump overturn his defeat in the presidential election.
December 13, 2021 3:32 am
MAYFIELD, Ky. (AP) – Kentucky’s governor said that at least 64 people were killed in the state during a devastating cluster of tornadoes. At least 14 people are dead in four other states: Illinois, Tennessee, Arkansas and Missouri. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear told reporters Monday that it could take days more to tally a final death toll because of the sheer devastation from the twisters Friday. As searches continued for those still missing, efforts also turned to repairing the power grid, sheltering those whose homes were destroyed and delivering drinking water and other supplies. Kentucky officials warned that residents could be without heat, water or electricity in frigid temperatures for weeks or longer.
December 13, 2021 3:30 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Philadelphia is the latest large city to require proof of vaccination to dine indoors. City officials announced Monday that proof of vaccination will be required starting Jan. 3 for bars, restaurants, indoor sporting events, movie theatres and other places where people eat indoors close to each other. For the first two weeks of the mandate, patrons and employees can show proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 24 hours of entry. Employees and children ages 5-11 will also have some extra time to get vaccinated under the policy, with a first dose required by Jan. 3 and full vaccination required by Feb. 3, officials said.
December 13, 2021 3:27 am
WEST PIKE RUN TWP., Pa. — Multiple Crews responded to a house fire in Daisytown Sunday morning around 7:00 a.m. A neighbor called the duplex fire in to 911 after seeing smoke coming from the attic on the 300 block of Pike Run Road according to reports. Richeyville, Bentleyville and California Fire Departments were called to the scene, and crews took about two and a half hours to put the blaze out. Officials say no one was injured during the incident. The Fire Marshal was called to investigate the scene. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time. (Photo: Facebook — Bentleyville Fire-Rescue)
December 13, 2021 3:19 am
CANONSBURG, Pa. — Just two days after the statewide mask mandate was tossed out for school children, one Washington County school district has already made face coverings optional for students and staff. The Canon-McMillan School District released a memo on Sunday stating that it will be optional to wear masks in their schools starting Monday. The district says masks will still be mandatory on all school transportation services, since that is a federal mandate. The district also says they are aware of the elevated rates of COVID-19 in the area, and that masks are still recommended in schools. The state Supreme Court announced its decision on Friday but the court didn’t issue a full opinion that explains their reasoning. They upheld a lower court decision that the masking mandate, which also applies to child care facilities, is not valid because it was imposed by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s acting health secretary without legal authorization. The practical impact of the decision will depend on which schools and school districts impose their own masking requirements.
December 13, 2021 1:13 am
WAYNESBURG, Pa. (WPXI) — Police are investigating an incident in Waynesburg, where a vehicle crashed into an empty storefront. The crash occurred at the Greene Plaza in Waynesburg Saturday afternoon, and a truck ended up completely inside the building. The storefront was empty. According to a family member, the man driving the vehicle had a medical emergency in a nearby drive-thru. He was transported via ambulance to a WVU Hospital for treatment. (Photo: Mike Hice)
