November 13, 2021 4:35 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The White House says President Joe Biden and China’s Xi Jinping will hold their much-anticipated virtual summit on Monday evening. The leaders are looking to dial back tensions after a rough start to the U.S.-China relationship since Biden took office earlier this year. The White House is setting low expectations for the video call between the leaders. Biden is expected to stress that the two nations need to set guardrails in areas of deepening tension in the increasingly complicated U.S.-China relationship. White House officials said that no major announcements are expected to come from the meeting.
November 13, 2021 4:34 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – For one day at least, everyone with power over Britney Spears was in agreement. She needed to be freed. A Los Angeles judge on Friday released the pop star from the conservatorship that has had power over her life and money for nearly 14 years. Attorneys, parents, court appointees and Spears herself had spent the past few months having dramatic arguments over the legal restrictions. It ended with little drama and no conditions. Her attorney and court conservator say there are safety nets in place that will allow her a smooth transition as she regains control of her life.
November 13, 2021 4:33 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Democrats’ $1.85 trillion package of social and climate initiatives seems afflicted by a maddening parade of hurdles. Looming ahead is the Congressional Budget Office, which could cause problems that would be messy but probably surmountable. That office is Congress’ nonpartisan fiscal scorekeeper, and it’s working on a 10-year cost estimate of the bill and its programs. Moderates will be looking closely at how close the measure comes to paying for itself with savings, like President Joe Biden and Democrats claim it does. Leaders hope the House will approve the measure next week and send it to the Senate.
November 13, 2021 4:31 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – A federal court has declined to lift its stay on the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate for businesses with 100 or more workers. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had granted an emergency stay last Saturday of the requirement by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration that those workers be vaccinated by Jan. 4 or face mask requirements and weekly tests. Lawyers for the Justice and Labor departments filed a response Monday. It said stopping the mandate from taking effect will only prolong the COVID-19 pandemic and “cost dozens or even hundreds of lives per day.” The appeals court rejected that argument Friday.
November 13, 2021 4:22 am
MORGANTOWN (WPXI) — West Virginia University Police issued a Campus Warning at 7 p.m. on Friday after officers received a report of an arson on campus earlier in the afternoon. The Morgantown Fire Department responded to a fire shortly after 4 p.m. that appears to have been set near an upstairs doorway in the Mountainlair. The fire caused damage to a bench and the surrounding flooring. Students and employees are encouraged to be vigilant. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call 304-293-COPS (2677) or visit the department at 992 Elmer Prince Drive, Morgantown, 26505.
November 13, 2021 4:19 am
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (WPXI) — With the holidays right around the corner, there is some growing concern and more questions over a looming new Covid-19 variant. It’s called the “delta plus” or AY.4.2 variant, and cases have already been reported in more than 10 states. None have occurred in Pennsylvania; however, doctors are monitoring the situation. “Viruses constantly change. That’s why we have to get flu vaccines every year and the more people are vaccinated, the less chance that a variant or changed virus will actually cause any major disease,” said Dr. Jennifer Preiss, primary care physician with Allegheny Health Network. Preiss says there is no need to panic at this point. She says roughly 10% of the new variant cases are in Great Britain and that the information on the variant and how quickly it may spread are still new, and research is ongoing. CNBC reports the delta plus variant can spread 12-18% more efficiently than the original delta variant. Distinguishing it from the flu can be a bit challenging, so testing and masking are more important than ever before.
November 13, 2021 1:45 am
A Washington County man pleaded guilty to a felony count of homicide by vehicle in plea court on Friday. Joshua Scott, 30 of Washington will receive jail time for his role in a single car crash in Amwell Township that took the life of his father 63-year-old James Scott in March of 2020. Scott also pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of driving under the influence. In all, Scott will receive a jail term of 11 ½ months to 23 months in jail and serve three years probation for the homicide by vehicle charge. He will also serve up to six months in jail for the DUI charge. That sentence will run concurrently to the first. Scott will pay a $1000 fine and will have his driver’s license suspended for four years. Scott will report to the Washington County Jail on December 27th.
November 13, 2021 1:14 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Steve Bannon, a longtime ally to former President Donald Trump, has been indicted on two counts of contempt of Congress after he defied a congressional subpoena from the House committee investigating the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The Justice Department said Friday that Bannon was indicted on one count for refusing to appear for a deposition and the other for refusing to provide documents in response to the committee’s subpoena. It wasn’t immediately clear when he would be due in court. A second witness, former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, defied a similar subpoena from the committee on Friday.
November 12, 2021 11:50 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Graeme Edge, a drummer and co-founder of The Moody Blues, has died. He was 80. The band’s frontman Justin Hayward confirmed Edge’s death Thursday on the group’s website. The cause of his death has not been revealed. Hayward called Edge the backbone of the British rock band, which was inducted into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2018. In 1964, Edge co-founded the group in Birmingham, England. His drumming expertise was a key ingredient for the band’s massive prog-rock hits between the 1960s-70s including “Nights in White Satin,” “Tuesday Afternoon,” and “I’m Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band).” (Photo: Pinterest)
November 12, 2021 9:54 am
(AP) – Johnson & Johnson is splitting into two companies, separating the division that sells Band-Aids and Listerine, from its medical device and prescription drug business. The company said Friday that the division selling prescription drugs and medical devices will keep Johnson & Johnson as its name. The new consumer health company will house brands including Neutrogena, Aveeno, Tylenol, Listerine, Johnson’s, and Band-Aid. A name was not disclosed for the new company. Details are sparse, but the company expect the split to occur in the next two years.
