May 17, 2022 12:00 pm
One by one, it appears that businesses are slowly leaving the Washington Crown Center Mall in North Franklin Township. The latest to announce their departure is the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC). School officials say their lease with the mall is up at the end of August and they have decided not to renew it, in part, because of dwindling foot traffic at the mall due to the pandemic and, among other factors, declining enrollment. Officials say that for the upcoming semester, previous for-credit students at the mall can take classes at other CCAC locations or choose from hundreds of other classes that are offered online or remotely. Several businesses have already left the mall, including Joann Fabrics, Hallmark and Ross Dress For Less.
May 17, 2022 10:48 am
U.S. regulators have authorized a COVID-19 vaccine booster for healthy children ages 5 to 11. Everyone 12 and older already was supposed to get one booster dose for the best protection against the newest variants of the coronavirus. Some people, including those 50 and older, can choose a second booster. The Food and Drug Administration’s action Tuesday now opens a third shot to elementary-age kids, too — at least five months after their last dose. There is one more hurdle. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must decide whether to formally recommend the booster for this age group.
May 17, 2022 9:13 am
(WPXI) – Pennsylvania Attorney General and Democratic governor candidate Josh Shapiro has tested positive for COVID-19 on Pennsylvania’s Primary Election Day. Shapiro was to join State Rep. Austin Davis in Pittsburgh Tuesday night for a primary night watch party. Shapiro for Pennsylvania spokesperson Will Simons issued the following statement Tuesday morning: “On Monday evening, after taking a precautionary test ahead of his trip to Johnstown and Pittsburgh, Attorney General Josh Shapiro tested positive for COVID-19. Attorney General Shapiro is currently experiencing mild symptoms, and he plans to continue his work of serving the people of Pennsylvania as he isolates at home. “Attorney General Shapiro will be back on the campaign trail next week and will kick off the general election campaign in Johnstown.” Shapiro tweeted, saying he is isolating at home and experiencing some mild symptoms.
May 17, 2022 4:17 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Donald Trump faces the strongest test yet of his ability to shape a new generation of congressional Republicans in Tuesday’s primary races. GOP primary voters in Pennsylvania and North Carolina are deciding whether to rally around the former president’s hand-picked choices for critical U.S. Senate seats. Trump’s preferred candidate in North Carolina’s GOP Senate primary, congressman Ted Budd, is expected to best a packed field. In Pennsylvania’s GOP race for governor, Doug Mastriano was already leading before Trump backed him. But Trump’s pick in Pennsylvania’s GOP Senate primary, Mehmet Oz, could struggle against far-right opponent Kathy Barnette. Three other states – Kentucky, Oregon and Idaho – are also voting Tuesday.
May 17, 2022 4:15 am
Lightning has sparked a few new small fires in the drought-stricken Southwest. But the thunderstorms brought welcome rain Monday to the monster blaze that’s been churning for a month in New Mexico. It’s now the largest in the state’s recorded history. The fire east of Santa Fe and south of Taos has destroyed at least 260 homes and burned an area about one-quarter the size of Delaware. Forecasters say crews should have another chance Tuesday to to make progress battling the flames from the ground and the air. Officials at another big fire west of Santa Fe are preparing to relax evacuation orders around the Los Alamos National Laboratory.
May 17, 2022 4:13 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Opening statements are set to be delivered in the trial of a lawyer for the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign who is accused of lying to the FBI as it investigated potential ties between Donald Trump and Russia in 2016. Prosecutors and defense lawyers in the case of Michael Sussmann spent all day Monday picking a jury for the trial. It’s the first arising from special counsel John Durham’s investigation into the origins of the Trump-Russia probe. Sussmann denies he lied. The trial in Washington’s federal court is expected to last roughly two weeks.
May 17, 2022 4:11 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Signs of Republican resistance are mounting over a $40 billion aid package to Ukraine. It’s a reemergence of the Trump-led isolationist wing of the GOP coming at a crucial moment as Ukraine desperately battles the Russian invasion. The Senate voted late Monday to advance the Ukraine aid toward final passage by week’s end. Eleven Republicans opposed. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell led a delegation of GOP senators to the region in a show of support over the weekend. He vowed to push past detractors, finish the aid package and vote this summer on expanding NATO to welcome Sweden and Finland.
May 17, 2022 4:11 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – The fall of Mariupol appears at hand as Ukraine is moving to abandon a sprawling steel plant where its soldiers had held out under relentless bombardment for months, which would make it the biggest city to fall into Russian hands. Much of it, though, has been reduced to rubble. Ukraine estimates some 20,000 civilians have been killed in the Russian assault on Mariupol, a city on the Azov Sea that stands between the Russian mainland and the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014. Hundreds of Ukrainian fighters have left the Azovstal steel plant and turned themselves over to Russian hands.
May 17, 2022 4:10 am
LAGUNA WOODS, Calif. (AP) – Authorities say the man killed trying to stop a gunman at a Southern California church may have saved dozens of lives. Dr. John Cheng was shot after tackling David Chou on Sunday at a Taiwanese church in Orange County. Chou was then subdued by elderly parishioners. Five people were wounded. Authorities say Chou had driven to the church from Las Vegas and was motivated by hatred against Taiwan. He was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday on charges of murder and attempted murder. It was not immediately clear whether Chou had an attorney who could speak on his behalf. Tensions between China and Taiwan are at the highest in decades, with Beijing stepping up its military harassment of the self-governing island.
May 17, 2022 4:09 am
A warning about possible violence last year involving the 18-year-old now being held in the Buffalo, New York, supermarket shooting is turning attention to New York’s “red flag” law. Such laws are designed to keep firearms away from people who could harm themselves or others. Payton Gendron was still able to legally buy an AR-15-style rifle even though police had investigated a report of concerning behavior. State police say no request was made to remove any firearms. In many cases, family members or law enforcement must petition the court for an order. In New York, educators can also start the process.
