Biden team readies wider economic package after virus relief
WASHINGTON — Looking beyond the $1.9 trillion covid relief bill, President Joe Biden and lawmakers are laying the groundwork for another top legislative priority — a long-sought boost to the nation’s roads, bridges and other infrastructure that could run into Republican resistance to a hefty price tag. Biden and his...
Fraud overwhelms pandemic-related unemployment programs
COLUMBUS, Ohio — With the floodgates set to open on another round of unemployment aid, states are being hammered with a new wave of fraud as they scramble to update security systems and block scammers who already have siphoned billions of dollars from pandemic-related jobless programs. The fraud is fleecing...
Several Pennsylvania organizations to participate in Problem Gambling Awareness Month
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is working in conjunction with other state entities to promote Problem Gambling Awareness Month in March. Throughout the month, the gaming control board’s Office of Compulsive and Problem Gambling will join the state Department of Drug and Alcohol, the Pennsylvania Lottery, the Council on Compulsive...
Virginia lawmakers vote to legalize marijuana in 2024
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia lawmakers gave final approval Saturday to a bill that will legalize marijuana for adult recreational use, but not until 2024, when retail sales of the drug would also begin. With a compromise bill clearing the House and Senate, Virginia becomes the first Southern state to vote...
2nd former aide accuses Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment
NEW YORK — A second former aide has come forward with sexual harassment allegations against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who responded with a statement Saturday saying he never made advances toward her and never intended to be inappropriate. Charlotte Bennett, a health policy adviser in the Democratic governor’s administration...
Johnson & Johnson’s 1-dose shot cleared, giving U.S. 3rd covid-19 vaccine
WASHINGTON — The U.S. is getting a third vaccine to prevent COVID-19, as the Food and Drug Administration on Saturday cleared a Johnson & Johnson shot that works with just one dose instead of two. Health experts are anxiously awaiting a one-and-done option to help speed vaccinations, as they race...
About 30 vehicles involved in pileup on icy Montana bridge
Dozens of vehicles crashed into each other Saturday on an icy interstate highway bridge over the Yellowstone River outside Billings, Montana, making the span appear like a wrecking yard with mashed cars and trucks. The pileup involved about 30 vehicles, the Montana Highway Patrol said on Twitter. No fatalities were...
Toomey censure remains on hold with Pennsylvania Republicans
As former President Trump prepared for his first public appearance before the national Conservative Political Action Conference on Sunday, the Pennsylvania Republican State Committee remained stalled on demands by county leaders that the state GOP censure Sen. Pat Toomey for his vote to convict Trump for incitement of insurrection. What...
Saudi Arabia says it intercepts missile attack over capital
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Saudi Arabia said Saturday it intercepted a missile attack over its capital and bomb-laden drones targeting a southern province, the latest in a series of airborne assaults it has blamed on Yemen’s rebel Houthis. The Saudi-led military coalition fighting in Yemen’s years-long war announced the...
Republicans test history in vote against pandemic relief
NEW YORK — With the nation’s financial system on the brink of collapse, all but three Republicans voted against the massive stimulus package designed to protect millions of Americans from financial ruin. It was early 2009, just weeks after Joe Biden was sworn in as vice president, and the vote...
Pennsylvania reports nearly 3,400 more covid cases, 132 deaths
Pennsylvania health officials on Saturday reported 3,361 new coronavirus cases, as hospitalizations and case counts continue to decrease in the Keystone State. The new data bring the total cases to 929,697. That’s a jump of about 18,100 additional cases from this time last week. Two weeks ago, the increase was...
House passes Biden’s $1.9-trillion covid-19 relief bill
WASHINGTON — The House approved a $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill in a win for President Joe Biden, even as top Democrats tried assuring agitated progressives that they’d revive their derailed drive to boost the minimum wage. The new president’s vision for flushing cash to individuals, businesses, states and cities...
Nevada governor proposes giving tech firms power to govern
CARSON CITY, Nev. — Nevada’s governor on Friday unveiled a proposal that would allow technology companies to establish jurisdictions with powers similar to those of county governments, arguing the state needed to be bold to diversify its economy and pushing back against those who have likened the idea to company...
Fire visible across Los Angeles burns commercial yard, buses
COMPTON, Calif. — A huge fire visible across Los Angeles burned stacks of pallets in a commercial yard and buses parked in a neighboring lot Friday. The inferno erupted in Compton before dawn and created a massive column of smoke that rose high into the sky and spread widely across...
Official: 3 dead in small plane crash in northeast Georgia
GAINESVILLE, Ga. — A single-engine plane bound for Florida crashed after takeoff Friday evening from an airport in northeast Georgia, killing the three people aboard, authorities said. The Cessna 182 crashed around 6:50 p.m. approximately two miles northeast of the Lee Gilmer Memorial Airport in Gainesville, Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman...
In latest attack on Asians, woman dragged by car in robbery
OAKLAND, Calif. — A woman was dragged by a car in Oakland’s Asian business district during a robbery that her husband says left her bruised and shaken, marking the latest in a series of attacks against people of Asian descent in the San Francisco Bay Area and in other parts...
Tennessee: Vaccines stolen, given to children in 1 county
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee’s top health officials revealed Friday that the state has requested federal law enforcement investigate alleged theft of coronavirus vaccine doses in the state’s most populous county. They also announced that a volunteer in Shelby County improperly vaccinated two children despite the shot not being cleared for...
U.S. advisers endorse single-shot covid-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson
WASHINGTON — U.S. health advisers endorsed a one-dose covid-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson on Friday, putting the nation on the cusp of adding an easier-to-use option to fight the pandemic. The Food and Drug Administration is expected to quickly follow the recommendation and make J&J’s shot the third vaccine...
Pa. health official: Still no timeline for next phase of covid vaccination processVideo
There remains no estimate on when Pennsylvania will move to the next phase of its vaccination plan, which includes a slew of essential workers as well as first responders and teachers, a health official said Friday. “I don’t think we’re putting out estimates at this point,” Health Department Senior Adviser...
FAA seeks $27,500 from passenger it says hit air attendant
Federal officials are seeking a $27,500 civil penalty against an airline passenger who allegedly struck a flight attendant who asked the passenger and a companion to leave the plane after a dispute over wearing a face mask. The confrontation on board a Delta Air Lines flight departing from Miami International...
NYC steakhouse stunt: A wax Don Draper hanging at the bar
It’s a promotion that could be straight out of the “Mad Men” Don Draper playbook. Brooklyn’s famed Peter Luger Steak House has teamed with Madame Tussauds to have celebrity wax figures mingle with patrons, promoting the easing of coronavirus pandemic restrictions on indoor dining in New York City. A wax...
U.S. implicates Saudi crown prince in Jamal Khashoggi’s killing
WASHINGTON — Saudi Arabia’s crown prince likely approved the killing of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, according to a newly declassified U.S. intelligence report released Friday. The finding could escalate pressure on the Biden administration to hold the kingdom accountable for a murder that drew...
Pennsylvania reports most new covid cases in over a week
Pennsylvania reported the most additional covid-19 cases in about 10 days on Friday, according to data from the state Department of Health. There were 3,346 additional covid cases (2,722 confirmed, 624 probable), the most since 3,413 were reported Feb. 17. Another 69 covid-related deaths were reported, marking the ninth consecutive...
Judge rules Arizona Senate can access 2020 election ballots
PHOENIX — A judge has ruled that the Arizona Senate can get access to 2.1 million ballots from Arizona’s most populous county so it can audit results of the 2020 election that saw Democrat Joe Biden win in the state. Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Timothy Thomason’s decision Friday comes...
Fire visible across Los Angeles burns commercial yard, buses
COMPTON, Calif. — A huge fire visible across Los Angeles burned stacks of pallets in an commercial yard and buses parked in a neighboring lot early Friday. The inferno erupted in Compton before dawn and created a massive column of smoke that rose high into the sky and spread widely...
