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...
Cat that vanished 15 years ago is reunited with owner
LOS ANGELES — A cat that went astray about 15 years ago has been reunited, older and maybe wiser, with its owner. Brandy, a brown tabby, was reunited Monday afternoon with Charles, who adopted her as a 2-month-old kitten in 2005. “It’s amazing. I think it’s unbelievable,” he said Thursday....
Bipartisan bill to legalize marijuana introduced in Pa. Legislature
Marijuana legalization will get another chance in the Pennsylvania Legislature thanks to a new bipartisan bill. State Sens. Dan Laughlin, R-Erie, and Sharif Street, D-Philadelphia, this week introduced a bill that would allow those over the age of 21 to buy and use marijuana. It would also expunge the convictions...
NYC schools chancellor exits, citing virus’ personal toll
NEW YORK — New York City’s Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza announced Friday he will step down, citing the coronavirus pandemic’s personal toll on his family. He will be replaced by Bronx Executive Superintendent Meisha Ross Porter, who will become the first Black woman to lead the nation’s largest public school...
Studies suggest people with covid antibodies may only need 1 dose of vaccine
Two new studies suggest that people who have had coronavirus should still get vaccinated, but these studies also argue that one dose of a covid-19 vaccine may be enough to “supercharge” antibodies, The New York Times reported. These two studies join other recent findings that also suggest that people who...
Explosion strikes Israeli-owned ship in Mideast amid tension
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — An explosion struck an Israeli-owned cargo ship sailing out of the Middle East on Friday, an unexplained blast renewing concerns about ship security amid escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran. The crew and vessel were safe, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations,...
Canadian regulator authorizes AstraZeneca vaccine
TORONTO — Canadian regulators on Friday authorized AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine. It is the third covid-19 vaccine given the green light by Canada, following those from Pfizer and Moderna. Health Canada approved the vaccine for use in people 18 and over. Some countries, including France, have authorized the AstraZeneca vaccine only...
Hundreds of Nigerian schoolgirls taken in mass abduction
LAGOS, Nigeria — Gunmen abducted 317 girls from a boarding school in northern Nigeria on Friday, police said, the latest in a series of mass kidnappings of students in the West African nation. Police and the military have begun joint operations to rescue the girls after the attack at the...
3rd U.S. vaccine could raise question: Which shots are best?
WASHINGTON — The nation is poised to get a third vaccine against covid-19, but because at first glance the Johnson & Johnson shot may not be seen as equal to other options, health officials are girding for the question: Which one is best? If cleared for emergency use, the J&J...
UN: Carbon-cutting pledges by countries nowhere near enough
The newest pledges by countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions are falling far short of what’s needed to limit global warming to what the Paris climate accord seeks, a new United Nations report finds. So the U.N.’s climate chief is telling nations to go back and try harder. Most countries...
FDA approves storing Pfizer vaccine at standard temperature
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given approval for the Pfizer covid-19 vaccination to be kept at standard freezer temperatures, alleviating some of the storage and transportation issues and making it easier to get the vaccine in arms. “Pfizer submitted data to the FDA to support this alternative temperature...
