Utah teachers urged to call in sick, get coronavirus tests
SALT LAKE CITY — A group of teachers in Utah has organized an event to encourage educators across the state to call in sick and use the day off to get tested for the coronavirus amid a surge in confirmed infection cases. “There are no testing requirements for teachers or...
Bidenomics: More stimulus, tougher regulation and gridlock
WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden will inherit a vulnerable economic recovery under threat from a resurgent virus, likely with a divided Congress that will hinder his ability to address the challenges. Yet despite the obstacles, the former vice president and senator will pursue a drastic shift in America’s economic policy....
Lagarde: Recovery from pandemic could be bumpy
FRANKFURT, Germany — European Central Bank head Christine Lagarde warned Wednesday that the economy could face a “bumpy,” “stop-start” recovery despite good news about vaccine development. The top central banker for the 19 European Union countries that use the euro currency said there was a risk that fearful consumers could...
‘Get More in Q4’ with Trib Total Media’s Black Friday sale
2020 has been a rough year for everyone but small local businesses were hit especially hard. Trib Total Media wants to help these businesses get more in Q4 by offering special advertising packages created to stimulate fourth quarter business. “Many retailers are hosting Black Friday sales throughout the month of...
Eta remains a tropical storm as Florida prepares for 2nd hitVideo
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Eta remained a tropical storm Wednesday afternoon as it prepared to skirt past the heavily populated Tampa Bay region in Florida and crash ashore in the coming hours somewhere to the north along the Gulf of Mexico coast. The storm’s maximum sustained wind remained at about...
Greece, Egypt seeks Biden role in East Mediterranean dispute
ATHENS, Greece — Greece’s prime minister said Wednesday that he expects U.S. President-elect Joe Biden’s incoming administration to play a more active role in attempting to calm tension in the eastern Mediterranean. “We have every reason to welcome, along with all our partners in the region, the return of the...
Dems clinch House control, but majority likely to shrink
WASHINGTON — Democrats clinched two more years of controlling the House but with a potentially razor-thin majority, a bittersweet finale to last week’s elections that has left them divided and with scant margin for error for advancing their agenda. The party on Tuesday nailed down at least 218 seats, according...
Computer error forces Hawaii public housing lottery reboot
HONOLULU — A computer error has required the Hawaii Public Housing Authority to conduct a new lottery to choose successful applicants for housing assistance. A vendor experienced a software glitch causing the names of some applicants for Section 8 housing vouchers to be entered into the lottery more than once,...
States cite smooth election, despite Trump’s baseless claims
ATLANTA — The 2020 election unfolded smoothly across the country and without any widespread irregularities, according to state officials and election experts, a stark contrast to the baseless claims of fraud being leveled by President Donald Trump following his defeat. Election experts said the large increase in advance voting —...
Republican Stacy Garrity claims victory in state treasurer’s raceVideo
HARRISBURG — Republican Stacy Garrity, a retired U.S. Army Reserves colonel who is vice president of a tungsten smelting plant, claimed victory Tuesday in the Pennsylvania state treasurer’s race. Her Democratic opponent, incumbent Treasurer Joe Torsella, conceded Tuesday in a phone call to Garrity and posted a video message on...
Erie postal worker admits fabricating Trump-pushed claims of voter fraud, House panel says
A postal worker in Pennsylvania has admitted to making up explosive accusations about mail-in voting irregularities in the 2020 election that were picked up by supporters of President Donald Trump as supposed evidence of fraud, according to congressional investigators. Richard Hopkins, a U.S. Postal Service employee in Erie, first alleged...
Trump loyalists get top Pentagon jobs after Esper firing
WASHINGTON — A day after President Donald Trump fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper, three staunch loyalists to the president were named to top defense jobs. Among them was a former Fox News commentator who failed to get through Senate confirmation because of offensive remarks he made, including about Islam. The...
United States has 1 million new coronavirus cases in NovemberVideo
WASHINGTON — The United States has surpassed 1 million new confirmed coronavirus cases in just the first 10 days of November, with more than 100,000 infections each day becoming the norm in a surge that shows no signs of slowing. The 1 million milestone came as governors across the nation...
Relative of 8 slaying victims in Piketon, Ohio files wrongful death lawsuit
COLUMBUS — A man who lost several relatives in the killings of eight people in southern Ohio four years ago filed a wrongful death lawsuit Tuesday against the suspects, saying he wants to be sure none of them receive financial gain from the crime. Tony Rhoden Sr. is seeking unspecified...
Biden vows to ‘get right to work’ despite Trump resistanceVideo
WILMINGTON, Del. — Vowing “to get right to work,” President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday shrugged off President Donald Trump’s fierce refusal to accept the election outcome as “inconsequential,” even as Democrats elsewhere warned that the Republican president’s actions were dangerous. Raising unsupported claims of voter fraud, Trump has blocked the...
CDC issues warnings, guidelines about ThanksgivingVideo
ATLANTA — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its Thanksgiving coronavirus guidelines on Monday and Tuesday, warning against travel and recommending much smaller gatherings during the annual American tradition. Thanksgiving travel is typically the nation’s busiest transportation day of the year. “Staying home is the best way to...
Cal Cunningham concedes to U.S. Sen. Tillis in North Carolina
RALEIGH — Democrat Cal Cunningham conceded to incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis in North Carolina on Tuesday, saying “the voters have spoken” and it was clear Tillis had won. With Cunningham’s concession, all eyes turned to Georgia, where two U.S. Senate runoff races in January are likely to determine...
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo brushes aside results showing Trump lostVideo
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is brushing aside results of last week’s presidential election showing that President Donald Trump lost his bid for a second term. Pompeo told reporters with a grin on Tuesday that the “transition” to a second Trump term would be “smooth,” but later said...
Pa. medical marijuana advisory board nixes new qualifying conditions as industry booms
Medical marijuana in Pennsylvania is more popular than ever, this month surpassing $1 billion in all-time sales from dispensaries to patients. The state’s Medical Marijuana Advisory Board noted the landmark at its quarterly meeting Tuesday before debating whether to add new medical conditions to the list of reasons Pennsylvanians can...
Guatemala calls off search at site of massive landslide
GUATEMALA CITY — The Guatemalan government on Tuesday called off the search for victims of a massive landslide set off by the rains of Hurricane Eta that was believed to have entombed more than 100 people. Guatemala’s National Disaster Reduction Coordinator said it was suspending the search for bodies due...
Republican wins back U.S. House seat in Southern California
LOS ANGELES — Republican Michelle Steel defeated first-term Rep. Harley Rouda on Tuesday in a Southern California district, only the second time in more than two decades that a GOP candidate in the state has defeated an incumbent Democrat. Rouda captured Orange County’s 48th District in 2018 from longtime Republican...
Bride and groom from New York drown on Caribbean honeymoon
A newly married couple from New York drowned on their honeymoon at a Caribbean resort, family members said. Corporate attorney Mohammad Malik, 35, and his bride, Dr. Noor Shah, 29, were swimming near their Turks and Caicos Islands resort on Oct. 28 when they were pulled under by strong riptides,...
Mental health workers to take lead in some NYC 911 calls
NEW YORK — Mental health workers will replace police officers in responding to some 911 calls under a pilot program announced Tuesday by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. The program, to be rolled out next year in two neighborhoods, will give mental health professionals the lead role when...
Senior Pentagon official resigns as Trump remakes leadership
WASHINGTON — A senior Defense Department official resigned on Tuesday, opening the way for a longtime ally of President Donald Trump to take on a key leadership role a day after Pentagon chief Mark Esper was fired. James Anderson, the acting deputy undersecretary of defense for policy, had been in...
Census Bureau denies fake data allegations by census workers
The U.S. Census Bureau denied any attempts to systemically falsify information during the 2020 head count used to determine the allocation of congressional seats and federal spending, even as more census takers told The Associated Press they were pressured to do so. The Census Bureau statement was issued Monday night...
