UN health agency gains access to nearly 2 billion doses of covid vaccines
GENEVA — The head of the World Health Organization said Friday that the U.N. health agency’s program to help get COVID-19 vaccines to all countries in need, whether rich or poor, has gained access to nearly 2 billion doses of several “promising” vaccine candidates. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said...
Shutdown deadline looms over covid relief talks
WASHINGTON — Bearing down on a midnight shutdown deadline, top negotiators on a must-pass, almost $1 trillion covid-19 economic relief package are committed to sealing an agreement Friday as they resolve remaining differences in hopes of passing the legislation this weekend. The pressure is on. Government funding lapses at midnight...
Motorist rescued after 10 hours in car buried by snow plow
OWEGO, N.Y. — A man who drove off the road in this week’s snowstorm spent 10 hours trapped in his car after a passing plow buried it, finally managing to get a 911 call through and being rescued in the nick of time by a New York state trooper. Kevin...
Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate declines to 6.6% in November
WILKES-BARRE — Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate was down 0.8 points over the month to 6.6% in November — falling below the U.S. rate of 6.7% in November for the first time since May 2015. The commonwealth’s unemployment rate was 2 points above its November 2019 level while the national rate was...
Coronavirus vaccine provided to U.S. Supreme Court
WASHINGTON — The justices on the U.S. Supreme Court are being provided with doses of the coronavirus vaccine. That is according to a letter by Capitol Physician Brian Monahan, which says the court, along with Congress and executive branch agencies are being given a limited supply of doses “for continuity...
Vice President Pence, wife Karen, get covid-19 vaccine
WASHINGTON — Vice President Mike Pence became the highest profile world leader to be vaccinated for the coronavirus Friday. Pence’s wife Karen and Surgeon General Jerome Adams also received shots on live television. President Donald Trump’s administration helped deliver vaccinations against the coronavirus earlier than even some in his administration...
Germany to start vaccinations in nursing homes
BERLIN — Germany’s health minister urged for patience on Friday as the country prepares to start vaccinating people against covid-19, saying those most at risk should be immunized first. Jens Spahn said people in nursing homes would be the first to receive shots on Dec. 27, when Germany expects to...
French teens protest after transgender classmate’s suicide
LILLE, France — About 100 teenagers rallied in northern France Friday to pay homage to a transgender student who killed herself this week after facing tensions with school officials around her gender identity. The case has drawn indignation on social media and national concern. The students held a sit-in and...
Some states say Pfizer vaccine allotments cut for next week
O’FALLON, Mo. — Several states say they have been told to expect far fewer doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech covid-19 vaccine in its second week of distribution, prompting worries about potential delays in shots for health care workers and long-term care residents. But senior Trump administration officials on Thursday downplayed the...
Biden picks Regan for EPA nominee, Haaland for interior head
President-elect Joe Biden announced Thursday that he had chosen North Carolina regulator Michael S. Regan as his nominee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency and New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland as his pick for interior secretary. Biden said the selections round out what he said would be an experienced climate...
8 nuns die of covid-19 in last week at Wisconsin convent
ELM GROVE, Wis. — Eight nuns living at a retirement home for sisters in suburban Milwaukee died of covid-19 complications in the last week — including four who passed away on the same day — a grim reminder of how quickly the virus can spread in congregate living situations, even...
5 accused of plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer plead not guilty
DETROIT — Federal prosecutors say they have a “large volume of evidence” — so much that they requested an extra 40 days before bringing an indictment — but five of the six men charged with conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer pleaded not guilty Thursday. The evidence ranges from...
Moderna’s covid-19 vaccine set for OK in U.S. with panel endorsement
WASHINGTON — A government advisory panel endorsed a second covid-19 vaccine Thursday, paving the way for the shot to be added to the U.S. vaccination campaign. The Food and Drug Administration is expected to follow the recommendation for the vaccine from Moderna and the National Institutes of Health. The FDA...
1,200 Pa. health care workers vaccinated so far for covid-19Video
About 1,200 Pennsylvania health care workers received covid-19 vaccinations over the past three days as more shipments continue to arrive at dozens of hospitals statewide, Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Rachel Levine said Thursday. No adverse effects have been reported in the 1,205 vaccinations, Levine said. Sixteen of the initial 87...
Cayman Islands jails US college student in coronavirus case
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A U.S. college student and her boyfriend have been sentenced to four months in prison in the Cayman Islands for violating strict covid-19 measures following a recent ruling that will be appealed, their attorney said Thursday. Skylar Mack, 18, of Georgia, and Vanjae Ramgeet, 24,...
U.S. cybersecurity agency warns of ‘grave’ threat from Russian hack
WASHINGTON — Federal authorities expressed increased alarm Thursday about an intrusion into U.S. and other computer systems around the globe that officials suspect was carried out by Russian hackers. The nation’s cybersecurity agency warned of a “grave” risk to government and private networks. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said...
Where are the ‘continuity of government’ vaccine doses coming from? No one wants to say
WASHINGTON — Where is the supply of covid-19 vaccines coming from for senior officials across government? No one will say. Days after the White House confirmed that senior officials would receive covid-19 vaccines to help ensure continuity of government, it remains unclear from where those vaccine doses will originate. The...
38 states, including Pennsylvania, file anti-trust lawsuit against Google
DENVER — A group of 38 states filed an anti-trust lawsuit against Google on Thursday, alleging that the search giant has an illegal monopoly over the online search market that hurts consumers and advertisers. The lawsuit, announced by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, was filed in federal court in Washington,...
Pennsylvania reports 224 new coronavirus deaths, adds 9,966 cases
Pennsylvania’s Department of Health on Thursday reported 224 new deaths attributed to the coronavirus. The death toll for the state stands at 13,392. There have been 1,967 deaths already this month. Of the 224 deaths newly reported, 220 are from December, three are from November and one is from July....
Putin denies involvement in poisoning of Kremlin foe Navalny
MOSCOW — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday rejected allegations that the Kremlin was behind the poisoning of his top political foe, opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and accused U.S. intelligence agencies of fomenting the claims even as he held out hope for better ties with Washington. Putin also voiced hope...
Shooting becomes homicide probe for Erie police after 13-year-old shot several times dies
An Erie police investigation into the shooting of a 13-year-old boy in what the city’s police chief said appears to have been a targeted attack on Dec. 5 has turned into a homicide probe. Chief Dan Spizarny said Thursday morning that investigators have been told that the boy, identified by...
U.S. jobless claims rise to 885,000 amid resurgence of virus
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose again last week to 885,000 as a resurgence of coronavirus cases threatens the economy’s recovery from its springtime collapse. The Labor Department said Thursday that the number of applications increased from 862,000 the previous week. It showed that nine...
French President Macron tests positive for covidVideo
PARIS — France’s Elysee Palace says President Emmanuel Macron has tested positive for the coronavirus. It says the president took a test “as soon as the first symptoms appeared.” The brief statement didn’t say what symptoms Macron experienced, but he would isolate for seven days and continue to work. It...
Russia can’t use its name or flag at next 2 Olympics
GENEVA — Russia will not be able to use its name, flag and anthem at the next two Olympics or at any world championships for the next two years after a ruling Thursday by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The Lausanne-based court halved the four-year ban proposed last year...
Reputed mobster admits assaulting ‘Real Housewives’ hubby
NEWARK, N.J. — A reputed mobster admitted assaulting the then-boyfriend and now husband of a former “Real Housewives of New Jersey” cast member in exchange for a deeply discounted lavish wedding reception. John Perna, 43, of Cedar Grove, N.J., pleaded guilty Wednesday to a federal charge of committing a violent...
