HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Michael Bloomberg’s presidential campaign has begun hiring staff in Pennsylvania, a late primary state where his chief competitors for the Democratic Party’s nomination have some inroads. Campaign officials said Wednesday that it has hired about 35 staffers in Pennsylvania and has a goal of hiring more than 90 staffers and opening a dozen campaign offices. Pennsylvania is seen as particularly friendly territory to former Vice President Joe Biden. The hiring is part of Bloomberg’s focus on premier general-election battleground states, while other candidates spar in early primary states. Pennsylvania’s primary election is April 28. It has the fifth-most delegates in the Democratic primary.

State Health Department officials say there have been eleven more flu-related deaths this season. Statewide, that brings the total to 24 with more than 32-thousand confirmed flu cases since the end of October. That number may be even higher since most people who come down with the flu may not be tested. Last year, 133 people died from flu, with most over the age of 65.

WEATHER FORECAST FOR THURSDAY, JAN. 16TH, 2020

TODAY – CLOUDY SKIES WITH A FEW SNOW SHOWERS THIS
AFTERNOON. MORNING HIGH OF 37 WITH TEMPS
FALLING TO NEAR FREEZING.

TONIGHT – MAINLY CLOUDY WITH SNOW SHOWERS
AROUND THIS EVENING. LOW – 23.

FRIDAY – PARTLY SUNNY. HIGH – 31.

SATURDAY – SNOW DURING THE MORNING WILL GIVE WAY
TO RAIN DURING THE AFTERNOON. SOME
MIXED WINTER PRECIPITATION POSSIBLE.
SNOW ACCUMULATING 3 TO 5 INCHES.
HIGH – 44.

SUNDAY – OVERCAST. HIGH – 23.

NEW YORK (AP) — The posthumous inductees Whitney Houston and The Notorious B.I.G. will lead this year’s class into the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame. They’ll be joined by Depeche Mode, the Doobie Brothers, Nine Inch Nails and T-Rex. Houston, the gospel-trained singer with the soaring voice, had a string of No. 1 singles including “I Will Always Love You.” Before being killed in a drive-by shooting in 1997, Biggie was a leader of East Coast rap. The annual induction ceremony is being held in Cleveland this year and is being televised live for the first time ever, on May 2.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Speaker Nancy Pelosi named House prosecutors for President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial on Wednesday ahead of votes to send the charges to the Senate. At the same time, new information about the president’s Ukraine efforts intensified pressure for more witnesses at the trial. The seven-member prosecution team will be led by the chairmen of the House impeachment proceedings, Reps. Adam Schiff of the Intelligence Committee and Jerry Nadler of the Judiciary Committee. They are two of Pelosi’s top lieutenants, selected for only the third presidential impeachment in the nation’s history.

SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) — A federal judge has agreed to block the Trump administration from enforcing a presidential executive order allowing state and local government officials to reject refugees from resettling in their jurisdictions. U.S. District Judge Peter Messitte on Wednesday issued a preliminary injunction requested by three national refugee resettlement agencies that sued to challenge the executive order. President Donald Trump’s administration announced in November that resettlement agencies must get written consent from state and local officials in any jurisdiction where they want to help resettle refugees beyond June 2020. The administration didn’t immediately say whether it will appeal Messitte’s decision.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A major Democratic fundraiser and former commerce secretary under President Barack Obama has endorsed Joe Biden for president. The former vice president’s campaign announced the endorsement of billionaire businesswoman Penny Pritzker on Wednesday. Pritzker’s support could give Biden a considerable fundraising boost. Pritzker is an heir to the Hyatt Hotel fortune and played an instrumental role in Obama’s rise, helping him raise money for his Senate campaign and his 2008 presidential primary campaign against Hillary Clinton. Pritzker served as Obama’s commerce secretary from 2013 until he left office. Pritzker praises Biden’s years of Washington experience and joins a list of Obama administration officials who have endorsed Biden.

UPDATE: An Aliquippa family has been affected by Monday night’s house fire…and now the Aliuqippa Diversity Council is asking for the public’s help in meeting the needs of the fire victims. Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano has more. Click on ‘play’ to hear Sandy’s report…