HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The agency that protects the Pennsylvania Capitol building says officials aren’t aware of specific threats to the facility but are bolstering security measures. Troy Thompson with the Department of General Services, which oversees Capitol Police, said Thursday there are additional officers inside and out. Barriers have been erected outside the ornate building in recent days.
Thompson says Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf hasn’t issued an order to close the downtown Harrisburg complex next week, but that could change if necessary. State capitols around the United States have worked to heighten security after the attack on the U.S. Capitol last week.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Constitution says the chief justice is to preside at the impeachment trial of a president. But what about an ex-president? Like so much else about the Constitution, the answer is subject to interpretation. If President Donald Trump’s trial begins after Jan. 20, it’s not clear whether Chief Justice John Roberts would make his way to the Senate chamber as he did last year for Trump’s first trial. Impeachment scholars, law professors and political scientists offer differing views.
The choices appear to be Roberts, Kamala Harris, who by then will be vice president, or Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., who will be the Senate’s president pro tem once the Democrats gain control of the Senate.
Harrisburg, PA – As part of the Wolf Administration’s effort to rollout the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine, Governor Tom Wolf has approved a temporary waiver allowing pharmacists licensed by the Department of State to order and administer COVID-19 vaccines without a physician’s order when vaccines are available to the public. Adding pharmacists to the health care professionals administering COVID-19 vaccines expands options for Pennsylvanians to be immunized once the vaccine is widely available from the federal government.
“Pharmacists, as well as pharmacy interns and technicians, are critical partners in the commonwealth’s plan to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine,” Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar said. “Many Pennsylvanians will go to their local pharmacy for vaccination. This waiver will enable pharmacies to offer the COVID-19 vaccines without a physician’s order.”
Pennsylvania pharmacists who meet certain training and other requirements can obtain authorization to administer injectable medications, biologicals and immunizations. If a pharmacist has that authorization, he or she can administer any immunization, including COVID-19 immunizations, to persons 18 years of age or older.
Historically, some pharmacies have entered into arrangements with physicians in order to receive reimbursement for flu shots and other vaccinations. Many pharmacies, however, do not have an arrangement with a physician, and even those that do have not had time to incorporate the COVID-19 vaccination into that relationship. This waiver would allow pharmacists to order and administer COVID-19 vaccine without such a provider agreement.
“We are working on ways to increase access to the vaccine, and pharmacists already play an important role in making sure Pennsylvanians are protected,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said. “Pennsylvanians continue to play an essential role in preventing the spread of COVID-19 by masking up, washing up and socially distancing.”
This waiver applies solely to COVID-19 vaccines for the duration of the Governor’s Disaster Emergency Declaration plus 90 days.
For more information about the Department of State’s COVID-19 response, visit the Department of State website.
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — A coronavirus action plan from President-elect Joe Biden centers on a mass vaccination campaign and closer coordination among all levels of government. The Biden plan comes as a divided nation remains caught in the grip of the pandemic’s most dangerous wave yet.
So far, more than 380,000 Americans have died. Biden hopes his multidimensional strategy will put the country on the path to recovery by the end of his administration’s first 100 days. As part of the plan to be unveiled in a speech Thursday evening, Biden will ask Americans to recommit to wearing masks, practicing social distancing, and avoiding indoor gatherings.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s place in the history books has been rewritten and on Wednesday, as the House voted to impeach him, the president faced his unprecedented second impeachment largely alone and silent. For more than four years, Trump has dominated the national discourse like no one before him. Yet when his legacy was set in stone with the House vote, he was left on the sidelines.
Trump kept out of sight in a nearly empty White House as impeachment proceedings played out at the heavily fortified U.S. Capitol. The suspension of his Twitter account deprived Trump of his most potent means to keep Republicans in line.
President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial could begin at 1 p.m. on Inauguration Day next Wednesday as President-elect Joe Biden is being sworn into office. That’s according to a a timeline of Senate procedure obtained by The Associated Press.
It’s the possible schedule if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sends the articles of impeachment to the Senate soon.
Trump was impeached by the House on Wednesday on a single charge of incitement to insurrection after the deadly Capitol siege last week by a pro-Trump mob. Trump is the only president ever to be impeached twice.
Pelosi, D-Calif., hasn’t said when she’ll send the impeachment charge to the Senate. Some Democrats have suggested holding back to allow Biden time to be inaugurated and to start working on his priorities first.
Biden has suggested the Senate could divide its time between the impeachment trial and confirming his Cabinet nominees and working on COVID-19 relief and other issues.
(Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano)
Aliquippa School voted to hire Renee D’Alessandro as the district’s payroll and benefits clerk at last night’s work session. Her pro rated salary will be $30,000 a year with benefits. She will begin her duties on February 15, 2021.
The board meets in regular session on Wednesday, June 20, 2021 at 6 p.m..
WASHINGTON (AP) — Lady Gaga will sing the national anthem at Joe Biden’s inauguration and Jennifer Lopez will give a musical performance on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol when Biden is sworn in as the nation’s 46th president next Wednesday. The announcement of their participation comes one day after word that Tom Hanks will host a 90-minute primetime TV special celebrating Biden’s inauguration.
At the swearing-in ceremony, the Rev. Leo O’Donovan, a former Georgetown University president, will give the invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance will be led by Andrea Hall, a firefighter from Georgia.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of people seeking unemployment aid soared last week to 965,000, the most since late August and evidence that the resurgent virus has caused a spike in layoffs. The latest figures for jobless claims, issued Thursday by the Labor Department, remain at levels never seen until the virus struck.
Before the pandemic, weekly applications typically numbered around 225,000. Last spring, after nationwide shutdowns took effect, applications for jobless benefits spiked to nearly 7 million — 10 times the previous record high. After declining over the summer, weekly claims have been stuck above 700,000 since September.
WASHINGTON (AP) — All through downtown Washington, D.C., the primary sound for several blocks is the beeping of forklifts unloading more fencing. The FBI has warned that armed protests by violent Trump supporters are being planned in all 50 state capitals and in the nation’s capital for the days leading up to the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.
Between the pandemic and the security threat, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser is flat-out asking people not to come to the city for the inauguration. Much of the most visible security will come in the form of more than 15,000 National Guardsmen from multiple states.
