Thursday, November 18, 2021 at 10:37 AM
By TOM MURPHY AP Health Writer
The U.S. government will pay drugmaker Pfizer $5.29 billion for 10 million treatment courses of its potential COVID-19 treatment if regulators authorize it. Pfizer asked U.S. regulators on Tuesday to authorize emergency use of its experimental pill, which has been shown to significantly cut the rate of hospitalizations and deaths among people with COVID-19. Pfizer reported earlier this month that its pill cut hospitalizations and deaths by 89% among high-risk adults who had early symptoms. The Food and Drug Administration is already reviewing a competing pill from Merck and will hold a public meeting on it later this month.

Thursday, November 18, 2021 at 10:29 AM
Vice President Kamala Harris is pushing back against media reports of White House tensions between her office and the president’s. Harris told ABC in an interview aired Thursday she’s “very excited about the work” the Biden administration has accomplished. President Joe Biden has tasked Harris with addressing migration at the U.S.-Mexico border, voting rights, COVID-19 vaccinations and other issues. Some media reports have suggested tensions in the West Wing over Harris’ job performance and suggested she feels sidelined. Harris was asked on ABC if she feels “misused or underused” and replied, “No, I don’t.” White House press secretary Jen Psaki calls Harris “a key partner.”

Thursday, November 18, 2021 at 7:53 AM

(Pittsburgh, Pa.) Allegheny County Police said a 25-year-old woman was found with a loaded gun in a duffel bag at the main security TSA checkpoint at Pittsburgh International Airport early this morning. The woman did not possess a valid concealed carry permit and the FBI was notified and county police said they’ll be charging the woman by summons.

County police have taken possession of the .380 firearm.

Allegheny County police said passengers who bring firearms into an airport checkpoint can face federal civil fines from the TSA up to $10,000.

Any repeat offender can be fined up to $13,910.

Thursday, November 18, 2021 at 7:49 AM
By JOSH BOAK Associated Press
The Biden administration is helping to distribute several billion dollars in aid for winter heating and utility bills. It’s an unprecedented sum that comes largely from the administration’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. The relief package provides an additional $4.5 billion for the government’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which typically has funding of $3 billion to $4 billion annually. Aid for renters can also cover utility costs. The White House is hosting a call Thursday for governors’ offices to help release the aid to vulnerable households. Speakers on the call will include the Energy and Health and Human Services secretaries and the governors of Connecticut, Maine and Michigan.

One person was killed in a Three Vehicle Accident on I-79 in Butler County.

A 2014 Chevy Silverado pickup truck that was being driving southbound, by 58-year-old James Dapper of Zelienople, near the Portersville exit crossed the median into the northbound lanes and crashed head on into a 2004 Chevy Trailblazer that was being driven by 58-year-old Harry Hibbard of Greenville, Pa. The impact then caused the two trucks to hit a third unidentified vehicle being driven by 43-year-old Yucheng Weng of Brooklyn, New York.
Dapper was air-lifted to Allegheny General Hospital in serious condition. His passenger 25-year-old Damian Altman of Beaver Falls was transported to a local hospital for suspected injury.

Hibbard died at the scene and Weng was transported to a local hospital for his injuries.

No other information was available as State Police continue to investigate.

Thursday, November 18, 2021 at 6:49 AM
By MATT O’BRIEN AP Technology Writer
Apple is letting some iPhone users fix their own phones, a sharp turnaround for a company that has long prohibited anyone except Apple-approved technicians from fiddling with its proprietary parts and software. The company said Wednesday it will enable users of two of the newest iPhone models and later some Mac computers to get access to genuine Apple parts and tools to be able to repair them. The shift reflects a strengthening “right to repair” movement embraced by President Joe Biden and affecting everything from smartphones to tractors. It’s a reaction to growing numbers of manufacturers who have made their products  increasingly difficult to repair.

Thursday, November 18, 2021 at 6:46 AM
By MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials say an estimated 100,000 Americans died of drug overdoses in one year. That’s a total the nation has never seen. Experts say it’s tied to the COVID-19 pandemic and a more dangerous drug supply. Overdose deaths have been rising for more than two decades. But they accelerated dramatically in the past two years — jumping nearly 30% in the last year alone. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the new figures Wednesday. The numbers for the period from May 2020 to April 2021 aren’t yet final.

(File Photo)
Story by Frank Sparks, News/Program director
Thursday, November 18, 2021
(Harmony, Pa.) One person is dead after a crash around 5 PM yesterday on Interstate 79 in Butler County northbound around mile marker 96. The crash had all lanes of Interstate 79 closed for hours from the Harmony Exit to the Portersville Exit.
There’s no word on how many vehicles were involved or if there are other injuries.
No other details on the crash can be released at this time.

Update:
One person was killed and two were hurt in a wrong-way crash on I-79 in Butler County.
A pickup truck was driving south when it crossed the median into the northbound lanes and crashed into another truck head-on.
As a result of that crash, those trucks then hit a third vehicle around the Portersville exit.
The driver of the first truck was flown to the hospital and his passenger was taken to the hospital via ambulance. The driver of the truck heading northbound, 58-year-old Harry Hibbard died at the scene.
Those inside the third vehicle only suffered mild injuries.

(File Photo)

Story by Frank Sparks, News/Program Director

Thursday, November 18, 2021 at 6:04 AM

(Raccoon Twp., Pa.) Pa State Police in Beaver reported yesterday that they were called to the scene of a one vehicle accident at 5:54 AM on November 9, 2021 on Franfort Road in Raccoon Township.

Upon arriving on the scene and investigating Troopers learned a 2011 Chevrolet Caprice that was driven by an unknown person hit an embankment when the driver lost control of the vehicle. the vehicle then traveled up the embankment, hit a traffic sign, and struck a tree before returning to the roadway and becoming disabled. The unknown driver fled the scene prior to State Police arriving. The air bag of the vehicle was deployed and the vehicle was towed from the scene as Police continue to investigate the accident.

Thursday, November 18,2021 at 5:47 AM
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The state House of Representatives is aiming to increase penalties for motorists who have multiple DUI convictions. Lawmakers want to end what critics have called Pennsylvania’s “revolving door” for the most serious drunk drivers. The bill passed Wednesday 168-32. It next goes to the Senate for consideration. Under the bill, penalties would rise for those who receive multiple driving-under-the-influence convictions with higher blood-alcohol content levels. The bill was inspired by the death of Deana Eckman, a 45-year-old Delaware County woman killed in 2019 by a five-time drunk driver. He had been freed from state prison a few months earlier.