FILE – Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley speaks at an annual leadership meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition, Nov. 19, 2022, in Las Vegas. Haley may be the first to take on former President Donald Trump, but a half-dozen or more high-profile Republicans are expected to join the GOP’s 2024 presidential nomination contest over the coming months. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Few have navigated the turbulent politics of the Trump era like Nikki Haley. She once vowed not to step in the way if former President Donald Trump ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024. But on Wednesday, she will become the first major Republican candidate to enter the race against him. She is the only Republican woman of color expected in the 2024 contest. And facing steep odds, she loves to remind people that she has never lost an election. On the eve of Wednesday’s announcement, there is broad agreement that Haley is about to be tested as never before.

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. (AP) — Federal workplace safety authorities have fined a central Pennsylvania confectionary factory more than $14,500 following an accident last year in which two workers fell into a vat of chocolate. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Mars Wrigley in the June accident at the Elizabethtown M&M/Mars factory, saying the workers were not authorized to work in the tanks and weren’t trained on the proper safety procedures for the equipment. Emergency responders cut a hole in the bottom of the tank to free the workers and both were taken to hospitals. A company representative said the safety of workers and outside contractors “is a top priority for our business.”

An MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter lands aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz in the South China Sea, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023, as Nimitz in U.S. 7th Fleet was conducting operations. The 7th Fleet based in Japan said Sunday that the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier strike group and the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit have been conducting “integrated expeditionary strike force operations” in the South China Sea. (Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Justin McTaggart/U.S. Navy via AP)

BEIJING (AP) — The United States Navy and Marine Corps are holding drills in the South China Sea at a time of heightened tensions with Beijing over the shooting down of a suspected Chinese spy balloon. The 7th Fleet based in Japan says the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier strike group and the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit have been conducting “integrated expeditionary strike force operations” in the South China Sea. It says exercises took place Saturday but gave no details on when they began or whether they had ended. China claims virtually the entire South China Sea and strongly objects to military activity by other nations in the contested waterway through which an estimated $5 trillion in goods are shipped every year.

This photo provided by Avocados From Mexico shows a scene from Avocados From Mexico Super Bowl NFL football spot. (Avocados From Mexico via AP)

NEW YORK (AP) — Advertisers bet big that viewers were turning to the Super Bowl for a comforting escape, and delivered a series of advertisements that relied on familiar celebrity faces, light humor, and plenty of cuddly dogs. This wasn’t a year for edgy humor or experimentation. After three years of a global pandemic, with economic uncertainty looming ahead and the war in Ukraine stretching on, advertisers just wanted people to feel good. Super Bowl advertisers each year try to reach the more than 100 million people tuning into the broadcast. It’s a pricey proposition: ads can cost as much as $7 million for 30 seconds.

FILE – The Pentagon is seen from Air Force One as it flies over Washington, March 2, 2022. U.S. officials say an “unidentified object” has been shot down Sunday for the third time in as many days, this time over Lake Huron, after earlier downings in Alaska and Canada. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. fighter jet shot down an “unidentified object” over Lake Huron on Sunday on orders from President Joe Biden. It was the fourth such downing in eight days. Pentagon officials believe the latest military strike in an extraordinary chain of events over U.S. airspace has no peacetime precedent. The head of NORAD and U.S. Northern Command, Gen. Glen VanHerck, says part of the reason for the repeated shootdowns is a “heightened alert” following a spy balloon from China that emerged over U.S. airspace in late January.

Photo of the scene the night the derailment happened (Curtis Walsh – Beaver County Radio)
Story by Beaver County Radio News Staff. Published February 13, 2023 11:55 A.M.

(East Palestine, Ohio) Three more chemicals have been revealed to have been on the train that derailed in East Palestine that ended in a controlled explosion. WKBN reports that Sil Caggiano, a hazardous materials specialist, has said that they basically “nuked” the town with chemicals to get the railroad back in operation. The EPA reportedly reached out to Norfolk Southern stating that ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, ethylhexyl acrylate and isobutylene were also on the train. Ethylhexyl Acrylate is a carcinogen that can cause burning and irritation to skin and eyes, as well as coughing and shortness of breath when in contact with it. Isobutylene causes dizziness and drowsiness if inhaled. Caggiano told WKBN it’s possible the these chemicals are still present in the area and in homes. He suggested anyone in the area to get a health check up and keep track of their health status.

Rihanna threw out all the conventions of the typical Super Bowl halftime show and turned entertainment’s largest platform into something all her own. And she did it while also revealing that she is pregnant with her second child. The Associated Press’ Glenn Gamboa says in his review that show was more an avant garde dance piece than a concert. The Barbadian superstar plowed through 12 of her hits in 13 minutes surrounded by dozens of androgynous dancers dressed in white who mirrored nearly every move she made. In case anyone was confused, this was all about Rihanna. No special guests. No breaks. No momentum shifts. Just Rihanna with a tight grip on everyone’s attention.

FILE – A black plume rises over East Palestine, Ohio, as a result of a controlled detonation of a portion of the derailed Norfolk Southern trains, Feb. 6, 2023. West Virginia’s water utility says it’s taking precautionary steps following the derailment of a train hauling chemicals that later sent up a toxic plume in Ohio. The utility said in a statement on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2023 that it has enhanced its treatment processes even though there hasn’t been a change in raw water at its Ohio River intake. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, file)

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (AP) — A West Virginia water utility says it’s taking precautionary steps following the derailment of a train hauling chemicals that later sent up a toxic plume in Ohio. West Virginia American Water said in a statement on Sunday that it has enhanced its treatment processes even though there hasn’t been a change in raw water at its Ohio River intake. It’s also installing a secondary intake on the Guyandotte River in case there’s a need to switch to an alternate water source. There are currently no drinking water advisories in place. The train derailed in a fiery crash Feb. 3 in East Palestine, Ohio. Emergency workers evacuated nearby neighborhoods before igniting vinyl chloride from the cars.

Danielle Smith

A Pennsylvania children’s advocacy group said the state should be doing more to help end a critical staffing shortage of mental and behavioral health workers.

The Keystone State is among 43 states with too few psychiatrists and other health professionals, according to a report to the General Assembly.

Michael Slack, president and CEO of KidsPeace Pennsylvania, said it is important for legislators to know the continuing shortage has a lot to do with the lack of money available to recruit and pay staff in these positions.

“In our business of mental health care, hiring and staffing has always been a challenge with us, because historically, organizations like KidsPeace have been underfunded,” Slack contended. “Therefore, the amount that we can pay in wages has been limited.”

While the workforce shortage is not new, Slack pointed out the pandemic prompted more health care workers to leave the profession due to burnout, or to move into other industries.

Slack noted they have recently developed a new department exclusively focused on recruiting direct-care workers and nursing professionals. He explained training, development and raising awareness about jobs in the field are all critical to meet the state’s needs for mental and behavioral health care, now and into the future.

“There needs to be a workforce development initiative across Pennsylvania, to attract the future workforce to this field,” Slack stressed. “Starting in high school and colleges, helping people to understand what the needs are, how they can make a difference.”

During the course of the pandemic, Slack noted regulations changed, and they began delivering more services through telehealth, including child and adolescent psychiatry. He acknowledged the telehealth platform reaches people who previously might not have had access, or whose care might not have been covered prior to the pandemic.