Category: News

Study suggests Pfizer vaccine works against virus variant

Study suggests Pfizer vaccine works against virus variant
By LAURAN NEERGAARD AP Medical Writer
New research suggests the COVID-19 vaccine made by Pfizer and BioNTech can still work against a mutated coronavirus. Two easier-to-spread new variants of the virus have the world on edge. One was first discovered in Britain, the other in South Africa, but they share a common mutation. Pfizer researchers say laboratory testing shows that mutation doesn’t block the vaccine. But more tests are needed to see if an additional mutation is cause for concern. The preliminary study was posted on an online research site late Thursday and has not been reviewed by other experts.

Tommy Lasorda, fiery Hall of Fame Dodgers manager, dies at 93

Lasorda, fiery Hall of Fame Dodgers manager, dies at 93
By BETH HARRIS AP Sports Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tommy Lasorda, the fiery Hall of Fame manager who guided the Los Angeles Dodgers to two World Series titles and later became an ambassador for the sport he loved during his 71 years with the franchise, has died. He was 93. The Dodgers said Friday that he had a heart attack at his home in Fullerton. Resuscitation attempts were made en route to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly before 11 p.m. Thursday. Lasorda had a history of heart problems, including a heart attack in 1996 that ended his managerial career.

Beaver County Jail escapee back in custody

(Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano)

John Broman was taken into custody this morning after Hopewell Township Police  received information  and located him at a residence on Lexington Drive. Hopewell was assisted by Aliquippa and Center Twp. Police, the Beaver County Sheriff’s Department, and Beaver County Detectives. He has been returned to the custody of the county jail. He escaped from the jail yesterday after being arraigned.

Trump finally faces reality — amid talk of early ouster

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is back on Twitter praising those who voted for him and calling them “American Patriots.” Trump’s comments Friday come a day after he acknowledged his electoral defeat amid growing talk in Washington of trying to force him from office early. On Thursday, Trump called for “healing and reconciliation” after a mob of his supporters assaulted the Capitol on Wednesday. But on Friday, Trump was back to division. Instead of offering condolences to the police officer who died from injuries sustained during the riot, Trump took to Twitter to commend the “great American Patriots” who voted for him. He said ”they will not be disrespected or treated unfairly.”

House Democrats discussing swift action to impeach Trump

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats are discussing whether to move forward with impeaching President Donald Trump if his Cabinet doesn’t try to remove him for the mob assault on the U.S. Capitol. House Democrats are set to hold a caucus meeting Friday to discuss their options. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer are also calling for Trump’s Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to the Constitution to force Trump from office before President-elect Joe Biden is inaugurated on Jan. 20. If that doesn’t happen, Pelosi says impeachment could begin. The House already impeached Trump in 2019, but the Republican-led Senate acquitted him in early 2020.

The Latest: Pelosi lowers Capitol flags in honor of officer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the fallout of the storming of the Capitol by a mob of pro-Trump loyalists (all times local):

10 a.m.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says those responsible for police officer Brian Sicknick’s death from the siege at the Capitol by a mob loyal to President Donald Trump “must be brought to justice.”

Pelosi said Friday she was lowering flags at the Capitol in his honor.

Sicknick died “after defending the Capitol complex and protecting those who serve and work here. The perpetrators of Officer Sicknick’s death must be brought to justice,” she said.

Pro-Trump supporters were urged on by the president Wednesday to the Capitol where Congress was tallying the Electoral College votes to confirm Democrat Joe Biden’s election.

Five people are now dead from the violent melee.

“The violent and deadly act of insurrection targeting the Capitol, our temple of American Democracy, and its workers was a profound tragedy and stain on our nation’s history,” Pelosi said.

Fetterman taking steps toward running for US Senate in 2022

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — John Fetterman, Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor, is taking a definitive step toward running for the state’s open U.S. Senate seat in 2022. Fetterman said Friday he’s exploring a run for U.S. Senate. Previously, Fetterman had said that he was considering running for either governor or U.S. Senate in 2022. But Fetterman says he’s no longer interested in running for governor. He says he’ll have a final decision in the coming weeks. Both offices, governor and U.S. Senate, are coming open in 2023. Fetterman, the former mayor of small-town Braddock, near Pittsburgh, came in third in 2016′s Democratic primary for U.S. Senate before running successfully for lieutenant governor in 2018.

Pennsylvania: Send elementary students back to school

Pennsylvania: Send elementary students back to school
By MICHAEL RUBINKAM Associated Press
Pennsylvania health and education officials say schools should consider a return to in-person instruction for elementary-age students. That’s a change from previous state guidance that recommended online-only education in areas of the state where the coronavirus is raging. State officials now want schools to consider bringing elementary students back to the classroom, saying that’s where they belong. The state’s largest teachers union is panning the new guidance. The state made the announcement Thursday as health officials said a new, more contagious variant of the coronavirus has been detected in Pennsylvania for the first time.

US loses 140,000 jobs, first monthly loss since spring

US loses 140,000 jobs, first monthly loss since spring
By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers shed jobs last month for the first time since April, cutting 140,00 positions, clear evidence that the economy is faltering as the viral pandemic tightens its grip on consumers and businesses. The unemployment rate stayed at 6.7%, the first time it hasn’t fallen since April. Friday’s figures from the Labor Department suggest that employers have rehired roughly all the workers they can afford to after having laid off more than 22 million in the spring — the worst such loss on record. The economy still has 9.9 million fewer jobs than it did before the pandemic sent it sinking into a deep recession nearly a year ago.

Police officer’s death intensifies Capitol siege questions

Police officer’s death intensifies Capitol siege questions
By LISA MASCARO and MATTHEW DALY Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — A police officer has died from injuries sustained as President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol, intensifying questions about the defeated president’s remaining days in office and the ability of the Capitol police to secure the area. The U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement that Officer Brian D. Sicknick died Thursday after being injured “while physically engaging with protesters” during the Wednesday riot. He is the fifth person to die in the melee. Discussions are underway about Trump’s fitness to remain in office. One Republican lawmaker publicly joined Democrats in calling for the 25th Amendment to be invoked to force Trump out. Meanwhile, Trump promised an “orderly transition” on Jan. 20 when President-elect Joe Biden is to be inaugurated.