Crews called to Dollar General for gunshot wound | News | tribdem.com

The Johnstown Police Department is investigating a shooting within the city Wednesday.

7th Ward Ambulance and officers were called to the Dollar General Store, at 641 Main St., around 5 p.m. for an individual with a single gunshot wound to his hand.

It was unclear how the person received the injury or where it had occurred, police said.

The Dollar General was only the reporting location.

Authorities are attempting to verify the validity of the victim’s story.

Source: Crews called to Dollar General for gunshot wound | News | tribdem.com

In Harsh Rebuke, Appeals Court Rejects President Trump’s Election Challenge in Pennsylvania – The New York Times

“Voters, not lawyers, choose the president,” a judge for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals wrote in the 21-page repudiation of President Trump’s legal effort to halt Pennsylvania’s certification process.

Source: In Harsh Rebuke, Appeals Court Rejects President Trump’s Election Challenge in Pennsylvania – The New York Times

Megyn Kelly slams ‘woke’ media & ‘insufferable’ New York Times – BQ #37 – YouTube

Megyn Kelly discusses her career as a former Fox News host and analyses the media landscape in the latest episode of The Sun’s Burning Questions series. Kelly hosts The Megyn Kelly Show linked here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast… Watch all of The Sun’s Burning Questions: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list… From Brexit breaking news to HD movie trailers, The Sun newspaper brings you the latest news videos and explainers from the UK and around the world.

12 staff members at Westmoreland Manor test positive for coronavirus | TribLIVE.com

Since Sept. 19, the number of residents testing positive stands at 152; the number of staff with positive test results has reached 60, according to Assistant Administrator Abby Testa. Six residents have died of covid-19 since the onset of the pandemic.

Westmoreland County set a new daily record for cases on Wednesday, when 273 new coronavirus cases were added. In the past 15 days, the county has seen more covid cases (2,728) than all of October and September combined (2,657).

The county saw another seven covid-related deaths added on Wednesday — setting a new record seven-day total of 41 deaths. To date, Westmoreland has seen 179 fatalities because of the coronavirus.

Source: 12 staff members at Westmoreland Manor test positive for coronavirus | TribLIVE.com

Greensburg restaurant adapting, plans indoor farmers market

GREENSBURG, Pa. —A Greensburg restaurant owner is continuing her mission to adapt to changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.Lisa Hegedus has owned Caffe Barista for 23 years. This year, she was forced to adapt quickly when the coronavirus pandemic hit in March.

“We developed a box meal program, we delivered to all essential workers and offered curbside pickup,” Hegedus said.

The business is located across the street from the Westmoreland County Courthouse and has always relied on foot traffic. With her catering business taking a hit, Hegedus focused more on getting individual meals to customers.

“You have to pivot your business,” Hegedus said. “If you don’t look at the way things are happening around you and adapt to them, you’re not going to stay open.”

Now, Hegedus is planning to pivot again with an indoor farmers market in her store, starting early next year. The goal is for customers to be able to pick up fresh produce and dairy products, while still offering the food and beverages customers are used to.

“We’re just adding a new dimension to what we already offer. It brings more people into town shopping at all the other businesses,” Hegedus said. “We’re very thankful for everything, for all of our customers the 23 years we’ve been here, and hopefully another 23 more.”

Hegedus said work on the new setup is set to get underway soon, with the goal of having the farmers market open in the early months of 2021.

Source: Greensburg restaurant adapting, plans indoor farmers market

Source: Caffe Barista

Tourists flock to visit mysterious 12-foot monolith in Utah desert | Daily Mail Online

Curious tourists have tracked down a mysterious metal monolith that was discovered in a remote area of the Utah desert on November 18. A similar structure appeared in Seattle in 2001.

Curious tourists have tracked down a mysterious metal monolith that was discovered in a remote area of the Utah desert earlier this month, as it’s revealed a similar version appeared nearly 20 years ago on New Years Day in Seattle.

Across the globe UFO spotters and conspiracy theorists have become obsessed with the shiny, triangular pillar that was discovered by baffled local officials counting bighorn sheep from the air last Wednesday in southeastern Utah.

Several adventurous hikers successfully located the monolith on Tuesday and gleefully climbed the mystifying object and snapped photos with it, even though officials didn’t disclose its exact location for fear people would get lost searching for it.

Source: Tourists flock to visit mysterious 12-foot monolith in Utah desert | Daily Mail Online

Denso fuel pumps recalled in 3.5M Toyotas, Hondas, Fords, Subarus | Autoblog

Auto parts supplier Denso has added 1.5 million vehicles to a recall list for a fuel pump it makes, bringing the total to 3.53 million cars.

The affected model years are 2013-2020.

If you own a vehicle with this fuel pump, Denso says you’ll be notified by the automaker. However, as always with recalls, if you bought the vehicle used, the government and the automaker may not know you’re the current owner. So you should take it upon yourself to enter your car’s VIN at NHTSA’s recall lookup page.

Source: Denso fuel pumps recalled in 3.5M Toyotas, Hondas, Fords, Subarus | Autoblog

Europe Covid: WHO says continent was largest contributor to new deaths in the past week – CNN

Europe remained the biggest global contributor to new Covid-19 cases and deaths in the past week, the World Health Organization (WHO) said, despite signs that stricter measures against the spread of the virus are starting to have an impact.

(CNN)Europe remained the biggest global contributor to new Covid-19 cases and deaths in the past week, the World Health Organization (WHO) said, despite signs that stricter measures against the spread of the virus are starting to have an impact.

The European region accounted for 44% of global new cases and 49% of global new deaths in the past week, according to the latest weekly WHO report, released Tuesday.
While the number of new cases in the region is declining on a weekly basis, the number of deaths is still rising, with 32,684 new fatalities reported in the previous seven days.
This update comes as countries across the continent grapple with how to allow people to celebrate upcoming holidays, including Christmas, and mitigate the economic pain to businesses while countering the pandemic.

Source: Europe Covid: WHO says continent was largest contributor to new deaths in the past week – CNN

Live! Casino Pittsburgh Holds Grand Opening, Opens To The Public For First Time – CBS Pittsburgh

HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP (KDKA) — After months of construction and planning, Live! Casino Pittsburgh at Westmoreland Mall will open to the public today.That project has brought a lot of jobs to the area and opening in the middle of a pandemic is no easy feat.The casino will hold its grand opening on Tuesday morning, not too much longer before those doors open and people get to press their luck.
With the casino opening during the Coronavirus pandemic, safety measures will be in place.There will be mask requirements, temperature checks, physical distancing, and repeated cleaning of high-traffic areas, slot machines, and table games.

Source: Live! Casino Pittsburgh Holds Grand Opening, Opens To The Public For First Time – CBS Pittsburgh

Somerset school district to close until Dec. 7 | Somerset | dailyamerican.com

Somerset Area School District Superintendent Krista Mathias reported on Friday that officials learned about four new positive COVID-19 cases in the district.

“All students and employees who were close contacts of the affected individuals have been notified and quarantined accordingly,” she wrote in an email.

As a result, the entire district will be closed for 14 days. School will resume on Dec. 7, barring additional cases or directives from the state.

All students will be learning remotely Monday and Tuesday of next week, as well as on Dec. 1-4.

Mathias said that she is in contact with state health officials each time a case is reported. Thorough cleanings and other precautions are part of the mitigation efforts.

Source: Somerset school district to close until Dec. 7 | Somerset | dailyamerican.com

Two Pittsburgh Clubs Shut Down For COVID-19 Mandate Violations | Pittsburgh, PA Patch

The Allegheny County Health Department has ordered two Pittsburgh nightclubs to close for violating coronavirus-related regulations.PITTSBURGH, PA — The Allegheny County Health Department has shut down two Pittsburgh nightclubs for multiple violations of state and county coronavirus mandates. Ordered closed for at least seven days were Tilden on Liberty Avenue in the Downtown Cultural District and Bridgez on Arlington Avenue in the South Side Slopes.

Source: Two Pittsburgh Clubs Shut Down For COVID-19 Mandate Violations | Pittsburgh, PA Patch

PA Supreme Court rejects Trump challenge to absentee ballots in Allegheny County | Fox News

President Trump’s attorneys asked the courts to throw out ballots that were missing information.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court rejected the Trump campaign lawsuits Monday that called for the dismissal of more than 8,000 absentee ballots in Allegheny County.

In five lawsuits, President Trump’s attorneys asked the courts to throw out ballots that were missing information, such as a handwritten name or address or the date on which the ballots were signed. In its ruling, the state’s Supreme Court determined the ballots should be considered valid.

“Here we conclude that while failures to include a handwritten name, address or date in the voter declaration on the back of the outer envelope, while constituting technical violations of the Election Code, do not warrant the wholesale disenfranchisement of thousands of Pennsylvania voters,” the ruling said.

PERDUE, LOEFFLER BACK TRUMP CALL FOR GEORGIA RECOUNT, MORE SIGNATURE MATCHING

In addition, the state Supreme Court reversed a lower court ruling that had invalidated 2,349 ballots in Allegheny County over missing information. The ruling was a setback for Trump as the state’s counties move forward with efforts to certify the Pennsylvania vote.

Source: PA Supreme Court rejects Trump challenge to absentee ballots in Allegheny County | Fox News

L.A. County nears new stay-home order as COVID cases rise – Los Angeles Times

The specter of another COVID-19 shutdown is looming over Los Angeles County, as another record-high number of daily coronavirus cases Monday pushed the region over its self-set threshold for issuing a new stay-at-home order.

When such an order will be handed down, or what precise form it will take, is unclear — though the county director of public health, Barbara Ferrer, said Monday that “for sure we’re not going back to all of the restrictions that were in place in the original Safer at Home order.

“We’ll be working with the Board [of Supervisors] to determine additional safety modifications,” she said, describing the new health order as a “targeted Safer-at-Home order.”

The board is scheduled to meet Tuesday.

Source: L.A. County nears new stay-home order as COVID cases rise – Los Angeles Times

Local Charities Providing Meals To Pittsburgh Families During Thanksgiving Week – CBS Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Local charitable organizations across the Pittsburgh area will be providing Thanksgiving meals to thousands of residents in the next week while balancing the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.

Beginning on Monday, Light of Life Rescue Mission will package over 1,800 Thanksgiving dinner boxes for families in need on the North Side.

After that, on Thanksgiving Day, Light of Life will provide 1,000 meals to those in need along with handing out winter hats, gloves, scarves, and hygiene kits.

Light of Life Director of Development Doug Smith ensures all events can take place safely during their busiest week of the year.

“Obviously, we’ve had to make a lot of changes all throughout the year,” Smith said. “We were prepared very early.”

Light of Life Rescue Mission has remained open throughout the pandemic. Their Thanksgiving outreach typically packs their Northside building.

Smith says that won’t be the case this year, but they still plan to serve as many people as needed.

Meals will either be delivered, served to-go, or inside a heated tent outside the building. Everyone, including volunteers, must have masks on and keep their distance.

Source: Local Charities Providing Meals To Pittsburgh Families During Thanksgiving Week – CBS Pittsburgh

L.A. County suspends outdoor dining at restaurants as coronavirus surges – Los Angeles Times

In a devastating blow to Los Angeles’ struggling restaurant industry, L.A. County public health officials on Sunday announced they will suspend outdoor dining at restaurants amid a surge of new coronavirus cases.

Customers dine in the Hollywood Riviera area of Redondo Beach. L.A. County has suspend outdoor dining Sunday due to the rise in coronavirus cases. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)

Few segments of the L.A. retail economy have been hit harder by the pandemic than the once-booming dining world, with many landmark names closing in recent months and many more on the brink. After they were forced to close indoor dining rooms in the spring, many eateries got a lifeline when officials allowed them to serve outdoors, often in patios and makeshift dining halls built in parking lots and streets.

The new rule takes effect at 10 p.m. Wednesday and restricts restaurants — along with breweries, wineries and bars — to takeout and delivery only for the first time since May. It will remain in place for at least three weeks, officials said.

Wineries and breweries can continue retail operations.

“The persistent high number of cases requires additional safety measures that limit mixing in settings where people are not wearing masks,” Barbara Ferrer, the L.A. County health director, said in a statement.

 

Officials had warned earlier in the week that the new rule would be imposed if the five-day average of new cases reached 4,000, or if hospitalizations topped 1,750 per day.

Source: L.A. County suspends outdoor dining at restaurants as coronavirus surges – Los Angeles Times

Investigation finds more than a half-million Pennsylvanians denied unemployment

NORTH VERSAILLES, Pa. — Channel 4 Action News Investigates has learned more than a half-million Pennsylvanians who applied for unemployment during the pandemic have still not been able to get it.For some, long waits for benefits have become long waits to appeal the denial of benefit

John Roman of North Versailles was laid off from his job as a school bus driver in March.Action News Investigates first told his story in April, when he was struggling to get benefits.”You can’t get through. Keep getting busy signals. I tried like four or five hours in one day,” Roman said at the time.

Eventually, the checks started coming. But in June, his case took a twist.The state Department of Labor and Industry sent him a letter saying he was ineligible for benefits and ordering him to pay back $3,000.The reason? The state said Roman took a leave of absence.But medical records show he was hospitalized for acute illness — pneumonia and COPD.So Roman filed an appeal, saying the state decision was incorrect. That was five months ago.

Asked what happened since then, Roman said: “Nothing. Nothing at all.”He’s called the state unemployment office repeatedly. He contacted his state legislator.”Mine’s at the bottom of the pile, I guess,” Roman said.In August, he finally got a callback from the state unemployment office.

An official left a voicemail message saying: “We have received the appeal information however it was not under review so that was a mistake on our part. You should receive information from us soon as again I have escalated this matter to a supervisor.”But Roman did not get a hearing until Monday, nearly three months after he received that voicemail message.”It’s wrong,” Roman said.In yet another twist, Roman was approved for unemployment after first being denied. But the state has been deducting the money he allegedly owes from the amount he is supposed to be collecting, leaving him with virtually nothing.”I could never understand their system,” Roman said.

Top state unemployment officials would not discuss specifics of Roman’s case but they were surprised when Action News Investigates told them how long he’s been waiting for his appeal.

“I do know the appeals office is still on time with everything so depending on the timing of when that was requested and what the actual circumstances are, that probably has a lot to do with it,” said Susan Dickinson, director of unemployment policy.

“John is emblematic of so many people who are so frustrated with the system and don’t know where to turn for help,” said Barney Oursler of the Mon Valley Unemployed Committee.

Oursler reached out to help Roman after seeing his initial story. He said the state made a mistake and Roman deserves to be paid.But even Oursler, who helped thousands of unemployed steelworkers in the 1980s, has hit a wall with Harrisburg.

“The system is failing people and that’s the frustration people have,” Oursler said.State officials said 32% of all Pennsylvanians filing unemployment claims during the pandemic — about 600,000 people — have been rejected.

There have been about 43,000 appeals filed.Five months after filing his appeal, Roman said he hopes he can finally get an answer.”It’s been very frustrating. There’s times I just lay down and close my eyes, is it a dream or is it reality? I’m finding out it’s reality,” Roman said.

Source: Investigation finds more than a half-million Pennsylvanians denied unemployment

Hiring push is on at 84 Lumber, Pittsburgh agency tapped to create recruitment program

PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh-based BLD Marketing on Thursday said it has created and launched a recruitment marketing program for 84 Lumber Co.

The nation’s largest privately held building materials supplier, 84 Lumber operates about 250 stores, plants, custom millwork and door shops and engineered wood product centers in more than 30 states. It is hiring for various positions due to increased residential construction and, as of Thursday, listed 478 open positions from labor to management on its website.

The Business Times recently reported that 84 Lumber said it topped $4 billion in annual sales for the first time in its history with projections to reach more than $4.5 billion by year-end. Expansion is underway into Detroit; Stockton, California; and Boise, Idaho, with new stores scheduled to open in early 2021.

 

Source: Hiring push is on at 84 Lumber, Pittsburgh agency tapped to create recruitment program

Georgia election audit finds 3,039 more uncounted ballots in 2 counties

More than 3,000 uncounted ballots turned up in Georgia as the state is conducting an audit of the 2020 presidential election.

As the hand-tallying continues, officials in Fayette County unearthed 2,755 ballots that had not been included in the original count.

GEORGIA INVESTIGATING VOTE COUNTING DELAYED BY FLOODING IN DEMOCRATIC COUNTY

“There was an issue where we noticed there were more people on the absentee ballot filed for voting in person in Fayette County than was in the actual reporting,” Georgia election official Gabriel Sterling said, according to Fox 5 Atlanta. “It was discovered today for certain. Because of the audit, we found this.”

Sterling said the problem was the result of several individuals not following the proper procedures.

An additional 284 ballots were found in Walton County. The local Board of Elections chair, Lori Wood, told the Walton Tribune the problem was due to votes being previously uploaded from only one of the two ballot scanners in a precinct.

“We would have discovered it,” Wood said. “Maybe not this week, but we would have discovered it.”

The Walton County ballots boosted President Trump’s lead in the heavily Republican county by 176 votes.

GEORGIA RECOUNT UNEARTHS MORE THAN 2,600 UNCOUNTED BALLOTS IN FLOYD COUNTY: REPORT

The recent findings follow the discovery of more than 2,600 ballots in Floyd County that had not been counted. At the time, Floyd County Republican Party chair Luke Martin called the mishap “concerning” but insisted that it “doesn’t appear to be a widespread issue.”

Source: Georgia election audit finds 3,039 more uncounted ballots in 2 counties

New Research Shows Dinosaurs Would Have Flourished Were It Not For Asteroid | Complex

Dinosaurs would have kept right on living, had an asteroid not wiped them out. That’s according to new research from the University of Bath and London’s Natural History Museum.

While it’s recently been en vogue to claim that dinosaurs were seeing their time of planet-wide domination come to an end even before a massive impact hurried them off the Earth, this new study claims that dinosaurs would have lived on.

The theory this study refutes claims that dinosaur species diversity was dwindling, a sign that the entire branch of the animal kingdom was winding down while avians and mammals were on the rise.

“What we found is that the dinosaurs were still dominant, they were still widespread and still doing really well,” explained lead author Joe Bonsor. “If the asteroid impact had never happened then they might not have died out and they would have continued after the Cretaceous.’

Bonsor and his fellow researchers believe that the prior theory is based on gaps in the fossil record and not hard evidence. Dinosaurs were an incredibly diverse group of animals that lived for hundreds of millions of years. While many of them died in that time, most of their remains were not fossilized. Bonsor thinks that the theory of diversity decline is based on lack of fossils and not proof.

Lead author of the study, Joe Bonsor, is undertaking his PhD jointly at the Milner Centre for Evolution at the University of Bath and the Natural History Museum.

He said: “Previous studies done by others have used various methods to draw the conclusion that dinosaurs would have died out anyway, as they were in decline towards the end of the Cretaceous period.

“However, we show that if you expand the dataset to include more recent dinosaur family trees and a broader set of dinosaur types, the results don’t actually all point to this conclusion – in fact only about half of them do.”

Source: New Research Shows Dinosaurs Would Have Flourished Were It Not For Asteroid | Complex

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer faces possible impeachment proceedings for ‘corrupt conduct’ | Fox News

Three Republican members of Michigan’s House of Representatives introduced a resolution for impeachment against Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Wednesday, following the state’s plan to enforce new coronavirus-related restrictions.

“Today I introduced Articles of Impeachment against Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer,” Rep. Beau LaFave said on twitter Wednesday.

“The four articles of impeachment against Gov. Whitmer include failing to respect the separation of powers by exercising power granted to the legislative branch, violating the constitutional rights of the people of Michigan, issuing executive orders against the interests of the people and state, and using state resources to reward political allies,” he added.

Source: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer faces possible impeachment proceedings for ‘corrupt conduct’ | Fox News

Diocese of Greensburg to televise Christmas Masses | TribLIVE.com

The Diocese of Greensburg will televise Christmas Masses this season in addition to holding in-person services, to engage parishioners at home amid concern over a strong resurgence in coronavirus cases throughout the region.

“The Diocese and its parishes have consistently had thousands of faithful viewers watch our streaming Masses from their computers, tablets and smart televisions for many months now,” said Monsignor Larry Kulick.

The diocese streams Masses on its website, Facebook page and YouTube channel, and Christmas Vigil and Christmas Day Masses will premiere on those outlets as well, but it will also be broadcast on the Pittsburgh Cable News Channel.

A Christmas Vigil at Greensburg’s Blessed Sacrament Cathedral will be broadcast at 2 p.m., Dec. 24. Kulick will celebrate a 10 a.m. Mass on Christmas Day.

The diocese began reopening for in-person services on June 1. Kulick said 50 of 78 parishes in the diocese now stream Mass services, “however there are still many in our community who cannot access the internet … I hope these televised Masses will provide an opportunity for us to engage individuals and families celebrating the birth of Jesus with them in their own homes.”

In the past 30 days, Westmoreland County has seen its worst surge in coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic.

The county added 187 cases Sunday and 167 on Monday. Of those, were confirmed through PCR tests.

Source: Diocese of Greensburg to televise Christmas Masses | TribLIVE.com

WordPress Sites Face 3.5 Billion Cyber Attack Attempts A Day, New Data Shows | Tech Times

New data from website maintenance pioneer Glow shows that businesses using WordPress websites are regularly targeted by hackers, with a daily average of 3.5 billion attempts.

On behalf of Glow, Gemma Birbeck reports that the website maintenance platform gathered and collated data from September 1 to 30. It found a total of 52,589 suspicious logins across the small business sites subscribed to the maintenance app.

It equates to an average of 1,421 attempts for each site all through September, meaning that each WordPress website using Glow experiences around 47 hacking attempts every single day.

According to the WordCamp website, there are more than 75 million websites using the web hosting platform. Extrapolating the data brings WordPress’ total daily average hacking attempts to a staggering 3.5 billion.

Also ReadWordPress World-Wide Hacking Spree Begins With The Plugin Bug that Uploads Malicious Files

Costly and Consistent Security Threats

A 2019 report from the Federation of Small Business (FSB) states that cyberattacks – including website hacks – on small businesses is estimated to be at £4.5 billion ($5.9 billion), with individual attacks costing around £1,300 ($1,700) each. Additionally, FSB reports that the most common strategy used is phishing – working to obtain sensitive information by pretending to be someone else, usually through emails or phone calls. Phishing alone is responsible for affecting 530,000 small businesses for the past two years prior to the report.

WebARX, a web application security platform, also conducted its independent study. It found that almost two in every three businesses (66 percent) who experienced cyberattacks expressed worries about ever recovering from their losses.

Adopting The Latest in Website Security

Phil Storey, a tech entrepreneur and website developer baked in Leeds, founded Glow – a platform to streamline website maintenance and keep them updated, secure, and efficient.

“Website maintenance has always been a difficult service to sell due to lack of understanding about its importance and perceived costs, and it’s often something people only explore once they become a victim of a website issue,” Storey said in a statement.

He explained that he developed Glow to change the status quo, educating people about the importance of website maintenance and protecting their businesses. “We’re already beginning to see changes in people’s views, however, there’s a long way to go and the time to act is now,” the Glow founder noted.

“Since COVID-19 first hit the UK in March, internet usage has increased, and this is something which hackers have taken advantage of. As small businesses across the world battle with the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s important now more than ever that they protect themselves from further financial crisis,” Storey added.

Source: WordPress Sites Face 3.5 Billion Cyber Attack Attempts A Day, New Data Shows | Tech Times

Conan O’Brien ending late-night show after 28 years

Conan O’Brien is no longer a night owl.

The comedian is ending his run as a late-night talk show host after nearly three decades.

O’Brien, 57, announced Tuesday that he’ll finish his TBS series “Conan” at the completion of its 10th season in June 2021. However, he has signed on for a new, weekly variety series on HBO Max. No specific details were released about the upcoming show.

“In 1993, Johnny Carson gave me the best advice of my career: ‘As soon as possible, get to a streaming platform,’ ” the flop-topped redhead joked in a statement released by WarnerMedia. “I’m thrilled that I get to continue doing whatever the hell it is I do on HBO Max, and I look forward to a free subscription.”

“Conan” premiered on TBS in November 2010. He had hosted his namesake NYC-based “Late Night With Conan O’Brien” from 1993 to 2009, when he relocated to Los Angeles to take over hosting NBC’s “The Tonight Show” from Jay Leno. But he lasted for less than a year on the job and handed the reins back to Leno in 2010 following an acrimonious departure from the network.

He has signed on for a new, weekly variety series on HBO Max.

Source: Conan O’Brien ending late-night show after 28 years

Nancy Pelosi’s HEROES Act Gives $350M to 50 Richest Zip Codes – Foundation for Economic Education

At some point, when the election chaos is finally settled, Congress will likely turn to passing another COVID-19 stimulus/relief bill. (Despite the last one being plagued by rampant fraud and dysfunction). One starting point for negotiations will be the “HEROES Act,” a $2.2 trillion bill the House passed in October on a party-line vote by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and her fellow Democrats.

One of the most significant aspects of the HEROES Act is that it allocates nearly $700 billion in federal money for state, local, and tribal governments.

Proponents say this gives localities the funds they need to pay emergency responders and fund programs necessary to protect their communities. Critics point out that much of this money is used to “bail out” blue states that were already mismanaging their budgets and running up large unfunded pension programs before the pandemic.

Indeed, the left-leaning Brookings Institution has projected that “state and local government revenues will decline $155 billion in 2020, $167 billion in 2021, and $145 billion in 2022.” Simple math shows us that the CARES Act gives states and localities hundreds of billions more in federal money than they are actually projected to lose due to pandemic-related decreases in revenue.

This alone should be a red flag. Yet a new analysis also reveals that Pelosi and her fellow “progressives” snuck millions of dollars in cash for some of the nation’s wealthiest zip codes into their emergency COVID-19 package.

Source: Nancy Pelosi’s HEROES Act Gives $350M to 50 Richest Zip Codes – Foundation for Economic Education

Mayor Peduto proposes 2021 Operating and Capital budgets – South Pittsburgh Reporter

Last week, Mayor William Peduto delivered his proposed 2021 Operating and Capital budgets to City Council, and delivered his annual State of the City address.

The $564 million operating budget does not include tax increases and works to avoid layoffs and furloughs of city personnel.

Due to COVID-19 the city has been forced to spend nearly all of the $120 fund balance the city built up through fiscal discipline the past seven years, and is joining cities nationwide seeking federal aid to help pay for the services and safety provided to residents through the ongoing pandemic.

“We made tough decisions to stop public events, close pools, senior centers and rec centers, but still watched as our coworkers and neighbors lost their livelihoods and too often their lives,” the Mayor said in his budget speech.

Source: Mayor Peduto proposes 2021 Operating and Capital budgets – South Pittsburgh Reporter

%d bloggers like this: