Pet food recall expanded after more than 70 dogs die

FDA investigates potentially fatal levels of aflatoxins, poisons produced by mold that’s not necessarily visible.

Midwestern Pet Food is expanding its recall of dog and cat food sold online by retailers nationwide as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigates potentially fatal levels of aflatoxins.

Midwestern, based in Evansville, Indiana, is broadening a prior recall to include all pet foods manufactured in the company’s Oklahoma plant containing corn and having an expiration date on or before July 9, 2022.

Source: Pet food recall expanded after more than 70 dogs die

Indonesia earthquake: at least seven dead after tremors and landslides hit Sulawesi | World news | The Guardian

Thousands flee for safety and higher ground after island’s second quake in 24 hours

At least seven people have been killed and hundreds injured following a strong earthquake that shook Indonesia’s Sulawesi island overnight, prompting landslides and destroying houses.

Thousands of people fled their homes to seek safety when the 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit just after 1am local time on Friday morning.

The epicentre of the quake was six kilometres north-east of Majene city at a depth of 10 kilometres.

Initial reports from the country’s disaster mitigation agency said four people had died and 637 others were injured in Majene. Three more fatalities were reported in the neighbouring area of Mamuju, as well as two dozen injured.

Source: Indonesia earthquake: at least seven dead after tremors and landslides hit Sulawesi | World news | The Guardian

Man found dead inside home after shots reported in Allegheny County community

WILKINSBURG, Pa. — A man was found dead inside a home in Wilkinsburg early Thursday morning after a report of shots fired, police said.

Allegheny County 911 was notified just after 3 a.m. of the shots fired on Wright Street.

First responders found a man inside the home who had been shot, investigators said. He was pronounced dead.

Homicide detectives are investigating. Anyone with information is asked to call the Allegheny County Police Tip Line at 1-833-ALL-TIPS.

Source: Man found dead inside home after shots reported in Allegheny County community

Biden lays out $1.9 trillion Covid relief package with $1,400 stimulus checks

The “American Rescue Plan” also includes $416 billion to help launch a national vaccination program with a goal of vaccinating 50 million people and reopening schools in his first 100 days.

President-elect Joe Biden laid out his $1.9 trillion relief package in a prime-time address Thursday — focusing on a new round of stimulus checks to struggling Americans and an ambitious vaccine distribution plan to control the deadly pandemic.

Biden will ask the new Democratic-controlled Congress to approve the “American Rescue Plan.” A chunk of the funds —$416 billion— would help launch a national vaccination program with a goal of vaccinating 100 million Americans and reopening schools in the first 100 days of his administration.

Source: Biden lays out $1.9 trillion Covid relief package with $1,400 stimulus checks

Illegal Cockfighting

Cockfighting is a blood sport due in some part to the physical trauma the cocks inflict on each other, which is sometimes increased by attaching metal spurs to the cocks’ natural spurs. While not all fights are to the death, the cocks may endure significant physical trauma. In some areas around the world, cockfighting is still practiced as a mainstream event; in some countries it is regulated by law, or forbidden outright. Advocates of the “age old sport” often list cultural and religious relevance as reasons for perpetuation of cockfighting as a sport.

Game fowl hunting is alive and well in America. Nearly 20 years ago, Oklahoma made the sport of cockfighting a federal crime, but since then, the state is now one of the biggest importers of game fowl for sale in the country, as a result of a strong national animal rights lobby. Many states, including New Mexico, have banned cockfighting, but the majority of states’ laws are not enforced. For that reason, there is a great opportunity for someone who wants to hunt down a pair of gobblers or quail to be able to do so legally and safely. To find game fowl for sale in any state, you will need to consult with the local game and fish offices. If a game bird is held in stock, you can usually have it seized and sold on public auction.

Cockfights often end with the death of one of the competitors, and many involve spurs that are attached to the cock’s feet. Critics also note that cockfighting often is tied to illegal gambling activities, and that the birds typically are given illegal drugs to increase their fighting ability and stamina. Recognized sports aside, fighting is often illegal for one or more of the following reasons: There is no social utility in having people “settle their differences” through fisticuffs. Street fights raise broader issues such as excessive drinking, public intoxication, rowdiness, and public disturbances.

UK clamps down on Xinjiang labor camps, accusing China of ‘torture’

The U.K. has introduced new measures to root out the presence of alleged forced labor in China’s Xinjiang region in British supply chains.

  • China is accused of extrajudicially detaining over 1 million Uighur Muslims and other minorities in political re-education camps in the northwestern autonomous region, along with invasive surveillance, restrictions on Uighur culture and the use of forced labor.
  • Companies that fail to demonstrate adequate due diligence in ensuring their supply chains are free from forced labor will now be subject to fines, British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab announced in the House of Commons.

Source: UK clamps down on Xinjiang labor camps, accusing China of ‘torture’

China Places Over 22 Million on Lockdown Amid New Covid Wave – The New York Times

The country is experiencing its worst coronavirus flare-up since last summer, testing the government’s success in subduing the disease.

When a handful of new coronavirus cases materialized this month in a province surrounding Beijing — apparently spread at a village wedding party — the Chinese authorities bolted into action.

They locked down two cities with more than 17 million people, Shijiazhuang and Xingtai. They ordered a crash testing regime of nearly every resident there, which was completed in a matter of days.

They shut down transportation and canceled weddings, funerals and, most significantly, a provincial Communist Party conference.

By this week the lockdowns expanded to include another city on the edge of Beijing, Langfang, as well as a county in Heilongjiang, a northeastern province. Districts in Beijing itself, the Chinese capital, also shut down.

Source: China Places Over 22 Million on Lockdown Amid New Covid Wave – The New York Times

Monessen passes LGBTQ nondiscrimination ordinance, becomes first town in Westmoreland County to offer such civil rights protections | News | Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh City Paper

In many parts of Pennsylvania, it is still legal to evict or deny public accommodations to LGBTQ people. Only in jurisdictions with Human Relations Commissions do LGBTQ individuals and other classes not mentioned in state and federal civil rights laws have such nondiscrimination protections.

For years in the Pittsburgh-area, only municipalities within Allegheny County, and the county itself, offered nondiscrimination to LGBTQ individuals.

On Jan. 12, that changed, as Monessen became the first municipality in Westmoreland County, and the first non-Allegheny County municipality in the Pittsburgh region to pass a law creating a Human Relations Commission to provide nondiscrimination protections to LGBTQ individuals.

Source: Monessen passes LGBTQ nondiscrimination ordinance, becomes first town in Westmoreland County to offer such civil rights protections | News | Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh City Paper

Counting of lost ballots underway in Westmoreland County | TribLIVE.com

Westmoreland County elections officials Wednesday morning started counting more than two dozen provisional ballots cast in November but just recently discovered by staff during routine inspections of voting equipment.

Elections bureau staffers, serving as appointed members of a reconstituted provisional board, reviewed and qualified 20 ballots cast in North Huntingdon and one from Avonmore. Four ballots were rejected for being submitted by unregistered voters.

The North Huntingdon ballots, cast at the United Methodist Church on Coulterville Road, were discovered Dec. 28. Four additional ballots were found last week that were cast in Avonmore Borough, according to Elections Bureau Director JoAnn Sebastiani.

“They were inadvertently not reviewed (in November),” Sebastiani said of the Avonmore ballots.

Source: Counting of lost ballots underway in Westmoreland County | TribLIVE.com

Covid stimulus update: Biden to unveil new plan, hopes for bipartisan support

  • President-elect Joe Biden is expected on Thursday to unveil his long-awaited stimulus plan.
  • A person familiar with the transition team’s thinking confirmed that Biden will try to garner bipartisan support for his relief plan.
  • The proposal is expected to include a boost to the recently authorized $600 direct payments to most Americans and support for local government.
  • Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., said on Thursday he would be in favor of $2,000 stimulus checks and open to discussions with his Democratic colleagues.

Source: Covid stimulus update: Biden to unveil new plan, hopes for bipartisan support

Mitch McConnell is not holding hearings for Biden’s Cabinet picks – Vox

The Senate hasn’t held a single confirmation hearing on Biden’s nominees. That’s not normal.

So far, no hearings have been held on President-elect Joe Biden’s nominees — meaning Biden could face a serious delay in getting his administration ready to begin governing.

The Senate, which will still be led by Mitch McConnell for a little over a week, is currently out of session and will remain out of session until January 19, the day before President-elect Joe Biden takes office (technically, the Senate will hold brief “pro forma” sessions on the 12th and the 15th, but no business is conducted at these sessions).

As CNN’s Kylie Atwood notes, this is the first time in at least 10 presidential transitions where the incoming president’s nominee to be secretary of state won’t even have a confirmation hearing before that president’s Inauguration Day. And it’s unclear whether any hearings will be held before the Senate is scheduled to reconvene on January 19.

The Senate Finance Committee announced on Tuesday that it will hold a confirmation hearing for Treasury Secretary nominee Janet Yellen on January 19, the Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing for Defense Secretary nominee Lloyd Austin on the same day, and Homeland Security Secretary nominee Alejandro Mayorkas will also reportedly receive a hearing on the 19th.

But confirmation hearings for the incoming cabinet typically begin much sooner. Eight days before Trump took office, for example, six of Trump’s cabinet nominees had already received hearings.

Source: Mitch McConnell is not holding hearings for Biden’s Cabinet picks – Vox

Which 10 Republicans Supported the Trump Impeachment Resolution? | Newsmax.com

When the House voted Wednesday to impeach President Donald Trump for the second time, all 222 Democrats backed the move. Most Republicans opposed it, but with some notable exceptions.

These are the 10 Republican lawmakers who supported the move to impeach Trump for incitement of insurrection:

  • Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming
  • Rep. Peter Meijer of Michigan
  • Rep. Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio
  • Rep. Tom Rice of South Carolina
  • Rep. David Valadao of California
  • Rep. Dan Newhouse of Washington
  • Rep. John Katko of New York
  • Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington
  • Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois
  • Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan

Source: Which 10 Republicans Supported the Trump Impeachment Resolution? | Newsmax.com

Jean Connelly, former WTAE personality, dies

Connelly became one of the original employees at WTAE in 1958 where she launched her own talk show “The Jean Connelly Show” from 1960 through 1973.

Connelly enjoyed a wide variety of roles including anchoring the news, hosting Women’s Championship Bowling and landing big interviews for her hit talk show.

She decided to leave her on-air schedule in 1975, becoming WTAE’s director of public service for the next 13 years.

In 2002, Connelly was the first woman from western Pennsylvania to be inducted into the Pennsylvania Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

She is survived by her three children and five grandchildren.

Her family said a celebration of Jean’s life is planned for the spring when it can be done safely together.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children, where Connelly served on the board for 25 years.

Source: Jean Connelly, former WTAE personality, dies

Twitter silent after Pelosi tweet declaring 2016 election was ‘hijacked’ resurfaces

A resurfaced May 2017 tweet from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has led to calls for consistency from Twitter as the social media giant continues its efforts to crack down on those skeptical of the results of the 2020 presidential election.

TWITTER BANS TRUMP, BUT IRANIAN AYATOLLAH, LOUIS FARRAKHAN, CHINESE PROPAGANDISTS STILL ACTIVE

However, on the eve of Robert Mueller’s appointment as a special counsel to investigate allegations of collusion between Russian officials and the Trump 2016 campaign, Pelosi tweeted: “Our election was hijacked. There is no question. Congress has a duty to #ProtectOurDemocracy & #FollowTheFacts.”

Mueller’s investigation ultimately found no evidence of collusion and a 2018 report from the Senate Intelligence Committee that there was no evidence that Russia changed vote tallies in the 2016 election.

Source: Twitter silent after Pelosi tweet declaring 2016 election was ‘hijacked’ resurfaces

Uganda bans all social media ahead of election

Uganda shut down all social media in the country Tuesday after the country’s longtime leader accused Facebook of taking sides in the upcoming presidential election on Thursday.

President Yoweri Museveni, 76, apologized for the inconvenience caused by the ban, but said Uganda had no choice after Facebook removed several accounts tied to his reelection campaign.

“If you want to take sides against the (ruling party), then that group will not operate in Uganda,” he said in a national address.

“We cannot tolerate this arrogance of anybody coming to decide for us who is good and who is bad.”

Facebook on Monday said it had taken down a network of accounts linked to Uganda’s ministry of information that “used fake and duplicate accounts to manage pages, comment on other people’s content, impersonate users, re-share posts in groups to make them appear more popular than they were.”

The social networking giant didn’t immediately respond to the president’s comments on Tuesday but Twitter, which also appeared to be affected ban, blasted the move.

“We strongly condemn internet shutdowns – they are hugely harmful, violate basic human rights and the principles of the #OpenInternet,” it said in a statement.

“Access to information and freedom of expression, including the public conversation on Twitter, is never more important than during democratic processes, particularly elections.”

Many social media users were outraged by Twitter’s comments, noting that the company — which recently permanently suspended President Trump’s account — had muzzled The New York Post during the 2020 race over its reporting on Hunter Biden.

Source: Uganda bans all social media ahead of election

Ambulance crews responding to large number of overdoses across Fayette, Westmoreland counties

GREENSBURG, Pa. — Ambulance crews have been responding to a substantial amount of overdose calls in Fayette County and across parts of Westmoreland County. Officials believe there could be a “bad batch” of drugs behind the problem.

“When a batch of bad substance comes into your area, normally it is in bulk so we don’t see one overdose here, one here, isolated. We start to see multiple calls in the same area,” said John Duke with Brownsville Ambulance Service.

In the last 24 hours, medics responded to over a dozen calls related to suspected drug overdoses and people under the influence. From the Connellsville area to Fayette City and Saltlick Township, at least three of the overdoses were deadly. Duke said the behavior of the people under the influence has been concerning.

“Combativeness. Walking around town with no shirt or pants on. Just stuff that’s totally off the wall and out there,” he said.Officials said while it’s dangerous to the people taking the substances, it’s also taxing on the crews who respond.“We all staff based on our call volume and what we can substantiate financially and when this additional call volume comes on, none of us are prepared for it,” Duke said.He’s putting out a warning about the drugs, especially after three people died.“Time still matters. If you have signs or symptoms of anything, call us. Let us get you the treatment you need,” Duke said.

Source: Ambulance crews responding to large number of overdoses across Fayette, Westmoreland counties

Lisa Montgomery: US executes only woman on federal death row – BBC News

Lisa Montgomery – the only female inmate on federal death row in the US – has been executed for murder.

She received a lethal injection at a prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, after a last-minute stay of execution was lifted by the US Supreme Court.

The case attracted attention because her lawyers argued she was mentally ill and suffered serious abuse as a child.

The 52-year-old strangled a pregnant woman before cutting out and kidnapping her baby in Missouri in 2004.

Her victim, 23-year-old Bobbie Jo Stinnett, bled to death.

Montgomery is the first female federal inmate to be put to death by the US government in 67 years.

According to witnesses, a woman standing next to Montgomery during the execution process, removed the inmate’s face mask and asked her if she had any last words. Montgomery responded “no”, and said nothing else.

She was pronounced dead at 01:31 (06:31 GMT). Montgomery’s lawyer, Kelley Henry, said that everyone who had participated in the execution “should feel shame”.

“The government stopped at nothing in its zeal to kill this damaged and delusional woman,” she said in a statement. “Lisa Montgomery’s execution was far from justice.”

 

Source: Lisa Montgomery: US executes only woman on federal death row – BBC News

YouTube suspends Trump for at least a week

YouTube said late Tuesday it’s suspending President Donald Trump’s channel for at least one week for violating the company’s policies amid fears of additional violence in the wake of the insurrection at the Capitol.

The details: The Google-owned video-sharing service announced in a tweet that the action would count as an initial strike against Trump’s account, which could lead to Trump being permanently banned on the platform if he violates its rules twice more.

“After review, and in light of concerns about the ongoing potential for violence, we removed new content uploaded to Donald J. Trump’s channel for violating our policies. It now has its 1st strike & is temporarily prevented from uploading new content for a *minimum* of 7 days,” YouTube’s press arm tweeted late Tuesday.

YouTube added that it would be “indefinitely disabling comments” on Trump’s account, again citing “ongoing concerns about violence” surrounding his online postings.

The company did not specify what content violated its policies.

Key context: The move comes as YouTube faces heightened pressure from Democratic lawmakers and left-leaning activists to crack down on Trump’s posts, after rivals Twitter and Facebook took more aggressive steps to limit the president’s accounts on those platforms.

Source: YouTube suspends Trump for at least a week

NASA reveals asteroid is heading for ‘near Earth’ approach | Science | News | Express.co.uk

AN ASTEROID which has been described by NASA as being “near Earth” is set to shoot by our planet

An asteroid which has been designated the name 2021 AX1 is gearing up for a close approach to our planet. NASA has revealed that the asteroid will make its closest approach to Earth on January 12. The asteroid was only discovered in the past few days by astronomers at the Mt Lemmon Survey in Tuscon, Arizona.

Now the space rock, which is 11 metres wide, is making its way through the solar system.

The asteroid is travelling at a staggering 9.1 kilometres per second.

That equates to roughly 32,760 kilometres an hour.

NASA analysis has shown the orbit of the asteroid, which has brought it past Mars.

NASA reveals asteroid is heading for 'near Earth' approach tomorrow

Source: NASA reveals asteroid is heading for ‘near Earth’ approach tomorrow | Science | News | Express.co.uk

Police: Altoona man threatens to kill Sheetz employees

ALTOONA, Pa. (WTAJ) — An Altoona man faces charges in Logan Township after police say he threatened to kill Sheetz employees.

Jeffrey Jackson, 57, allegedly made the threats over the course of several days in early January, according to Logan Township police.

The threats to employees of the store on the 1600 block of Pleasant Valley Boulevard were reported on Jan. 6. Charges of misdemeanor terroristic threats, harassment and disorderly conduct are pending.

Source: Police: Altoona man threatens to kill Sheetz employees

PrimoHoagies opening 21 new stores, including one in Pittsburgh, after coming off its ‘best year ever’

Philadelphia’s popular sandwich chain PrimoHoagies has signed agreements to open 21 new franchise locations throughout the Northeast after the company closed out what CEO Nicholas Papanier Jr. called its “best year ever” — despite 2020 being engulfed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Source: PrimoHoagies opening 21 new stores, including one in Pittsburgh, after coming off its ‘best year ever’

TRENDING NOW:

Scott says Democratic ‘overreach’ will help GOP win back Senate in 2022 | Fox News

Sen. Rick Scott predicts that the Democrats – who are days away from controlling the Senate, House and White House – will overreach over the next two years, giving the Republican senator from Florida a “big opportunity” as he works to regain the GOP Senate majority in the 2022 midterm elections.

Source: Scott says Democratic ‘overreach’ will help GOP win back Senate in 2022 | Fox News

1 injured when Mercedes flips in Pittsburgh’s South Side neighborhood | TribLIVE.com

One person was taken to the hospital after a Mercedes-Benz flipped onto its roof in Pittsburgh’s South Side neighborhood early Monday morning, Tribune-Review news partner WPXI reported.

The crash happened just after midnight.

The car struck two other vehicles before flipping on South 24th Street, according to WPXI.

Further details were not immediately available.

Source: 1 injured when Mercedes flips in Pittsburgh’s South Side neighborhood | TribLIVE.com

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