Minimum wage increase, new sick leave law in effect in NY

ALBANY, N.Y. — The minimum wage is going up in New York in 2021, and a new sick leave law is coming into effect.

Employees at most businesses can start using sick days that the new law allowed them to start accruing in September.

The rate is one hour for every 30 hours worked. Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office says about 1.3 million New Yorkers didn’t have access to paid sick leave before the law.

Also, the hourly minimum wage is now $14 an hour in Long Island and Westchester and $12.50 in the rest of the state.

Source: Minimum wage increase, new sick leave law in effect in NY

Steelers announce resting starters not traveling to Cleveland

The Pittsburgh Steelers announced that the starters who are sitting out this week to rest ahead of the playoffs did not travel with the team. This means quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, defensive lineman Cam Heyward, center Maurkice Pouncey and linebacker T.J. Watt will stay back in Pittsburgh while the rest of the team heads to Cleveland to try to knock the Browns out of playoff contention.

In addition, Pittsburgh also announced that kicker Chris Boswell and safety Terrell Edmunds are staying in Pittsburgh while they deal with injuries. Matthew Wright will handle the kicking duties this week and in Edmunds’ place, look for some combination of Jordan Dangerfield and Marcus Allen.

There was no mention of cornerback Joe Haden not traveling with the team but Haden, along with tight end Eric Ebron and linebacker Cassius Marsh were all placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.

Source: Steelers announce resting starters not traveling to Cleveland

Woman Found Dead Outside Of Pittsburgh Apartment Building, Police Investigating – CBS Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Pittsburgh Police are investigating after a woman was found deceased outside of an apartment building on Saturday morning.

Officers from Zone 1 responded to a call of an unresponsive female in the 400 block of W. Commons Street in the Allegheny West section of the city just before 8:00 a.m.

When officers arrived at the scene, they discovered a female outside an apartment building.

Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene.

Source: Woman Found Dead Outside Of Pittsburgh Apartment Building, Police Investigating – CBS Pittsburgh

GOP senators, led by Cruz, to object to Electoral College certification, demand emergency audit

A group of GOP senators led by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, will object to the Jan. 6 certification of the presidential election results next week unless there is an emergency 10-day audit of the results by an electoral commission.

Source: GOP senators, led by Cruz, to object to Electoral College certification, demand emergency audit

Is Bill Gates Trying to Fool Mother Nature? | Newsmax.com

bill gates
Bill Gates speaks during a Concert For COVID-19 Relief on June 24, 2020 in Washington. (Getty Images/Getty Images for All In)

Philanthropist Bill Gates is financially backing an effort to reverse global warming by dimming the sun before its rays hit the planet.

Have they really thought this one through?

The plan, spearheaded by Harvard University, is to spray millions of tons of tiny mirrored particles into the stratosphere to reflect solar radiation away from Earth.

The Swedish Space Corporation agreed earlier this month to give it its first trial run in June of next year, by launching a balloon near Kiruna, a town in the Arctic Circle, according to Reuters.

”There are very many real concerns” about the risks of climate change and solar geoengineering, said David Keith, who is involved in the project. He’s a professor of applied physics at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

”Understanding them requires a range of activities including experiments,” continued Keith, who is also a professor of public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School.

The unmanned test flight won’t actually release any particles into the stratosphere. It will instead check communications and other systems and work out maneuverability issues with the balloon.

However, Keith claimed it will be an important beginning leading up to the next step — releasing up to 2 kg (4.4 lbs.) of non-toxic calcium carbonate dust into the atmosphere.

Source: Is Bill Gates Trying to Fool Mother Nature? | Newsmax.com

Dick Thornburgh, Former PA Governor, U.S. Attorney General Dies | Pittsburgh, PA Patch

In this Sept. 30, 2003 file photo, former Pennsylvania Gov. Dick Thornburgh sits in his Washington office. Thornburgh died Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020 at a retirement community facility outside Pittsburgh, his son David said. (AP/Evan Vucci)

PITTSBURGH, PA — Dick Thornburgh, who served as both Pennsylvania governor and U.S. attorney general under presidents Ronald Regan and George H.W. Bush, died Thursday in a Pittsburgh-area retirement community. He was 88.

Source: Dick Thornburgh, Former PA Governor, U.S. Attorney General Dies | Pittsburgh, PA Patch

Pennsylvania Turnpike Tolls Going Up This Weekend – CBS Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Starting this weekend, you will have to pay more to drive on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

On Sunday, tolls will increase by six percent for those with an E-ZPass. If you do not have one, you will pay an extra 45 percent using the new Toll By Plate system.

The Pa. Turnpike says the increases are necessary to make its annual $450 million payment to PennDOT.

Source: Pennsylvania Turnpike Tolls Going Up This Weekend – CBS Pittsburgh

Johnstown restaurant gives back to essential workers, deliver hundreds of meals

Balance Restaurant in Johnstown organized a food distribution to give nearly 400 meals to community organizations, as a way to say thank you. Owner, Amanda Artim named it “Give Back, Give Thanks Meals.”

“We came up with this idea to do take out and we were allowing people to pick from organizations they would like for us to deliver to or they could also purchase and then come pick up and take to families they know are in need,” said Artim.

With donations from the community and the countless volunteer hours from Artim’s staff, Balance was able to deliver 400 meals to organizations like the Johnstown Fire Department, Johnstown Police Department, Conemaugh Hospital, The Salvation Army and St. Vincent De Paul’s Family Kitchen.

Chilling Revelation: Our Lockdowns Wouldn’t Have Happened Without Help from the Chinese

The man originally responsible for lockdowns in the U.K. and arguably the U.S. bragged that he took his inspiration directly from the Chinese Communist Party in a recent interview with a British newspaper.

Professor Neil Ferguson, the disgraced Imperial College London scientist who convinced U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson to lock down his country in March, has spilled the beans on what inspired him to forever alter Western society.

Source: Chilling Revelation: Our Lockdowns Wouldn’t Have Happened Without Help from the Chinese

Brad Raffensperger’s Brother Works For Huawei – DickMorris.com

Everyone wondered why Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger did all he could to block President Trump’s efforts to get a fair count of the votes there.

He refused to require adequate verification of signatures on absentee and mail-in ballots, kicked Republican observers out on election day and in the subsequent recounts, did not give the GOP a list of who voted so they could check for errors, and then refused to change the rules to give the Republicans a fair vote count in the Senate runoffs in Georgia coming up on January 5th.

But he’s a Republican, right? Labeling him a RINO only goes so far in explaining his conduct.

But now we find a curious fact. His brother, Ron Raffensperger, turns out to be employed by Huawei, the miscreant Chinese company controlled by the Beijing government and sanctioned by the US. Ron Raffensperger is the CTO of Huawei Enterprise Storage Solutions. Based in Shenzhen, China.

Huawei is the company peddling its new technology that will allow China to spy on all the world’s people just as it does now on all those living in China. Its HG-5 equipment is not just a profit center for China. If it is adopted world-wide it will allow spying on anyone who uses it.

Source: Brad Raffensperger’s Brother Works For Huawei – DickMorris.com

Westmoreland Co. Man Charged After Allegedly Fighting 3 Police Officers During Welfare Check – CBS Pittsburgh

NORTH HUNTINGDON, Pa. (KDKA) — A Westmoreland County man has been charged after he allegedly fought three police officers who came to his home for a welfare check.

For Jake Ruffing, living in his North Huntingdon apartment hasn’t been much fun.

For North Huntingdon police, a recent visit to the dwelling proved a challenge as well.

According to police, they showed up at the Central Highway address to check on 23-year-old Kevin Shouse. Investigators say Shouse greeted the officers while swinging an 18-inch machete.

Source: Westmoreland Co. Man Charged After Allegedly Fighting 3 Police Officers During Welfare Check – CBS Pittsburgh

Some in Pittsburgh’s South Hills waited days for city snowplow, councilman says | TribLIVE.com

It took two and a half days for some Pittsburgh residents to see a plow or salt truck after the region had the heaviest Christmas snowfall on record.

The issues in the South Hills neighborhoods should be remedied next year, when a new $2 million public works campus will be built to serve the area, Councilman Bruce Kraus said.

Source: Some in Pittsburgh’s South Hills waited days for city snowplow, councilman says | TribLIVE.com

 

Luke Letlow, 41-year-old congressman-elect, dies with COVID-19

Luke Letlow, the newly elected member of Congress from Louisiana, died Tuesday night from complications related to COVID-19, a spokesman announced.

Dr. G.E. Ghali, of LSU Health Shreveport, told NOLA.com that Letlow was in critical condition but showed signs of improvement.  He “apparently suffered a cardiac event this evening that was refractory to all resuscitation efforts.”

Rep. Steve Scalise, another Republican from the state, issued a statement calling Letlow a “positive spirit” who had a “tremendously bright future ahead of him.”

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi also issued a statement saying the entire body mourns his passing.

“May it be a comfort to Luke’s wife Julia and their children Jeremiah and Jacqueline that so many mourn their loss and are praying for them at this sad time,” she wrote in a statement.

Andrew Bautsch, the Letlow spokesman, confirmed the congressman-elect’s death at Ochsner-LSU Health Shreveport.

Source: Luke Letlow, 41-year-old congressman-elect, dies with COVID-19

LA Lockdowns to Continue Indefinitely as COVID-19 Cases Overwhelm Hospitals – Eater LA

Los Angeles County and the entire Southern California region will remain in lockdown mode for at least the next month, drawing out the current state-mandated public health order well into the new year — and almost certainly beyond. That’s per Dr. Mark Ghaly of California’s Health and Human Services Agency, who said today “ICU capacity is not improving in Southern California,” and is not projected to improve for at least the next few months. In order for LA and surrounding counties to move out of the current stay at home order, intensive care unit bed capacity (among other factors) would need to improve to at or above 15 percent, and remain there for some time.

There is no firm date for that to happen, Dr. Ghaly acknowledged today, as bed capacity fluctuates daily. The current stay at home public health order will remain in effect “for the time being,” he said.

Source: LA Lockdowns to Continue Indefinitely as COVID-19 Cases Overwhelm Hospitals – Eater LA

Man Arrested After Victim Found Stabbed In The Face – CBS Pittsburgh

TROY HILL (KDKA) — A man was arrested by Pittsburgh Police for allegedly stabbing another man in the face.

Pittsburgh Police say they responded to 1000 block of Province Street in Troy Hill after hearing reports of a street fight around 1:15 p.m. Tuesday.

They found a man who had been stabbed in the face and took him to a hospital in stable condition.

Police say an armed suspect ran into a residence and barricaded himself in, and SWAT officers then were called to the scene.

Two men exited the residence and were detained by police around 2 p.m. Tuesday without incident.

The suspect, 32-year-old Edward Terle of Troy Hill, has been arrested for aggravated assault. The other man was released.

Pittsburgh Police continue to investigate the incident.

Source: Man Arrested After Victim Found Stabbed In The Face – CBS Pittsburgh

Petula Clark responds to ‘Downtown’ being used in Christmas bombing: ‘I love Nashville and its people’ | Fox News

In a statement to Fox News on Tuesday, Clark, 88, said she is in “shock and disbelief” at the despair seen across the world on Dec. 25.”I feel the need to express my shock and disbelief at the Christmas Day explosion in our beloved Music City,” Clark wrote, adding, “I love Nashville and its people.””Why this violent act – leaving behind it such devastation?” Clark pressed.

The singer, who saw her song soar to the top of the Billboard charts in 1965, said that after she was told about “Downtown” being used “in the background of that strange announcement” Clark said she wondered, “Of all the thousands of songs – why this one?”

Petula Clark responded after her 1964 record “Downtown” was used during the “intentional” explosion in Nashville, Tenn., on Christmas Day, which left a number of businesses destroyed and injured three people in its wake on Second Avenue.

Source: Petula Clark responds to ‘Downtown’ being used in Christmas bombing: ‘I love Nashville and its people’ | Fox News

$2,000 Stimulus Checks, Section 230 Repeal Included in Mitch McConnell’s Surprise COVID Relief Bill. What next?

Just hours after blocking Senate Democrats’ efforts to vote on a House bill for $2,000 direct payments, McConnell released his own surprise legislation which includes repealing Section 230 and funding for a commission on election fraud.

Source: $2,000 Stimulus Checks, Section 230 Repeal Included in Mitch McConnell’s Surprise COVID Relief Bill

Colorado health officials confirm highly infectious coronavirus variant found, first in US

Colorado public health officials on Tuesday confirmed the first U.S. case of the new highly contagious strain of the coronavirus that was first discovered in Britain weeks ago, prompting a new set of lockdowns there.

A state lab informed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about the presence of the strain in a man in his 20s from Elbert County. He has no travel history and is isolating himself until cleared by public health officials, Gov. Jared Polis said in a statement.

STEFANIK CALLS CUOMO ‘ABSOLUTE DISGRACE’ FOR PRIORITIZING DRUG ADDICTS FOR CORONAVIRUS VACCINE

“The health and safety of Coloradans is our top priority and we will closely monitor this case, as well as all COVID-19 indicators, very closely,” Polis said. “We are working to prevent spread and contain the virus at all levels.”

Polis said the man has no close contacts identified thus far but that public health officials were working to find others who were potentially exposed through contact tracing interviews. He said his office will monitor the new case “very closely.”

Source: Colorado health officials confirm highly infectious coronavirus variant found, first in US

Boeing 737 Max resumes flying, almost 2 years after worldwide grounding

The controversial jet was grounded in 2019 after two crashes that killed everybody on board.

The first U.S. commercial flight on Boeing’s troubled 737 Max jet left Miami for New York’s LaGuardia Airport on Tuesday morning, almost two years after the aircraft was grounded worldwide.

The Max was banned in March 2019 after a Lion Air crash in October 2018 in Indonesia killed 189 people and was followed five months later by an Ethiopian Airlines crash that caused the death of all 157 people aboard.

American Airlines Flight 718 departed Miami International Airport at around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday. The airline plans to fly the Max from Miami to New York and back through Jan. 4 before adding more routes.

Source: Boeing 737 Max resumes flying, almost 2 years after worldwide grounding

Covid stimulus update: McConnell blocks Schumer bid to pass $2,000 checks

  • Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked an attempt by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to unanimously approve a House-passed bill to increase direct payments in the coronavirus relief package to $2,000 from $600.
  • President Trump has pushed for larger stimulus checks after threatening to veto the year-end coronavirus relief and government funding legislation.
  • Republicans including Georgia Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, who are running in crucial Jan. 5 runoffs that will determine control of the Senate, have expressed support for bigger checks.

Source: Covid stimulus update: McConnell blocks Schumer bid to pass $2,000 checks

Moderate 5.0 magnitude quake hits Croatia, damages buildings

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — A moderate earthquake hit central Croatia near the capital of Zagreb early Monday, triggering panic and damaging some buildings in towns south of the city. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

Croatia’s seismologists said the magnitude of the quake that struck around 6:30 a.m. (0530 GMT) was 5.0, with the epicenter near the towns of Petrinja and Sisak 50 kilometers (30 miles) south of the capital. Several smaller tremors were felt after the initial one.

The mayor of Petrinja, Darinko Dumbovic, told state HRT television that “we have bricks and tiles in the streets and fallen chimneys.”

Source: Moderate 5.0 magnitude quake hits Croatia, damages buildings

Some local restaurants continue to defy Gov. Wolf’s pandemic restrictions | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Several Pittsburgh-area businesses defended decisions to continue to defy the Allegheny County Health Department and statewide orders, flouting a temporary ban on indoor dining at restaurants.

Gianna Via’s in Whitehall, Il Pizzaiolo in Mt. Lebanon and Al’s Cafe in Bethel Park kept their dining rooms open Monday despite having been formally cited and ordered to shut down completely for seven days after ignoring Gov. Tom Wolf’s latest public health restrictions.

The rules, aimed at reducing the spread of COVID-19, went into effect Dec. 14 and are slated to last through Jan. 4, pending further announcements. A federal judge last week rejected a bid to block Mr. Wolf’s order.

Source: Some local restaurants continue to defy Gov. Wolf’s pandemic restrictions | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Taylor Swift Breaks 6ix9ine’s Hot 100 Record With Stunning Fall From #1

Releasing two surprise albums this year, Taylor Swift has had one of the most successful campaigns in her career to date, which is saying a lot. Her most recent album, evermore, debuted at the #1 position on the Billboard 200 album chart, and the song “willow” also started off at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. However, her song’s stay at the top was short-lived, only staying there for a week and breaking records with the manner in which it fell from grace, even passing Tekashi 6ix9ine’s record for the most disastrous fall for a #1 debut in chart history.

Source: Taylor Swift Breaks 6ix9ine’s Hot 100 Record With Stunning Fall From #1

Man Taken To Hospital After Shooting In Green Tree – CBS Pittsburgh

Police are investigating a shooting in Green Tree.’

The Allegheny County Police Department said officials responded Monday night to a shooting on the 1100 block of Greentree Road. First responders found a man with a non-life-threatening injury to one of his extremities.

Police say the victim was taken to a local hospital. No word on any arrests.

Source: Man Taken To Hospital After Shooting In Green Tree – CBS Pittsburgh

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