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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/lackawanna-county/deaf-community-reacts-to-coda-oscars-win-scranton-school-deaf-hard-of-hearing-children-academy-awards/523-e05bdc25-2c42-4bd6-b7e7-6e957835b7c2
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SOUTH ABINGTON TOWNSHIP, PA — The movie "Coda" has received some of the biggest accolades this award season, including Sunday night at the Oscars. It won the best picture award, and Troy Kotsur won the award for best supporting actor, becoming the second deaf performer in Academy history to win an acting award.
Teachers at the Scranton School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children near Clarks Summit were beaming with pride for the deaf community.
"When they called his name, and he went up onto the stage and everybody not just clapped but they also, you know, clapped in ASL and were showing their support in ASL," Senoy King said.
"I think that exposure and acceptance and inclusion is fantastic," Kelly Somers said.
Teachers say it's important for children who are deaf or hard of hearing to see people in the deaf community have success at such a high level in their career so they can aspire to be or do anything they want.
"To be able to look up to a person and be able to say, you know, I have a passion, I want to achieve something in the future and to recognize I have abilities as well that that is great," King said.
Sign language is becoming more exposed with "Coda." and even interpreters at concerts going viral online, and the school hopes it encourages people who want to learn sign language.
"I always say if you learn fingerspelling and numbers, really, everything else you can figure it out. Even nonverbal cues of gesturing, writing things down. There's always so many different ways that we can communicate," Emily Lukasavage said.
The Scranton School for the Deaf offers classes for American Sign Language (ASL) to anyone who wants to learn.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube page.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/lackawanna-county/police-investigating-after-two-children-reportedly-followed-in-scranton-charles-sumner-elementary/523-fe963555-cb6d-43e8-bf13-e9410aad448c
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SCRANTON, Pa. — Police in Scranton are investigating after two children reported being followed to school at Charles Sumner Elementary.
Authorities say a man approached a girl Tuesday morning near the intersection of Sweatland Street and North Bromley Avenue.
He told her he'd be back to follow her after school.
Another student was also allegedly followed this morning along Lafayette Street.
See news happening? Text our Newstip Hotline.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/luzerne-county/international-transgender-day-of-visibility-commemorated-in-luzerne-county-claire-alfree-wnep/523-e68d466a-3d33-4194-9d4f-2b418aa4abe5
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WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — Wilkes University's campus now flies a transgender flag for everyone in downtown Wilkes-Barre to see.
Thursday's flag-raising ceremony celebrated International Transgender Day of Visibility.
"Having something up there serves as just a reminder to everyone around that trans people are welcome, that trans people of valid, the trans people all hear it's huge," said Claire Wynne, Wilkes University senior.
In addition to the flag-raising, students who are a part of Wilkes' gender sexuality alliance shared their own stories about being members of the transgender community
"It's taken a lot of work for people like me for myself and other Trans individuals to be able to come out with our stories and as Trans especially because of the safety concerns," said Henry Jurgiewicz, Wilkes University senior.
The Gender Sexuality Alliance at Wilkes University works to educate students about the importance of having a safe space to talk about the LGBTQ+ community on campus.
"If you're in the closet, walking around and just seeing that rainbow flag that says on a teacher's door knowing this is a safe space that alone can change things, that alone can change your life," said Cas Schiller, Wilkes University first-year student.
Professor Helen Davis says Wilkes University goes the extra mile to make the campus inclusive for all and the students spearhead most of the initiatives.
"They care that much about trying to make sure that we're inclusive to as many people as possible. They put themselves on the line for people they don't know yet, for students who aren't here yet, for community members if they don't know because they know that this is important," Davis said.
Wilkes University's gender sexuality alliance plans to put on more events like this in the future.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube page.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/nation-world/insulin-cap-35-dollars-month-bill/507-855508ee-6b9d-4ce8-9937-22fa115af232
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WASHINGTON — The House on Thursday passed a bill capping the monthly cost of insulin at $35 for insured patients, part of an election-year push by Democrats for price curbs on prescription drugs at a time of rising inflation.
Experts say the legislation, which passed 232-193, would provide significant relief for privately insured patients with skimpier plans and for Medicare enrollees facing rising out-of-pocket costs for their insulin. Some could save hundreds of dollars annually, and all insured patients would get the benefit of predictable monthly costs for insulin. The bill would not help the uninsured.
But the Affordable Insulin Now Act will serve as a political vehicle to rally Democrats and force Republicans who oppose it into uncomfortable votes ahead of the midterms. For the legislation to pass Congress, 10 Republican senators would have to vote in favor. Democrats acknowledge they don't have an answer for how that's going to happen.
“If 10 Republicans stand between the American people being able to get access to affordable insulin, that's a good question for 10 Republicans to answer,” said Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Mich., a cosponsor of the House bill. “Republicans get diabetes, too. Republicans die from diabetes.”
Public opinion polls have consistently shown support across party lines for congressional action to limit drug costs.
But Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., complained the legislation is only “a small piece of a larger package around government price controls for prescription drugs." Critics say the bill would raise premiums and fails to target pharmaceutical middlemen seen as contributing to high list prices for insulin.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said Democrats could have a deal on prescription drugs if they drop their bid to authorize Medicare to negotiate prices. “Do Democrats really want to help seniors, or would they rather have the campaign issue?" Grassley said.
The insulin bill, which would take effect in 2023, represents just one provision of a much broader prescription drug package in President Joe Biden's social and climate legislation.
In addition to a similar $35 cap on insulin, the Biden bill would authorize Medicare to negotiate prices for a range of drugs, including insulin. It would penalize drugmakers who raise prices faster than inflation and overhaul the Medicare prescription drug benefit to limit out-of-pocket costs for enrollees.
Biden's agenda passed the House only to stall in the Senate because Democrats could not reach consensus. Party leaders haven't abandoned hope of getting the legislation moving again, and preserving its drug pricing curbs largely intact.
The idea of a $35 monthly cost cap for insulin actually has a bipartisan pedigree. The Trump administration had created a voluntary option for Medicare enrollees to get insulin for $35, and the Biden administration continued it.
In the Senate, Republican Susan Collins of Maine and Democrat Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire are working on a bipartisan insulin bill. Georgia Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock has introduced legislation similar to the House bill, with the support of Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York.
Stung by criticism that Biden's economic policies spur inflation, Democrats are redoubling efforts to show how they'd help people cope with costs. On Thursday, the Commerce Department reported a key inflation gauge jumped 6.4% in February compared with a year ago, the largest year-over-year rise since January 1982.
But experts say the House bill would not help uninsured people, who face the highest out-of-pocket costs for insulin. Also, people with diabetes often take other medications as well as insulin. That's done to treat the diabetes itself, along with other serious health conditions often associated with the disease. The House legislation would not help with those costs, either. Collins says she's looking for a way to help uninsured people through her bill.
About 37 million Americans have diabetes, and an estimated 6 million to 7 million use insulin to keep their blood sugars under control. It’s an old drug, refined and improved over the years, that has seen relentless price increases.
Steep list prices don't reflect the rates insurance plans negotiate with manufacturers. But those list prices are used to calculate cost-sharing amounts that patients owe. Patients who can’t afford their insulin reduce or skip doses, a strategy born of desperation, which can lead to serious complications and even death.
Economist Sherry Glied of New York University said the market for insulin is a “total disaster” for many patients, particularly those with skimpy insurance plans or no insurance.
“This will make private insurance for people with diabetes a much more attractive proposition,” said Glied.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/verify/money-verify/biden-projects-trillion-dollar-deficit-reduction-largest-ever/536-82b0158e-0851-49dd-a546-3dbef252c761
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On Monday, President Joe Biden unveiled his proposal for the next federal budget.
Though Congress has the final say in the annual budget, presidents create a proposal highlighting their fiscal priorities. Then, the president typically spends time advocating for their plan to the public, arguing for those priorities.
While promoting his latest proposal, Biden tweeted, “This year, my administration is on track to cut the deficit by more than $1.3 trillion… that would be the largest one-year reduction in the deficit in U.S. history.”
THE QUESTION
Would a $1.3 trillion reduction in the deficit be the largest single-year reduction ever?
THE SOURCES
THE ANSWER
Yes, if the deficit shrinks by $1.3 trillion this year, that will be the largest single-year reduction in history.
WHAT WE FOUND
Both the Federal Reserve and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) track how much money the federal government takes in each year, and how much it spends. The Fed has records dating back to 1901, and the CBO dating to 1962.
If the government makes more than it spends, there’s a budget surplus. Since 1962, there have only been five years with a surplus, and none since 2001.
More commonly, the government spends more than it takes in. That’s a deficit, and it results in the U.S. borrowing money to make up the difference, which in turn adds to the federal debt.
According to the Fed and the CBO, the year in which the deficit shrank the most was 2013. In 2012, the budget was nearly $1.08 trillion in the hole, and in 2013, it was just under $679.8 billion. The deficit decreased by roughly $396.8 billion, more than in any other year in history.
If the deficit drops by $1.3 trillion in 2022 like Biden projected, it would indeed be the largest deficit reduction in American history, by a big margin.
The Fed and CBO track numbers on a fiscal-year basis, with the fiscal year ending on Sept. 30. So we won’t really know if Biden’s projections for 2022 are accurate until at least October.
But budget experts VERIFY spoke with agreed it’s likely the deficit reduction could wind up being more than a trillion dollars. However, they said that drop is mostly due to COVID-related spending programs expiring.
“It's not really due to any particularly aggressive policy action to, say, raise more revenue than we would have otherwise, or spend less. It's mostly just a factor of temporary things,” said Alex Muresianu, a federal policy analyst for the Tax Foundation.
“We had deficits that were over $3 trillion [in 2020], and one that was $2.8 trillion [in 2021]. That was as a result of a huge recession, and trillions of dollars that we were spending to fight COVID. So we will be dropping for sure. The deficit will be closer to a trillion dollars this year,” said Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a non-profit group. “But that doesn't come from policies to reduce the deficit.”
More from VERIFY: No, Congress members did not give themselves a 21% pay raise in 2022
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/state/police-officers-shot-lebanon-pennsylvania-shooting/521-f65b8956-1d39-4a3a-8e3f-4012732eef5c
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LEBANON, Pa. — Update, 8:37 p.m.: Lebanon mayor Sherry Capello confirmed one Lebanon police officer has died and two others were injured while responding to a domestic incident in the city on Thursday afternoon.
The name of the deceased officer is not being released to the public at this time out of respect for family and friends.
"At this time, we are focused on the tragic loss of the officer and the wellbeing of the other members of our police department," said Capello. "This is an extremely difficult moment for everyone."
In a press conference, the mayor said the officers responded to a domestic call at 1108 Forest Street just after 3:30 p.m. on March 31. Capello said shots were exchanged around 4:24 p.m.
The exchange resulted in one police officer's death, and two others are being treated for gunshot wounds. According to Capello, one officer is in critical condition but stable, and the other is in stable condition.
The subject of the domestic call, a 34-year-old male from Lebanon, is also dead.
Chief Todd Breiner of the Lebanon City Police Department also spoke at the press briefing, expressing his gratitude for the other police departments and officers who came to assist during the incident.
"Our guys are strong, but they're human...we're all affected by this," said Breiner.
Both he and Capello said officials will schedule another media briefing on April 1.
Previously: Sources say at least one police officer was shot in Lebanon on Thursday afternoon.
The incident occurred just before 4:30 p.m. on the 1100 block of Forest Street.
The conditions of the individuals involved are not yet known.
The video below, provided to FOX43 by Angelo Gonzalez, shows multiple police and emergency response vehicles near the scene.
Lebanon County officials say Lebanon mayor, Sherry Capello, will hold a press briefing at 8:30 p.m. Thursday night regarding the incident.
This is a developing story. FOX43 will provide updates as they become available.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/entertainment/events/oscars/will-smith-chris-rock-slap-oscars-producer/507-e82c77ed-4ba9-4087-b049-d69992a6a1a7
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LOS ANGELES — Oscars producer Will Packer said Los Angeles police were ready to arrest Will Smith after Smith slapped Chris Rock on the Academy Awards stage.
“They were saying, you know, this is battery, was a word they used in that moment," Packer said in a clip released by ABC News Thursday night of an interview he gave to “Good Morning America.” “They said we will go get him. We are prepared. We’re prepared to get him right now. You can press charges, we can arrest him. They were laying out the options.”
But Packer said Rock was “very dismissive” of the idea.
“He was like, ‘No, no, no, I’m fine,” Packer said. "And even to the point where I said, ‘Rock, let them finish.’ The LAPD officers finished laying out what his options were and they said, ‘Would you like us to take any action?’ And he said no.”
The LAPD said in a statement after Sunday night's ceremony that they were aware of the incident, and that Rock had declined to file a police report. The department declined comment Thursday on Packer's interview, a longer version of which will air on Friday morning.
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences met Wednesday to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Smith for violations against the group’s standards of conduct. Smith could be suspended, expelled or otherwise sanctioned.
The academy said in a statement that “Mr. Smith’s actions at the 94th Oscars were a deeply shocking, traumatic event to witness in-person and on television."
Without giving specifics, the academy said Smith was asked to leave the ceremony at the Dolby Theatre, but refused to do so.
Smith strode from his front row seat on to the stage and slapped Rock after a joke Rock made about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, when he was on stage to present the Oscar for best documentary.
On Monday, Smith issued an apology to Rock, the academy and to viewers, saying “I was out of line and I was wrong.”
The academy said Smith has the opportunity to defend himself in a written response before the board meets again on April 18.
Rock publicly addressed the incident for the first time, but only briefly, at the beginning of a standup show Wednesday night in Boston, where he was greeted by a thunderous standing ovation. He said “I’m still kind of processing what happened.”
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/luzerne-county/residents-react-to-proposed-bridge-tolls-penndot-white-haven-interstate-80/523-a33b430f-9917-45ce-857a-74f04bfe1d38
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WHITE HAVEN, Pa. — Pennsylvania bridges are aging, but PennDOT's proposed method to replace those bridges isn't sitting well with community members in White Haven Borough.
The department of transportation wants to add tolls to the Lehigh River Bridge on Interstate 80 and eight others in the state.
"White Haven was founded or one of the reasons for people settling here originally was to get out of the cities and breathe the mountain air. So look what we're doing. We're turning that right on its head," said Chris Zweibel, Borough Emergency Management Coordinator.
White Haven Borough and Luzerne County officials gathered at an anti-bridge toll summit, criticizing not only the tolls but the traffic impact.
Some worry if the tolls are put in place, drivers will try to avoid it by going through the borough.
"PennDOT estimates that nine percent of traffic will take the diversion route. That means that on average, 70 to 80 vehicles per hour will travel the diversion route, 35 of which will be commercial vehicles. That means on average every 45 seconds you will see an extra vehicle passing your house if you live along this route," said John Zugarek, White Haven Borough Council.
Residents and council members are concerned traffic jams in the borough could negatively impact business and create safety issues.
"It will affect our fire company's ability to get from one side of the town to the other, it will affect our ambulance's ability to get from one side of the town to the other and it will affect our police's ability to perform their job," said Robert Lamson, White Haven Borough Council.
Early this month, Luzerne County officials signed a resolution calling on the general assembly and the governor to stop the proposed tolls.
A group of residents plans to hold a rally on the steps of the state Capitol on May 23 asking for the same thing.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube page.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/lycoming-county/storm-rips-through-part-of-lycoming-county-lairdsville-pa-wnep-damage/523-7b43e09a-d447-4178-9c5f-d00d6293ba6c
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LAIRDSVILLE, Pa. — "It almost sounded like a train. I understand what people say when they say it sounded like a freight train," said Robert Hill, Lairdsville.
Roofs ripped off, windows busted, downed trees and power lines.
The strong storm that ripped through northeastern and central Pennsylvania dug deep in Lairdsville.
"You can see what it did to town here. It just devastated this little town. The community pulled together here and as you can see behind us they are putting roofs on tonight to cover things up," said Chief Bill Gordner, Lairdsville Fire Dept.
Robert Hill says his pickup truck took a hit; his home is now tarped until morning.
He and his family are OK, as are the household dogs.
Hill recalls when the storm rolled in.
"I told the kids lets get to the basement and like I said before I even got my hand on the doorknob to the basement and the windows were being blown out, broke out and it just sounded like a war zone," he said.
Emergency crews tell us they tarped about five houses on a stretch of Route 118; more work will need to be done in the daylight.
The storm knocked out power to homes and businesses.
"Nothing like this happens in a little town like this. You know what I mean. So it's, thank god no one was hurt," said Gordner.
"I mean I have stuff in my yard that I don't even know where it came from. I don't know whose house it ripped off of," added Hill.
Emergency crews say they will assess in the morning as the cleanup continues.
No word on when the power might be turned back on.
Check out severe weather tips on WNEP’s YouTube channel.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/schuylkill-county/former-borough-secretary-headed-back-to-prison-erin-hossler-pottsville-wnep/523-77bdcdc8-38a7-42db-b4f8-652b2eb70b9a
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POTTSVILLE, Pa. — A former borough secretary in Schuylkill County is headed to prison for the second time.
According to state police, Erin Hossler of Pottsville stole nearly $500,000 from Cressona during her time as the borough's secretary and treasurer.
She was sentenced to state prison in 2019 on theft charges.
Hossler pleaded guilty to federal tax evasion charges last summer after serving her state sentence.
She'll spend another 15 months in prison.
See news happening? Text our Newstip Hotline.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/verify/verify-road-salt-cause-damage-todays-cars/63-c6befdff-eab1-4544-a614-2150f25f1386
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ST. LOUIS — As we head into spring, we are hopefully done with snow until next winter.
With the waves of winter weather that we got this year, however, one thing that might still be around is some residue from the chemicals used to melt ice and snow on the roadways.
But can that residue cause damage to your car?
Let's Verify.
THE QUESTION:
Does road salt cause damage to today’s cars?
SOURCES:
Dr. Bill Carroll, adjunct professor of chemistry, Indiana University
Paul Frail, PhD, industrial water and corrosion expert
THE ANSWER:
Yes, road salt can damage today’s cars, specifically the exposed metal underneath.
WHAT WE FOUND:
The Missouri Department of Transportation told the Verify team the road de-icer they use is mostly rock salt.
Our experts say the paint on modern cars is better than the paint from 50 years ago. It’s a multilayer coating system. It’s unlikely salt will hurt your paint job.
Salt is most corrosive under the car where there is exposed metal. Rock salt will accelerate rust, especially when the metal gets wet.
Our experts recommend a car wash with an undercarriage wash. That will get salt off important parts underneath the car like brake lines. It’s also important to dry the car post-wash either with a towel or by driving it. Plus, protective wax is recommended to cover any places that have already started to rust.
SEND US YOUR VERIFY QUESTIONS
What can the 5 On Your Side VERIFY team factcheck for you? Let us know: email us at verify@ksdk.com or fill out the form below.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/nation-world/march-2022-jobs-report/507-d52cce3e-6ffa-46a4-b2a4-eac083c02587
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Defying a pandemic and supply chain disruptions, the U.S. economy has cranked out more than 400,000 jobs every month for nearly a year — a blazing winning streak in wildly uncertain times.
And despite surging inflation, the hiring wave likely continued last month in the face of yet another jolt: Russia’s war in Ukraine, which has unsettled the economic outlook and catapulted gasoline prices to painful levels.
Economists surveyed by the data firm FactSet expect the Labor Department’s jobs report for March to show that employers added 478,000 jobs and that the unemployment rate dipped from 3.8% to 3.7%. That would mark the lowest unemployment rate since just before the pandemic struck two years ago, when joblessness reached a 50-year low of 3.5%.
The government will issue the March jobs report at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time Friday.
“With the war in Ukraine, economic uncertainty rising and surging energy prices, we may see a modest slowdown in hiring in March,’’ said Daniel Zhao, senior economist at the jobs website Glassdoor. “However, employer demand remains strong, which should sustain a healthy level of hiring.''
The booming U.S. job market reflects a robust rebound from the brief but devastating coronavirus recession, which wiped out 22 million jobs in March and April 2020 as businesses shut down or cut hours and Americans stayed home to avoid infection.
But the recovery has been swift. Fueled by generous federal aid, savings amassed during the pandemic and ultra-low borrowing rates engineered by the Federal Reserve, U.S. consumers have spent so fast that many factories, warehouses, shipping companies and ports have failed to keep pace with their customer demand. Supply chains have snarled, forcing up prices.
As the pandemic has eased, consumers have been broadening their spending beyond goods to services, such as health care, travel and entertainment, which they had long avoided during the worst of the pandemic. The result: Inflation is running at 40-year highs, causing hardships for many lower-income households that face sharp increases for such necessities as food, gasoline and rent.
It’s unclear whether the economy can maintain its momentum of the past year. The government relief checks are gone. The Fed raised its benchmark short-term interest rate two weeks ago and will likely keep raising it well into next year. Those rate hikes will result in more expensive loans for many consumers and businesses.
Inflation has also eroded consumers’ spending power: Hourly pay, adjusted for higher consumer prices, fell 2.6% in February from a year earlier — the 11th straight month in which inflation has outpaced year-over-year wage growth. According to AAA, average gasoline prices, at $4.23 a gallon, are up a dizzying 47% from a year ago.
Squeezed by inflation, some consumers are paring their spending. The Commerce Department reported Thursday that consumer spending rose just 0.2%% in February — and fell 0.4% when adjusted for inflation — down from a 2.7% increase in January.
Still, the job market has kept hurtling ahead. Employers posted a near-record 11.3 million positions in February. Nearly 4.4 million Americans quit their jobs, a sign of confidence that they could find something better.
“We’re still seeing a very tight labor market,’’ said Karen Fichuk, CEO of the staffing company Randstad North America, who noted that the United States now has a record 1.7 job openings for every unemployed person.
Even so, so many jobs were lost in 2020 that the economy still remains more than 2 million shy of the number it had just before the pandemic struck. Over the past year, employers have added an average of 556,000 jobs a month. At that pace — no guarantee to continue — the nation would recover all the jobs lost to the pandemic by June. (That still wouldn't include all the additional hiring that would have been done over the past two years under normal circumstances.)
Brighter job prospects are beginning to draw back into the labor force people who had remained on the sidelines because of health concerns, difficulty finding or affording daycare, generous unemployment benefits that have now expired or other reasons.
Over the past year, 3.6 million people have joined the U.S. labor force, meaning they now either have a job or are looking for one. But their ranks are still nearly 600,000 short of where they stood in February 2020, just before the pandemic slammed into the economy.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/nation-world/ukraine/russia-ukraine-war-friday/507-e4237a48-5cf6-434f-9115-5aa4e2dce25a
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KYIV, Ukraine — Russian troops left the heavily contaminated Chernobyl nuclear site early Friday after returning control to the Ukrainians, authorities said, as eastern parts of the country braced for renewed attacks and Russians blocked another aid mission to the besieged port city of Mariupol.
Ukraine’s state power company, Energoatom, said the pullout at Chernobyl came after soldiers received “significant doses” of radiation from digging trenches in the forest in the exclusion zone around the closed plant. But there was no independent confirmation of that.
The exchange of control happened amid growing indications the Kremlin is using talk of de-escalation in Ukraine as cover to regroup, resupply its forces and redeploy them for a stepped-up offensive in the eastern part of the country.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russian withdrawals from the north and center of the country were just a military tactic to build up forces for new powerful attacks in the southeast. A new round of talks between the countries was scheduled Friday, five weeks into a conflict that has left thousands dead and driven 4 million Ukrainians from the country.
“We know their intentions,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address to the nation. “We know that they are moving away from those areas where we hit them in order to focus on other, very important ones where it may be difficult for us.”
“There will be battles ahead,” he added.
Following a plea from Zelenskyy when he addressed Australian Parliament on Thursday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that his country would send mine-resistant armored personnel carriers to Ukraine.
He said Friday the four-wheel drive “Bushmaster” vehicles, specifically requested by Zelenskyy, would be flown in to Europe but did not say how many would be delivered or when.
“We’re not just sending our prayers, we are sending our guns, we’re sending our munitions, we’re sending our humanitarian aid, we’re sending all of this, our body armor, all of these things and we’re going to be sending our armored vehicles, our Bushmasters, as well,” Morrison said.
In the encircled strategic port city of Mariupol, Russian forces blocked a convoy of 45 buses attempting to evacuate people after the Russian military agreed to a limited cease-fire in the area. Only 631 people were able to get out of the city in private cars, according to the Ukrainian government.
Russian forces also seized 14 tons of food and medical supplies in a dozen buses that were trying to make it to Mariupol, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.
The city has been the scene of some of the worst suffering of the war. Tens of thousands have managed to get out in the past few weeks by way of humanitarian corridors, reducing the population from a prewar 430,000 to an estimated 100,000 by last week, but other relief efforts have been thwarted by continued Russian attacks.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said it had been informed by Ukraine that the Russian forces at the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster had transferred control of it in writing to the Ukrainians. The last Russian troops left Chernobyl early Friday, the Ukrainian government agency responsible for the exclusion zone said.
Energoatom gave no details on the condition of the soldiers it said were exposed to radiation and did not say how many were affected. There was no immediate comment from the Kremlin, and the IAEA said it had not been able to confirm the reports of Russian troops receiving high doses. It said it was seeking more information.
Russian forces seized the Chernobyl site in the opening stages of the Feb. 24 invasion, raising fears that they would cause damage or disruption that could spread radiation. The workforce at the site oversees the safe storage of spent fuel rods and the concrete-entombed ruins of the reactor that exploded in 1986.
Edwin Lyman, a nuclear expert with the U.S.-based Union of Concerned Scientists, said it “seems unlikely” a large number of troops would develop severe radiation illness, but it was impossible to know for sure without more details.
He said contaminated material was probably buried or covered with new topsoil during the cleanup of Chernobyl, and some soldiers may have been exposed to a “hot spot” of radiation while digging. Others may have assumed they were at risk too, he said.
IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi was in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad on Friday for talks with senior officials there about nuclear issues in Ukraine.
In addition to concerns about Chernobyl, nine of Ukraine's 15 operational reactors are currently in use, including two at the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhya facility, the IAEA said.
Early this week, the Russians said they would significantly scale back military operations in areas around Kyiv and the northern city of Chernihiv to increase trust between the two sides and help negotiations along.
But in the Kyiv suburbs, regional governor Oleksandr Palviuk said on social media Thursday that Russian forces shelled Irpin and Makariv and that there were battles around Hostomel. Pavliuk said there were Ukrainian counterattacks and some Russian withdrawals around the suburb of Brovary to the east.
At a Ukrainian military checkpoint outside Kyiv, soldiers and officers said they don’t believe Russian forces have given up on the capital.
“What does it mean, significantly scaling down combat actions in the Kyiv and Chernihiv areas?” asked Brig. Gen. Valeriy Embakov. “Does it mean there will be 100 missiles instead of 200 missiles launched on Kyiv or something else?”
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said intelligence indicates Russia is not scaling back its military operations in Ukraine but is instead trying to regroup, resupply its forces and reinforce its offensive in the Donbas.
“Russia has repeatedly lied about its intentions,” Stoltenberg said. At the same time, he said, pressure is being kept up on Kyiv and other cities, and “we can expect additional offensive actions bringing even more suffering.”
The Donbas is the predominantly Russian-speaking industrial region where Moscow-backed separatists have been battling Ukrainian forces since 2014. In the past few days, the Kremlin, in a seeming shift in its war aims, said that its “main goal” now is gaining control of the Donbas, which consists of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, including Mariupol.
The top rebel leader in Donetsk, Denis Pushilin, issued an order to set up a rival city government for Mariupol, according to Russian state news agencies, in a sign of Russian intent to hold and administer the city.
With talks set to resume between Ukraine and Russia via video, there seemed little faith that the two sides would resolve the conflict any time soon.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that conditions weren’t yet “ripe” for a cease-fire and that he wasn’t ready for a meeting with Zelenskyy until negotiators do more work, Italian Premier Mario Draghi said after a telephone conversation with the Russian leader.
As Western officials search for clues about what Russia’s next move might be, a top British intelligence official said demoralized Russian soldiers in Ukraine are refusing to carry out orders and sabotaging their equipment and had accidentally shot down their own aircraft.
U.S. intelligence officials have concluded that Putin is being misinformed by his advisers about how badly the war is going because they are afraid to tell him the truth.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the U.S. is wrong and that “neither the State Department nor the Pentagon possesses the real information about what is happening in the Kremlin.”
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Karmanau reported from Lviv, Ukraine. Associated Press journalists around the world contributed to this report.
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LACKAWANNA COUNTY, Pa. — One of the biggest jobs that saw a huge uptick during the pandemic and a career that's only expected to continue to boom is the field of psychology.
If your future college student is interested in a major surrounding mental health, where do they start to navigate the different areas of this ever-growing profession?
An upcoming Psychology Fair being held on Friday, April 8, from 10 a.m. until noon at Marywood University could help. It'll be held in Nazareth Student Center.
Newswatch 16's Ryan Leckey spotlighted the free event from the campus in Lackawanna County.
Pre-registration for the event is required: call 570-348-6270. You can also learn more about Marywood's Psychology program on their department's Facebook page.
Activities will feature everything from a biofeedback machine to information from experts about stress management. Marywood's psychology students will also be on hand to answer students' questions.
Some other mental health professionals in the field will also be on hand to highlight the various specialties of psychology.
Those in the field and experts at E-Medicine highlight the four main areas of psychology.
These include clinical psychology (counseling for mental and behavioral health), cognitive psychology (the study of the mental processes), behavioral psychology (understanding behavior through different types of conditioning), and biopsychology (research on the brain, behavior, and evolution).
Need mental health resources?
Dial 2-1-1 to find a therapist in your community.
Another option, Marywood University has a psychological services center that offers mental health services both in-person and Telehealth at a sliding scale. These services are provided by mostly doctoral students who are supervised by licensed psychologists on Marywood's faculty.
Students use this opportunity for training while providing high-quality, evidence-based services to the community.
The center helps people of all ages.
For an appointment, call 570-348-6269.
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SHAMOKIN, Pa. — Former Northumberland County Commissioner Vinny Clausi and father Fr. Mycola Ivanov of Transfiguration Ukrainian Catholic Church in Shamokin organized the fundraiser.
They plan on hand delivering the money at the Ukraine Poland border at the end of April.
This is all part of the fundraiser called Northumberland Citizens for a Cause.
See more videos on our area’s connection to the Crisis in Ukraine.
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SHAMOKIN, Pa. — Calvin Reeder likes living in Shamokin but says sometimes it can be hard getting from point A to point B.
"A lot of the sidewalks are in real bad shape," Reeder said.
Reeder uses a mobility scooter to get around. Some of the sidewalks and curbs on Independence Street make that tricky.
"I have very little problems, but I know there are people who have major problems, ones who are in regular wheelchairs that don't have mobility scooters," Reeder said.
According to officials in Shamokin, that will soon change. Shamokin is receiving more than $2.5 million in federal funding for improvements on Independence Street, the main street in the city.
"The number-one priority would be to make it ADA-compliant. Right now, a lot of our sidewalks are not," said Betsy Kramer, Shamokin's revitalization coordinator.
Kramer says the goal is to make downtown Shamokin more pedestrian-friendly.
"We want to make sure that there's greenery and benches and trash receptacles. There's some of those things now, but also to make it a cohesive look," Kramer said.
People we spoke with say they're happy about any improvements to downtown Shamokin.
"That will be great. What you have here is a mostly depressed area, and you have a lot of old people here," Tim Hubler said.
"It would be a big improvement, I think. Like you said, you can just look, and we do need it," Donna Snyder said.
"If they get these sidewalks fixed, it will be so much easier on not just me, but everyone in this town," Reeder said.
Kramer says plans still need to be finalized by Shamokin City Council before work can begin.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube page.
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CLARKS SUMMIT, Pa. — Some students were hurt in a crash between a school bus and van Friday morning in Lackawanna County.
It happened outside Clarks Summit Elementary on Grove Street in Clarks Summit.
A van and bus transporting students in the Abington Heights School District collided at the school around 8:30 a.m.
Some students were checked out by the school nurse and taken in ambulances.
There is no word on how many people were hurt or what led to the crash.
Developing story; check back for updates.
See news happening? Text our Newstip Hotline.
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RICHMOND, Calif. — Betty Reid Soskin retired Thursday after more than 15 years at the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond, California, the National Park Service announced.
Soskin “spent her last day providing an interpretive program to the public and visiting with coworkers," a Park Service statement said.
She led tours at the park and museum honoring the women who worked in factories during wartime and shared her own experience as a Black woman during the conflict. She worked for the U.S. Air Force in 1942 but quit after learning that “she was employed only because her superiors believed she was white," according to a Park Service biography.
“Being a primary source in the sharing of that history – my history – and giving shape to a new national park has been exciting and fulfilling,” Soskin said in the Park Service statement. “It has proven to bring meaning to my final years.”
Soskin won a temporary Park Service position at the age of 84 and became a permanent Park Service employee in 2011. She celebrated her 100th birthday last September.
“Betty has made a profound impact on the National Park Service and the way we carry out our mission,” Director Chuck Sams said. “Her efforts remind us that we must seek out and give space for all perspectives so that we can tell a more full and inclusive history of our nation.”
Soskin was born Betty Charbonnet in Detroit in 1921 but recalled surviving the devastating Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 while living with her Creole family in New Orleans, according to the Park Service biography.
Her family then moved to Oakland, California, and Soskin remained in the San Francisco Bay Area, where in 1945 she and her first husband founded one of the first Black-owned record stores in the area, the biography said.
She also was a civil rights activist and took part in meetings to develop a general management plan for the Home Front park. She has received several honors.
She was named California Woman of the Year in 1995.
In 2015, Soskin received a presidential coin from President Barack Obama after she lit the National Christmas tree at the White House.
In June 2016, she was awakened in her home by a robber who punched her repeatedly in the face, dragged her out of her bedroom and beat her before making off with the coin and other items. Soskin, then 94, recovered and returned to work just weeks after the attack. The coin was replaced.
Soskin also was honored with entry into the Congressional Record. Glamour Magazine named her Woman of the Year in 2018.
For more feel-good stories, check out WNEP's Youtube page.
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America’s employers extended a streak of robust hiring in March, adding 431,000 jobs in a sign of the economy’s resilience in the face of a still-destructive pandemic and the highest inflation in 40 years.
The Labor Department’s report Friday showed that last month’s job growth helped shrink the unemployment rate to 3.6%, the lowest level since the pandemic erupted two years ago.
Despite the inflation surge, persistent supply bottlenecks, the damaging effects of COVID-19 and now a war in Europe, employers have added at least 400,000 jobs for 11 straight months. In its report Friday, the government also revised sharply up its estimate of hiring in January and February by a combined 95,000 jobs.
In an encouraging sign for the economy, 418,000 people began looking for a job in March, and many found one. Since the pandemic struck in 2020, many people have remained on the sidelines of the job market, a trend that has contributed to a chronic worker shortage in many industries.
Across the economy in March, hiring gains were widespread. Restaurants and bars added 61,000 jobs, retailers 49,000, manufacturers 38,000 and hotels 25,000.
Average hourly pay is up a strong 5.6% over the past 12 months. Though that is welcome news for employees, it is contributing to surging inflation pressures that have put the Federal Reserve on track to raise rates multiple times, perhaps aggressively, in the coming months. Those rate hikes will result in more expensive loans for many consumers and businesses.
For now, though, the job market has continued to rebound with unexpected speed from the coronavirus recession. Job openings are at a near-record level, and applications for unemployment benefits have dropped to near their lowest point since 1969.
The still-solid U.S. job market reflects a robust rebound from the brief but devastating coronavirus recession, which wiped out 22 million jobs in March and April 2020 as businesses shut down or cut hours and Americans stayed home to avoid infection.
But the recovery has been swift. Fueled by generous federal aid, savings amassed during the pandemic and ultra-low borrowing rates engineered by the Federal Reserve, U.S. consumers have spent so fast that many factories, warehouses, shipping companies and ports have failed to keep pace with their customer demand. Supply chains have snarled, forcing up prices.
As the pandemic has eased, consumers have been broadening their spending beyond goods to services, such as health care, travel and entertainment, which they had long avoided during the worst of the pandemic. The resulting high inflation is causing hardships for many lower-income households that face sharp price increases for such necessities as food, gasoline and rent.
It’s unclear how long the economy can maintain its momentum of the past year. The government relief checks are gone. The Fed raised its benchmark short-term interest rate two weeks ago and will likely keep raising it well into next year. Those rate hikes will result in more expensive loans for many consumers and businesses.
Inflation has also eroded consumers’ spending power: Hourly pay, adjusted for higher consumer prices, fell 2.6% in February from a year earlier — the 11th straight month in which inflation has outpaced year-over-year wage growth. According to AAA, average gasoline prices, at $4.23 a gallon, are up a dizzying 47% from a year ago.
Squeezed by inflation, some consumers are paring their spending. The Commerce Department reported Thursday that consumer spending rose just 0.2%% in February — and fell 0.4% when adjusted for inflation — down from a 2.7% increase in January.
Still, the job market has kept hurtling ahead. Employers posted a near-record 11.3 million positions in February. Nearly 4.4 million Americans quit their jobs, a sign of confidence that they could find something better.
Even so, so many jobs were lost in 2020 that the economy still remains 1.6 million shy of the number it had just before the pandemic struck. Over the past year, employers have added an average of 541,000 jobs a month. At that pace — no guarantee to continue — the nation would recover all the jobs lost to the pandemic by June. (That still wouldn’t include all the additional hiring that would have been done over the past two years under normal circumstances.)
Brighter job prospects are beginning to draw back into the labor force people who had remained on the sidelines because of health concerns, difficulty finding or affording daycare, generous unemployment benefits that have now expired or other reasons.
Over the past year, 3.6 million people have joined the U.S. labor force, meaning they now either have a job or are looking for one. But their ranks are still nearly 600,000 short of where they stood in February 2020, just before the pandemic slammed into the economy.
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NEW YORK — In addition to “Play ball!” and “Yer Out!", big league umpires will be heard saying “Overturned!” and “Upheld!” for the first time this season.
“Major league umpires will conduct in-park announcements during the replay review process,” Major League Baseball announced Friday. “We’re pleased to launch this enhancement to the ballpark and broadcast experiences. Training has been held in Arizona and Florida this spring.”
MLB was the last major pro sport in North America to institute replay when it began late in the 2008 season for home run calls. Video reviews were vastly expanded for the 2014 season.
Until now, umpires had revealed their decisions such as safe and out with hand signals.
Of 1,305 calls challenged by clubs last year, 655 calls were overturned (50.2%), 221 were confirmed (16.9%) and 429 were allowed to stand (32.9%) when there was insufficient evidence to overturn or confirm. There were 159 additional crew chief reviews initiated by an umpire.
NFL referees were given wireless microphones in 1975 to explain penalty decisions. The NFL had an initial replay system from 1986-91, abandoned it, then reinstalled it for the 1999 season. The NHL added a replay system in 1991 and the NBA in 2002.
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NEW ORLEANS — It's just about go time in New Orleans for one of the most anticipated Final Four matchups in the history of the NCAA Tournament as Duke and North Carolina meet for the first time in tournament history.
And how fitting, of course, that it all comes with the back drop of Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski's impending retirement.
On Friday's Locked On Today podcast, the full episode is dedicated to a Duke-North Carolina preview as Locked On ACC podcast host Candace Cooper, Locked On Tar Heels podcast host Isaac Schade and Locked On Blue Devils podcast host JJ Jackson all join the show to give their perspective on this monumental matchup.
Saturday's matchup between Duke and North Carolina tips off at 8:49 p.m. ET on CBS.
SUBSCRIBE: The Locked On Today podcast hosted by Peter Bukowski gets you caught up every morning on the biggest stories in sports without taking up your free time.
How can Duke win over UNC?
Candace Cooper of the Locked On ACC podcast joined the show to discuss how Duke can defeat UNC, and which matchups will be the biggest key.
“Truly in this tournament it’s been Jeremy Roach for Duke, I think he’s had a great run just from the way he's been a floor general for this offense and how he’s facilitated well and taken it to the rim," Cooper said. "I think his confidence has grown and he’s been called upon in moments and he’s delivered so I think he’s the X factor.”
Who has the biggest matchup advantage that Duke can exploit?
“You’ve seen these teams play each other twice now and I think AJ Griffin is certainly a factor in how well he can shoot and if he can match Brady Manek’s energy, I think he has a slight edge," Cooper said. "Not only is Griffin a great shooter, he’s also a great point man. I think if he’s going to be hot, it’s going to be a long night for Carolina."
Who wins the matchup inside?
“I think it’s about even," she said. "Armando Bacot getting double doubles whenever he wants and Mark Williams being defensive player of the year in the ACC. Everyone’s going to have to play their part and feed them, on either side of the floor. I think Mark Williams is the most NBA-ready person on the floor, but Armando is proving to me that he wants this just as bad as anyone else.”
What are the biggest concerns for North Carolina?
This UNC team has shown resilience, they’ve coalesced at the right time. If there is something to worry about for North Carolina, what is it? Isaac Schade from Locked On Tar Heels gave his thoughts.
“It’s matchups," he said. "The biggest problem for Carolina in this game is that Leaky Black is only one person. The problem for Carolina is they have to find a way to stop both AJ Griffin and Paolo Banchero. In their last game, Leaky Black was on AJ Griffin while Brady Manek guarded Banchero. There’s really no good way for the Tar Heels to matchup. There’s no help coming off the bench that can do that so that’s what bothers me most. I’m concerned that Manek can’t stop Banchero. The only way Carolina can win this game is if he can limit him.”
If you’re Carolina and you start losing these matchups, what can they throw at Duke?
“Since Carolina lost to Pittsburgh six weeks ago, they’re 10-1 and they rate as the No. 1 team in the nation during that time period. In fact, Duke’s defense in that span is 171st. The way Carolina was able to exploit that at Cameron Indoor Stadium is pick and rolls against Mark Williams. RJ Davis uses ball screen action with either Bacot or Manek and RJ Davis is able to exploit that matchup by driving or take a shot if Williams backs off, or finding Bacot rolling, or finding Manek for a quick three.”
Schade also offered his prediction on the game.
“This game is going to be close," he said. "I think there’s going to be nerves on both sides. I think Duke has more pressure on them because a loss means you let your coach end his career without a national championship. Carolina, to me is still playing with house money at this point…I think they ride that lack of stress that Duke has and I think Carolina wins a close game."
What will Coach K's impact be?
It's the thirteenth trip to the Final Four for Coach K and his final one. What will his impact on the game be? JJ Jackson of the Locked On Blue Devils breaks it down.
“I think it’s going to be business as usual for Coach K. He’s been in this position before…This is the 13th trip to the Final Four. Anytime a teacher can lend that message to students, I think Coach K is going to be prepared for this moment and he understands that at most, he’s got two games left in his career and he’s going to be ready," Jackson said.
It’s not like Coach K needs more to add to his resume. The legacy and all of the lives he’s affected over his career, but what would getting another national title mean in the grand scheme of his career?
“It would be quite the way to exit," Jackson said. "We’ve seen so many athletes and sports figures over the course of the years have amazing moments at their exit whether it be the 60-point game for Kobe Bryant, I think about Derek Jeter with the walk off hits he had. I think it would be the perfect exit for Coach K.”
What is the biggest concern for Duke in this matchup?
“Getting out in transition and shots from the outside are the concerning areas for Duke,” Jackson said. “The fact that in the NCAA Tournament, this Duke team has not taken a lot of threes…Duke is not getting a lot of point from the three point line where North Carolina, particularly in their matchups with Duke over the past few seasons, they knock down shots from the outside, Brady Manek being a key. Any time you’re trading twos for threes, that could be deadly for Duke if they’re not able to keep up.”
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The number of nominees for the Grammys' top awards keeps growing, up to 10 this year, making the competition stronger, but predictions a lot trickier. Are too many pop artists going to split the vote, making an upset more likely? Can we even count on past wins as a guide?
Associated Press Entertainment Writers Jonathan Landrum Jr. and Kristin M. Hall break down the Grammy nominees, agreeing at the very least that Olivia Rodrigo is going to pick up gold trophies. But the writers (and likely Grammy voters, too) are conflicted when there is so much stiff competition between artists like Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett, Billie Eilish and Rodrigo.
The 64th annual Grammy Awards will air on Sunday, April 3 on CBS and Paramount+.
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ALBUM OF THE YEAR: “We Are,” Jon Batiste; “Love For Sale,” Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga; “Justice (Triple Chucks Deluxe),” Justin Bieber; “Planet Her (Deluxe Edition),” Doja Cat; “Happier Than Ever,” Billie Eilish; “Back of My Mind,” H.E.R.; “MONTERO,” Lil Nas X; “Sour,” Olivia Rodrigo; “Evermore,” Taylor Swift; “Donda,” Kanye West.
LANDRUM: Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga are a perfect match to win album of the year against some stiff competition. It’ll be a tight race between the dynamic duo along with Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo, but I think Bennett and Gaga will reign supreme above the rest of the well-respected pack with their unmatched chemistry displayed by the legendary crooners on “Love for Sale.” True, there’s a lifelong bond and synergy between the sister-brother combo of Eilish and Finneas. Rodrigo has one of the biggest early career splashes of success too. But the magic created by Bennett and Gaga is a rare occurrence — especially for Bennett, who showed in his 90s that he can still vocally hold his own and flourish with Gaga in their collection of masterful duets.
HALL: Aww, Jonathan, I had no idea you were such a romantic! Even a hard-hearted cynic like me has a hard time arguing against a duo who has 30 Grammys (and a lifetime achievement award) between them. This category has such variety from debut albums and pop and rap stars evolving through various levels of fame all the way to musical icons. But I am gonna go with my gut, not my heart, and say that Rodrigo ekes out a tight contest that is likely to split among pop fans. Her inescapable fun pop rock hits have turned the young artist into a household name, giving her a slight edge over Grammy favs Eilish and Swift.
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RECORD OF THE YEAR: “I Still Have Faith in You,” ABBA; “FREEDOM," Jon Batiste; “I Get a Kick Out of You,” Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga; “Peaches,” Justin Bieber featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon; “Right on Time,” Brandi Carlile; “Kiss Me More,” Doja Cat featuring SZA; “Happier Than Ever,” Billie Eilish; “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name),” Lil Nas X; “Drivers License,” Olivia Rodrigo; “Leave the Door Open,” Silk Sonic.
HALL: I know I’m not supposed to, but I am talking about Bruno. As in Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak creating a lush soundscape with their Silk Sonic collaboration. “Leave the Door Open” is an smooth ’70s era R&B throwback that just hits the right notes, from the tinkling keys to the first lines of the song: “What you doin’? Where you at? Oh you got plans? Don’t say that.” Mars and .Paak made some nostalgic 24K magic here that is my jam.
LANDRUM: I think Eilish will completely shut Silk Sonic’s door. She's too much of a force for the other competitors here. And through “Happier Than Ever,” she’ll make history by becoming the first artist to win three straight years in the category and join Paul Simon as the only artist with three record of the year victories.
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SONG OF THE YEAR (songwriter’s award): “Bad Habits,” “A Beautiful Noise,” “Drivers License,” “Fight For You,” “Happier Than Ever,” “Kiss Me More,” “Leave The Door Open,” “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name),” “Peaches,” “Right On Time.”
LANDRUM: I probably played Justin Bieber’s “Peaches” featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon more than the other nominee’s tracks. I was captured by the song’s feel-good melody and Bieber’s catchy hook — which oftentimes still plays in my head. But after my soliloquy, I’m predicting that H.E.R. will go back-to-back in this category for “Fight for You,” a soulful song with poignant lyrics from the “Judas and the Black Messiah” soundtrack. The song — written by H.E.R., producer D’Mile and singer Tiara Thomas — won an Academy Award for best original song last year. It offers a powerful message just like last year's winner “I Can’t Breathe” and I think ”Fight for You” will win this bout for the trio at the Grammys too.
HALL: The Recording Academy clearly LOVES Eilish and has anointed the star with seven Grammys already, so she looks like a good shoo-in. “Happier Than Ever” is a cinematic melodramatic story song, showing the different sides of the alternative pop singer-songwriter, even if it wasn’t one of the bigger songs from her album. Although part of me really would love for Lil Nas X to surprise everyone with a win here.
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BEST NEW ARTIST: Arooj Aftab; Jimmie Allen; Baby Keem; Finneas; Glass Animals; Japanese Breakfast; The Kid Laroi; Arlo Parks; Olivia Rodrigo; Saweetie.
HALL: So many deserving names in this category (and I think Jimmie Allen is the hardest working artist in country music right now), but there's no doubt this award is reserved for Rodrigo. Just go ahead and engrave her name on it.
LANDRUM: This award should be signed, sealed and delivered to Rodrigo. Sorry Saweetie, but there’s a bona fide sleeper in this category: Finneas. Yep, Eilish’s brother who has already won eight Grammys through his producer and co-writer work on his sister’s projects. Do I honestly think Finneas will upset Rodrigo? No. She's had too big of a year to lose. But there’s a small part of me that believes Finneas has a sliver of a chance. Sometimes, that's all you need.
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BEST POP SOLO PERFORMANCE: “Anyone,” Justin Bieber; “Right on Time,” Brandi Carlile; “Happier Than Ever,” Billie Eilish; “Positions,” Ariana Grande; “Drivers License,” Olivia Rodrigo.
LANDRUM: Eilish or the Biebs could derail, but Rodrigo's “drivers license” should be coasting down the road in the winner's seat with no detours.
HALL: You know what is even better than finally earning your driver's license? A Grammy trophy. I hope she drives it around in her passenger seat to gloat over that ex.
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BEST RAP PERFORMANCE: “Thot S(asterisk)(asterisk)(asterisk)," Megan The Stallion; “M Y. L I F E," J. Cole feat. 21 Savage and Morray; “Up," Cardi B; “Family Ties," Baby Keem feat. Kendrick Lamar.
HALL: Megan and Cardi are still on fire even when they are dropping singles between albums, but there's no match for the lyrical one-two punch from cousins Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar. The family affair is a two-part song, pairing up Keem, the rising star who arrives to fanfare with a blare of horns and a drum line, with Lamar, one of the most acclaimed rappers of our time, who declares “I am the Omega." The Pulitzer Prize winner, who has been mostly quiet musically since the “Black Panther” soundtrack, drops plenty of hints that more is coming from him.
LANDRUM: Lamar and Keem’s family ties to this category will be broken. For me, this is a toss up between the “WAP” duo — Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B. It’ll be close, but I believe Cardi’s crossover hit “Up” will entice voters enough to literally send her up on stage to claim this award and become the first woman to win this category as a solo artist.
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BEST R&B PERFORMANCE: “Pick Up Your Feelings," Jazmine Sullivan; “Leave The Door Open," Silk Sonic; “Damage,” H.E.R.; “Peaches," Justin Beiber feat. Daniel Caesar and Giveon; “Lost You," Snoh Aalegra.
LANDRUM: Flip flop my choice about H.E.R. and Bieber in the song of the year category for this one. I love H.E.R.'s “Damage," but I think “Peaches” by Bieber is satisfying my sweet tooth for best R&B performance.
HALL: I love both “Pick Up Your Feelings” and “Damage” for their smart and sexy lyrics, so I am torn. But I think Silk Sonic will skate away with the win in this category.
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BEST COUNTRY SOLO PERFORMANCE: “You Should Probably Leave,” Chris Stapleton; “camera roll,” Kacey Musgraves; “All I Do Is Drive," Jason Isbell; “Remember Her Name,” Mickey Guyton; “Forever After All,” Luke Combs.
HALL: This is a singer's category, so you've got to have the pipes and Stapleton could easily win this award again. Combs' time is coming soon, but I think Guyton's performance of a song so personal gives her an advantage. Guyton's voice is supple and strong on “Remember Her Name” and I think Grammy voters will remember her positively.
LANDRUM: Last year, Guyton showed up. This year, she’ll show out. Just like the name of her album and song, you’ll absolutely remember her name when Guyton prevails in this category.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/columbia-county/man-admits-to-gunning-down-parents-in-columbia-county-carl-kressler-orange-township/523-e9c63515-300c-4225-ba76-508adb04239b
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COLUMBIA COUNTY, Pa. — A man has pleaded guilty to third-degree murder for the deaths of his parents in Columbia County.
Carl Kressler was 18 years old when he killed his mother and father at their home near Millville in 2020.
Police say Kressler admitted to shooting his parents because they told him they regretted adopting him.
After pleading guilty, Kressler was sentenced to life in prison.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/lycoming-county/storm-damage-in-lycoming-county-williamsport-flanigan-park-basketball-court-light-pole/523-31d4d418-bb6e-4f60-beeb-b20d50a48cf9
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WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — A strong gust of wind knocked down a light at Flanigan Park in Williamsport.
The light landed on top of a fence. The scoreboard attached to the fence was also knocked over.
The group that runs the park says the playground and basketball courts will remain closed until repairs can be made here in Williamsport.
See news happening? Text our Newstip Hotline.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-numbers/covid19-coronavirus-update-new-cases-pennsylvania-pandemic-april-1/523-2037d638-3feb-45f1-8c38-32dc32bd8174
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PENNSYLVANIA, USA — The Pennsylvania Department of Health reports 821 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the statewide total to 2,782,174 on Friday, April 1.
There were 20 new deaths identified by the Pennsylvania death registry. The statewide total of deaths attributed to COVID-19 is 44,295, according to the department.
NEW: Get COVID-19 information from the U.S. Government at covid.gov
The Department of Health released data related to breakthrough cases of COVID-19 infection.
Get county-specific coronavirus information by visiting Pennsylvania's Early Warning Monitoring System Dashboard.
View the CDC COVID data tracker here.
Watch more stories about the coronavirus pandemic on WNEP's YouTube page.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/wyoming-county/man-arrested-after-threats-against-wyoming-county-rehab-facility/523-91c51aa9-5608-478a-8823-298630cf0f00
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WYOMING COUNTY, Pa. — A man was arrested earlier this week in Dunmore for allegedly threatening to shoot staff and residents of the Endless mountain Rehabilitation Center near Factoryville in Wyoming County.
Police say Ronald Mrjenovich, 44, was recently removed from the treatment facility.
Police say Mrjenovich called the rehab center Wednesday and said he was in the woods with a rifle and was going to shoot patients and staff. It was learned that he was in a hotel in Dunmore, where police convinced him to surrender. Investigators said he had guns in the room and his vehicle.
Mrjenovich was charged with terroristic threats and an illegal gun charge.
See news happening? Text our Newstip Hotline.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/verify/national-verify/strategic-petroleum-reserve-not-full-trump-presidency-fact-check/536-2fee187d-3992-4444-a55a-efd5b5ebec5a
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President Joe Biden announced on March 31 that the U.S. will release 1 million barrels of oil per day, or 180 million barrels total, from the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) over the next six months, an action aimed at combating rising gas prices resulting in large part from the war in Ukraine.
In response to the Biden administration’s decision, former President Donald Trump claimed in a statement that he “built up” the country’s oil reserves during his administration to “100% full.” He also claimed that U.S. oil reserves had been “virtually empty” for 50 years.
THE QUESTION
Did former President Donald Trump build up U.S. oil reserves to “100% full” during his presidency?
THE SOURCES
- U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)
- U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
- Andy Lipow, president of Lipow Oil Associates
THE ANSWER
No, former President Donald Trump did not build up U.S. oil reserves to “100% full” during his presidency.
WHAT WE FOUND
The SPR was created in December 1975 when former President Gerald Ford signed the Energy Policy and Conservation Act into law. It was meant to counter disruption in commercial oil supplies that could “threaten the U.S. economy” following an energy crisis that began in 1973, according to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
Trump took office on Jan. 20, 2017. On that date, the SPR inventory was approximately 695.1 million barrels, data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) show.
The SPR could hold 727 million barrels of oil when Trump took office, Andy Lipow, president of Texas-based consulting firm Lipow Oil Associates, told VERIFY. The maximum storage capacity has since dropped to 714 million barrels of oil, according to the (DOE).
That means the SPR was about 95% full when Trump took office.
By the end of December 2017, the SPR had about 663.7 million barrels of oil, compared to the 695.1 million barrels when Trump took office – and EIA data show the volume continued to decline throughout his presidency.
The SPR inventory was about 638.1 million barrels on Jan. 15, 2021, less than one week before Biden’s inauguration. That means the SPR was more full when Trump became president than it was when he left office.
In March 2020, Trump did propose purchasing 77 million barrels of oil in order to fill the SPR to its maximum capacity, according to the DOE. But Congressional Democrats blocked the measure, calling it an “estimated $3 billion bailout for big oil.”
Trump’s claim about U.S. oil reserves being “virtually empty” for 50 years is also false. In December 2009, the SPR was nearly filled to its then-authorized capacity of 727 million barrels, according to the DOE. That’s the highest inventory ever held in the SPR.
EIA data also show that the SPR has never been close to empty in the past four decades. The lowest amount on record was in August 1982 when there were over 270 million barrels of oil in the reserve.
U.S. oil reserves have continued to decline since Biden took office. As of March 25, there were 568.3 million barrels of oil in the SPR, according to the DOE.
With Biden’s promise to release 180 million more barrels over the next six months, the SPR inventory will still be well above the lows of 1982.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/sports/locked-on/lo-national/locked-on-nfl-draft/ranking-the-top-five-quarterbacks-and-running-backs-in-the-2022-nfl-draft/535-a8d75816-b502-40d0-b2ba-420f1b69c88b
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LAS VEGAS — The NFL Draft is officially less than a month away as prospects continue to go through their pro days as coaches, evaluators and executives are trying to find the best fit for their teams.
So, let's take a closer look at the top prospects from the quarterback and running back positions.
While some have called this a "weaker" class for both positions, on the Locked On NFL Draft podcast, hosts Eric Crocker and Ryan Tracy discuss why the position classes are stronger than you may think, and who stands out the most from both.
SUBSCRIBE: The Locked On NFL Draft podcast hosted by former NFL cornerback Eric Crocker and Ryan Tracy, founder of Rogue Analytics and Personnel Consulting, is your DAILY podcast covering all things NFL Draft. Available on all platforms including YouTube.
In doing so, Crocker and Tracy both put out their top fives from the quarterback and running back position groups.
Let's take a look at who they have. Starting off, their top fives at QB are very different...
Eric Crocker's top five quarterback prospects
1. Malik Willis, QB, Liberty
2. Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati
3. Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh
4. Matt Corral, QB, Ole Miss
5. Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina
Ryan Tracy's top five quarterback prospects
1. Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh
2. Matt Corral, QB, Ole Miss
3. Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati
4. Malik Willis, QB, Liberty
5. Bailey Zappe, QB, Western Kentucky
Catch the full reasoning and analysis on Crocker and Tracy's quarterback prospect rankings for the 2022 NFL Draft on Locked On NFL Draft podcast episode below!
Eric Crocker's top five running back prospects
1. Breece Hall, RB, Iowa State
2. Isaiah Spiller, RB, Texas A&M
3. Kenneth Walker III, RB, Michigan State
4. James Cook, RB, Georgia
5. Zamir White, RB, Georgia
Ryan Tracy's top five running back prospects
1. Kenneth Walker III, RB, Michigan State
2. Breece Hall, RB, Iowa State
3. Isaiah Spiller, RB, Texas A&M
4. Zamir White, RB, Georgia
5. Kyren Williams, RB, Notre Dame
Catch the full reasoning and analysis on Crocker and Tracy's running back prospect rankings for the 2022 NFL Draft on Locked On NFL Draft podcast episode below!
Tune into the daily Locked On NFL Draft podcast, wherever you find your favorite shows, to get yourself fully prepared for the 2022 NFL Draft.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/carbon-county/last-day-for-many-employees-at-kme-kovatch-plant-in-nesquehoning-carbon-county-matt-green-lee-thear-rhonda-burian-kent-tyler/523-83a11fd6-d4a1-47b5-abd5-259e8fa5144a
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NESQUEHONING, Pa. — When people think of the borough of Nesquehoning, they think of Kovatch Mobile Equipment.
The landmark business has been in the community for decades, but after 50 years it is closing its doors here in Carbon County.
Employees tell us Friday was the last day on the job for many at the company.
For nearly four years Matt Green of Coaldale has been an employee of Kovatch Mobile Equipment, in Nesquehoning. Helping the business assemble and produce top-of-the-line custom fire trucks and apparatus, for more than 50 years.
But, Friday was his last day.
"Kinda like hurts because we're all like a family and we were all getting along great. Though we'd be here for a long time, but unfortunately we got the news," said Green, KME employee.
Green was one of the hundreds of employees who learned last year that they would be losing their jobs at the plant.
KME's parent company REV Group decided to move production elsewhere.
Green says after Friday he will be shipped off to Lousiana to work one more month, then be let go.
Lee Thear of Nequeshoning left KME back in September.
"It was more on my terms. I basically wanted to get in front of everybody else leaving cause I knew there was a great exodus coming, unfortunately. So I wanted to get out there and find something else while I could," said Thear, a former KME employee.
Employees at KME are not the only ones suffering from the closure. The Manager at the Sunoco gas station says that since layoffs business has been slower than normal.
"This store was built to serve these employees. It was built by the Kovatch family to serve the employees of their company, like at break time and lunchtime. You know hot food, deli food, drinks, snacks. They would all come over on break," said Rhonda Burian, manager of the convenience store at the Sunoco gas station.
REV Group bought KME from the Kovatch family six years ago.
In a statement, Kent Tyler, REV's president says,
"We want to thank the local Nesquehoning community for their support of those employees who have chosen to remain in Nesquehoning and not relocate. Furthermore, we are grateful to our entire KME team, who have worked with us over the years to build the KME brand, and have helped transition production to our other facilities."
Rev Group officials say employees are finishing up on final orders and the remaining team will be wrapping up over the coming months
As for those here in the community, they hope another company comes in and takes over the plant.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube page.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/luzerne-county/bridge-closed-for-construction-in-luzerne-county-heidelberg-bridge-dupont-avoca-route-11-main-street/523-4dfacf05-56d1-47f7-b8a8-342f9558c34b
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LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. — A heads up for drivers in part of Luzerne County; the Heidelberg Bridge connecting Dupont and Avoca will be closed starting Monday for construction.
Southbound traffic from Avoca to Pittston will remain open.
Northbound traffic will be detoured off Route 11 onto Main Street in Dupont.
Work is expected to last several months.
See news happening? Text our Newstip Hotline.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/northumberland-county/saving-money-on-groceries-weis-markets-coupon-cards/523-5b64f15c-04f7-492d-bd55-1da8e5c164c0
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NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. — If you find yourself disappointed by rising prices at the supermarket, experts say you should not expect relief any time soon. Recently, the United States Department of Agriculture predicted the cost of groceries would continue to increase as much as 4%. That's on top of the higher prices we've seen this year.
"It's pretty crazy, but I guess you have to roll with the punches," Tara Dively said.
"There's not much you can do about it. I don't like it, but there's people worse off than me," Patti Kerstetter said.
Weis Markets hopes to lessen the blow for its customers by saving them as much money as possible.
"These Club Cards are going to help you save every time you shop," said Jaime Hynoski, community relations event management specialist for Weis Markets.
Hynoski encourages customers to get a Weis Club Card. With the card, people can save money on groceries and earn free items. E-coupons can be loaded onto the card.
"You can go on, click which coupons you want to use, and when you're at checkout, you simply give them your card, and those redemptions and offers come right off your order," Hynoski said.
With gas prices also high, you can save money at the pump while grocery shopping.
"For every $100 you spend on your Club Card, you get 10 cents off a gallon of gas. Last year, we helped our customers save millions of dollars just in their gas purchases," Hynoski said.
Patti Kerstetter of Richfield thinks grocery stores are doing the best they can.
"Yes, they do. I think they do. A lot of it's not in their control right now," Kerstetter said.
Hynoski also recommends buying store-brand products, in this case, the Weis brand. She says they are the same quality at a better price.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube page.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/non-profit-in-luzerne-county-offering-free-meals-to-residents-chill-grill-fork-over-love-tracey-selingo-joseph-wascavage/523-78f5e3b4-9c10-4081-a4cb-a56ae77b6584
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WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — The Chill Grill in Wilkes-Barre is one of the local restaurants cooking up free hot meals to donate to Fork Over Love.
“It just makes you feel good to be able to have a meal and know that it was not something frozen or you know, mass-produced – something that somebody took the time and effort to make specifically for you," said Joseph Wascavage, The Chill Grill head chef.
The Fork Over Love organization has partnered with 70 other eateries to provide dinner every week to those who may not know where their next meal is coming from.
“Everyone who comes is hungry for something different; for some people that's food, for other people, that's companionship, connection, and we're just we're happy that we were able to hand over a hot meal to help people in need,” says Tracey Selingo, founder of Fork Over Love.
The organization started to help local restaurants and residents who were hurting from the pandemic, choosing a different community in Luzerne County every week to buy takeout meals and then donate to residents who really need it.
“It helps us with business. I mean, where we're located, we're dependent upon a lot of the offices in the area. A lot of those places have not come back to work yet so you know just like everybody else we're struggling to survive,” added Wascavage.
A year later, they've grown tremendously and are now partnering with DoorDash drivers to reach even more residents of Luzerne County.
“Door Dash allows us to extend our accessibility to people who might not be able to attend a free community dinner," Selingo added. "they can receive a free dinner.”
Currently, Fork Over Love is serving 400 free, fresh meals every week. Their next meal distribution drive-thru will be held at Luzerne County Community College next Tuesday, April 5 at 5 p.m.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube page.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/verify/pop-culture/will-smith-deepfake-reaction-videos-fact-check/536-229cd1f1-0a97-4b71-a5ad-8138f4a8d60f
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During the March 27 Academy Awards, Will Smith marched on stage and hit presenter Chris Rock. The altercation came after Rock made a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith.
Since then, some celebrities have weighed in on the encounter. Actor Mia Farrow tweeted about it, as did actor Sophia Bush. Filmmaker Rob Reiner also tweeted, and Wanda Sykes went on “The Ellen [DeGeneres] Show” to give her account of the Oscars.
Even though there are several celebrities offering their real opinion of the so-called “slap heard around the world,” there are some videos of celebrity reactions on social media that many are claiming are fake, like this one of Clint Eastwood or this one of Morgan Freeman.
THE QUESTION
Are the videos showing actors Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freeman reacting to the Oscars controversy real?
THE SOURCES
- AP Images
- @themanofmanyvoices TikTok account
- MIT Media Lab
THE ANSWER
No, the videos aren’t real. They are deepfake videos created by a celebrity impressionist who originally posted the videos on TikTok.
WHAT WE FOUND
The videos shared to Twitter claiming to show actors Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freeman reacting to the Oscars controversy are deepfakes. A deepfake is made using artificial intelligence technologies, like programs that can be used to replace or synthesize faces, speech or expressions of emotions.
These videos were posted to Twitter, but originally came from the TikTok account of @themanofmanyvoices who, according to their account, is a celebrity impressionist. The account regularly posts deepfake videos of different celebrities, many of them with the same background – a bookshelf loaded with CDs.
In addition to Eastwood and Freeman, the account also posted videos claiming to show reactions to the Oscars controversy from Sylvester Stallone, Muhammad Ali and the Cowardly Lion from “The Wizard of Oz.”
If you watch these videos you might think they look like deepfakes, but here are tips for how you can prove they are not real.
- Check the source. The TiKTok user handle can be seen in the videos. By researching the original source of the footage, VERIFY was able to confirm they are from a celebrity impressionist that posts manipulated content like this regularly.
- Look at the surroundings. The background is the same in the Stallone, Freeman and Ali videos – a picture featuring a logo for “The Sopranos” can be seen in each. While these celebrities could run in the same circles, it’s unlikely they were in the same room recording themselves condemning Smith’s actions.
- Ask yourself - who is in the video? Ali died in 2016, so we know he couldn’t have had an opinion about the 2022 Oscars.
- Noting facial features or oddities is also helpful. In both the Eastwood and Freeman videos, there was slight discoloration across the jawbone.
- Check for image enhancements. The characters in these videos do appear digitally altered, making them both appear younger. This is what Eastwood looked like on Feb. 6.
The MIT Media Lab, a research laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, offers these additional tips to help detect deepfakes:
- Pay attention to the eyes and eyebrows. Do shadows appear in places that you would expect?
- Pay attention to the glasses. Is there any glare? Is there too much glare? Does the angle of the glare change when the person moves?
- Pay attention to the facial hair or lack thereof. Does this facial hair look real? Deepfakes might add or remove a mustache, sideburns, or beard
- Pay attention to blinking. Does the person blink enough or too much?
- Pay attention to the size and color of the lips. Does the size and color match the rest of the person's face?
And don’t forget, if you have questions or want something confirmed, that is what the VERIFY team is here for. Send your questions to questions@verifythis.com if you want the team to fact-check any claims you see online or hear in person.
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HONESDALE, Pa. — This is Macie's second time living at Dessin Animal Shelter near Honesdale. She first came in as a stray a few years ago and was adopted, but her owner recently passed away. Now the 12-year-old basset hound is back, and it is breaking rescue workers' hearts.
"She's just got a great personality. She's outgoing for a dog her age. She loves meeting new people. Give her some toys, she'll play for a little bit. Loves going for walks; she just walks like it's her job. It's always something good to smell out there. She's great on a leash, great in the car," said Marie Sinisgalli, Dessin Animal Shelter.
The perfect match for Macie would be someone who is home often because she loves being around people. She would prefer being the only pet in the house, and she is good with kids.
"I don't know if she can jump up on a couch, but she would make a good couch buddy if she can get up on there. She's just an easy-going girl. We have her back in the office with us, and she's just fun to have," Sinisgalli said.
Yes, she could use a step stool to help her out when she is trying to be a couch potato, but she is an old lady, after all.
"She just has a lot of age-related lumps and bumps, and that's why you see it looks like she's out of shape, but she's actually in good shape. She's got great stamina on her. She did just have two cysts removed," Sinisgalli explained.
There were no issues with the cysts, and the vet says Macie is in very good health. But rescue workers want to make sure her new owners will love her for the old lady that she is.
"Just want to make sure that the people are going to be patient with her because she may not always walk fast, but we just want to make sure people let her grow old accordingly and happily, so if someone can offer her that, come and get her, she's here waiting," Sinisgalli said.
If you think you are the right match for Macie, you can find her adoption information by clicking here.
See more pets and animal stories on WNEP’s YouTube playlist.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/lackawanna-county/funeral-service-held-for-a-k-9-officer-in-lackawanna-county-waverly-township-k9-wyatt-officer-robert-williams-angelo-rudolfi-waverly-township-police/523-42f616cd-ce8a-4918-8ed8-0192788cd73a
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WAVERLY, Pa. — It was a solemn day in Waverly Township laying to rest K-9 Wyatt, who suddenly passed away last week.
Many people were on hand to show their support for Officer Angelo Rudolfi and pay their respects to K-9 Wyatt. He was only 2 years old but left pawprints on many hearts.
"He was a great personable dog, and great on command dog of a lot of dogs that I've seen," said Harold Nudelman, Fraternal Order of Police.
The loss of Wyatt was very hard for Carbondale Police Officer Robert Williams and his K-9 Axel, having worked side by side with Officer Rudolfi and Wyatt for years.
"We worked with Wyatt and Angelo for about two years every Tuesday, every Sunday. So you know it's a hard time right now, but we'll get through it," said Officer Williams.
Dozens of officers from different municipalities, counties and state police turned out for Friday's service, and many we spoke with say they were thankful that there were so many here to show support for Wyatt.
"They were expecting maybe 15 to 20 cars, and we have well over that, well over that with officers as well. So it was a good turnout. I know Angelo appreciates it as well as the Waverly Police Department," Williams said.
As "Taps" played, and the flag was given to Officer Rudolfi, it was clear that despite their short time as partners, the bond was strong, and Wyatt's passing leaves a hole in the family's heart.
"The bond is there because that dog is willing to take a bullet for the handler," said Nudelman.
K-9 Wyatt's memory won't be forgotten. He will be memorialized forever in front of the Waverly Township Police Department.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube page.
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WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — The Chill Grill in Wilkes-Barre is one of the local restaurants cooking up free hot meals to donate to Fork Over Love.
“It just makes you feel good to be able to have a meal and know that it was not something frozen or you know, mass-produced – something that somebody took the time and effort to make specifically for you," said Joseph Wascavage, The Chill Grill head chef.
The Fork Over Love organization has partnered with 70 other eateries to provide dinner every week to those who may not know where their next meal is coming from.
“Everyone who comes is hungry for something different; for some people that's food, for other people, that's companionship, connection, and we're just we're happy that we were able to hand over a hot meal to help people in need,” says Tracey Selingo, founder of Fork Over Love.
The organization started to help local restaurants and residents who were hurting from the pandemic, choosing a different community in Luzerne County every week to buy takeout meals and then donate to residents who really need it.
“It helps us with business. I mean, where we're located, we're dependent upon a lot of the offices in the area. A lot of those places have not come back to work yet so you know just like everybody else we're struggling to survive,” added Wascavage.
A year later, they've grown tremendously and are now partnering with DoorDash drivers to reach even more residents of Luzerne County.
“Door Dash allows us to extend our accessibility to people who might not be able to attend a free community dinner," Selingo added. "they can receive a free dinner.”
Currently, Fork Over Love is serving 400 free, fresh meals every week. Their next meal distribution drive-thru will be held at Luzerne County Community College next Tuesday, April 5 at 5 p.m.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube page.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/verify/money-verify/fico-first-universal-general-purpose-credit-scores-invented-1989/536-56164106-e439-461e-b0fc-728e24d1135a
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A credit score is a mathematical formula designed to tell a company how likely a person is to pay off a loan completely and on-time. Companies use them to make decisions on whether a person should be offered a mortgage, credit card, auto loan or other credit product.
Credit scores are frequently a source of frustration for many social media users, and people’s complaints about the reliability of this widely used credit scoring system have been shared hundreds of thousands of times.
One recurring claim about credit scores is that the universal credit score used today wasn't invented until 1989.
THE QUESTION
Were credit scores as we know them today invented in 1989?
THE SOURCES
- FICO
- Equifax
- Fair Credit Reporting Act
- Equal Credit Opportunity Act
- John Ulzheimer, a credit expert who writes for badcredit.org
THE ANSWER
Yes, Fair, Isaac and Company, now known as FICO, created its universal credit score in 1989; the FICO score is used in the majority of lending decisions today. However, credit reporting and more industry-specific credit scoring existed before the universal credit score.
WHAT WE FOUND
Credit bureaus have existed in the United States since the 1800s. These bureaus put together reports on a consumer’s lending history, and until government regulations in the 1970s, included personal information like marital status, race and gender. Companies began developing and using scores specific to certain credit industries, such as credit cards, in the mid-to-late 1900s, but there wasn’t a universal score that was uniformly applied to all lending situations until 1989.
The first universal, personal credit score was created by Fair, Isaac and Company, now known as FICO, in 1989. FICO was unique because its credit score was universal — one score that could be applied to all credit offers regardless of industry. The FICO score, which ranges between 300 and 850, is used today in the vast majority of lending decisions.
“We launched the FICO Score in 1989 as a universal and impartial tool for evaluating credit risk, and in 1991, it became available from all three major U.S. credit reporting agencies,” a FICO employee said in a company blog post. “We weren’t the first or only scoring option available at all three major credit bureaus, but we were the first with a common design blueprint.”
Credit reporting, and even industry specific credit scoring, had existed long before then, but credit scores were often individualized for certain industries and would be based on different criteria from company to company.
Credit-reporting bureaus were first established in the mid-1800s to collect information on consumers’ lending histories, although they were often small and locally based, said credit expert John Ulzheimer in an article on badcredit.org. One such bureau, founded in Atlanta in 1899 as Retail Credit Company, later became Equifax, one of today’s three major credit-reporting bureaus.
But businesses often made decisions on whether to grant a person loans based on subjective character judgments and biases throughout much of America’s history, even through the late 1900s.
“Early credit reporting wasn’t without its problems,” Ulzheimer said. “It was often subjective, unfair, and didn’t lend itself to consistent credit decisions. In response to these problems, Congress passed a series of laws designed with consumer protection in mind.”
The first of those laws was the Fair Credit Reporting Act in 1970, which required credit reports to be accessible to the people they apply to, put time limits on negative information included in credit reports and limit who can look at a person’s credit report. The second was the 1974 Equal Credit Opportunity Act, which is a civil rights law to prevent lenders from discriminating by race, religion, gender and a host of other personal characteristics that are irrelevant to a person’s lending history. These laws also worked to limit what information on consumers credit-reporting bureaus could keep.
At this time, the company that is now FICO had been working on developing automated credit scoring in an attempt to reduce or remove the subjectivity in lending decisions. It built its first credit scoring system for the American investment industry back in 1958, just two years after its founding. Their early scores were for specific industries or companies, such as scores for credit card lenders to base decisions on.
In 1989, FICO built the BEACON score for Equifax; Equifax still calls its version of the FICO score BEACON to this day. All three major credit bureaus began using FICO scores by 1991. FICO claims its scores are used by 90% of top lenders today.
But today’s credit scores are still plagued by many of the problems that have long existed in credit reporting. Although each credit bureau uses the same formula or very similar formulas, the data they keep in their reports can be different — and sometimes inaccurate. Credit scores can also continue reinforcing the biases it was meant to eliminate.
“A FICO score is probably a more impartial way to handle credit approval than just having some bank representative make a superficial judgment about potential applicants,” said the writers at financial management education blog OppU. “But algorithms can actually reinforce racial disparities that already exist.”
People without credit scores, estimated to be 45 million Americans, tend to be low-income, younger, and minorities, the U.S. Government Accountability Office said in Jan. 2022. That’s led the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to explore more widespread inclusion of alternative data, such as rent and utility payments, in credit reporting.
More from VERIFY: Yes, crude oil prices fell significantly but gas prices did not
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WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — Game plans are working for head coach Jerry Rickrode. And wins for the Wyoming Valley Clutch continue to pile up in the American Basketball Association. They haven't lost a game in the last 11 weeks, and now have placed themselves into the Northeast Regional title game versus the Steel City Yellow Jackets on Sunday at 3:30pm in Pittsburgh with a chance at a berth in the Final 8 in Baltimore.
"Yeah we had a couple of bumps early and then mid-January we had one and we had a really nice sit down and heart to heart thing and since then we have won for 11 straight weeks," said Jerry.
We'll the Clutch already with some awards this season. Center Peter Alexis for the 2nd time named 1st team all ABA. And that is out of 175 teams that play in this league so quite an honor for the 7 footer.
"Absolutely I think that we are showcasing the level of basketball that the Wyoming Valley can really put out there. We are all high level guys from a bunch of different eras. And we are coming together and we are one of the last 16 teams in the nation in this league left," said Peter.
"We are very fortunate to have Pete on our team he has just been a dominating force for our team. But outside of the basketball he is a huge part of our organization. He helps out with our kids and just doing great things with our community," said Dave.
Steel City is long and athletic with experienced European professional players on their squad, and a mainstay in the ABA the last dozen years.
"We are going to try and exploit some of the mismatches inside. Other than that we just have to go and play and have a descent night,' again said Jerry.
"We're leaving my Mom and I are going to leave pretty early on Saturday kind of get out there and relax a little bit and get some dinner. I have a road routine at this point. I know what I have to do the night before get some rest and I like that fact that the game is a little earlier so I am not sitting there all day. So I definitely I think that I am ready. I think that our team is ready. So I am ready to get out there and play," again said Peter.
Steve Lloyd Newswatch 16 sports Luzerne County.
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PENNSYLVANIA, USA — Seems we’ve been teased by spring for a long time. Well, Mike Stevens says he’s found it in the PhotoLink Library.
Check out the PhotoLink Library Photo Gallery and learn how to submit your photos HERE.
See more of our Photolink Library stories on YouTube.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/monroe-county/from-krasnoyarsk-to-cresco-monroe-county-woman-reaches-out-to-her-russian-roots-russia-ukraine/523-9b1a6ac7-33d5-4e11-b666-d03def0b86e7
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CRESCO, Pa. — "This is when we just came," Svetlana Hanover explained, as she turned through her photo album. "It's literally the first day in the United States."
Hanover left Russia for the U.S. 20 years ago, living first in New York and New Jersey before settling in Cresco about a decade ago. Her decision to leave her country came after her state governor Alexander Lebed, whom she worked for, was killed in a helicopter accident in 2002.
A picture in Hanover's album shows her crying at the site of the crash. She says the picture was used in the local paper about the governor's death. She was 18 at the time.
"Two days before the crash, he announced that he was going to run for the presidential elections of 2004," Hanover said. "Which would be the second term of Putin. I realized that I did not want to live in a country where opposition is getting kicked out of the helicopters from 65 meters up in the air."
Since then, she's been sharing information with loved ones in Russia from here in the states.
"Trying to talk to family back in Russia and friends back in Russia, it's like talking to wall if you turn on like evening news, all you see is state-run media," she said.
Hanover recalls helping one friend in Russia use a VPN, a virtual private network, so her friend could see more of what's going on in Ukraine.
"We talked about it. She cried once she realized how deceived she was by her media. I thought I got through. I was so happy and then realized that she never logged into Twitter again."
Hanover says she thinks her friend, like many of her loved ones in Russia, is avoiding the realities of the war due to "guilt by association."
"She doesn't want to know how horrific it is," she said. "She doesn't want to feel it. I say feel it."
Now a U.S. citizen, Hanover is currently working with local Ukrainians to fundraise and collect donations.
And she says she'll never give up on her loved ones back in Russia.
"Even if I show the truth to three, four, five people, it's still more than zero."
See more videos on our area's connection to the Crisis in Ukraine.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/nation-world/will-smith-resigns-motion-picture-academy/507-99606233-9199-4a00-8082-792a6c116495
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LOS ANGELES — Will Smith resigned Friday from the motion picture academy following his Oscars night slap of Chris Rock and said he would accept any further punishment the organization imposed.
Smith in a statement released Friday afternoon he would "accept any further consequences the Board deems appropriate. I will fully accept any and all consequences for my conduct. My actions at the 94th Academy Awards presentation were shocking, painful, and inexcusable.
“I betrayed the trust of the Academy. I deprived other nominees and winners of their opportunity to celebrate and be celebrated for their extraordinary work,” his statement said. “I am heartbroken. I want to put the focus back on those who deserve attention for their achievements and allow the Academy to get back to the incredible work it does to support creativity and artistry in film.
“Change takes time and I am committed to doing the work to ensure that I never again allow violence to overtake reason,” Smith concluded in the statement.
The resignation came two days after the academy's leadership board met to initiate disciplinary proceedings against Smith for violations against the group’s standards of conduct.
On Sunday, Smith strode from his front-row Dolby Theatre seat on to the stage and smacked Rock, who had made a joke at the expense of Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Moments later, he went on to win the best actor award for his role in “King Richard.”
Rock, who was about to present Oscar for best documentary, declined to file charges when asked by police. He has only briefly addressed the attack publicly, saying at one comedy concert in Boston this week that he was still "kind of processing what happened.”
Smith shocked the theater crowd and viewers at home when he took the stage after Rock joked: “Jada, I love you. ‘G.I. Jane 2,’ can’t wait to see it.”
Pinkett Smith, who suffers from the hair loss condition alopecia, had a closely shaved head similar to that of Demi Moore in the original movie.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/entertainment/events/oscars/motion-picture-academy-history-oscars/507-96e05fde-536d-4cfb-963b-f3151c99df73
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Will Smith resigned Friday from the motion picture academy following his Oscars night slap of Chris Rock and said he would accept any further punishment the organization imposed. That led people searching Google to ask the question, "What is the motion picture academy?"
Typically just referred to as "the academy," the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAAS) is usually not one that most movie fans think about except for once a year when it puts on the Oscars.
According to the Oscars website, the academy was formed in 1927 after MGM studio chief Louis B. Mayer and his guests discussed creating an organization to benefit the film industry.
"A week later, 36 invitees from all the creative branches of the film industry dined at Los Angeles's Ambassador Hotel to hear a proposal to found the International Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences," the Oscars site reads.
Not long after, the Academy was formed with Douglas Fairbanks named its first president.
The first Oscars ceremony was held in 1929 at a banquet. There was not nearly the drama there is today as the winners were announced three months earlier.
A year later, newspapers were given the list of winners to allow them to put it in the morning papers. But in 1940, the Los Angeles Times published the winners ahead of the ceremony. That prompted what we see now -- the sealed envelopes that are opened on stage.
After years on the radio, the first televised Oscar ceremony came in 1953. The first color telecast was in 1966.
In 1968, the ceremony was postponed two days out of respect for the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It was postponed again for 24 hours in 1981 due to the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan.
Over the years, the academy has steadily added awards for specific elements of movie-making. The organization itself has also expanded to include the awarding of grants, scholarships and the opening of a museum.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/lackawanna-county/business-booming-in-bucktown-with-new-boutique-hidden-harlo-kaylee-harrity-cara-mias-deli-mayor-max-conway-carly-tallo/523-1ade5ce0-01bb-4a9f-8e33-2f3a1dcc17f5
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DUNMORE, Pa. — There's a new biz on the block. Down the hall from Cara Mia's Deli in Dunmore, you'll find Hidden Harlo.
"It's been a long time since there's been a boutique in Dunmore so I feel like this is a good thing for the community," said Kaylee Harrity, Hidden Harlo.
The last clothing store in the borough was Friedman's. It closed in 2018.
Kaylee Harrity is from Dunmore. She started selling women's clothing online in 2019.
Online sales worked out throughout the pandemic, but Harrity decided it was time to expand and home was the perfect place to start.
"My grandfather actually had a garage in Dunmore for 40 years, Abda's Garage. My aunt has a financial office up the street. She's been open for about four years. I just felt like it was in my genes to open a business in Dunmore," said Harrity.
The grand opening for Hidden Harlo was Friday night.
And in an effort to promote other small businesses, Harrity is offering a 10% discount for those with a receipt from another small business in the borough.
Dunmore's new Mayor Max Conway is also a young buck...pun intended.
This is what he hoped to see when he took office.
"In Dunmore, we are really lucky that we have tons of established, long-standing businesses here but now with businesses like this, with newer ideas and everything, I think it's critical. It really helps not just the newer businesses, but it helps the older businesses when you do these types of sales that really just benefit all businesses in the borough," said Mayor Max Conway, Dunmore (D).
Right around the corner is CTB Studio. It's also run by a young woman, from Dunmore.
Carly Tallo is 24-years-old. She opened her doors during the pandemic a year and a half ago.
Tallo hopes other young people from Dunmore see there's a lot of worth in working at home.
"It's nice because since we are all friends, too, we can all work together and maybe do some collaborations to bring some life back to the corners," said Carly Tallo, CTB Studio.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube page.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/luzerne-county/house-votes-to-decriminalize-marijuana-donovan-farrell-anthony-rodriguez-judson-spencer-joe-peters-of-representatives/523-a9bd4b53-34b4-47bf-81d9-147a1f17ce91
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WILKES-BARRE TOWNSHIP, Pa. — The House of Representatives passed a bill to decriminalize marijuana nationwide, removing the drug from the federal list of controlled substances.
"It's not like these other drugs," said Donovan Farrell from Wilkes-Barre. "In my opinion, alcohol is worse than that."
"I feel like people should be able to do whatever they please in the comfort of their own home, to a certain extent of course," added Anthony Rodriguez.
The bill would also expunge the records of Americans who've been charged or convicted for non-violent crimes related to cannabis and review sentences at the federal and state levels.
"We have too many people in jail or with records, honest people trying to find a good job, but can't because they can have a marijuana charge on their record," said Judson Spencer of Pittston. "You can go get six DUI's and still get a job anywhere you want. It doesn't make sense to me, you know."
Wyoming County District Attorney Joe Peters has a different take. Having served as a police officer, a prosecutor, and a deputy drugs czar in the Clinton and Bush White Houses, he's concerned decriminalization is a step toward legalization; something he's firmly against.
"This is very potent and brings with it, addiction," he said. "Psychological addiction and even physical addiction."
Some of the bill's supporters suggest decriminalization would save money, pointing to lower law enforcement and incarceration costs and the proposed 8% tax on all cannabis products.
Peters disagrees, saying criminal activity and black market sales would only worsen. He feels the legislation sends the wrong message to teens and young adults.
"In this crisis during which we live now, with opioids, with fentanyl, do we want to layer another drug problem on top of it and send that message?" Peters said. "I don't think so."
Medical marijuana is legalized in Pennsylvania. Though some cities have decriminalized the drug, that's not the case statewide. The federal bill will now head to a vote in the Senate.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube page.
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MONROE COUNTY, Pa. — A man will spend a decade in prison for his role in a multi-million-dollar Ponzi scheme.
The feds say John Law conspired with Perry Santillo to take in more than $115 million from investors as part of a nationwide Ponzi scheme.
They used a former office building in Scotrun as an outpost.
Law was sentenced after pleading guilty to a series of fraud charges.
As for Santillo, he was recently sentenced to 17 years behind bars in New York State. He is awaiting sentencing in Pennsylvania.
See news happening? Text our Newstip Hotline.
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The Connecticut Huskies will face the South Carolina Gamecocks Sunday for the NCAA women's basketball national championship. Tip-off is set for 8:00 p.m. ET.
Here's a recap of how both teams advanced in the Final Four.
South Carolina 72, Louisville 59
This time, Aliyah Boston and the South Carolina Gamecocks were smiling as they strutted off the court at the Final Four.
The only crying came from relief and joy, one year after a painfully opposite finish in the national semifinals.
Boston took over after halftime and finished with 23 points and 18 rebounds to back up her AP National Player of the Year award, carrying South Carolina to the NCAA championship game with a 72-59 victory over Louisville on Friday night.
“You see happy tears, happy tears, right now,” Boston said in her postgame TV interview. “I’m just thanking God we have one more game.”
Brea Beal matched her season high with 12 points and helped hold Cardinals star Hailey Van Lith to nine points on 4-for-11 shooting as the Gamecocks (34-2) delivered another stifling defensive performance.
Destanni Henderson scored 11 points with 3-for-6 shooting from 3-point range for South Carolina, which had a 19-5 assists advantage and improved to 13-0 this season against AP-ranked opponents.
Emily Engstler led Louisville with 18 points and nine rebounds as the Cardinals went 1 for 8 from 3-point range and were never able to find a rhythm in the half court against the No. 1 overall seed in this tournament.
South Carolina, which won it all in 2017, was ousted in the semifinals last season by one point to eventual champion Stanford when Boston’s put-back attempt bounced off the rim at the buzzer. The 6-foot-5 junior from the U.S. Virgin Islands has bounced right back a year later, and the Gamecocks have followed her lead.
UConn 63, Stanford 58
Paige Bueckers scored 14 points and UConn advanced to the national championship game with a 63-58 win over defending champion Stanford on Friday night.
It's UConn's first trip to the championship game since 2016, when the Huskies won the last of four straight championships. Since then, the team has suffered heartbreaking defeats in the national semifinals, losing twice in overtime.
UConn (30-5) will be seeking its 12th national championship, and the Huskies have never lost in an NCAA title game.
They had to work to get to the finals. Leading by 52-44 with 1:26 left, Stanford made a furious rally thanks to a few costly UConn turnovers.
Cameron Brink's layup with 18.4 seconds left got the Cardinal within 60-58. UConn was able to work seven seconds off the clock before Christyn Williams was fouled with 11 seconds left. The senior guard calmly swished both free throws to restore a two-possession lead.
Ashten Prechtel completely missed a tough contested 3-pointer from the wing with 5.4 seconds left and the Huskies held on for the win.
Haley Jones led the Cardinal with 20 points.
Travis Pittman contributed to this report.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/nation-world/ukraine/russia-ukraine-war-saturday/507-6f25ae6e-dfcc-4d95-8132-5186a1066eba
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KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned his people early Saturday that retreating Russian forces were creating “a complete disaster” outside the capital as they leave mines across “the whole territory,” including around homes and corpses.
He issued the warning as the humanitarian crisis in the encircled city of Mariupol deepened, with Russian forces blocking evacuation operations for the second day in a row. Meanwhile, the Kremlin accused the Ukrainians of launching a helicopter attack on a fuel depot on Russian soil.
Ukraine denied responsibility for the fiery blast, but if Moscow’s claim is confirmed, it would be the war’s first known attack in which Ukrainian aircraft penetrated Russian airspace.
“Certainly, this is not something that can be perceived as creating comfortable conditions for the continuation of the talks,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, five weeks after Moscow began sending upwards of 150,000 of its own troops across Ukraine’s border.
Russia continued withdrawing some of its ground forces from areas around Kyiv after saying earlier this week it would reduce military activity near the Ukrainian capital and the northern city of Chernihiv.
“They are mining the whole territory. They are mining homes, mining equipment, even the bodies of people who were killed,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address to the nation. “There are a lot of trip wires, a lot of other dangers.”
Ukraine’s military said it had retaken 29 settlements in the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions.
Still, Ukraine and its allies warned that the Kremlin is not de-escalating to promote trust at the bargaining table, as it claimed, but instead resupplying and shifting its troops to the country’s east. Those movements appear to be preparation for an intensified assault on the mostly Russian-speaking Donbas region in the country's east, which includes Mariupol.
Zelenskyy warned of difficult battles ahead as Russia redeploys troops. “We are preparing for an even more active defense,” he said.
He did not say anything about the latest round of talks, which took place Friday by video. At a round of talks earlier in the week, Ukraine said it would be willing to abandon a bid to join NATO and declare itself neutral — Moscow’s chief demand — in return for security guarantees from several other countries.
The invasion has left thousands dead and driven more than 4 million refugees from Ukraine.
Mariupol, the shattered and besieged southern port city, has seen some of the worst suffering of the war. Its capture would be a major prize for Russian President Vladimir Putin, giving his country an unbroken land bridge to Crimea, seized from Ukraine in 2014.
On Friday, the International Committee for the Red Cross said it was unable to carry out an operation to bring civilians out of Mariupol by bus. City authorities said the Russians were blocking access to the city.
“We do not see a real desire on the part of the Russians and their satellites to provide an opportunity for Mariupol residents to evacuate to territory controlled by Ukraine,” Petro Andryushchenko, an adviser to Mariupol's mayor, wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
He said Russian forces “are categorically not allowing any humanitarian cargo, even in small amounts, into the city.”
Around 100,000 people are believed to remain in the city, down from a prewar 430,000. Weeks of Russian bombardment and street fighting have caused severe shortages of water, food, fuel and medicine.
“We are running out of adjectives to describe the horrors that residents in Mariupol have suffered,” Red Cross spokesperson Ewan Watson said.
On Thursday, Russian forces blocked a 45-bus convoy attempting to evacuate people from Mariupol and seized 14 tons of food and medical supplies bound for the city, Ukrainian authorities said.
Zelenskyy said more than 3,000 people were able to leave Mariupol on Friday.
He said he discussed the humanitarian disaster with French President Emmanuel Macron by telephone and with the president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, during her visit to Kyiv.
“Europe doesn’t have the right to be silent about what is happening in our Mariupol,” Zelenskyy said. “The whole world should respond to this humanitarian catastrophe.”
Elsewhere, at least three Russian ballistic missiles were fired late Friday at the Odesa region on the Black Sea, regional leader Maksim Marchenko said. The Ukrainian military said the Iskander missiles did not hit the critical infrastructure they targeted.
Odesa is Ukraine’s largest port and the headquarters of its navy.
As for the fuel depot explosion, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said two Ukrainian helicopter gunships flew in extremely low and attacked the civilian oil storage facility on the outskirts of the city of Belgorod, about 25 kilometers (16 miles) from the Ukraine border.
The regional governor said two workers at the depot were wounded, but the Rosneft state oil company denied anyone was hurt.
Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine’s national security council, said on Ukrainian television: “For some reason they say that we did it, but in fact this does not correspond with reality."
Later, in an interview with Fox, Zelenskyy refused to say whether Ukraine was behind the attack.
On the outskirts of Kyiv, where Russian troops have withdrawn, damaged cars lined the streets of Irpin, a suburban area popular with young families, now in ruins. Emergency workers carried elderly people on stretchers over a wrecked bridge to safety.
Three wooden crosses next to a residential building that was damaged in a shelling marked the graves of a mother and son and an unknown man. A resident who gave her name only as Lila said she helped hurriedly bury them on March 5, just before Russian troops moved in.
“They were hit with artillery and they were burned alive,” she said.
An Irpin resident who gave his name only as Andriy said the Russians packed up their equipment and left on Tuesday. The next day, they shelled the town for close to an hour before Ukrainian soldiers retook it.
“I don’t think this is over,” Andriy said. “They will be back.”
___
Karmanau reported from Lviv, Ukraine. Andrea Rosa in Irpin, Ukraine, and Associated Press journalists around the world contributed to this report.
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CLARKS SUMMIT, Pa. — After a long winter, whether you have gravel or mulch, your flower beds are most likely loaded with leaves, dead plants and debris.
It is important to clean your flower beds and prepare them for the growing season ahead.
Paul offers tips on how to best clean gravel and mulch beds so they are perfect for your perennials and annuals.
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MIFFLINBURG, Pa. — Keith Phelps of Inspired Designs has the perfect decor piece for your Easter table or buffet. Using fresh willow, pansies and daffodils Keith creates a beautiful willow rimmed planter. These early spring flowers will last throughout the spring season.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/life/home-garden/home-backyard/home-and-backyard-potato-pierogies-crooked-forest-food-truck-in-your-community-jackie-lewandoski/523-0074d0b5-e241-44c1-b114-bef5bdd45bf1
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SHICKSHINNY, Pa. — Whether you love Eastern Europe inspired foods, particularly Polish foods, or you have always wanted to try them "The Crooked Forest" food truck has what you are looking for!
Owner Sarah Haefner decided to combine the recipes from her ethnic heritage with popular favorites from around the world to create her Polish fusion cuisine.
Sarah prepared her very popular homemade pierogies for Home and Backyard. The Crooked Forest Food Truck is available for special events and parties.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/life/home-garden/home-backyard/home-and-backyard-rescuing-and-replanting-saplings-in-your-garden-paul-epsom/523-a85956ae-aaf1-4e71-8d0b-f586e9016556
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CLARKS SUMMIT, Pa. — Saplings often pop up under or around larger trees.
These small plants are easy to rescue and replant elsewhere on your property or give to a friend or neighbor.
Paul shows you the best way to remove saplings and re-pot or replant these tiny trees.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/health/coronavirus/coronavirus-numbers/covid-19-update-for-saturday-april-2/523-7c0617d3-1d4b-4474-bb80-0d6ef5fbb302
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PENNSYLVANIA, USA — The Pennsylvania Department of Health confirmed there are 653 new cases of coronavirus Saturday, bringing the statewide total to 2,782,827.
There are 44,313 deaths attributed to coronavirus in Pennsylvania, an increase of 18 new deaths.
More information can be found on the state's COVID-19 Dashboard.
NORTHEAST AND CENTRAL PA CASES:
BRADFORD: 15,110 (200 deaths)
CARBON: 15,854 (290 deaths)
CENTRE: 35,097 (346 deaths)
CLINTON: 9029 (124 deaths)
COLUMBIA: 15,027 (243 deaths)
LACKAWANNA: 43,373 (758 deaths)
LUZERNE: 73,399 (1342 deaths)
LYCOMING: 28,380 (511 deaths)
MONROE: 36,920 (517 deaths)
MONTOUR: 4511 (93 deaths)
NORTHUMBERLAND: 22,794 (529 deaths)
PIKE: 10,119 (95 deaths)
SCHUYLKILL: 34,390 (674 deaths)
SNYDER: 8095 (155 deaths)
SULLIVAN: 1049 (36 deaths)
SUSQUEHANNA: 7777 (107 deaths)
TIOGA: 7999 (192 deaths)
UNION: 11,679 (153 deaths)
WAYNE: 10,115 (169 deaths)
WYOMING: 5066 (104 deaths)
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/lackawanna-county/atv-crash-in-lackawanna-county-jermyn-archbald-aylesworth-park/523-ae33e2f8-cb5a-4447-856d-92b504e2a8bc
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JERMYN, Pa. — Newswatch 16 is on the scene of an ATV crash in Lackawanna County.
Officials say four people were involved in the crash that took place in a wooded area near Aylesworth Park in Jermyn.
The coroner is on scene along with dozens of first responders as well as a helicopter.
Some of those involved have been taken to the hospital, there is no word yet on their condition.
This is a developing story, please check back for more updates.
See news happening? Text our Newstip Hotline.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/lackawanna-county/opening-day-of-trout-season-draws-crowd-in-lackawanna-county-ethan-heid-jamie-heid-jennifer-burns-aidan-vanluvender-lackawanna-state-park/523-b9cd8bda-4e32-41b9-a7bd-cdda616a3fe8
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LACKAWANNA COUNTY, Pa. — Despite cold temperatures, anglers were out at Lackawanna state park for the highly-anticipated first day of trout season.
Dozens came out to cast a line and wait for a bite, some even lucky enough to reel in a keeper.
Ethan Heid of Jessup and his dad both caught their limit of five fish each.
"Down there it was like really slow at first and then we went out a little bit more and we started to catch more," said Ethan Heid.
Others like Jennifer Burns of Nicholson weren't so lucky. She only caught one fish.
"We were hoping to catch our limit, but I think it's just too cold. Too cold for the fish and too cold for me," said Burns.
Usually, there are two opening dates, but when the COVID-19 pandemic happened, state officials combined the two to one.
"We usually come out on the first day. Sometimes we do the mentor day with our brothers and sister. But usually, we just get out when we can," said Aidan Vanluvender, Old Forge.
Fishermen tell Newswatch 16, it's an annual tradition for many of them to come out on opening day and try to catch one of these trouts.
"I remember back when I was a kid my dad used to take us. We had a big tradition. Always have a cookout and stuff. But I have an older son and we started with him and just continue with this one. The other one he's getting old he doesn't wanna come out anymore, but he enjoys it still," said Jamie Heid.
"I think it was just something to be able to spend time with my parents and my brother. now I just hope we can keep that tradition going, now with my son. He'll be two in June. So I just hope next year he'll be old enough to come out with us," said Burns.
Regular trout season lasts through Labor Day.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube page.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/lackawanna-county/plenty-of-pasta-in-lackawanna-county-veterans-memorial-park-archbald-fundraiser/523-e1e65fbf-734a-4668-b6cf-e219bc52c451
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ARCHBALD, Pa. — The dinner will help pay for the Veteran's Memorial Park in Archbald, which is currently under construction.
The park is scheduled to be finished by 2023.
The pasta dinner also featured a basket raffle and a 50/50 raffle.
And the committee in charge of the project says it hopes to have many more fundraisers like this one.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube page.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/lackawanna-county/cornhole-tournament-benefits-youth-shelter-holiday-inn-dunmore-valhalla-cornhole-club-nepa-youth-shelter/523-e647c533-c7c5-4c7f-805b-4a5a2423925f
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DUNMORE, Pa. — This time the Holiday Inn in Dunmore played host while 23 teams competed in a tournament all to benefit the NEPA Youth Shelter that provides basic necessities for children in need and after-school programs.
"It's amazing that people are coming up to help raise money for the youth shelter. I mean, anything you could help out works, you know, donating time by volunteering shown up doing this allows them to get funds to do anything for the organization that they need. There's so much stuff in the back end that happens that people don't know about even just basic needs like food and water helps. But this, this is great to show support people get together. And as of late, we haven't been able to be together much so something like this is awesome that people come," said Adam Stefanski, volunteer.
The Valhalla Cornhole Club, a veteran's organization, helped put the tournament together by providing cornhole boards, brackets, and other things that were needed to make it happen.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube page.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/luzerne-county/layout-for-luke-frisbee-tournament-held-in-luzerne-county-forty-fort-mike-harvan-patty-harvan-emily-harvan-don-wolfinger/523-ede16165-601d-40f7-845b-9dfd57d57ea8
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FORTY FORT, Pa. — Ultimate frisbee was the game being played at a field in Forty Fort Saturday put on by the University of Scranton's Ultimate Frisbee Club (Electric City Scranton Ultimate). And for the third year in a row, the tournament was held in honor of Luke Harvan, a brother of one of the players who has been with the tournament since it started years ago.
"When they told me they were having this for him in honor of my brother who means so much to me, I was just so touched," said Mike Harvan, Luke's brother.
The Harvan's tell Newswatch 16 they've supported the event for years and their son Luke loved to come and watch the action out on the field.
"Honestly, it's the environment and it's the family. The Harvans are a great resource for this team throughout the years and we wanted to do something special for them and bring awareness for autism," said Don Wolfinger, Electric City Scranton Ultimate.
"It means so much to us because, you know, my son passed away. It's November of 2019 we lost him. And one of his favorite things in life was to come to the Scranton Ultimate Frisbee Tournament. He loved coming, he loved seeing the kids. All the players were always like super nice to him," said Patty Harvan, Luke's mother.
Funds from this tournament will be donated to the Autism Cares Foundation in Luke's honor.
"It's important Autism Cares, they're a great organization. They're, you know, they're local. They know what the kids in our area need and they provide it it's not like a national organization where it seems like they're spending a lot of money on advertising. Luke used their services. They were great people, they have great volunteers," said Michael Harvan, Luke's father.
"Yeah, it's really a great thing. Everybody come out, you know, as the older sister I was so grateful for both of my little brothers that found a community like this that's just like full of kids that are so great and so wonderful to both of them. And to see that being carried on, even though luke's not here with us anymore but to have his memory here and have all these teams here it's great to see," said Emily Harvan, Luke's sister.
If you want to learn more about the Autism Cares Foundation click here.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube page.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/entertainment-news/estelle-harris-seinfeld-and-toy-story-actor-dies-at-93-george-costanza-mother/507-37dfb0da-3734-4c3e-90d6-643a97262ae2
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NEW YORK — Estelle Harris, who hollered her way into TV history as George Costanza’s short-fused mother on “Seinfeld” and voiced Mrs. Potato Head in the “Toy Story” franchise, has died. She was 93.
As middle-class matron Estelle Costanza, Harris put a memorable stamp on her recurring role in the smash 1990s sitcom. With her high-pitched voice and humorously overbearing attitude, she was an archetype of maternal indignation.
Trading insults and absurdities with her on-screen husband, played by Jerry Stiller, Harris helped create a parental pair that would leave even a psychiatrist helpless to do anything but hope they’d move to Florida — as their son, played by Jason Alexander, fruitlessly encouraged them to do.
Harris’ agent Michael Eisenstadt confirmed the actor’s death in Palm Desert, California, on Saturday evening.
Viewers of all backgrounds would tell her she was just like their own mothers, Harris often said.
“She is the mother that everybody loves, even though she’s a pain in the neck,” she told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in 1998.
The career-defining role came after decades on stage and screen. Born April 22, 1928, in New York City, Harris grew up in the city and later in the Pittsburgh suburb of Tarentum, Pennsylvania, where her father owned a candy store. She started tapping her comedic talents in high school productions where she realized she “could make the audience get hysterical,” as she told People magazine in 1995.
After the nine-season run of “Seinfeld” ended in 1998, Harris continued to appear on stage and screen. She voiced Mrs. Potato Head in the 1999 animated blockbuster “Toy Story 2” and played the recurring character Muriel in the popular Disney Channel sitcom “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody,” among other roles.
She had stopped pursuing show business when she married in the early 1950s but resumed acting in amateur groups, dinner theater and commercials as her three children grew (“I had to get out of diapers and bottles and blah-blah baby talk,” she told People). Eventually, she began appearing in guest roles on TV shows including the legal comedy “Night Court,” and in films including director Sergio Leone’s 1984 gangland epic “Once Upon a Time in America.”
Her “Seinfeld” debut came in one of the show’s most celebrated episodes: the Emmy Award-winning 1992 “The Contest,” in which the four central characters challenge each other to refrain from doing what is artfully described only as “that.”
Harris would go on to appear in dozens more episodes of the “show about nothing.” She seethed over snubbed paella, screeched about George’s hanky-panky in the parental bed and laid out the spread for screen husband Frank’s idiosyncratic holiday, Festivus.
“Estelle is a born performer,” Stiller told The Record of Bergen County, N.J., in 1998. “I just go with what I got, and she goes back at me the same way.”
Still, Harris saw a sympathetic undertone to her character, often saying Estelle fumed out frustration at her bumbling mate and scheming slacker of a son.
Viewers, she told an interviewer in 1998, “just look at her as being funny, cute and a loudmouth. But it’s not how I play her. I play her with misery underneath.”
She is survived by her three children, three grandsons, and a great grandson.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/lackawanna-county/runners-prep-for-scranton-half-marathon-matt-byrne-scranton-running-company-lackawanna-county/523-dc70ee58-e203-4355-be2d-0d90ed274111
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SCRANTON, Pa. — The Scranton Half Marathon kicks off Sunday at 8 a.m. The 2020 race was canceled due to the Pandemic and the 2021 marathon was postponed from March to November 2021.
Spirits were high as runners came to pick up their gear for Sunday morning.
"You have the restrictions coming down, and that type of thing I think it's just fun, people are just excited to get back to normal, so to speak. Ya know, less restrictions, less hoops to jump through to do these races, whether it's checking vaccinations, or whatever, but yes! People are just happy to have some sense of normalcy again," said Matt Byrne, Race Director/Organizer.
The race will start and end near Scranton High School. For a map of the course and road closures, click here.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube page.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/luzerne-county/drive-through-easter-bunny-event-in-luzerne-county-casey-dental-oak-street-pittston/523-faf743ea-3095-4142-b7ad-49566e7590c1
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PITTSTON, Pa. — The fire department brought the Easter bunny to Casey Dental on Oak Street in Pittston.
Organizers say they wanted people to have fun after COVID. But they also wanted to take the opportunity to spread the word about things to keep in mind when choosing candy for Easter baskets.
"It's really important because people don't realize how detrimental gummy candy or sticky candy are to the teeth and so we want to educate parents and patients and grandparents about the oral benefits of chocolate instead of, you know, sticky candies," said Dr. Christina Amato, Dentist at Casey Dental.
There was also an extensive raffle, prizes included Rail Riders tickets, Skyzone packages, and bikes.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube page.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/luzerne-county/making-friends-with-the-easter-bunny-in-duryea-pets-luzerne-county-traceys-hope-tiffany-moeller/523-3fa276c8-81cd-4886-875a-b4b5e0db6fa6
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DURYEA, Pa. — Parents could bring their children and pets to pose for photos with the Easter bunny at Marie's diner in Duryea.
Treat bags were available for the children and their furry friends.
All the money raised from the photos here will benefit Tracy's Hope Animal Rescue, which specializes in senior, disabled, or sick animals.
"How could you not support them. They all need love. They all need homes. A lot of them need special love and care and that's why we have to do what we do. so we can take care of them," said Tiffany Moeller, Tracey's Hope Animal Rescue.
Customers could also enter a basket raffle, and buy tickets to the organization's upcoming bingo event in Luzerne County.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube page.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/luzerne-county/setting-up-for-irem-shrine-circus-in-luzerne-county/523-4522003e-5c57-402a-84b4-c9ad75977611
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LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. — Shriners spent the day building bleachers and putting up the concession stands for the event.
The circus will begin on April 18 and run through April 24 at the Kingston Armory next to Kirby Park. This is the first time the circus will be back since the pandemic.
All 2020 tickets will be honored for the same weekday and time that they were purchased.
If you want to learn more or purchase tickets for the circus, head to their website by clicking here.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube page.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/entertainment/music/grammys/full-list-grammy-nominees-winners-2022-show/507-d8b561ee-7b73-43a0-a2ba-a975647e7aef
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LAS VEGAS — The Grammys might be missing stars like Drake, The Weeknd and Kanye West as a performer, but the biggest night in music could still shine bright on the Las Vegas Strip.
When and where are the Grammys?
The ceremony relocated to Las Vegas for the first-time ever with several artists who could have epic nights including Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo and Jon Batiste. The awards shifted from Los Angeles because of the rising COVID-19 cases and omicron variant in January.
Sunday's show will air live beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern on CBS and the Paramount+ streaming service.
Who are the nominees?
Here's a list of nominees in the top categories at the 64th annual Grammy Awards.
— Album of the year: “We Are,” Jon Batiste; “Love For Sale,” Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga; “Justice (Triple Chucks Deluxe),” Justin Bieber; “Planet Her (Deluxe Edition),” Doja Cat; “Happier Than Ever,” Billie Eilish; “Back of My Mind,” H.E.R.; “MONTERO,” Lil Nas X; “Sour,” Olivia Rodrigo; “Evermore,” Taylor Swift; “Donda,” Kanye West.
— Record of the year: “I Still Have Faith in You,” ABBA; “I Get a Kick Out of You,” Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga; “Peaches,” Justin Bieber featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon; “Right on Time,” Brandi Carlile; “Kiss Me More,” Doja Cat featuring SZA; “Happier Than Ever,” Billie Eilish; “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name),” Lil Nas X; “Drivers License,” Olivia Rodrigo; “Leave the Door Open,” Silk Sonic.
— Song of the year (songwriter’s award): “Bad Habits,” Johnny McDaid and Ed Sheeran; “A Beautiful Noise,” Ruby Amanfu, Brandi Carlile, Brandy Clark, Alicia Keys, Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, Linda Perry and Hailey Whitters; “Drivers License,” Daniel Nigro and Olivia Rodrigo; “Fight For You,” Dernst Emile II, H.E.R. and Tiara Thomas; “Happier Than Ever,” Billie Eilish O’Connell and Finneas O’Connell; “Kiss Me More,” Rogét Chahayed, Amala Zandile Dlamini, Lukasz Gottwald, Carter Lang, Gerard A. Powell II, Solána Rowe and David Sprecher; “Leave The Door Open,” Brandon Anderson, Christopher Brody Brown, Dernst Emile II and Bruno Mars; “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name),” Denzel Baptiste, David Biral, Omer Fedi, Montero Hill and Roy Lenzo; “Peaches,” Louis Bell, Justin Bieber, Giveon Dezmann Evans, Bernard Harvey, Felisha “Fury” King, Matthew Sean Leon, Luis Manuel Martinez Jr., Aaron Simmonds, Ashton Simmonds, Andrew Wotman and Keavan Yazdani; “Right On Time,” Brandi Carlile, Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth and Tim Hanseroth.
— Best new artist: Arooj Aftab; Jimmie Allen; Baby Keem; Finneas; Glass Animals; Japanese Breakfast; The Kid Laroi; Arlo Parks; Olivia Rodrigo; Saweetie.
— Best pop solo performance: “Anyone,” Justin Bieber; “Right on Time,” Brandi Carlile; “Happier Than Ever,” Billie Eilish; “Positions,” Ariana Grande; “Drivers License,” Olivia Rodrigo.
— Best pop duo/group performance: “I Get a Kick Out of You,” Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga; “Lonely,” Justin Bieber and benny blanco; “Butter,” BTS; “Higher Power,” Coldplay; “Kiss Me More,” Doja Cat featuring SZA.
— Best pop vocal album: “Justice (Triple Chucks Deluxe),” Justin Bieber; “Planet Her (Deluxe), Doja Cat; “Happier Than Ever,” Billie Eilish; “Positions,” Ariana Grande; “Sour,” Olivia Rodrigo.
— Best traditional pop vocal album: “Love for Sale,” Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga; “’Til We Meet Again (Live),” Norah Jones; “A Tori Kelly Christmas,” Tori Kelly; “Ledisi Sings Nina,” Ledisi; “That’s Life,” Willie Nelson; “A Holly Dolly Christmas,” Dolly Parton.
— Best dance/electronic album: “Subconsciously,” Black Coffee; “Fallen Embers,” Illenium; “Music is the Weapon (Reloaded), Major Lazer; “Shockwave,” Marshmello; “Free Love,” Sylvan Esso; “Judgement,” Ten City.
— Best rock album: “Power Up,” AC/DC; “Capitol Cuts – Live from Studio A,” Black Pumas; “No One Sings Like You Anymore Vol. 1,” Chris Cornell; “Medicine at Midnight,” Foo Fighters; “McCartney III,” Paul McCartney.
— Best alternative music album: “Shore,” Fleet Foxes; “If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power,” Halsey; “Jubilee,” Japanese Breakfast; “Collapsed In Sunbeams,” Arlo Parks; “Daddy’s Home,” St. Vincent.
— Best progressive R&B album: “New Light,” Eric Bellinger; “Something to Say,” Cory Henry; “Mood Valiant,” Hiatus Kaiyote; “Table for Two,” Lucky Daye; “Dinner Party: Dessert,” Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, 9th Wonder and Kamasi Washington; “Studying Abroad: Extended Stay,” Masego.
— Best R&B album: “Temporary Highs in Violet Skies,” Snoh Aalegra; “We Are,” Jon Batiste; “Gold-Diggers Sound,” Leon Bridges; “Back of My Mind,” H.E.R.; “Heaux Tales,” Jazmine Sullivan.
— Best rap album: “The Off-Season,” J. Cole; “Certified Lover Boy,” Drake; “King’s Disease II,” Nas; “Call Me If You Get Lost,” Tyler, the Creator; “Donda,” Kanye West.
— Best country album: “Skeleton,” Brothers Osborne; “Remember Her Name,” Mickey Guyton; “The Marfa Tapes,” Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall and Jack Ingram; “The Ballad of Dood and Juanita,” Sturgill Simpson; “Starting Over,” Chris Stapleton.
— Best jazz vocal album: “Generations,” The Baylor Project; “Superblue,” Kurt Elling and Charlie Hunter; “Time Traveler,” Nnenna Freelon; “Flor,” Gretchen Parlato; “Songwrights Apothecary Lab,” Esperanza Spalding.
— Best jazz instrumental album: “Jazz Selections: Music From and Inspired by Soul,” Jon Batiste; “Absence,” Terence Blanchard featuring The E Collective and the Turtle Island Quartet; “Skyline,” Ron Carter, Jack DeJohnette and Gonzalo Rubalcaba; “Akoustic Band Live,” Chick Corea, John Patitucci and Dave Weckl; “Side-Eye NYC (V1.IV)," Pat Metheny.
— Best gospel album: “Changing Your Story,” Jekalyn Carr; “Royalty: Live at the Ryman,” Tasha Cobbs Leonard; “Jubilee: Juneteenth Edition,” Maverick City Music; “Jonny x Mali: Live in LA,” Jonathan McReynolds and Mali Music; “Believe for It,” CeCe Winans.
— Best contemporary Christian music album: “No Stranger,” Natalie Grant; “Feels Like Home Vol. 2,” Israel and New Breed; “The Blessing (Live),” Kari Jobe; “Citizen of Heaven (Live),” Tauren Wells; “Old Church Basement,” Elevation Worship and Maverick City Music.
— Best Latin pop album: “Vértigo,” Pablo Alborán; “Mis Amores,” Paula Arenas; “Hecho a La Antigua,” Ricardo Arjona; “Mis Manos,” Camilo; “Mendó,” Alex Cuba; “Revelación,” Selena Gomez.
— Best Latin urban album: “Afrodisíaco,” Rauw Alejandro; “El Último Tour del Mundo,” Bad Bunny; “Jose,” J Balvin; “KG0516,” Karol G; “Sin Miedo (Del Amor y Otros Demonios),” Kali Uchis.
— Best Latin rock or alternative album: “Deja,” Bomba Estéreo; “Mira Lo Que Me Hiciste Hacer (Deluxe Edition), Diamante Eléctrico; “Origen,” Juanes; “Calambre,” Nathy Peluso; “El Madrileño, C. Tangana; “Sonidos de Karmática Resonancia,” Zoé.
— Best reggae album: “Pamoja,” Etana; “Positive Vibration,” Gramps Morgan, “Live N Livin,” Sean Paul; “Royal,” Jesse Royal; “Beauty in the Silence,” Soja; “10,” Spice.
— Best spoken word album: “Aftermath,” LeVar Burton, “Carry On: Reflections for a New Generation from John Lewis,” Don Cheadle; “Catching Dreams: Live at Fort Knox Chicago,” “8:46,” Dave Chappelle and Amir Sulaiman; “A Promised Land,” Barack Obama.
— Best comedy album: “The Comedy Vaccine,” Lavell Crawford; “Evolution,” Chelsea Handler; “Sincerely Louis CK,” Louis C.K.; “Thanks for Risking Your Life,” Lewis Black; “The Greatest Average American,” Nate Bargatze; “Zero F---s Given,” Kevin Hart.
— Best compilation soundtrack for visual media: “Cruella”; “Dear Evan Hansen”’ “In the Heights,” “One Night in Miami…”; “Respect”; “Schmigadoon! Episode 1”; “The United States vs. Billie Holliday.”
— Best score soundtrack for visual media: “Bridgerton,” Kris Bowers; “Dune,” Hans Zimmer; “The Mandalorian: Season 2 – Vol. 2,” Ludwig Göransson; “The Queen’s Gambit,” Carlos Rafael Rivera; “Soul,” Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
— Producer of the year, non-classical: Jack Antonoff; Rogét Chahayed; Mike Elizondo; Hit-Boy; Ricky Reed.
— Best music video: “Shot in the Dark,” AC/DC; “Freedom,” Jon Batiste; “I Get a Kick Out of You,” Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga; “Peaches,” Justin Bieber featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon; “Happier Than Ever,” Billie Eilish; “MONTERO (Call Me by Your Name),” Lil Nas X; “Good 4 U,” Olivia Rodrigo.
— Best music film: “Inside”; “David Byrne’s American Utopia”; “Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles”; “Music, Money, Madness…Jimi Hendrix in Maui”; “Summer of Soul.”
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/nation-world/ukraine/ukraine-russia-sunday/507-924bae10-97dd-440d-a71d-462fea33e67e
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KYIV, Ukraine — Residents of Ukraine’s besieged southeastern coast awaited possible evacuation Sunday as the country’s president said Russia’s obsession with capturing a key port city had left its forces weakened and created opportunities for his military.
Two loud explosions were heard in Odesa on the Black Sea, and black smoke was seen rising above the city, which is where Ukraine's navy is headquartered. It is west of Mariupol, a smaller port that has been under attack for almost the entire war and rescuers are desperate to reach.
The Odesa city council said in a brief statement that a morning airstrike set off fires in some areas. The Russian military said hours later that it used ships and aircraft-fired missiles to strike an oil processing plant and fuel depots that were supplying Ukrainian troops.
The city council said Ukraine's air defense shot down some missiles before they hit the city. Ukrainian military spokesman Vladyslav Nazarov said there were no casualties from the attack.
In Mariupol, conditions remained dire and prospects for escape uncertain. The surrounded city, which has been brutalized by some of the war’s worst attacks, reported weeks ago that water, food, fuel and medicine were running out. About 100,000 people are believed to still be there, less than a quarter of the city's prewar population of 430,000.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said it hoped a team it sent to help evacuate residents would reach Mariupol on Sunday. Ukrainian authorities said Russia agreed days ago to allow safe passage from the city, but similar agreements have broken down repeatedly under continued shelling.
Mariupol is in the mostly Russian-speaking Donbas region, where Moscow-backed separatists have fought Ukrainian troops for eight years. Its capture would create an unbroken land corridor from Russia to Crimea, which Moscow seized from Ukraine in 2014.
With Mariupol squarely in Russia’s crosshairs, Ukraine insists it has gained a leg up elsewhere in the country. As his country's troops retook territory north of the capital of Kyiv from departing Russian troops, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on all Ukrainians to do whatever they could "to foil the enemy’s tactics and weaken its capabilities.”
“Peace will not be the result of any decisions the enemy makes somewhere in Moscow. There is no need to entertain empty hopes that they will simply leave our land. We can only have peace by fighting,” Zelenskyy said late Saturday.
Zelenskyy and Ukraine's Western allies believe Russia has shifted its forces from the capital region and the country's north in order to build strength in the east and south. The Ukrainian leader again urged the West to supply his military with warplanes and more anti-missile systems.
"Every Russian missile that hits our cities and every bomb dropped on our people, on our children, only adds black paint to the history that will describe everyone on whom the decision depended - the decision of whether to help Ukraine with modern weapons,” Zelenskyy said.
While the geography of the battlefield morphed, little changed for many Ukrainians more than five weeks into a war that has sent more than 4 million people fleeing the country as refugees and displaced millions more from their homes.
The regional governor in Kharkiv, said Sunday that Russian artillery and tanks performed over 20 strikes on Ukraine’s second-largest city and its outskirts in the country's northeast over the past day. Gov. Oleh Synyehubov said a missile strike on the city of Lozovo wounded four people and that Russian tanks bombarded a hospital in the town of Balakliia.
Zelenskyy alleged Saturday that Russian troops have left mines around homes, abandoned equipment and even the bodies of the dead as they withdraw from around Kyiv. Those claims could not be independently verified, but Ukrainian troops were seen heeding the warning.
In Bucha, northwest of the capital, Associated Press journalists watched as Ukrainian soldiers, backed by a column of tanks and other armored vehicles, used cables to drag bodies off of a street from a distance for fear they may have been booby-trapped. Locals said the dead — AP counted at least six — were civilians killed without provocation by departing Russian soldiers.
In towns and cities surrounding Kyiv, signs of fierce fighting were everywhere in the wake of the Russian redeployment. Destroyed armored vehicles from both armies lay in streets and fields along with scattered military gear.
Ukrainian troops were stationed at the entrance to Antonov Airport in the suburb of Hostomel, demonstrating control of the runway that Russia tried to storm in the first days of the war.
Inside the compound, the Mriya, one of the biggest planes ever built, lay wrecked underneath a hangar pockmarked with holes from the February attack.
The head of Ukraine’s delegation in talks with Russia said Moscow’s negotiators informally agreed to most of a draft proposal discussed during face-to-face talks in Istanbul this week, but no written confirmation has been provided.
The Ukrainian negotiator, Davyd Arakhamia said on Ukrainian TV that he hoped the proposal was developed enough so that the two countries’ presidents can meet to discuss it.
Ukrainian authorities warned that Russia's focus on eastern Ukraine did not mean Kyiv and other cities wouldn't become targets again. In his evening address Saturday, Zelenskyy called for his people to do whatever they can to ensure the country’s survival, even by engaging in acts as simple as showing each other kindness.
“When a nation is defending itself in a war of annihilation, when it is a question of life or death of millions, there are no unimportant things. ... And everyone can contribute to a victory for all,” the president said.
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Karmanau reported from Lviv, Ukraine. Andrea Rosa in Irpin, Ukraine, and Associated Press journalists around the world contributed to this report.
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WALNUTPORT, Pa. — We'll head to Northampton County for the mentored youth trout day. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission loaded up the Walnutport Canal with trout for our young anglers and they took full advantage of it.
Mentored Youth Trout Day
A day of trout fishing just for the kids.
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PA Outdoor Life Pennsylvania People and Places April 3rd, 2022 Take a look at some viewer trophies. Pennsylvania People and Places for April 3rd, 2022.
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One lucky member of the POL Outdoor Club will win a SQUATCHinator turkey locator courtesy of our friends at TOP Calls.
SQUATCHinator Product Giveaway
A turkey locator call unlike anything you've ever heard.
One lucky member of the POL Outdoor Club will win a SQUATCHinator turkey locator courtesy of our friends at TOP Calls.
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We'll join the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission as they stock Upper Woods Ponds and the Dyberry Creek in Wayne County in advance of the statewide trout season opener.
Wayne County Trout Stocking
Getting anglers excited for the trout season.
We'll join the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission as they stock Upper Woods Ponds and the Dyberry Creek in Wayne County in advance of the statewide trout season opener.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/nation-world/police-6-dead-at-least-9-injured-in-sacramento-shooting/289-7a02bc70-a79e-45ca-8817-63a9524e2768
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Police in California say six people are dead and at least nine others are injured after a shooting in downtown Sacramento.
The Sacramento Police Department says the shooting happened early Sunday morning.
Video posted on Twitter showed people running through the street as the sound of rapid gunfire could be heard in the background. Video showed multiple ambulances had been sent to the scene.
Police provided few details about the circumstances surrounding the shooting but said in a tweet that a “large police presence will remain and the scene remains active.”
Phone messages seeking comment were left with the Sacramento police.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/lackawanna-county/atv-safety-after-deadly-crash-in-lackawanna-county/523-5fac84be-360d-4820-8818-22341176db75
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ARCHBALD, Pa. — Gabor Tergati drove two hours from upstate New York to The Lost Trails in Dunmore.
He tells Newswatch 16 he takes the trip because it's one of the safest ATV parks he knows of.
Tony Novak, who owns The Lost Trails, says his is the only legal riding place made for ATV or side-by-side vehicle riding within at least an hour.
An incident in a remote area in Archbald Saturday night left one woman, Jamie Uchic of Jermyn, dead. It's a reminder why safety is important; police say the ATV she was riding in rolled into what appeared to be a puddle. It was actually a pond 5 feet deep and 12 feet long.
The ATV pinned Uchic underwater. A man, also on the ride, was able to free himself and two children who were riding with them.
Archbald police say the man's cell phone fell in the water, and he spent about an hour walking with his children, looking for help.
Back at the Lost Trails, Novak says one tip to avoid losing your phone is to store it in a water-proof pouch that you can keep secured to your body.
"You can wear it around your neck in case that happens. And then, they would float," he said.
Novak also stresses that the buddy system is extremely important for safety.
"And by a buddy, it should be someone in another machine," he said. "...the buddy could have either radioed out or if they didn't have reception, he could have hightailed it out and got some help."
In addition to checking off certain items like helmets, goggles and tools you may need Novak says it's important to stick to legal ATV parks that have safety protocols in place.
"911 has all our information, our trail system, we give out maps to everybody so when they're out there, they kind of know where they're at," explained Novak.
There is also staff driving around to check up on you at parks like this one.
"We basically just ride around the parking lot at all times making sure that nobody's doing wheelies, no donuts, no tricks of any sorts," said Nathan McMynne, a ranger at the park.
Staff at the Lost Trails say, like other extreme sports, ATV riding can be dangerous, but keeping all tools in your disposal leaves you in much better hands.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube page.
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WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — Northeast Sight Services and Community Services for Sight joined together to host a Beeping Egg Hunt for visually impaired children.
About 20 participated in the hunt at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre.
This type of Easter egg hunt is not only fun for kids who are blind or visually impaired, but it also teaches independence, mobility, and location skills. Plus it's something families can do together.
"Our insight kids club and the beeping egg hunt is a wonderful opportunity for our children to participate in different activities that kids that are sighted would be able to do. The kids love this activity. They love to be together they make wonderful friendships throughout the year at monthly programs that we offer as well as this one," said Sara Peperno of Northeast Sight Services.
After the beeping egg hunt, there was a separate hunt for sighted siblings and other family members in Wilkes-Barre.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube page.
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KINGSTON, Pa. — The bunny stopped by Three Dog Bakery on Wyoming Avenue in Kingston and was available to pose for photos with pets.
The bakery does events like this for Easter, Christmas, and Halloween and expected more than 200 guests to attend the event. Folks and their furry friends were lined up along Wyoming Avenue to have their moment with Mr. Cottontail.
Pictures cost $10 with all the proceeds benefitting Blue Chip Farm Animal Refuge.
"We have vet bills that total about $250,000 a year. So these kinds of events are the things that really make us be able to stay in business and help the animals out," said Cordie Braun, Blue Chip Farm Animal Refuge.
This was the 6th year for this event in Kingston and organizers hope to host it again next spring as well.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube page.
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NEW YORK — Bright pink and all-over metallics were the fashion stories of the Grammys red carpet led by Saweetie in fuchsia Valentino and Tiffany Haddish in sparkling one-shoulder Prada as the music crowd did Las Vegas proud with a show of wild, whimsical and meaningful looks.
Saweetie's full skirt and bra top were paired with long matching gloves. Billy Porter, always a fashion standout, also went with fuchsia in a trouser look that had a sheer button-down shirt and long ruffled cape from Valentino.
Justin Bieber, in a baggy, gray suit a few sizes too big, wore a fuchsia beanie on his head as walked with his wife, Hailey, in white Saint Laurent. Count Chrissy Teigen in the pink camp as well.
“The color of the season I hear is fuchsia,” Porter told E! His look was straight off the runway.
Saweetie was a twofer on the carpet, changing into an Oscar de la Renta black gown with a silver piece covering one breast.
Lady Gaga chose classic Hollywood in black-and-white velvet Armani Prive. She dripped in Tiffany & Co. diamonds that included a short statement necklace as she hit the carpet just before the televised awards. Her hair was swept into an updo.
Haddish stunned in a fitted one-shoulder gown, and Carrie Underwood went full ballgown with sparkle in the top with sash and a full skirt of sunset orange. Mickey Guyton rocked an ombre long-sleeve silver and gold fringe flapper sparkle dress by Ashish, shimmying for the cameras.
Brandi Carlile toted about 40 pounds of hand-cut crystals on a multicolored Huge Boss tuxedo jacket with stripes of the same crystals on the trousers and waist.
“I’m finally morphing into Elton John, which is my dream,” she said.
Olivia Rodrigo waved and smiled in a black sheath gown from Vivienne Westwood, who included purple sparkle trim with rocker chokers. She was joined in black by Billie Eilish in a Rick Owens trench coat turned cape, lug soul boots on her feet.
“Olivia Rodrigo in her black opera gloves and black sheath floor length was giving me Morticia Addams in a totally hip way. Very mature and lady like for her,” said Holly Katz, a stylist and host of the Fashion Crimes podcast. “A similar Pressiat corset dress was worn by Halsey that had the same vibe. This is a trend for the long and lean but will always be a classic dress style for decades to come.”
Katz was not a fan of Eilish's look.
“As far as the ‘unfashion’ trends go, let's all hope that Billie Eilish doesn’t get her curtain dress trend to trickle down. We would have one too many fashion blobs on the streets.”
All seven members of the sensation BTS, meanwhile, wore custom Louis Vuitton suits with sneakers in a range of colors from bright white to muted blue.
Multiple nominee H.E.R. paid homage to Aretha Franklin in an embellished orange and yellow ombre look, and fashion favorite Cynthia Erivo was in sparkling silver and gray from Louis Vuitton. H.E.R. wore a custom winged kaftan jumpsuit from Dundas. It was chiffon and embellished with a golden beaded and sequin phoenix motif.
Sofia Carson wore an elegant Grecian gown from Valentino with a long sheer cape that swept over the carpet as she walked. And Lil Nas X didn't disappoint in embellished white Balmain with butterflies at the chest and on the sleeves, sky high platforms on his feet.
Jon Batiste went full sparkle in a Dolce & Gabbana suit with yellow and black touches honoring his hometown, New Orleans.
“These are New Orleans Saints colors. I wanted to bring home with me on the carpet,” he said.
Megan Thee Stallion went in another direction in an animal print dress with an oh-so-high slit. The lining was a contrast animal strip, an unusual touch. Dua Lipa was a study in straps sporting long blonde hair. Her Versace gown was adorned with straps and gold hardware.
Lady Gaga was high on the fashion list for Katz.
“Unexpected, old Hollywood glam that shows her more feminine, traditional side. Vey different from her edgy persona we are all used to. Don’t be surprised to see this dress trickle down in many knockoffs soon to come,” she said.
Among early walkers was Li Saumet from Colombia's Bomba Estéreo, who covered her face with a helmet-like mask. Cherry Moon of the 1 Tribe Collective children's group went all out in full gold, complete with a huge architectural collar. Victoria Evigan smooched her husband, Jason, in a peach and yellow dress with “Love is the Weapon” at the back.
Alisha Gaddis, with comedy on her resume, paired her shiny, minty gown with a head piece of high, golden branches. Elle King was resplendent in a red bell-bottom trouser suit with swinging bell sleeves and an ultra-wide brim hat to match. Black Coffee, the DJ from South Africa, paid homage to his friend Virgil Abloh, wearing a pair of the late designer's sneakers before his win for dance/electronic music album.
King, a new mom, was thrilled to be wearing Christian Siriano.
“I just trusted him. He knows how to dress all types of bodies and I really celebrate that in him,” she told The Associated Press. "I just wanted to feel powerful.”
Japanese Breakfast smiled for cameras in a mini dress of bright yellow ruffles from Valentino, while Doja Cat, her hair accentuated in spikes, wore an ice blue Atelier Versace crystal embellished sheer look.
As for the men, there was plenty of ornate, brocade jackets and suits in the early bunch.
“It's the sort of thing that can look genuinely fantastic when executed carefully,” said Jonathan Evans, Esquire's style director.
Leon Bridges lent a nod to his native Texas in a cream tuxedo look embellished with embroidery and a touch of blue bonnets.
“I just like to look good, you know,” he told the AP.
Among Evans' early standouts was something on the other end of that spectrum, Cory Henry in a double-breasted suit and turtleneck combo.
“Rich, offbeat colors like purple can prove tricky when it comes to tailoring, but he nails the modernized ’70s vibe,” he said.
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Associated Press writers Gary Hamilton and Marcela Isaza in Las Vegas contributed to this story.
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Associated Press writers Gary Hamilton and Marcela Isaza in Las Vegas contributed to this story.
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LAS VEGAS — Olivia Rodrigo has won the best new artist crown at the Grammy Awards, joining esteemed previous company including Carly Simon, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Tom Jones, the Beatles and Billie Eilish.
A veteran of the “High School Musical” series, Rodrigo became the breakout music star of 2021, leading with her massive viral hit “Drivers License” and following with the aching album “Sour” and the single “Good 4 U.”
So far Sunday, “Drivers License” has earned her the trophy for best pop solo performance, and it is up for record of the year, while “Sour” is up for album of the year. Rodrigo came into the night nominated for the night’s top four awards — best new artist, album, record and song of the year — but lost the best song trophy to Silk Sonic.
“This is my biggest dream come true,” she said. Earlier in the show, she performed her heartbreak song “Drivers License” in a white ruffled dress and black boots.
The night's festivities grew grim when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the gathering with an update on the war and his numbers included children injured and killed. “Our musicians wear body armor instead of tuxedos,” he said. “We are fighting Russia, which brings horrible silence with its bombs. The dead silence. Fill the silence with your music.”
He ended by saying: "Tell the truth about the war on your social networks, on TV. Support us in any way you can any, but not silence. And then peace will come to all our cities.”
John Legend then performed “Free” with Ukrainian exiles including singer-actress Mika Newton and poet Lyuba Yakimchuk.
Silk Sonic — the all-star union of Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak — opened the Grammys in Las Vegas with their high-energy, infectious fix of retro soul and funk by performing their “777.” They returned to the stage a short time later to collect the song of the year trophy for “Leave the Door Open.”
The win helps Mars tie the record for most song of the year wins. He had previously won for “24K Magic.”
Both Mars and .Paak jumped out their seat, threw up their hands and dance to their song.
“I couldn’t be more proud to be doing this with than anyone other than you,” Mars said to .Paak. “We’ll be singing this song together for the rest of our lives.”
Host Trevor Noah introduced the duo’s opening performance by saying they were singlehandedly bringing back the 1970s, “which might explain the inflation.”
By the time the show started on CBS, Jon Batiste has already taken home four Grammy Awards, including his first ever. Batiste won for best American roots performance, best American roots song, best music video and tied with Carlos Rafael Rivera for best score soundtrack for visual media. His song “Freedom” in the music video category beat out several other tough competitors, including Rodrigo, Lil Nas X and Eilish. All the honors were handed out during a pre-telecast ceremony.
“I am so grateful for the gifts that God has given me and the ability to share that for the love of humankind,” Batiste said. “We just wanted everyone to see it. Any depression, any bondage or any darkness that was over your life is completely removed by just the love and the joy of the video."
It's the first tie since 2019 when Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Future and James Blake tied with Anderson .Paak to win best rap performance.
Batiste entered the Grammys as the leading nominee with 11 nominations. The losses halted the multi-talented performer from making history for most wins in one night.
It was a family affair from cousins Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar, who won best rap performance for their song “Family Ties.” Lamar won his 14th Grammy and the first for Keem, who said “nothing could have prepared me for this moment” after stepping out onstage to claim his trophy.
Chris Stapleton won his third Grammy for best country solo performance for “You Should Probably Leave.” He extended his record for the most wins.
Dressed in all black, BTS took the stage with a flirty moment between V and Rodrigo before the group performed their hit single “Butter.” The made an appearance after one of the members tested positive for COVID-19. All seven of the members – Jin, Jimin, V, RM, J-Hope, Suga and Jungkook – acted as if they were secret agents with neon-blue lasers, dancing with smooth choreography before going into a brief rap portion of the song.
Foo Fighters won three awards Sunday, but were not in attendance to pick up their trophies following the recent death of its drummer Taylor Hawkins. The rock band did extend their record for most best rock album wins with five for “Medicine at Midnight." The group's song “Making a Fire” won best rock performance and “Waiting on a War" bested other nominees for best rock song.
During Eilish’s performance, she paid homage to the late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins by sporting a black T-shirt with his image. She stepped onstage in an upside-down house along with her brother Finneas before stepping into the rain to perform the title track from her “Happier Than Ever.”
TJ Osborne, who came out as gay last year, fought back tears as he and his brother accepted a Grammy for the Brothers Osborn song “Younger Me.” He noted the song was inspired by his coming out.
“I never thought that I would be able to do music professionally because of my sexuality. And I certainly never thought I would be here on the stage accepting a Grammy after having done something I felt like was going to be life changing and potentially in a very negative way,” Osborne said.
“And here I am tonight, not only accepting this Grammy Award with my brother, which I love so much, but I’m here with a man that I love and he loves me back. ... I don’t know what I did be so lucky.”
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson won his sixth Grammy for best music film through “Summer of Soul (... Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised.”) His documentary also won an Oscar for best documentary feature last weekend.
Chick Corea and Vicente Fernandez each won posthumous Grammys. Joni Mitchell won best historical album for “Joni Mitchell Archives – Vol. 1: The Early Years (1963–1967).”
“Thanks to the academy for this nomination and this win, I didn’t expect this,” she said.
Eilish could become the first artist ever to win record of the year three times in a row, and the only artist along with Paul Simon to take home the award three times. She’s in position to join Adele as the only artists to ever win three major categories — record, song and album of the year — twice. She previously won for “Bad Guy” and “Everything I Wanted.”
The ceremony shifted from Los Angeles to Las Vegas because of rising COVID-19 cases and the omicron variant in January, with organizers citing “too many risks” to hosting the performance-filled show at the time.
Artists competing with Eilish for album of the year include Rodrigo, Batiste, Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Doja Cat, H.E.R., Taylor Swift, Lil Nas X and Kanye West.
Bennett extended his record as the artist with the most traditional pop vocal album with 14 wins with “Love for Sale,” a duet album with Lady Gaga.
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AP Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy contributed to this story.
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WASHINGTON — Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy appeared in a video message at the Grammy Awards to ask for support in telling the story of Ukraine's invasion by Russia.
During the message that aired on the show Sunday, he likened the invasion to a deadly silence threatening to extinguish the dreams and lives of the Ukrainian people, including children.
“Our musicians wear body armor instead of tuxedos. They sing to the wounded in hospitals, even to those who can’t hear them,” he said. “But the music will break through anyway.”
The Recording Academy, with its partner Global Citizen, prior to the ceremony highlighted a social media campaign called “Stand Up For Ukraine” to raise money and support during the humanitarian crisis.
“Fill the silence with your music. Fill it today to tell our story. Tell the truth about the war on your social networks, on TV, support us in any way you can any, but not silence. And then peace will come to all our cities,” Zelenskyy said.
Following Zelenskyy’s message, John Legend performed his song “Free” with Ukrainian musicians Siuzanna Iglidan and Mika Newton, and poet Lyuba Yakimchuk, as images from the war were shown on screens behind them.
Earlier in the night, Olivia Rodrigo scored two awards, most notably winning best new artist.
By the time the show started on CBS, Jon Batiste has already taken home four Grammy Awards, including his first ever. During the show’s pre-telecast ceremony, Batiste won for best American roots performance, best American roots song, best music video and tied with Carlos Rafael Rivera for best score soundtrack for visual media. His song “Freedom” in the music video category beat out several other tough competitors, including Rodrigo, Lil Nas X and Eilish.
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SCRANTON, Pa. — Under the cover of the bleachers at Memorial Stadium runners were stretching out and preparing for the Scranton Half Marathon which for some has been a long time coming.
"It's been something that I always wanted to do. And this was it got canceled due to COVID. And then this past year, I had COVID for race day. So this has just been like kind of three years in the making for me," said Justin Wall, Pittston.
Many were prepared to run, sure, but the rain wasn't something they were planning on. However, they were not going to let it keep them from the finish line.
"It's not the best conditions, but it could be worse. I mean, I think it's just the challenge that I'm excited for, and knowing that I did something like this, it's going to be really rewarding in the end," said Monserreth, Camachoayala, Scranton.
"I'm not excited about the rain, but I've worked so hard that I will do anything to run. Rain, snow, sleet, I'm running," said Grace Miller, Archbald.
"Yesterday, it was beautiful. I wish it could have been yesterday, but kind of just have to find a way to overcome it and everybody's running in the same conditions," said Wall.
"Ready for a great race and I hope we get a little more rain so bring on the rain haha," said David Buckman, Forty Fort.
Luckily for the runners, fans cheering on the sidelines and volunteers handing out water along the route were of a similar mindset.
"It's very cold and rainy. So I mean, they're out here they're doing what I couldn't which is running in this weather so I'm proud of them," said Peter Pavuk, Volunteer.
Not an easy time there, congrats to everyone who ran Sunday in Scranton.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube page.
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WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — Firefighters were called to the building along the 300 block of North Washington Street around 6:30 p.m. in the city.
Officials tell Newswatch 16 that four apartments were damaged and eight people including three children lived there. Everyone made it out safely including a dog.
Crews worked for hours to fight the fire in between the walls of the building.
"Structurally there's a tremendous amount of fire damage inside. The firefighters are working really really hard between the third floor and the attic to pull the ceilings down to get to the fire. It's just extremely labor-intensive. They're working hard they've been working hard for over an hour and a half in this fire so far," said Wilkes-Barre Fire Department Chief Jay Delaney.
"I came out with about 14 laps to go in the Nascar race, saw a little bit of smoke coming from the side alley here. Went in to get my dad to tell him to call the fire department there's a fire. And two minutes later the flames were blowing 30-40 feet out the front," said John Benson, neighbor.
"We left for about two minutes my daughter and my two sons were in the house and my daughter called me panicking saying that she'd heard a fire detector going off and she didn't know where it was coming from. I told her to go outside with her two brothers. If she could to see where the fire alarm was coming from or find an adult, and one of my neighbors went inside and said that my bedroom was on fire," said Jasmine Fryar, fire victim.
The fire is out now and the Red Cross is helping the victims.
The cause is under investigation by fire officials in Wilkes-Barre.
See news happening? Text our Newstip Hotline.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/lackawanna-county/fundraiser-for-woman-with-rare-blood-disorder-in-lackawanna-county-eynon-vfw-cathie-jo-langan/523-c72139d4-ebed-43e9-8f43-759bf22e8b84
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ARCHBALD, Pa. — The take-out dinner was held at the Eynon VFW for Cathie-Jo Langan.
Cathie-Jo was in a car crash in October of 2020. During her recovery from the crash, it was discovered that she has a rare blood disorder that slows the healing process.
Because of the diagnosis after the crash, her medical bills have piled up and this benefit was held to help her and her family out.
"I can't even tell you how overfilled my heart is right now. I'm so thankful for everybody's help. It's been a long road. It's been since October. I've just been now getting around and stuff so to see the community come out it just means the world to me," said Langan.
In addition to pasta, a basket raffle and a 50/50 helped raise money for Cathie-Jo in Lackawanna County.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube page.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/news/local/lackawanna-county/pysanky-egg-workshop-in-lackawanna-county-tammy-budnovitch-monroe-avenue-ukrainian-eggs/523-02a92ddc-7e01-4be6-882d-d84355c44c01
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SCRANTON, Pa. — Folks stopped by the Catlin House on Monroe Avenue to learn how to make eggs, also called Ukrainian Easter eggs.
Pysanky is a traditional Ukrainian craft where patterns are written on the eggs with wax.
All of the patterns have a meaning and Ukrainian folklore says that the designs can help ward off evil.
"It's very important to me, this is my tradition, my heritage. This was something that my grandmother and my mom taught me and it's just something that I want to keep going. There's so many traditions that are fading away and this is just one way to keep a tradition going," said Tammy Budnovitch, Pysanky teacher.
Those who took the class could also buy some of Tammy's eggs, which her business creates, and the supplies needed for continuing the craft at home.
Check out WNEP’s YouTube page.
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https://www.wnep.com/article/life/animals/bird-flu-confirmed-pennsylvania/521-94930cad-4e49-4e98-bcd7-675f7cdb7277
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PENNSYLVANIA, USA — Late last month, a case of avian influenza was confirmed in a bald eagle found dead in Chester County.
It’s the first confirmed case in Pennsylvania since a costly outbreak in the 1980s.
“We’ve been watching this since the end of last year and it’s been progressing across the entire world if you think about it,” Dr. Gregory Martin, extension educator at Penn State Extension, said.
Dr. Martin says the news is particularly concerning, as eagles sit at the top of the food chain.
“That bird probably ate a sick duck or sick waterfowl and passed,” Dr. Martin said.
While domestic birds have yet to be infected in the Commonwealth, the outbreak has hit both wild and domestic birds in over 20 states so far. It has the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture on high alert.
The Department’s press secretary, Shannon Powers, says they are ready to protect Pennsylvania’s $7.1 billion poultry industry.
“That’s how much it feeds into our economy every year, it’s a huge industry," Powers said. “It represents more than 26,000 jobs around the state so it’s a very important industry.”
As wild birds migrate through the spring, the fear is they could fly over poultry farms and spread the disease.
“They don’t recognize boundaries, they fly over,” Powers said. “Their droppings basically are everywhere and that’s the risk.”
That’s why farmers are being asked to ramp up biosecurity measures.
“Keep that infectious material off your clothing, off your boots and stay away from poultry areas," Powers said. "Farmers keep their birds indoors as much as possible."
Experts say while humans can spread the disease through those kinds of contamination, there is no risk to our health. As long as we prepare and cook our poultry and eggs correctly, our food will remain safe too.
To read more about the case of avian influenza confirmed in Pennsylvania, click here.
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