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    Oceana Founders Day and Heritage Festival dates announced

    Photo: Meadow Bridge Public Library

    Meadow Bridge Public Library to close permanently

    Ascential Buildings cuts ribbon at Mount Hope location

    Man arrested after cutting palm of girlfriend’s hand with box cutter

    Raleigh County Man Sentenced to Prison Federal Drug Crime

    Man arrested after hitting step-daughter in face with a book

    Taskforce drug search leads to four arrests

    First responders honored at Public Safety Ceremony

    Beckley City Council will consider ‘emergency purchase’ of six police vehicles in upcoming meeting

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      Why executions by firing squad may be coming back in the US

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      Rep. Carol Miller Introduces Amendment to H.R. 1 to Complete Mountain Valley Pipeline

      GM to stop making the Camaro but a successor may be in works

      Supreme Court chews on Jack Daniel’s dog toy dispute

      Def Leppard drummer recovering from attack outside hotel

      Crash Team Rumble Spins Onto Consoles June 20

      2 escape jail and go to IHOP, where patrons report them

      FILE - A Venus fly trap grows naturally in a Carolina Bay at Lewis Ocean Bay Heritage Preserve in Conway, S.C., Thursday, Aug. 11, 2005. Conservationists want South Carolina to make the Venus fly trap the state's official carnivorous plant, joining other official items such as the state bird (Carolina Wren), state hospitality beverage (tea) and the state picnic cuisine (barbecue). (AP Photo/Mary Ann Chastain, File)

      Snap! Venus fly trap fans ask South Carolina to honor plant

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      Photo: Meadow Bridge Public Library

      Meadow Bridge Public Library to close permanently

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Negotiators near agreement on long-delayed COVID-19 aid bill

Gailyn Markham by Gailyn Markham
Tuesday, March 2, 2021 11:56 am

WASHINGTON (LOOTPRESS) — Top congressional leaders are nearing agreement on a long-delayed COVID-19 relief package, hoping to seal a deal as early as Wednesday that would extend aid to individuals and businesses and help ship coronavirus vaccines to millions.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., a coauthor of a $908 billion bipartisan package, said leadership negotiators are close to agreement on legislation that would extend direct payments of perhaps $600 to most Americans. No. 2 Senate Republican John Thune of South Dakota confirmed the likely addition of direct payments in that range, as well as a $300-per-week bonus federal unemployment benefit to partially replace a $600-per-week benefit that expired this summer.

“We made major headway toward hammering out a bipartisan relief package,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

The bill would include a new round of stimulus checks, enhanced federal unemployment insurance benefits, and other avenues for delivering aid to states, localities, territories and tribes, according to two people familiar with the talks and authorized to characterize them. Their statement said that a GOP-sought provision shielding businesses from COVID-19-related lawsuits would be dropped.

“I think they’re basically now putting it all together,” Manchin told CNN. “We were able to break the gridlock.”

Other aides following the talks offered more cautious assessments. The emerging package is serving as a magnet for add-ons and the two sides continue to swap offers.

It is also apparent that another temporary spending bill will be needed to prevent a government shutdown at midnight on Friday. That is likely to easily pass.

House lawmakers were returning to Washington Wednesday in hopes of a vote soon on the emerging package, which would combine the $900 billion in COVID-19 relief with a $1.4 trillion governmentwide funding bill and a host of other remaining congressional business.

Negotiations intensified on Tuesday after months of futility. The top Democratic and Republican leaders of Congress met twice in hopes of finally cementing a leadership agreement that would revive subsidies for businesses hit hard by the pandemic, help distribute new coronavirus vaccines, fund schools and renew soon-to-expire jobless benefits.

Republicans labored to keep the price tag for the long-delayed rescue package in check, seeking to prevail in a battle over help for state and local governments, while capping the cost of bonus jobless benefits and direct payments sought by Democrats.

After two meetings in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s Capitol suite, where Democrats pressed for more generous steps such as direct payments of to help individuals struggling in the COVID-19 economy, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., gave an upbeat assessment.

“I think we’ve built a lot of trust,” McCarthy said. “I think we’re moving in the right direction. I think there’s a possibility of getting it done.”

Pressure for a deal is intense. Unemployment benefits run out Dec. 26 for more than 10 million people. Many businesses are barely hanging on after nine months of the pandemic. And money is needed to distribute new vaccines that are finally offering hope for returning the country to normal.

McConnell is playing a strong hand in the lame-duck session and pushed hard to get Democrats to drop a much-sought $160 billion state and local government aid package. Several senior Democrats, including close allies of President-elect Joe Biden — who is eager for an agreement — have said they would go along now and fight for the aid next year. Democrats cited other gains for states and localities in the emerging deal such as help for transit systems and vaccine distribution.

Pelosi has insisted for months that state and local aid would be in any final bill, but as time is running out, Democrats appear unwilling to hold the rest of the package hostage over the demand.

Manchin is an architect of a bipartisan $748 billion aid package that is aimed at serving as a template for the leadership talks. President Donald Trump’s chief negotiator, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, supports a package with many similar elements. There is also bipartisan support for transportation and transit assistance, funding for rural internet service and help for the Postal Service, among other provisions.

There’s a hoped-for deadline of midnight Friday to deliver the completed package to Trump. That is when a partial government shutdown would arrive with the expiration of last week’s temporary funding bill. But there’s no guarantee that the massive yearend measure will be completed in time. If the talks drag, further temporary bills could be needed.

Negotiations on a $1.4 trillion catchall spending bill are virtually completed, lawmakers say, One hard-fought compromise would deliver another $1.4 billion or so for a final installment to continue construction of his long-sought U.S.-Mexico border wall.

The post-election lame-duck session is the last chance to wrap up the unfinished work this year, a goal of all involved, though they have been slow until now to forge the often-tricky compromises required to pull the measure together.

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Gailyn Markham

Gailyn Markham

Gailyn Markham is a multimedia journalist for Lootpress. She joined the Lootpress staff in November of 2020. Gailyn graduated from Concord University in May of 2019 with a BA in English Journalism and a minor in Sociology. During her time there, she was a staff writer for the school’s newspaper, “The Concordian,” and received the 2019 Outstanding Journalist Award for her work. Before joining the Lootpress team, Gailyn interned for The Register-Herald and, upon completing her internship, was asked to continue working as a freelance writer. She freelanced for the newspaper for two years. A West Virginia native, Gailyn has always been devoted to telling the stories of the Mountain State. When she isn’t working, she enjoys taking advantage of West Virginia’s many outdoor adventures, reading, and renovating her home with her husband, Chris. For news tips or story ideas, email Gailyn at gailynmarkham@lootpress.com. You can also follow her on Facebook.

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