Georgia Gov. Kemp: Mask mandate not needed amid coronavirus spike
ATLANTA — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp says he has not yet weighed whether the state will take legal action against local governments that try to impose mask requirements, as Georgia faces a spike in confirmed coronavirus cases and hospitalizations. The Republican governor held a news conference Wednesday morning before departing...
Billionaires’ political spending grew 37-fold in 10 years
WASHINGTON — Billionaires gave 37 times as much in political contributions in the last election as they did 10 years earlier, according to a new study. During the 2018 election cycle, billionaires gave $611 million, up from $17 million in 2008, according to the report from Americans for Tax Fairness...
Family: Human remains found in Texas are missing soldier Vanessa GuillenVideo
KILLEEN, Texas — The family of a soldier who has been missing since April believes partial remains that were found in Central Texas are her remains, the lawyer for her family said Wednesday, and the Army said it has identified two suspects in her disappearance. Pfc. Vanessa Guillen was last...
Pennsylvania high court turns down lawmakers’ bid to end shutdown
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s high court on Wednesday ruled against an effort by Republican state lawmakers to end Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s pandemic shutdown orders. A divided court ruled that a resolution passed with mostly GOP votes was a “legal nullity” because it was not sent to Wolf to sign or...
Texas’ Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick criticizes Dr. Fauci as coronavirus cases surgeVideo
AUSTIN, Texas — As confirmed coronavirus case levels in Texas continue surging to record highs, Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says the nation’s top infectious disease expert “doesn’t know what he’s talking about” as Patrick defends the state’s handling of the pandemic. Patrick also claimed without offering evidence that Dr....
Richmond orders removal of Confederate statues on city landVideo
RICHMOND — The mayor of Richmond, Va., on Wednesday ordered the immediate removal of all Confederate statues on city land, saying he was using his emergency powers to speed up the healing process for the former capital of the Confederacy amid weeks of protests over police brutality and racial injustice....
Coronavirus spike prompts big California about-face on reopeningsVideo
SACRAMENTO — California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday ordered bars and indoor dining at restaurants to close in most areas of the state for the next three weeks amid a troubling surge of new coronavirus cases throughout the state. The revised stay-at-home order affects 19 counties where nearly three-quarters of...
New York City will paint Black Lives Matter mural in front of Trump Tower
NEW YORK — New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said Wednesday that the city will paint a Black Lives Matter mural in front of Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue soon — and the president hit back at what he called a wasteful “symbol of hate.” “(Trump) will get a message...
Pennsylvania makes masks mandatory — even outdoors
Face masks are now mandatory in Pennsylvania in public places and outside when social distancing is not possible, according to an order intended to slow the spread of covid-19. Gov. Tom Wolf said the mandate expands an order signed in April that requires the wearing of masks in businesses. The...
Ex-Bush officials launch super PAC backing Biden over Trump
WASHINGTON — A group of former George W. Bush administration and campaign officials have launched a new super PAC supporting Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, the latest in a growing number of Republican groups to come out in support of Biden over President Donald Trump. The group, 43 Alumni for...
Trump at Rushmore: Jets and fireworks, but masks optional
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — When President Donald Trump speaks at the Mount Rushmore national memorial before the first fireworks show there in years, he’ll stand before a crowd of thousands of people who won’t be required to socially distance or wear masks despite the coronavirus pandemic. The event scheduled for...
Jordan Brown sues for wrongful conviction after childhood in prison
A former Lawrence County man is suing a handful of retired state police investigators and officials alleging malicious prosecution after he spent most of his childhood in prison for the shotgun killing of his father’s pregnant fiance before the state Supreme Court overturned his conviction. Jordan Brown was 11 years...
Pennsylvania finishes year $3B behind because of pandemic
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania state government finished its fiscal year about 9% short of its initial revenue estimate, a result of the state’s coronavirus-related shutdowns and delayed tax-filing deadlines, the Department of Revenue said Wednesday. The state collected $32.3 billion for the 12 months through Tuesday. That was about $3.2 billion...
Woman dies in South Connellsville mobile home fire
Fire claimed the life of a woman in a mobile home in Fayette County, authorities said. Fire crews were called to the South Connellsville residence shortly after 1 p.m. Tuesday and reported heavy smoke and extreme heat. Officials said a woman apparently became trapped in the back bedroom near the...
$175M available soon to Pa. renters, mortgage holders struggling with payments
Applications will be accepted starting Monday for $175 million in assistance for Pennsylvania mortgage holders and renters who are struggling to make payments during the coronavirus pandemic as an end to a moratorium on evictions looms. Residents who have lost a job or saw at least a 30% decrease in...
38 new covid-19 deaths, 636 additional cases reported in Pennsylvania
There were 38 new covid-19 deaths and 636 additional cases reported statewide by the Pennsylvania Department of Health on Wednesday. The state total is now 87,242 cases with 6,687 deaths; about 633 patients are considered probable cases. According to the Department of Health, the most severe cases are seen in...
Fresh Express recalling bagged salads over possible parasite
The maker of bagged salad products that were distributed to stores in Pennsylvania last month issued a voluntary recall after about 200 people were sickened. Fresh Express is recalling products containing iceberg lettuce, red cabbage and carrots because of a possible parasite that could cause health problems. Products included in...
Seattle cops dismantle ‘occupied’ zone, arrest more than 30Video
SEATTLE — Seattle police turned out in force early Wednesday at the city’s “occupied” protest zone, tore down demonstrators’ encampments and used bicycles to herd the protesters after the mayor ordered the area cleared following two fatal shootings in less than two weeks. Television images showed police, many in riot...
Fox News’ Ed Henry fired after sexual misconduct allegation
NEW YORK — Fox News on Wednesday fired daytime news anchor Ed Henry after an investigation of sexual misconduct in the workplace. The network said it had received a complaint on June 25 from an attorney about the misconduct. An outside investigator was hired and, based on the results of...
Penn State planning to equip all police officers with body cams at all 22 campuses
Penn State plans to equip all campus police officers with body cams within the next year to “be more transparent and accountable,” according to a news release by the university. Penn State announced Tuesday morning that, after extensive research, it will purchase body cams for every officer — about 150...
Retired pope’s elder brother, Georg Ratzinger, dies at 96
BERLIN — The Rev. Georg Ratzinger, the older brother of Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI, who earned renown in his own right as a director of an acclaimed German boys’ choir, has died at 96. The Regensburg diocese in Bavaria, where Ratzinger lived, said in a statement on his website that...
Poll: About 7 in 10 white evangelicals approve of Trump
NEW YORK — About 7 in 10 white evangelical Protestants approve of President Donald Trump’s handling of his job, according to a new survey — support from a cornerstone of his political base that has remained strong following a polarizing church visit and a Supreme Court ruling on LGBT discrimination...
Pilot killed in fighter jet crash at South Carolina Air Force base
SUMTER, S.C. — A military pilot has died in the crash of a fighter jet during a training mission at Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina. 20th Fighter Wing Commander Larry Sullivan confirmed the pilot’s death early Wednesday morning. The crash happened on the military base around 11:30 p.m....
Astronauts perform 2nd spacewalk to swap station batteries
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Astronauts performed their second spacewalk in under a week Wednesday to replace old batteries outside the International Space Station. Commander Chris Cassidy and Bob Behnken ventured out to tackle the big, boxy batteries.. For every two outdated batteries coming out, a new and improved one goes...
UN says Afghan army mistakenly fired mortars that killed 23
KABUL, Afghanistan — The U.N. mission in Afghanistan said its findings indicate the Afghan military had mistakenly fired the mortars this week at a busy market in southern Helmand province that inflicted heavy civilian casualties. According to a statement from the office of the Helmand provincial governor, Gen. Mohammad Yasin,...
