Funding for key Minneapolis police initiative falls through
MINNEAPOLIS — Funding for a key Minneapolis Police Department accountability initiative after the death of George Floyd has fallen through, officials confirmed Thursday, meaning potential delays as the city scrambles to find another source for the money. Police Chief Medaria Arradondo announced June 10 the department would contract with Benchmark...
California to vote on 1st-in-US electric truck sales rule
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California regulators approved new rules on Thursday that would force automakers to sell more electric work trucks and delivery vans, a first-of-its-kind rule aimed at helping the nation’s most populous state clean up its worst-in-the-nation air quality. The rules require a certain percentage of work truck sales...
US virus cases near an all-time high as governors backtrack
NEW YORK —The coronavirus crisis deepened in Arizona on Thursday, and the governor of Texas began to backtrack after making one of the most aggressive pushes in the nation to reopen, as the daily number of confirmed cases across the U.S. closed in on the peak reached during the dark...
NYC judge rejects Trump family effort to halt tell-all book
WASHINGTON — A New York City judge has dismissed a claim by Donald Trump’s brother that sought to halt the publication of a tell-all book by the president’s niece. In a ruling handed down on Thursday, Judge Peter Kelly said the Surrogates Court lacked jurisdiction in the case. Mary Trump...
U.S. health officials estimate 20 million Americans have had virus
WASHINGTON — U.S. officials estimate that 20 million Americans have been infected with the coronavirus since it first arrived in the United States, meaning that the vast majority of the population remains susceptible. Thursday’s estimate is roughly 10 times as many infections as the 2.3 million cases that have been...
Biden, Trump stage rare dueling events in pandemic era
LANCASTER — Both President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, are swinging through key battleground states on Thursday, presenting dueling events that haven’t happened much in the age of coronavirus and showcasing their contrasting styles in response to the pandemic. The former vice president wore a black face...
NYPD officer charged with using banned chokehold
NEW YORK — Moving swiftly amid a global furor over police misconduct, New York City prosecutors on Thursday filed criminal charges against a police officer caught on video putting a Black man in what they said was a banned chokehold. Officer David Afanador pleaded not guilty on Thursday to strangulation...
Arizona politician condemned for using George Floyd’s last words
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — A city council member in suburban Phoenix is drawing criticism from the governor and others after invoking George Floyd’s dying words of “I can’t breathe” during a protest over an order to wear masks to stop the spread of coronavirus. Scottsdale Councilman Guy Phillips uttered the remark...
‘We started getting sores all over us’: Grand jury report blasts DEP, health department over fracking failures in Pa.
A scathing Pennsylvania grand jury report two years in the making blasted the state departments of Environment Protection and Health, alleging years of turning a blind eye to complaints against the oil and gas industry left residents exposed to harmful water and air pollution that caused nosebleeds, mysterious sores and...
Here’s where to see fireworks in Western Pa.
Although many public Fourth of July celebrations have been canceled because of crowd size restrictions, fireworks will light up the skies in various places around Western Pennsylvania. The area’s largest show, over Point State Park in Pittsburgh, is off for this year, but here are some alternatives: Beaver County Beaver...
Texas putting reopening on ‘pause’ as virus cases soar
AUSTIN, Texas — Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday halted elective surgeries in Texas’ biggest counties and said the state would “pause” its aggressive re-opening as it deals with a surge in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations that has made it one of the nation’s virus hotspots. The suspension of elective surgeries...
Pennsylvania reports 39 new coronavirus deaths, 579 new cases
The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Thursday reported 39 new covid-19 deaths and 579 new cases in the state. That brings the state’s total case count to 83,770, with 6,557 deaths. The state considers 631 patients as probable cases, but they are not confirmed. Pa. coronavirus by dayInfogram More than...
Pa. man runs 218 miles to nursing home of virus-stricken ‘Nana’Video
SCRANTON — Endurance athlete Corey Cappelloni once ran six days through the Sahara Desert in what’s considered the most grueling foot race on Earth. But a 218-mile run to grandma after she was sickened with covid-19 turned out to be the longest, toughest and most rewarding of his life. Cappelloni...
‘Coming back and biting us’: U.S. sees virus resurgence
HOUSTON — A coronavirus resurgence is wiping out two months of progress in the U.S. and sending infections to dire new levels across the South and West, with hospital administrators and health experts warning Wednesday that politicians and a tired-of-being-cooped-up public are letting a disaster unfold. The U.S. recorded a...
At age 24, N.C. Congress runoff victor may be rising star
RALEIGH, N.C. — After nearly dying in a car crash six years ago, western North Carolina congressional candidate Madison Cawthorn already has learned many life lessons by age 24. “There is no time to wait,” Cawthorn said in a recent interview. “Life is precious and it can be taken away...
State police association supports reform legislation passed by Pa. House, Senate
The Pennsylvania State Troopers Association on Wednesday issued a statement supporting police-reform legislation passed by the state House and Senate. “As troopers, we believe our Call of Honor is nothing less than a sacred oath. Every trooper must memorize it. In particular, it includes this line: ‘It is my duty...
Mississippi gov might not block change to rebel-themed flag
JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves said Wednesday, for the first time, that he probably would not stand in the way if legislators muster a large enough majority to remove the Confederate battle emblem from the state flag. Amid the backdrop of national protests over racial injustice, Mississippi...
Sheetz employee in Ohio Twp. tests positive for covid-19
An employee at a Sheetz location in Ohio Township has tested positive for covid-19, company officials announced Wednesday night. An employee from the store at 1910 Mt. Nebo Road tested positive. The employee has not worked at the store since June 17, according to Sheetz spokesman Nick Ruffner. “According to...
Trump’s national security adviser takes aim at China
PHOENIX — President Donald Trump’s national security adviser warned China on Wednesday that the United States is waking up to the threat that it believes the Chinese Communist Party poses “to our great way of life” and will act to check the spread of Beijing’s ideology. Robert O’Brien said his...
He spent 22 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit. His lawsuit says Philly police knew his case was flawed
PHILADELPHIA — John Miller spent 22 years in prison almost entirely due to the fleeting word of one man: an accused robber who initially told detectives that Miller had confessed a murder to him. But the robber quickly recanted and said he had lied to police to receive beneficial treatment...
Malls, movies, gyms in New York still not cleared to reopen
ALBANY, N.Y. — Malls, movie theaters and gyms will not be cleared to open again when areas of New York state progress to the fourth phase of the state’s reopening plan Friday. The businesses had been hoping Gov. Andrew Cuomo would allow them to open their doors after an over...
South Carolina prosecutor decides not to charge officer who shot Black teen
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A South Carolina prosecutor said Wednesday that he will not file charges against the white police officer who fatally shot a Black teenager who pointed a gun at the officer as he ran away. Josh Ruffin, 17, was an immediate threat to the safety of the officers...
California voters will be asked whether to restore affirmative action in November
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California could allow college admissions and government contracting decisions with a focus on race and gender diversity under a measure placed on the November ballot Wednesday, a decision that would reverse strict limits imposed by voters in 1996. The ballot measure, which won final approval from the...
Wisconsin governor activates National Guard after violence
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin’s governor activated the National Guard on Wednesday to protect state properties after a night of violence that included the toppling of two statues outside the state Capitol, one of which commemorated an abolitionist Civil War hero. Protesters also attacked a state senator, threw a Molotov cocktail...
Casey says blocked GOP police reform bill weak on accountability
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey said insufficient accountability is one reason a Republican police reform bill failed to progress Wednesday in the Senate. With a 55-45 tally, Senate Republicans failed to gain the 60 votes needed to proceed to a debate on the bill. Afterward, Casey said an alternate Democratic reform...
