Employee Kills One & Wounds Five In Texas Shooting

April 9, 2021 4:21 am

BRYAN, Texas (AP) – Authorities say a man opened fire at a Texas cabinet-making company where he worked, killing one person and wounding five others before shooting and wounding a state trooper before his arrest. A police statement says 27-year-old Larry Winston Bollin of Iola, Texas, has been charged with murder and being held on a $1 million bond. Authorities say Bollin shot and wounded a state trooper before he was arrested. Two of the five people wounded at the cabinet business are in critical condition. The three others and the trooper are in serious but stable condition. Police say Bollin worked at the company.

Expert; Lack Of Oxygen Killed Floyd, Not Drugs

April 9, 2021 4:20 am

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A medical expert says George Floyd died from a lack of oxygen that damaged his brain and caused his heart to stop. Dr. Martin Tobin is a lung and critical care specialist from Illinois. He testified Thursday at former Officer Derek Chauvin’s murder trial that Floyd’s breathing was too shallow to take in enough oxygen while he was pinned on his stomach with his hands cuffed behind his back for 9 1/2 minutes. His testimony came a day after a use-of-force expert said Chauvin had his knee on George Floyd’s neck area the entire time that he pinned.

Policy Changes Help Drive Migrant Crossings

April 9, 2021 4:17 am

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) – Complex forces are driving an increase in the number of migrant families and unaccompanied children coming to the U.S. Many say President Joe Biden’s positions on immigration, whether real or rumored, have influenced their decisions. About four in 10 border encounters last month were with families and children traveling alone. It comes as policies in the U.S. and Mexico favor them staying in the United States while they seek asylum. The March total includes nearly 19,000 unaccompanied children, the highest monthly number on record. They are exempt from federal pandemic-related powers that quickly expel migrants without a chance for asylum.

Rapper DMX Dies At 50

April 9, 2021 4:16 am

NEW YORK (AP) – The family of rapper DMX says he has died at age 50 after a career in which he delivered iconic hip-hop songs such as “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem.” A statement from the family says the Grammy-nominated rapper died at a hospital in White Plains, New York, “with his family by his side after being placed on life support for the past few days. He was rushed to a New York hospital from his home April 2. The hospital says he suffered “catastrophic cardiac arrest.” DMX made his mark as one of hip-hop’s most recognizable names for his rap artistry and as an actor. But he was personally stifled by legal battles and drug addiction.  (Photo:  CNN)

Court Flips On Signature Rules For Nominating Petitions

April 9, 2021 4:13 am

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania’s highest court says voters who sign a state political candidate’s nominating petition have to list the address where they are registered to vote or it doesn’t count. The state Supreme Court on Thursday overturned a 5-year-old precedent because of a more recent change in state law. The court had previously held that a petition signature could not be invalidated just because the voter’s address didn’t match their voter registration address. The ruling was made in a challenge to Rania Major’s petition to run in the Democratic primary for judge in Philadelphia. The court upheld a decision to keep Major off the ballot.

Ethics Committee Opens Investigation Into Gaetz

April 9, 2021 4:13 am

WASHINGTON (AP) – The House Ethics Committee has opened an investigation of Florida congressman Matt Gaetz, citing reports of sexual and other misconduct by the Florida Republican. The deepening of the scrutiny of the congressman comes as Gaetz has retained two prominent New York attorneys while facing a Justice Department investigation into sex trafficking allegations involving underage girls. The House panel’s bipartisan probe is one of the first official indications Gaetz’s party leaders are willing to scrutinize his actions. Gaetz has not been charged with a crime, has denied any wrongdoing and has sent fundraising appeals that portray him as a victim of a “smear campaign.”

Fires At Ohiopyle State Park Mostly Under Control

April 9, 2021 4:10 am

Authorities in Fayette County say two forest fires that were burning in Ohiopyle State Park Thursday night are now under control. Officials with the state’s Forestry Bureau say firefighters battled the fires, which were burning at opposite ends of the park, for over 12 hours. They say the larger of the two fires is about 80% contained and the smaller fire was contained around midnight. Authorities say the first fire was discovered around 5 o’clock Thursday afternoon, near Dunbar Road.  The second, larger fire, was reported near Victoria Flats and Rock Spring Road and was estimated to cover more than two-hundred acres. Officials say no one was hurt, and no homes were threatened because the fires were in a remote area of the park.  (Photo: Frogs To Flowers Photography/WPXI)

A Kinder/Gentler Unemployment Compensation System

April 9, 2021 4:03 am

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – After a year of frustration over long waits for benefits, jammed phone lines and confusing filing procedures, Pennsylvania’s Department of Labor and Industry is promising a much quicker and easier unemployment compensation claims filing system. The new system scheduled to launch June 8 is based on what the department said Thursday is modern software to replace an “obsolete 40-year-old mainframe legacy system.” It arrives after a series of bungled efforts to replace the system began in 2006. Pandemic-related shutdowns starting last spring stressed the system like never before, as claims shot to record levels and swamped a barebones staff forced to work remotely.

Legendary Pirates Usher Phil Coyne Dies At 102

April 9, 2021 3:37 am

(WPXI) – He started working as an usher, escorting Pittsburgh Pirates fans to their seats, during the Great Depression. For more than eight decades and 14 presidential administrations, Phil Coyne was a staple of games at Forbes Field, then Three Rivers Stadium and finally PNC Park, before retiring in 2018 at the age of 99. Coyne, 102, died Friday morning, according to family members. He started ushering in 1936, the same year the Baseball Hall of Fame inducted player Babe Ruth. Coyne was well-known inside and outside the ballpark, and many affectionately referred to him as “Philly.” When he retired, after his 81st season, the City Council honored him by naming Aug. 29 “Phil Coyne Day” in Pittsburgh. When Coyne retired, Pirates management said he never missed a day of work. “Phil was and always will be a true Pirates legend. He was a hard-working, passionate family man who proudly served our country as a member of the United States Army during World War II,” said Pirates Chairman Bob Nutting. “Phil was so much more than an usher to us and our fans. As a testament to his life of service to the game of baseball, his Pirates uniform and identification badge remain on permanent display at the National Baseball Hall-of-Fame.”

Lots Of “Monkeying” Around In Ohio

April 8, 2021 5:39 pm

CINCINNATI (AP) – Police in Cincinnati are on the lookout for monkeys, some last seen swinging in trees in a cemetery.  Police say there are as many as five monkeys on the loose, suspected to be from a private owner. Officers responded Wednesday night to the Saint Joseph’s Cemetery in a west-side neighborhood after residents reported monkey sightings.  WXIX-TV reports police plan to resume searching Thursday and have reached out to the Cincinnati Zoo for help.