July 6, 2021 4:20 am
SURFSIDE, Fla. (AP) – The discovery of four more victims in the rubble of a collapsed Florida condominium building has raised the death toll to 32. Miami-Dade Assistant Fire Chief Raide Jadallah announced the new death count to family members during a closed-door morning briefing Tuesday. A ramped-up rescue effort at the collapsed Florida condo building is facing new weather threats. Tropical Storm Elsa has begun lashing the state on a path that will mostly spare South Florida. But bands of rain are expected in Surfside as Elsa gains strength. The search crews can work through rain, but lightning from unrelated thunderstorms has already forced them to pause at times, and a garage area in the rubble filled with water.
July 6, 2021 4:17 am
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) – Gamblers who smoke are once again lighting up inside Atlantic City’s casinos, even as a renewed push is on by smoking opponents to prohibit it permanently. A year-long temporary ban on smoking at the casinos, inspired by the coronavirus outbreak last year, ended on Sunday. Smoking is now allowed on 20% of the casino floor. Gary Scromo of Staten Island in New York City says he enjoys smoking while gambling, and notes there are plenty of sections nonsmokers can use. But Shay Trowery of Philadelphia, a gambler who also smokes, says it’s a bad idea to allow it indoors right now, fearing the spread of the COVID-19 virus in smoke expelled from someone’s lungs.
July 6, 2021 4:17 am
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) – The National Hurricane Center says Tropical Storm Elsa is strengthening and could became a hurricane before making landfall along Florida’s north Gulf coast. It’s complicating the search effort at the collapsed condo in Surfside, and could be near hurricane strength before it makes landfall somewhere between Tampa Bay and the Big Bend. Forecasters also warn that it could push a storm surge of water into Tampa Bay neighborhoods. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has expanded a state of emergency to cover a dozen counties. Tampa International Airport shut-down at five p.m. on Tuesday.
July 6, 2021 4:15 am
NEW YORK (AP) – “Sesame Street” is about to get a whole lot cuter. Elmo, Grover, Abby Cadabby and the rest of the Muppet gang are introducing a new character to the show this summer, áa white-and-brown puppy named Tango. Kay Wilson Stallings, the executive vice president of creative and production at Sesame Workshop, says they wanted to explore the “special bond between children and pets.” Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit behind “Sesame Street.” Tango will join “Sesame Street’s” 52nd season as both an animated character and a live-action Muppet, debuting this fall on HBO Max and streaming on PBS KIDS in 2022.
July 6, 2021 4:13 am
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – “The Voice” coaches Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton celebrated their nuptials over the Fourth of July holiday during a weekend wedding in Oklahoma. The pop star and the country star posted photos on Monday of their wedding including an image of the couple posing under a twilight sky. A representative for Shelton said they married in his home state of Oklahoma and the No Doubt singer tagged the wedding photos with Saturday’s date. In one photo, Shelton was dressed in jeans and driving a golf cart decorated with white tulle, while Stefani showed off her white boots under her wedding dress and held up a bouquet of white flowers. The two singers announced their engagement in October. The two stars met as judges on the singing competition show years ago. After Shelton divorced Miranda Lambert and Stefani divorced her husband Gavin Rossdale in 2015, the two later began dating. They have released a couple of duets together, including “Nobody But You” and “Happy Anywhere.” (Photo: Yahoo)
July 6, 2021 4:10 am
CORAOPOLIS, Pa. — (WPXI) – A closure on a highly traveled part of Interstate 79 next week could affect commutes in Allegheny County. The closure is set to begin at 9 p.m., July 9, lasting through 5 a.m., July 12. Interstate 79 northbound will be closed at the Coraopolis exit and all traffic will be detoured from I-79 north, onto Exit 64 which is marked, “PA-51, Coraopolis, McKees Rocks.” All I-79 north traffic will be routed onto SR-51, through Coraopolis. Traffic will continue up to the Sewickley Bridge, cross over the bridge, then be detoured back south on SR-65 (Ohio River Blvd.) where it will then flow on Kilbuck Street through Glenfield Borough, and back onto I-79 north from Kilbuck Street. There will be officers posted at various locations to assist traffic during daylight hours, and signs will be in place.
July 6, 2021 4:07 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Authorities say scores of shots were fired at a west Philadelphia July 4 gathering, killing two men and wounding a teenage girl. Police said the 22- and 23-year-old men were pronounced dead at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center following the gunfire just before 11 p.m. Sunday. A 17-year-old girl was injured. The gunfire occurred during a gathering similar to a block party. Investigators Monday morning told reporters that 100 shots or more may have been fired. No arrests were immediately announced.
July 6, 2021 4:05 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Police say scores of members of a group described by the Anti-Defamation League as white supremacist marched in Philadelphia over the weekend, clashing with pedestrians and setting off what were believed to be smoke bombs at one point. The group of Patriot Front members, estimated at 150 to 200 people, marched for several blocks in Center City carrying shields and flags and chanting slogans such as “Reclaim America” and “The election was stolen.” Police said pedestrians “engaged members of the group verbally” and there were several physical encounters. Police didn’t announce any arrests and said there were no reports of any damage or injuries.
July 5, 2021 5:36 pm
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) – Police in Ohio say stacks of fireworks piled next to a rental truck ignited and set off a cascade of explosions at a Fourth of July block party in Toledo. Four people were hurt but none of the injuries are life threatening. A video from a neighbor shows people yelling and running for cover as the fireworks exploded in every direction Sunday night. At one point, the rental truck briefly caught fire. The truck had been packed with fireworks and was parked on the street at the block party. A fire department spokesman says they’re investigating what ignited the explosions.
July 5, 2021 5:34 pm
NEW YORK (AP) – Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has officially stepped down as CEO of the company he started out of his Seattle garage in 1995. Andy Jassy, the head of Amazon’s cloud-computing business, is replacing him. The company announced the change in February. Bezos takes over the role of executive chair, with plans to focus on new products and initiatives. Jassy inherits the helm of a $1.7 trillion company that benefited greatly from the pandemic. But he does face challenges, including growing calls for tighter regulation on tech giants.
