November 20, 2021 4:04 am
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) – Police opened fire on protesters and seven people were injured in rioting that erupted in downtown Rotterdam around a demonstration against COVID-19 restrictions. The Dutch city’s mayor called it “an orgy of violence.” He told reporters in the early hours of Saturday morning that “on a number of occasions the police felt it necessary to draw their weapons to defend themselves” as rioters ran rampage through the port city’s central shopping district, setting fires and throwing rocks and fireworks at officers. The mayor did not have details on the injuries. A number of police officers also were injured in the violence and officers arrested dozens of people and expect to arrest more after studying video footage from security cameras.
November 20, 2021 4:02 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. is opening COVID-19 vaccine boosters to all adults, and urging them for anyone 50 and older. The decision Friday seeks to simplify what has been a confusing list of who’s eligible. Now for anyone 18 or older, the only requirement is to be at least six months past their last dose of a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or two months past the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The government is trying to get ahead of rising coronavirus cases that experts fear could snowball into a winter surge with upcoming holiday travel.
November 20, 2021 4:02 am
KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) – Kyle Rittenhouse has been acquitted of all charges after pleading self-defense in the deadly Kenosha, Wisconsin, shootings that became a flashpoint in the nation’s debate over guns, vigilantism and racial injustice. The jury came back with its verdict after close to 3 1/2 days of deliberation. Rittenhouse, 18, could have gotten life in prison if found guilty of the most serious charge against him. He was charged with homicide, attempted homicide and recklessly endangering safety for killing two men and wounding a third with an AR-style semi-automatic rifle. The shootings took place during a night of protests over police violence against Black people in the tumultuous summer of 2020. Rittenhouse is white, as were those he shot. The jury appeared to be overwhelmingly white.
November 20, 2021 4:01 am
BECKLEY, W.Va. (AP) – A West Virginia pharmacist already serving a federal prison sentence in a fraud case has been indicted on a state charge in her husband’s death. Raleigh County Prosecutor Benjamin Hatfield says 40-year-old Natalie Cochran of Daniels was indicted by a grand jury Thursday on a first-degree murder charge. Cochran’s husband, Michael Cochran died in February 2019. The prosecutor did not give details about the death but said state police conducted an investigation. Natalie Cochran was sentenced in March to 11 years for pretending to be a government contractor and defrauding investors out of millions of dollars.
November 20, 2021 3:58 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Republicans in the Pennsylvania Senate will pay up to $270,000 over the next six months to have a consulting firm examine the 2020 election with an eye toward developing changes to state election law. The “forensic investigation” is being launched in response to pressure from Republican supporters of former President Donald Trump upset over his 80,000-vote loss in the state. Dubuque, Iowa-based Envoy Sage will be paid out of the Senate Republican leader’s taxpayer-funded leadership account. Democrats say the had no role in picking Envoy Sage and call the review political, unnecessary and costly.
November 20, 2021 3:44 am
Our news partners at WPXI report that the Allegheny County Police Department’s Homicide Unit responded to an incident in McKeesport Friday afternoon after a man was found stabbed. At approximately 3:23 p.m., 911 was notified of a stabbing in the 500 block of Sinclair Street, where first responders found an adult man suffering from a stab wound to the chest. He was transported to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 4:46 p.m. after medical professionals attempted life saving measures. Homicide detectives are investigating. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the County Police Tip Line 1-833-ALL-TIPS. Callers can remain anonymous.
November 19, 2021 12:50 pm
(WPXI) – The sale of the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Fenway Sports Group is one step closer to being official. Various media outlets are reporting that the boards of the FSG and the Penguins have approved the sale of the team. The board of the National Hockey League still have to vote. They are awaiting a final approval from the NHL, per a source close to the Penguins. Under the deal, Mario Lemieux would remain a minority owner.
November 19, 2021 10:14 am
BETHESDA, Md. (AP) – The White House says President Joe Biden will briefly transfer power to Vice President Kamala Harris when he undergoes a “routine colonoscopy.” Press secretary Jen Psaki says Biden will be under anesthesia Friday during the procedure at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and Harris “will work from her office in the West Wing during this time.” The 78-year-old Biden is the oldest person to serve as president and is at Walter Reed for his first routine physical since taking over at the White House. Biden had his last full exam in December 2019. Doctors reported then he was “healthy, vigorous” and “fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency.”
November 19, 2021 9:26 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. is moving to open up COVID-19 booster shots to all adults, letting them choose another dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. Regulators authorized broader use of the shots Friday, seeking to simplify what has been a confusing list of who’s eligible. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has to agree before tens of millions more Americans qualify, The agency’s scientific advisers voted in support of the move. The U.S. government is trying to get ahead of rising coronavirus cases that experts fear could snowball into a winter surge with upcoming holiday travel.
November 19, 2021 4:23 am
BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) – Defense attorneys for the three men accused of killing Ahmaud Arbery rested Thursday after calling a total of seven witnesses. The people who testified in the men’s defense included the man who fatally shot Arbery, Travis McMichael. Six neighbors testified about their concerns regarding crime in the neighborhood. McMichael and his father, Greg McMichael, armed themselves and pursued the 25-year-old Black man in a pickup truck after he ran past their home from the house under construction. A neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, joined the chase in his own truck and recorded cellphone video. All of the defendants are white.
