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.
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)
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.
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.”
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)
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.
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.”
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.
April 8, 2021 10:22 am
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) – The gunman who killed five people including a prominent doctor in South Carolina was former NFL pro Phillip Adams, who killed himself early Thursday, according to a source who was briefed on the investigation. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak publicly, said Adams’ parents live near the doctor’s home in Rock Hill, and that he had been treated by the doctor. The source said Phillips killed himself after midnight with a .45 caliber weapon. The victims included Dr. Robert Lesslie, his wife Barbara, their grandchildren Adah and Noah, and a man working outside, James Lewis.
April 8, 2021 9:35 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week to 744,000, signaling that many employers are still cutting jobs even as more people are vaccinated against COVID-19, consumers gain confidence and the government distributes aid throughout the economy. The Labor Department said Thursday that applications increased by 16,000 from 728,000 a week earlier. Jobless claims have declined sharply since the virus slammed into the economy in March of last year. But they remain high by historical standards: Before the pandemic erupted, weekly applications typically remained below 220,000 a week.
