June 3, 2021 8:49 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits has fallen for a fifth straight week to a new pandemic low, the latest evidence that the U.S. job market is regaining its health as the economy further reopens. The Labor Department says jobless claims dropped to 385,000 last week, down 20,000 from the week before. The decline in applications reflects a swift rebound in economic growth and the job market’s steady recovery from the coronavirus recession. More Americans are venturing out to shop, travel, dine out and congregate at entertainment venues. All that renewed spending has led companies to seek new workers.
June 3, 2021 4:16 am
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Republican George P. Bush says he’s running next year for attorney general of Texas. The 45-year-old son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush made the announcement Wednesday in Austin. The decision sets up a potentially bruising GOP primary against sitting Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has served two terms but is shadowed by securities fraud charges and an FBI investigation. Bush is currently Texas’ land commissioner and is the last member of the Bush dynasty that is still in public office.
June 3, 2021 4:14 am
WALTHAM, Mass. (AP) – Celebrity attorney F. Lee Bailey has died. He was 87. The death was confirmed Thursday by Peter Horstmann, who worked with Bailey as an associate in the same law office for seven years. In a career that spanned decades, Bailey defended O.J. Simpson, Patricia Hearst and the alleged Boston Strangler. Bailey had been called arrogant, egocentric and contemptuous of authority. But he also was acknowledged as bold, brilliant, meticulous and tireless in the defense of his clients. Simpson once called Bailey the most valuable member of the legal team that got him acquitted of killing his wife and her friend in 1995. Bailey was disbarred in Florida and Massachusetts in the early 2000s for mishandling $6 million worth of stock for a client. But won the right to practice law in Maine in 2013.
June 3, 2021 4:13 am
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – A judge has ordered a 12-year-old boy to be held for 21 days at a secure detention facility pending a hearing later this month. During a virtual hearing, Judge Michael Orfinger told the boy that he was facing charges of attempted first degree murder of a law enforcement officer and armed burglary of a dwelling. The judge appointed a public defender for the boy, who remained silent. The boy and a 14-year-old girl are accused of breaking into a house where they allegedly found guns and ammunition and fired at deputies in a standoff that ended only when deputies shot and wounded one of the teens.
June 3, 2021 4:11 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden met for nearly an hour Wednesday with the top Republican negotiator on infrastructure, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito. Time is running out to strike a bipartisan deal, but they have agreed to reconnect Friday. The president is proposing $1.7 trillion for roads, bridges and other investments. The Republicans countered last week with $928 billion, and Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell said tapping unspent COVID-19 aid is “key” to reaching a deal. Biden has already sized up that offer as unworkable. The administration says the deadline for making progress toward a deal is June 7.
June 3, 2021 4:10 am
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) – Police say three officers shot responding to a call in Wilmington, Delaware, are in stable condition. A large police presence could be seen after the shooting at about 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Police say the three officers were transported to a hospital and are in stable condition. Police did not say anything about a suspect in the shooting or whether any arrests have been made. The shooting remains under investigation.
June 3, 2021 4:09 am
ROSS TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – Officials said closed-circuit security cameras will be installed at Ross Park Mall following a weekend fight that sparked gunfire on the second floor. Ross Park Mall officials released this statement:
“The safety of our shoppers, retailers and associates are our top priority. We have extensive proactive and preventative security programs and measures, including utilizing off duty police officers and a private security force that actively patrol the interior and exterior of the shopping center, along with working closely with local law enforcement and retailers to prepare for potential emergencies. These programs have allowed us to achieve Homeland Department of Security safety certification. As an additional measure, we will soon begin the process of securing CCTV cameras at Ross Park Mall and South Hills Village. We are also implementing a weapons detection K9 program to enhance interior patrols at Ross Park Mall.”
Officers from nearly half a dozen different agencies rushed to Ross Park Mall on Saturday afternoon as the gunfire sent shoppers scrambling to safety. Two 17-year-old boys are facing gun charges in connection with the incident.
June 3, 2021 4:05 am
Washington County food service and hospitality businesses took center stage in Charleroi on Wednesday to accept first and second round grants from the Covid-19 Hospitality Industry Relief Program, better known as CHIRP. Governor Tom Wolf made $145 million available via a transfer from the commonwealth’s workers’ compensation fund to allow the Department of Community and Economic Development work with local officials on the distribution of those grants. DCED Secretary Dennis Davin (pictured) was on hand at the River House Café to deliver his remarks on the importance of the distribution of monies via grants and not loans. Commissioner Diana Irey-Vaughn stated that Washington County’s share of the program was $2.3 million and already $1.940 million has been distributed. Roughly $300,000 remains to be distributed. The press conference recognizing the grants drew state and local government officials and hospitality industry business owners to celebrate the program.
June 2, 2021 3:27 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – Free beer is the latest White House-backed incentive to persuade Americans to get vaccinated for COVID-19. President Joe Biden announced a “month of action” on Wednesday to get more shots into arms before the July 4 holiday. That could lead, he said, to “a summer of freedom, a summer of joy … an All-American summer.” Biden updated the nation on his plans to get 70% of adults at least partially vaccinated by Independence Day. The latest vaccine sweetener, provided by Anheuser-Busch, builds on other incentives like cash giveaways, sports tickets and paid leave, to keep up the pace of Americans getting shots.
June 2, 2021 12:59 pm
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – Trainer Bob Baffert’s lawyer says a split-sample test of Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit came back positive for the presence of the steroid betamethasone. That could lead to the horse’s disqualification and discipline for Baffert. Attorney Craig Robertson says additional testing is being conducted to try to trace the source of the drug to an ointment and not an injection. A spokeswoman for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission declined to comment citing the ongoing investigation. Baffert is currently suspended by New York until Kentucky hands down a ruling about Medina Spirit. If Medina Spirit is disqualified, Mandaloun would be elevated as the winner of the Derby.
