June 1, 2021 4:02 am
ALTOONA, Pa. (AP) – Jury selection is scheduled Tuesday for a trial over the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s federal lawsuit against a Cleveland firm over allegations that an actuarial employee vastly understated the pension liability being assumed by UPMC when it acquired Altoona Hospital in 2013. The (Altoona) Mirror reports that UPMC says in the lawsuit against CBIZ Inc. that it wouldn’t have acquired Altoona Regional Health System in 2013 had it known the hospital’s full liability. Lawyers for CBIZ argues that its financial report was intended for Altoona Regional’s use in preparing financial statements, not for third parties, and in any case the acquisition has been a financial asset.
June 1, 2021 4:00 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – A second western Pennsylvania man has pleaded guilty to federal charges in the destruction of a Pittsburgh police car set afire during last year’s protests over the death of George Floyd. Twenty-three-year-old Da’Jon Lengyel of McKees Rocks pleaded guilty Monday to conspiring to set fire to property of an organization that receives federal funding” and “unlawful interference with a law enforcement officer during a civil disorder.” The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that when asked by a federal judge whether he had done what he was accused of, Lengyel said “I did, your honor.” Twenty-six-year-old Christopher West pleaded guilty a week ago to the same charges. (Photo: WPXI)
June 1, 2021 3:58 am
DERRY, Pa. (AP) – Authorities say an all-terrain vehicle overturned onto a western Pennsylvania road over the weekend, killing the rider. The Westmoreland County coroner’s office says the accident happened at about 9:45 a.m. Sunday in Derry Township. Officials said the ATV overturned onto the roadway “for an unknown reason,” throwing the rider, who wasn’t wearing a helmet. The coroner’s office said 25-year-old township resident Joshua Shugars was pronounced dead at the scene. The death was attributed to multiple blunt-force injuries and was ruled accidental.
June 1, 2021 2:21 am
(AP) – The Memorial Day holiday weekend has produced the two busiest days for U.S. air travel since early March 2020. The U.S. Transportation Security Administration says about 1.96 million people passed through U.S. airport security checkpoints on Friday, and 1.90 million did so on Monday. Tuesday was also expected to be busy, as travelers returned home after the Memorial Day weekend. Analysts expect travel to continue rising slowly now that many Americans are vaccinated against COVID-19 and airlines are adding more flights. Last month, the number of people screened at U.S. airports was down one-third from May 2019. (Photo: CNN)
May 31, 2021 4:38 am
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) – Several hundred people in New Zealand have been evacuated from their homes after heavy rain caused widespread flooding in the Canterbury region. Some of those forced to leave their homes recounted dramatic helicopter rescues. Authorities declared a state of emergency after some places received as much as 40 centimeters (16 inches) of rain over the weekend and into Monday. The military helped evacuate more than 50 people including several overnight in an NH-90 military helicopter. Forecasters warned of possible heavy rain through Monday evening before conditions improved.
May 31, 2021 4:37 am
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) – Vietnam plans to test all 9 million people in its largest city for the coronavirus and imposed more restrictions to deal with a growing COVID-19 outbreak. People in Ho Chi Minh city for the next two weeks are only allowed to leave home for necessary activities and public gatherings of more than 10 people are banned. The city earlier shut down non-essential business. Vietnam News said the city authority is planning to test its entire population with a testing capacity of 100,000 samples a day. The state newspaper also said police had filed a case against the couple who head a Protestant church mission for “spreading dangerous infectious diseases” through poor health protocols at the premises.
May 31, 2021 4:37 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Johnson & Johnson is asking for Supreme Court review of a $2 billion verdict in favor of women who claim they developed ovarian cancer from using the company’s talc products. The case features an array of high-profile attorneys, some in unusual alliances, including former independent counsel Kenneth Starr, who is representing the women who sued Johnson & Johnson. The nation’s largest business groups are backing the company, and a justice’s father also makes an appearance because of his long association with the trade group for cosmetics and personal care products. The court could say as soon as Tuesday whether it will get involved.
May 31, 2021 4:36 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – North Korea says the U.S. allowing South Korea to build more powerful missiles was an example of the U.S.’s hostile policy against the North and could lead to instability. It’s North Korea’s first response to the summit between President Joe Biden and South Korea’s leader. At the summit, the U.S. ended decades-long restrictions that capped South Korea’s missile development. The accusation that U.S. policy is hostile to North Korea matters because it said it won’t return to talks as long as U.S. hostility persists. But the latest statement was still attributed to a commentator, not a government body, suggesting North Korea may still want to leave room for potential diplomacy.
May 31, 2021 4:35 am
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – A restrictive voting bill in Texas that was on the verge of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk has failed to pass Sunday night after Democrats walked out of the House chamber before a midnight deadline. Abbott swiftly said he would call a special session to try passing a voting bill again but did not say when. The bill known as Senate Bill 7 would have imposed a raft of election changes that eliminate drive-thru voting, empower partisan poll watchers and impose new requirements in order to cast a ballot by mail in Texas, which already has some of toughest voting laws in the nation.
May 31, 2021 4:34 am
KERRVILLE, Texas (AP) – A man has been arrested in Texas, accused of plotting to carry out a mass shooting at a Walmart. The Kerr County Sheriff’s Office says in a news release Sunday that 28-year-old Coleman Thomas Blevins is charged with making a terroristic threat. Investigators say they intercepted a message from Blevins on Thursday indicating he was “preparing to proceed with a mass shooting,” and that the threat included Walmart. Blevins was arrested Friday. Authorities searched his home and found firearms, ammunition, and more, including what officials called “radical ideology paraphernalia” such as books, flags and handwritten documents. Jail records didn’t list an attorney who could comment on Blevins’ behalf.
