Search Continues In Miami Condo Collapse

June 27, 2021 7:57 am

SURFSIDE, Fla. (AP) — Families around the world remained stuck between waning hopes and widening fears Saturday, two days after the stunning collapse of a 12-story condominium near Miami. At least five people were killed and more than 150 people remained unaccounted for as rescuers continued to dig through the rubble of the Champlain Towers South in Surfside. The building was home to an international mix of foreign retirees, South American immigrants and Orthodox Jews, all with anxious loved ones across the globe. The Miami-Dade Police Department identified for the first time four of the five deceased people late Saturday and the apartments where they were at the moment at the collapse. Their names were Stacie Dawn Fang, 54; Antonio, 83, and Gladys Lozano, 79; and Manuel LaFont, 54.

Pittsburgh Native Among Missing In Condo Collapse

June 27, 2021 7:53 am

MIAMI, Fl. — A former Pittsburgh woman and her husband are among those missing in the Surfside condo collapse. At least five people died and 158 others were unaccounted for Friday, after a 12-story condominium building partially collapsed early Thursday in Surfside, Fla., authorities said. Nicole Doran-Manshirov and Ruslan Manashirov are listed among the missing. Nicole is a former resident of Brentwood. The couple was recently married in May and just were beginning their lives together as a married couple.

Body Found In River Identified As Missing Man

June 27, 2021 7:51 am

PITTSBURGH — A body found in the Ohio River earlier this week was identified Friday as a man who went missing in Pittsburgh’s South Side in January. William Casale, 62, was pronounced dead at 6:35 p.m. Monday in Kilbuck, the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office reports. His body was pulled from the water at the 300 block of East Beaver Street near the Kilbuck Township Fish and Boat Commission Boat Ramp just south of Route 65. The medical examiner did not release a cause nor manner of death as of late Friday. Casale had gone missing in early January, prompting his family and police to ask the public for help finding him, on January 7th.

Pennsylvania’s Mask Mandate Lifting On Monday

June 27, 2021 2:54 am

The Pennsylvania Department of Health announced Friday that the commonwealth’s mask order requiring universal face coverings will be lifted statewide at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, June 28th. “We are continuing to make progress toward stopping the spread of COVID-19 throughout the commonwealth, as many Pennsylvanians have taken responsibility for their own health and the health of their communities by getting vaccinated,” Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam said. “Even though the universal masking order will be lifted in a few days, businesses, organizations, health care providers and other entities maintain the option of requiring employees, guests or customers to wear a mask, regardless of their vaccination status.” According to the CDC vaccine tracker, as of Friday morning, June 25, 74.9 percent of Pennsylvanians age 18 and older have received their first dose, while 59.4 percent are fully vaccinated.

Trump Targeting GOP Impeachment Voter At Ohio Revenge Rally

June 26, 2021 9:22 am

WASHINGTON (AP) – Former President Donald Trump will return to the rally stage this weekend. He’s holding his first campaign-style event since leaving the White House as he makes good on his pledge to exact revenge on those who voted for his historic second impeachment. Trump’s event, at the Lorain County Fairgrounds not far from Cleveland, will be held Saturday to support Max Miller. The former White House aide is challenging Republican Rep. Anthony Gonzalez for his congressional seat. Gonzalez was one of 10 GOP House members who voted to impeach Trump for his role in inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Season’s First Eastern Pacific Hurricane Forms Off Mexico

June 26, 2021 9:20 am

MEXICO CITY (AP) – The first hurricane of the eastern Pacific season has formed and forecasters say it’s expected to grow stronger, bringing heavy rainfall while advancing northwestward off the Mexican coast. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said new Hurricane Enrique’s maximum sustained winds had risen to near 75 mph (120 kph) by early Saturday. They were expected to hit Category 2 force by Sunday. The storm’s core was predicted to stay at sea while moving parallel to the coast. But a tropical storm warning was declared from Zihuatanejo to Cabo Corrientes and forecasters warned of 6 to 12 inches of rain.

‘Only Going To Get Hotter’: Heat Wave Blasts Northwest

June 26, 2021 9:19 am

SEATTLE (AP) – The Pacific Northwest sweltered Friday as a historic heat wave hit Washington and Oregon, with temperatures in many areas expected to top out 25 to 30 degrees above normal in the coming days. Seattle was expected to edge above 100 degrees over the weekend and in Portland, Oregon, forecasters said the thermometer could soar to 108 degrees Sunday, breaking an all-time record. The heat wave shocked a region accustomed to mild summers where many don’t have air conditioning. Cities opened cooling centers, hospitals canceled vaccination clinics, baseball teams canceled games and utilities braced for power outages.

German Investigators Seek Motive In Fatal Knife Attack

June 26, 2021 9:14 am

WUERZBURG, Germany (AP) – Investigators are looking for a motive behind an attack in the German city of Wuerzburg in which a man armed with a long knife killed three people and wounded at least five others. Authorities are praising passers-by who tried to stop the assailant. The suspect, a 24-year-old Somali, was shot in the leg by police and arrested after the Friday afternoon attack in the southern city’s downtown area. Police said his life was not in danger. Bavaria’s top security official, Joachim Herrmann, said the suspect had been known to police and had been admitted to a psychiatric unit a few days earlier

Floyd Family Lawyer Calls For Federal Conviction For Chauvin

June 26, 2021 9:12 am

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A lawyer for the family of George Floyd is calling for a federal conviction for former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin, saying he hopes that would lead to a longer sentence. Chauvin was convicted of murder and sentenced Friday in state court to 22 1/2 years in prison. After his sentencing, some family members said they wanted to see something longer. Attorney Ben Crump said a conviction on federal civil rights charges would be “maximum accountability.” If Chauvin is convicted of federal counts, he would be subject to a new set of sentencing guidelines and the ultimate sentence would be up to a judge. Experts said it’s unlikely that a federal sentence would be longer than a state sentence, and it would more likely run at the same time as the state sentence.

Engineers Reports Warned Of Structural Damage To Miami Condo

June 26, 2021 9:09 am

SURFSIDE, Fla. (AP) – A 2018 engineering report said that the oceanfront condominium building that collapsed this week near Miami had “major structural damage” to a concrete structural slab below its pool deck that needed extensive repairs. The report was released by the city of Surfside as rescuers continued to dig through the rubble Saturday. They were trying to find any of the 159 people who remain unaccounted. At least four people were killed. The engineering report did not warn of imminent danger from the damage. But it did note the need for costly repairs to fix the slab as well as damaged concrete columns beams and walls in the parking garage.