June 26, 2021 3:55 am
An FBI agent applied for a federal warrant in 2018 to seize a cache of gold that he said had been “stolen during the Civil War” while en route to the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia, and was “now concealed in an underground cave” in northwestern Pennsylvania. That’s according to court documents unsealed Thursday. The FBI had long refused to confirm why exactly it went digging on state-owned land in Elk County in March 2018. Federal authorities say the dig came up empty. The FBI said in the newly released court documents that it feared the state of Pennsylvania would claim the gold for itself, setting up a costly legal battle.
June 26, 2021 3:50 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Lawmakers are sending the governor a bill to let Pennsylvania parents decide whether to have their children repeat a year of school. It’s a measure designed to help children catch up after a year of schooling disrupted by the pandemic. The Senate voted 50 to 0 on Thursday for the proposal. It also would permit students in special education to return for another year, even if they have reached the maximum age of 21. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf hasn’t said if he’ll sign it. Under the bill, parents would have to decide by July 15 whether their child should repeat a grade.
June 26, 2021 3:47 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Common pleas and magisterial district judges would be allowed to hire private collection agencies to pursue overdue court fines and costs under a bill that’s been approved by the Legislature. The bill that passed the state House Friday by a vote of 109 to 92 would apply after a defendant fails to appear for a court hearing on the status of restitution and other court-related financial costs. A Senate analysis projects it could bring in a few million dollars in the short term and hundreds of millions a year after that. Backers say much of the unpaid costs are traffic fines from people who live in other counties.
June 26, 2021 3:41 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – The Pennsylvania General Assembly is giving its approval to a $39.8 billion general fund budget that puts into savings about $5 billion in federal coronavirus relief money and boosts K-12 education funding by $300 million. The budget package that passed Friday pumps $279 million into transportation infrastructure and directs $280 million to nursing homes and similar facilities, both drawing from the federal pandemic money. It puts $2.5 billion into the rainy day fund and doesn’t spend much of the rest of the state’s share of federal pandemic money. Supporters say the reserves will help avoid future tax increases. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf plans to sign it next week.
June 25, 2021 12:26 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Justice Department is suing Georgia over the state’s new election law and alleging that Republican state lawmakers rushed through a sweeping overhaul with an intent to deny Black voters equal access to the ballot. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the lawsuit on Friday, two weeks after he said his department would scrutinize a wave of new laws in Republican-controlled states that tighten voting rules. Republican lawmakers in the state pushed back immediately, pledging a forceful defense of Georgia’s law. The federal government’s move also comes as pressure grows on the Biden administration to respond to a wave of GOP-backed laws being pushed in the states this year.
June 25, 2021 4:20 am
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin has been sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison for the murder of George Floyd, whose dying gasps under Chauvin’s knee led to the biggest outcry against racial injustice in the U.S. in generations. The punishment handed out Friday fell short of the 30 years that prosecutors had requested. With good behavior, Chauvin, 45, could be paroled after serving two-thirds of his sentence, or about 15 years.
June 25, 2021 4:19 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden has announced a bipartisan agreement on a pared-down but still huge infrastructure plan. The agreement with a group of Republican and Democratic senators on Thursday would make a start on his top legislative priority and validate his efforts to reach across the political aisle. However, Biden acknowledged that Democrats will likely have to tackle much of his remaining agenda alone. The first package, with around a trillion dollars in new and existing spending, has rare bipartisan backing and could open the door to the president’s more sweeping $4 trillion proposals later on.
June 25, 2021 4:14 am
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Civil rights organizations and people who were part of a Biden campaign caravan last fall that was surrounded on a Texas highway by Trump supporters have filed two federal lawsuits, including allegations that local law enforcement failed to respond to efforts to intimidate them. Videos shared on social media from Oct. 30 show a group of cars and pickup trucks adorned with large Trump flags riding alongside the campaign bus as it traveled from San Antonio to Austin. The Trump supporters at times boxed in the bus. Plaintiffs, including former Texas Senator Wendy Davis, say police in San Marcos “turned a blind eye.” The lawsuits were filed Thursday.
June 25, 2021 4:11 am
SURFSIDE, Fla. (AP) – Officials say there are still 159 people unaccounted for after the partial collapse of a beachside building in Florida. Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava noted Friday that rescue officials were still searching for survivors. Raide Jadallah, an assistant Miami-Dade County fire chief, said rescue operations continued throughout the night. He said that 130 firefighters are working at the site. Miami-Dade Police Director Freddy Ramirez said they are working with the medical examiner’s office to identify four victims.
June 25, 2021 4:05 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Lawmakers are sending the governor a bill to let Pennsylvania parents decide whether to have their children repeat a year of school. It’s a measure designed to help children catch up after a year of schooling disrupted by the pandemic. The Senate voted 50 to 0 on Thursday for the proposal. It also would permit students in special education to return for another year, even if they have reached the maximum age of 21. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf hasn’t said if he’ll sign it. Under the bill, parents would have to decide by July 15 whether their child should repeat a grade.
