April 21, 2021 4:09 am
Crowds nationwide have reacted with jubilation but also with deep awareness of the progress left to be made after a jury convicted former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin of murder in the killing of George Floyd. Cheers erupted from Floyd’s family members as the judge read the verdict Tuesday, and a vigil at the site of Floyd’s death last May gave way to celebration. But the elation was tinged with wariness and worry that while justice was done for one Black person on this day, it would not be enough by itself.
April 21, 2021 3:18 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – For the first time, prominent Republican state senators are putting their support behind legislation in Pennsylvania to change the law to allow now-adult victims of child sexual abuse to sue their perpetrators or institutions that didn’t prevent it. Wednesday’s vote, 11-3, in the Senate Judiciary Committee comes after years of damning investigations into child sexual abuse by clergy in Pennsylvania’s Roman Catholic dioceses. It also signals that the legislation may have enough Republican support to pass the full state Senate. Similar legislation passed the House earlier this month. Many childhood victims of sexual assault lost the right to sue in Pennsylvania when they turned 18 or were young adults.
April 21, 2021 2:11 am
A Peters Township man pleaded guilty to his role in harassing a state representative and her office staff back in 2020. Christopher Allan Frank of Peters Township and also of Kentucky was sentenced to 1 year of probation on four separate cases of harassment toward republican state representative Natalie Mihalek. Frank was not pleased with the outcome of the 2020 presidential election and took part in harassing Mihalek and her staff with phone calls and emails and soaping the windows of her district office. Frank was said to disagree with the way local politics were being handled. Peters Township police stopped Frank’s car and found a bar of soap and a firearm in his car. All four incidents to which Frank pleaded guilty require a sentence of one year of probation. All four sentences will be served concurrently. Frank is not to have contact with Mihalek.
April 21, 2021 2:05 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – The Pennsylvania state House is giving its approval to a Republican-sponsored bill to let many retail stores remain open during a declared state of disaster emergency. Backers say it would safely prevent smaller businesses from going broke. The chamber voted 117-84 Wednesday to allow retailers to be open if they restrict operations to a single employee and a single customer, or can fulfill drive-up sales that limit contact. Six Democrats joined the unanimous Republican caucus in voting for the legislation. The proposal was sent to the state Senate, where a similar bill died last year.
April 20, 2021 5:23 pm
WEST HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (AP) – Police say an employee shot three workers inside an office at a Long Island grocery store Tuesday, killing a manager. The man suspected in the shooting was arrested hours after fleeing the scene. Nassau County Executive Laura Curran tweeted around 3:15 p.m. Tuesday that Gabriel DeWitt Wilson was in police custody. The shooting happened upstairs from the shopping floor. The name of the victims have not been made public. The man who was killed was a 49-year-old store employee. The two wounded were hospitalized and were conscious and alert. It’s unclear whether Wilson has a lawyer to comment.
April 20, 2021 4:30 am
(AP) – Subaru announced two voluntary recalls Thursday affecting nearly 900,000 Crosstrek, Impreza and Forester vehicles. According to the company, no accidents or injuries have been reported related to the recalls and customers will not be charged for the proposed fixes. Each owner of an affected vehicle is encouraged to contact an authorized Subaru retailer as soon as notification of the recall is received from Subaru of America. The affected vehicles include 2017 through 2019 Imprezas; 2018 and 2019 Crosstreks and the 2019 Forester. The first recall affects 466,205 Impreza sedans and Crosstrek sport utility vehicles in the listed model years and will check and/or update the engine control module programming and replace all ignition coils which could, over time, degrade and cause starting or stalling issues. The second recall affects 405,000 2019 Forester and 2019 Crosstrek models to examine and re-torque bolts on the rear stabilizer bracket, which could, over time, come loose. The loose bracket could then interact with other components causing damage.
April 20, 2021 4:29 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Washington, D.C., medical examiner’s office says Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick suffered a stroke after confronting rioters on Jan. 6 and died of natural causes. Investigators initially believed the officer was hit in the head with a fire extinguisher, based on statements collected early in the investigation. They later thought Sicknick may have ingested a chemical substance – possibly bear spray – that may have contributed to his death. But the determination of a natural cause of death means the medical examiner found that a medical condition alone caused his death. The determination is likely to significantly inhibit the ability of federal prosecutors to bring homicide charges in Sicknick’s death.
April 20, 2021 4:26 am
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin has been convicted of murder and manslaughter in the death of George Floyd, the explosive case that triggered worldwide protests, violence and a furious reexamination of racism and policing in the U.S. The jury deliberated about 10 hours over two days in a city on edge against another outbreak of unrest. Floyd died last May after Chauvin, a white officer, pinned his knee on or close to the 46-year-old Black man’s neck for about 9 1/2 minutes. (Photo: CNN)
April 20, 2021 4:24 am
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Former Vice President Walter Mondale, a liberal icon who lost one of the most lopsided presidential elections after bluntly telling voters to expect a tax increase if he won, has died. He was 93. Mondale’s family says he died Monday in Minneapolis. Mondale served Minnesota as attorney general and U.S. senator. He followed the trail blazed by his political mentor, Hubert H. Humphrey, to the vice presidency, serving under Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1981. Mondale’s own try for the White House, in 1984, came at the zenith of Ronald Reagan’s popularity. On Election Day, he carried only his home state and the District of Columbia.
April 20, 2021 4:09 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pension contribution rates for tens of thousands of public school employees in Pennsylvania could be going up. The board of the $64 billion Public School Employees’ Retirement System voted Monday night to raise pension contribution rates starting next July 1 for about 94,000 public school employees, all hired in 2011 or after. The board made the move as it works to straighten out what it has called a consultant’s mistake that also has drawn queries from federal investigators. The board originally certified rates in December. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Pat Browne warned fellow board members that current state law doesn’t allow the board to recertify employee contribution rates.
