September 27, 2020 7:46 am
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law on Saturday requiring California to house transgender inmates in prisons based on their gender identity — but only if the state does not have “management or security concerns.” The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation houses men and women in separate facilities. Transgender inmates are often housed based on their sex assigned at birth. Advocates say this is dangerous, particularly for transgender women housed in facilities for men. The law Newsom signed Saturday says officers must ask inmates privately during the intake process if they identify as transgender, nonbinary or intersex. Those inmates can then request to be placed in a facility that houses either men or women.
September 27, 2020 7:45 am
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — President Donald Trump’s campaign committee and the Republican National Committee sued Saturday to block North Carolina election officials from enforcing rule changes that could boost the number of ballots counted in the presidential battleground state. The Republicans’ lawsuit claims a new system adopted by the State Board of Elections will allow for absentee ballots to be cast late and without proper witness verification, “which invites fraud, coercion, theft, and otherwise illegitimate voting.” The elections board on Tuesday issued new guidance allowing mail-in absentee ballots with deficient information to be fixed without forcing the voter to fill out a new blank ballot for November’s general election. The change means absentee voters who don’t provide complete information on their envelope about a witness who saw them fill out the ballot won’t have to complete a new ballot and locate another witness. A voter will just have to turn in an affidavit confirming they filled out the original ballot.
September 27, 2020 7:42 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea accused South Korea of sending ships across the disputed sea boundary to find the body of a South Korean official recently killed by North Korean troops, warning Sunday the intrusion could escalate tensions. South Korea denied the accusation. Along with its denial, South Korea proposed a joint investigation to resolve discrepancies in each country’s account of the South Korean official’s death last week. Officials in Seoul have said the 47-year-old was likely attempting to defect before North Korean troops aboard a boat fatally shot him and burned his body. According to Seoul, North Korea on Friday sent a message including a rare apology by leader Kim Jong Un for the shooting death of the official, who was found floating on an object in its waters.
September 27, 2020 7:40 am
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A diverse crowd of hundreds marched in Louisville’s streets chanting “Black Lives Matter” on Saturday night, the fourth night of protests after a grand jury declined to charge officers in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor. People in the crowd also chanted “No justice, no peace” as cars honked along a busy downtown artery in this Kentucky city that has seen more than 120 days of demonstrations over the death of the 26-year-old Black woman in a police raid gone wrong. A few police cars followed behind, with officers telling protesters to stay on the sidewalk and out of the street before the march ended. Many briefly ended up back at a downtown square that has been a focal point of protests. But as a 9 p.m. curfew time approached, a police loudspeaker announced that anyone who remained in the park would be arrested for a curfew violation. The square emptied out as people departed, many dispersing though one group headed to a nearby church where protesters had found refuge on previous nights. As a crowd gathered outside the First Unitarian Church late Saturday, fires were set in a street nearby after 11 p.m. Police said fireworks burned a car, and windows had been broken at Spalding University and Presentation Academy buildings close by. Some demonstrators were seen with makeshift shields made of plywood. Others took shelter inside the church, which closed its doors around midnight.
September 27, 2020 7:38 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, capping a dramatic reshaping of the federal judiciary that will resonate for a generation and that he hopes will provide a needed boost to his reelection effort. Barrett, a former clerk to the late Justice Antonin Scalia, said Saturday that she was “truly humbled” by the nomination and quickly aligned herself with Scalia’s conservative approach to the law, saying his “judicial philosophy is mine, too.” Barrett, 48, was joined in the Rose Garden by her husband and seven children. If confirmed by the Senate, she would fill the seat vacated by liberal icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg. It would be the sharpest ideological swing since Clarence Thomas replaced Justice Thurgood Marshall nearly three decades ago. She would be the sixth justice on the nine-member court to be appointed by a Republican president, and the third of Trump’s first term in office.
September 27, 2020 7:36 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — President Donald Trump’s campaign has grown increasingly focused on making inroads in Pennsylvania to offset potential vulnerabilities in other battlegrounds. The president will travel to the state for the second time in a week on Saturday, hoping to attract the same rural and white working-class voters who delivered him a narrow victory here in 2016. The in-person touch, in what may become the most important battleground on the map, complements an aggressive get-out-the-vote operation that has been working for four years to find new voters by knocking on doors in competitive neighborhoods. Trump narrowly flipped three Great Lakes states — Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — from blue to red in 2016. He has virtually no path to reelection without keeping at least one of those states in his column. His campaign has long viewed Wisconsin as his best option, but aides who requested anonymity to discuss strategy said their thinking has begun to shift.
September 27, 2020 7:34 am
CLAIRTON, Pa. (WPXI) — Several feet of standing water pushed against the walls of a Clairton school after a water line broke Saturday and about half a foot flooded parts of the building. Crews at the scene said there was heavy damage to the elementary and kindergarten areas of the building. The high school and gymnasium were spared by the water. Crews were called about the water issue around 5 p.m. Saturday along Waddell Avenue. School officials made the decision to cancel school for Monday after seeing the extensive damage. Pennsylvania American Water said water was shut off shortly after the break was reported. Clairton Education Center experienced some flooding due to the break. A restoration crew was called to the school and will be onsite throughout the night to clear out the water and fix any damage. An update on the situation will be provided late tomorrow morning.
September 27, 2020 7:30 am
PITTSBURGH (WPXI) — A crowd of people gathered at the statue of Christopher Columbus in Schenley Park before marching Saturday night. It’s not clear why the crowd gathered or why they were marching. The group moved through Oakland for about an hour before returning to the statue and dispersing. In recent days, the city’s Art Commission voted that the statue should be removed. The ultimate decision rests with Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, who said he has several factors to consider before choosing what happens to the art piece.
September 27, 2020 7:03 am
WASHINGTON, Pa. — Shorty’s Lunch in downtown Washington is the latest restaurant to deal with a COVID-19 issue. According to management, a member of the staff has tested positive for the illness and that employee just found out the results of the test Thursday. Management says the employee was not sick while working in the restaurant and that the worker is quarantining at home at this time. Management at Shorty’s has updated their operating hours at both Shorty’s Lunch locations. Both locations will be closed to mitigate risk. All employees are being tested and will remain quarantined until results are obtained. Shorty’s says they have taken and continue to take the proper protocols following the news of the positive test.
September 26, 2020 8:56 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump is expected to announce Saturday that he is nominating Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. If the federal judge from Indiana is confirmed, it will allow Trump to put a historic conservative stamp on the high court just weeks before the election. Trump, aiming to keep up some suspense, told reporters Friday evening that he had made a decision but did not reveal his pick. But the White House was telling GOP lawmakers that Barrett was the choice. Even before Trump unveils his pick, conservative groups and congressional allies are laying the groundwork for a swift confirmation process for Barrett.
