Agency; N. Korea Executed People & Shut Pyongyang

November 27, 2020 4:12 am

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – South Korea’s spy agency has told lawmakers that North Korea executed at least two people, banned fishing at sea and locked down its capital Pyongyang as part of frantic anti-coronavirus steps. The lawmakers cited the National Intelligence Service as saying Friday that North Korea also ordered diplomats overseas to refrain from any acts that could provoke the United States as it’s worries about President-elect Joe Biden’s possible new approach on the North. Lawmaker Ha Tae-keung cited the agency as saying North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is displaying an excessive anger and irrational measures over the pandemic and its economic impact.

Firearm Deer Season Opens Saturday

November 27, 2020 4:09 am

PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) The coronavirus led to more people picking up outdoor activities this year. The state’s Fish and Boat Commission reports there were 156,000 more anglers this year and the number of hunters is on the rise. “General hunting licenses I believe are up around 7% some of the specialty licenses. There are even a little higher than that. But a lot of people I think are taking advantage of the fact that they have more time than what they’ve had in the past,” said Patrick Snickles, southwest region information & education supervisor for the Pennsylvania Game Commission. As more people take to the woods, there are big changes statewide and locally, the first being, if you are stopped for a license and safety check — wardens will be standing back. “Don’t be offended if an officer stands an extra few feet away this year it’s just, again, it’s just social distancing is just a precaution. He will read he or she will reach out to, to ask you for your license and you can certainly hand it to them,” Snickles said. Another big statewide change impacting all is there’s one Sunday hunting day – that’s Nov. 29. So if you’re a non-hunter heading out for that Sunday hike, be alert.

3 Rescued After Boat Overturns

November 27, 2020 4:03 am

MANOR, Pa. (AP) – Three people were rescued after their boat overturned Thanksgiving morning on a river in southern Pennsylvania. The boat overturned around 5:30 a.m. Thursday on the Susquehanna River in Lancaster County, near Manor Township. Emergency responders were soon able to get the three people to land, where they were treated for minor injuries. It’s not yet known what caused the boat to overturn. The names of the three people aboard the boat were not released. State police are investigating the incident.

Inmate Dies At Allegheny County Jail

November 27, 2020 4:01 am

PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – An inmate died after he was found unresponsive in his cell in the Allegheny County Jail on Thursday. According to Warden Orlando Harper, a medical emergency was called, and the man was helped immediately by a correctional officer and medical staff. The medical staff continued life-saving efforts until paramedics arrived and took over. Harper said the man was pronounced dead at 10:43 a.m. An internal review will happen, and the incident will also be investigated by the county police. Harder said these procedures are done with all incidents at the jail.

California Winding Down ‘Hotels For Homeless’

November 26, 2020 4:38 am

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Some California counties are pushing ahead with plans to wind down a program that’s housed homeless people in hotel rooms amid the coronavirus pandemic. It comes despite an emergency cash infusion from the state aimed at preventing people from returning to the streets in colder weather as the virus surges. Counties say that as federal coronavirus funding expires, it’s time to transition residents from costly hotels to cheaper, more stable housing. Gov. Gavin Newsom recently announced $62 million for counties to move hotel guests into permanent housing or to extend hotel leases. In San Francisco, advocates are outraged by plans to start moving hundreds of people around the holidays.

Global Shares On The Rise

November 26, 2020 4:37 am

TOKYO (AP) – Global shares are mostly higher, although Wall Street had taken a pause from the market optimism underlined in a record-setting climb earlier in the week. Benchmarks in France and Germany rose in early trading, while shares fell in Britain. Japan’s Nikkei 225 finished at its highest level in nearly three decades, since the nation’s “bubble economy” collapsed. Indexes also rose in China and South Korea. U.S. markets will be closed Thursday for the Thanksgiving holiday, and open for a half day on Friday. The recent upbeat mood has been set off by news of the development of coronavirus vaccines and treatments.

California Sets Record COVID Case Numbers

November 26, 2020 4:36 am

LOS ANGELES (AP) – California has reported a record number of coronavirus cases on the eve of Thanksgiving. More than 18,000 COVID-19 infections were reported Wednesday. That surpassed a previous daily record of more than 15,000 cases announced Saturday. As officials urged people to reconsider their Thanksgiving gatherings, Los Angeles restaurants were preparing to close for three weeks and firefighters in Silicon Valley were being enlisted to help enforce public health rules to try to halt the spread of infections. Los Angeles, which has been hard hit by the virus, has been mulling a new stay-home order but has not yet issued one.

High Court Stops NY Religious Gathering Restrictions

November 26, 2020 4:35 am

WASHINGTON (AP) – As coronavirus cases surge again nationwide, the Supreme Court is barring New York from enforcing certain attendance limits at houses of worship in areas designated as hard hit by the virus. The court’s action late Wednesday won’t have any immediate impact since the two groups that sued as a result of the restrictions, the Roman Catholic Church and Orthodox Jewish synagogues, are no longer subject to them. The groups had challenged attendance limits in areas designated red and orange zones, but they are now in the less-restrictive yellow zones.

Government Appealing Barring The Expulsion Of Migrant Kids

November 26, 2020 4:34 am

HOUSTON (AP) – The U.S. government has appealed a judge’s order barring the expulsions of immigrant children who crossed the border alone, a policy enacted during the coronavirus pandemic to deny the children asylum protections. Judge Emmet Sullivan issued a preliminary injunction on Nov. 18 sought by advocates for immigrants that barred expulsions of unaccompanied children under public health laws. The Justice Department on Wednesday night also asked Sullivan to issue a stay of the injunction pending appeal, a request he previously denied.

President Trump Pardons Michael Flynn

November 26, 2020 4:32 am

WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump has pardoned former national security adviser Michael Flynn despite Flynn’s guilty plea to lying to the FBI about his Russia contacts. Trump announced the pardon on Wednesday, calling it his “Great Honor.” Flynn’s family thanked Trump “for answering our prayers and the prayers of a nation” by issuing the pardon. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the Flynn pardon “an act of grave corruption and a brazen abuse of power.” The pardon is part of a broader effort by the president to undo the results of a Russia investigation that shadowed his administration and yielded criminal charges against a half dozen associates.