September 6, 2020 8:15 am
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — New York’s attorney general on Saturday moved to form a grand jury to investigate the death of Daniel Prude, a Black man who died earlier this year after Rochester police placed a hood over his head and held him down. Prude’s death after his brother called for help for his erratic behavior in March has roiled New York’s third-largest city since video of the encounter was made public earlier this week, with protesters demanding more accountability for how it happened and legislation to change how authorities respond to mental health emergencies.
September 6, 2020 8:13 am
LONDON (AP) — A man was killed and seven people injured in late-night stabbings in a busy nightlife area of the central England city of Birmingham, police said Sunday. Police said they were searching for a lone suspect in what appeared to be random attacks. Chief Superintendent Steve Graham of West Midlands Police said detectives were still investigating the motive but “there is absolutely no suggestion at all that this is terror-related.” West Midlands Police said officers were called to reports of a stabbing shortly after midnight on Sunday. That was soon followed by reports of other stabbings across the city center over a period of about two hours.
September 6, 2020 8:11 am
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis said Sunday that gossiping is a “plague worse than COVID” that is seeking to divide the Catholic Church. Francis strayed from his prepared text to double down on his frequent complaint about gossiping within church communities and even within the Vatican bureaucracy. Francis didn’t give specifics during his weekly blessing, but went on at some length to say the devil is the “biggest gossiper” who is seeking to divide the church with his lies. Francis’ comments came as he elaborated on a Gospel passage about the need to correct others privately when they do something wrong. The Catholic hierarchy has long relied on this “fraternal correction” among priests and bishops to correct them when they err without airing problems in public.
September 6, 2020 8:08 am
TOKYO (AP) — The second powerful typhoon to slam Japan in a week unleashed fierce winds and rain on southern islands on Sunday, blowing off rooftops and leaving homes without power as it edged northward into an area vulnerable to flooding and mudslides. Weather officials warned that the rainfall from what could be a record storm would be fierce. Warnings were issued days in advance for people to be ready to take shelter and stock up on food and water. Several rivers on the main southwestern island of Kyushu were at risk of overflowing, officials said. Public broadcaster NHK TV said evacuation warnings were issued for more than 50,000 people in Okinawa and Kyushu, including Kagoshima and and Nagasaki prefectures.
September 6, 2020 8:07 am
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Hundreds of people gathered for rallies and marches against police violence and racial injustice Saturday night in Portland, Oregon, as often violent nightly demonstrations that have happened for 100 days since George Floyd was killed showed no signs of ceasing. Molotov cocktails thrown in the street during a march sparked a large fire and prompted police to declare a riot. Video posted online appeared to show tear gas being deployed to clear protesters from what police said was an unpermitted demonstration. Arrests were made, but it wasn’t immediately clear how many. At least one community member was injured, police said. A person’s shoes caught fire after flames broke out in the street, video showed. People were “engaging in tumultuous and violent conduct thereby intentionally or recklessly creating a grave risk of causing public alarm,” the department tweeted. “Fire bombs were thrown at officers.”
September 6, 2020 8:05 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — In the shadow of Pennsylvania’s status as a battleground state in the presidential election, Democrats will fight to defend their gains in Congress two years ago and, possibly, add another seat or two as the state’s suburbs continue to turn against President Donald Trump. Meanwhile, Republicans are trying to defend their survivors in more evenly divided districts, while hoping to knock off some of the Democrats’ freshmen and one veteran congressman who keeps winning a district where Trump is popular. Elections in 2018 were fruitful for Democrats: Aided by redrawn districts and anti-Trump fervor, they picked up four seats in Pennsylvania, evening the state’s partisan balance in the U.S. House and helping the party recapture the House majority overall. There may be room for more districts to flip. Two incumbent Republicans won by fewer than 3 percentage points in 2018, while Democrats represent two districts that Trump won in 2016.
September 6, 2020 7:58 am
WASHINGTON, Pa. — Another notable local event will not be taking place this year due to COVID-19. Organizers for the annual Washington County Senior Expo at the Washington Crown Center announced Saturday that this year’s will not take place out of an abundance of caution to ensure the safety of those involved. Organizers say due to the nature and setting of this event, it has been determined that if held, it would not be possible to ensure compliance with the guidelines and protocols established by the Centers for Disease Control and the Pennsylvania Departments of Health and Aging for social gatherings. The event was supposed to be held Thursday, September 17th. The committee plans on hosting the event in 2021.
September 6, 2020 7:50 am
PETERS TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Peters Lake Park was closed for a time Saturday after a kayak was found floating unattended in the middle of the water. According to the Peters Township Fire Department, they were called around 7 a.m. by the police department after a blue kayak was found partially submerged in the water with personal belongings inside. The park was closed down to allow crews to search the area. The search involved people on foot, in vehicles, in two boats on the water and a drone was used to fly over the area. Peters Township Fire Chief Mike Mclaughlin said there was “no significant findings.” Mclaughlin said they did not dive under the water and that there was no evidence of anyone in the lake. If you have any information, you’re asked to call 911.
September 5, 2020 4:21 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump has directed the Office of Management and Budget to crack down on federal agencies’ anti-racism training sessions, calling them “divisive, anti-American propaganda.” OMB director Russell Vought, in a letter to executive branch agencies, has directed them to identify spending related to any training on “critical race theory,” “white privilege” or any other material that teaches or suggests that the United States or any race or ethnicity is “inherently racist or evil.” The memo comes as the nation has faced a reckoning this summer over racial injustice in policing and other spheres of American life.
September 5, 2020 4:19 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The tensions in the United States over racism and policing are likely targets for efforts to interfere in the 2016 election. That’s according to lawmakers and experts, who say there are signs that Russia is seeking to exploit the divide. Facebook, Instagram and Twitter have pulled down dozens of fake accounts with names like “Blacks Facts Untold” that were created by an organization with links to Russia’s Internet Research Agency. It’s a pattern that was seen in 2016, when the Internet Research Agency overwhelmingly focused on race and the Black Lives Matter Movement when targeting American social media.
