May 17, 2021 1:58 pm
DALLAS (AP) – Residents of a southwest Dallas neighborhood say an 18-year-old arrested after a 4-year-old boy was found dead in the street was known to walk in the area. Neighbor Jose Ramirez tells WFAA television station that he didn’t think the man arrested “was in his right mind.” The child, who police have not yet named, was found slain at about 6:50 a.m. Saturday morning. Police have said they believe the child lived in the neighborhood where he was found. Darriynn Brown was arrested and was being held in Dallas County jail on Monday on charges of kidnapping and burglary.
May 17, 2021 1:11 pm
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (AP) – Andrea Meza of Mexico has been crowned Miss Universe. Meza, who has a software engineering degree, beat out out Miss Brazil at the end of the night, screaming Sunday when the announcer shouted “Viva Mexico!” Previous winner Zozibini Tunzi fit the crown on Meza’s head and waited to make sure it would stay in place as Meza beamed and took her first walk to the front of the stage. Tunzi, a public relations professional who became the first Black woman from South Africa to win the contest, had held the title since December 2019. The 69th pageant was held at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
May 17, 2021 12:34 pm
The maximum occupancy limits of events and gatherings in Pennsylvania increased to 50% indoors and 75% outdoors on Monday. According to a news release from Gov. Tom Wolf’s office, the update does not prevent municipalities, school districts, restaurants and venues from putting their own, stricter COVID-19 mitigation efforts in place. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance still recommends social distancing for schools, restaurants, venues and other facilities. The move comes after Wolf announced that COVID-19 mitigation orders would be lifted, with the exception of wearing a mask, by Memorial Day. A mask must still be worn indoors if you are away from home. The current order will be lifted once 70% of Pennsylvanians 18 and older are fully vaccinated, Wolf’s office said. Prior to Monday, maximum occupancy was 25% for indoor events and gatherings and 50% for outdoor events and gatherings, regardless of venue size and only if attendees and workers were able to comply with the 6-foot physical distancing requirement.
May 17, 2021 10:15 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Treasury Department says 39 million families are set to receive monthly child payments beginning on July 15. The payments are part of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package. The law expanded the child tax credit for one year and made it possible to pre-pay the benefits on a monthly basis. Nearly 88% of children are set to receive the benefits without their parents needing to take any additional action. Qualified families will receive a payment of up to $300 per month for each child under 6 and up to $250 per month for children between the ages of 6 and 17. The child tax credit was previously capped at $2,000.
May 17, 2021 7:25 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Republican Lou Barletta tells The Associated Press that he will run for governor of Pennsylvania. The 65-year-old Barletta becomes the first prominent figure to enter the 2022 governor’s race. Barletta is a former Hazleton mayor and four-term member of Congress, and ran statewide in a 2018 loss to Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey. Barletta said he would focus on boosting the state’s economy, but also aiming to overhaul Pennsylvania’s election law and fight illegal immigration. Barletta has another strength in a Republican primary: a relationship with former President Donald Trump. Barletta served as Trump’s campaign co-chairman in Pennsylvania in 2016 before becoming one of Trump’s biggest allies on Capitol Hill.
May 17, 2021 4:20 am
HOUSTON (AP) – A tiger that frightened residents after it was last seen briefly wandering around a Houston neighborhood was transported to a wildlife sanctuary on Sunday after police found the animal a day earlier following a nearly week-long search. Noelle Almrud, senior director of the Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch says the 9-month-old male named India is now being cared for at the animal sanctuary in Murchison, Texas, located southeast of Dallas. Authorities had been looking for the tiger since it was spotted May 9 in a west Houston neighborhood and was nearly shot by an off-duty deputy before being whisked away in a car by Victor Hugo Cuevas, who police allege is the owner. Cuevas’ attorney says his client doesn’t own the tiger.
May 17, 2021 4:17 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – A smoky wildfire churning through a Los Angeles canyon community gained strength Sunday as about a thousand residents remained under evacuation orders while others were warned they should get ready to leave. There was zero containment. No structures have been damaged and no injuries have been reported in the wildfire that broke out late Friday in the Santa Monica Mountains. Vegetation in the area is very dry and hasn’t burned in more than 50 years. The cause of the fire near Topanga State Park has been deemed “suspicious” and is under investigation. Two suspects were detained for questioning.
May 17, 2021 4:15 am
SIBLEY, Iowa (AP) – A fiery train derailment in northwest Iowa has sent thick black smoke billowing into the air, prompting authorities to evacuate part of a small, nearby town. The derailment happened around 2 p.m. Sunday on the southwest edge of Sibley, which is a town of about 3,000 people roughly 200 miles northwest of Des Moines. Images of the derailment posted online show dozens of train cars piled up along the tracks with flames and a large plume of smoke. Union Pacific said 47 cars derailed. Local media reports say authorities evacuated an area within 5 miles of the derailment. Sibley Fire Chief Ken Huls told KIWA radio the train was hauling fertilizer and ammonium nitrate. No injuries were reported immediately.
May 17, 2021 4:14 am
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A former suburban Minneapolis police officer charged with second-degree manslaughter in Daunte Wright’s death is scheduled to appear in court via videoconference. Former Brooklyn Center Officer Kim Potter has an omnibus hearing, also known as a pretrial hearing, Monday afternoon in Hennepin County. The hearing is to go over evidence and determine if there is probable cause for a case to proceed. Wright was a 20-year-old Black motorist who was killed April 11 after a traffic stop. The former Brooklyn Center police chief has said he believes Potter meant to use her Taser on Wright but fired her handgun instead.
May 17, 2021 4:11 am
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) – Israeli warplanes have staged another series of heavy airstrikes in Gaza City hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaled the fourth war with Gaza’s Hamas rulers would rage on. The attack was heavier, on a wider area and lasted longer than a series of air raids 24 hours earlier in which 42 Palestinians were killed. The strike early Sunday was the deadliest single attack in the latest round of violence between Israel and the Hamas militant group that rules Gaza. The Israeli military said it attacked the homes of nine Hamas commanders. There have been no immediate reports of injuries from Monday’s attacks, and in the predawn darkness there is little information on the extent of damage inflicted.
