June 18, 2021 4:15 am
(AP) – U.S. Catholic bishops have overwhelmingly approved the drafting of a “teaching document” that many of them hope will rebuke Catholic politicians, including President Joe Biden, for receiving Communion despite their support for abortion rights. The 168-55 vote was announced near the end of a three-day meeting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops that was held virtually. The bishops had cast their votes the previous day. Supporters say a strong rebuke of Biden is needed because of his recent actions protecting and expanding abortion access. Opponents warn that such action would portray the bishops as a partisan force during a time of bitter political divisions. (Photo: AP)
June 18, 2021 4:14 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden has signed legislation Thursday establishing a new federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery, saying he believes it will go down as one of the greatest honors he has as president. Biden signed into law a bill to make Juneteenth, or June 19, the 12th federal holiday. The U.S. government announced Thursday that most federal government employees will observe the new holiday Friday because June 19 falls on Saturday this year. Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas – two months after the Confederacy had surrendered.
June 18, 2021 4:12 am
MIAMI (AP) – A tropical storm warning has been issued for parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama as a potential tropical cyclone advanced toward the northern Gulf Coast. The warning extends from Intracoastal City, Louisiana, to the Alabama-Florida border. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center say heavy rainfall and flooding will likely be the most significant hazard, with the storm reaching the coast beginning on Friday. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards late Thursday issued a state of emergency due to the potential weather threats. As of Thursday night, the storm was located about 435 miles south of Morgan City, Louisiana, with maximum sustained winds of 30 mph.
June 18, 2021 4:11 am
Nevada is distributing $5 million in cash prizes to residents who have been vaccinated as part of an effort to encourage more people to get shots. Gov. Steve Sisolak said Thursday that the new “Vax Nevada Days” initiative provided skeptics one more reason to get vaccinated. His announcement adds Nevada to a growing list of states offering incentives to revive flatlining vaccination efforts and maintain demand. More than half the state’s residents 12 and older have received at least one dose of vaccine and 42.7% – or more than 1.1 million – statewide have completed their inoculations.
June 18, 2021 4:09 am
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) – The U.S. Virgin Islands’ power company is reporting a complete blackout in St. John and St. Thomas, which is the U.S. territory’s most populated island. Officials said Friday that the outage occurred when a key power plant lost all generation capacity late Thursday for unknown reasons. The Virgin Islands Water & Power Authority said it did not know when power would be restored. More than 51,600 people live in St. Thomas and more than 4,000 people live in St. John.
June 18, 2021 4:08 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Republican lawmakers in Pennsylvania are working to assemble a budget plan that would use billions in federal aid and surplus cash to help prop up existing programs, boost aid to public schools and inject cash into sectors hard-hit by the pandemic. Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Pat Browne said the state will still have a deficit in three years even if it uses all of the $7.3 billion in federal aid and $3 billion in surplus state dollars to maintain current programs. While Republicans are considering which hard-hit sectors to help, Democratic lawmakers have rolled out expansive plans. Gov. Tom Wolf’s top priority is to boost aid to schools.
June 18, 2021 4:07 am
Pennsylvania’s Democratic governor and the leading House Republican on the topic are trading barbs about what should be included in legislation to alter how the state registers voters and runs elections. A visitor to Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s news conference on to topic in the Philadelphia suburbs Thursday was House State Government Committee Chairman Seth Grove. The York County Republican tweeted out a defense of the 149-page revamp of election law that he rolled out more than a week ago, as Wolf and his fellow Democrats denounced the proposal. With lawmakers’ summer recess looming, it’s far from clear if a deal can be reached that will affect the state’s next voting, on Nov. 2.
June 18, 2021 3:05 am
A North Charleroi man whose home was raided in May and found to have a large amount of child pornography on several devices waived his charges to court. John L. Eckert III, 60 appeared before District Justice Eric Porter on Thursday. Eckert’s attorney and the attorney general agreed to waive 35 felony charges of possession of child pornography and 5 felony charges of criminal use of a communications device to court. Defense attorney David Shrager stated that they “will address the case aggressively” once the case reaches common pleas court. Eckert’s home was raided on May 7 by Department of Homeland Security agents and the Charleroi Regional Police. According to charging documents Eckert downloaded multiple images of child pornography via a peer to peer sharing network. When asked if he downloaded the images Eckert was allegedly to have said “unfortunately yes” and then requested an attorney. Eckert is free on $250,000 bond.
June 17, 2021 2:08 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court has dismissed a challenge to the Obama era health care law, preserving insurance coverage for millions of Americans. The justices left the entire law intact Thursday in ruling that Texas, other Republican-led states and two individuals had no right to bring their lawsuit in federal court. The law’s major provisions include protections for people with pre-existing health conditions, a range of no-cost preventive services and the expansion of the Medicaid program that insures lower-income people, including those who work in jobs that don’t pay much or provide health insurance. Also left in place is the law’s now-toothless requirement that people have health insurance or pay a penalty.
June 17, 2021 8:54 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week for the first time since April despite widespread evidence that the economy and the job market are rebounding steadily from the pandemic recession. Jobless claims rose 37,000 from the week before. As the job market has strengthened, the number of weekly applications for unemployment aid has fallen for most of the year. The weekly number of jobless claims generally reflects the pace of layoffs. With vaccinations up and more consumers venturing out to spend – on restaurant meals, airline fares, movie tickets and store purchases – the economy is rapidly recovering from the recession.
