July 4, 2020 3:58 am
MOUNT RUSHMORE NATIONAL MEMORIAL, S.D. (AP) – President Donald Trump has delivered a fiery speech at Mount Rushmore, charging that protesters have waged “a merciless campaign to wipe out our history” amid demonstrations against racial injustice and police brutality. The president dug further into American divisions on Friday, offering a discordant tone to an electorate battered by a pandemic and wounded by racial injustice following the high-profile killings of Black people. He zeroed in on the desecration by some protesters of monuments and statues across the country that honor those who have benefited from slavery, including some past presidents. Trump said, “This movement is openly attacking the legacies of every person on Mount Rushmore.”
July 4, 2020 3:56 am
MOUNT RUSHMORE NATIONAL MEMORIAL, S.D. (AP) – President Donald Trump says he will establish a “National Garden of American Heroes,” which he is describing as “a vast outdoor park that will feature the statues of the greatest Americans who ever lived.” Trump made the announcement as he opened the Fourth of July weekend with a speech and fireworks at the iconic Mount Rushmore. The executive order released Friday by the White House says the garden will feature statues of several presidents as well as other historic notables, including Davy Crockett, Amelia Earhart, Billy Graham, Harriet Tubman and Orville and Wilbur Wright.
July 4, 2020 3:54 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – While public health officials are urging Americans to hold more muted Independence Day celebrations amid a spike of coronavirus cases, President Donald Trump is going big for what he is promising will be a “special evening” in the nation’s capital. Trump is set hold his “Salute for America” celebration Saturday with a speech from the White House South Lawn that he says will celebrate American heritage, a military flyover over Washington, and an enormous fireworks display that is expected to draw thousands to the National Mall. Trump is taking part in the big gatherings even as many communities have decided to scrap fireworks, parades and other holiday traditions to try to stem further spread of the virus.
July 4, 2020 3:52 am
UNDATED (AP) – The U.S. is heading into the Fourth of July weekend with many parades and fireworks displays canceled, beaches and bars closed, and health authorities warning that this will be a crucial test of Americans’ self-control. They say this could determine the trajectory of the surging coronavirus outbreak. With confirmed cases climbing in 40 states, governors have ordered the wearing of masks in public, and families are being urged to celebrate their independence at home. Even then, they are being told to keep their backyard cookouts small.
July 4, 2020 3:49 am
BEIRUT (AP) – Syrian families are hoping that newly imposed U.S. sanctions will force Damascus to reveal news about their loved ones who disappeared into government prisons during the country’s civil war. Activist groups say more than 12,000 Syrians are missing after being detained, and that thousands more are known to have been tortured to death. Anguished families are searching through leaked photos of torture victims, and in some cases are finding their slain loved ones, tragic evidence of their fate years after they disappeared.
July 4, 2020 3:42 am
Officials from The Meadows Casino Racetrack Hotel announced that they are suspending onsite race wagering effective at 11:59PM on July 3. Vice President and General Manager of The Meadows, Tony Frabbiele says that “It is out of an abundance of caution that we are suspending onsite race wagering and prohibiting spectators at Live Races.” Racing will continue as scheduled at 12:45 PM on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday. Casinos remain open 8 AM to 4AM Sundays through Thursdays and 8 AM to 5 AM Fridays and Saturdays. Casinos will close each night to disinfect and sanitize the property.
July 4, 2020 3:41 am
The Washington County Tourism Promotion Agency announced Friday that the Washington County Greene County Covered Bridge Festival scheduled for September 19-20, 2020 has been cancelled. The Covid-19 emergency is the cause for the cancellation of the traditional arts and crafts festival that has 8 locations and supports over 400 vendors. Jeff Kotula, President of the WCTPA said the decision to cancel the event was to ensure public safety during the Covid-19 situation. Kotula says the event attracts 20,000 people and Department of Health limits to gatherings of no more than 250 people make the event impossible to hold. The cancellation of the Covered Bridge Festival follows several other cancellations in the county, they include the Whiskey Rebellion Festival, PONY Baseball World Series, The Washington County Agricultural Fair and West Alexander Fair.
July 4, 2020 3:40 am
HEMPFIELD, Pa. (AP) – A man who says he fatally beat his 92-year-old father in their home because he believed his father was a vampire has been sentenced to 10 to 30 years in prison. Douglas Novak pleaded guilty but mentally ill last November to murder, arson, reckless endangerment and risking a catastrophe charges. Authorities have said he fatally beat Frank Novak with the wooden arm of a dining room chair. Novak’s lawyer said Thursday that his client was off his medication when he attacked his father. But prosecutors say Novak told police he beat his father because the older man was hiding his phone.
July 4, 2020 3:37 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Gov. Tom Wolf’s more expansive mask order issued this week as the coronavirus shows new signs of life in Pennsylvania is being met with hostility from Republicans. They are objecting to the Democrat’s use of power, to wearing a mask itself and to what they call confusion it’s causing. It is one of many partisan fights over the coronavirus in a premier presidential battleground state where Democrats blame President Donald Trump for the virus’ devastation and Republicans blame Wolf. Pennsylvania’s state House Republican leaders called Wolf’s expanded mask order “another unenforceable, unilateral mask order.” Five House Republicans are questioning the science behind using a mask to contain the virus.
July 4, 2020 3:33 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – The rising number of COVID-19 infections in the Pittsburgh area is helping drive Pennsylvania’s number of confirmed new cases to 667. The state Health Department said Friday the Pennsylvania death toll from the coronavirus pandemic rose by 34 to more than 6,700 so far. The number of cases in Allegheny County, which encompasses Pittsburgh, rose by 166, prompting the county to close bars and restaurants for a week, starting Friday. Meanwhile, Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration is recommending that people stay at home for 14 days if they are returning from Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas or Utah.
