June 26, 2020 4:13 am
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – The company behind Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, Dove soap and a host of other consumer products says it will stop advertising on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram in the U.S. through at least the end of the year because of the amount of hate speech online. Unilever said that the polarized atmosphere in the United States ahead of November’s presidential election placed responsibility on brands to act. The company, which is based in the Netherlands and Britain, joins a raft of other companies halting advertising on online platforms. Facebook in particular has been the target of an escalating movement to siphon away advertising.
June 26, 2020 4:12 am
CARROLLTON, Texas (AP) – A surprise birthday party that resulted in 18 people testing positive for the coronavirus has left a North Texas man horrified as his father continues to fight for his life in the hospital. Ron Barbosa, who refused to attend the May 30 party for his daughter-in-law due to safety concerns amid the COVID-19 pandemic, says those hospitalized included his parents, both in their 80’s, and his sister, who is also battling breast cancer.áBarbosa says his nephew, unknowingly infected with the virus, hosted the gathering of 25 people. He says seven of the relatives in attendance subsequently contracted and spread the virus to 10 other family members, including two young children.
June 26, 2020 4:09 am
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – A federal appeals court has ruled against the Trump administration in its transfer of military money to build sections of the U.S. border wall with Mexico. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday that diverting $2.5 from military construction projects to build the wall illegally sidesteps Congress, which gets to decide how to use the funds. The ruling is the latest twist in a legal battle that has largely gone Trump’s way. Last year, the Supreme Court allowed the $2.5 billion to be spent while the litigation continued, blunting the impact of the latest appeals court action.
June 26, 2020 4:05 am
The return to the classroom in the fall will not be an easy task for schools all over the country due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Washington school district superintendent, James Konrad said that the district will follow government guidelines, all based on the Green-Yellow-Red format. Green will be a normal setting, yellow will be a 50/50 hybrid with students splitting time in the classroom, and red will be an all-online system. Konrad explained that everyone needs to be realistic and understand that it is a work in progress as more data is gathered. There will be town hall meetings in July and August for parents and students wanting more information.
June 26, 2020 4:04 am
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (WPXI) – A comment made on social media has a Trafford Borough council member under fire. Councilman Zack Cole wished Pa. Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine a happy Father’s Day on Facebook Sunday, which sparked backlash. Levine is a transgender woman. The comment made by Cole was posted on Gov. Tom Wolf’s Facebook page. He claimed it was just a joke, but that post prompted swift and angry responses. And now many are speaking out. “It’s just hateful. It’s disguised as a joke, but it’s not funny,” said Cora Brna, a transgender advocate. “When you back through history and look at all these acts of violence towards any group, it all starts with words. The rhetoric that words are just words isn’t really entirely true.” A spokesperson for the state health department issued a statement regarding the comment: “Dr. Levine serves the governor and remains laser-focused on protecting the health and well-being of Pennsylvanians as we navigate this ongoing pandemic.” Cole told Channel 11 he didn’t want to comment, but he did post a statement on his Facebook page, saying it wasn’t an apology but that his comment was in bad taste — especially with the position he holds. In that post, Cole said he is angry with how Wolf and Levine have handled the COVID-19 pandemic and won’t adhere to a “politically correct” society.
June 26, 2020 2:54 am
(WPXI) – The City of Pittsburgh has formed a task force to address the issue of a spike in the use of illegal fireworks. City officials say Pittsburgh has seen a nearly 400 percent increase in firework complaint calls. Pittsburgh police say they received 137 fireworks complaint calls from June 1st through June 21st. They received a total of 28 calls in the city during the same time last year. Firework shows across the area have been canceled because of COVID-19, so people have started putting on their own. Other cities across the country have seen a spike as well.
June 25, 2020 5:49 pm
Traffic on Interstate 79 North near the Houston Exit was snarled for a couple of hours Thursday afternoon after a three vehicle accident. State Police had little information except to say that a tractor trailer was involved and was in the median, possibly leaking fuel. The right lane of the interstate was closed for several hours while crews worked to clean up the wreckage and traffic was backed up for miles.
June 25, 2020 4:59 pm
(AP) – Chuck E. Cheese is filing for bankruptcy protection. The 43-year-old chain, which drew kids with pizza, video games and a singing mouse mascot, was struggling even before the coronavirus pandemic. But it said the prolonged closure of many venues due to virus restrictions led to Thursday’s Chapter 11 filing. Irving, Texas-based CEC Entertainment Inc. has reopened 266 company-operated Chuck E. Cheese and Peter Piper Pizza restaurants, but it’s unclear how willing parents will be to host birthday parties and other gatherings. The company says it will continue to reopen locations and offer carryout while it negotiates with debt and lease holders.
June 25, 2020 9:48 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – After months of steady progress, new confirmed cases of COVID-19 climbed to near record levels in the U.S. this week. Experts blame a nation that’s become complacent, and a new poll finds evidence to back them up. The poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds support for measures to slow the virus’ spread has declined from the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, even though many Americans never fully embraced the reopening effort now underway in many states. Half of Americans now favor stay-at-home orders, down from about 6 in 10 one month ago and 8 in 10 in April. (Graph: CNN)
June 25, 2020 4:06 am
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) – Disney is postponing the mid-July reopening of its Southern California theme parks until it receives guidelines from the state. The company announced Wednesday an indefinite postponement for Disneyland and Disney California Adventure in Anaheim. Disney hoped to reopen them on July 17 after a four-month closure due to the coronavirus. But Disney needs state approval and says California won’t be issuing guidelines until after July 4. Disney also says it’s still negotiating agreements with employee unions, some of which have raised safety concerns about the reopenings. The company indicates it still plans to reopen Florida’s Disney World on July 11.
