June 24, 2020 4:17 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The government’s top infectious disease expert says the next few weeks are critical to tamping down a disturbing coronavirus surge in the U.S. Dr. Anthony Fauci issued a plea Tuesday for people to avoid crowds and wear masks, just hours before mask-shunning President Donald Trump was set to hold a campaign rally in one hot spot, in Arizona. Despite controversy over Trump’s comments that testing is finding too many infections, Fauci told a congressional committee that testing hasn’t slowed – and the country will be doing even more.
June 24, 2020 4:16 am
The noose found hanging in Bubba Wallace’s garage stall at Talladega Superspeedway had been there since at least last October. Federal authorities say no charges are planned. Wallace is the only Black driver at NASCAR’s top level. He successfully pushed the stock car series to ban the Confederate flag at its venues less than two weeks ago. The noose was reported to NASCAR on Sunday but an FBI investigation determined it had been there since at least last fall. An employee of The Wood Brothers Racing also told authorities he saw the noose there in October.
June 24, 2020 4:15 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Two national parks in California are removing all mention of Robert E. Lee from informational material even though several majestic sequoias are named for the Confederate general. The San Francisco Chronicle and Visalia Times Delta say Sequoia and Kings Canyon parks are removing references to Lee from exhibits and printed and online materials. The parks’ decision comes as protesters and cities have torn down or removed statues to those linked to slavery. However, the world’s 11th-largest giant sequoia is still named for Lee. It requires approval from Congress or the director of the National Park Service to change a tree’s name.
June 24, 2020 4:13 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – A federal prosecutor says an ally of President Donald Trump was given special treatment by the Justice Department. The prosecutor is prepared to tell Congress Wednesday that political considerations affected the handling of the Roger Stone case. Career Justice Department prosecutor Aaron Zelinsky says he was told that a U.S. attorney was giving Stone favorable treatment because he was “afraid of the President.” Zelinsky’s accusations were made public in testimony released before the hearing by the House Judiciary Committee. Stone was convicted on seven counts, including charges of lying to Congress, and sentenced to more than three years in prison.
June 24, 2020 4:12 am
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – The Louisville Metro police department has fired one of the police officers involved in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor. A termination letter sent to Officer Brett Hankison released by the city’s police department Tuesday said Hankison violated procedures by showing “extreme indifference to the value of human life.” The letter also said Hankison, who is white, violated the rule against using deadly force. Taylor, who was Black, was shot eight times by officers who burst into her Louisville home using a no-knock warrant during a March 13 narcotics investigation. Two other officers remain on administrative reassignment while the shooting is investigated.
June 24, 2020 4:12 am
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) – Voters have rebuffed President Donald Trump and nominated two Republicans he opposed to House seats from North Carolina and Kentucky. Calls in higher-profile races in Kentucky and New York faced days of delay as swamped officials count mountains of mail-in ballots. One of the day’s top races involves former Marine combat pilot Amy McGrath’s fight for the Democratic nomination to challenge Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell this November. The other involves House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel of New York. The Democrat is seeking a 17th House term. McGrath and Engel are facing progressive African American challengers.
June 24, 2020 4:09 am
City of Washington police are investigating a shooting early Wednesday morning at Lincoln Terrace. They have identified the victim as Trey Willis of Washington. Police say he was shot twice in the lower extremities and was initially taken to Washington Hospital by a private vehicle and then later flown to a Pittsburgh Hospital. Authorities say his injuries are not life-threatening. According to police, the shooting happened just after one o’clock in the 200 block. Washington City Police Detective Jack Hancock tells WJPA News that a third shot traveled through one of the units in the complex, narrowly missing an eight-year-old child who was sleeping inside. Hancock says they do not have any suspects at this time, but residents of Lincoln Terrace are helping them with the investigation. Willis was one of the organizers of a protest that took place last year during the Canonsburg Fourth of July Parade. (Photo: Trey Willis’ Facebook Page)
June 24, 2020 4:01 am
North Strabane Township Supervisors took measures to return the township back to its normal operation. This month they returned to their normal meeting schedule. Supervisors passed a measure to end the township’s declaration of emergency that it invoked due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. The declaration will end on Friday. Supervisors also approved the return of the final 14 township employees furloughed because of the pandemic. Everyone will return by the end of June. An ordinance to fine residents that abuse the 9-1-1 emergency call system was also enacted. Township emergency responders have been called out numerous times over the last year not for emergency calls but to help residents find lost belongings or open difficult windows. Finally, supervisors also agreed to continue with a modified Community Day Celebration. Instead of what residents normally experience with Community Day, they will be invited to attend a Food Trucks and Fireworks celebration. Residents will register for tickets for a car load of people. Attendance will be limited, and all CDC and Department of Health regulations will be observed. The event will take place on August 1.
June 23, 2020 5:41 pm
NEW YORK (AP) – ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel has apologized for using blackface for his impersonation of NBA star Karl Malone and other Black celebrities. The late-night star’s Malone impersonation had been criticized by Fox News’ Sean Hannity and others, and Kimmel said that response had made him reluctant to address it. He said in a statement Tuesday that the delay was a mistake. In another example of the cultural reckoning triggered by the Black Lives Matter movement, ’30 Rock’ creator and star Tina Fey has asked that four episodes of the comedy be pulled from circulation because they featured performers in blackface.
June 23, 2020 4:09 am
SAN LUIS, Arizona (AP) – President Donald Trump visited the U.S.-Mexico border Tuesday and tried to credit his new wall with stopping both illegal immigration and the coronavirus. But his visit played out as top public health officials in Washington were testifying about the ongoing threat posed by COVID-19, singling out Arizona as one of the states now experiencing a surge in cases. In the blazing summer heat, Trump along with top administration, Border Patrol and Arizona officials briefly stopped to inspect a new section of the concrete and rebar structure. The president and other officials took a moment during the brief visit to scrawl their signatures on the wall.
