September 2, 2020 4:14 am
MEXICO CITY (AP) – A strengthening Tropical Storm Nana is roaring toward Central America and is expected to become hurricane before making landfall on the coast of Belize after brushing past Honduras. The National Hurricane Center said the entire coast of Belize had been placed under a hurricane watch and warned that people in Honduras, Guatemala and Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula should closely monitor the storm’s progress. It said Nana is expected to pass near but north of the coast of Honduras on Wednesday and likely reach Belize early Thursday, it said.
September 2, 2020 4:13 am
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) – A Minnesota man who attended the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota last month has died from COVID-19. Doug Schultz, a spokesman for the Minnesota Department of Health. says the man who died was in his 60s and had underlying health problems. The death is the first reported from the biker rally that drew hundreds of thousands of people. Cases among people who attended the rally have been reported in 11 other states. The rally went forward despite fears it could become a super-spread event. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem welcomed the bikers and the tourist dollars they spend.
September 2, 2020 4:12 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Both President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden will commemorate the 19th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks in rural Pennsylvania where one of the hijacked planes crashed in a field. The White House and Biden’s campaign are confirming the appearances. It’s not immediately clear whether their visits to the memorial in Shanksville will overlap. But it probably will be the closest that the candidates have been to one another in months. The National Park Service is planning an abbreviated ceremony this year to minimize the spread of the coronavirus, and no keynote speaker or musical guests are expected.
September 2, 2020 4:09 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – A new book about President Donald Trump is reviving questions about his unscheduled visit to a military hospital last fall. The book by New York Times reporter Michael Schmidt says “word went out” at the White House for Vice President Mike Pence to stand by to temporarily assume presidential powers if Trump needed a medical procedure that would require him to be put under anesthesia. The White House has said the visit was part of Trump’s annual physical and that he was getting a head start because he’d be busy this year campaigning. Dr. Sean Conley, Trump’s White House doctor, said Tuesday Trump remains healthy and able to perform the duties of his office.
September 2, 2020 4:05 am
Matthew Vasquez, 32 of Monessen and 3 other co-conspirators faced plea hearings in front of Judge Valerie Costanzo on Tuesday. Vasquez is accused of 4 misdemeanor counts of defrauding secured creditors and criminal conspiracy to defraud secured creditors. Recorded phone conversations, video chats and texts provided by Washington County Detective Kiprian Yarosh revealed a plot for Vasquez to conceal 2 Harley Davidson motorcycles on which he had stopped making payments. Co-conspirators Michael Showalter and David Wadsworth pled guilty to two counts of conspiracy to defraud secured creditors and both men received 2 years probation. Karen Wadsworth received 1 year probation for her guilty plea to receiving stolen property. Vasquez, for his part in the conspiracy, had his case continued as his new court appointed attorney had yet to receive any information about the case. Costanzo continued the hearing until November 4 at 11:00 AM.
September 1, 2020 1:29 pm
(AP) – A third leading candidate COVID-19 vaccine has entered a final stage of human testing in the United States. AstraZeneca announced Monday its potential COVID-19 vaccine has entered final trials in the U.S. to test the effectiveness and safety of the product. The Cambridge, England-based company said the trial will involve up to 30,000 adults from various racial, ethnic and geographic groups. The potential vaccine was invented by the University of Oxford and an associated company, Vaccitech. Meanwhile, a U.S. advisory panel is suggesting a way to ration the first limited doses once a vaccine does prove safe and effective.
September 1, 2020 4:18 am
ATLANTA (AP) – A federal judge has ordered Georgia to extend its deadline for accepting mail-in ballots for November’s general election from the close of polls on Election Day until three days later. Georgia law says absentee ballots must be received by the close of polls on Election Day. U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross on Monday ordered that deadline extended until 7 p.m. three business days later, as long as they are postmarked by Election Day. The secretary of state’s office says it plans to immediately appeal the ruling
September 1, 2020 4:17 am
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – The fight over mail balloting in Texas has expanded to Houston, where the state is suing over a plan to send mail balloting applications to more than 2 million registered voters. Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced the lawsuit Monday. Texas is one of the few states not allowing more people to vote by mail in November over pandemic fears. Texas generally restricts mail-in voting to people who are 65 or older, disabled or will be outside the county on Election Day. Harris County officials say it’s up to each voter who gets an application to decide whether or not they’re eligible.
September 1, 2020 4:14 am
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) – The Trump administration has weakened an Obama-era rule aimed at reducing coal plant pollution that contaminates streams, lakes and underground aquifers. The changes finalized Monday will allow utilities to use cheaper wastewater cleanup technologies and take longer to comply with pollution reduction guidelines adopted in 2015. It’s the latest in a string of regulatory rollbacks for the coal power industry under Trump. The Environmental Protection Agency says it will save companies $140 million annually. But environmentalists say the move will harm public health and result in hundreds of thousands of pounds of pollutants annually contaminating water bodies.
September 1, 2020 4:13 am
KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) – A few hundred supporters and detractors of President Donald Trump gathered at a city center intersection in Kenosha, engaging each other in shouting matches at times, but there were no reports of violence. Some Kenosha residents had feared Trump’s visit would prompt violence. The city saw some unrest after the Aug. 23 police shooting of Jacob Blake. Blake was shot seven times in the back. His family says the 29-year-old Black man is paralyzed. Tensions temporarily rose Tuesday as Trump’s motorcade rolled by, with his supporters clapping and others booing and cursing. But crowd sizes were modest and passions were mostly tempered.
