July 20, 2020 4:35 am
(AP) – Judiciary officials say a gunman posing as a delivery person shot and killed the 20-year-old son of a federal judge and wounded her husband at their New Jersey home before fleeing. Chief District Judge Freda Wolfson told The Associated Press the shooting at the North Brunswick home of U.S. District Judge Esther Salas, killed her son, Daniel. Wolfson says the judge’s husband, defense lawyer Mark Anderl, was injured. Investigators are examining a possible connection between the shooting and the body of a man found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound in Sullivan County, New York, a law enforcement official said. The man is being investigated in connection with the shooting, a law enforcement official and a judiciary official told The Associated Press.
July 20, 2020 4:31 am
ATLANTA (AP) – A judge plans to hear arguments on an emergency request by Georgia’s governor to stop Atlanta from enforcing a mandate to wear a mask in public and other restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic while a lawsuit on the issue is pending. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Kelly Ellerbe has scheduled a hearing on Gov. Brian Kemp’s motion for 11 a.m. Tuesday. In a lawsuit filed Thursday against Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and the members of the City Council, Kemp argues that local leaders don’t have the legal authority to change or ignore his executive orders
July 20, 2020 4:30 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Hundreds of workers are rallying in U.S. cities to protest systemic racism and economic inequality. The efforts are part of a nationwide strike that organizers hoped would involve tens of thousands of people walking off the job. Visible shows of support for the effort on Monday largely came in the form of smaller protests held in cities around the country. Dubbed the “Strike for Black Lives,” the protest was arranged by labor unions and social and racial justice organizations, which planned a range of actions in more than two dozen U.S. cities. (Photo: AP)
July 20, 2020 4:29 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump met with top Republican congressional leaders Monday at the White House on the next COVID-19 aid package. As the virus worsens and aid is expiring Congress is considering what to do next. Trump said “good things” are happening. But the administration is stiffening its opposition to more testing money and interjecting other priorities that could complicate passage. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is prepared to roll out the $1 trillion package in a matter of days. Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s House has already passed a sweeping $3 trillion measure from Democrats. Congress is returning to session as the coronavirus crisis shows no signs of easing.
July 20, 2020 4:27 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The House has honored the late Georgia Rep. John Lewis with a moment of silence. The civil rights leader died Friday after a battle of several months against advanced pancreatic cancer. He was beloved by members of both parties, and some grew emotional as the House reconvened Monday. Speaker Nancy Pelosi choked up during a TV interview as she recalled Lewis and their last conversation the day before he died. Pelosi said Lewis “always worked on the side of the angels and now he is with them.” When she gaveled the House to order, Pelosi called on everyone to rise “in a moment of silence in remembrance of the conscience of the Congress.”
July 20, 2020 4:23 am
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (AP) – A small group of white supremacists staged a brief demonstration in a central Pennsylvania park over the weekend but disbanded as police arrived in force to break up the event, which was conducted without a permit. More than a dozen members of the National Socialist Movement, some of them armed, marched through Williamsport’s Brandon Park on Saturday afternoon and then spoke with the aid of a bullhorn. The event was ending as a city bus carrying more officers arrived. The march was originally scheduled in April but the city canceled it, citing the coronavirus pandemic. No arrests were made.
July 20, 2020 4:22 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, watching movies from cars at drive-ins has been making a comeback – and now there are plans for a floating cinema in western Pennsylvania with people watching from mini-boats. Beyond Cinema, an Australian production company, is bringing Floating Boat Cinema to cities worldwide with a stop in Pittsburgh in September. The location for the aquatic theater planned Sept. 16 to Sept. 20 hasn’t been released, and the movies to be shown haven’t been announced.
July 20, 2020 4:19 am
One lane of the Pennsylvania Turnpike was reopened late Sunday night following a crash in Mount Pleasant Township. State Police say the right lane was reopened around 10 p.m. after a tractor trailer collided with a van around 8 p.m. According to reports, a medical helicopter landed near the turnpike to transport the driver of the van. There is no word on the identity or condition of that driver. Police continue to investigate.
July 20, 2020 4:14 am
Whole Foods and ALDI have joined the mounting list of retailers requiring masks inside stores across the nation. So far, Kroger, Publix, Walmart, Target and CVS have already instituted similar policies. “The health and safety of our employees, customers and the communities we serve will always be our highest priority. With that focus in mind, effective July 27, face coverings will be required to enter ALDI stores”. The company said the move is in line with guidelines supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has encouraged mask wearing to slow the spread of coronavirus for the last three-plus months. All ALDI employees are required to wear masks and have been doing so for months, the grocery chain said. ALDI customers who do not wish to wear masks inside stores are encouraged to order groceries and items for delivery. Amazon-owned Whole Foods also said it will enforce a mask policy inside stores to support and protect the health and safety of store employees and customers. The company previously requested rather than required customers to wear face coverings inside facilities. Whole Foods staff have already been required to wear masks and have their temperatures taken at the start of their shifts. The mask mandate for customers goes into effect beginning July 20.
July 19, 2020 7:51 am
Pope Francis is assuring his closeness to all those grappling with COVID-19 and its “economic and social consequences.” Speaking on Sunday from his studio window overlooking St. Peter’s Square, Francis said that “the pandemic is showing no sign of stopping.” He said he was thinking in particular about all those whose suffering in the pandemic is worsened by conflicts. Citing a recent U.N. Security Council resolution, he renewed his appeal for a worldwide, immediate cease-fire that he said “will permit the peace and security indispensable to supplying the necessary humanitarian assistance.”
