June 1, 2020 4:22 am
CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) – The average U.S. price of regular-grade gasoline rose 8 cents over the past two weeks, to $2.05 per gallon. Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg of the Lundberg Survey says Sunday that the jump comes as gasoline demand increases amid widespread easing of stay-at-home orders. Lundberg says the current average price is 88 cents less than it was a year ago. The highest average price in the nation for regular-grade gas is $3.10 per gallon in Honolulu. The lowest average is $1.55 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The average price of diesel is $2.55, up a penny.
June 1, 2020 4:21 am
Target, CVS, Apple and Walmart have all temporarily closed certain locations due to protests over the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last week. In some cases stores were damaged. Minneapolis-based Target closed or shortened hours at more than 200 of its stores over the weekend, but it says most would reopen Sunday or Monday. Six will remain closed for an extended period due to damage from the protests. CVS has closed stores in 20 states and the District of Columbia. Apple and Walmart also closed some locations, but wouldn’t say how many. Floyd, who was black, died after a white Minneapolis police officer used his knee to pin his neck down for several minutes.
June 1, 2020 4:20 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – In the past 48 hours of protests surrounding the death of George Floyd, journalists covering the story have become targets for protesters and police in cities across the country. The Radio Television Digital News Association has counted more than 60 incidents in which reporters have been, “injured, assaulted or harassed by either protesters or police officers” in cities including Minneapolis, New York, Chicago, Washington D.C., Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Denver. RTDNA’s executive director Dan Shelley said that the attacks on journalists are harming the public at large. Shelley said, “It’s interfering with their ability to be eyewitnesses and chroniclers of what’s occurring in this country right now.”
June 1, 2020 4:18 am
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Minnesota’s governor says a man who drove his semitrailer into the midst of thousands of protesters on a Minneapolis freeway was confused. Authorities say it appeared no one was hurt when the driver rolled onto the Interstate 35W freeway near downtown Minneapolis on Sunday. Gov. Tim Walz said Monday that the driver got ahead of officials who were closing the freeway and became confused. The governor noted the driver braked as he rolled past the crowd. Officials estimate 5,000 to 6,000 people were on the freeway. Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington said nothing indicates the driver was intentionally targeting protesters.
June 1, 2020 4:17 am
ATLANTA (AP) – Atlanta’s mayor says two police officers have been fired and three others placed on desk duty over excessive use of force during a weekend protest incident. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said Sunday that she and the police chief made the decision after reviewing body-camera footage of a Saturday incident that first gained attention from video online and on local news. It shows police officers in riot gear and gas masks surround a car driven by a man with a woman passenger. The officers use stun guns on both the woman and the man.
June 1, 2020 4:16 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump spent time in a White House bunker during Friday night’s protests outside the executive mansion. Secret Service agents rushed him there as some of the demonstrators were throwing rocks and tugging at police barricades. Trump spent nearly an hour in the underground shelter, which was designed for use in emergencies like terrorist attacks. That’s according to a Republican close to the White House who was not authorized to publicly discuss private matters and requested anonymity. The account was confirmed by an administration official who also spoke on condition of anonymity.
June 1, 2020 4:14 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Tens of thousands of protesters have again taken to the streets across America. Peaceful demonstrations Sunday against police killings of black people have been overshadowed by unrest that quickly ravaged cities from Philadelphia to Los Angeles. A truck driver drove into demonstrators in Minneapolis nearly a week after George Floyd pleaded with an officer pressing a knee into his neck that he could not breathe. Outside the White House, police fired tear gas and stun grenades into a crowd who lit fire in a street. Thieves in more than 20 California cities smashed into businesses and ran off with sneakers, cellphones and TVs.
June 1, 2020 3:56 am
Protests happened across the Pittsburgh area Monday afternoon in response to the death of George Floyd. It was the third straight day of protests in the region. Floyd died while in police custody earlier this week. Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was arrested Friday and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s death. Chauvin is accused of keeping his knee on the Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes. Hundreds of protesters marched through the streets of Pittsburgh and then gathered in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood. (Photo: WPXI)
May 31, 2020 8:31 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — In a cramped office in eastern Seoul, Hwang Seungwon points a remote control toward a huge NASA-like overhead screen stretching across one of the walls. With each flick of the control, a colorful array of pie charts, graphs and maps reveals the search habits of thousands of South Korean senior citizens being monitored by voice-enabled “smart” speakers, an experimental remote care service the company says is increasingly needed during the coronavirus crisis. “We closely monitor for signs of danger, whether they are more frequently using search words that indicate rising states of loneliness or insecurity,” said Hwang, director of a social enterprise that handles SK Telecom’s services. Trigger words lead to a recommendation for a visit by public health officials. As South Korea’s government pushes to allow businesses to access vast amounts of personal information and to ease restrictions holding back telemedicine, tech firms could potentially find much bigger markets for their artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies.
May 31, 2020 8:29 am
Officials across the U.S. South are still scrambling to adjust their hurricane plans to the coronavirus. The big unknown: Where will people fleeing storms go? The Associated Press surveyed more than 70 counties and states from Texas to Virginia, with more than 60% of coastal counties saying as of late May that they’re still solidifying plans for public hurricane shelters. They’re also altering preparations for dealing with the sick and elderly, protective equipment and cleanup costs. In Georgia’s McIntosh County, south of Savannah, Emergency Management Agency Director Ty Poppell said evacuations during the pandemic would be a “nightmare.” He worried about social distancing at shelters and on buses used to get people out. “I’d love to be able to tell you we’ve got that answered right now,” Poppell said. “It’s a work in progress.” Hurricane season officially starts Monday, though Tropical Storms Arthur and Bertha arrived early. Forecasters are expecting a busier-than-normal season.
