August 27, 2020 1:26 pm
(WPXI) – Allegheny County officials may soon be easing some coronavirus restrictions. There were only 14 new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday, the lowest number since mid-June. Dr. Debra Bogen, director of the Allegheny County Health Department said she’s considering easing restrictions because the current mitigation efforts are working. One of the restrictions she’s willing to ease is the maximum number of people allowed in outdoor gatherings, which in Allegheny County is currently 50 people. Bogen didn’t say when a change could be made for outdoor settings, but she’s actively monitoring the situation. “I am reconsidering our limits on outdoor gatherings and will announce any changes when they’re made. I won’t be increasing capacity to 250 — the state’s limit at this time,” Bogen said. “The 250 limit on indoor gatherings will remain unchanged. The limit is set by the state and the health department cannot modify a state order to make it less restrictive.”
August 27, 2020 1:18 pm
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) – Seventeen West Virginia University students have been placed on probation for conduct violations related to the coronavirus pandemic. The university says the Office of Student Conduct made the decision following hearings for the students. An additional 15 students will undergo similar hearings and could face probation if found responsible. And another student with a history of repeated COVID-19 related violations could be suspended or expelled if found responsible. Classes on the Morgantown campus began Wednesday. The university began identifying potential students involved in off-campus parties as part of an investigation into violations of health and safety policies.
August 27, 2020 12:32 pm
(AP) – Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said state officials now know of four deaths tied to Hurricane Laura. Edwards said all four deaths were caused by trees falling on residences. None were on the coast and took place in Vernon, Jackson and Acadia parishes. One death in Jackson, in north Louisiana, demonstrated the power of the storm, which made landfall as a Category 4 storm early Thursday and traveled farther inland. Edwards said the current priority is search and rescue, followed by efforts to find hotel or motel rooms for those who have lost their homes. The storm also sparked a large chemical fire that sent a dangerous cloud over Lake Charles, Louisiana, hours after the eye of Hurricane Laura passed directly over the city. Bel Edwards says the fire was burning Thursday morning just outside the city, and he’s advising storm survivors to shelter in place. Edwards tweeted that people “in the Westlake/Moss Bluff/Sulphur area” should close their windows and doors and turn off their air conditioning units. (Photo: forbes.com)
August 27, 2020 4:20 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump says the NBA has become like “a political organization” as he criticized the league the day after player protests over police brutality led to the postponement of three scheduled playoff games. Trump made the comments after senior aides said the protests weren’t constructive and were hypocritical considering the league’s relative silence about human rights violations in China, where U.S. pro basketball has a large audience. The president earlier this month in a radio interview called NBA players “very nasty” and “very dumb” for kneeling during the national anthem to protest social injustice.
August 27, 2020 4:19 am
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) – An unprecedented walkout over racial injustice has postponed a second day of the NBA playoffs. Players have committed to remain and finish the season, though the schedule of games was wiped out or a second straight day. That left basketball courts in the bubble as empty as the tennis courts at the home of the U.S. Open. Whether playoffs or practices, many in sports just weren’t ready yet to play ball. They are still too emotional after the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin. NBA players considered going home, but decided they wanted to continue the postseason.
August 27, 2020 4:18 am
HONG KONG (AP) – TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer has resigned amid U.S. pressure for its Chinese owner to sell the popular video app, which the White House says is a security risk. In a letter to employees seen Thursday, Mayer said that his decision to leave comes after the “political environment has sharply changed.” His resignation comes after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a ban on TikTok, unless parent company Bytedance sells its U.S. operations to an American company within 90 days. TikTok said in a statement that “We appreciate that the political dynamics of the last few months have significantly changed what the scope of Kevin’s role would be going forward, and fully respect his decision.”
August 27, 2020 4:17 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Two White House officials violated the Hatch Act by participating in events aired during this week’s Republican National Convention. That’s according to two separate ethics complaints filed by government watchdog groups. Chad Wolf, the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, violated the law when he appeared during a taped naturalization ceremony on White House grounds with President Donald Trump, the group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington said Thursday. On Wednesday, two law school professors filed a separate complaint against Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, arguing a video-taped speech from Israel violated the law. The White House says they did no wrong.
August 27, 2020 4:13 am
KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) – A white, 17-year-old police admirer has been arrested after the killing of two people during a third night of protests in Kenosha over the police shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake. Kyle Rittenhouse, of Antioch, Illinois, was taken into custody Wednesday in Illinois on suspicion of first-degree intentional homicide. Antioch is about 15 miles from Kenosha. Two people were killed Tuesday night in an attack carried out by a young white man who was caught on cellphone video opening fire in the middle of the street with a semi-automatic rifle. The state Department of Justice says the officer who shot Blake is a seven-year veteran of the Kenosha Police Department.
August 26, 2020 5:48 pm
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) – All three NBA playoff games scheduled for Wednesday have been postponed, with players around the league choosing to boycott in their strongest statement yet against racial injustice. Called off: Games between Milwaukee and Orlando, Houston and Oklahoma City and the Los Angeles Lakers and Portland. The NBA said all three games would be rescheduled, yet did not say when. The dramatic series of moves began when the Bucks – the NBA’s team from Wisconsin, a state rocked in recent days by the shooting by police officers of Jacob Blake, a Black man – didn’t take the floor for their game against the Magic.
August 26, 2020 5:46 pm
(AP) – North Carolina State University told students remaining in university housing to go home, acknowledging a rising number of coronavirus clusters occurring in both on-campus and off-campus housing. Chancellor Randy Woodson says starting Thursday, students in university housing should schedule a time to move out of on-campus residences. To ensure physical distancing, the school is establishing an 11-day window for students to move out. N.C. State has reported 21 coronavirus clusters since classes began Aug. 10, with four of the clusters in residence halls, The News & Observer of Raleigh reported. The school’s COVID-19 dashboard says there are 111 students in quarantine in university housing, and another 1,234 in quarantine off-campus.
