August 2, 2020 8:02 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Wilford Brimley, who worked his way up from movie stunt rider to an indelible character actor who brought gruff charm, and sometimes menace, to a range of films that included “Cocoon,” “The Natural” and “The Firm,” has died. He was 85. Brimley’s manager Lynda Bensky said the actor died Saturday morning in a Utah hospital. He was on dialysis and had several medical ailments, she said. The mustached Brimley was a familiar face for a number of roles, often playing characters like his grizzled baseball manager in “The Natural” opposite Robert Redford’s bad-luck phenomenon. He also worked with Redford in “Brubaker” and “The Electric Horseman.” Brimley’s best-known work was in “Cocoon,” in which he was part of a group of seniors who discover an alien pod that rejuvenates them. The 1985 Ron Howard film won two Oscars, including a supporting actor honor for Don Ameche. For years he was pitchman for Quaker Oats. In recent years, Brimley’s pitchwork for Liberty Mutual had turned him into an internet sensation for his drawn out pronunciation of diabetes as “diabeetus.” He owned the pronunciation in a tweet that drew hundreds of thousands of likes earlier this year. Brimley is survived by his wife Beverly and three sons.
August 2, 2020 7:57 am
PITTSBURGH (WPXI) — Rescue crews have found the body of a man who fell into the Allegheny River late Friday night. Pittsburgh police said the young man either jumped or fell into the river while the boat he was on prepared to dock. He did not resurface. Police said the man was located under the water and was pulled onto the dock just after midnight. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Emergency responders said the search started around 9:45 p.m. Friday near Washington’s Landing Marina. Rescue crews were searching in the area of the 31st Street Bridge, which was where the man was last seen. Several police and rescue crews were at the scene, and dive teams were in the river looking for the victim. Police said visibility was a major concern for divers in the water, and the man has not been identified.
August 2, 2020 3:50 am
WEST MIFFLIN, Pa. (AP) — Authorities say seven people were arrested and about 150 people were asked to leave a western Pennsylvania amusement park after a number of fights broke out. West Mifflin police said Friday that the group at Kennywood was filled with “a bunch of juveniles” and that the park called police to assist in dispersing them after fights inside and outside the park. About 150 people were also asked to leave and the park closed about an hour early. Kennywood officials said they reached out to law enforcement at about 6:30 p.m. for assistance “due to the disruptive behavior of some park visitors.” Police from Duquesne, Clairton, Munhall, Homestead, Swissvale and Whitaker also responded. West Mifflin police said they called for the additional help to get things under control quickly. No injuries requiring hospitalization were reported. Anyone with information was asked to contact investigators. Kennywood opened for the season July 10 after instituting temperature checks and a mask requirement for guests.
August 2, 2020 3:47 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania will pay the cost of postage for voters to mail in ballots in November’s general election. Officials said Friday that Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration plans to use money from federal emergency coronavirus aid to foot the bill. It could run several million dollars to cover 55 cents for millions of ballots. Wolf has made paying for postage a priority as the pandemic unexpectedly fueled high interest in voting by mail. Under the plan, voters who apply for and receive a mail-in or absentee ballot in the mail will also get a postage-paid ballot-return envelope. Seventeen states cover postage for mail-in ballots, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
August 1, 2020 4:05 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – South Korean prosecutors have arrested the elderly leader of a secretive religious sect as part of an investigation into allegations that the church hampered anti-virus measures after thousands of worshippers were infected in February and March. Prosecutors are questioning 88-year-old Lee Man-hee, chairman of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, over charges that the church hid some members and underreported gatherings to avoid broader quarantines. More than 5,200 of the South Korea’s 14,336 cases have been linked to the church. Australia’s Victoria state recorded three more deaths and 397 cases, a significant drop from this week. India recorded the steepest spike of 57,118 new cases, taking its total close to 1.7 million, with July alone accounting for nearly 1.1 million infections.
August 1, 2020 4:03 am
PARIS (AP) – Mexico now has the third most COVID-19 deaths in the world, behind the United States and Brazil, while former success story Vietnam is struggling to control an outbreak spreading in its most famous beach resort. China reported a more than 50% drop in newly confirmed cases in a possible sign that its latest major outbreak in the northwestern region of Xinjiang may have run its course. However, in Hong Kong, infections continue to surge, with more than 100 new cases reported as of Saturday among the population of 7.5 million. Officials have reimposed dining restrictions and mask requirements. South Korean prosecutors meanwhile arrested the elderly leader of a secretive religious sect linked to more than 5,200 of South Korea’s 14,336 confirmed cases.
August 1, 2020 4:01 am
CHICAGO (AP) – Police say a 9-year-old boy was killed when a gunman fired several shots toward the Chicago parking lot where he was playing. Nobody else was injured in the shooting around 6 p.m. near the former Cabrini-Green housing projects on the city’s Near North Side. The boy was pronounced dead about an hour after being admitted to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the chest, police said. Deputy Chief of Patrol Brian McDermott, who spoke to the media from the hospital, said the boy was the “unintended target” in an attack of “senseless violence.”
August 1, 2020 4:00 am
MIAMI (AP) – A Florida teen arrested Friday was named by authorities as the mastermind of the takeover earlier this month of Twitter accounts of prominent politicians, celebrities and technology moguls that scammed people around globe out of more than $100,000 in Bitcoin. Two men were also charged in the case and face federal charges in California. The 17-year-old boy was arrested Friday in Tampa. in California. Bogus tweets in mid-July sent from the accounts of Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Mike Bloomberg and a number of tech billionaires offered people who sent Bitcoin to an anonymous address an alleged opportunity to double their money.
August 1, 2020 4:00 am
NEW YORK (AP) – President Donald Trump says he will take action as soon as Saturday to ban TikTok, a popular Chinese-owned video app that has been a source of national security and censorship concerns. Trump’s comments on Friday aboard Air Force One came after published reports that the administration is planning to order China’s ByteDance to sell TikTok. There were also reports that Microsoft is in talks to buy the app. TikTok says it does not comment on rumors or speculation. TikTok has said it has tens of millions of U.S. users and hundreds of millions globally. But its Chinese ownership has raised concerns about censorship of videos and the potential for sharing user data with Chinese officials.
August 1, 2020 3:58 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The White House and its GOP allies appear to be retreating from their opposition to a $600-per-week supplemental unemployment benefit that has propped up both the economy and family budgets but expired Friday. The idea is a prominent feature of top-level Washington talks that are set to continue Saturday on a major election-season COVID-19 response measure. The two sides took their case to the media Friday. White House chief of staff Mark Meadows accused Democrats of refusing to negotiate, while House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said a short-term extension only makes sense if agreement is near on the larger relief bill.
