September 27, 2020 7:40 am
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A diverse crowd of hundreds marched in Louisville’s streets chanting “Black Lives Matter” on Saturday night, the fourth night of protests after a grand jury declined to charge officers in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor. People in the crowd also chanted “No justice, no peace” as cars honked along a busy downtown artery in this Kentucky city that has seen more than 120 days of demonstrations over the death of the 26-year-old Black woman in a police raid gone wrong. A few police cars followed behind, with officers telling protesters to stay on the sidewalk and out of the street before the march ended. Many briefly ended up back at a downtown square that has been a focal point of protests. But as a 9 p.m. curfew time approached, a police loudspeaker announced that anyone who remained in the park would be arrested for a curfew violation. The square emptied out as people departed, many dispersing though one group headed to a nearby church where protesters had found refuge on previous nights. As a crowd gathered outside the First Unitarian Church late Saturday, fires were set in a street nearby after 11 p.m. Police said fireworks burned a car, and windows had been broken at Spalding University and Presentation Academy buildings close by. Some demonstrators were seen with makeshift shields made of plywood. Others took shelter inside the church, which closed its doors around midnight.
September 27, 2020 7:38 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, capping a dramatic reshaping of the federal judiciary that will resonate for a generation and that he hopes will provide a needed boost to his reelection effort. Barrett, a former clerk to the late Justice Antonin Scalia, said Saturday that she was “truly humbled” by the nomination and quickly aligned herself with Scalia’s conservative approach to the law, saying his “judicial philosophy is mine, too.” Barrett, 48, was joined in the Rose Garden by her husband and seven children. If confirmed by the Senate, she would fill the seat vacated by liberal icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg. It would be the sharpest ideological swing since Clarence Thomas replaced Justice Thurgood Marshall nearly three decades ago. She would be the sixth justice on the nine-member court to be appointed by a Republican president, and the third of Trump’s first term in office.
September 27, 2020 7:36 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — President Donald Trump’s campaign has grown increasingly focused on making inroads in Pennsylvania to offset potential vulnerabilities in other battlegrounds. The president will travel to the state for the second time in a week on Saturday, hoping to attract the same rural and white working-class voters who delivered him a narrow victory here in 2016. The in-person touch, in what may become the most important battleground on the map, complements an aggressive get-out-the-vote operation that has been working for four years to find new voters by knocking on doors in competitive neighborhoods. Trump narrowly flipped three Great Lakes states — Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — from blue to red in 2016. He has virtually no path to reelection without keeping at least one of those states in his column. His campaign has long viewed Wisconsin as his best option, but aides who requested anonymity to discuss strategy said their thinking has begun to shift.
September 27, 2020 7:34 am
CLAIRTON, Pa. (WPXI) — Several feet of standing water pushed against the walls of a Clairton school after a water line broke Saturday and about half a foot flooded parts of the building. Crews at the scene said there was heavy damage to the elementary and kindergarten areas of the building. The high school and gymnasium were spared by the water. Crews were called about the water issue around 5 p.m. Saturday along Waddell Avenue. School officials made the decision to cancel school for Monday after seeing the extensive damage. Pennsylvania American Water said water was shut off shortly after the break was reported. Clairton Education Center experienced some flooding due to the break. A restoration crew was called to the school and will be onsite throughout the night to clear out the water and fix any damage. An update on the situation will be provided late tomorrow morning.
September 27, 2020 7:30 am
PITTSBURGH (WPXI) — A crowd of people gathered at the statue of Christopher Columbus in Schenley Park before marching Saturday night. It’s not clear why the crowd gathered or why they were marching. The group moved through Oakland for about an hour before returning to the statue and dispersing. In recent days, the city’s Art Commission voted that the statue should be removed. The ultimate decision rests with Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, who said he has several factors to consider before choosing what happens to the art piece.
September 27, 2020 7:03 am
WASHINGTON, Pa. — Shorty’s Lunch in downtown Washington is the latest restaurant to deal with a COVID-19 issue. According to management, a member of the staff has tested positive for the illness and that employee just found out the results of the test Thursday. Management says the employee was not sick while working in the restaurant and that the worker is quarantining at home at this time. Management at Shorty’s has updated their operating hours at both Shorty’s Lunch locations. Both locations will be closed to mitigate risk. All employees are being tested and will remain quarantined until results are obtained. Shorty’s says they have taken and continue to take the proper protocols following the news of the positive test.
September 26, 2020 8:56 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump is expected to announce Saturday that he is nominating Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. If the federal judge from Indiana is confirmed, it will allow Trump to put a historic conservative stamp on the high court just weeks before the election. Trump, aiming to keep up some suspense, told reporters Friday evening that he had made a decision but did not reveal his pick. But the White House was telling GOP lawmakers that Barrett was the choice. Even before Trump unveils his pick, conservative groups and congressional allies are laying the groundwork for a swift confirmation process for Barrett.
September 26, 2020 8:52 am
MOSCOW (AP) – Searchers combing the area where a Ukrainian military aircraft crashed found two more bodies on Saturday, bringing the death toll to 26. One person survived. The plane, a twin-turboprop Antonov-26 belonging to the Ukrainian air force, was carrying a crew of seven and 20 cadets of a military aviation school when it crashed and burst into flames Friday night while coming in for landing at the airport in Chuhuiv, about 400 kilometers (250 miles) east of the capital Kyiv. Two people initially survived the crash, but one later died in a hospital.
September 26, 2020 8:50 am
BERLIN (AP) – As Jews around the world gather for Yom Kippur, Judaism’s holiest holiday, many in Germany are still feeling uneasy and questioning whether they are safe, one year after one of the most violent and overt anti-Semitic acts in postwar history. The government pledged to step up security after a right-wing extremist tried to force his way into a synagogue in the eastern city of Halle on Yom Kippur, killing two people outside after he failed to get in. Millions of euros have been provided to enhance the security of Jewish sites, but some say it is still not enough and also doesn’t tackle the question whether Jewish life can ever be normal and safe in Germany.
September 26, 2020 8:48 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – South Korea says it will request North Korea to further investigate the killing of a South Korean government official who was shot by North Korean troops after being found adrift near the rivals’ disputed sea boundary while apparently trying to defect. Seoul could also possibly call for a joint investigation into Tuesday’s shooting, which sparked outrage in the South and drew a rare apology from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Kim was quoted as saying he was “very sorry” over what he described as an “unexpected, unfortunate incident.” However, North Korea largely passed the blame for the shooting to the South Korean official, claiming that he refused to answer questions and attempted to flee before North Korean troops fired at him.
