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.
September 26, 2020 8:43 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Federal officials are warning of salmonella cases in at least 10 states linked to dried mushrooms from a Southern California company. More than 40 people have gotten sick and four have been hospitalized, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. The product suspected in the outbreak is wood ear mushrooms distributed by Wismettac Asian Foods based near Los Angeles. The company has recalled all of its Shirakiku brand imported mushrooms that were distributed to restaurants in six packs of five-pound bags. Some of those who got sick ate at restaurants serving ramen in three states.
September 26, 2020 8:40 am
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – A rally in Portland, Oregon, hosted by the right-wing group Proud Boys was expected to bring several thousand supporters of President Donald Trump to the city on Saturday. Organizers of the rally described the event as a free speech event to support Trump and the police, restore law and order and condemn anti-fascists and what the Proud Boys called “domestic terrorism.” Right-wing groups have been critical of Mayor Ted Wheeler’s failure to stop four months of nightly protests in support of Black Lives Matter and cutting the police budget. Several events to oppose the Proud Boys’ message are also planned.
September 26, 2020 7:50 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania has asked a federal court to put on hold a ruling that called Gov. Tom Wolf’s pandemic restrictions on gatherings unconstitutional. Officials told the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday that medical researchers have determined that so-called superspreader events where many people gather are driving the spread of the coronavirus. The move came as the Democratic governor accused President Donald Trump of blatantly disregarding social distancing and mask requirements during frequent campaign rallies in the battleground state. Another rally is planned Saturday. The campaign says everyone will get a temperature check, be given a mask and have access to sanitizer.
September 26, 2020 4:41 am
A former General Presbyter of Washington Presbytery has died. Reverend Dr. David Lee Bleivik, passed away on September 22nd in Ellicott City, Maryland. Bleivik, who was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts in 1946, graduated from Taylor University with a degree in education. Following graduation, he bicycled for six weeks across the United States, from San Francisco to New York City, with Wandering Wheels. He then entered the army and served for three years as a counterintelligence agent stationed in Nurnberg, Germany. After the army, he attended Princeton Theological Seminary. From there, he had a wide and varied career, serving in various ministries across the country. A memorial service will be held in the spring.
September 26, 2020 2:41 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – A day before a rally scheduled in south central Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Wolf is accusing President Donald Trump of blatantly disregarding social distancing and masking requirements during his frequent campaign rallies in the battleground state. Wolf, a Democrat, in a statement Friday, called the practice dangerous and disappointing, and asked the Republican president to ensure Saturday’s rally abides by guidance designed to stem the spread of the coronavirus. Wolf said two of the president’s rallies earlier this month in Pennsylvania violated public health guidance. Wolf has said efforts to contact the White House about the matter have gone unanswered. Saturday’s rally is scheduled for Harrisburg.
September 25, 2020 5:26 pm
(AP) – The Mid-American Conference, the first major college football league to postpone its season, has become the final one to jump back in. That makes it 10 out of 10 conferences that will play in the fall. University presidents in the Big Ten, Pac-12 and Mountain West have all decided to play this fall after all instead of spring. MAC games will start Nov. 4 and the championship game will be played Dec. 18 or 19.
September 25, 2020 6:13 am
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Police in Portland, Oregon, have declared an unlawful assembly at a demonstration where a fire was set outside a police union building late Thursday. Several photos and videos posted online showed flames erupting outside the doors of the Portland Police Association office. News outlets report the fire was quickly extinguished. On Wednesday night people hurled several firebombs at officers in Oregon’s largest city during a demonstration over a Kentucky grand jury’s decision to not indict officers in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor, police said. The city has already seen nearly four months of nightly protests over racial injustice and police brutality.
September 25, 2020 5:13 am
WASHINGTON, Pa. — Police have identified the local man hit by a train Wednesday afternoon in Washington. According to authorities, Bruce Gaito, 47, was struck by a locomotive on the tracks behind Chestnut Veterinary Clinic on West Chestnut Street Wednesday afternoon. Police said Gaito was conscious when crews arrived, but he was in serious condition. The man was flown by helicopter to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh and is currently in a medically induced coma according to a relative.
