April 21, 2023 4:15 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is facing a self-imposed Friday night deadline to decide whether women’s access to a widely used abortion pill will stay unchanged until a legal challenge to its Food and Drug Administration approval is resolved. The justices are weighing arguments that allowing restrictions contained in lower-court rulings to take effect would severely disrupt the availability of the drug, mifepristone, which is used in the most common abortion method in the United States. It has repeatedly been found to be safe and effective, and has been used by more than 5 million women in the U.S. since the FDA approved it in 2000.
April 21, 2023 4:13 am
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal judge refused Friday to recuse himself from the New Orleans Roman Catholic bankruptcy after an Associated Press report that he donated tens of thousands of dollars to archdiocese charities and consistently ruled in favor of the church in the contentious case involving nearly 500 clergy sex abuse victims. U.S. District Judge Greg Guidry told attorneys that a panel of federal judges he asked to review the possible conflict determined no “reasonable person” would question his impartiality despite his contributions and longstanding ties to the archdiocese. The announcement came hours after AP published its report and more than a week after it confronted Guidry with its findings.
April 21, 2023 4:11 am
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Prosecutors have formally dismissed an involuntary manslaughter charge against Alec Baldwin in the fatal 2021 shooting of a cinematographer on the set of the Western film “Rust,” citing new evidence and the need for more time to investigate. Special prosecutors Kari Morrissey and Jason Lewis filed the notice to dismiss the only charge against Baldwin in state District Court in Santa Fe on Friday. It says the investigation is ongoing. An involuntary manslaughter charge against Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the weapons supervisor on the film, is unchanged.
April 21, 2023 4:02 am
The Canon-McMillan School Board met Thursday for their voting meeting and adopted two measures to save taxpayers money. Directors approved the refinancing of two bonds that were used for various construction projects in the district. One bond was for $7.2 million and the second bond was for $20.5 million. Directors also approved two contracts for construction and upgrades. The first contract was awarded to Phoenix Roofing to repair the roof on South Central Elementary School. The contract is worth $687,200. Funds will come from the capital improvement budget and the Muse Elementary Capital Projects Fund. Secondly, new weight room equipment will be purchased for the high school. All the equipment is to be replaced and the $154,000 cost will come from budgetary reserve. All four measures passed unanimously.
April 21, 2023 2:37 am
An Allegheny County Judge on Wednesday, sentenced a Peters Township man to two years probation for causing the death of his three-month-old son by leaving him in a hot car. Thirty-three-year-old Khang Nguyen received the sentence after pleading guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment. Nguyen told authorities that he forgot his toddler, Kayden, was in his car on June 16th of 2022 when he stopped in his place of business, the Envy Nail Salon in Upper St. Clair. He told police he had meant to stop for just a short period of time, but got distracted and forgot about the baby until he returned home several hours later. Authorities say the daytime high on that day was 91 degrees.
April 20, 2023 3:53 pm
(ABC) – Actor Alec Baldwin has been cleared of criminal charges in the 2021 deadly movie set shooting. The actor was the one holding the gun. Prosecutors in New Mexico dropped the charges agaisnt Alec Baldwin who had been facing two counts on involuntary manslaughter in connection with the shooting death of Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust. In a statement provided to ABC News, Baldwin’s attorneys said we are pleased with the decision to dismiss the case against Alec Baldwin and we encourage a proper investigation into the facts and circumstances of this tragic accident. (Photo: ABC)
April 20, 2023 10:12 am
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas (AP) — SpaceX’s giant new rocket exploded minutes after blasting off on its first test flight and crashed into the Gulf of Mexico. Elon Musk’s company was aiming Thursday to send Starship on a round-the-world trip from the southern tip of Texas, near the Mexican border. SpaceX said multiple engines were not firing as the rocket ascended, causing it to lose altitude. The rocket was intentionally destroyed by its self-destruct system, exploding and plummeting into the water. SpaceX plans to use Starship to send people and cargo to the moon and, ultimately, Mars. Throngs of spectators watched from several miles away from the Boca Chica Beach launch site, which was off-limits.
April 20, 2023 4:26 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is leaving women’s access to an abortion pill untouched until at least Friday, while the justices consider whether to allow restrictions on mifepristone to take effect. The court is dealing with a new abortion controversy less than a year after its conservative majority overturned Roe v. Wade and allowed more than a dozen states to effectively ban abortion outright. At stake now is whether to allow restrictions on mifepristone to take effect while a legal challenge to the medication’s Food and Drug Administration approval continues. In an order signed by Justice Samuel Alito, the court indicated it will act by Friday night. Alito provided no explanation for why the court put off a more lasting decision.
April 20, 2023 4:24 am
LIBERTY, Mo. (AP) — Andrew Lester, the 84-year-old white man who shot Ralph Yarl, a Black teenager in Kansas City, pleaded not guilty in his first court appearance Wednesday. Yarl mistakenly went to Lester’s door looking for his younger brothers. Lester walked with a cane in court as he answered charges of first-degree assault and armed criminal action in the shooting, which has attracted presidential attention and renewed national debate about gun policies. Lester remains free after posting 10% of his $200,000 bond. The bond agreement requires him to relinquish any weapons and have no contact with Yarl or his family. He also agreed to have his cellphone monitored.
April 20, 2023 4:22 am
BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) — A ban on dozens of semi-automatic rifles has cleared the Democratic-controlled Washington state Legislature. Gov. Jay Inslee has pushed for the ban and is expected to sign it into law. It’ll almost certainly be challenged in court. The Legislature approved the bill on Wednesday. The measure would cover more than 50 types of guns, including AR- or AK-style rifles. It bans the future sale, distribution, manufacture and importation of these firearms. The bill will go into effect immediately once it’s signed. Nine other states have passed similar laws. Republican lawmakers in Washington opposed the ban, contending it would not prevent mass shootings.
