May 5, 2022 3:48 pm
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Bird flu is killing an alarming number of bald eagles and other wild birds, with many sick birds arriving at rehabilitation centers unsteady on their talons and unable to fly. The latest bird flu outbreak of has led to the culling of about 37 million chickens and turkeys in U.S. farms since February, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture has confirmed 956 cases of bird flu in wild birds, including at least 54 bald eagles. The number of wild birds that have died from the virus is likely significantly higher. University of Georgia researcher Rebecca Poulson, who has been studying avian influenza for 15 years, says the wild bird death toll in this outbreak is “unprecedented.”
May 5, 2022 3:46 pm
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Los Angeles County prosecutors say the man arrested on suspicion of tackling comedian Dave Chappelle during a performance at the Hollywood Bowl will not be charged with any felonies. The district attorney’s office said Thursday that 33-year-old Isaiah Lee clearly engaged in criminal conduct, but it did not rise to the level of felony conduct. The case was referred to the city attorney, who prosecutes misdemeanors in Los Angeles. Police say Lee rushed the stage and tackled Chappelle on Tuesday night, and had a replica handgun with a blade inside. It was not immediately known if Lee had retained a lawyer. A possible motive is unclear. Chappelle continued with his performance.
May 5, 2022 3:43 pm
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Video footage from a transit bus of the bridge collapse in Pittsburgh this year shows one end of the structure had already fallen when an expansion joint at the other end was pulling apart. Federal investigators said Thursday that video of the Fern Hollow bridge collapse is giving them more information about the sequence of events. The investigative update says all aspects of the disaster are still being looked at and the cause has yet to be determined. The agency now says there were nine people in six vehicles. Two were injured seriously, two had minor injuries, four were not hurt, and the injury status of one person isn’t uncertain.
May 5, 2022 8:48 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – More Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week but the total number of people collecting jobless aid is at its lowest level in more than 50 years. Jobless claims in the U.S. rose by 19,000 to 200,000 for the week ending April 30, the Labor Department reported Thursday. First-time applications generally reflect the number of layoffs. The four-week average for claims, which softens some of the weekly volatility, rose 8,000 from the previous week to 188,000. The total number of Americans collecting jobless benefits fell by 19,000 from the previous week, to 1,384,000. That’s the fewest since January 17, 1970.
May 5, 2022 6:13 am
A woman is facing child endangerment and other charges after City of Washington Police were called to Lawrence Avenue early Wednesday morning. According to the criminal complaint, officers say Jennah Stimer of Alexandria, Pa. flagged them down and told them a paste with drugs in it was given to her baby. Police say the child was limp and had little color. Stimer and the child were then transported to the hospital where CYS took custody of the child which was then transported to UPMC Children’s HospItal of Pittsburgh. At the hospital, Stimer said she was on meth. Police say she was high on cocaine, marijuana and meth. Stimer said a paste was mixed together out of the drugs and was fed to the baby. She was charged with endangering the welfare of children, neglect of care, and recklessly endangering another person upon her release from the hospital. CYS and officers then located her other children and determined that they were fine.
May 5, 2022 4:18 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden has named Karine Jean-Pierre to be the next White House press secretary. She will be the first Black woman and the first openly LGBTQ person to serve in the role. Incumbent Jen Psaki is set to leave the role next week. Biden is also bringing back longtime Democratic strategist Anita Dunn as his senior adviser. Biden says Jean-Pierre “not only brings the experience, talent and integrity needed for this difficult job, but she will continue to lead the way in communicating about the work of the Biden-Harris administration.” Jean-Pierre has served as Biden’s principal deputy press secretary since Inauguration Day. (Photo: ABC)
May 5, 2022 4:14 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The oldest son of former President Donald Trump has met with the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. That’s according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private session. The interview with Donald Trump Jr. took place Tuesday. He’s one of nearly 1,000 witnesses interviewed by members of the House committee as they work to compile a record of the worst attack on the Capitol in more than two centuries. He’s the second of Trump’s children known to speak to the committee. His sister Ivanka Trump sat down with lawmakers for eight hours in early April.
May 5, 2022 4:12 am
LAS VEGAS, N.M. (AP) – Firefighters have slowed the advance of the largest wildfire in the U.S. as heavy winds relented. President Joe Biden, meanwhile, has approved a disaster declaration that brings new financial resources to remote stretches of northern New Mexico devastated by fire. Fire crews in New Mexico sought Wednesday to keep the flames from pushing any closer to the town of Las Vegas and other villages scattered along the blaze’s shifting fronts. The fire has burned hundreds of square miles, dozens of homes and triggered the evacuation of 15,500 homes. The new disaster aid includes grants for temporary housing and home repairs, and low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses.
May 5, 2022 4:10 am
LVIV, Ukraine (AP) – Ukrainian forces say they repelled Russian attacks in the east and recaptured some territory even as Moscow moved to obstruct the flow of Western weapons to Ukraine by bombarding rail stations and other supply-line targets across the country. Heavy fighting also raged at the Azovstal steel mill in Mariupol that represented the last stronghold of Ukrainian resistance in the ruined southern port city. A Russian official earlier denied that troops were storming the plant, but the commander of the main Ukrainian unit inside said Russian soldiers had pushed into the mill’s territory. Ukraine’s military says five people were killed and at least 25 more wounded in shelling of several eastern cities over the past 24 hours.
May 5, 2022 4:08 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – What could be the final primary debate between Republicans running for Pennsylvania’s open U.S. Senate seat devolved into a string of attacks. The candidates stretched for any perceived advantage in a wide-open race. In many cases, candidates blew off questions during Wednesday night’s hour-long debate. Abortion made one question, despite it dominating headlines after a leaked draft of a Supreme Court opinion suggesting the court’s conservative majority is poised to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion nationwide. The candidates applauded the overturning of Roe v. Wade, but didn’t respond directly to whether they support any exceptions for abortion. The primary is May 17.
