News Of Western Pennsylvania And The World
Tensions between Israel and Palestinians escalated further on Tuesday as Palestinian militants in Gaza fired hundreds of rockets into Israel, which in turn ramped up airstrikes on the coastal enclave, as unrest spread to cities and towns beyond Jerusalem.
Voters on the state’s Permanent Early Voting List — or PEVL — are automatically sent a ballot for every election in which they’re eligible to vote. The new law takes the “permanent” out of the PEVL.
Source: Arizona Republicans Change State’s Permanent Early Voting List : NPR
President Biden announced Monday that his administration would affirm that workers cannot turn down a “suitable” job they are offered and continue to take federal unemployment benefits.
Source: Biden: Workers can’t turn down job and get benefits | TheHill
Washington (CNN)A US Coast Guard ship fired approximately 30 warning shots as a “large group” of Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy fast boats conducted “unsafe and unprofessional maneuvers” near US naval vessels in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.
Six US Navy vessels were escorting a guided missile submarine, the USS Georgia, when they encountered a group of 13 IRGCN “fast attack boats,” Kirby told reporters. The boats approached the US Navy vessels “at high speed,” coming as close as within 150 yards.After the US tried “all the appropriate and established procedures involving hip blasts, bridge to bridge radio transmission and other ways of communicating,” US Coast Guard Cutter Maui fired approximately 30 warning shots, Kirby said. Following the second round of warning shots, the IRGCN fast boats “broke contact.”
Following years of debate, the green rush is fully under way in America. More than two-thirds of all states have given the green light to medical marijuana, with 18 of these states having existing or pending legislation in place that allows for recreational cannabis to be consumed and/or sold.
Support for nationwide legalization has also never been higher. Gallup’s national poll on marijuana sentiment, which dates back 50 years, showed that a record-high 68% of respondents want pot legal, as of 2020.
Connecticut
The only state left with a really good shot at legalizing adult-use cannabis in 2021 is Connecticut. The Constitution State is in close proximity to a bunch of states that have already chosen to legalize recreational pot. In order to avoid losing tax revenue to these surrounding states, it only makes sense to advance a legalization bill.
Minnesota
Next on the list is the Gopher State, Minnesota.
Unlike Connecticut, which has one party controlling its state’s legislature, friction between Democrats and Republicans in Minnesota’s legislature likely means a 2022 ballot initiative is what’ll lead to legalization.
The core bill being considered in the state is officially known as HF600. It was introduced at the beginning of February and aims to legalize recreational marijuana.
Hawaii
Lastly, the Aloha State looks to have a real shot at legalizing recreational marijuana — but there is a catch.
Hawaii’s legislature has been predominantly packed with Democrats for years. Since Democrats have a very favorable view of weed, they’ve, on multiple occasions, passed legislation designed to legalize adult-use marijuana and expunge low-level convictions.
So, why isn’t it legal? Democrat Gov. David Ige is the answer.
In 2019, Ige vetoed two of three cannabis reform bills from his state’s legislature — he OK’d decriminalization for persons possessing up to three grams of flower — and he’s expressed serious concern about a pair of bills the state’s legislature has been working on in 2021 concerning adult-use legalization and low-level expungement. Though Ige hasn’t specifically said he’d veto cannabis legislation, the thinking is he will, especially given his previous vetoes and his views of cannabis as a Schedule I (i.e., illicit) substance at the federal level.
The solution? Wait out Ige. Governors in Hawaii are limited to two terms, and Ige’s is up on Dec. 5, 2022. The election of a new governor in November 2022 that would support adult-use cannabis could clear a quick path to legalization shortly after the midterm elections.
Source: 3 States Likely to Legalize Marijuana Next | The Motley Fool
The NYPD are investigating a shooting that injured three people, including a four-year-old girl, after capturing what they believe to be a suspect on surveillance.» Subscribe to NBC News: http://nbcnews.to/SubscribeToNBC » Watch more NBC video: http://bit.ly/MoreNBCNews
They share Roman Catholicism as a faith and California as their home base. Yet there’s a deep gulf between Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco and Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego in the high-stakes debate over whether politicians who support abortion rights should be denied Communion.
Cordileone, who has long established himself as a forceful anti-abortion campaigner, recently has made clear his view that such political figures — whose ranks include President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — should not receive Communion because of their stance on the issue. The archbishop issued a pastoral letter on the topic May 1 and reinforced the message in an hourlong interview Friday with the Catholic television network EWTN.
“To those who are advocating for abortion, I would say, ‘This is killing. Please stop the killing. You’re in position to do something about it,’” he told the interviewer.
The polarized viewpoints of the two prelates illustrate how divisive this issue could be if, as expected, it comes before the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops at its national assembly starting June 16. There are plans for the bishops to vote on whether the USCCB’s Committee on Doctrine should draft a document saying Biden and other Catholic public figures with similar views on abortion should refrain from Communion.
Source: 2 Catholic bishops at odds over Biden receiving Communion
The US acts to keep fuel flowing after its largest pipeline was hit by a ransomware cyber-attack.
The Colonial Pipeline carries 2.5 million barrels a day – 45% of the East Coast’s supply of diesel, gasoline and jet fuel.
It was completely knocked offline by a cyber-criminal gang on Friday and is still working to restore service.
The emergency status relaxes rules on fuel being transported by road.
Source: US passes emergency waiver over fuel pipeline cyber-attack – BBC News
Westmoreland County officials acknowledged that more than 190 incorrect mail-in ballots were issued to voters in Mt. Pleasant Township.
Ballots issued to voters in four precincts — Ridgeview, Mammoth, United and Westmoreland Homestead — erroneously omitted the race for district judge to replace Michael Mahady, who will retire at the end of his current six-year term, according to a news release issued Friday evening.
Source: Incorrect ballots mailed to some Mt. Pleasant voters, Westmoreland County says | TribLIVE.com
At least three people sustained non-life-threatening injuries during a shooting at Aventura Mall in south Florida on Saturday afternoon, Aventura Police said.
Several suspects are currently in custody and being questioned by detectives.
Aventura Major Michael Bentolila said that two groups of people got into a fight outside of a Hugo Boss store. One person brandished a weapon, which spurred someone in the other group to pull out a gun and start firing.
Multiple agencies are currently looking for the shooter, who fled the mall, Bentolila said.
Authorities started responding to the mall at 3:39 p.m. At least three people were transported to a local hospital and one of them is currently in the trauma center, according to Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.
Source: Florida mall shooting leaves multiple people injured after fight breaks out | Fox News
BETHEL PARK, Pa. (KDKA) – The Bethel Park Police Department alerted residents about two burglaries, and those who live near the burglarized homes were shocked.
Police said someone broke into the homes on Old Ox and Cambridge roads between 3 and 5 a.m. on Friday. Police said the person broke in through the back doors. Neighbors who live on those streets say this is very unusual for their safe neighborhood.
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“Really kind of shocked. All these years I’ve lived here, I’ve never heard of an incident like this and it’s very concerning,” said Laura Shaheen.
Bethel Park Chief of Police Timothy O’Connor provided some information about the burglaries. He said someone took items from the house on Old Ox Road and attempted to steal from the residence on Cambridge Road.
“It’s a quiet street and we’ve never had anything like this happen on Old Ox before,” said Tom Page.
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Police hope someone has security camera footage.
“I spoke to the police, and we have a Ring camera. But we don’t have it activated to record. So that may be something we change to be a little more proactive,” said Page.
Neighbors are staying alert as police continue to investigate.
“We’ll keep our eyes open for anything else that may go on,” said Page.
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If you have any information or security camera footage that can help the investigation, reach out to Bethel Park police. You can email crimewatch@bethelpark.net.
Source: Bethel Park Residents On High Alert After 2 Home Break-Ins – CBS Pittsburgh
By: KDKA-TV’s Bryan Shaw
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Some areas are waking to some rain and even some mix in the higher elevations.
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Things will dry out, but temperatures will stay chilly in the lower 50’s.
(Photo Credit: KDKA Weather Center)
It’s going to be cold on Saturday night, with temperatures in the 30s.
READ MORE:Lane Restrictions, Detour In Effect For The Weekend On I-376 In Moon Township
Mother’s Day on Sunday will be soaked. Expect steady rain most of the day.
Temperatures on Sunday will be chilly too, with most of the day in the 40’s.
It starts to get a little warmer through the week, but stays below average (70).
Temperatures will be in the mid-to-upper 50’s by Monday and Tuesday, then up into the 60’s Wednesday through Friday.
(Photo Credit: KDKA Weather Center)
Source: Pittsburgh Weather: Dropping Temperatures, Rain Chances – CBS Pittsburgh
PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Police tell Channel 11, an 11-year-old boy was shot in the abdomen after a stray bullet hit him.
The shooting happened just before 6 p.m. on Anaheim Street.
According to officers, the child was injured after getting caught in the crossfire and rushed to an area hospital by a family member.
The child is in stable condition.
The investigation is ongoing, no arrests have been made.
Source: 11-year-old shot in Pittsburgh’s Upper Hill District, caught between gunfire – WPXI
Hiring slowed dramatically in April, with nonfarm payrolls increasing by a much less than expected 266,000 and the unemployment rate rising to 6.1%.
Source: Weak jobs report shows need for massive jobs and families bills: Biden
The family of Ashli Babbitt, who was fatally shot while participating in the Jan. 6 invasion of the U.S. Capitol, plans to sue the police department and the officer who fired the gun for at least $10 million.
News of the forthcoming lawsuit, first reported by Newsweek, came more than two weeks after the Justice Department said it would not file criminal charges against the officer who killed Babbitt.
Terrell Roberts, an attorney for the Babbitt family, told CNBC on Thursday that it had not been determined when, or in which court, the civil lawsuit against the U.S. Capitol Police would be filed.
Source: Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt’s family to seek $10 million from USCP in lawsuit
Debris from a Chinese rocket is expected to fall back to Earth in an uncontrolled re-entry this weekend.
It is not clear where and when exactly the rocket parts will crash on the surface.
The Long March 5B rocket was launched in late April to carry the first module of China’s future space station into orbit.
The body of the rocket is currently circling Earth, about to enter the lower atmosphere.
The US on Thursday said it was watching the path of the object but currently had no plans to shoot it down.
“We’re hopeful that it will land in a place where it won’t harm anyone,” US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said. “Hopefully in the ocean, or someplace like that.”
He also indirectly criticised China, saying there was a need to “make sure that we take those kinds of things into consideration as we plan and conduct operations”.
Chinese state media has over the past days played down fears the rocket might crash on inhabited land, suggesting it will fall somewhere in international waters.
The Global Times quoted aerospace expert Song Zhongping who added that China’s space monitoring network would keep a close watch and take necessary measures should damage occur.
What will happen to the rocket?
The rocket is currently in a low orbit, which means it circles around the Earth but is still gradually pulled down.
“Drag will slow the object causing loss of altitude, bringing it down into denser atmosphere, which in turn causes more drag and further loss of velocity and altitude,” Jason Herrin of the Earth Observatory Singapore, told the BBC.
“Once this process starts, the object will be locked into an irreversible downward journey,” he explains.
The rocket is expected to largely burn up as the atmosphere gets more and more dense at about 60km altitude from the surface. The parts that don’t burn up completely will remain and fall to Earth.
If all this happens uncontrolled, the place where the rocket burns up and where the debris will fall can be neither controlled nor accurately predicted.
A previous launch of another Long March 5B in 2020 also saw the body re-enter in an uncontrolled way, with some debris crashing in a rural part of Ivory Coast
Source: Chinese rocket debris expected to crash on to Earth this weekend – BBC News
MURRYSVILLE, Pa. —
One person was taken to the hospital after fire was reported inside of a home in Murrysville, Westmoreland County.
The fire was reported a little after 8 p.m. Thursday at a house on Foxwood Court.
The condition of the person taken to the hospital has not been released.
As of early Friday morning, there was no word on the cause of the fire.
Source: 1 person taken to the hospital after fire breaks out in Westmoreland County home
LONDON—The U.K. sent two Royal Navy vessels to patrol water around the island of Jersey after French trawlers gathered there to protest restrictions on their fishing rights, a new sign of the tensions created by Britain’s split with the European Union.
A flotilla of around 60 French fishing boats waited outside the entrance to the port of St. Helier, 14 miles off the coast of France, on Thursday morning. They fired flares and unfurled banners before later sailing off. The Royal Navy ships also subsequently departed, the British government said.
The spat centers on French fishermen’s rights to access waters around the island.
After Brexit, new terms were imposed by the government of Jersey—a self-governing British crown territory that relies on the U.K. for defense and international affairs—requiring fishermen to prove they had previously fished in island waters to get a permit to continue doing so.
Source: U.K. Navy Ships Sent to Island of Jersey in Standoff With French Fishermen – WSJ
An Allegheny County couple faces a slew of assault charges for forcing their children to sleep in locked basement rooms, physically abusing them and handcuffing them, according to police.
Richard Hayes, 37, of Mt. Oliver Borough, and his girlfriend, 26-year-old Natosha Bell, of Rankin, both face more than a dozen charges related to accusations of child abuse made by the three children they have between them.
Hayes and Bell both face 14 charges, including aggravated assault, unlawful restraint of a minor, false imprisonment of a minor, child endangerment and simple assault. Hayes is also charged with possessing a weapon on school property.
A judge on Thursday denied bail for Hayes, calling him a danger to the three children. Court dockets did not immediately indicate the status of Bell’s bail.
Source: Couple charged with handcuffing children, locking them in basement of Mt. Oliver home | TribLIVE.com
The U.S. Department of Justice says it is concerned about ballot security and potential voter intimidation arising from the Republican-controlled Arizona Senate’s unprecedented private recount of the 2020 presidential election results in Maricopa County.
PHOENIX — The U.S. Department of Justice says it is concerned about ballot security and potential voter intimidation arising from the Republican-controlled Arizona Senate’s unprecedented private recount of the 2020 presidential election results in Maricopa County.
The DOJ Civil Rights Division has sent a letter to Senator Karen Fann raising its concerns about the audit.
The letter points to “procedures used for this audit.” It specifically mentions two items that raise “potential noncompliance with federal laws enforced by the Department.”
Source: DOJ expresses concerns over audit of Maricopa County election through letter
According to attorney Sidney Powell, the Democrat Party and its corporate allies are turning America into a centralized country.
“We are living under a Communist totalitarian regime…propaganda, not free press for the most part,” she stated. “And the globalists and the Uni-Party and the cabal…definitely this country.”
Powell asserted that Democrats stole last year’s elections with the help of establishment Republicans, the media as well as China and Iran. She said they were determined to get President Trump out of office no matter what it took, even if it meant perpetuating so-called “Russian collusion” allegations for four years.
However, the radical left is now changing their tune and doing whatever it takes to shut down controversy over the 2020 election results. Powell stressed that despite Democrat attempts to derail the American audit, she expects hundreds-of-thousands of fake Biden ballots to be exposed in Arizona and 400,000 in Georgia.
Powell added, if the electronic voting machine companies are truly honest, she would expect them to be more transparent. She suggested they could have been more open to inspections the day after the election to make sure their data was correct. Under federal law, all voting data must be protected for 22 months after the election. Powell noted, the U.S. is supposed to have the most transparent voting systems in the world.
The attorney warned if Americans do not trust that their votes are properly counted, we no longer have a republic or a rule of law. She added, the fight for election integrity is the most important challenge facing America today.
Like his predecessors, President Biden issued a proclamation on the National Day of Prayer this week, but one word was missing.
Both former presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump mentioned “God” in their National Day of Prayer proclamations, but Biden’s proclamation never mentions God, only Americans’ “many religions and belief systems” and the “power of prayer.”
Source: ‘God’ left out of Biden’s National Day of Prayer proclamation | Fox News
Porto Alegre, Brazil (CNN)Twenty-five people, including one police officer, were killed in a police anti-drug raid in a slum on Thursday in Rio de Janeiro, according to state police, despite a Supreme Court order banning such operations other than in “absolutely exceptional” circumstances during the pandemic.
Human rights groups and academic researchers say the widely criticized raid in the Jacarezinho favela was among the deadliest operations in the history of Rio de Janeiro, a state of 17 million that in 2020 alone tallied 1,239 people killed by the police, according to the state government’s Institute for Public Security (ISP.)In a press conference late Thursday, a spokesman for the Rio de Janeiro Civil Police said the purpose of the operation was to prevent drug traffickers from forcing minors to join gangs. “We went to that community to guarantee the rights of that population that lives under the dictatorship of drug trafficking,” Felipe Curi, director of the General Department of Specialized Police said.According to the Civil Police, 200 officers took part in the operation authorities said followed months of investigation and aimed to prevent drug traffickers from forcing minors to join gangs. The raid led to the arrest of six people and the seizure of 20 guns, in addition to what the police called “abundant amounts of drugs.”
Source: Brazil drug raid: 25 killed in Rio de Janeiro favela – CNN
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — FBI agents negotiated for more than eight hours Thursday with a suspect who held five bank employees hostage in St. Cloud.
In a press conference held just before midnight Thursday, St. Cloud Police Chief Blair Anderson said a 911 call came in at about 1:48 p.m. from the branch manager of the Wells Fargo at 200 33rd Avenue South. The manager said they were concerned for the safety of customers and employees due to the presence of a “disgruntled” man who was upset about a previous transaction.
While officers were en route, police were notified that a panic alarm was triggered at the bank. All customers fled the building, leaving five employees there with the suspect, identified by Chief Anderson as 35-year-old Ray Reco McNeary.
Agents walk Ray Reco McNeary out of the bank (credit: CBS)
When police arrived, McNeary asked for the FBI to be called in. An FBI tactical team and a crisis negotiation team came to the scene, and were in open communication for hours with McNeary.
The first hostage was released just before 6:30 p.m. Right after she exited, McNeary was seen throwing a wad of cash out onto the sidewalk.
At about 7:45 p.m., a second hostage was released.
A third hostage left the building just after 7:50 p.m.
A fourth hostage was escorted away just after 8 p.m.
Chief Anderson said some of the five hostages made a run for the door to escape, including the fifth and final hostage, who can be seen rolling out of the front door right as St. Cloud police and FBI tactical teams moved in to storm the building. McNeary was then arrested without incident.
Anderson said it’s not clear if McNeary had a weapon, and investigators were still searching the building. He also said McNeary has “an extensive criminal” history that goes back about a decade, and he was actually due in court Thursday in connection to a violent offense.
Stearns County Attorney Janelle Kendall said during Thursday night’s press conference that her office was actively talking with the U.S. Attorney’s Office about which agency will file charges against McNeary, which are expected to include bank robbery and kidnapping.
Hundreds of people gathered across the street from the bank for hours to watch the events unfold, cheering each time a hostage left the building.
At one point during the evening, McNeary used one of the hostage’s phones and their Facebook account to post a brief livestreamed video, where two hostages are seen calmly seated as FBI agents stand outside a drive-through teller window.
Police say no hostages or members of law enforcement were hurt in the ordeal.
More On WCCO.com:
HARRISBURG (KDKA) – We’re two weeks until Pennsylvania’s primary election day, but for some voters, it’s like a general election with residents choosing a new state representative.
That’s what will happen in part of Westmoreland County. When Pennsylvania Rep. Mike Reese died suddenly at age 42, it left an unexpected vacancy that voters will fill on May 18. Chosen by their party leaders, three candidates are on the ballot.
For a group of Pittsburgh women, their spring vacation to Florida was wonderful, until they stepped onto a Southwest Airlines plane to return home to Pennsylvania.
Southwest Airlines provided the following statement to Channel 11:
“While we regret any inconvenience this Customer experienced, federal law requires each person, 2 years of age and older, to wear a mask over the mouth and nose at all times to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Our reports indicate this Customer was not wearing a mask properly on multiple occasions while onboard the aircraft and in the presence of other Customers and Crew.
Southwest communicates the federal mask mandate via multiple touchpoints, including: during booking; in a pre-trip emails sent prior to departure; and during a required acknowledgement that is part of the Customer Health Declaration Form which appears during the check-in process on the Southwest app, Southwest.com, Southwest’s mobile website, and airport kiosks.
As a gesture of goodwill, Southwest rebooked the Customer on a different flight to allow the individual more time to comply with the federal mask mandate. You can read more about the face covering requirements by visiting our website.
We appreciate the spirit of compliance to the federal mask mandate, and the ongoing cooperation among our Customers and Employees, as we work collectively to support the wellbeing of all who travel with us during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.”
44% of older millennials have at least one chronic health condition. That not only affects their health, but also their bank accounts.
Source: 44% of older millennials have a chronic health condition
(CNN)Garrett Rolfe, the former Atlanta police officer charged in the fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks in a Wendy’s parking lot, was wrongly terminated, the Atlanta Civil Service Board has ruled.
“We are very excited that the Civil Board says that due process matters,” Lance LoRusso, attorney for Garrett Rolfe, told CNN in a statement. He added that Rolfe’s reinstatement will likely take some time, but he intended to get his client back to work.
It is the biggest annual decrease in almost half a century — suggesting the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated an existing trend.
Source: U.S. birthrate falls amid coronavirus pandemic – The Washington Post
Police have arrested a 54-year-old man suspected of stabbing two Asian women on a busy San Francisco street Tuesday evening.
It happened just a few blocks away from the city’s landmark Union Square shopping district just before 5 p.m., authorities told FOX 2 of the Bay Area.Both victims were rushed to a hospital. Their conditions were not immediately disclosed.
Source: 2 Asian women stabbed on San Francisco street, suspect arrested, police say | Fox News
