Tuscon news

• Correction: Virus Outbreak-Georgia story

  17-07-2020 23:59
  
  ATLANTA (AP) — In a story July 16, 2020, about legal disputes over mask-wearing in Georgia, The Associated Press erroneously described the name and title of the leader of the Georgia Restaurant Association. She is CEO Karen Bremer, not executive director Kelly Bremer.The post Correction: Virus Outbreak-Georgia story appeared first on KVOA.
  
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• Prosecutor who convicted Jodi Arias agrees to disbarment

  17-07-2020 23:58
  
  PHOENIX (AP) — The former Arizona prosecutor known for winning a conviction in the Jodi Arias murder case has agreed to be disbarred in an ethics case in which he was accused of leaking the identity of an Arias juror and sexually harassing female law clerks in his office. Juan Martinez agreed on Friday to give up his license to practice law. That ends an ethics case that was scheduled to go to trial in November. Even though he still disputes the allegations, Martinez said he no longer has
  
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• Democrats say White House blocking CDC head from testifying

  17-07-2020 23:53
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats are criticizing the White House for blocking the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from testifying at a public hearing on safely reopening the nation’s schools. Democrats said they invited CDC Director Robert Redfield to testify next Thursday, but the White House rebuffed them. Virginia Rep. Bobby Scott called it alarming that the Trump administration would prevent CDC officials from appearing before the committee “at a tim
  
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• Tennessee governor delays scheduled execution due to virus

  17-07-2020 23:50
  
  NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Republican Gov. Bill Lee has issued a temporary reprieve to a Tennessee death row inmate who had been scheduled to be executed later this year. Lee said Friday that he was offering Harold Wayne Nichols a temporary reprieve until the end of the year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The governor, who has previously declined to halt executions during his first-term in office, offered no other explanation for his decision. The 59-year-old Nichols had been scheduled to die
  
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• Border agency fires 4, suspends 38 for social media posts

  17-07-2020 23:50
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Border Patrol’s parent agency has fired four employees and suspended 38 without pay for inappropriate social media activity. The announcement comes one year after revelations of a secret Facebook group that mocked members of Congress and migrants. Customs and Border Protection said another 33 employees were disciplined with reprimands or counseling. Of 138 cases investigated, 63 were found unsubstantiated. Posts questioned the authenticity of images of a migrant
  
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• Former Jodi Arias prosecutor Juan Martinez agrees to be disbarred, ending Arizona ethics case.

  17-07-2020 23:43
  
  PHOENIX (AP) — Former Jodi Arias prosecutor Juan Martinez agrees to be disbarred, ending Arizona ethics case.The post Former Jodi Arias prosecutor Juan Martinez agrees to be disbarred, ending Arizona ethics case. appeared first on KVOA.
  
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• Charges: Partner fired shot that killed suburban officer

  17-07-2020 23:33
  
  SEATTLE (AP) — Charging documents filed in the fatal shooting of a suburban Seattle police officer say it was the officer’s partner, not the suspect, who fired the deadly shot. Prosecutors charged Henry Eugene Washington on Friday with aggravated first-degree murder in the death of Bothell officer Jonathan Shoop, saying that but for his actions, Shoop would still be alive. They said that Washington began firing into the patrol car after he was pulled over Monday night. Shoop and his
  
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• Dollar General workers lock in man wanted in killing

  17-07-2020 23:29
  
  LAKE CHARLES, La. (AP) — Workers at a Dollar General store in Louisiana recognized a man accused of killing two teenagers and kidnapping a third — and locked him in after escorting customers out. News agencies report 51-year-old Neil Broussard of Lake Charles surrendered Thursday at the store in Beauregard Parish. A judge in neighboring Calcasieu Parish set his bond at $4 million. He’s accused of killing a 17-year-old girl and an 18-year-old boy, wounding the girl’s mothe
  
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• Pence casts Biden as socialist bent on ruining America

  17-07-2020 23:28
  
  MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence is stepping up attacks on Joe Biden, casting the election in under four months as a choice “between freedom and opportunity and socialism and decline.” Pence made the aggressive attack on Biden at a speech Friday in Ripon, Wisconsin, birthplace of the Republican Party. Pence is drawing sharp contrasts between President Donald Trump’s vision for the country and that of Biden and Democrats. Pence says the election will determin
  
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• EU tells US: Stop threatening our companies with sanctions

  17-07-2020 23:25
  
  BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union is warning the Trump administration to hold off threatening trade sanctions against EU companies involved in the completion of new German-Russian and Turkish-Russian natural gas pipelines and instead discuss differences as allies. This week the Trump administration warned companies involved in the projects they will be subject to U.S. penalties unless they halt their work. The move further increased tension in already fraught U.S.-European ties. The EU sa
  
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• MLB’s testing sweep brings some success but optics are issue

  17-07-2020 23:24
  
  PHOENIX (AP) — Major League Baseball’s COVID-19 testing sweep appears to be having some success even as large swaths of the United State continue to struggle with containing the fast-spreading virus. MLB and the players’ union released statistics on Friday saying six of 10,548 samples were new positives in the week ending Thursday, a rate of 0.05%. That’s good news for a sport that’s trying to begin its 60-game season next week. In other news, Pirates outfielder Gre
  
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• Court backs Trump expansion of cheap health insurance plans

  17-07-2020 23:22
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — A divided federal appeals court has upheld the Trump administration’s expansion of cheaper short-term health insurance plans as an alternative to the Affordable Care Act’s costlier comprehensive insurance. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said in a 2-1 decision on Friday that the administration had the legal authority to increase the duration of the health plans from three to 12 months, with the option of renewing them for 36 mont
  
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• Reality shows shortfalls of Trump’s claim to ‘best testing’

  17-07-2020 23:19
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Snapshots from around the U.S. are revealing shortfalls in what President Donald Trump describes as the “best testing in the world.” In Pittsburgh, adults who are afraid they’ve been exposed to the coronavirus are being asked to skip testing if they can quarantine at home for 14 days. Hawaii will wait another month to lift a two-week quarantine on visitors because of test supply shortages and delays in results. In Sun Belt states where the virus is surgi
  
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• Hospitals Are Suddenly Short of Young Doctors — Because of Trump’s Visa Ban

  17-07-2020 23:00
  
  ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power.…
  
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• Republicans eye sweeping shield from coronavirus liability

  17-07-2020 22:58
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — A new plan from Senate Republicans to award businesses, schools, and universities sweeping exemptions from lawsuits arising from inadequate coronavirus safeguards is putting Republicans and Democrats at loggerheads. The liability proposal promises to shield employers that negligently expose customers and workers to the coronavirus, limiting their legal exposure. That’s according to a draft of the plan obtained by The Associated Press. Supporters say the proposal pro
  
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• State and local officials tussle over virus restrictions

  17-07-2020 22:55
  
  Across the U.S., state and local officials are trying to balance the competing priorities of protecting their citizens from the coronavirus while keeping the economy running. Add into the mix strong feelings about individual freedom, weak and sometimes contradictory guidance from the federal government, and a highly partisan political atmosphere, and that balancing act suddenly becomes a wrestling match. In Georgia, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp is suing the Democratic mayor of Atlanta over its fac
  
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• Woman aids white supremacist with jail escape; pleads guilty

  17-07-2020 22:52
  
  LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — An Arkansas woman pleaded guilty to helping her boyfriend, the leader of a white supremacist gang, and another inmate escape from Jefferson County jail. According to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Kennan Gililland pleaded guilty to two counts of aiding and abetting escape, admitting she helped Wesley Gullet and Christopher Sanderson escape on July 29, 2019, by picking them up and driving them 130 miles away from the jail. Jail staff didn’t realize both inmate
  
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• Iowa meth kingpin is 3rd executed by US government this week

  17-07-2020 22:43
  
  TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) — The U.S. government has put to death an Iowa chemistry student-turned-meth kingpin convicted of killing two children and three adults. It is the third execution by the federal government in one week after a hiatus of nearly 20 years. Dustin Honken, who prosecutors said killed key witnesses to stop them from testifying in his drugs case, received a lethal injection at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana. Two others were also put to death this we
  
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• Sharkk Heartt debuts 'More Than This'

  17-07-2020 22:41
  
  As 2020 continues its downward trajectory both in Arizona and the rest of the world, Tucson musician Lara Ruggles - or Sharkk Heartt - debuts an empowering track about standing strong. "More Than This," released today, is the culmination of years of artistic development under the Sharkk Heartt moniker.…
  
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• Millions of kids told full return to school in fall unlikely

  17-07-2020 22:41
  
  FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Millions more children in the U.S. are learning that they’re unlikely to return to classrooms full time in the fall due to the coronavirus pandemic. Officials were laying out new details Friday of what lies ahead after summer vacation. The announcements came as many states in the Sunbelt and elsewhere struggle to cope with a surge in the number of COVID-19 cases. California Gov. Gavin Newsom laid out strict criteria for school reopenings that makes classr
  
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• U.S. government executes drug kingpin convicted of killing 5; 3rd federal execution this week

  17-07-2020 22:40
  
  TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP) — U.S. government executes drug kingpin convicted of killing 5; 3rd federal execution this week.The post U.S. government executes drug kingpin convicted of killing 5; 3rd federal execution this week appeared first on KVOA.
  
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• NYC cleared to open zoos, play ball under reopen plan

  17-07-2020 22:39
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — New York City has been cleared to take the next step in reopening next week. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the city can begin a limited version of the fourth phase of the statewide reopening process starting Monday. The city’s version would allow movie and TV crews to film, zoos to welcome reduced crowds, and professional sports teams play to empty seats. But malls, museums and restaurant dining rooms would stay shuttered in the nation’s biggest city.   The p
  
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• Arbery slaying defendant facing separate state investigation

  17-07-2020 22:37
  
  ATLANTA (AP) — A judge has denied bond to one of three white men charged with murder in the slaying of Ahmaud Arbery. Judge Timothy Walmsley said Friday that there is a risk William “Roddie” Bryan Jr. may flee if released while awaiting trial. His decision came after a prosecutor said Bryan was facing a separate state investigation into possible sex crimes. Bryan’s attorney, Kevin Gough, had argued prosecutors had no case against Bryan and he did not pose a flight risk or
  
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• Rabbi: Cannon ‘genuinely concerned’ after apology, meeting

  17-07-2020 22:33
  
  A prominent rabbi who met with Nick Cannon says the television producer is “genuinely concerned about the hurt” he caused with his recent anti-Semitic remarks on a podcast. Abraham Cooper, the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s associate dean, met with Cannon on Thursday. Cooper says he’s confident Cannon will now use his influence to talk openly about mistakes and work with him to reject messages of hate. ViacomCBS cut ties with Cannon this in response to his comments. Cannon has
  
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• Mnuchin urges swift aid bill; ex-Fed chairs want bigger deal

  17-07-2020 22:25
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin urged Congress to quickly enact a new pandemic relief package targeting hardest-hit swaths of the economy, as lawmakers race to stand up federal aid in the face of the latest spike in coronavirus cases across much of the Sun Belt and persistent severe unemployment.  Deadlines loom as the $600 weekly federal benefits now received by tens of millions of unemployed workers are set to expire July 31. Former Federal Reserve Chairs Ben Ber
  
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• Spokeswoman for Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan says he’s “done nothing criminal or improper,” will cooperate

  17-07-2020 22:22
  
  CHICAGO (AP) — Spokeswoman for Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan says he’s “done nothing criminal or improper,” will cooperate.The post Spokeswoman for Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan says he’s “done nothing criminal or improper,” will cooperate appeared first on KVOA.
  
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• Trump tax ruling a new front in defamation suits against him

  17-07-2020 22:13
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — When the Supreme Court decided that the presidency isn’t a shield against a New York prosecutor’s criminal investigation, the justices didn’t say whether the same goes for civil suits against the president in state courts. That has quickly become a question in two closely watched New York defamation lawsuits filed by women who say President Donald Trump smeared them while denying their sexual assault allegations. Lawyers for the women are now trying to per
  
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• Stocks end higher; S&P 500 gets its 3rd weekly gain in a row

  17-07-2020 22:09
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street ended another wobbly day broadly higher, giving the S&P 500 its third straight weekly gain. The benchmark index rose 0.3% after flipping between small gains and losses earlier. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell slightly and the Nasdaq rose. Trading was muted across markets, with stocks overseas, oil and gold making relatively modest moves. Slightly more stocks rose in the S&P 500 than fell, including BlackRock and other several other companies that r
  
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• Felony charge against Breonna Taylor protesters dropped

  17-07-2020 22:08
  
  LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A prosecutor is dropping a felony charge against dozens of protesters who gathered at the Kentucky Attorney General’s home to demand justice in Breonna Taylor’s death. The group of protesters included civil rights leaders, a reality TV star and a professional football player. Attorney General Daniel Cameron’s office is heading an investigation into the fatal shooting of Taylor by police who were conducting a no-knock warrant. Jefferson County Attorn
  
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• News organizations object to gag order in George Floyd case

  17-07-2020 22:07
  
  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A coalition of news organizations has asked a Minnesota judge to scale back the gag order he imposed in the case of four former Minneapolis police officers charged in the death of George Floyd. Attorneys for the Media Coalition say the gag order is overly broad and restricts many individuals not directly involved in the case _ not just defense layers and prosecutors. Defense attorneys have also objected to the gag order. The judge will hold a hearing Tuesday on the gag o
  
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• Ole Miss leader sorry for handling of Confederate statue

  17-07-2020 22:03
  
  JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The University of Mississippi chancellor has apologized for how he handled the relocation of a Confederate monument that has been a divisive symbol on the Oxford campus. Critics have said they feared the university was creating a shrine to Old South. Workers moved the rebel soldier statue from a prominent spot. It went to a Civil War cemetery in a remote part of the campus. Chancellor Glen Boyce said Friday that he apologizes to students and faculty who had concerns a
  
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• Improperly disposed of PPE raises environmental concerns

  17-07-2020 22:00
  
  PHOENIX – Strewn across parking lots, in rivers and washing up on beaches, disposable face masks, gloves and other personal protection equipment are turning up everywhere except where they should be – in the landfill.With the production and use of PPE surging during the COVID-19 pandemic, many experts are worried this new type of pollution, which is in the early stages of study, could have an array of lasting environmental impacts.One researcher who is developing a way to track such
  
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• Arbery slaying defendant facing separate investigation

  17-07-2020 22:00
  
  ATLANTA (AP) — A judge has denied bond to one of three white men charged with murder in the slaying of Ahmaud Arbery. Judge Timothy Walmsley said Friday that there is a risk William “Roddie” Bryan Jr. may flee if released while awaiting trial. His decision came after a prosecutor said Bryan was facing a separate state investigation into possible sex crimes. Bryan’s attorney, Kevin Gough, had argued prosecutors had no case against Bryan and he did not pose a flight risk or
  
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• Tucson firefighters helped celebrate boy’s birthday amid coronavirus pandemic

  17-07-2020 21:51
  
  Tucson Fire DepartmentTFD celebrate Roman's, 3, birthday.TUCSON (KVOA) - Tucson Fire Department crews helped make a boy's birthday more special.
  Due to COVID-19, Roman, who loves fire trucks, could not visit the fire station.
  The 3-year-old has leukemia so he had to celebrate his special day at home.
  Crews from Station 1 decided to take the fire station to him.Happy Birthday Roman! Crews from Station 1 helped Roman celebrate his 3rd birthday this week-this brave boy has leukemia, and loves fire
  
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• Jay-Z, other celebs ask feds to probe student’s 2010 killing

  17-07-2020 21:51
  
  Rihanna, Jay-Z, Charlize Theron and other celebrities are calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the 2010 killing of a 20-year-old Black college student from Massachusetts by a white police officer in New York. In a letter sent this week to Attorney General William Barr, the celebrities say Danroy “DJ” Henry Jr. “lost his life for no good reason and with absolutely no good explanation.” Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York announced i
  
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• Chicago plan would have kids in classrooms 2 days per week

  17-07-2020 21:49
  
  CHICAGO (AP) — Most Chicago children would return to the classroom two days a week and spend the other three days learning remotely once the school year begins under a tentative plan outlined by officials from the nation’s third-largest school district. Chicago Public Schools officials on Friday called their proposed hybrid approach a preliminary framework, and asked parents, students and staff to weigh in. A final decision about in-person instruction won’t come until late Augu
  
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• DA: No basis for charges against cop who put knee on head

  17-07-2020 21:44
  
  ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania prosecutor has determined that a police officer was justified when he pressed his knee into a man’s head while restraining him outside a hospital. District Attorney Jim Martin released his findings on Friday. He says Allentown police used reasonable force to restrain the man, who was agitated, obviously intoxicated and posing a danger to himself and others. The July 11 incident was caught on video and generated allegations of police brutality.The
  
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• Wall Street ticks up; S&P 500 on track for 3rd weekly gain

  17-07-2020 21:35
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is drifting higher, and the S&P 500 is closing in on a third straight weekly gain. The benchmark index was up 0.4% in the last hour of Friday’s trading, after earlier flipping between small gains and losses. Trading was muted across markets, with stocks overseas, oil and gold making relatively modest moves. Slightly more stocks rose in the S&P 500 than fell, including BlackRock and other several other companies that reported better-than-expected ea
  
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• How does COVID-19 affect kids? Science has answers and gaps

  17-07-2020 21:32
  
  Evidence behind what role children play in the coronavirus pandemic and how it affects them is inconclusive, despite the Trump administration’s position that the science is clear. Several studies suggest but don’t prove that children are less likely to become infected and more likely to have only mild symptoms. Many kids have no symptoms, and it’s unclear how easily they can spread the virus to others. More than 200,000 U.S. kids have tested positive for the virus and 228 have
  
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• Robert Durst murder trial may not resume until April

  17-07-2020 21:31
  
  LOS ANGELES (AP) — The murder trial of real estate heir Robert Durst won’t resume in late July as planned, and may stay on hold until April. The case was put on pause four months ago because of the coronavirus pandemic. At a hearing Friday on the resumption of the case, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mark Windham said he would tell jurors they would not need to return until April 12. The judge is also considering a bench trial where he and not a jury would decide Durst’s guil
  
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• Investigation continues after stickers pushing White supremacy were spotted on UArizona campus

  17-07-2020 21:25
  
  University of Arizona Police Department Stickers pushing White supremacy were spotted on the University of Arizona campus on June 30, 2020.TUCSON (KVOA) - The University of Arizona Police Department says they are actively investigating the racist stickers spotted on campus in late June.
  The stickers promoting White supremacy and violence towards the Black community were located near Second Street and Park Avenue, officials say.
  Earlier this month, UAPD said officers found three stickers that di
  
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• California governor outlines strict guidelines for schools

  17-07-2020 21:20
  
  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom laid out strict criteria  for school reopenings that makes it unlikely the vast majority of districts will have classroom instruction in the fall as the coronavirus pandemic surges. The rules announced Friday include a mandate that students above 2nd grade and all staff wear masks in school. Newsom’s new guidance mandates that public schools in California counties that are on a monitoring list for rising coronavirus infections ca
  
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• The Latest: Chicago offers hybrid plan for return to school

  17-07-2020 21:16
  
  CHICAGO — Most Chicago children would return to the classroom two days a week and spend the other three days learning remotely once the school year begins, under a tentative plan outlined Friday.Chicago Public Schools officials called the hybrid approach a preliminary framework and asked parents, students and staff of nation’s third-largest school district to weigh in.A final decision about in-person instruction for fall classes won’t come until late August, with classes set to
  
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• Pence turns up heat on Biden with Wisconsin speech

  17-07-2020 21:12
  
  MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence is stepping up attacks on Joe Biden, casting the election in under four months as a choice “between freedom and opportunity and socialism and decline.” Pence made the aggressive attack on Biden at a speech Friday in Ripon, Wisconsin, birthplace of the Republican Party. Pence is drawing sharp contrasts between President Donald Trump’s vision for the country and that of Biden and Democrats. Pence says the election will determin
  
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• Bump stock manufacturer seeks Las Vegas shooter’s estate

  17-07-2020 21:10
  
  LAS VEGAS (AP) — The largest manufacturer of bump stocks, the firearm attachments used by the Las Vegas gunman in the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history, has filed a claim against the deceased gunman’s estate that could divert money expected to go to victims’ families. Slide Fire Solutions says in a court filing that it may be entitled to a portion of Stephen Paddock’s estimated $1 million estate, arguing that Paddock’s estate should share in any damages the
  
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• Biden: Science, not politics, should decide school reopening

  17-07-2020 21:09
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden has unveiled a plan to reopen schools in the era of coronavirus. He is seeking to establish federal safety guidelines that he says will be based on science, not on political pressure for the country to arbitrarily put the coronavirus behind it. He also says final decisions should ultimately be made by state and local officials. The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee’s proposal to resume classes comes as the White House argues that most parents are
  
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• California governor lays out strict criteria for school openings, making classroom instruction unlikely

  17-07-2020 21:08
  
  SACRAMENTO, Calif (AP) — California governor lays out strict criteria for school openings, making classroom instruction unlikely.The post California governor lays out strict criteria for school openings, making classroom instruction unlikely appeared first on KVOA.
  
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• Personal assistant charged in dismembered tech CEO’s killing

  17-07-2020 21:06
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — A personal assistant arrested Friday in the slaying of a 33-year-old tech entrepreneur who was found dismembered inside his luxury Manhattan condo was believed to have owed his boss a “significant amount of money,” police said. 21-year-old Tyrese Haspil, of Brooklyn, faces a murder charge in the death of Fahim Saleh. Saleh’s beheaded body was found Tuesday afternoon by a cousin who had gone to his apartment to check on him. Haspil had handled finances and
  
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• ‘They’re scared’: A look inside the COVID-19 crisis in Arizona prisons

  17-07-2020 21:00
  
  As COVID-19 began to spread across the Southwest in March, lawyers representing incarcerated Arizonans reported “unsanitary conditions,” “inadequate medical staffing and treatment” and a “failure to take strong and sensible precautionary measures” in state prisons.The combination left prisoners “highly vulnerable to outbreaks,” the attorneys wrote in a letter to the state before asking a federal judge to intervene.…
  
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• Pandemic becomes politically fraught for Florida governor

  17-07-2020 21:00
  
  TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The coronavirus pandemic is becoming politically fraught for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. One sign the governor is feeling the heat is the release of a two-minute video on social media that looks and sounds like a political campaign advertisement. In recent weeks, the governor’s leadership has come under fire, not just by Democrats but some members of his own party. Floridians are growing frustrated over job losses, the debate over whether to reopen schools and
  
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