Tuscon news

• Protesters burn masks at Idaho Capitol rally against rules

  06-03-2021 23:39
  
  BOISE, Idaho (AP) — At least a hundred people gathered at the front of the Idaho Capitol on Saturday to burn masks in a protest against measures taken to limit infections and deaths caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Anti-mask groups say mask mandates are a restriction of their freedoms. Health experts say they help slow the spread of the disease. Videos posted on social media showed adults encouraging children to toss masks into a fire. Republican Gov. Brad Little has never issued a stat
  
  Read more

• FBI denies asking Dallas to keep suspect officer on job

  06-03-2021 23:11
  
  DALLAS (AP) — The agent in charge of the Dallas FBI office says the agency did not ask Dallas police to keep on the job an officer being investigated for two slayings. Special Agent Michael DeSarno said Friday the FBI did not request that Officer Bryan Riser remain on duty. Former Dallas Police Chief U. Renee Hall, who left the department at the end of 2020, had said on Twitter that police, collaborating with the FBI, recommended not placing Riser on leave. Hall later posted that she shoul
  
  Read more

• Journalists’ group calls for release of reporters in Myanmar

  06-03-2021 23:10
  
  INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Society of Professional Journalists is calling on Myanmar to release Associated Press journalist Thein Zaw and five others who were detained while covering protests in the Southeast Asian nation. The nation’s oldest journalism organization said it is “frustrated” and “fed up” up with government agencies in the U.S. and worldwide targeting and arresting reporters for covering news. The group also called on U.S. law enforcement agencies t
  
  Read more

• Woman, friend charged with DUI after truck hits car in ditch

  06-03-2021 22:53
  
  NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A woman who drove her car into a ditch in Tennessee had a friend who was trying to help hit her car with his truck before both were charged with DUI. An affidavit states Nashville police officers responded to a car in a ditch on Thursday. A woman told officers she drove off the road while looking at her phone and admitted to drinking. Also at the scene was a friend who told officers he had come to help pull the car from the ditch but had hit it with his truck. Both
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• 50 people sue Wisconsin city over handling of protests

  06-03-2021 22:35
  
  WAUWATOSA, Wis. (AP) — Fifty people are suing a Wisconsin city over the way it handled protests last fall after authorities announced that a police officer would face no charges for the fatal shooting of a Black teenager. The Milwaukee County District Attorney had announced in October that Wauwatosa Police Officer Joseph Mensah would face no criminal charges in the February 2020 shooting death of 17-year-old Alvin Cole outside a mall. The lawsuit was filed Saturday against the city of Wauw
  
  Read more

• Veteran lefty Jose Alvarez, Giants reach $1.15M, 1-year deal

  06-03-2021 22:28
  
  SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Left-hander Jose Alvarez has signed a $1.15 million, one-year contract with the San Francisco Giants. The 31-year-old reliever will look to build off momentum he had with the Phillies last year, when he posted a 1.42 ERA over eight outings. He was hit by a line drive in the groin area Aug. 20 against Toronto and didn’t pitch for the rest of the season.The post Veteran lefty Jose Alvarez, Giants reach $1.15M, 1-year deal appeared first on KVOA.
  
  Read more

• Jantunen, Plummer each score 15, Utah cruises by Arizona St

  06-03-2021 22:28
  
  SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Mikael Jantunen and Alfonso Plummer each scored 15 points, Timmy Allen had 13 points, seven rebounds and eight assists, and Utah cruised past Arizona State 98-59. Utah held Arizona State to just one field goal in the opening six minutes of the second half as they built a 28-point lead. The Utes went on a 19-4 run over that stretch with seven points from Branden Carlson and six by Allen. Ian Martinez added 12 points and Carlson had 11 points and eight rebounds for Utah
  
  Read more

• Arizona to accept consular ID cards as valid identification

  06-03-2021 22:19
  
  PHOENIX (AP) — State officials in Arizona have reauthorized accepting consular identification cards as legal forms of identification. The Arizona Republic reported that Republican Gov. Doug Ducey signed the bill into law on Friday. The state Legislature previously outlawed the use of the cards as a valid form of identification in 2011. That law is now reversed. Ducey praised the bipartisan support of the bill, sponsored by Republican state Sen. Paul Boyer. The changes apply only to consula
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Arizonans in majority as Senate OKs COVID-19 relief bill

  06-03-2021 22:18
  
  PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Democrats Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly were both in the razor-thin majority Saturday as the U.S. Senate approved a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill. The 50-49 vote gives President Joe Biden and Democratic lawmakers a victory that they say is crucial for hoisting the country out of the pandemic and economic doldrums. Senate passage sets up final congressional action  by the House next week. Sinema called the legislation a “rescue plan that will save live
  
  Read more

• Police: Texas rapper dead in interstate shooting in Georgia

  06-03-2021 22:13
  
  ATLANTA (AP) — Authorities say a  shooting on Interstate 85 in suburban Atlanta has claimed the life of a rising Texas rap artist. It was one of two interstate shootings in the metro area within an hour early Friday. Police say rapper Corey Detiege, who performed under the stage name Chucky Trill, died at a hospital after Friday’s predawn shooting. Police in suburban Gwinnett County told WSB TV that someone pulled up beside Detiege’s car and opened fire around 3 a.m. Ditie
  
  Read more

• The Latest: Arizona lifts capacity limits; 19% vaccinated

  06-03-2021 22:05
  
  PHOENIX — One day after Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey lifted capacity restrictions at restaurants, gyms and other businesses, the state reported 1,735 confirmed coronavirus cases.Arizona doesn’t have a statewide mask mandate. With 54 more confirmed deaths on Saturday, the totals rose to 825,119 cases and 16,323 deaths.
  The number of coronavirus-related hospitalizations dipped below 1,000 for the first time in four months. On Friday, 966 COVID-19 patients occupied inpatient beds, down from
  
  Read more

• Near record high temperatures will continue through Monday

  06-03-2021 21:29
  
  TUCSON - High pressure and dry air have driven our temperatures into the upper 70's and 80's.
  Sunday's current record high temperature is 88 degrees set back in 1989. Right now we are projected to get close with a high of 86.Clouds moving in Monday will bring down our temps a bit, but we are still expecting at least the low 80's.
  A cold front will head our way Tuesday. No rain is expected. Wind speeds could reach 20 mph during the afternoon.That front will bring our temperatures back to the
  
  Read more

• New protests in Spain over the jailing of rapper’s backers

  06-03-2021 21:20
  
  BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Several hundred protesters are marching in Barcelona against a Spanish government crackdown following a violent outcry over the imprisonment of Pablo Hasél, an anti-establishment artist. The march took place Saturday amid heavy police presence through the Catalan regional capital. Protesters walked behind a banner that called for the release of Hasél and his jailed supporters. The rapper is serving nine months for inciting terrorism and for refusing to
  
  Read more

• Hundreds in Stockholm protest Sweden’s virus restrictions

  06-03-2021 21:07
  
  STOCKHOLM (AP) — Police in Sweden dispersed hundreds of people who had gathered in central Stockholm to protest coronavirus restrictions set by the Swedish government. Swedish authorities said Saturday’s demonstration was illegal as it was held without permission. Stockholm police said they decided to cut short the gathering just after it started when the number of participants exceeded limits allowed at public gatherings under Sweden’s pandemic laws. Video footage on Swedish m
  
  Read more

• Dolce&Gabbana seeks over $600M damages from 2 US bloggers

  06-03-2021 20:49
  
  MILAN (AP) — The Milan fashion house Dolce&Gabbana has filed a multimillion-dollar defamation lawsuit in an Italian court against U.S. fashion bloggers who reposted anti-Asian comments attributed to one of the designers that led to a boycott by Asian consumers.  The suit was filed in Milan civil court in 2019, but only became public this week when the bloggers posted about it on their Instagram profile, Diet Prada. The site is widely followed in the fashion world for its cutting c
  
  Read more

• State virus hospitalizations below 1,000 for 1st time in months

  06-03-2021 20:48
  
  PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona on Saturday reported 54 COVID-19 deaths and 1,735 additional confirmed cases as the number of coronavirus-related hospitalizations dipped below 1,000 for the first time in four months.
  With the latest figures, the state’s pandemic totals rose to 825,119 cases and 16,323 deaths. As of Friday, 966 COVID-19 patients occupied inpatient beds.
  That’s down from 1,043 as of Thursday and about a fifth of the Jan. 11 pandemic high of 5,082. However, Friday’s
  
  Read more

• The Latest: Senate OKs $1.9T COVID bill, nears final passage

  06-03-2021 20:30
  
  WASHINGTON — The Senate has passed a sweeping pandemic relief package over Republican opposition, moving closer to a milestone political victory for President Joe Biden.The $1.9 trillion bill approved Saturday carries direct payments of up to $1,400 for most Americans, extended emergency unemployment benefits and spending for COVID-19 vaccines and testing. It also provides billions to states and cities, schools and ailing industries.Democrats say their “American Rescue Plan” wi
  
  Read more

• US gives hope to previously denied asylum seekers in camp

  06-03-2021 20:11
  
  MEXICO CITY (AP) — In a camp at the U.S.-Mexico border, some asylum seekers were told by officials that the U.S. government would reopen their cases and they would eventually be able to enter the U.S. to wait out the asylum process. The new opening for people previously denied came as Mexican authorities worked to close the improvised camp along the banks of the Rio Grande that has housed thousands of asylum seekers over the more than two years it existed. Last month, the Biden administrat
  
  Read more

• State virus hospitalizations below 1K for 1st time in months

  06-03-2021 20:09
  
  PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona on Saturday reported 54 COVID-19 deaths and 1,735 additional confirmed cases as the number of coronavirus-related hospitalizations dipped below 1,000 for the first time in four months. With the latest figures, the state’s pandemic totals rose to 825,119 cases and 16,323 deaths. As of Friday, 966 COVID-19 patients occupied inpatient beds. That’s down from 1,043 as of Thursday and about a fifth of the Jan. 11 pandemic high of 5,082. However, Friday’s
  
  Read more

• Grammys to partner with Berklee, ASU for study on women

  06-03-2021 19:46
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — The Recording Academy is partnering with Berklee College of Music and Arizona State University to complete a study focused on women’s representation in the music industry. The academy, which puts on the Grammy Awards annually, said the lack of female creators in music is “one of the most urgent issues in the industry today.” The organization says the data it collects “will be utilized to develop and empower the next generation.” The Grammys hav
  
  Read more

• Cleveland rocker and radio star Michael Stanley dead at 72

  06-03-2021 19:31
  
  CLEVELAND (AP) — Cleveland rocker Michael Stanley has died at age 72 after battling lung cancer. Stanley’s family says in a statement he died Thursday in Cleveland, where he performed regularly and worked at rock radio station WNCX. The Cleveland legend released his first album while still in college and formed the Michael Stanley Band in 1974. The band reached the Top 40 in the early 1980s with the hits “He Can’t Love You” and “My Town.” After a brief p
  
  Read more

• 3 Alabama professors on leave over insensitive photos

  06-03-2021 19:27
  
  MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — Three professors at the University of South Alabama have been placed on leave after racially insensitive Halloween photos surfaced of them. USA President Tony Waldrop made the announcement Friday. An independent investigation into the incident will be conducted by attorney Suntrease Williams-Maynard, a former federal prosecutor. Multiple news agencies report the pictures were taken at an on-campus Halloween party in 2014. Then-Dean of the Mitchell College of Business an
  
  Read more

• Hundreds gather in illegal COVID-19 protest in Stockholm

  06-03-2021 19:25
  
  STOCKHOLM (AP) — Police in Sweden dispersed hundreds of people who had gathered in central Stockholm to protest coronavirus restrictions set by the Swedish government. Swedish authorities said Saturday’s demonstration was illegal as it was held without permission. Stockholm police said they decided to cut short the gathering just after it started when the number of participants exceeded limits allowed at public gatherings under Sweden’s pandemic laws. Video footage on Swedish m
  
  Read more

• The Latest: Ireland reaches half million vaccinations

  06-03-2021 19:02
  
  LONDON — Ireland has given out half a million coronavirus vaccinations about two months after the first inoculation.
  Prime Minister Micheal Martin says the health department announced the figure on Saturday. It includes both first and second doses and comes 63 days after the first shot was given to a Dublin senior citizen.
  “Good news,” Martin tweeted. “The vaccines are having a significant impact on mortality and serious illness.”
  Ireland has experienced a spike in
  
  Read more

• Daytona motorcycle rally goes on despite pandemic

  06-03-2021 18:46
  
  DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Despite the coronavirus pandemic, Daytona Beach’s annual Bike Week has brought tens of thousands of motorcyclists to the city and its neighbors this weekend — and few of them are wearing masks. The city made a bargain with its bars — 60% capacity indoors in return for the permits necessary for temporary outdoor sales and entertainment. The city is trying to avoid what happened at the Sturgis, South Dakota, motorcycle rally in August. That event
  
  Read more

• Pope, top Iraq Shiite cleric deliver message of coexistence

  06-03-2021 18:37
  
  PLAINS OF UR, Iraq (AP) — Pope Francis and Iraq’s top Shiite cleric have delivered a powerful message of peaceful coexistence, urging Muslims to embrace Iraq’s long-beleaguered Christian minority during a historic meeting. Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani said religious authorities have a role in protecting Iraq’s Christians, and that they should live in peace and enjoy the same rights as other Iraqis. The Vatican says Francis thanked al-Sistani for having “raised his
  
  Read more

• Appointments for UofA vaccination site officially open

  06-03-2021 18:36
  
  TUCSON (KVOA) - The Arizona Department of Health has announced that the vaccination site at the University of Arizona is now open for registration.
  Appointments for #COVID19 vaccination at the site at University of Arizona will open for registration at 9 a.m. today. Note: You can use https://t.co/PERNxiEwCX to make an appt. for someone else in a prioritized group, like an older family member pic.twitter.com/DVZxSzg5I5— AZ Dept of Health (@AZDHS) March 6, 2021
  You can sign up by going to po
  
  Read more

• Biden, Dems prevail as Senate OKs $1.9T virus relief bill

  06-03-2021 18:27
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — An exhausted Senate has narrowly approved a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill. The vote means that President Joe Biden and his Democratic allies have notched a victory that they say is crucial for hoisting the country out of the pandemic and its economic doldrums.
  Final passage came after the Senate voted all night on a mountain of amendments. Nearly all were from Republicans and were rejected. Senate passage sets up final congressional approval by the House next week so
  
  Read more

• Highlights of the $1.9T COVID bill nearing final passage

  06-03-2021 18:26
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has passed a sweeping pandemic relief package over Republican opposition, moving closer to a milestone political victory for President Joe Biden. The $1.9 trillion bill approved Saturday carries direct payments of up to $1,400 for most Americans, extended emergency unemployment benefits and spending for COVID-19 vaccines and testing. It also provides billions to states and cities, schools and ailing industries. Democrats say their “American Rescue Plan&rd
  
  Read more

• Biden, Democrats prevail as divided Senate approves $1.9T virus aid bill, House on track for final passage next week

  06-03-2021 18:24
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Biden, Democrats prevail as divided Senate approves $1.9T virus aid bill, House on track for final passage next week.The post Biden, Democrats prevail as divided Senate approves $1.9T virus aid bill, House on track for final passage next week appeared first on KVOA.
  
  Read more

• Amanda Gorman says she was racially profiled near her home

  06-03-2021 18:17
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Poet Amanda Gorman says a security guard racially profiled her while she was walking home Friday night. The 22-year-old captured hearts at President Joe Biden’s inauguration. She tweeted that the guard followed her home and demanded to know where she lives because she “looked suspicious.” A spokeswoman for Gorman didn’t immediately return an email Saturday seeking additional comment. Gorman lives in Los Angeles but didn’t specify where the enco
  
  Read more

• Pakistan security forces say 8 militants killed in raids

  06-03-2021 18:16
  
  MULTAN, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistani security forces say they have raided militant hideouts in two different operations in former Taliban strongholds in North Waziristan, killing eight Islamic militants. In a statement Saturday, the military says the two intelligence-based operations in Boya and Dosali areas killed three commanders of the Pakistani Taliban, in an exchange of fire with security forces. The military said the slain local Taliban commanders were involved in militant activities ag
  
  Read more

• The Latest: Irelands reaches half million vaccinations

  06-03-2021 18:15
  
  LONDON — Ireland has given out half a million coronavirus vaccinations about two months after the first inoculation.
  Prime Minister Micheal Martin says the health department announced the figure on Saturday. It includes both first and second doses and comes 63 days after the first shot was given to a Dublin senior citizen.
  “Good news,” Martin tweeted. “The vaccines are having a significant impact on mortality and serious illness.”
  Ireland has experienced a spike in
  
  Read more

• Arizona DPS: Trooper shoots driver of SUV that struck him

  06-03-2021 17:33
  
  PHOENIX (AP) — Authorities say an Arizona state trooper shot and wounded a woman who intentionally struck the trooper with her SUV while he chased another person on foot. The Department of Public Safety said the incident occurred early Saturday morning just off Interstate 17 after the trooper had attempted to stop a sedan traveling at over 100 mph. The DPS said the trooper was “in fear for his life” when he shot the SUV driver. The DPS said Phoenix police found the SUV and its
  
  Read more

• Courts wrestle with whether manslaughter is always violent

  06-03-2021 17:12
  
  NEW YORK (AP) — Once annually, sometimes less, the full federal appeals court in New York meets to confront a perplexing legal question. This year, it was to decide whether shooting somebody point-blank in the face and stabbing somebody to death are violent acts. On Tuesday, 14 judges of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan decided by a 9-to-5 vote that the killings were indeed crimes of violence. Their decision was necessary because Supreme Court precedent requires courts de
  
  Read more

• Planned Tucson zoo expansion into park stirs controversy

  06-03-2021 17:11
  
  TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Tucson’s mayor is calling for a pause to a long-planned multimillion-dollar expansion of the Reid Park Zoo due to controversy over how park space would be lost to accommodate new zoo facilities. Tucson voters approved funding for the project in 2017 and construction is poised to start this spring, but Mayor Regina Romero said it should be paused because there hasn’t been a resolution of residents’ concerns. Romero said the two main issues are the anti
  
  Read more

• As violence surges, some question Portland axing police unit

  06-03-2021 17:08
  
  PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Portland, Oregon, last year dissolved a special police unit designed to focus on gun violence during the national reckoning over racial injustice. Critics say the squad unfairly targeted Black people and urged resources be redirected elsewhere. But gun violence and homicides have since spiked in the liberal city like they have in other places nationwide, and some say disbanding the unit was a mistake. Shootings also have overwhelmingly affected the Black community. Bu
  
  Read more

• Europe staggers as infectious variants power virus surge

  06-03-2021 17:07
  
  MILAN (AP) — Fast-spreading mutant versions of the coronavirus are powering another uptick in infections in Europe. Among the hard-hit places is the Milan suburb of Bollate, where the virus swept through a nursery school and an adjacent elementary school with alarming speed. In a matter of just days, 45 children and 14 staff members tested positive. Genetic analysis confirmed it was the highly contagious variant first identified in England. The World Health Organization says the U.K. varia
  
  Read more

• Pro-democracy protest in Thailand passes without violence

  06-03-2021 17:03
  
  BANGKOK (AP) — Demonstrators from Thailand’s student-led pro-democracy movement have held a peaceful protest outside Bangkok’s Criminal Court to bring public attention to the plight of several of their detained leaders. The movement, a coalition of several groups, was launched last year with demands for Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and his government to step down, the constitution to be amended to make it more democratic and the monarchy to be reformed to make it more accou
  
  Read more

• The Latest: California OKs reopening ball parks, Disneyland

  06-03-2021 17:02
  
  SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California has cleared a path for fans to hit the stands at opening day baseball games and return to Disneyland nearly a year after coronavirus restrictions shuttered major entertainment spots.
  The state relaxed guidelines for reopening outdoor venues. COVID-19 infection rates, hospitalizations and deaths have plunged, and vaccination rates are rising. New rules allow concert stadiums and sports arenas to reopen with limited attendance on April 1.This week, the seven-d
  
  Read more

• Pandemic forces route change, other precautions for Iditarod

  06-03-2021 17:02
  
  ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The world’s most famous sled dog race starts Sunday, but this year’s edition of the Iditarod will see a lot changes forced by the pandemic. The race will be shorter this year, only 860 miles instead of a thousand. This will be the first time in race history that the finish line won’t be in Nome. Instead, mushers will go to the ghost town of Iditarod and loop back to the Anchorage area for the finish. Mushers will undergo vigorous COVID-19 testing
  
  Read more

• Afghan officials say car bomber kills prosecutor, bodyguard

  06-03-2021 17:00
  
  KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan official says a suicide car bombing killed the Afghan intelligence directorate’s chief prosecutor. The attack Saturday comes amid an increase in violence in the war-ravaged country. Sayed Mahmood Agha was on his way to his office in the southern city of Lashkargah when an attacker driving a car full of explosives targeted Agha’s convoy, killing him. That’s according to Attaullah Afghan, provincial council chief for Helmand province. One
  
  Read more

• The Latest: Pope Francis delivers sermon in Baghdad church

  06-03-2021 16:42
  
  BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) — The Latest on Pope Francis’ historic visit to Iraq, aimed at rallying the country’s dwindling Christian community after decades of war and unrest (all times local):
  6:40 p.m.
  Pope Francis is reminding Iraq’s Chaldean Catholics of one of the core tenets of the Catholic faith: that those who are persecuted, poor and mourn are blessed.
  Francis honored Iraq’s persecuted Christians by celebrating Mass on Saturday at the Chaldean Catholic cathedral in
  
  Read more

• Indian farmers mark 100th day of protests with road blockade

  06-03-2021 16:37
  
  NEW DELHI (AP) — Thousands of Indian farmers have blocked a massive expressway on the edges of New Delhi to mark the 100th day of protests against agricultural laws that they say will devastate their income. Farmers stood on tractors and waved colorful flags Saturday while their leaders chanted slogans via a loudspeaker atop a makeshift stage. Thousands of them have hunkered down outside New Delhi’s borders since late November to voice their anger against three laws passed by Parliam
  
  Read more

• The Latest: US secretary of state praises pope visit to Iraq

  06-03-2021 16:28
  
  BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) — The Latest on Pope Francis’ historic visit to Iraq, aimed at rallying the country’s dwindling Christian community after decades of war and unrest (all times local):
  6:30 p.m.
  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says he is pleased to see the historic visit by Pope Francis to Iraq.
  In a tweet, he says the U.S. believes his visit will inspire hope and “help promote religious harmony and understanding among members of the different religions in Iraq an
  
  Read more

• Key events since George Floyd’s arrest and death

  06-03-2021 16:22
  
  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — George Floyd’s death after his arrest by police officers in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020, sparked widespread anger after millions of people saw citizen video of the event. The four officers at the scene were quickly fired and soon charged in his death. The agonizing bystander video shows Floyd repeatedly crying, “I can’t breathe” and eventually going still as Officer Derek Chauvin presses his knee on Floyd’s neck. The video’s release sp
  
  Read more

• Senate works through night, virus aid on path to passage

  06-03-2021 16:18
  
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Bleary-eyed lawmakers are working through a mountain of amendments as the Senate plods toward passage of a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill. President Joe Biden and Democrats say the measure is crucial for hoisting the country out of the pandemic. Senators have been holding a continuous series of votes on amendments since Friday night. By midmorning Saturday they’d dispensed with over two dozen. Democrats hope for final passage by around midday so the Senate can s
  
  Read more

• Lebanon’s caretaker PM warns of chaos as currency plunges

  06-03-2021 16:17
  
  BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister is warning of a slide into chaos and appealing to politicians to put aside differences in order form a new government that can attract desperately needed foreign assistance. Hassan Diab has also threatened to suspend his duties if that would increase pressure to form a new Cabinet. He spoke in a terse address to the nation Saturday as the currency continued its rapid collapse against the dollar, trading at one point at 10,500 Lebanese
  
  Read more

• Officer’s trial could reopen intersection where Floyd died

  06-03-2021 16:05
  
  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minneapolis leaders say they’ll reopen a barricaded intersection known as George Floyd Square after the murder trial of the officer accused of killing him. But the activists who serve as unofficial leaders and organizers of the area have issued 24 demands before they’ll step aside, even calling for a recall of the county prosecutor. Groups meet regularly at the site of the now-vacant Speedway station, discussing everything from activism to snow removal. Floyd
  
  Read more

• USDA relocations curtail ag research, farmer confidence

  06-03-2021 15:32
  
  BELLE PLAINE, Kan. (AP) — More than a year after two U.S. Department of Agriculture research agencies were moved from the nation’s capital to Kansas City, Missouri, they remain critically understaffed and some farmers are less confident in the work they produce. The relocation of the Economic Research Service and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture in September 2019 led to a mass exodus of employees who couldn’t or didn’t want to move halfway across the country
  
  Read more

Follow @Tucson_News_ on Twitter!