76 million-year-old dinosaur skeleton to be auctioned in NYC

NEW YORK (AP) — The fossilized skeleton of a T. rex relative that roamed the earth about 76 million years ago will be auctioned in New York this month. The Gorgosaurus skeleton will highlight Sotheby’s natural history auction on July 28. The Gorgosaurus was an apex carnivore that lived in what is now the western United States and Canada during the Late Cretaceous period. It predated its relative the Tyrannosaurus rex by 10 million years. The specimen being sold was discovered in 2018 in the Judith River Formation near Havre, Montana. It measures nearly 10 feet (3 meters) tall and 22 (6.7 meters) feet long.

Biden awards Medal of Honor to 4 for Vietnam heroism

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is bestowing the nation’s highest military honor to four Army soldiers for their heroism above and beyond the call of duty during the Vietnam War. Biden is presenting the Medal of Honor to Staff Sergeant Edward N. Kaneshiro, Specialist Five Dwight W. Birdwell, Specialist Five Dennis M. Fujii, and retired Major John J. Duffy. Speaking in the East Room of the White House on Tuesday, Biden praised their heroism and lamented that they hadn’t received appropriate recognition until now. “Today,” he said, “we’re setting the record straight.”

Companies could face hurdles covering abortion travel costs

After the U.S. Supreme Court revoked the federal right to abortion that’s been in place for half a century, companies like Amazon, Disney, Apple and JP Morgan pledged to cover travel costs for employees who live in states where abortion is now illegal so they can terminate pregnancies. But they gave no details on how they will do this and it’s not clear if they will be able to — legally — while protecting employees’ privacy and keeping them safe from prosecution.

COVID nursing home deaths claim is campaign trail mainstay

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s Republican nominee for governor, Doug Mastriano, often makes the baseless allegation that Gov. Tom Wolf’s policy of readmitting COVID-19 patients from hospitals to nursing homes caused thousands of deaths. It’s a claim for which no investigator or researcher has provided any evidence. In fact, researchers point to something entirely different. They say nursing home employees ushered in the virus every day to the buildings. Meanwhile, criminal investigators found administrators flouting staffing requirements or infection-control procedures. No Pennsylvania nursing home has leveled a claim like Mastriano’s. And readmissions were routine in every state during the pandemic to keep hospital beds open. Wolf’s office says Mastriano’s claims are “patently false.”

July Fourth event shooting causes panic in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Scores of people watching a Fourth of July fireworks show in Philadelphia ran for cover when gunshots rang out shortly after the show had started. The gunfire forced them to leave behind strollers and other personal items as they sought refuge from what many feared was an active shooter. Two Philadelphia police officers working at the event suffered graze wounds in the gunfire Monday in front of the Philadelphia Art Museum. The shooting came just hours after another holiday shooting in suburban Chicago left at least six people dead and at least 30 wounded.

Many won’t rely on virtual options after COVID: AP-NORC poll

WASHINGTON (AP) — A new poll shows that many Americans don’t expect to rely on the digital services that became commonplace during the pandemic after COVID-19 subsides. That’s even as many think it’s a good thing if those options remain available in the future. The poll comes from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The poll shows that close to half or more of U.S. adults say they are not likely to attend virtual activities, receive virtual health care, have groceries delivered or use curbside pickup after the coronavirus pandemic ends. Still, close to half of adults also say it would be a good thing if virtual options continue.

US futures slip as inflation, energy weigh on growth

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street futures slipped Tuesday ahead of the reopening of U.S. markets from the Independence Day holiday, following declines in Europe and an upbeat session in Asia. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrials fell 0.6%, as did futures for the S&P 500. The war in Ukraine and its impact on energy supplies are casting a shadow over the global economic outlook at a time when central banks are raising interest rates to slow inflation. While most pandemic restrictions are gradually being lifted across Asia, a resurgence in COVID-19 infections has taken hold in Europe and the U.S.. Oil prices fell.

Griner sends letter to President Biden pleading for her help

Brittney Griner made an appeal to President Joe Biden in a letter passed on to the White House through her representatives saying she feared she may never return home and asking that he not “forget about me and the other American Detainees.” Griner’s agent says the letter was delivered on Monday. The Phoenix Mercury All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist is in the midst of a trial in Russia that began last week after she was arrested on Feb. 17 on charges of possessing cannabis oil while returning to play for her Russian team. The trial will resume Thursday.

5 Arrested for Underage Drinking at Star Lake

The PA State Police released a report on an underage drinking patrol they conducted Saturday night along with the Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement at Star Lake in Hanover Township. Officers arrested Mathew Firm, Carley Hay, Paige Miller, Makenna Young, and Saylor Huwe, all 20 years of age, for underage drinking.

In light of EPA court ruling, new focus on states’ power

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The Supreme Court decision June 30 restricting the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency may mean continued pollution from power plants in states that are not switching to cleaner energy. But many states are switching and experts say they´ll remain free to keep cleaning up their electrical grids under the new decision. Eighteen states have set 100% clean energy goals, according to the U.S. Climate Alliance, and they represent 42% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.