Injunction extended against removing Lee statue in Virginia
By SARAH RANKIN Associated Press
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A judge has indefinitely extended an injunction preventing the Virginia governor from removing a historic statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from Richmond’s famed Monument Avenue. Richmond Circuit Court Judge Bradley Cavedo made the decision Thursday after hearing from attorneys for the state and for the plaintiff in a lawsuit against Gov Ralph Northam. He gave the plantiff another 21 days to refile a new complaint. The 12-ton 21-foot-tall statue has stood in a prominent spot along Monument Avenue since 1890. Northam ordered its removal earlier this month, citing the pain gripping the country over the death of George Floyd.

Prosecutor: Officer kicked Rayshard Brooks after shooting
By KATE BRUMBACK Associated Press
ATLANTA (AP) — Prosecutors say the Atlanta police officer who killed Rayshard Brooks kicked him after shooting him in the back and didn’t give him medical attention for more than two minutes. Officer Garrett Rolfe has been charged with murder. Prosecutors say Brooks grabbed a Taser from police and ran but fired it from too far away to reach the white officer. Rolfe’s lawyers say he feared for his safety and opened fire after hearing a sound “like a gunshot.” A second officer is charged with aggravated assault. The black man’s killing rocked a nation already roiling from George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis.

Court tosses county ban on probationers using medical pot
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has struck down a county’s policy that forbade people on probation and other forms of supervision from using cannabis if they are registered in Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana program. The justices said Thursday that probationers holding a valid medical marijuana card are immune from punishment under the state’s medical marijuana law. Lebanon County’s court system had sought to prohibit medical marijuana use by people on probation and parole. The policy was challenged by three medical marijuana patients.

Federal agent shot, wounded during raid in Pittsburgh
PITTSBURGH (AP) — A federal agent was shot and wounded while taking part in a raid in a Pittsburgh neighborhood. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives confirmed one of its agents was shot around 6 a.m. and he was treated at the scene by ATF medics. But the agent’s name and further information about his condition were not disclosed. A suspect was taken into custody at the scene. But further details about that person and the charges they may face were not released. Authorities said the wounded agent was taking part in a raid that involved several law enforcement agencies. But further information about the operation were not disclosed.

Story by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano

(Aliquippa, Pa.) Last night at 6:25 p.m. Aliquippa police were dispatched to the area of 300 Superior Avenue  after a report was received that a 21 year old black male had been shot.  Aliquippa police were given a description of the suspect’s vehicle  and attempted to stop the vehicle .State police were called in to assist.  The operator, according to PA State Police, fled on foot, and in doing so, discarded narcotics. Vershaw Cortaze Bell, 21, Braddock, PA  shortly after, and  a loaded handgun was found in the vehicle.  The victim, Robert Crute was transported to Sewickley Hospital by private vehicle, and then was flown to AGH for multiple gunshot wounds. He is listed in stable condition at this time.

Auditor’s race poses historic first for candidates of color
By MARC LEVY Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s two major political parties have nominated candidates of color for state auditor general, a historic step that means that voters will for the first time elect a racial minority to lead a statewide executive branch office. Nina Ahmad, who came to the United States from Bangladesh as a student 40 years ago, has apparently won a six-way Democratic Party primary as counting wraps up. Tim DeFoor, the Republican Party’s uncontested nominee, is African American. Political analysts and campaign consultants couldn’t think of anyone of color who has been elected to serve in one of the five statewide elected executive branch offices: governor, lieutenant governor, treasurer, attorney general and auditor general.

PA is One of Three States Recognized by CDC for COVID-19 Reduction Success

Harrisburg, PA – As states across the country begin to reopen and nearly half are seeing COVID-19 cases rise, Governor Tom Wolf announced Friday that Pennsylvania is not one of them.

Today at a daily COVID briefing with Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine, he noted another milestone: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention proprietary data for states indicates that we are one of just three states that has had a downward trajectory of COVID-19 cases for more than 42 days. The other two states are Montana and Hawaii.

“We know our decline in cases is because of our choices because more than half of states are experiencing an increase in COVID-19 cases as reopening begins,” Gov. Wolf said. “Many of these states are experiencing significant case increases tied to reopening too soon or too much. Pennsylvania is not. We have remained focused on balancing economic interests with public health.”

Gov. Wolf pointed to the decision to require masks when visiting businesses even in counties in the green phase as another smart decision that could have lasting effects as a COVID-19 surge is possible this fall.

“Recently, more studies show that masks prevent people from unknowingly giving COVID-19 to others,” Wolf said. “This includes peer-reviewed studies published in scientific journals like The New England Journal of Medicine.

“As the U.S. Surgeon General said a few days ago, wearing a mask doesn’t impinge on our freedom – it gives us more freedom from unknowingly spreading COVID-19.”

According to other data analyses, including those by Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center and The New York Times, Pennsylvania’s steady decline in cases since April put the state among a select few that continue a flattening of the curve. This distinction is particularly important as more counties reopen.

“Pennsylvanians have done an excellent job at demonstrating how to balance business and public health,” Gov. Wolf said. “If we keep this up, we can continue to be a model to other states and a leader at saving lives and livelihoods during this pandemic.”

For the latest information on COVID-19 in Pennsylvania, including a data dashboard, visit here.

Find the latest Carnegie Mellon University metrics for reopening here.

Find more on Gov. Wolf’s Process to Open PA here.

Pennsylvania Capitol Building to Reopen to Public on June 22
Harrisburg, PA – The Department of General Services announced today the Pennsylvania Capitol building will reopen to the public with modified prevention protocols on June 22. The reopening follows Dauphin County moving to the green phase of the COVID-19 pandemic on June 19.
The Main Capitol, East Wing and North Office Building entrances will be accessible by the public. Visitors to the Capitol will be required to wear a mask to enter the building and adhere to social distancing protocols. Visitors without a mask will be supplied with one at the public entrances. Hand sanitizer stations will also be placed at those entrances.
Prevention and mitigation signage will be posted throughout the Capitol for visitors and those who work in the building. If you are sick, don’t feel well or are exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19, please do not visit the Capitol.
All scheduled events through the department’s Office of Special Events remain canceled through July 5. The department will work with the requestors to reschedule. Beginning June 19, the Office of Special Events will resume scheduling events for the Capitol’s outdoor venues taking place on or after July 6. These locations include the Front Capitol Steps and Soldiers Grove.
The DGS Office of Special Events will not schedule any events for the Capitol’s interior spaces at this point and will issue further guidance on when such events will resume.