US construction spending edges up tiny 0.1% in July
By MARTIN CRUTSINGER AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. construction spending edged up a tiny 0.1% in July, breaking a string of losses due to disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The Commerce Department reported that the slight July gain followed a 0.5% decline in June. In July, spending on residential construction rose a solid 2.1% while nonresidential construction fell by 1%. Home sales have been strong after an initial hit from the pandemic and the hope is that those gains will help lift housing construction in the months ahead. The report showed that total government construction fell by 1.3% in July.

(Beaver County) Beaver County Radio News Coordinator Sandy Gioradano with a story about rent and being evicted during the pandemic. A small group of people lined up outside of the Beaver County Courthouse seeking answers if there will be an eviction, or if there will be an extension for those who are renting here in Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh resident Dave Williams has expressed that many people are working from home because of the pandemic, kids are home, and school has become home for all children in school, and to burden them with this issue makes the situation worse. Residents are still waiting on Gov. Tom Wolf and his decision on if he will extend the rent release.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is diving head-first into the latest eruption in the nation’s reckoning over racial injustice with a trip Tuesday to Kenosha, Wisconsin, over the objections of local leaders. The city has been riven by protests since the Aug. 23 shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man hit seven times in the back by police. On the eve of his visit, Trump defended a teenage supporter accused of fatally shooting two men in Kenosha last week. Wisconsin’s Democratic governor, Tony Evers, who deployed the National Guard to quell demonstrations in response to the Blake shooting, pleaded with Trump to stay away for fear of straining tensions further.

The coronavirus pandemic has brought hard times for many farmers and has imperiled food security for many millions both in the cities and the countryside. United Nations experts are holding an online conference beginning Tuesday to brainstorm ways to help alleviate hunger and prevent the problems from worsening with the loss of many millions of jobs. Experts say disruptions due to outbreaks of the illness and restrictions on businesses and travel to control them run the gamut, from crops going unharvested by migrant workers unable to reach their jobs to transport problems to farm families selling livestock and equipment to survive. But enterprising fishing villages, farmers and technicians are coming up with creative ways to beat the crisis.

More than 50 Black former McDonald’s franchise owners are suing the burger chain for discrimination. In a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday in Chicago, the 52 plaintiffs say McDonald’s steered them to less-profitable restaurants and didn’t give them the same support and opportunities given white franchisees. The franchisees owned 200 U.S. stores before being forced to sell them over the last decade. They’re seeking compensation of $4 million to $5 million per store. The plaintiffs say McDonald’s steered them to inner-city restaurants with higher security and insurance costs, then forced them to make costly renovations. They say they weren’t offered rent relief and other financial benefits that white franchisees were given.

Los Angeles (AP) — The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the shooting of a Black man by two deputies in South L.A. Sheriff’s Lt. Brandon Dean told the Los Angeles Times that the deputies tried to stop the man for riding a bike in violation of vehicle codes. The man dropped his bike and ran, and the deputies chased him. Dean said the man punched a deputy in the face, and dropped a bundle of clothes he was carrying. A gun fell out of the bundle, and the deputies fatally shot him. Protesters gathered, demanding answers. The sheriff’s office is asking for patience with the investigation.

(Franklin Township) The Franklin Township police Chief Rudolph Harkins had reported yesterday that a robbery has occurred at the Kwik Fill gas station at 10:35 p.m. on Sunday night. The chief said a male ordered the cashier to open the register, he then took the U.S. currency and fled on foot. Chief Harkins asks that anyone having information on the robbery or the suspect to call the department at 724-843-3421.

(Beaver County, PA) Just when the need might be the greatest, two companies in the energy business are kicking off a major fund raising campaign for the Aliquippa Salvation Army.  Shell Polymers and Center Independent Energy, LLP are donating 15 cents per gallon of gas purchased at Beaver County Shell gasoline retailers from September 1 through September 7, 2020.  The campaign is called “Fueling Those In Need”.  Area residents wishing to participate need only to make sure they are buying their gas at any one of three area Shell gas stations, including the Brodhead Car Wash in Center Township, Sunrise Shell on Kennedy Boulevard in Aliquippa or Fast Eddie’s Too in Independence Township.  Shell Polymers and Center Independent Energy will donate the money.

Beaver County Radio is also a sponsor of the campaign, along with the UPS store in Monaca and Dobish Signs.

20 new sexual assault counts for adult film actor Ron Jeremy
By ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Adult film star Ron Jeremy has been charged with 20 new counts of rape or sexual assault involving 12 women and a teenage girl. Authorities say the new counts were filed Monday. They come two months after the 67-year-old Jeremy was charged with the rape of three women and the sexual assault of a fourth. Jeremy has been held in jail on $6.6 million bail since June, Jeremy pleaded not guilty to the previous charges, and his attorney Stuart Goldfarb said he was “absolutely innocent.” Goldfarb did not immediately reply to an email seeking comment on the new counts.