The Petersburg Post
Top News Stories for Saturday, February 27th 2021
Tuesday, Feb 23rd, 2021 -
small-business owners have been so badly hit in the pandemic recession The pandemic has taken a heavy toll on Main Street, with small businesses across the U.S. closing by the thousands . But as bad as the overall scene is, for minority-owned businesses the picture is even bleaker. A survey released on Jan. 27 by advocacy group Small Business Majority found that almost 1 in 5 Black and Hispanic entrepreneurs ...
Source: theconversation.com
Tuesday, Feb 23rd, 2021 -
'We are desperate': Advocates demand Congress pass $15 minimum wage increase, but its prospects are murky WASHINGTON – Pam Garrison worked much of her life in low-paying retail jobs, earning wages so paltry that they barely covered even the most basic necessities such as food and shelter. “We don’t live – we survive,” Garrison, a retiree from Fayette County, West Virginia, said of minimum-wage workers. ...
Source: usatoday.com
Tuesday, Feb 23rd, 2021 -
Much is still unclear about the security breaches that led up to violent bloodshed at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, but senators are finally getting oversight efforts started this week. WASHINGTON (CN) — Law enforcement and security officials who survived the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol gave their first public accounts Tuesday of the traumatic details of a day they said because of bad intelligence ...
Source: courthousenews.com
Tuesday, Feb 23rd, 2021 -
Former President Trump ’s legal problems deepened significantly Monday — and the trouble threatens to damage any future political ambitions he may harbor. On Monday morning, the Supreme Court extinguished Trump’s last legal hope of keeping prosecutors in New York from gaining access to his tax returns. Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance (D) is investigating Trump’s business affairs, apparently to see ...
Source: thehill.com
Tuesday, Feb 23rd, 2021 -
I am not a fan of Neera Tanden—the head of the Center for American Progress (CAP), and President Joe Biden’s nominee for direction of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)—and to the best of my knowledge, the feeling is mutual. This doesn’t make me special. Ask any number of leftist writers who spend a lot of time on Twitter about Tanden, and they’ll tell you the same stories: how she announced plans ...
Source: thenation.com
Tuesday, Feb 23rd, 2021 -
Thomas used a dissent to effectively play the role of partisan pundit, taking aim at voting by mail. One congressman called his reasoning "absurd." After his election defeat, Donald Trump and his unfortunate legal team filed all kinds of lawsuits, and in the process, racked up an embarrassing record of defeats. The litigation had no practical effect; the Republican still lost; and President Joe Biden was ...
Source: msnbc.com
Tuesday, Feb 23rd, 2021 -
Even in death, the conservative radio broadcaster Rush Limbaugh is proving to be a divisive figure, as partisans in his home state of Florida debate over whether to lower flags in his honor TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- In life, the conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh was a divisive figure, who proudly waved the flag of conservatism and wallowed in the controversies he helped ignite. In death, those controversies follow ...
Source: abcnews.go.com
Tuesday, Feb 23rd, 2021 -
A chorus of stakeholders on Tuesday reacted skeptically to the Baker administration’s call for elementary school students across Massachusetts to have the option of returning to in-person learning five days a week, though at least one prominent Boston lawmaker praised the idea. Beth Kontos, president of the American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts, said in a statement that the approach will only work if ...
Source: bostonglobe.com
Tuesday, Feb 23rd, 2021 -
After releasing a bizarre TV special alleging election fraud, Mike Lindell is being sued by Dominion US President Donald Trump speaks alongside Mike Lindell (L), founder of My Pillow, during a Made in America event with US manufacturers in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC Mike Lindell, the Trump-loving CEO of MyPillow, has been hit with a new $1.3 billion defamation lawsuit over his lies about the ...
Source: salon.com
Tuesday, Feb 23rd, 2021 -
ATLANTA (AP) — Former Georgia Sen. David Perdue said Tuesday that he will not run in 2022 to reclaim a seat in the U.S. Senate, eight days after the defeated Republican filed campaign paperwork that could have opened the way for him to run against Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock. “I am confident that whoever wins the Republican primary next year will defeat the Democrat candidate in the general election for ...
Source: aol.com
Tuesday, Feb 23rd, 2021 -
“The Bachelor” lead Matt James has broken his silence on the escalating controversy surrounding the show, as longtime host Chris Harrison remains under fire for perpetuating racism during a recent interview. James, the first Black star of “The Bachelor,” is not just calling out Harrison for his “troubling and painful” words, but is also holding the overall franchise accountable for its handling of ...
Source: chicagotribune.com
Tuesday, Feb 23rd, 2021 -
WASHINGTON – California Attorney General Xavier Becerra faced the Senate Committee on Health, Education Labor & Pensions for his confirmation hearing as the nominee for Health and Human Services secretary. If confirmed, Becerra would be the first Latino appointed to the role. As HHS secretary, he would play a crucial role in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. surpassed 500,000 COVID-19 deaths on Monday. ...
Source: usatoday.com
Tuesday, Feb 23rd, 2021 -
How the timing of your tax return could affect your third stimulus payout The much anticipated third round of government relief aid is supposed to give people a financial lift during the pandemic. But it's raising new questions during tax season, such as: Do I really need to file my 2020 federal income tax return as soon as possible to get a bigger payout? Increasingly, we're hearing buzz that some people who lost ...
Source: usatoday.com
Tuesday, Feb 23rd, 2021 -
A father-to-be from New York state has died after a device he was building for his child's gender-reveal party exploded, according to police. Christopher Pekny, 28, was assembling the device in the town of Liberty when it exploded just before noon on Sunday. Police said the blast killed Mr Pekny and injured his brother Michael Pekny, 27, who was taken to hospital. Gender-reveal parties are celebrations announcing ...
Source: bbc.co.uk
Tuesday, Feb 23rd, 2021 -
Hours after the U.S. crossed the threshold of 500,000 deaths from COVID-19 , President Biden commemorated the lives lost over the past year on Monday night. No other country has lost more lives to the yearlong pandemic than the U.S. "Today, we mark a truly grim, heartbreaking milestone," he said in a brief speech at the White House. "500,071 dead. That's more Americans who died in one year in this pandemic than in ...
Source: cbsnews.com
Tuesday, Feb 23rd, 2021 -
A sharp exchange over student debt. Senator Elizabeth Warren and former Vice President Joe Biden participate in a Democratic presidential debate in New Hampshire on February 7, 2020. President Joe Biden may not be a particularly ideological politician, but one of the few things he seems to absolutely believe in is debt. In particular, student debt. On the campaign trail he appeared to suggest otherwise, repeatedly ...
Source: newsweek.com
Tuesday, Feb 23rd, 2021 -
New York (CNN Business) The pandemic has slammed Macy's and other department stores. But signs of a recovery are beginning to emerge. Macy's said Tuesday that it turned a profit for the first time in the pandemic, making $160 million during the 13 weeks ending on January 30, down from $340 million during the same stretch a year ago. To be sure, Macy's is still struggling. Sales at stores open for at least one year ...
Source: cnn.com
Tuesday, Feb 23rd, 2021 -
The numbers: Home prices rose at the fastest pace in seven years, according to the leading barometer released Tuesday. The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller 20-city price index posted a 10.1% year-over-year gain in December, up from 9.2% the previous month. On a monthly basis, the index increased 0.8% between November and December. It was the first time that home prices saw a double digit increase since January 2014, ...
Source: realtor.com
Tuesday, Feb 23rd, 2021 -
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — After 139 years at 807 Franklin St. in San Francisco, a two-story Victorian house has a new address. The green home with large windows and a brown front door was loaded onto giant dollies and moved Sunday to a location six blocks away. Onlookers lined the sidewalks to snap photos as the structure rolled — at a top speed of 1 mph — to 635 Fulton St. The house’s journey has been in the ...
Source: usatoday.com
Tuesday, Feb 23rd, 2021 -
Former prosecutors say the records could give investigators new tools to determine whether Trump lied to lenders or tax officials. JIM MUSTIAN and DAVID B. CARUSO NEW YORK (AP) — Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. fought for a year and a half to get access to former President Donald Trump ’s tax records. Now, thanks to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling , he will soon have them. But what will that mean for ...
Source: huffpost.com
Tuesday, Feb 23rd, 2021 -
A lifesaving operation turned tragic when a Michigan woman contracted COVID-19 from her double lung transplant last year and died soon after. The case marks the first time that doctors have confirmed COVID-19 transmission through an organ transplant, according to a report of the case, published Feb. 10 in the American Journal of Transplantation . A surgeon involved in the woman's case also contracted COVID-19, ...
Source: livescience.com
Tuesday, Feb 23rd, 2021 -
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will travel to Houston on Friday to meet with officials following the winter storms that killed more than 35 people and left millions without power and water. While in Texas, the president will “discuss the winter storm relief efforts, progress toward recovery and the incredible resilience shown by the people of Houston and Texas,” said White House ...
Source: nbcnews.com
Tuesday, Feb 23rd, 2021 -
Meghan McCain, like many other Americans, doesn't know when she'll be able to get a COVID-19 vaccine. McCain took her complaints to live television and later found her name trending on Twitter again as social media users took her to task for what they characterized as an entitled mindset. On "The View" Monday morning, McCain, the daughter of the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said she was "frustrated" with ...
Source: azcentral.com
Tuesday, Feb 23rd, 2021 -
An independent investigation into the death of 23-year-old Elijah McClain after an August 2019 arrest by Aurora, Colorado, officers describes how the situation was mishandled and recommends the city reassess its use of force policies and overhaul its internal review process. The investigative panel wasn't tasked with concluding whether the officers committed crimes or violated policies, but rather to investigate ...
Source: cbsnews.com
Tuesday, Feb 23rd, 2021 -
In total, 5.7 million payments will be made out to low-income Californians California lawmakers on Monday approved $600 stimulus checks for state residents, including immigrants who are in the country illegally, according to reports. Gov. Gavin Newsom's office passed the provision for stimulus checks on Monday as part of the state's new $7.6 billion COVID-19 relief package and said he would sign it into law on ...
Source: foxbusiness.com
Tuesday, Feb 23rd, 2021 -
Washington — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell told lawmakers on Tuesday that the coronavirus -battered economy remains hobbled, suggesting that the central bank will keep interest rates low. "The economic recovery remains uneven and far from complete, and the path ahead is highly uncertain," Powell said in written testimony to the Senate Banking Committee. Powell's comments are in contrast to the increasing ...
Source: cbsnews.com
Tuesday, Feb 23rd, 2021 -
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Norway's National Museum says a small, barely visible sentence written with a pencil on Edvard Munch's 1893 masterpiece "The Scream" was penned by the Norwegian painter himself. The painting which shows a waif-like figure cradling its head in its hands with its mouth agape, has become a global icon for the expression of human anxiety. The sentence — "can only have been painted by a madman" ...
Source: usatoday.com
Tuesday, Feb 23rd, 2021 -
Simon Bowes-Lyon, the Earl of Strathmore, sentenced to 10 months over attack at Glamis Castle A relative of the Queen has been jailed for 10 months for sexually assaulting a woman at his ancestral home. Simon Bowes-Lyon, 34, the Earl of Strathmore, pleaded guilty to attacking a woman at Glamis Castle, in Angus, Scotland, in February last year. Bowes-Lyon, who is the son of a cousin of the Queen, was sentenced at ...
Source: theguardian.com
Tuesday, Feb 23rd, 2021 -
In many cases, it’d be cheaper for immigrants to pay a nonrefundable bond to ICE than to bother with Libre’s bond services. The federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has filed a lawsuit against Libre by Nexus, claiming the company forces immigrants to buy expensive bonds. CNBC notes that the lawsuit was filed by the CFPB on Monday. The agency is joined in its suit by the attorneys general of ...
Source: legalreader.com
Tuesday, Feb 23rd, 2021 -
On Monday, New Jersey’s Democratic Governor Phil Murphy signed legislation that legalizes adult-use marijuana possession and licenses retail marijuana sales. “The enactment of these laws is long overdue,” said NORML State Policies Manager Carly Wolf — who emphasized that state and local police have made over 6,000 arrests for marijuana-related violations in the months since New Jersey voters overwhelmingly ...
Source: 420intel.com
Tuesday, Feb 23rd, 2021 -
A 75-year-old man who was seen being shoved to the ground by Buffalo police and bleeding on the ground during a protest last year is suing the officers and other officials, according to court documents. Martin Gugino suffered a fractured skull in the June 4 encounter, which was captured on video. The suit filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York seeks economic damages as well as punitive ...
Source: nbcnews.com
Tuesday, Feb 23rd, 2021 -
'The Bachelor' recap: The highs and lows of 'hometown' week, including a shocking exit Hometown dates on "The Bachelor" usually mean a busy week of traveling to meet each of the four remaining contestants' families and helping the star imagine what life with each date might look like outside of the show. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, Matt's hometowns look a little different: the four finalists' families ...
Source: usatoday.com
Tuesday, Feb 23rd, 2021 -
Texas regulators and lawmakers knew about the grid’s vulnerabilities for years, but time and again they furthered the interests of large electricity providers. This story first appeared at ProPublica and the Texas Tribune . ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox . In January 2014, power plants owned by ...
Source: talkingpointsmemo.com
Monday, Feb 22nd, 2021 -
New Jersey officially legalized marijuana on Monday as Governor Phil Murphy signed three pieces of legislation that permitted cannabis use and possession for adults in the state. The laws came over three months after New Jersey residents voted to legalize adult use of marijuana in November. New Jersey previously allowed marijuana for medical use. "Our current marijuana prohibition laws have failed every test of ...
Source: newsweek.com
Monday, Feb 22nd, 2021 -
(CNN) At last, Merrick Garland gets his Senate confirmation hearing. Five years ago, Garland became the poster child for the Republican blockade of an open Supreme Court seat in the final year of President Barack Obama's term when Senate Republicans denied even a hearing to the Supreme Court nominee. Now Garland gets another chance to go before the Senate Judiciary Committee at 9:30 a.m. ET on Monday, the first day ...
Source: cnn.com
Monday, Feb 22nd, 2021 -
Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Virginia lawmakers gave final approval Monday to two bills to abolish the death penalty, sending them to Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam, who is expected to sign them. The state Senate voted 22 to 16 to approve House Bill 2263, and the House of Delegates voted 57 to 43 to approve the Senate Bill 1165, The Washington Post reported . The bills, which are identical, would ban the death penalty, ...
Source: upi.com
Monday, Feb 22nd, 2021 -
A party postmortem says more outreach to non-voters is needed after a predicted blue wave failed to materialise in 2020 Get-out-the-vote efforts hampered by the coronavirus pandemic and an 11th-hour voter registration surge for well-funded Republicans thwarted ambitions of a blue wave in Texas during the 2020 election, according to a new postmortem that state Democrats shared with the Guardian. “The majority of ...
Source: theguardian.com