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Oil once more

Isaac Cohen

At the start of another central bank meeting in Washington, the price of oil has reached almost $90 per barrel, while the price of regular unleaded gasoline in the United States is approaching $4 per gallon. The spike in this most volatile component of the consumer price index pushed upward the index over the last twelve months, to 3.7 percent in August from 3.2 percent in July. Just the prices of gasoline and other fuels last month contributed more than 20 percent to the increase in the index.

According to the Paris based International Energy Agency which includes the most advanced economies, quoted in The Wall Street Journal (09/14/23), production cuts from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, since January, have reduced supply by 2.5 million barrels per day. This reduction has not been compensated by increases in production among other major exporters, such as the United States and Brazil, of almost 2 million barrels per day.   Therefore, the combined production cuts from Saudi Arabia and Russia, of around 1.3 million barrels per day, have contributed to pushing crude prices to the highest level in the last 10 months.

Furthermore, the Agency anticipates that price volatility will persist, given the announcement by Saudi Arabia and Russia that production cuts will continue until the end of this year. The International Energy Agency said, “The Saudi-Russian alliance is proving a formidable challenge for oil markets.”

Temple University says acting president JoAnne A. Epps has died after collapsing on stage

JoAnne A. Epps, acting president of Temple University, speaks during a Temple University graduation ceremony, May 11, 2023, at the Liacouras Center on Temple’s campus in Philadelphia. Epps has died after collapsing at a memorial service Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 19, the university said. (Alejandro A. Alvarez/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)

Temple University acting president JoAnne A. Epps died Tuesday shortly after becoming ill on stage at a memorial service, officials said, describing her loss as a gut punch and struggling through emotion as they recalled her nearly four decades of service.

Epps was attending a memorial service at the university for Charles L. Blockson, a curator of a collection of African American artifacts, when she suffered what a doctor speaking at a news conference described as a “sudden episode.”

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Epps, who was scheduled to speak at the service, slumped in her chair shortly after the event began and was carried out in the arms of a uniformed officer after the announcer asked if there was a doctor in the house.

Epps was taken to Temple University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead around 3:15 p.m. Tuesday, the university said. She was 72.

Ken Kaiser, senior vice president and chief operating officer at Temple, declined to speculate about Epps’ health prior to her collapse but called her death a “gut punch for all of us right now.”

“We are not aware that President Epps had any health issues,” Kaiser said at the news conference.

Kaiser told The Associated Press that he had known Epps for three decades.

“Joanne was full of life, somebody who was super compassionate and truly cared about other people and had a wonderful way of pulling them all together and getting people excited about even a daunting task, making things fun,” he said.

Temple University Provost Gregory Mandel choked up as he described Epps.

“We are all in deep grief and at a loss for words. To know Joanne is to be her friend,” Mandel said at the news conference.

Mandel said the university’s Board of Trustees would meet Wednesday to “put together a plan for us as we work through this transition.”

Epps, Temple’s former law school dean and provost, was named to the post in April following the resignation of Jason Wingard, the university’s first Black president, who resigned in March after leading the 33,600-student university since July 2021.

Kaiser said Epps started out working at Temple’s bookstore 40 years ago and dedicated herself to improving the university.

In an interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer, Epps vowed to focus on improving enrollment and safety, which had been hit by spiraling crime near the north Philadelphia campus during her predecessor’s tumultuous tenure. The newspaper reported enrollment had dropped by 14% since 2019. She said she believed she was selected in part for her “ability to sort of calm waters.”

“I am obviously humbled and excited and really looking forward to being able to make a contribution to the university that I so love,” Epps told the newspaper. She said she would not be a candidate for the permanent position.

The Temple Association of University Professionals labor union recalled Epps’ personal touch.

“I remember her walking into my office this April, and chatting with me one-on-one about how we could work together to make Temple a better place,” union president Jeffrey Doshna said in a statement.

Gov. Josh Shapiro called her loss “heartbreaking for Philadelphia, saying she had been “a powerful force and constant ambassador for Temple University for nearly four decades.”

Kaiser recalled leaving the office when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and Temple was shutting down.

“It was our last day in the office, we were together and I said, OK, I’ll see you in a couple weeks and I didn’t really see her for two years,” Kaiser said.

He later told her that if he knew they wouldn’t see her for two years, he would have given her a hug.

Officer’s bail revoked in shooting death of driver after prosecutors lodge constitutional challenge

Philadelphia police officer Mark Dial, center, arrives at the Juanita Kidd Stout Center for Criminal Justice in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023, with attorneys for a bail hearing. Brian McMonigle is at left and at right is Fortunato Perri. Dial, a Philadelphia police officer charged in the shooting death of a driver last month is back in custody following the revocation of his bail after prosecutors challenged the constitutionality of his release.(Alejandro A. Alvarez/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)

A Philadelphia police officer charged in the shooting death of a driver last month is back in custody following the revocation of his bail after prosecutors challenged the constitutionality of his release.

Officer Mark Dial was taken into custody in the courtroom Tuesday following the ruling. He had surrendered Sept. 8 and posted 10 percent of $500,000 bail. But prosecutors said the Pennsylvania Constitution typically prohibits bail for offenses carrying a life term or if there is evidence the defendant poses a threat to the community.

Dial is charged with murder, voluntary manslaughter, official oppression and four other counts. The 27-year-old officer has served on the force for five years and was suspended with intent to dismiss after officials said he refused to cooperate in the investigation. Defense attorneys contend that the shooting was justified, saying Dial thought 27-year-old Eddie Irizarry had a gun.

Authorities have said Dial shot Irizarry after officers spotted his car being driven erratically around noon Aug. 14 and followed it for several blocks. Officers approached as the driver turned the wrong way down a one-way street and stopped.

Police bodycam footage shows Dial firing at close range through the rolled-up driver’s side window about seven seconds after getting out of a police SUV and striding over to the sedan. He fired a total of six rounds. The bodycam footage shows Irizarry holding a knife in his right hand, by his right leg, before he was shot.

The department backtracked after initially claiming the officers made a traffic stop and shot a person outside the vehicle after he “lunged at” police with a knife. Outgoing Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said a review of the officers’ body-worn cameras “made it very clear that what we initially reported was not actually what happened.”

Defense attorney Brian McMonagle earlier called the decision to charge Dial with murder “appalling,» saying Irizarry was ordered to show his hands and “instead produced a weapon and pointed it at an armed police officer.”

McMonagle argued Tuesday that the initial police affidavit of probable cause for Dial’s arrest recommended a lead offense of voluntary manslaughter, not murder. He also cited a 2021 state Supreme Court case establishing limited circumstances under which murder defendants could argue for bail, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Pennsylvania wants to make it easier to register to vote when drivers get or renew a license

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro speaks at the Finishing Trades Institute on March 9, 2023, in Philadelphia. Gov. Shapiro's administration said starting Tuesday Sept. 19 2023 it is making it easier for someone to register to vote when they are getting or renewing a driver's license in Pennsylvania. (Photo: AP/Matt Rourke/File)

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration said starting Tuesday it is making it easier for someone to register to vote when they are getting or renewing a driver’s license in Pennsylvania.

Under the new format, prompts on the computer screens in driver’s license centers will take the user to a template to register to vote. That leaves it up to them to choose not to register. Previously, prompts on the computer screen first asked the user whether they wanted to register to vote.

Twenty-three other states and Washington, D.C., already have varying models of what is called “automatic voter registration,” according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The Shapiro administration said it does not need legislation or regulation to make the change at driver’s license centers.

There are currently 8.6 million registered voters in Pennsylvania, according to information from the state Department of State. More than 10 million Pennsylvanians out of 13 million total are at least 18 years old, the minimum legal age to vote, according to U.S. Census figures.

States have been required to offer voter registration at driver’s license centers since Congress passed the National Voter Registration Act in 1993.

Researchers from the Public Policy Institute of California, the University of Southern California and the University of California-Berkeley concluded in a 2021 study that automatic voter registration increased registration by several percentage points in states where it was in effect, and boosted the number of people actually voting by more than 1%.

Control of the Pennsylvania House will again hinge on result of a special election

Lindsay Powell, Democratic candidate in a special election to fill a vacant Pennsylvania House seat, visits with campaign workers on the Northside of Pittsburgh, Sept. 9, 2023 and Erin Connolly Autenreith, Republican candidate in a special election to fill a vacant Pennsylvania House seat, sits at a coffee shop in the strip district of downtown Pittsburgh, Sept. 6, 2023. (Photo: AP Gene J. Puskar)

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Control of Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives will again be determined by the results of a special election, this time a race being held Tuesday to fill the seat of a Pittsburgh lawmaker whose resignation put the chamber at a 101-101 partisan tie.

If voters in the heavily-Democratic district cast their ballots for former congressional staffer Lindsay Powell, Democrats will keep the slight majority they previously had. The party has defended its majority in a series of special elections since November.

A win for Erin Connolly Autenreith, a real estate agent and local Republican chairperson, would tilt the partisan divide back to the Republicans, who lost their majority for the first time in 12 years last year.

With either outcome, Pennsylvania’s government will remain divided with Democrat Josh Shapiro in the governor’s office and Republicans holding a Senate majority.

Powell, 32, highlighted recent legislation that Democrats advanced with their newfound power in the chamber, like home repair subsidies and expanded protections for LGBTQ+ people. She sees her election to the seat as a way to continue that work.

Democrats are confident they’ll hold the seat, which has broken favorably for the party in recent elections. Republicans have acknowledged it will be a difficult race to win.

Autenreith, 65, said education is a priority for her, citing school vouchers. Her win, she said, “would boost the Republican party, of course, but that’s not the reason I’m running.»

With control over the calendar, Democrats have advanced a number of their priorities on a one-vote margin.

Senate Republicans have sought to advance their own priorities, like school vouchers, and constitutional amendments implementing voter ID and limiting the governor’s power. If Republicans gain control of the House, they can take some of these questions to voters through proposed constitutional amendments without Shapiro’s approval.

That partisan tension is acute as the state continues to be mired in a budget stalemate more than two months into the fiscal year. Though the governor signed the main $45 billion spending plan, legislation that allows some money to be spent is snarled in a partisan dispute.

Schwarber pega jonrón de 483 pies y Filis superan por 7-1 a Bravos

El bateador designado de los Filis de Filadelfia Kyle Schwarber pega un jonrón de dos carreras en la sexta entrada ante los Bravos de Atlanta el lunes 18 de septiembre del 2023. (Foto: AP/John Bazemore)

Kyle Schwarber pegó un jonrón de 483 pies de dos carreras y los peloteros de los Filis tuvieron cuatro vuelacercas para apoyar a Zack Wheeler en la victoria el lunes por 7-1 ante los Bravos de Atlanta.

El 45mo cuadrangular de Schwarber le dio ventaja de seis carreras a los Filis en la sexta, su batazo cayó sobre el restaurante Chop House en el jardín derecho del Truist Park. Fue la segunda bola más larga en la casa de los Bravos y la segunda más larga en la carrera de Schwarber, a cinco pies de la que pegó Yu Darvish en la Serie de Campeonato en San Diego el año pasado.

Filadelfia extendió su ventaja a tres juegos y medio sobre Arizona, para mantener el primer comodín de la Liga Nacional.

Atlanta perdió su cuarto duelos seguido, pero confirmó descansar en la serie de comodín y tendrá ventaja de casa en la Serie Divisional después de que Milwaukee perdió por 1-0 ante San Luis.

Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, Nick Castellanos y Johan Rojas también pegaron jonrones para que los Bravos, líderes de las Grandes Ligas, sufrieran su cuarta derrota seguida.

Por los Filis, el dominicano Johan Rojas de 4-1 con una anotada y dos empujadas.

Por los Bravos, los venezolanos Ronald Acuña de 4-1, Orlando Arcia de 3-0. El dominicano Marcell Ozuna de 4-1. El puertorriqueño Eddie Rosario de 2-0.

Encuentran 1 kg de fentanilo en guardería de NY en donde murió niño por aparente sobredosis

(Foto: Archivo)

Un paquete que contenía fentanilo con valor de varios miles de dólares fue encontrado dentro de una guardería de la ciudad de Nueva York en la que murió un niño de 1 año la semana pasada por una aparente exposición a opioides, informaron la policía y funcionarios de la ciudad.

La dueña de la guardería, sin embargo, sostuvo que no tenía conocimiento de la presencia de la potente droga, la cual dejó a otros tres menores enfermos, incluida una niña de 8 meses que arrojó positivo a fentanilo.

Las autoridades encontraron residuos de la droga debajo de una colchoneta en la que los niños dormían la siesta, dijo el jefe de detectives del Departamento de Policía de Nueva York, Joseph Kenny, en una conferencia de prensa el lunes.

Grei Mendez, quien operaba la guardería Divino Niño dentro de un apartamento del Bronx, se declaró inocente el domingo a cargos de homicidio por la muerte de Nicholas Dominici. Un hombre de 41 años que alquilaba una habitación dentro del apartamento, Carlisto Acevedo Brito, de 41 años, espera a ser acusado formalmente por los mismos cargos.

La policía informó que recuperó alrededor de un kilogramo de fentanilo, junto con una prensa utilizada para combinar la droga con otros narcóticos, dentro de un armario ubicado en un pasillo que conectaba al apartamento. La policía descubrió una segunda prensa dentro de la habitación que ocupaba Brito, según una denuncia penal.

“No vamos a permitir que ocurra un incidente de este tipo e ignorarlo como si fuera tan sólo la tragedia del día en la ciudad”, dijo el alcalde de la ciudad de Nueva York, Eric Adams.

Adams expresó su frustración con los adultos que llevan fentanilo a cualquier lugar en el que haya niños, dado que ingerir siquiera una pequeña cantidad del narcótico en estado puro podría matar a un adulto.

“Esta es una absoluta locura”, declaró.

Andrés Aranda, abogado de Méndez, dijo que su cliente vivía en un lugar ubicado sobre la guardería y le alquilaba una habitación a Brito, el primo de su esposo, por alrededor de 200 dólares al mes.

Nueva York permite guarderías en lugares residenciales para un pequeño número de niños, siempre que cuenten con permiso y se lleven a cabo inspecciones.

“Aparentemente, cuando la guardería estaba cerrada, había personas que entraban y salían del apartamento”, comentó Aranda.

El viernes fue un “día normal” dentro de la guardería, en el que Mendez llevó a los niños al piso superior, les leyó, les cocinó y los mandó a dormir, comentó el abogado. Pero cuando Dominici no despertó de su siesta, ella se asustó y llamó al número de emergencias 911 y comenzó a gritarle a sus vecinos, declaró Aranda.

Mendez, de 36 años, que también trabaja como asistente de salud, fue enviada a la isla Rikers sin fianza después de una comparecencia el domingo por la noche. Un mensaje dejado con el abogado de Brito no fue respondido por el momento.

Dos osos saquean camioneta de donas que hacía entregas en Alaska

En esta fotografía del 12 de septiembre de 2023 cortesía de Shelly Deano se ve a dos osos dentro de una camioneta de donas en Anchorage, Alaska. (Shelly Deano via AP)

Dos osos saquearon una camioneta de donas Krispy Kreme que se detuvo frente a una tienda durante su ruta de reparto, dentro de una base militar de Alaska

El conductor solía dejar las puertas abiertas cuando se detenía en la tienda, pero en esta ocasión una osa y uno de sus cachorros que merodeaban por los alrededores se metieron al vehículo, donde permanecieron durante unos 20 minutos el martes por la mañana, dijo Shelly Deano, gerente de la tienda de la Base Conjunta Elmendorf-Richardson JMM Express. Los osos se dieron un festín con donas y otros pastelillos, ignorando por completo a las personas que golpeaban un costado de la camioneta para ahuyentarlos, dijo Deano.

“Golpeaba la camioneta y no se movían. Escuchaba cómo abrían los paquetes y todo”, explicó. “Yo pensaba: ‘Ni siquiera les importa’”.

Al no poder ahuyentar a los osos, se llamó a los elementos de seguridad de la base, quienes activaron las sirenas para que se fueran.

Los osos salieron eventualmente y deambularon un rato frente a la tienda y la gasolinera antes de adentrarse en el bosque.

No es inusual ver osos dentro de la base o en los alrededores de la tienda, pero nunca había ocurrido algo parecido, señaló Deano, añadiendo que ahora el repartidor cierra las puertas cuando para en la tienda.

“Somos precavidos cuando entramos, cuando salimos. Cuando sacamos la basura, lo hacemos siempre acompañados, sobre todo si está oscuro”, dijo.

La capitana Lexi Smith, portavoz de la base, dijo que las autoridades de la base “están al tanto de esta y otras situaciones relacionadas con la vida salvaje en los últimos meses”.

“Instamos al público a tener cuidado para asegurarse de que están protegiendo a nuestra vida silvestre y a ustedes mismos. Los animales salvajes pueden ser nuestros vecinos, pero no deben sentirse atraídos por nuestras fuentes de alimento humano”, dijo por correo electrónico.

Senate ditches dress code as Fetterman and others choose casual clothes

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., waves to members of the media, Monday, April 17, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Photo: AP/Jacquelyn Martin/File)

The stuffy Senate is now a bit less formal.

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday that staff for the chamber’s Sergeant-at-Arms — the Senate’s official clothes police — will no longer enforce a dress code on the Senate floor. The change comes after Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman has been unapologetically wearing shorts as he goes about his duties, voting from doorways so he doesn’t get in trouble for his more casual attire.

“There has been an informal dress code that was enforced,” Schumer said in a statement. “Senators are able to choose what they wear on the Senate floor. I will continue to wear a suit.”

Schumer did not mention Fetterman in his statement about the dress code, which will only apply to senators, not staff.

The changes prompted outrage from some of the chamber’s more formal members, eroding a bit of the good will that first-term Fetterman had earned earlier this year when he checked himself into the hospital for clinical depression. He won bipartisan praise for being honest about his diagnosis, which came in the wake of a stroke he suffered on the campaign trail last year. When he returned from treatment, he started donning the more casual clothes, which he says make him more comfortable.

Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall, a Republican, said it’s a “sad day in the Senate” and that the people who Fetterman and Schumer represent should be embarrassed.

“I represent the people of Kansas, and much like when I get dressed up to go to a wedding, it’s to honor the bride and groom, you go to a funeral you get dressed up to honor the family of the deceased,” Marshall said. Senators should have a certain level of decorum, he added.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine agreed, arguing that the relaxed rules debase the institution of the Senate. “I plan to wear a bikini tomorrow to the Senate floor,” Collins joked.

Walking to Monday evening’s vote in a short-sleeved button-down shirt and shorts, Fetterman said he wasn’t sure if he’d take advantage of the new rules just yet.

“It’s nice to have the option, but I’m going to plan to be using it sparingly and not really overusing it,” he said.

Asked about the criticism, Fetterman feigned mock outrage.

“They’re freaking out, I don’t understand it,” he said of his critics. “Like, aren’t there more important things we should be working on right now instead of, you know, that I might be dressing like a slob?”

When Fetterman reached the Senate floor, he still voted from the doorway. “Baby steps,” he told reporters as he got on the elevator to go back to his office.

Not all Republicans were upset about the change. Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley was wearing jeans, boots and no tie on Monday evening, an outfit he says he normally wears when he flies in from his home state for the first votes of the week.

“Now I can vote from the Senate floor on Mondays,” Hawley said, noting that he usually wears a suit and tie every other day.

Nearby, Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy was also tieless. The Democrat said he’s been reprimanded by Sergeant-at-Arms staff in the past for not wearing a tie on the floor.

“They would tell us when we were doing it wrong,” Murphy said.

It’s unclear if the rules for more formal attire were actually written down anywhere, but Schumer’s directive means that staff will no longer scold senators for their choice of clothing or ask them to vote from the doorway.

For Fetterman, his signature hoodies and gym shorts were a sign of his recovery. Before he checked himself into the hospital, his staff had asked him to always wear suits, which he famously hates. But after a check with the Senate parliamentarian upon his return in April, it became clear that he could continue wearing the casual clothes that were often his uniform back at home in Pennsylvania, as long as he didn’t walk on to the Senate floor. He still wears suits to committee meetings when they are required.

In recent weeks, the Pennsylvania senator has become more comfortable joking around in the hallways and answering reporters’ questions. His words are still halting sometimes due to his stroke and an auditory processing disorder that makes it harder to speak fluidly and process spoken conversation. He uses iPads and iPhones in conversations that transcribe spoken words in real time.

“I think we should all want to be more comfortable,” Fetterman told a group of reporters on Monday. “And now we have that option, and if people prefer to wear a suit, then that’s great.”

Un tercio de latinos de Colorado ponderan ir a otros estados por altos costos y violencia

En Colorado, según la Oficina del Censo, viven 1,2 millones de latinos, o 22 % de la población estatal. Imagen de archivo. (Foto: EFE/Alicia L. Pérez)

Una tercera parte de los latinos de Colorado consideran mudarse a otros estados debido al alto costo de la vida (especialmente en cuanto a viviendas y salud) y a la creciente violencia con armas de fuego, revela una encuesta difundida este lunes sobre los “temas de mayor preocupación” para los hispanos de este estado.

El sondeo, realizado por la Agenda Latina para Políticas Públicas en Colorado (CLPA), se basa en las respuestas de 1.600 hispanos y tiene como meta analizar la situación de la comunidad hispana local después de la pandemia y, sobre esa base, sugerir a legisladores y otros funcionarios qué leyes o medidas deberían aprobarse para favorecer a los latinos.

Esta información “debería inspirar a los legisladores a actuar sin importar a qué partido político pertenezcan”, expresó Aurea Bolaños Perea, de la Organización de Colorado para las Oportunidades y los Derechos Reproductivos de los Latinos (COLOR), coautora del documento.

La encuesta encontró que la economía es el tema más preocupante, con uno de cada tres latinos indicando que su situación financiera aún no se ha recuperado en comparación con 2019 y otro tercio afirmando que su situación financiera empeoró en 2022 respecto a 2021.

El 34 % de los encuestados indicaron “no poder pagar” o “casi no poder pagar” el costo de vivir en Colorado y una proporción similar expresaron preocupación de quedarse desamparados. De hecho, la mayoría de los participantes afirmaron contar con solo 1.000 dólares de ahorro.

Para ellos, mudarse a otro estado surge como una clara alternativa.

Además, ocho de cada 10 de participantes dijeron que, debido a la polarización política en el país y a la campaña electoral para las elecciones presidenciales de 2024, ha aumentado la posibilidad de “un tiroteo masivo (en Colorado) enfocado en la comunidad latina o en la comunidad inmigrante”.

Por eso, 85 % de los latinos pidieron que la legislatura, el gobernador y los alcaldes aprueben medidas para que se construyan viviendas económicas donde más se necesiten (cerca de lugares de empleo, escuelas y opciones de transporte público), y que se intensifiquen las acciones para reducir la violencia con armas de fuego.

Como en años anteriores, inmigración, salud, educación, justicia reproductiva y justicia ambiental figuran entre los temas preocupantes para los latinos de Colorado, aunque ya no encabezan la lista.

Desde otra perspectiva, la encuesta encontró que las campañas partidistas de 2020 a 2022 para movilizar a los votantes latinos solo alcanzaron a la mitad de esos votantes.

La razón, explica la encuesta, es que 82 % de los latinos de Colorado prefieren recibir información política en inglés, no en español, a pesar de dominar el español y usarlo en el hogar o en el trabajo. De hecho, 89 % de los hispanos en el estado nacieron en Estados Unidos.

Además, seis de cada 10 de los latinos encuestados solo ocasionalmente utilizan medios en español como fuente de noticias. Y uno de cada tres prefiere recibir notificaciones de noticias por medio de las redes sociales, especialmente Facebook y YouTube.

En Colorado, según la Oficina del Censo, viven 1,2 millones de latinos, o 22 % de la población estatal.