Great Lakes colder than normal over long holiday weekend

Great Lakes colder than normal over long holiday weekend

DETROIT

It’s certainly more chills than thrills in the Great Lakes as the summer season unofficially kicked off with the Memorial Day weekend.

National Weather Service officials said water temperatures last week ranged from the 30s in Lake Superior to the 50s in southern Lake Michigan, Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie.

Weather service meteorologist Ernie Ostuno told the Detroit Free Press that readings are a little colder than normal for this time of year. He said people who attempt a fully immersed swim in the lakes right now could be in for a cold shock.

The nonprofit National Center for Cold Water Safety adds it’s dangerous for full immersion into water at such temperatures.

Ku Klux Klan rally in Ohio; no reported clashes, problems

DAYTON

A small group of Ku Klux Klan members penned in by fencing, surrounded by police and drowned out by hundreds of protesters, held a rally in Ohio with no reported clashes or problems.

The city of Dayton blocked streets with large trucks Saturday and brought in officers from other jurisdictions to keep protesters separated from members of an obscure Klan group called the Honorable Sacred Knights.

The group obtained a permit for the rally months ago. City officials and community leaders organized an effort called Dayton United Against Hate.

The NAACP and other groups gathered in a public park about a mile from Dayton’s downtown square where the Klan rally was held.

Dayton police says no one was arrested or injured.

The city urged people to stay away from downtown Saturday.

Venezuela negotiators return to Norway

CARACAS, Venezuela

Representatives of the Venezuelan government and opposition have returned to Norway for a mediation effort aimed at resolving the political crisis in the South American country, the Norwegian government said Saturday.

Norway said it will facilitate discussions next week in Oslo, in an indication that the negotiation track is gaining momentum after months of escalating tension between Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and opposition leader Juan Guaids.

Top Maduro aide Jorge Rodrmguez and Hictor Rodrmguez, the governor of Miranda state, both of whom were in Oslo earlier this month for an earlier round of exploratory talks, will once again lead the government delegation.

The opposition delegation is being led by Stalin Gonzalez, a senior member of the opposition-controlled congress, former Caracas area Mayor Gerardo Blyde and former Transport Minister Fernando Martmnez Mottola, according to a person familiar with the talks who also spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Stan Lee’s former manager arrested on elder abuse charges

LOS ANGELES

A former business manager of Stan Lee was arrested Saturday on elder abuse charges involving the late comic book legend.

Keya Morgan was taken into custody in Arizona on an outstanding arrest warrant after being charged by Los Angeles County prosecutors earlier this month.

Morgan faces felony charges including theft, embezzlement, forgery or fraud against an elder adult, and false imprisonment of an elder adult. A misdemeanor count also alleges elder abuse.

Authorities say Morgan sought to capitalize on the Marvel Comic mastermind’s wealth and exert influence over Lee even though he had no authority to act on his behalf.

Police say Morgan pocketed more than $262,000 from autograph signing sessions Lee did in May 2018. Authorities say Morgan at one point also took Lee from his Hollywood Hills home to a Beverly Hills condominium “where Morgan had more control over Lee.”

Woman facing eviction gets help from Arnold Schwarzenegger

LOS ANGELES

A 102-year-old woman facing eviction from her California home of nearly 30 years is getting help from Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The Los Angeles Times reported Thelma Smith was given until June 30 to move out by landlords who say their daughter needs a place to live.

Los Angeles’ rent control law provides relocation assistance for elderly and disabled.

But Smith, a retired secretary for the Sugar Ray Robinson Youth Foundation, lives in an unincorporated section of Los Angeles County, just outside the city limits. The law doesn’t apply there.

Schwarzenegger, who knew Smith through his involvement with the charity, called the eviction “heartless.” He tweeted: “Imagine doing this to a 102-year-old woman who gave back to the community her whole life.”

A spokesman says Schwarzenegger’s staff has met with Smith to find a solution.

Fiat Chrysler, Renault in talks about alliance, source says

NEW YORK

Carmaker Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and French automaker Renault are in talks about a possible alliance, as both companies seek to address technological and regulatory challenges in the industry.

A person with knowledge of the matter confirmed the advanced discussions, first reported by the Financial Times. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the negotiations have not been made public.

Fiat Chrysler has for months been the subject of merger speculation, with PSA Peugeot also reportedly interested.

Collaboration between automakers has taken on importance in recent years as they seek to build their technological capabilities in pursuit of electrical vehicles, net connectivity and artificial intelligence for vehicles. Automakers are also under pressure from regulators, particularly in Europe and China, to come up with electric vehicles so they can meet tougher pollution limits.

Pennsylvania has already seen yearly average of tornadoes

PHILADELPHIA

Weather officials say Pennsylvania has already recorded the average number of tornados for a year.

Meteorologist Sarah Johnson of the National Weather Service office in Mount Holly, New Jersey said 16 tornadoes that have had preliminary confirmation in the commonwealth so far this year.

Severe weather is more common in June and into July, but Johnson cautions that that is by no means a hard and fast rule. For example, a large outbreak of severe weather was recorded Oct. 2 of last year across the commonwealth, she said.

“The high plains and mid-Atlantic have been getting the brunt of low-pressure systems that have been bringing precipitation,” she said. The southeastern United States, by contrast, is “getting hot and humid weather but not much in the way of thunderstorms.”

On Thursday, six tornado warnings were issued across the commonwealth in a span of just two hours.

10 wounded as gunmen open fire outside bar in New Jersey

TRENTON, N.J.

At least two gunmen fired into a crowd outside a bar in New Jersey’s capital city, wounding 10 people, two critically, but the motive for the shooting remains unknown, authorities said.

Mercer County Prosecutor Angelo Onofri said a vehicle pulled up to the corner outside Ramoneros Liquor and Bar in Trenton at about 12:25 a.m. Saturday and when the shooters fired more than 30 shots before fleeing.

Five men and five women were taken to a hospital with gunshot wounds. Two of the male victims were listed in critical but stable condition while the others were in stable condition.

Police Director Sheilah Coley said the 10 victims – eight Trenton residents, one person from Ewing Township and one from Willingboro – were “just out for a night of fun and then it turned into a night of violence.”

Associated Press