Philly man rented U-Haul connected to NYC subway shooting; Philly's indoor mask mandate returns
THE RUNDOWN:
1. Philadelphia man identified as renter of U-Haul van connected to NYC subway shooting, police say
NEW YORK – Authorities are searching for a Philadelphia man who they believe rented a U-Haul van in connection Tuesday morning's subway shooting in Brooklyn that left dozens hurt.
Chief James Essig said police are searching for 62-year-old Frank R. James who they believe is the renter of the U-Haul van. James has addresses in both Philadelphia and Wisconsin, according to Essig.
Authorities found the U-Haul van in Brooklyn hours after the subway shooting that injured at least 28 people. Authorities previously put out information about a U-Haul van sought in connection to the shooting with an Arizona license plate.
Essig said the U-Haul van became of interest to investigators after a set of keys were found in the Sunset Park subway station after the shooting. Investigators also found the suspect's handgun, 3 extended magazines, 4 smoke grenades, and a hatchet.
Arial footage from SkyFOX showed the address 'Allegheny West Moving & Storage 2801 West Hunting Park Avenue, Philadelphia, Pa."
"We are endeavoring to locate him to determine his connection to the subway shooting, if any," Essig said.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw tweeted Tuesday night that authorities in Philadelphia are working with investigators in New York.
2. Philadelphia mask mandate to be reinstated April 18 amid rising COVID-19 case counts
FILE - A person holds a stack of masks. (FOX 11 Los Angeles (KTTV))
PHILADELPHIA - Philadelphia’s Department of Public Health announced the reinstatement of the city’s mask mandate for indoor public spaces on Monday after a rise in COVID-19 cases.
Last week, the Philadelphia Department of Health said coronavirus cases increased by more than 50% in a ten-day span in the city where there's now an average of 142 new cases per day, according to Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Bettigole.
"This looks like we may be at the start of a new COVID wave like Europe just saw," she said.
While hospitalizations remain low, Bettigole says Philadelphia no longer meets the threshold for the All Clear tier.
Health officials use four key metrics, COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, test positivity rates and the rate of increase in cases, to determine the move from one response tier to the next.
3. New Jersey approves 7 facilities for recreational cannabis sales
(Photo by Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)
TRENTON, N.J. - New Jersey regulators gave a green light Monday to seven facilities that already sell medical marijuana to also sell recreational cannabis, although it's not clear exactly when sales would begin.
Sales could start in a matter of weeks or longer, but a specific date wasn't set at the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission’s vote during a remotely held meeting. Three of the facilities, known as alternative treatment centers, are in the northern part of the state. Three are in the south, and one is in central New Jersey.
The timing of the start of sales is unclear in part because the facilities must still pass a regulatory inspection of their operations and be issued new licenses.
The New Jersey Cannabis Trade Association, a trade group that advocates for the alternative treatment centers, estimated that recreational retail sales could start as the soon as the end of April, according to spokesperson Pamela Dollak. But it could vary by location, as each center faces compliance and other considerations.
4. Weather Authority: Midweek warm-up peaks on Wednesday with highs in the 80s
PHILADELPHIA - The midweek warmup will reach its peak on Wednesday with temperatures in part of the region expected to stretch into the 80s ahead of a nice Easter weekend.
Overnight conditions will stay dry and mild across the Delaware Valley following a beautiful Tuesday. Forecasters expect temperatures to return to the 60s by Wednesday morning with sun and clouds.
Temperatures will hit the 80s during the afternoon under partly sunny skies. FOX 29's Scott Williams says it will reach a high of 83 on Wednesday in Philadelphia and its suburbs.
Temperatures will stay warm on Thursday, but forecasters are tracking a cluster of showers that could turn severe during the afternoon. The storms will move in from the west around 2 p.m. and sweep over the region through the evening hours.
5. Baby formula shortage 2022 continues: Nearly 30% of popular brands sold out, firm estimates
The U.S. Food and Drug Administraton has recalled popular powdered baby formulas linked to bacteria and illness.
Nearly 30% of popular baby formula brands may be sold out at retailers across the U.S. following a notable recall, as well as supply chain issues, according to estimates from a research firm.
An analysis by Datasembly, a Virginia-based research firm, assessed the supplies of consumer packaged goods at more than 11,000 stores nationwide. The research firm found that the issue of out-of-stock formula has been getting worse throughout 2022.
The first seven months of 2021 were found to be "relatively stable" when it came to baby formula and fluctuated between 2% and 8% of products being out of stock, according to Datasembly, which shares product pricing and data for retailers.
"In July 2021, the (out-of-stock percentage) moved into the double digits and then started to increase significantly towards the end of November where it went from 11% nationwide to 23% by the week starting Jan 16, 2022," the firm said.
By the end of January 2022, the out-of-stock baby formula index continue to climb and had reached 29% by March 13, it added.
6. US inflation report: Consumer prices jumped 8.5% in past year, highest since 1981
FILE IMAGE - Gasoline prices hover around $4.00 a gallon for the least expensive grade at several gas stations in the nation's capital on April 11, 2022, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Inflation soared over the past year at its fastest pace in more than 40 years, with costs for food, gasoline, housing and other necessities squeezing American consumers and wiping out the pay raises that many people have received.
The Labor Department said Tuesday that its consumer price index jumped 8.5% in March from 12 months earlier — the biggest year-over-year increase since December 1981. Prices have been driven up by bottlenecked supply chains, robust consumer demand and disruptions to global food and energy markets worsened by Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The government’s report also showed that inflation rose 1.2% from February to March, up from a 0.8% increase from January to February.
The March inflation numbers were the first to capture the full surge in gasoline prices that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. Moscow’s brutal attacks have triggered far-reaching Western sanctions against the Russian economy and have disrupted global food and energy markets. According to AAA, the average price of a gallon of gasoline — $4.10 — is up 43% from a year ago, though it has fallen back in the past couple of weeks.
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