CAPITOL BREACH-SECURITY
Capitol Police watchdog says force needs ‘cultural change’
WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s time for a culture change in the U.S. Capitol Police force. That’s according to the top watchdog for the department, who testified Thursday to Congress about the agency’s failures during the Jan. 6 insurrection. Capitol Police Inspector General Michael A. Bolton said the department’s deficiencies were widespread on Jan. 6 and remain unaddressed. He said the highest priority should be more money to train Capitol Police officers properly. He also urged a change in the way the force views its mission. Lawmakers are hoping to provide more money for the force in legislation that could be proposed later this month.
CAPITOL LOCKDOWN-OFFICER KILLED
Hundreds pay respects at funeral of slain US Capitol officer
ADAMS, Mass. (AP) — The flag-draped casket of U.S. Capitol Police Officer William Evans was carried into a Massachusetts church by his fellow Capitol officers as dozens of state police troopers stood in the street in a steady downpour and saluted. The private funeral Mass at St. Stanislaus Kostka Church in Adams was followed early Thursday afternoon by a procession to Bellevue Cemetery where Evans was to be laid to rest beside his father, Howard. The 41-year-old was killed this month when a driver struck him and another officer at a barricade outside the Senate. He was raised in North Adams and Clarksburg. He had served with the U.S. Capitol Police since 2003.
BIDEN-LEAD PIPES
The problem within: Biden targets lead pipes, pushes equity
CHICAGO (AP) — President Joe Biden’s proposal to get rid of every lead water pipe in the country could have huge ramifications. That’s especially true in communities where a large number of Black, Latino and low-income residents have been left effectively drinking from a lead straw. The problem persists decades after scientists established that lead consumption is unsafe at any level. Biden announced the pipe proposal as part of his $2.3 trillion infrastructure package. There are few, if any, cities across the country where the issue resonates more than in Chicago. The city is estimated to have some 380,000 lead pipes bringing water into homes, schools and businesses.
VIRUS OUTBREAK-VACCINATION MESSAGING
Barbers, artists help defy vaccine myths for people of color
SAN DIEGO (AP) — A new wave of public health advocacy that is multilingual, culturally sensitive, entertaining and personal is rapidly replacing mundane public service announcements in the battle to stamp out the disinformation around COVID-19 vaccines in communities of color. Barbers are busting vaccine myths as they cut hair, while a company that made comics to combat Islamic extremism is creating Spanish-language animated stories to smash conspiracy theories hindering Latinos from getting shots. The innovative messaging has grown out of urgency. Black and Latino people have been hit disproportionately hard by the coronavirus, yet their vaccination rates are less than half that of white people.
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