U.S. CAPITOL, seat of Congress (Shutterstock).

Two persons were killed – one of them a U.S. Capitol Police officer – when a man rammed his car into a barricade outside the seat of Congress in Washington D.C. on Friday, hitting two officers.

The man emerged from his vehicle wielding a knife and was fatally shot by officers. The name of the motorist is Noah Green, 25, according to law enforcement sources. The deceased officer is William “Billy” Evans.

The Associated Press is reporting that Green stabbed one of the officers. It’s the second deadly attack on the Capitol this year. Six people died when right-wing extremists on Jan. 6 stormed the building in an attempt to keep Congress from certifying the election of Joe Biden as president of the United States.

Friday’s incident took place at a checkpoint about 100 yards from the entrance to the building. An investigation into the motives and background of the attacker is underway.

News: Got jabbed? You can travel

VACCINATED? Go travel (Shutterstock).

Americans who have been vaccinated can travel safely as long as long as they wear masks in public, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Friday. If you’ve been inoculated against the coronavirus, you don’t need a COVID-19 test or to self-quarantine when traveling within the United States. If traveling outside the U.S., a negative test is recommended by the CDC with a follow-up test three to five days after returning.

You’ve reached “full vaccination” two weeks after you have received your last required dose, according to United Press International.

According to The New York Times, the percentage of American adults fully vaccinated is now at 17 percent, with 31 percent having received at least one dose. New cases of COVID-19 have increased 20 percent over the last 14 days, while deaths have declined 29 percent.

Business: Jobs boomed in March

THE JOBLESS RATE fell to 6 percent for March.

The U.S. Department of Labor on Friday announced that 916,000 jobs were added to payrolls across the country in March, driving the unemployment rate down from 6.6 percent to 6 percent.

According to CNBC, the increase in the number of nonfarm positions is the result of stronger economic growth and the impact of strong vaccination efforts. Many of the gains were in the areas of hospitality – hotels, bars and restaurants – and construction. Education hiring increased as well as many schools and colleges began reopening.

The effect on the stock market won’t be known until Monday, as the New York Stock Exchange was closed today because of Good Friday.

Sports: Women’s Final Four starts today

FINAL FOURS this weekend.

While most of the attention has been focused on the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament, the female counterpart to the Final Four starts today. South Carolina (26-4) will take on Stanford (29-2) in the early game in San Antonio, while Arizona (20-5) will play Connecticut (28-1) in the second semifinal.

The winner of those games will meet for the women’s title on Sunday.

The men’s semifinals are on Saturday, with Houston taking on Baylor and UCLA facing Gonzaga. The winners of those games will meet in the championship final on Monday.

All-Star Game leaving Atlanta

Major League Baseball announced Friday it would move the 2021 All-Star Game from Atlanta in response to a new state law that critics say is aimed at making it more difficult for Black voters to cast their ballots. A new location for the game, and associated activities has not been announced. The 2022 game is planned for Dodger Stadium, but that venue will not be “moved up” to this year.  Tuesday, July 14 is the scheduled date of this year’s game.

Weather: Nice and cloudy

If you’re one of those people who like to gaze up at the sky and imagine what kind of shapes the clouds are making, this will be a good weekend for you. The forecast call for temperatures in the mid-70s – 76 both Saturday and Sunday – and partly cloudy skies. The weather should be very similar to that through Wednesday. In the coastal areas of Huntington Beach, daytime highs will be five to six degrees cooler.