THE INTERSECTION of Chicago and E. 38th Street in Minneapolis where George Floyd was fatally injured (Wikipedia).

Excessive force and unfair targeting of African Americans was the practice of the Minneapolis Police Department and the City of Minneapolis, a U.S. Justice Department investigation has concluded.

United Press International is reporting that Attorney General Merrick Garland said there was “reasonable cause to believe … they engaged in a pattern or practice of conduct” that was unconstitutional.

That conclusion was drawn from the Justice Department’s investigation into the death of George Floyd, 46, in 2020 while in MPD custody. His death prompted demonstrations and unrest as well as discussion about police practices across the nation.

Death penalty for synagogue attacker?

A MAN was convicted Friday of killing 11 people in a synagogue (Shutterstock).

A Pittsburgh jury on Friday found Robert Bowers, 50, guilty of attacking a synagogue and killing 11 congregants in November 2018.

The guilty verdict means that he could be given the death penalty for his actions, according to the Associated Press.

Bower, a confirmed anti-Semite who hated Jews, was convicted of all of the 63 criminal counts lodged against him, including hate crimes resulting in death and obstruction of freedom of religion resulting death.

The penalty phase of the trial is scheduled to start on June 26 and could take several weeks to complete.

Tornadoes, storms hit the South

Severe weather, including tornadoes, hit areas of the south on Friday knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of people in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.

According to USA Today, at least three people were killed and dozens more injured when a tornado stuck a small town in Texas. Mobile home communities suffered some of the worst damage.

More extreme weather is forecast for the weekend with daytime highs expected to reach up to 110 or higher, which is 15 to 25 degrees hotter for this time of year, according to the National Weather Service.

Angels keep rolling, Dodgers lose in 11

The hottest team in Major League Baseball – the Los Angeles Angels – burned the Kansas City Royals 3-0 on Friday night, continuing a triumphant road trip.

A strong pitching performance from Patrick Sandoval (4-6) and bunch of doubles propelled the Halos (40-32) into a virtual tie – just one point short – for not only second place in the American League West but also for an American League wild card playoff spot.

Sandoval pitched seven shutout innings, giving up just four hits. He struck out six batters and walked four.

At the bat, Shohei Ohtani, Hunter Renfroe and Brandon Drury each doubled. Drury ended up 2-for-4 with two RBIs and Renfroe was 2-for-4. Ohtani extended his hitting streak to 13 games. He singled, walked twice and scored a run.

The Angels scored solo runs in the first, sixth and seven inning.

Hoping to keep their hot hand toasty, the Halos will play in Kansas City again on Saturday with Griffin Canning (5-2) getting the start for the Angels.

The Los Angeles Dodgers had a rough day, losing 7-5 in 11 innings to the San Francisco before a protest against teams’s gay “Pride” event took the focus off baseball.

Trailing 4-0 after five innings, the Giants rallied with five runs to take a late 5-4 lead, but the Dodgers tied it in the bottom of the ninth. Brandon Crawford and Austin Slater singled in runs in the 11th.

The game wasted the efforts of Emmet Sheehan, who pitched six no-hit innings, striking out three batters and walking two. James Outman was 2-for-4 with two runs batted in.

Now 39-31 and in second place in the National League West, the Dodgers will try again on Saturday with Bobby Miller (3-0) making the  start.  

Weather: Thermometer to hit 80

Sunbathers rejoice … sort of. The forecast for our West Orange County area for Saturday is for the daytime high to hit 80 and 62 overnight. The skies will be partly cloudy, though, through Monday. Sunday should cool off to 74 (61) and Monday to 72 (59). Tuesday will warm a bit to 76 (59) under sunny skies.