Molson Coors campus remains closed after shooting, NFL Combine, coronavirus: 5 things to know Thursday

Editors, USA TODAY
·4 min read
Molson Coors campus remains closed after shooting, NFL Combine, coronavirus: 5 things to know Thursday

Molson Coors campus to remain closed after deadly shooting

The sprawling campus that is known in the Milwaukee area as "Miller Valley," will remain closed Thursday after five people were killed Wednesday during a gunman's rampage. Molson Coors CEO Gavin Hattersley said the brewery that is part of the large campus that features over 20 buildings with more than 1,000 employees will be shuttered "for the time being" to give people time to cope. The suspect was a 51-year-old Milwaukee man who died from a fatal gunshot wound, Milwaukee Police said. Hattersley called the shooter "an active brewery employee," but no other information about him is known. Police, who were still contacting relatives, also said victims' identities would not be released for at least 24 hours. "Miller Valley," a reference to the Miller Brewing Co. that is now part of Molson Coors, includes a 160-year-old brewery, an inn and a seasonal outdoor beer garden.

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Coronavirus: Pence's track record under scrutiny after Trump appointment

Thursday marks the first full day Vice President Mike Pence will lead the Trump administration's response to the coronavirus outbreak amid the spotlight on his previous handling of a major health crisis. President Donald Trump, who suggested two weeks ago that the threat would go away once temperatures warmed in April, has been criticized by lawmakers who say the administration isn’t doing enough to prepare for a possible U.S. outbreak that has spawned more than 80,000 cases around the world, including 59 confirmed cases in the U.S. Meanwhile, critics have faulted Pence for what they call his slow and inadequate response to the nation's first HIV outbreak linked to the injection of oral painkillers in 2015. Pence initially opposed allowing a clean-needle exchange that health officials advocated to slowing the spread of infection.

Ex-mayor to be sentenced in 'Healthy Holly' book scheme

Former Baltimore mayor Catherine Pugh is scheduled to be sentenced Thursday on charges that she illegally made roughly $800,000 by selling a self-authored series of children's books to organizations tied to the city. Pugh, 69, resigned under pressure in May after it was revealed that her "Healthy Holly" books were sold to various nonprofits and foundations with which the city and Maryland did business. She pleaded guilty in November to federal conspiracy and tax evasion charges in a deal with prosecutors, who have asked the judge to impose a prison term of nearly five years, the Associated Press reported.

Players strut their stuff at the NFL Combine

NFL draft hopefuls will try to dazzle prospective teams with their athletic prowess as on-field workouts begin at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. From Thursday through Sunday, players will run the 40-yard dash and a variety of drills under the eagle eyes of NFL scouts and TV cameras (the NFL Network will air the workouts from 4-11 p.m. ET). The on-field testing, along with medical evaluations, team interviews and media sessions done earlier, play a key role in the 32 teams' evaluations of prospects. Quarterbacks, tight ends and wideouts work out Thursday, so top QB prospects Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert will certainly be in the spotlight.

Judge to decide on class-action settlement after gas company pleads guilty to deadly explosions

The ongoing legal battle involving a Massachusetts gas company and explosion victims will resume Thursday as a class-action settlement will go before a judge for approval. In a plea deal reached with the Justice Department on Wednesday, Columbia Gas Co. of Massachusetts (CMA) accepted responsibility for a deadly series of natural gas explosions that rocked Massachusetts in September 2018, agreeing to pay a $53 million fine and end its operations in the state. The gas explosions, caused by over-pressurized pipes underground, killed one, injured 22 and damaged more than 100 homes and buildings in the Merrimack Valley communities of Lawrence, Andover and North Andover. U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling said the criminal fine is "by far" the largest under the 1960s-era federal Pipeline Safety Act.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Molson Coors shooting, NFL Combine: 5 things to know Thursday