1 shot at Houston office building; police search for suspect

who remains detained near Moscow, to check on her condition.State Department spokesperson Ned Price told CNN the official found Griner "to be in good condition." Price did not identify the official who had been granted consular access to Griner, something the United States had been demanding.Griner was detained after arriving at a Moscow airport, reportedly in mid-February, after Russian authorities said a search of her luggage revealed vape cartridges that allegedly contained oil derived from cannabis, which could carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.Brittney Griner #42 of the Phoenix Mercury durring pregame warmups at Footprint Center on October 10, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Mike Mattina/Getty Images) RELATED: Brittney Griner arrest in midst of Russia-Ukraine war 'kind of a perfect storm,' sports attorney saysRussian state news agency Tass reported last week that a court had extended Griner’s pretrial detention to May 19.Price says the U.S.

NEW ORLEANS - At least one person was killed and many others were injured after a large tornado tore through New Orleans and surrounding areas on Tuesday night, leaving a trail of damage in its wake as it flipped cars and even lifted a house into the air and dropped it onto the street with a family inside.Videos showed a large, multi-vortex tornado that went into the Arabi area, a suburb of New Orleans. It then moved east across the Mississippi River into the Lower 9th Ward and parts of St. Bernard Parish — both of which were badly damaged by Hurricane Katrina 17 years ago.St.

TUCSON, Ariz. - The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Tempe Police and the Arizona Attorney General's office announced on March 22 two Arizona men are headed to prison after being found with hundreds of pounds of meth, more than two dozen pounds of cocaine and more than 20 pounds of heroin, about a year and a half ago.On Sept. 20, 2020, police executed a search warrant at a home after a months-long investigation, and that's where the DEA says the drugs were found.Diego Bernal-Robles, 29, and Cipriano Arturo Rojas-Armenta, 44, were living at a Tucson home when police found 230 pounds of meth, 25 pounds of cocaine, and 25 pounds of heroin, along with equipment and chemicals used to manufacture meth.The estimated street value of these drugs: $1,311,000.Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich announced the two were convicted for being involved in a drug trafficking organization, the DEA said.Bernal-Robles plead guilty to possession of a dangerous drug for sale, and manufacture of a dangerous drug.

NEW ORLEANS - The tornado that ripped through a New Orleans suburb lifted one house into the air and dropped it onto the middle of a street with a family of three inside.Neighbors said the parents of a girl climbed out of the wreckage screaming frantically for help. Their daughter was on a breathing machine, and now was stuck inside.Chuck Heirsch told The Times-Picayune / New Orleans Advocate that he called 911 as he saw his neighbor on Prosperity Street trying to reach his daughter.Damage pictured from a tornado on March 22, 2021, near New Orleans, Louisiana. (Credit: WVUE-TV) RELATED: New Orleans tornado kills 1, leaves trail of damage in its wake"They were screaming.

TISHOMINGO, Okla. - Six high school students in Oklahoma who were killed this week in a crash with a semi-truck had been riding in a small car with only four seats, officials said. The crash was reported Tuesday afternoon in Tishomingo, a rural city of about 3,000 located about 115 miles southeast of Oklahoma City, according to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. The six teens, all girls and students at Tishomingo High School, were at a stop sign at the intersection of U.S.

HARRISBURG, Pa. - Four Republican candidates for governor in the party's crowded primary race say they will not join a debate before the primary election unless it is moderated by a Republican who lives in Pennsylvania, eliciting criticism that they are afraid of hard questions.The four — Lou Barletta, Jake Corman, Bill McSwain and Dave White — issued the joint statement Monday night, eight weeks before the May 17 primary election.That prompted a response from Republican candidate Charlie Gerow, who suggested the four are scared of a challenge and said he is "not afraid to debate anytime, anywhere, any candidate on the ballot."Another Republican candidate, Melissa Hart, said the four's "diva-esque debate demands" are hypocritical for men "who will leap at the chance to bemoan ‘cancel culture' or ’safe spaces' if they think it will earn them a spot on cable news that night."The Democratic Party piled on, saying the candidates are afraid of "mean questions."The Republican primary is unusually crowded, with nine candidates filing paperwork to run, more than party leaders expected or have ever seen in a such a high-profile primary contest.The big field is the reason the candidates said they would restrict their participation in debates to ones moderated by a Republican who lives in Pennsylvania, who has not criticized the candidates, or donated money or endorsed in the race.Democrat Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania’s two-time elected attorney general, has a clear path to the party’s nomination. Gov.

Sean Samuels, 37, is accused of abducting a teenage girl on her walk to school and later sexually assaulting her.  READING, Pa. - Police in Reading have arrested and charged a man in connection with the alleged abduction and sexual assault of a teenage girl last week. On the morning of March 16, Reading police responded to a hospital for a report of a sexual assault that occurred on the 1200 block of Hill Road. The 14-year-old victim told police that she was walking to school when she was abducted and taken to another location. There, she says she was sexually assaulted twice. Investigators say they later identified Sean Samuels, 37, as a suspect.

PHILADELPHIA - Investigators with the Philadelphia Police Department and the Shooting Investigation Group are asking for the public's help with a shooting in North Philadelphia. According to police, the shooting took place at 2500 N.

HARRISBURG, Pa. - A scramble to collect enough signatures over just a week and a half to make it onto the primary ballot began over the weekend, kicking off what is certain to be a year of political change in the Pennsylvania Legislature.The state Supreme Court cut in half the normal three-week petition-gathering period last week, when the court approved new General Assembly maps.The justices left in place the May 17 primary date but gave candidates until Monday to get the signatures required to make the ballot — 500 for state Senate and 300 for the House.The pandemic and general wariness about disclosing personal information are not making the the process any easier."To be perfectly honest, this is a tough time," said seven-term Rep. Sheryl Delozier, R-Cumberland, after spending several days knocking on doors in a suburban Harrisburg district that underwent significant changes in reapportionment.

PHILADELPHIA - Officers with the Philadelphia Police Department are investigating a shooting in North Philadelphia. Police say the shooting took place at W. Cecil B.

WASHINGTON - Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson returned to the Senate for a third day of hearings Wednesday as Republicans try to paint her as soft on crime and Democrats herald the historic nature of her nomination to become the first Black woman on the high court."America is ready for the Supreme Court glass ceiling to shatter," Sen. Dick Durbin, the Judiciary Committee chairman, said as Jackson's second and last day answering senators questions began.In Tuesday's marathon hearing, Republicans aggressively questioned her on the sentences she has handed down to sex offenders in her nine years as a federal judge, her advocacy on behalf of terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay, her thoughts on critical race theory and even her religious views.

Russia on Wednesday condemned what it called a “reckless” Polish proposal to send international peacekeepers into Ukraine and warned that it could lead to a direct clash between Russian and NATO forces.Poland said last Friday it would formally submit a proposal for a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine at the next NATO summit. NATO summit a chance to bolster Ukraine response, experts say.

FILE IMAGE - Brian Houston is pictured in a file image taken on May 23, 2009, in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Paul Harris/The Sydney Morning Herald via Getty Images) SYDNEY - Brian Houston, a founder of the Australian-based megachurch Hillsong, has resigned after an internal investigation by its board found that he had breached the church’s code of conduct at least twice over the past decade by behaving inappropriately toward two people.Houston’s resignation was announced by Hillsong Church in a statement Wednesday posted to its website. "We understand there will be much emotion at this news, and we all share these feelings," Hillsong said in part. It added, "We acknowledge that change is needed.

WILMINGTON, Del. - An investigation is underway in Wilmington after a man died from gunshot wounds, according to authorities. Police say the incident happened on Tuesday around 9:00 p.m.

OAKLAND, Calif. - WARNING: The following video contains graphic content and may be disturbing to some viewers.UPDATE: The man who was shot was identified as an innocent Army veteran. Read more here: A man was killed and a woman injured after a shooting at a gas station in East Oakland over the weekend.Surveillance video from a gas station at 102nd Avenue and International boulevard captured part of Saturday's incident.A woman can be heard in the video arguing with someone and saying "don't leave" repeatedly.Moments later several gunshots are heard, and a woman is seen running holding what appears to be a gun.She screams, "Oh my God.

PHILADELPHIA - The woman accused of driving under the influence when she struck and killed two Pennsylvania State Troopers and a civilian earlier this week appears to have previously boasted about drunk driving on social media. Jayana Tanae Webb, 21, faces more than a dozen charges, including three counts of third-degree murder, three counts of homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence, and two counts of second-degree manslaughter of a law enforcement officer. Webb was allegedly under the influence behind the wheel of an SUV when she struck and killed state troopers Martin F. Mack, 33, and Branden T.

Philadelphia police are investigating the shooting of a 22-year-old woman in East Mount Airy on Wednesday.  PHILADELPHIA - A woman is in the hospital in stable condition after being shot twice in East Mount Airy early Wednesday morning, according to police. Authorities say officers with the Philadelphia Police Department's 14th District responded to numerous calls for gunshots in the area of Stenton Avenue and Johnson Street around 3:30 a.m. When police arrived on scene, officers found blood and two spent shell casings from a semi-automatic gun, but no victim, Chief Inspector Scott Small says. Investigators say they later learned the victim, a 22-year-old woman, was transported to Einstein Hospital by car. Small says she was shot in the lower back and face, but is in stable condition. Police say the victim told investigators she had just left a party in the area when she was shot by an unknown person. According to police, a freshly broken bottle of alcohol was found near the spent shell casings, leading investigators to think an altercation may have happened before the shooting. ___MORE LOCAL HEADLINES___DOWNLOAD: FOX 29 NEWS APP | FOX 29 WEATHER AUTHORITY APPSUBSCRIBE: Good Day Digest Newsletter | FOX 29 Philly on YouTubeAdvertisementFOLLOW: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

PHILADELPHIA - As gun violence continues in Philadelphia, police are investigating another shooting that left one man dead. According to Philadelphia police, the incident happened around midnight when officers with the 26th district responded to a 911 call for an unresponsive man in a car in a parking lot on the 1400 block of North Hutchinson Street. Police say when officers and medics arrived they found a 32-year-old man in a Nissan slumped over in the driver's seat bleeding heavily from the neck. He was unresponsive and the car's engine was still running, authorities say. According to police, medics pronounced him dead on scene at 12:08 a.m. Philadelphia police investigating overnight shooting that left 1 man dead in North Philadelphia on Wednesday.  Chief Inspector Scott Small says police found something unusual while investigating the crime scene. A Dodge Durango parked two spots away from the Nissan had a semi-automatic handgun in plain view in the rear floorboards and a loaded magazine in the front center console, according to Small. Police say they are unsure if it is related to this case. The Nissan with the victim is registered to New Jersey, according to Small. There is no description of a suspect or a motive at this time, police say. The shooting happened less than a mile away from Temple University's campus, adding to the concerns students and residents have about increased violence in the area. ___RELATED COVERAGE ___DOWNLOAD: FOX 29 NEWS APP | FOX 29 WEATHER AUTHORITY APPSUBSCRIBE: Good Day Digest Newsletter | FOX 29 Philly on YouTubeAdvertisementFOLLOW: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

WAYNE, Pa. - A local bartender concocted a way to help Ukrainian refugees after he was inspired by a connection he made with a Ukrainian woman and her young daughter. A week before Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine, Sam Whitaker hired Vika, a Ukrainian woman, to design a web page for a project he was working on. Days later, Vika and her 5-year-old daughter fled to Italy to stay with relatives as Russian forces pillaged Ukraine.Sam managed to stay in touch with Vika during the ongoing war in Ukraine.

SARASOTA, Fla. - In a proclamation, Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a Sarasota woman to be the "real" winner of a 500-yard freestyle event held last week. The top spot in the NCAA Division I swimming event went to University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas, who was deemed the first known transgender woman to win the title.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A tornado tore through parts of New Orleans on Tuesday night, spawned by a storm that produced multiple tornadoes through parts of Texas and Oklahoma, killing one person and causing multiple injuries and widespread damage.The National Weather Service retweeted a video of the tornado in the eastern part of New Orleans that was visible in the darkened sky.The tornado appeared to start in a New Orleans suburb and then move east across the Mississippi River into the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans and parts of St. Bernard Parish before moving northeast.Guy McGinnis, president of St.

Edmonton-South MLA Thomas Dang said he used Premier Kenney’s publicly available personal info because he felt obligated to expose the vaccine passport website’s security flaws. Sarah Reid reports.

MILWAUKEE, WI - JULY 10: Cincinnati Reds outfielder Nick Castellanos (2) hits a three-run home run in the sixth inning of the MLB game against the Milwaukee Brewers on July 10, 2021 at American Family Field in Milwaukee, WI. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Ico CLEARWATER, Fla. - Nick Castellanos and the Philadelphia Phillies finalized a $100 million, five-year contract on Tuesday.The All-Star outfielder agreed to the deal last week after the Phillies added slugger Kyle Schwarber.

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - A brazen "smash-and-grab" robbery is under investigation in Beverly Hills.The robbery occurred at about 2 p.m. Tuesday at Luxury Jewels of Beverly Hills in the area of South Beverly Drive and Charleville Boulevard, near Reeves Park. The suspects shattered the front windows with sticks or sledgehammers and fled the scene with several items from the store, according to the Beverly Hills Police Department.A video shared by Street People of Beverly Hills showed a group of suspects targeting a jewelry store in the area.

PHILADELPHIA - The Pennsylvania SPCA is searching for two men spotted on video allegedly siccing a dog on a family's cat as it sat on the porch of a Frankford home Tuesday morning.The organization shared disturbing video that shows two men and dog walking past the house then abruptly stop when they see the cat. The dog lunges towards the cat and the man holding the leash allows the dog to walk onto the porch closer to the cat. The man then drops the leash, allowing the dog to attack the defenseless cat.

Students wearing academic regalia attend their graduation ceremony at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), June 14, 2019 in Los Angeles California.

TISHOMINGO, Okla. - Six teenage students have been killed in a two-vehicle collision in southern Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said Tuesday.The students were in a passenger vehicle that collided with a semi about 12:30 p.m. in Tishomingo, a rural city of about 3,000 located about 100 miles (161 kilometers) southwest of Oklahoma City, according to OHP spokesperson Sarah Stewart.Stewart said she did not have details of the collision or the exact ages of the students, but that all six victims were female.

An electrical contractor repairs a sign with gasoline fuel prices above six and seven dollars a gallon at the Shell gas station at Fairfax and Olympic Blvd in Los Angeles, California, on March 8, 2022. (Photo by Patrick T.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 17:Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks during the 2022 New York State Democratic Convention at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel on February 17, 2022 in New York City. Former Secretary of State Hillar Former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton announced she tested positive for COVID-19 Tuesday. "Well, I've tested positive for COVID," she tweeted Tuesday. "I've got some mild cold symptoms but am feeling fine.

Public and private sector employees are heading back to the office, and for many, it’s a departure from the pre-pandemic work model. Shallima Maharaj explains.

Texas, Dirk Parker came across a bright pink grasshopper. While he initially thought it was cool, he didn't think much of it and continued on his way.It wasn't until later that night that he realized he discovered an incredibly rare specimen.Dirk Parker showed off the pink grasshopper he found during a walk in Texas. (Dirk Parker) "I was sitting in my hotel room later that night," Parker told Fox News.

Photos of the hotel room where comedian Bob Saget died in Orlando, Florida were released by the Orange County Sheriff's Office. ORLANDO, Fla. - The Orange County Sheriff's Office in Florida on Tuesday released a batch of photos that were taken inside actor and comedian Bob Saget's hotel room in Orlando, where he died earlier this year.The "Full House" / "Fuller House" actor was found dead inside his hotel room at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando on Jan.

COLOMBO (News 1st); Former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesighe states that he objected to searching Muslim women who were wearing hijabs at the time which followed the Easter Sunday bombings. Speaking at the Parliament during the debate on the second reading of the Prevention of Terrorism Act today (22), the UNP MP stated that in countries such as UK, they did not search women wearing hijabs at all, while in France, when conditions were placed on women wearing hijabs, many exhibited acts of aggression. However, the former Prime Minister said that if the Government went onto harass Muslim women, the truth of what happened on that day would not have come forth from a Muslim woman. Although the intelligence services were incapable of analyzing the facts and presenting them, it was out of MP Kabir Hashim’s Secretary’s tip off that they were able to fall to the correct track, he stated. Therefore, the former Prime Minister emphasized that the lack of ability for analysis within the intelligence sector poses serious problems, in addition to the lack of professionalism which is contrasted greatly with foreign intelligence services. “This house should do an investigation as to why member of the house Rishad Bathiudeen was being kept,.

A handful of Asian countries that were hit later by Omicron variant surges are in different phases of their outbreaks, with South Korea seeing a possible peak.

ELGIN, Texas - It was like a scene out of the movie "Twister" when a truck drove through a tornado in Central Texas on Monday.The video above, shot by storm chaser Brian Emfinger of Live Storms Media, shows a red truck driving down a road in Elgin, Texas, as it gets blown over onto its side by a tornado. The truck was then spun around before getting flipped back upright onto its wheels.Amazingly, the truck was able to drive away as the twister went on to knock down trees and power lines along the road.ADVICE FOR DEALING WITH STORM ANXIETY WHEN SEVERE WEATHER THREATENSEmfinger said he witnessed the tornado causing quite a bit of damage in Elgin, including destroying a few mobile homes and heavily damaging other homes.

Jayana Tanae Webb was walked out of Pennsylvania State Police Troop K barracks in handcuffs Tuesday afternoon. (FOX 29 Philadelphia)PHILADELPHIA - Authorities have announced charges against a woman they say was driving under the influence when she struck and killed three people, including two Pennsylvania state police troopers, Monday morning. Jayana Tanae Webb, 21, has been charged with third-degree murder, homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence, DUI, and related charges in connection with the crash that occurred shortly before 1 a.m.

A US study shows that white-tailed deer (WTD) inoculated with COVID-19–causing SARS-CoV-2 shed infectious virus for up to 5 days, resulting in efficient deer-to-deer transmission on day 3, findings the authors say highlight the potential for deer to become a reservoir for the virus.Cornell University and US Department of Agriculture (US

Two studies published yesterday describe the medical consequences of COVID-19 in pregnancy, one finding that the virus may double the risk of severe maternal outcomes and preterm birth, and the other showing that infection can lead to problems with the placenta that may cause fetal loss.

TEMPE, Ariz. - The Tempe Police Department is investigating a shooting in the parking lot of an Ikea store that left a man dead.According to police, the shooting happened at the Ikea near I-10 and Elliot Road at around 1 p.m. on March 21.Sgt.

LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles on Tuesday became the first major city in the U.S. to reach an average gas price of $6 or more. That's according to fuel savings platform GasBuddy, which reported the national average gas price in the U.S.

Trooper Martin Mack III (L) and Trooper Branden Sisca (R)  (Pennsylvania State Police)PHILADELPHIA - The Pennsylvania State Trooper Association is warning residents of solicitors pretending to raise money for the families of two troopers who were tragically killed in a crash in Philadelphia Monday morning. The association issued their warning in a statement released Tuesday morning, just over 24 hours after Trooper Martin Mack, 33, and Trooper Branden Sisca, 29, were killed in the line of duty. Officials say members of the PSTA and others have reported that they’ve received phone calls from people alleging to represent law enforcement organizations. In those phone calls, the callers claim they are raising money to benefit the families of Trooper Mack and Trooper Sisca. "It’s disgusting to even have to issue this statement, but our members and others are reporting to us that they’re receiving phone calls from people alleging to represent law enforcement organizations that are raising money to benefit the families of our fallen brothers," said PSTA President David Kennedy.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - Whale watchers off the coast of Southern California had an unforgettable encounter with gray whales — one the excursion company called its "most epic" of all time. On Monday, passengers on a Newport Coastal Adventure tour boat near Newport Beach were cruising along the water at sunset when a pair of giant gray whales stopped to check out the small vessel for more than 45 minutes. Video shared by the company showed the gray whales calmly rolling, bobbing and even raising their tails out of the water next to the boat, much to the delight of the tour group. The whale watchers are also heard excitedly reacting as the curious creatures blew from their blowholes."The encounter lasted for over 45 minutes as the whales were rolling, spy hopping, and became extremely interested in our boat and passengers onboard," Jessica Roame, Newport Coastal Adventure’s education manager, said in an email, who added that this behavior is referred to as "mugging."The unique interaction happened about two miles offshore from the Newport Beach coastline, Roame said.Roame emphasized the fast raft boat’s engines were off and the boat holding 15 people was drifting during the encounter. "It’s important to stress that during this time in the year, boaters should be cautious when boating in the ocean, and keep a sharp eye out for migrating gray whales because they are on the move all along the coast right now," she said.

Philadelphia police are investigating a shooting on Tuesday morning in Fairhill that left 1 dead.  PHILADELPHIA - Homicide detectives with the Philadelphia Police Department are investigating a fatal shooting from Tuesday morning. According to police, the incident happened on the 100 block of W Lehigh Avenue around 10:08 a.m. Police say a 22-year-old man was shot in the head, shoulder, chest and knee. He was taken to Temple Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 10:56 a.m., according to authorities. Elkins Elementary School was temporarily placed on lockdown due to the shooting, police say. Police say an arrest has been made in the case.  ___MORE LOCAL HEADLINES___DOWNLOAD: FOX 29 NEWS APP | FOX 29 WEATHER AUTHORITY APPSUBSCRIBE: Good Day Digest Newsletter | FOX 29 Philly on YouTubeAdvertisementFOLLOW: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

FILE-MacKenzie Scott attends the SEAN PENN J/P HRO GALA in 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Greg Doherty/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images) WASHINGTON - MacKenzie Scott has donated $436 million to Habitat for Humanity International and 84 of its U.S.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. - A former Google employee sued the tech giant saying it engages in a "pattern and practice" of racial discrimination against its Black workers, steering them into lower-level and lower-paid jobs and subjecting them to a hostile work environment if they speak out. April Curley was hired in 2014 to recruit Black candidates for the company. Her lawsuit, filed on Friday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in San Jose, claims she was unlawfully fired in 2020 after she began speaking out and "called for reform of the barriers and double standards Google imposed on Black employees and applicants," according to the lawsuit."Google chose to ignore and ultimately attack Black employees brave enough to speak up about Google's embedded racism that actively harmed Black employees on a daily basis," Curley said. "Google believes great people are white people.

Dr. Terrance "Newt" Newton died after a motorcycle crash, according to the school district.  WILMINGTON, Del. - Students and staff members across Delaware are in mourning after the principal of Warner Elementary School in Wilmington died after a motorcycle crash. According to the Red Clay School District Superintendent, Dr. Terrance "Newt" Newton died Friday. Police say Newton was riding on the Old Baltimore Pike west of 273 around 10:45 p.m.

multi-day severe weather outbreak with tornadoes, destructive winds, large hail and flash flooding is underway across parts of the South, and the dangerous storms will continue to slowly march eastward through midweek.NOAA's Storm Prediction Center has issued the following severe weather watches:HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER ON TVNOAA's Storm Prediction Center has issued Tornado Watches in the South.(FOX Weather) The SPC received 20 initial reports of tornadoes on Monday and Monday night, most of which were in Texas, but the number of confirmed tornadoes won't be known until National Weather Service meteorologists are able to assess the damage in the days ahead.As of early Tuesday, FOX Weather can confirm at least seven people have been injured during this severe weather outbreak. Three were seriously injured between Cooper and Crockett, Texas, after an apparent tornado ripped through the area, and another four suffered minor injuries near Ore City, Texas, from a possible tornado.AT LEAST 7 INJURED IN TEXAS DURING MONDAY'S SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAKHere's what to expect through Wednesday.

Ontario easing COVID-19 rules around the safety measure.Niagara’s acting medical officer of health believes the province’s decision to lift the mandate is “a little bit too early” but suggests it may be offset by a significant number of individuals choosing to keep their masks on anyways. COVID-19: Gradual increase in cases likely for Hamilton, according to public health early spring forecast “I’m hoping that we can build that number by convincing people of the importance of doing this and showing people that … it’s still a good thing to do and hopefully encourage others,” Dr.