In other news: Secret Service agent robbed at gunpoint; Historic SS United States ordered out of berth in Philadelphia

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, June 19, 2024

By The Associated Press

Secret Service agent robbed at gunpoint during Biden’s Los Angeles trip, police say

Officials say a U.S. Secret Service agent was robbed at gunpoint during President Joe Biden’s fundraising visit to Los Angeles. Officials say the agent was returning from work Saturday night when he was robbed in a residential community in Tustin. The agent was not injured. Police say he fired a gun during the confrontation. The Secret Service say they do not know if anyone was shot. Police said Monday that a suspect had not been found. Police did find some of the agent’s stolen belongings in the area. Police reported a silver Infiniti FX35 was seen leaving the scene.

Historic SS United States is ordered out of its berth in Philadelphia. Can it find new shores?

A federal judge says a historic ocean liner that still holds the transatlantic speed record it set more than 70 years ago must leave its berth in Philadelphia by Sept. 12. The decision culminated a years-old rent dispute between the conservancy that oversees the 1,000-foot SS United States and its landlord. It stemmed from an August 2021 decision by the landlord to double the ship’s daily dockage rate. The conservancy wouldn’t accept the increase. The judge ruled the conservancy’s failure to pay the new rate didn’t amount to a contract breach. But she also found the berthing agreement is terminable at will under Pennsylvania contract law.

Perfectly preserved centuries-old cherries unearthed at George Washington’s Mount Vernon

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Dozens of bottles of centuries-old, impeccably preserved cherries and berries from the cellar of George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate in northern Virginia have been discovered during an archaeological dig. Officials from Mount Vernon say the discovery of so much perfectly preserved food from more than 250 years ago is essentially unprecedented. Whole cherries with pits were found in some of the bottles. Other bottles held what appear to be gooseberries or currants. Mount Vernon is partnering with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to conduct DNA testing on the fruit. They are also examining more than 50 cherry pits to see if any of them can be planted.