Arguments End In Arbery Death Trial As Calls For Justice Mount

ACROSS AMERICA — Good morning! It’s Friday, Nov. 19. It’s finally the weekend, and we hope you can steal a moment or two of relaxation before the Thanksgiving shenanigans and cooking marathons begin. Meanwhile, here’s a look at the stories we’re following today:

• The defense has rested in the trial of three men accused of killing Ahmaud Arbery.
• A Kenosha County judge has banned a major news network from the Rittenhouse trial.
• Oklahoma’s governor has granted clemency to Julius Jones.
• Neighbors recounted a deadly house fire: “I can hear them screaming.”

The defense attorneys for the men accused of killing Ahmaud Arbery all rested their cases Thursday afternoon, and the judge dismissed the jury until Monday. Meanwhile, earlier in the day, hundreds of ministers rallied and prayed outside the Glynn County Courthouse.

"Could you please say his name?" Arbery's mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, said following prayer at the rally. "Ahmaud Arbery!" the crowd shouted.

Civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton was also in the crowd. He criticized the failed attempt to keep Black pastors out of court and told the rally that no one had questioned who was sitting with the defendants' families.

"No lawyer can knock us out. Because no matter where you are, God is there," he said. "We are going to keep coming until we get justice."

Inside the courthouse, Travis McMichael, who fatally shot Arbery, described him as angry and said the unarmed jogger tried to get into one of the pickup trucks following him before the shooting. » Pastors Rally For Ahmaud Arbery, Defense Rests In Trial, via Atlanta Patch

RELATED: Ahmaud Arbery Case: Photo Timeline From To Shooting To The Trial

Tensions Rise In Wisconsin

Jurors ended their third day of deliberations Thursday in the Kyle Rittenhouse homicide trial. No verdict was reached, and deliberations are to continue Friday morning.

Meanwhile, Kenosha police arrested a man for carrying a firearm outside the Kenosha County Courthouse on Thursday. Police on Wednesday also detained a freelancer for MSNBC who they suspected of trying to photograph jurors. The person was given several traffic citations, but MSNBC said the freelancer neither contacted nor intended to contact jurors and did not intend to photograph them. » Rittenhouse Jurors Head Home After Third Day Of Deliberations, via Mount Pleasant-Sturtevant Patch

RELATED: MSNBC Barred From Kenosha Courthouse: Judge | Rittenhouse Trial Verdict Nears Amid Rising Tensions: PHOTOS | FL Rep. Matt Gaetz Wants To Hire Kyle Rittenhouse As An Intern

CVS To Close 900 Stores

CVS Health said it will close 900 stores in the next three years in response to changes in shopping habits, population shifts and changing health care needs. The Rhode Island-based company did not say which stores it would close or which states would be most affected by the closures. The first round of closings is to begin in spring 2022. » CVS Closing 900 Stores Over Next 3 Years, via Woonsocket Patch

Gratitude Through Pets

We'll let the scientists debate whether dogs and other animals can practice gratitude (spoiler alert: There is plenty of evidence-based science to suggest showing gratitude isn't a uniquely human behavior). There is no question, though, that Marie Manzi of Lockport, Illinois, is grateful the rescue dog Goldie came to live with her. » What Pets Can Teach Us About Being Grateful: 30 Days Of Gratitude, via Across America Patch | More 30 Days of Gratitude stories

More national headlines on Across America and other Patches:

• Oklahoma Governor Grants Clemency, Spares Julius Jones' Life
• Virus Surge Worsens In Midwest As States Expand Boosters
• 2 Iranians Charged With Threatening U.S. Voters In 2020
• Helen Mirren Selected To Receive SAG Life Achievement Award, via Santa Monica Patch

Around ‘The Patch’

Missing Cousins Found: A missing Kentucky toddler and his 16-year-old cousin were both found safe in Orange County, California, on Thursday. The father of the 3-year-old boy is in custody, via Dana Point Patch

‘I Can Hear Them Screaming’: Neighbors watched in horror as a historic Long Island home erupted into flames that ripped through the three-story structure and left five people dead, via Riverhead, New York, Patch

More local news:

• Kelsey Grammer Serves Up Brews At North Jersey Tavern, via Parsippany Patch
• Hepatitis A Case Identified At New Jersey Starbucks, via Gloucester Township Patch
• California 9th Grader Adds Much-Needed Creativity To Pet Industry, via Calabasas Patch
• 1 Injured In Shooting At Virginia Mall: Police, via Woodbridge Patch
• 10-Point Buck Goes To Church On The Opening Day Of Gun Season, via Grand Rapids Patch
• Sexual Attraction To Children Isn't Immoral: VA College Professor, via Norfolk Patch
• College Student Contests A-Minus Grade In Federal Court, via New York City Patch
• Monkeypox In Maryland Resident Confirmed, via Baltimore Patch

House Hunting

What will $14.9 million get you in one of the priciest neighborhoods in the country? The answer is: quite a lot, actually. Prominently positioned to capture the beautiful sunrises over Long Island Sound, this home in Rye, New York, offers both picturesque views and exceptional privacy.

This Day In History

In 1990, the pop duo Milli Vanilli became the first performers to be stripped of a Grammy Award after it was revealed the two men had not sung on the album “Girl You Know It's True.”

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