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AP PA Headlines 2/20/20
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, is calling bankruptcy protection a path forward to preserve its future. The diocese filed for bankruptcy Wednesday, six months after disclosing it had paid millions of dollars to people sexually abused as children by its clerics. It says it paid more than 100 people a total of just over $12 million to compensate for claims of sexual abuse they suffered as children from its clerics, deacons and seminarians. The diocese joins at least 20 others across the U.S. in seeking protection from creditors. It is the first diocese in Pennsylvania to take such a step.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Boy Scouts of America face an uncertain future after filing for bankruptcy to deal with a mountain of sex-abuse lawsuits. Some former Scouts are worried about the damage to the Boy Scouts’ wholesome reputation. The organization hopes to set up a victims’ compensation fund for potentially thousands of men who were molested as youngsters by Scout leaders. But battles lie ahead over such things as access to internal Scout files, the deadline for filing claims and whether local Scout councils can be forced to sell campgrounds or other assets.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A former prosecutor who led the child molestation case against former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky is losing his law license for a year over his handling of a grand jury witness in the case. The court on Wednesday suspended Frank Fina’s law license. Fina’s own lawyer says he will seek U.S. Supreme Court review.
The state justices also are ordering a public reprimand of former Penn State general counsel Cynthia Baldwin for violating professional conduct rules in her representation of three Penn State officials and during her own grand jury testimony. Baldwin’s attorney says she “made every effort to comply” with conduct rules.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — As many Pennsylvania counties adopting new hand-marked ballot voting systems, a persistent criticism is a perceived loss of privacy in polling places when filling them out and scanning them. State lawmakers raised those complaints Wednesday with Gov. Tom Wolf’s top elections officials during an Appropriations Committee hearing.
Critics say other voters or poll workers may be able to see how someone voted while they are filling out their ballot or while they are feeding their ballot into an electronic scanner that reads it. Election officials say some complaints can be solved by using curtains or other privacy devices, or changing a polling place’s layout.
LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) — A former Pennsylvania mail carrier says the U.S. Postal Service violated his rights by requiring him to work Sundays. Gerald Groff says he is an evangelical Christian and filed a lawsuit Friday against the federal agency. He claims he was let go from his position after refusing to work on Sundays for religious reasons. The federal lawsuit claims Groff worked “flexibly” to accommodate his convictions by offering to pick up holiday, evening and Saturday hours that others did not want to work. A spokesperson says the Postal Service does not generally comment on pending litigation..
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PHOENIX (AP) — President Donald Trump trolled his political enemies Wednesday during the first of three rallies in three days in the West as Democrats vied in neighboring Nevada to be the one to challenge his reelection. Just minutes before Trump regaled a friendly crowd in Phoenix, Democrats watched billionaire presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg make his debut on the debate stage ahead of Nevada’s caucuses on Saturday. Trump reported to his supporters that the Democratic rivals were pounding Bloomberg and drew cheers when he said the Democratic nominee didn’t matter because “we’re going to win.” Earlier Wednesday, Trump raised tons of campaign cash and revved up his base in California.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — From the opening bell, Democrats savaged New York billionaire Mike Bloomberg and raised pointed questions about Bernie Sanders’ take-no-prisoners politics during a contentious debate Wednesday night. The aggressive confrontation in Las Vegas threatened to further scramble the party’s urgent quest to defeat President Donald Trump in November. Bloomberg, the former New York mayor, was forced to defend his divisive record on race, gender and Wall Street in his debate-stage debut. Sanders, appearing in his ninth debate of the 2020 primary season, tried to beat back pointed questions about his health and his ability to defeat Trump as a self-described “democratic socialist.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — The 11 felons pardoned or set free by President Donald Trump this week were convicted of a wide array of serious crimes. But all had a common thread — they had advocates among the president’s wealthy friends and political allies. In at least some cases, Trump has personal relationships with those granted clemency. While Trump says he is righting wrongs, he is once again shattering institutional norms. Rather than relying on carefully vetted recommendations from Justice Department lawyers, Trump appears to have instead relied on GOP mega-donors, celebrities and Fox News personalities who personally vouched for those he picked.
CROYDON, N.H. (AP) — The police chief in a New Hampshire town took it literally when he was stripped of his duties at a local board meeting, disrobing to his underwear and walking out into a snowstorm. Richard Lee has been chief in the small town of Croydon for 20 years. The three-member selectboard on Tuesday night voted to eliminate the one-man department and move to 100% coverage by state police. Lee was told to turn in the key to his cruiser, his guns and his uniform — immediately. He went into an office and took off his clothes before the board chairman. Phone messages seeking comment were left with the selectboard.
RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (AP) — Donald Trump is checking off the quintessential to-do list for a president seeking reelection on Day 2 of his Western trip. He’s raising tons of campaign cash, delivering on policy for supporters, revving up his base _ and, above all, trolling the enemy. The president’s four-day, four-state trip features big-dollar fundraisers, back-to-back-to-back campaign rallies and a sprinkling of official presidential events. It’s an unusually long domestic trip for Trump, who prefers to sleep in his own bed. Next best: He’s sleeping each night at his own hotel just off the Las Vegas Strip and making day trips to other states.
BURBANK, Calif. (AP) – The same company that created the hologram of Carrie Fisher for the “Star Wars” movie “Rogue One” did the one of Whitney Houston that’s about to go on tour. Marty Tudor of BASE Hologram says creating the Houston one was “lengthy,” “tedious” and “complicated,” but it works. The hologram interacts with four dancers and two backup singers and even addresses the audience. It also does wardrobe changes. The tour begins in England next Tuesday. American dates have not yet been announced.
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