AP PA Headlines 7/17/20
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pandemic-related shutdowns in Pennsylvania, the nation’s No. 2 commercial gambling state, helped knock casino revenue down by 18%, and it would have been much worse without the advent of online gambling and sports betting. State regulators reported Thursday that revenue from regulated gambling in Pennsylvania shrank to $2.7 billion in the just-finished fiscal year, down from a new record high above $3.3 billion. Revenue from slot-machine gambling and table games were down more than $900 million combined. But online gambling contributed $240 million and sports betting brought in $114 million in the first full year for both in Pennsylvania. Tax collections are expected to shrink to $1.1 billion from $1.4 billion a year ago.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has followed through on his threat to yank COVID-19 funding from a county that defied his shutdown orders. Wolf withheld millions in funding from Lebanon County, where local Republican leaders voted in mid-May to lift pandemic restrictions in defiance of the Democratic governor. Meanwhile, his administration targeted bars, restaurants and large gatherings statewide Thursday in an effort to prevent a wider resurgence of the virus that officials say could jeopardize students’ return to school. Pennsylvania reported 781 new coronavirus cases and 16 additional deaths.
Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
Features
NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump is adamant that he wants another four years in office, but it’s less clear what he would do with them. The Republican president repeatedly assailed Democratic rival Joe Biden during a rambling, hourlong Rose Garden news conference Tuesday but offered few clues about what he would do if he remains in the White House. Trump similarly stammered through an interview last month when pressed by a friendly TV host to talk about what a second term would look like. With the election less than four months away, Trump’s focus is more on winning than on how he would govern.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s hopes for a grand convention keep shrinking. The Republican National Committee says it’s sharply restricting attendance on three of the four nights of its convention in Jacksonville, Florida, next month as coronavirus cases are spiking in the state. Party leader Ronna McDaniel says only the roughly 2,500 regular delegates to the convention will be permitted to attend the first three nights. Delegates, their guests and alternate delegates will be allowed for the final night, Aug. 27, when Trump is set to deliver his acceptance speech. The GOP moved the convention from Charlotte, North Carolina, after Charlotte officials ruled out a full-capacity crowd because of the pandemic.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Police officers have captured an unlikely suspect bouncing through a Florida neighborhood. After receiving a call Thursday morning about a kangaroo running loose, Fort Lauderdale police officers managed to capture him and place him in a squad car. The marsupial was taken to a barn where the agency keeps its horses. Anthony Macias, who claims to be the kangaroo’s owner, told the Sun Sentinel he’d been hoping to bring his pet, Jack, home, but police told him the animal won’t be returned, because Fort Lauderdale isn’t zoned for kangaroos. Macias says he was at work when he learned Jack had escaped.
UNDATED (AP) – The Grateful Dead now have their own line of Nikes. The Nike SB Dunk Low Grateful Dead shoes come in orange, green or yellow. All three have faux fur on the upper, the Grateful Dead bear on the tongue, and the “Steal Your Face” skull on the underside of the sock liner. The Nike swoosh is frayed to mimic the bear’s collar. The orange ones go on sale tomorrow, while the green and yellow go on sale next Friday.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Activists are rallying against dog meat consumption in South Korea on the first of three “dog meat days” in the country. Ten activists, some wearing dog masks, held banners that read “There are no edible dogs in the world” at Thursday’s protest in central Seoul. Earlier, 20 other activists bowed and laid white flowers before a framed photo of a dog in a mock funeral for the animal. Under a traditional calendar, Thursday is thought to be the first of the three hottest days in South Korea. Many South Koreans believe that eating dog meat on those days gives them strength to beat the heat..
Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
