HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled that authorities did not have the right to seize a vehicle from the driveway of a hit-and-run suspect without a warrant. The ruling issued Wednesday stems from the August 2012 seizure of a heavy-duty pickup truck owned by Daniel Loughnane. The 45-year-old Hanover Township man is charged with felony hit-and-run in the death of 19-year-old Rebecca McCallick.
Authorities have said she was under the influence of marijuana and lying in the street when she was struck in July 2012. A county judge ruled in 2014 that the seizure was illegal because no exigent circumstances existed to justify the warrantless seizure. But a three-judge state Superior Court panel overturned that ruling in November 2015, finding Loughnane didn’t have an expectation of privacy in his driveway.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The politics of taxing Marcellus Shale natural gas production still roils Pennsylvania a decade after energy companies began realizing its explosive economic potential. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf made imposing a tax on the industry a centerpiece of his successful 2014 campaign. It stands to be prominent in his re-election bid next year after three years of pressing the Republican-controlled Legislature for action.
Tax legislation passed the Senate in July. A similar bill saw debate this week in the House, where Republican leaders oppose it. Republican Rep. Garth Everett of Lycoming County says it helps Wolf if a tax passes, and that may motivate some Republicans to oppose it. A final vote won’t occur before December, and the bill may not survive opponents’ efforts to attach provisions that’ll split supporters.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court says it’s not enough for governors to put out news releases when they are vetoing bills during a legislative adjournment, they also have to issue formal public notices. The justices on Wednesday sided with three top state Senate leaders of both parties in ruling that partial vetoes of appropriations and fiscal code amendment bills by Republican Gov. Tom Corbett in 2014 weren’t valid.
The court says they failed because Corbett didn’t specify that he’d filed the bills and his objections in the secretary of state’s office. They didn’t decide whether Corbett’s use of the line-item veto for the fiscal code amendments was within his authority. It’s unclear how the decision will affect the millions in spending Corbett cancelled, including legislative funds.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The state’s highest court says a central Pennsylvania sheriff can’t be sued by people with permits to carry concealed weapons over mailing notices about their permits on postcards without envelopes. The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed the former sheriff of Franklin County from what could become a class-action case.
The plaintiffs claim the postcards violated privacy rules in the Uniform Firearms Act. The decision reverses Commonwealth Court, which had said the sheriff was not protected from lawsuits by the concept of “high public official immunity.” A lawyer for the four anonymous people who are suing says they’re going to ask the justices for reconsideration or re-argument about the constitutionality of high public official immunity. The decision means the case against Franklin County and sheriff’s department will return to county court.
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Features
NEW YORK (AP) — So, are we now looking at the beginning of the end of net neutrality? If the FCC gets its way, it just might be. The Federal Communications Commission has formally released its draft plan to kill off a series of Obama-era rules that provided equal access to the internet — and kept broadband providers from favoring their own apps and services. For example, the FCC move will let companies like Comcast, AT&T and Verizon charge internet companies for speedier access to consumers. It would also give them leeway to block outside services they don’t like or that compete with them. The proposals could well be officially enacted at the FCC meeting set for next month. But there no doubt will be lawsuits challenging the new rules.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats have been quick to support the “me too” chorus of women — and some men — who have stepped up to allege sexual misconduct and name names. But now “me too” stains the Democrats, too, putting them in an awkward place as they calibrate how forcefully to respond. Allegations against Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota and Rep. John Conyers of Michigan are part of the newest chapter in the hot-potato politics of sexual predation for the party, which has its own fraught history on the subject.
The latest revelations have prompted a hard look back at the way Democrats and their allies once circled the wagons around President Bill Clinton, dismissing allegations that extended to serious assault as mere dalliances or the tales of “looney” women. In her 2016 presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton drew a clear line on behalf of women who allege sexual assault, saying flatly: “You have the right to be believed.” But she equivocated when asked if her husband’s accusers from another decade should be believed, too: “I would say that everybody should be believed at first until they are disbelieved based on evidence.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Sen. Al Franken has issued an explanation and apology in the wake of four women alleging that he had touched them inappropriately. The Minnesota-born former comedian says he is sorry that he’s made some women “feel badly.” He says he is a warm person who hugs people and that he’s learned from recent stories that he crossed the line for some women.
He adds that he recognizes that he needs to be “much more careful and sensitive in these situations.” Franken is promising to regain constituents’ trust, suggesting that no resignation is contemplated. The multiple accusations against Franken began to surface last week as the issue of sexual harassment took hold across the nation. Several powerful men in politics, entertainment and other institutions have been accused of inappropriate behavior.
NEW YORK (AP) — There was a little bit of politicking mixed in with the pageantry of the Macy’s parade. Four activists jumped over barriers — and sat down in the middle of the street. The demonstrators were there to protest the end of a program that extended protection to immigrants who came to the U.S. as children. The protest didn’t last long. Police quickly escorted the protesters back behind the barriers. No one was arrested and the parade wasn’t delayed.
TAHOE CITY, Calif. (AP) — Three bears rummaging through trash cans outside a Tahoe City shopping mall are becoming a social media sensation after a Northern California deputy caught them on video . Placer County Sheriff Deputy Don Nevins was patrolling the Lighthouse Shopping Center Monday night when he came across what appeared to be a mama bear outside a Taco Bell.
As Nevins approached, the bear ran toward a littler bear trying to get into a trash can outside a CVS Pharmacy. The pair scampered around a corner where a third bear standing on his hind legs joined them on their escape. Nevins asked chuckling, “What are you guys doing?” Then added, “Fleeing felons.” Last month Nevins filmed another bear walking on an empty street. He is now known as the department’s “bear whisperer.”
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Astronauts at the International Space Station will feast Thursday on pouches of Thanksgiving turkey. The three Americans, two Russians and one Italian will also rip into single-serving bags of mashed potatoes, candied yams, cornbread stuffing and cranberry-apple dessert. Just add water, heat and bon appetit! Commander Randy Bresnik said he’ll miss his wife’s home cooking, but appreciate next year’s Thanksgiving that much more. This is his second Thanksgiving off the planet; he was aboard space shuttle Atlantis in November 2009.
“We’re going to celebrate a lot like we did when we were deployed in the service,” Bresnik, a retired Marine colonel, said Wednesday in a televised interview. “We’ve got some good food up here, some goodies from home.” Bresnik said he and his NASA crewmates — Joe Acaba, also a former Marine, and Mark Vande Hei, a retired Army colonel — are thankful for being able to live and work in space “and serve our country in another way.” Celebrating Thanksgiving in space is “a special treat,” according to Acaba.
CHANDLER, Ariz. (AP) — A dog wouldn’t come out after chasing a cat into a tunnel dug by a giant tortoise in the back yard of a home in a Phoenix suburb, so homeowner Toby Passmore called for help. Chandler firefighters responded Wednesday with people and shovels and, with the help of a city backhoe, began unearthing the 6-foot-deep tunnel dug by Passmore’s tortoise.
That allowed Passmore to squirm head-first into the hole and see that his Scottish Schnauzer “was willfully inside the hole” where it had cornered the cat. With his ankles held by firefighters, Passmore was able to pull the dog out. It emerged dirty but unharmed. The rescuers left the hole open to allow the cat to leave when it felt safe..
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