HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s Republican Party is endorsing candidates closely identified with President Donald Trump in contested primaries to challenge Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey. Saturday’s endorsements of gubernatorial candidate Scott Wagner and Senate candidate Lou Barletta at the Republican State Committee’s winter meeting come a month before the deadline for the May 15 primary election.
Barletta, a fourth-term congressman, is facing several little-known competitors. He’s backed Trump’s agenda and co-chaired Trump’s 2016 campaign in Pennsylvania. Wagner, a state senator and waste-hauling company founder, is endorsed by former Trump White House strategist Steve Bannon. Two others are seeking the nomination. House Speaker Mike Turzai, a leader of anti-tax and social conservatives who has helped drive austerity in state budgeting, announced suspension of his gubernatorial campaign at the gathering.
NORTH HUNTINGDON, Pa. (AP) — A congressional race in southwest Pennsylvania could serve as a guidepost for Democrats and Republicans on how the GOP tax plan will play with voters in 2018.Democratic congressional hopeful Conor Lamb is hammering the new Republican tax law as a gift to corporations and the wealthy that will add to the national debt and give the GOP-run Congress an excuse to gut Social Security and Medicare.
Rick Saccone, Lamb’s opponent in the 18th Congressional District that wraps around Pittsburgh, says the sweeping tax changes will goose the economy and give Americans bigger paychecks. It’s a defining fault line ahead of the 2018 midterm elections, and the outcome for Lamb could serve as a guidepost for Democrats as they try to reclaim a House majority this November.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Authorities say a prison guard leaving work for the day has shot and critically injured a just-released inmate who attacked the officer in a parking lot near the prison. The Philadelphia Department of Prisons says 26-year-old Jamal Bennett attacked the 66-year-old Currran-Fromhold Correctional facility guard around 11 p.m. Friday.
The guard fired his personal weapon, striking Bennett in the chest. Bennett was in critical condition at Jefferson Torresdale Hospital but was expected to survive. Bennett had just been released from custody on a probation violation for a weapons charge. Court documents don’t list an attorney representing him. Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small called the incident “somewhat bizarre.” He said it appears Bennett “was starting his life of crime over again within minutes of being released.”
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania Democrats on Saturday described a revised congressional district map being proposed by Republican leaders as too partisan, citing as evidence the results of the 2016 presidential campaign. A spokesman for state House Democrats said their analysis of the GOP proposal indicates Republican President Donald Trump would have collected more votes in 13 of 18 districts, one more than he actually did win. The Legislature’s two top-ranking Republicans unveiled their proposed map late Friday, three weeks after the five
Democrats on the state Supreme Court declared the existing map unconstitutional because it put partisan aims above other map-drawing criteria. Drew Crompton, a senior Senate Republican aide involved in developing the map, said voter performance was not considered for any candidate. “I don’t know how many districts Trump won” or how any district performed for any candidate, Crompton said. “We did not run that data.” Trump beat Democrat Hillary Clinton in Pennsylvania by less than 1 percentage point, a key victory in his electoral coalition.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania says it’s working on a comprehensive overhaul of its election apparatus, including its voter registration database. The announcement came Friday after Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf ordered counties that plan to replace their electronic voting systems to buy machines that leave a paper trail, a safeguard against hacking.
Wolf’s administration says the move will increase the security of voting systems and make balloting easier to audit. Officials at the Pennsylvania Department of State say they’ve “made no determination” on whether they will eventually bar the use of the antiquated voting machines.
Hackers scanned voter registration databases around the nation before the 2016 presidential election.
SPARTANSBURG, Pa. (AP) — The mayor of a small Pennsylvania town is standing by its volunteer fire company’s re-election of a registered sex offender as its fire chief. Chief Roger Gilbert Jr. was convicted in 2001 of sexual intercourse with a 4-year-old girl and is listed in the state’s Megan’s Law database, The (Corry) Journal reported Saturday.
Court records show Gilbert is a felon who completed a five- to 10-year sentence for “involuntary deviate sexual intercourse.” Mayor Ann Louise Wagner says she and firefighters have been aware that Gilbert, an unpaid volunteer with the department since 2010, is a sex offender. He was just elected to his second term. “I support the fire department and their decision to have him as chief,” Wagner told the Journal.
NEW YORK (AP) — As many as 330 dogs from Yorkshire terriers to German shepherds are vying for the agility championship at the Westminster Kennel Club show. They’re navigating jumps, turns, ramps and tunnels at Saturday’s trial ahead of the nighttime, televised finals. The show, now in its 142nd year, added agility in 2014, incorporating an increasingly popular sport and mixed-breed dogs.
A record 29 of them signed up to compete this year. Winners so far have all been purebred. Handler Leslie Holm says the biggest reward isn’t a ribbon or title — it’s a connection. She says she and her mixed-breed dog, Riley Nico are teammates, and it’s “not just like having a pet.” Not to be outdone, some pedigreed cats are having a go at agility at a companion event next door.
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
Features
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is bemoaning what he believes is a lack of due process for “someone falsely accused.” Trump, in a tweet, appears to question the circumstances that led to the resignation of a senior aide who was accused of domestic violence. Trump tweets that people’s “lives are being shattered and destroyed by a mere allegation.”
He says “some are true and some are false” but says there’s “no recovery for someone falsely accused.” Trump doesn’t name any individuals in his post, but he seems to be referring to Rob Porter. He’s the White House staff secretary who resigned after allegations emerged that he abused two ex-wives. Trump defended Porter in the Oval Office on Friday and wished him well while making no mention of the alleged victims.
MIAMI (AP) — School district officials in Florida have adopted a new policy after a 7-year-old boy was placed in handcuffs and removed from his school for behavior problems. The Miami Herald reported Saturday that Miami-Dade County school system administrators must now exhaust all other options in handling a child with behavior issues before requesting police intervention.
Schools police also must get approval of a higher-ranking officer before transporting a child for an involuntary psychiatric exam. The policy still allows handcuff use if a child is aggressively resisting an officer but provides more options not requiring them. Parents complained after the 7-year-old was handcuffed and taken for an exam last month following an altercation in which police said the boy hit the teacher repeatedly in the back, kicked her and grabbed her hair.
SEATTLE (AP) — A handful of arrests were made after a college Republican rally at the University of Washington drew counter protesters Saturday. College Republicans invited the Vancouver, Washington, based right-wing group Patriot Prayer to speak in Red Square for a “freedom rally.” Seattle TV station KOMO-TV reports skirmishes broke out after a tense but peaceful protest.
Police responded with pepper spray and University of Washington police said five people were arrested for disorderly conduct. No officers were injured. University officials were worried about the potential for violence the rally could bring, and the president had warned students to avoid the square.
PARATY, Brazil (AP) — Hundreds of revelers wrestled, tackled each other and threw chunks of gunk while shaking it to samba and reggaeton Saturday at a Carnival beach party where clothes were optional but the mud was not. The annual “Bloco da Lama,” or “Mud Party,” in this coastal town about a 4-hour drive from Rio de Janeiro got started when Alesandra Cristiana was the first person to jump into thick black mud in an area of mangroves the size of several soccer fields.
With the tropical sun blasting a 95-degree heat, dozens of onlookers then followed her lead, soon followed by a few hundred. “I wanted to be the first to be cured by the mud this year,” said Cristiana, who is from Rio. “When you are here, anything negative in your body just exits.” Like many mud-bathers, Cristiana, now in her fifth year attending, claimed the sticky matter had medicinal qualities.
MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — An online adjunct professor incorrectly told a student that Australia isn’t a country and gave her a failing grade, prompting Southern New Hampshire University to replace the instructor.
Buzzfeed News reports that the 27-year-old student in Idaho was assigned to compare American social norms to that of another country. She chose to study social media use in Australia, but the professor gave her a zero on that portion of the assignment, saying Australia is a continent, not a country.
Australia is actually both — a country and a continent. University officials tell WMUR-TV the instructor has been replaced following an investigation. In a statement, the university said it deeply regrets the interaction between the professor and student, and wished athletes from Australia good luck in the Olympic games.
PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (AP) — An army of high-flying drones expected to light up the sky at the opening ceremony of the Olympics was grounded. Viewers of NBC’s tape-delayed broadcast in the United States still saw it, but it was a pre-recorded version. Intel Corp. was expected to launch 300 drones as part of an extravagant light show, but those plans were scrapped.
International Olympic Committee spokesman Mark Adams said Saturday that the drones were not deployed Friday night because of an “impromptu logistical change.” NBC aired a light show, but it was from Intel’s launching of more than 1,200 drones in December in Pyeongchang. That didn’t keep the television network from highlighting the moment. NBC tweeted on its official @NBCOlympics page: “A swarm of drones brings us one of the most incredible sights of the #OpeningCeremony.”
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
Sports, Scores & Skeds
Newsradio 1070 WKOK and WKOK.com have news, AccuWeather and sports this morning, the CBS Weekend Roundup, Legends of Success and Meet The Press (at noon with Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz). Penn State basketball is on the radio at 6pm today.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Donte DiVincenzo scored a career-high 30 points, Jalen Brunson had 27 and No. 1 Villanova bounced back from its second loss of the season, rallying past Butler 86-75. Omari Spellman added 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Wildcats, who avoided losing consecutive games for the first time since March 2013. The injury-depleted Wildcats were coming off a surprising home loss to last-place St. John’s three days earlier. Kelan Martin scored 30 for Butler, which beat Villanova on Dec. 30.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid had 29 points and tied a career high with 16 rebounds, and the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Los Angeles Clippers 112-98 for their third straight victory. JJ Redick and T.J. McConnell each had 17 points for the 76ers, who were 10 of 17 from 3-point range in the first half and shot 55.1 percent overall to lead 69-55 at halftime.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed Pro Bowl fullback Roosevelt Nix to a four-year contract. Nix, 25, played in all 16 games for the AFC North champions this season. Used primarily as a blocking back for All-Pro Le’Veon Bell, Nix did score the first two touchdowns of his career in 2017. He caught a pass from Ben Roethlisberger in a victory over Baltimore on Dec. 10 and added a one-yard touchdown run against Houston on Dec. 25.
SCOREBOARD
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
GIRL’S
Final Lourdes Regional 54 Athens 27
Final Danville 39 Wellsboro 34
Final Lewisburg 47 Shikellamy 37
Final Milton 49 Midd-West 34
Final Pottsville 29 Shamokin 21
BOY’S
Final Shikellamy 78 Midd-West 27
Final Mifflinburg 56 Central Mountain 50
Final Danville 53 Williamsport 50
Final Mount Carmel 54 Warrior Run 40
NATIONAL SCOREBOARDS
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final 2OT New Orleans 138 Brooklyn 128
Final Philadelphia 112 L.A. Clippers 98
Final Milwaukee 111 Orlando 104
Final Washington 101 Chicago 90
Final Dallas 130 L.A. Lakers 123
Final Golden State 122 San Antonio 105
Final Denver 123 Phoenix 113
———
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Buffalo 4 Boston 2
Final Columbus 6 New Jersey 1
Final SO Nashville 3 Montreal 2
Final Tampa Bay 4 L.A. Kings 3
Final Toronto 6 Ottawa 3
Final Carolina 3 Colorado 1
Final SO Philadelphia 4 Arizona 3
Final Minnesota 3 Chicago 0
Final San Jose 6 Edmonton 4
———
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (1) Villanova 86 Butler 75
Final OT Virginia Tech 61 (2) Virginia 60
Final (4) Michigan St. 68 (3) Purdue 65
Final (5) Xavier 72 Creighton 71
Final (7) Texas Tech 66 Kansas St. 47
Final (8) Auburn 78 Georgia 61
Final Baylor 80 (10) Kansas 64
Final (12) Gonzaga 78 (11) Saint Mary’s (Cal) 65
Final (13) Arizona 81 Southern Cal 67
Final (14) Ohio St. 82 Iowa 64
Final Alabama 78 (15) Tennessee 50
Final Iowa St. 88 (17) Oklahoma 80
Final Oklahoma St. 88 (19) West Virginia 85
Final (21) North Carolina 96 NC State 89
Final (22) Wichita St. 95 UConn 74
Final (23) Nevada 83 San Diego St. 58
Final Texas A&M 85 (24) Kentucky 74
Final Boston College 72 (25) Miami 70
TODAY’S SPORTS SCHEDULE
———
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Toronto at Charlotte 1:00 p.m.
Cleveland at Boston 3:30 p.m.
Detroit at Atlanta 3:30 p.m.
N-Y Knicks at Indiana 5:00 p.m.
Memphis at Oklahoma City 7:00 p.m.
Dallas at Houston 7:00 p.m.
Sacramento at Minnesota 7:00 p.m.
Utah at Portland 9:00 p.m.
———
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Pittsburgh at St. Louis 12:00 p.m.
N-Y Rangers at Winnipeg 3:00 p.m.
Detroit at Washington 3:00 p.m.
Vancouver at Dallas 4:00 p.m.
Calgary at N-Y Islanders 7:00 p.m.
Boston at New Jersey 7:00 p.m.
Colorado at Buffalo 7:00 p.m.
Philadelphia at Vegas 8:00 p.m.
San Jose at Anaheim 8:00 p.m.
———
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
(6) Cincinnati at SMU 4:00 p.m.
(9) Duke at Georgia Tech 6:00 p.m.
(20) Michigan at Wisconsin 1:00 p.m.
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
