AP
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania’s job growth continued to set records in May, despite a small increase in the statewide unemployment rate. The state Department of Labor and Industry said Friday that the jobless rate rose to 5.4 percent in May, up one-tenth of a percentage point from April. That remains below the national rate of 5.5 percent.
A May survey of employers found that seasonally adjusted non-farm payrolls increased by 18,200 jobs for a record total of nearly 5.86 million. The biggest increases from April were in health and education, which added nearly 9,000 jobs, and construction, which added more than 3,000 jobs. The department also revised down April’s big gain of 27,000 jobs by about 7,000. Despite May’s job gains, unemployment still rose as more people began looking for work.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania lawmakers are considering a bill to require strippers and others who work in the adult entertainment industry to register with the state and to put tighter regulations on strip clubs. The proposal, which has more than 60 co-sponsors, is being promoted as a means to combat sex trafficking. A spokesman for a national strip club trade association says it would be a waste of money and raises privacy concerns.
The bill could go before the House Judiciary Committee early next week. It would require adult-oriented businesses to register with the Department of State and pay a $300 fee. Dancers and other employees would have to pay $50 and submit their photo, their real name, their date of birth, their home address and other information.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania’s high court says a man convicted of killing a Philadelphia police officer can’t be executed because he has an IQ of 74. The state Supreme Court on Tuesday upheld a lower court ruling that Edward Bracey’s below-average intellectual functioning made him ineligible for the death penalty. Bracey is serving a life sentence without possibility of parole in the 1991 murder of 21-year-old officer Daniel Boyle.
Boyle’s sister, Kathleen Wrigley, called the “process unjust, imbalanced and unfair.” Wrigley is the wife of North Dakota Lt. Gov. Drew Wrigley. The Pennsylvania court voted 4-1 to uphold Judge M. Teresa Sarmina’s January 2014 ruling sparing the 52-year-old Bracey. The U.S. Supreme Court has barred execution of anyone deemed mentally disabled by a state.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – The local Boy Scout council in Philadelphia has formally sanctioned a policy that allows gay adults to serve as scout leaders. The Cradle of Liberty Council vote Friday bans discrimination based on sexual orientation for scouts, leaders and employees. Board president Jim Papada says the unanimous vote affirms what has been the council’s practice in recent years.
The council serves about 15,000 scouts in the Philadelphia region. The Boy Scouts of America now allows gay scouts but not gay leaders. National president Robert Gates said last month that he believes that ban cannot hold. The Cradle of Liberty Council has tried to walk a fine line between Philadelphia anti-discrimination laws and the longtime ban on gay scouts. The dilemma led to a 2010 trial and a decision to move out of a city-owned building.
(Copyright 2015, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved)