HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf will delay more than $1.7 billion in payments due to Medicaid insurers and school districts amid an unprecedented cash crunch. Wolf’s office issued a brief statement Friday, the day the state’s main bank account was scheduled to dip below zero. More delayed payments are expected while the Republican-controlled Legislature is embroiled in a three-month stalemate over how to plug a projected $2.2 billion budget hole.
It is first known time that Pennsylvania state government has missed a payment as a result of not having enough cash. Wolf has spending authority under a nearly $32 billion budget bill lawmakers overwhelmingly passed June 30. But state Treasurer Joe Torsella and Auditor General Eugene DePasquale are refusing to authorize a short-term loan during the stalemate.
BELLEFONTE, Pa. (AP) — A son of former Penn State University assistant coach Jerry Sandusky has pleaded guilty pressuring a teenage girl to send him naked photos and asking her teen sister to give him oral sex. Friday’s plea deal comes one week before Jeffrey Sandusky’s trial on 14 counts, including solicitation of statutory sexual assault.
As part of the deal, 41-year-old Sandusky will spend up to six years in state prison, but the judge could impose as much as eight years. Jeffrey Sandusky, a state prison guard, knew the girls through their mother. One of six adopted children of Jerry Sandusky, Jeffrey Sandusky has been a stalwart supporter of his father, who is serving a lengthy prison sentence for sexual abuse of 10 boys. A call seeking comment from Jeffrey Sandusky’s lawyer wasn’t immediately returned Friday.
WEST CHESTER, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania farm where George Washington’s troops narrowly escaped the British during the Revolutionary War is getting historic protection. Preservationists and land conservationists were on hand Friday celebrating the official preservation of the 10-acre (4-hectare) Dilworth Farm, a key part of the Brandywine Battlefield. Republican congressmen Patrick Meehan and Ryan Costello joined Chester County officials and others at the site in West Chester.
The farm was bought for $850,000 with grants from Chester County and the American Battlefield Protection Program, and matched with private donations from the Civil War Trust. Washington and his men performed admirably at Brandywine but ultimately lost the pivotal battle. The 35,000-acre (14,164-hectare) battlefield is perpetually under threat from Philadelphia-area development. Hundreds of acres of Brandywine Battlefield land have been saved through local preservation efforts..
Conversation starters and Features
FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. (AP) — A Detroit-area teacher is on leave after an 11-year-old boy said he was physically forced out of his chair during the Pledge of Allegiance. Stone Chaney says he makes a pledge to God and family, not a flag. He says he was doing homework when a teacher “snatched” him out of his chair during the pledge on Sept. 7.
Stone says another teacher the next day yelled at him to stand up. He attends East Middle School in the Farmington district. Superintendent George Heitsch says one teacher has been placed on leave while the district investigates. He says students have the right to skip the Pledge of Allegiance. Stone says he stopped participating in second grade after seeing his father, who works at another school, sit during the pledge.
BROOKLINE, Mass. (AP) — A Massachusetts town says it will consider changing the name of its governing body from the Board of Selectmen to the Board of Selectwomen. Brookline Town Meeting member Michael Burstein tells NECN under his proposal all members of the board, whether male or female, would be referred to as selectwomen. A second proposal would create gender-neutral language for the board and its members.
Board members will take up the proposals at their November meeting. Board member Heather Hamilton says she believes titles and symbols matter and she’s looking forward to an “interesting hash out” on the proposals. Town residents say the titles should be all-inclusive. They suggest using terms such as “selectpeople” and just “person” because that probably “would make everybody happy.
BOSTON (AP) — Scientists who discovered that old men really do have big ears, that playing the didgeridoo helps relieve sleep apnea and that handling crocodiles can influence gambling decisions are this years’ recipients of the Ig Nobel, the prize for absurd scientific achievement. The 27th annual award winners were announced Thursday during a ceremony at Harvard University that featured paper airplanes, a comic opera and real Nobel laureates.
James Heathcote, a British physician who studied old men’s ears, calls the honor strange but thrilling. The didgeridoo is an Australian aboriginal instrument, but it was a Swiss scientist, Milo Puhan, who won for figuring out that it can help relieve common sleeping disorders. The annual Ig Nobel prizes are sponsored by the Annals of Improbable Research magazine and two Harvard-Radcliffe student organizations.
Sports, Scores & Skeds
The Penn State Nittany Lions play on Newsradio 1070 WKOK. Penn State hosts Georgia State starting at 6pm on 1070AM WKOK. Tomorrow, on WKOK, the Phillies are on WKOK at 1pm, the Athletics vs. Phillies on WKOKAM, while our normal programming continues at WKOK.com.
Indians finally lose
UNDATED (AP) — There was no 23 Skidoo for the Cleveland Indians on Friday.
The Indians had won an American League-record 22 in a row before suffering their first loss since Aug. 23, 4-3 to the Royals. The Indians led 3-1 in the bottom of the third, but Kansas City scored once in each of the next three innings to leave Cleveland four wins shy of the major league record for consecutive victories.
NEW YORK (AP) — The Boston Red Sox have been fined by Major League Baseball for using electronic equipment to steal signs given by a New York Yankees catcher last month. Commissioner Rob Manfred said Boston’s owners and front office had no advance knowledge of what occurred. The Yankees were fined a lesser amount for improper use of a dugout telephone during an earlier championship season.
THE VALLEY’S HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD
Selinsgrove 26 Brave’s games are on WKOK and WKOK.com.
Shikellamy 28 Seal’s games are Eagle 107.3FM
Lewisburg 6 Green Dragon’s games are on 100.9. The Valley
Jersey Shore 35
Milton 16 Milton’s games are on Talkradio 1380 WMLP.
Danville 75
Montoursville 0
Mount Carmel 42
Central Columbia 17
Loyalsock 14
Shamokin 7
Bloomsburg 26
Susquenita 7
Line Mountain 28
Wyoming Valley West 48
Williamsport 34
Warrior Run 0
Mifflinburg 31
South Williamsport 48
North Penn Mansfield 20
Muncy 17
Montgomery 7
Williams Valley 52
Halifax 7
Hughesville 0
Southern Columbia 57
Pine Grove 6
Newport 35
Hamburg 0
East Juniata 27
Tri Valley 0
Juniata 7
Central Mountain 31 4OT
Bellefonte 34
NATIONAL SCOREBOARD FRIDAY
INTERLEAGUE
Final Oakland 4 Philadelphia 0
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AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final N-Y Yankees 8 Baltimore 2
Final Boston 13 Tampa Bay 6, 15 Innings
Final Detroit 3 Chi White Sox 2
Final Kansas City 4 Cleveland 3
Final Houston 5 Seattle 2
Final Toronto 4 Minnesota 3
Final L.A. Angels 7 Texas 6
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NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Chi Cubs 8 St. Louis 2
Final L.A. Dodgers 7 Washington 0
Final Cincinnati 4 Pittsburgh 2
Final Atlanta 3 N-Y Mets 2
Final Milwaukee 10 Miami 2
Final Colorado 6 San Diego 1
Final Arizona 3 San Francisco 2
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TOP-25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Final (22) South Florida 47 Illinois 23
TODAY’S SPORTS SCHEDULE
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INTERLEAGUE
Oakland at Philadelphia 7:05 p.m.
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AMERICAN LEAGUE
Seattle at Houston 1:05 p.m.
Baltimore at N-Y Yankees 4:05 p.m.
Kansas City at Cleveland 4:10 p.m.
Chi White Sox at Detroit 6:10 p.m.
Boston at Tampa Bay 6:10 p.m.
Toronto at Minnesota 7:10 p.m.
Texas at L.A. Angels 9:07 p.m.
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NATIONAL LEAGUE
L.A. Dodgers at Washington 1:05 p.m.
St. Louis at Chi Cubs 4:05 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati 4:10 p.m.
Milwaukee at Miami 7:10 p.m.
N-Y Mets at Atlanta 7:10 p.m.
San Diego at Colorado 8:10 p.m.
Arizona at San Francisco 9:05 p.m.
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE PRESEASON
Vancouver at L.A. Kings 5:00 p.m.
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TOP-25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Colorado St. at (1) Alabama 7:00 p.m.
Tulane at (2) Oklahoma 6:00 p.m.
(3) Clemson at (14) Louisville 8:00 p.m.
Texas at (4) Southern Cal 8:30 p.m.
Georgia St. at (5) Penn St. 7:30 p.m.
Fresno St. at (6) Washington 9:30 p.m.
Air Force at (7) Michigan 12:00 p.m.
Army at (8) Ohio St. 4:30 p.m.
(9) Oklahoma St. at Pittsburgh 12:00 p.m.
(10) Wisconsin at BYU 3:30 p.m.
(17) Miami at (11) Florida St. 8:00 p.m., postponed
(12) LSU at Mississippi St. 7:00 p.m.
Samford at (13) Georgia 7:30 p.m.
Mercer at (15) Auburn 4:00 p.m.
(16) Virginia Tech at East Carolina 3:30 p.m.
(18) Kansas St. at Vanderbilt 7:30 p.m.
(19) Stanford at San Diego St. 10:30 p.m.
SMU at (20) TCU 3:30 p.m.
Oregon St. at (21) Washington St. 5:30 p.m.
(23) Tennessee at (24) Florida 3:30 p.m.
(25) UCLA at Memphis 12:00 p.m.
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MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Orlando at Atlanta 4:00 p.m.
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