HYNDMAN, Pa. (AP) — Evacuations remain in effect for residents of a small Pennsylvania town following a freight train derailment. CSX says it’s unclear when residents will be able to return to their homes in Hyndman, about 100 miles (161 kilometers) southeast of Pittsburgh. The railroad company says at least 32 rail cars derailed around 5 a.m. Wednesday, some of which contain hazardous materials.
The fire department evacuated everyone within about a mile of the derailment site and directed them to two community outreach centers for help with lodging and food. CSX says hazardous materials specialists assessed the damage from a safe distance Wednesday afternoon and confirmed that several rail cars were still on fire. It was not immediately known what caused the train to run off the rails.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s state-owned liquor stores are using new power over pricing to increase the cost of 422 items at the end of this month. Liquor Control Board communications director Elizabeth Brassell said Wednesday that 393 of the increases will amount to $1 per bottle. A 2016 state law gives the agency authority to raise prices for 150 of the top-selling brands of wine and the 150 most popular brands of spirits.
The agency says it hasn’t increased prices since the early 1990s. It says the higher prices followed a review of costs in neighboring states, comparison with prices of competing products and analysis of what the market will bear. Brassell says the agency considered raising prices on 496 items but narrowed the list after negotiating “cost concessions and considerations” with suppliers.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Democrats are criticizing a plan announced by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions to send 12 federal prosecutors to cities ravaged by opioid addiction. Sessions said in a speech Wednesday in Columbus, Ohio, that the prosecutors will focus exclusively on investigating health care fraud and opioid scams that are fueling the nation’s drug abuse epidemic.
Democratic National Committee spokeswoman Mandy McClure says evidence shows more treatment and public health options are needed. McClure also says budget proposals by President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans would make the epidemic worse by proposed cuts in Medicaid spending. Sessions said Wednesday that treatment alone is not enough.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania has unveiled its new plan to track the performance of nearly 1.7 million students statewide — and to include a broader measurement of academic success. The state Department of Education released a draft of the 133-page proposal Wednesday under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act.
The federal law was passed in 2015 to replace No Child Left Behind, which critics said focused too much on standardized testing, and requires states to submit plans on how to measure student performance. Pennsylvania’s proposal includes shorter Pennsylvania System of School Assessment exams and creation of a “dashboard” approach to school report cards by factoring in such things as chronic absenteeism and participation in Advance Placement courses.
