HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Applicants for 55,000 civil service positions in Pennsylvania state government will no longer be asked on employment applications whether they have a criminal conviction. The State Civil Service Commission said Tuesday that the change will take effect beginning July 1. The commission’s move follows Gov. Tom Wolf’s announcement last week that he’s getting rid of the question for non-civil service positions.
Pennsylvania joins about 20 others states in the “ban the box” movement. The move, however, doesn’t change laws that prevent people with a criminal record from holding certain jobs, such as in law enforcement or involving contact with vulnerable populations. The commission says those decisions are made by the hiring agencies
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania girl has earned an associate’s degree at a community college even before she has received her high school diploma. 17-year-old Sadira Stallings will receive her degree in business administration from Harrisburg Area Community College on Thursday. Stallings completed 63 credit hours through the schools dual-enrollment program and is the first high school student from the community college’s Gettysburg campus to earn her degree before finishing high school.
Stallings took the courses online, which gave her the time to work two jobs and also participate in high school activities. She’ll receive her diploma from South Western High School in June. She plans to pursue an associate’s degree in nursing at the community college this fall so she can become a registered nurse.
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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is criticizing Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for comments the New York Democrat made in response to the firing of FBI Director James Comey. Schumer said Tuesday evening that he told Trump in a phone conversation that “you are making a big mistake.”
Schumer also questioned why the firing occurred on Tuesday and wondered whether investigations into the Trump campaign’s possible ties to Russia were “getting too close for the president.” Trump fired back later on his Twitter account, saying: “Cryin’ Chuck Schumer stated recently, ‘I do not have confidence in him (James Comey) any longer.’ Then acts so indignant.”
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The American Civil Liberties Union has issued a warning about traveling to Texas because of the state’s new law banning so-called sanctuary cities. The ACLU said Tuesday that Texas travelers should anticipate “the possible violation of their constitutional rights” if stopped by police. The new law allows officers to ask people about their immigration status during routine stops.
The law signed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday doesn’t take effect until September. Republicans reject claims that the law will lead to racial profiling and say it’s needed to keep criminals off the streets. ACLU officials have pledged to challenge the law in court. Texas’s attorney general’s office took the unusual step Monday of asking a federal judge to pre-emptively declare the law constitutional.
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon is on track to become the first state to allow residents to skip a gender identity on their driver’s licenses and identification cards. Transgender residents say the change would make them feel safer. The Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles doesn’t oppose the change and will hold a hearing Wednesday in Portland.
In Oregon, changing the rules on gender identity for a driver’s license doesn’t require a vote by lawmakers. Those who want a new license with no gender listed would have to pay a renewal fee. Last year, a Portland judge allowed Jaime Shupe to legally identify as neither male nor female. Shupe asked for an updated license, prompting the proposed changes.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Rhode Island lawmakers are considering a proposal that would allow students to take sunscreen into schools without a doctor’s note. The state House of Representatives voted passed the bill yesterday. The bill now moves to the Senate. Concerns about skin cancer have led several states to loosen restrictions on sunscreen use in schools.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration labels sunscreen as a medication. Rhode Island’s proposal would exempt sunscreen from rules banning students from using over-the-counter medications at schools without special permission. Washington’s governor signed similar legislation into law last week, following Arizona a week earlier. A Rhode Island school nurse association is opposed to the bill. It says there’s a danger of students taking in sunscreen and sharing it with other students who are allergic to it.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — A Massachusetts city is considering a proposal to create publicly accessible boxes containing Narcan, the medication used to counteract opioid overdoses. Cambridge officials say a passer-by who found someone suffering from an overdose could administer the drug before medics arrive. The proposal, still a long way from implementation, calls for the medicine to be stored in lockboxes in areas of high drug use.
Dispatchers at 911 centers would give access codes to callers to open the boxes and explain how to use the drug. Supporters of the plan ran a mock trial recently, placing a dummy on the ground in a busy area and asking volunteers to test the lockbox system. They hope it can stop the rise of opioid overdoses, which killed nearly 2,000 people in Massachusetts last year.
NEW YORK (AP) — The social media firestorm over what Stephen Colbert said last week about President Donald Trump hasn’t hurt his ratings. In fact, it seems to have helped. His CBS “Late Show” has now posted its widest margin of victory over NBC’s “Tonight Show” since Colbert’s first week on the show in September, 2015.
Last Monday Colbert made a crude reference to the male anatomy in describing what he saw as Trump’s overly cozy relationship with Russian president Vladimir Putin. The remark caused some to call for a boycott and an FCC investigation. Colbert said two nights later he perhaps should have toned down his language — but not his criticism of Trump. Colbert says he was steamed because the president stalked away from an interview with “Face the Nation” host John Dickerson.
WEST POINT, N.Y. (AP) — Three Texas brothers are set to graduate together from West Point. Noah, Sumner and Cole Ogrydziak (oh-GREE’-zee-ak) will graduate with the U.S. Military Academy’s Class of 2017 on May 27, marking the first time in more than three decades that three siblings have finished at the storied institution at the same time.
Cole and Sumner are 21-year-old twins. Older brother Noah just turned 23, and spent a year at West Point’s prep school before entering the academy along with the twins in 2013. Cole compares their West Point experience to having “automatic friends.” But the Ogrydziaks are in different regiments, take different classes and likely will be sent off to different locations after they graduate as second lieutenants. The last time three siblings graduated West Point together was 1985.
FORT DIX, N.J. (AP) – A young comic book fan is is sharing his passion. Ten-year-old Carl Scheckel organized a campaign that gathered some 3,000 comic books that he donated to the military. He collected them mostly through donations at comic book shows but he also gave up many titles from his vast collection. They were then shipped to troops all over the world.
The boy says he did it because he “It’s really sad when you have to go away and miss your friends and family a lot.” He says he “wanted to give them something they would enjoy.” In response to his efforts he was given a surprise VIP tour at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey. In a post on his website, he described it as “the best day of my life!”
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