HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania patient is about to make the state’s first legal purchase of medical marijuana, but it’s unclear what it’ll cost. Cresco Yeltrah dispensary plans to begin serving patients in Butler on Thursday, with others soon to follow. Only those enrolled as patients or caregivers are allowed inside dispensaries. Prices haven’t been made public.
Dispensaries are expected to start sales Friday in Pittsburgh, Bethlehem and Enola, and on Saturday in Sellersville and Devon. Pennsylvania law restricts the drug to certain types of products, so it won’t be available in edible or smokable form. The program is open to patients with one of 17 qualifying medical conditions. They include AIDS, autism, cancer, epilepsy, post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic pain and Crohn’s disease.
INKERMAN, Pa. (AP) — Geisinger Health System has announced plans to relocate hundreds of employees to a new building in Luzerne County. The company said more than 500 support service employees from across Lackawanna and Luzerne counties will be moved to the three-story building at CenterPoint Commerce and Trade Park in the Pittston area.
The move, which will begin late this year or early next year, includes 280 workers relocating from rented space in downtown Wilkes-Barre. It’s part of an expansion to more tan 7,100 people, serving 45 counties in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Geisnger operates 13 hospitals, two research centers, and a 583,000-member health plan.
SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) — Six guards and a former guard at the Lackwanna County jail have been arrested on charges they sexually abused inmates. State police arrested two of the guards at the prison Wednesday afternoon. The other arrests took place away from the Scranton lockup. One of the defendants is a former town councilman.
The (Scranton) Times-Tribune reports the arrests came six months after agents from the state attorney general’s office and state police raided the jail and other county facilities as part of a grand jury investigation into sexual abuse of inmates. The investigation began in the wake of a federal lawsuit filed by a woman who says she was sexually abused by six guards. All seven defendants are free on bail. They have a preliminary hearing on Feb. 23.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania lobbyists are subject to a new law that requires them to file their disclosure reports electronically. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday signed a bill that also increases fines for missing quarterly deadlines for filing disclosure reports. Officials say about one in five reports were still being filed with paper. The higher penalties are now in effect. The electronic filing mandate begins in two months. The state also maintains a list of registered lobbyists , including their photos and contact information.
LEWISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Stephen Brown scored 20 points, Zach Thomas had 12 points and 12 rebounds and Bucknell routed Loyola (Md.) 94-53 on Wednesday night to clinch the Patriot League regular season title.
Bucknell (19-9, 13-2) has won 12 of its last 13 games, including six straight at home, and will be the top seed into the league tournament for the seventh time in the last eight seasons. The Bison have a four-game lead over Colgate after the Raiders lost to Lehigh at home Wednesday, and Navy with three games remaining.
Nate Sestina added 18 points and Nana Foulland 15 for Bucknell, which shot 53 percent from the floor and surpassed 90 points for the third time this season. They also outrebounded the Greyhounds 51-33.
Isaiah Hart scored 12 points and Andrew Kostecka 10 for Loyola (8-18, 6-9), which has lost four of its last five games.
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
Features
CYBERSPACE (AP) — It’s rare that someone is still talking about a Super Bowl ad more than a week after the big game. But that’s the deal with critics of Fiat Chrysler’s ad for its Jeep Cherokee. The ad shows a Jeep plowing through a shallow waterway — presumably to show how cool the vehicle is. But the head of one of the nation’s largest fish conservation groups says the ad glorifies the destruction of aquatic habitats. Trout Unlimited President and CEO Chris Wood says people who might mimic the ad may not realize such a stunt can destroy spawning grounds for fish. For its part, Fiat Chrysler is defending the ad — but says it won’t run it again.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A San Francisco Bay Area radio station has fired one of its hosts for sexual comments he made about 17-year-old Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim on another station. Program director Jeremiah Crowe of KNBR-AM said in a statement Wednesday that host Patrick Connor has been fired. On Tuesday, on the Barstool Sports network on SiriusXM, Connor called Kim “fine as hell” along with more vulgar sexual comments, then said “the countdown is on” until Kim’s 18th birthday.
Connor apologized on Twitter, calling his comments “inappropriate.” Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, without referring directly to Connor, said on Twitter that his network sometimes misses the mark with humor, but “crybabies” will not dictate its actions.
NEW YORK (AP) — She has hinted about it, teased about it and tried not to talk directly about it. But now porn star Stormy Daniels says she is free to discuss “it” — in this case, “it” being her alleged sexual encounter with President Donald Trump. Daniels says she feels free to speak about her purported relationship with Trump — now that the president’s personal lawyer acknowledged paying her $130,000 of his own money just before Election Day.
An attorney for Daniels says now that this bit of news is out, her client should be feel free to tell her story. Daniels first detailed her account of an alleged extramarital affair with Trump in 2011 in a celebrity website. The story came up before the 2016 presidential election. And in January, The Wall Street Journal reported a company founded by Trump’s lawyer paid off Daniels to keep quiet until after the presidential campaign.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House budget director said Wednesday that a military parade envisioned by President Donald Trump could cost between $10 million and $30 million, although that money is not included in the administration’s new budget request. Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney told the House Budget Committee that estimates are “very preliminary.” He said they’re “between 10 and 30 depending on the length” of the parade.
“I’ve various different cost estimates from between I think $10 million and $30 million depending on the size of the parade, the scope of it, the length of it,” Mulvaney said. “We’ve not accounted for it in this year’s budget simply because it’s come up at the last minute.” Officials such as Defense Secretary Jim Mattis have confirmed that Trump has pushed for a large-scale parade to trumpet the U.S. military, but Mulvaney said the administration hasn’t decided to go forward with it.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday signaled his openness to a 25-cent fuel tax increase to help pay for his infrastructure proposal. Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware said Trump told lawmakers in a White House meeting that he would be willing to provide leadership on such an increase.
“To my surprise, President Trump, today in our meeting, offered his support for raising the gas and diesel tax by 25 cents a gallon and dedicating that money to improve our roads, highways, and bridges,” Carper, a Democrat who has advocated for the increase, said in a statement. He said the president “came back to the idea of a 25 cent increase several times throughout the meeting.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump at last broke his silence Wednesday to explicitly denounce domestic violence in the wake of allegations that a top White House aide had abused two former wives. Chief of staff John Kelly, under fire for mishandling the matter, stayed largely out of sight, his future in doubt and the White House in tumult. The chaos surrounding the departure of aide Rob Porter put a harsh spotlight on Kelly, the retired general who was brought on last summer to instill military order in the White House.
Questions persisted about what and when Kelly knew about the abuse allegations against Porter, who resigned as staff secretary last week after the accusations became public. This White House scandal erupted initially without the president’s involvement. But Trump fed the fury last week when he defended Porter and questioned the #MeToo movement that sprang up in recent months to protest the mistreatment of many women.
BETHESDA, Md. (AP) — Melania Trump brought some Valentine’s Day cheer Wednesday to children receiving medical treatment at a private facility on the campus of the National Institutes of Health. During the visit, the first lady was informed by her staff of a shooting at a South Florida high school. She later tweeted her condolences as her motorcade sped back to the White House through rush-hour traffic.
“My heart is heavy over the school shooting in Florida. Keeping all affected in my thoughts & prayers,” she wrote. A spokeswoman said she has asked for continuous updates on the shooting. At the center, Mrs. Trump — dressed for the occasion in a belted red coat — helped one group of kids decorate heart-shaped cookies with white frosting and sprinkles. She later distributed White House holiday cards and accepted handmade ones from a larger group that included the cookie decorators.
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Fewer children will wash down their chicken fingers and fries with soda if a bill limiting beverage choices for restaurant children’s meals gets through the New Hampshire Legislature. The bill would apply to restaurants that serve children’s meals that bundle together food and a beverage for one price. Drinks served with such meals would be limited to milk, 100 percent juice or juice combined with water, plain water, or flavored water with no sweeteners.
Customers still could purchase soda or other sugary drinks on the side. One of the bill’s sponsors told a House committee Wednesday he realizes opponents will portray it as a move toward a “nanny state.” But he took a different view.
BOSTON (AP) — A Boston sports radio station facing criticism after a host used a stereotyped Asian accent to impersonate New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s agent will suspend live programming while employees receive “sensitivity training.” WEEI announced Wednesday that live programs will halt from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday while the staff participates in the mandatory, all-day training.
It comes after host Christian Fauria impersonated Don Yee on air last Friday. Yee is of Chinese descent but was born in Sacramento, California. Fauria, a former Patriots tight end, was suspended for five days and has since apologized. But The Boston Globe reports at least five advertisers have terminated or suspended commercial buys as a result of the incident.
NEW YORK (AP) — America’s new top dog is set to become best in a Broadway show. Flynn the bichon frise is taking quite a victory lap on Valentine’s Day, hours after he won the Westminster Kennel Club dog show at Madison Square Garden. The white powder puff’s tour of the town is set to finish Wednesday night with a walk-on part in the Tony Award-winning musical “Kinky Boots.” After being picked late Tuesday night over nearly 2,900 other dogs in 202 breeds and varieties, Flynn was up early and on the go with handler Bill McFadden.
They appeared on “Good Morning America” and “Fox & Friends” before heading over to “The View.” Also on the dog’s docket: The traditional steak lunch at famed eatery Sardi’s and trips up the Empire State Building, Top of the Rock and the One World Observatory. Flynn is nearly 6 and already has a musical theatre background. His full champion’s name includes All I Care About Is Love — the lyrics sung by character Billy Flynn in the popular show “Chicago.”
ALBURGH, Vt. (AP) – A Vermont man has pleaded guilty to charges that he sprayed liquid cow manure on a U.S. Customs and Border Protection car after confronting an agent about why he wasn’t doing more to arrest people in the country illegally. MyChamplainValley.com reports that Mark Johnson entered pleas Tuesday to simple assault on a law enforcement officer with bodily fluids and disorderly conduct.
Johnson, who does custom manure spreading, was charged in August after his manure spreader covered a cruiser parked about 2 miles south of the Canadian border. Johnson initially said he didn’t know the agent was behind him. He later said he asked the agent why more wasn’t being done to arrest immigrants in the country illegally. A plea deal requires Johnson to do 24 hours of community service and write an apology letter.
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
Sports, Scores & Skeds
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL
Neumann 49, Milton 39
Sullivan County 62, Columbia-Montour 35
Schuylkill League Tournament
Semifinal
North Schuylkill 59, Minersville 51
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Detroit 104 Atlanta 98
Final Philadelphia 104 Miami 102
Final Charlotte 104 Orlando 102
Final Washington 118 N-Y Knicks 113
Final Indiana 108 Brooklyn 103
Final Oklahoma City 121 Memphis 114
Final Houston 100 Sacramento 91
Final L.A. Clippers 129 Boston 119
Final Toronto 122 Chicago 98
Final New Orleans 139 L.A. Lakers 117
Final Utah 107 Phoenix 97
Final Portland 123 Golden State 117
———
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Toronto 6 Columbus 3
Final Colorado 2 Montreal 0
Final Florida 4 Vancouver 3
———
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final Providence 76 (3) Villanova 71
Final (4) Xavier 102 Seton Hall 90
Final (10) Auburn 76 Kentucky 66
Final OT Florida St. 81 (11) Clemson 79
Final (12) Duke 74 Virginia Tech 52
Final (22) Michigan 74 Iowa 59
Final (24) Nevada 77 Boise St. 72
TODAY’S SPORTS SCHEDULE
———
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Denver at Milwaukee 8:00 p.m.
L.A. Lakers at Minnesota 9:00 p.m.
———
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
L.A. Kings at Pittsburgh 7:00 p.m.
N-Y Rangers at N-Y Islanders 7:00 p.m.
Carolina at New Jersey 7:00 p.m.
Detroit at Tampa Bay 7:30 p.m.
Buffalo at Ottawa 7:30 p.m.
Calgary at Nashville 8:00 p.m.
Washington at Minnesota 8:00 p.m.
Anaheim at Chicago 8:30 p.m.
Montreal at Arizona 9:00 p.m.
Edmonton at Vegas 10:00 p.m.
Vancouver at San Jose 10:30 p.m.
———
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
(5) Cincinnati at Houston 7:00 p.m.
(6) Purdue at Wisconsin 7:00 p.m.
(8) Ohio St. at Penn St. 8:00 p.m.
Loyola Marymount at (9) Gonzaga 9:00 p.m.
(15) Saint Mary’s (Cal) at San Francisco 11:00 p.m.
(17) Arizona at (25) Arizona St. 9:00 p.m.
Temple at (19) Wichita St. 7:00 p.m.
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Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
