HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The forthcoming budget plan that Gov. Tom Wolf will present on Tuesday will rely on improving tax collections and a Marcellus Shale natural gas tax to put more money into Pennsylvania’s public schools, skills training, opioid-addiction prevention and social services. The Democrat was scheduled to deliver his election-year budget and speak to a joint legislative session at 11:30 a.m.
Wolf, who is seeking a second term in November’s election, will count on an improving fiscal picture to pave a smoother budget process after three years dominated by protracted partisan stalemates with the Republican-controlled Legislature over how to plug gaping deficits.
His plan would boost spending by about $1 billion, or 3 percent, to almost $33 billion for the fiscal year beginning July 1, according to administration officials. Wolf will not seek an increase in sales or income taxes, although he will make a fourth attempt to impose a Marcellus Shale tax and a second request for municipalities to start paying a fee for the free state police coverage they receive.
Costs for debt, pension obligations and social services are expected to rise. Public schools would get another $100 million for operations and instruction, a bump of less than 2 percent, while more money would go to special education, early childhood education and state-owned universities. Wolf will seek big increases for programs to help high schools and colleges teach high-demand computer and industrial skills and to subsidize child care for low-income working parents.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania state representatives are moving closer to a vote that would let the public decide whether to trim about a quarter of their own members. The state House on Monday turned down a series of proposed changes to the constitutional amendment. Amendments at this stage could prevent the constitutional referendum from being put before the state’s voters this year.
A final vote in the House and passage by the Senate are still required. The referendum would cut the size of the state House of Representatives from 203 to 151 members. If it’s approved, the smaller House will go into effect with the new districts drawn after the 2020 U.S. Census. The smaller House isn’t expected to be a major cost savings, but could make the institution operate more efficiently.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday let a court-ordered redrawing of congressional districts in Pennsylvania proceed, raising Democratic hopes that a revamped map might yield them several more seats this fall. Justice Samuel Alito, who handles emergency appeals from Pennsylvania, rejected the request from GOP legislative leaders and voters to put on hold an order from the state Supreme Court intended to produce new congressional districts in the coming two weeks.
The Pennsylvania high court ruled last month that the current map of 18 districts violates the state constitution because it unfairly benefits Republicans. The decision comes just four days before the Republican-controlled Legislature’s deadline for submitting a replacement map for Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf to consider. So far, there has been a notable lack of bipartisan movement on getting such a deal. Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation has been 13-5 in favor of Republicans during the three election cycles since the GOP-drawn 2011 map took effect, and experts have said those 13 seats are several more than would have been produced by a nonpartisan map.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Fresh off their first Super Bowl title, the Philadelphia Eagles arrived home to a hero’s welcome Monday afternoon, hours after overjoyed fans mobbed the streets in a sometimes unruly victory celebration nearly 60 years in the making. Hundreds of fans greeted the team’s plane at Philadelphia International Airport, cheering wildly and singing “Fly Eagles Fly” as Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie emerged with the Lombardi Trophy.
After getting off the plane, Lurie, Coach Doug Pederson and stars like tight end Zach Ertz and running back LeGarrette Blount approached the chain-link fence separating the team from the fans, smiling, pumping their arms and shooting video with their phones. Fans stood on cars and news trucks to catch a glimpse. “It’s been a long journey to redemption,” said John Hall, 49, who works at Philadelphia’s public transit agency. “We don’t have to hear the negative anymore, that we don’t have a ring. It’s official now.”
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Walt Disney World is throwing a parade in honor of Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles. The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback rode atop a float at Disney’s Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida, on Monday afternoon. The parade came a day after Foles led his team to its first Super Bowl victory with a 41-33 win over the New England Patriots.
He threw for 373 yards with three touchdown passes and caught a touchdown pass on a key second-quarter fourth down. Foles fist-bumped Mickey Mouse amid a shower of green confetti as fans cheered him on. He told the crowd, “It’s all right to yell. We’re world champs! We did it! We did it!”
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Features
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump are heading to Ohio, where the president will point to the benefits of the tax law and the first lady will talk about the administration’s response to the opioid epidemic. It’s a rare joint domestic policy trip for the first couple. The president is expected to point to the benefits of the tax law for small businesses.
Trump was touring Sheffer Corporation, a manufacturer in Blue Ash, Ohio, that recently gave its 126 workers bonuses of $1,000 apiece because of the tax law. Jeff Norris is the company’s chief executive. He’s referencing House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi’s labeling the tax-related bonuses “crumbs.” Norris says on “Fox & Friends” that some call it “crumbs” but “we consider that fine dining.”
DETROIT (AP) — In the 60-second spot aired during the Super Bowl, viewers see images of the rugged Ram pickup along with people working, helping others or hugging loved ones. The images are set against audio of “The Drum Major Instinct” sermon delivered by Martin Luther King Jr. at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta exactly 50 years ago, in which he says that in order to be “great” and to serve the greater good, “you only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.”
Missing from the Ram ad are the slain civil rights leader’s words in the same speech guarding against commercialism: “In order to make your neighbors envious, you must drive this type of car … And you know, before you know it, you’re just buying that stuff. That’s the way advertisers do it.” The irony is not lost on the throngs of critics who took to social media to question how Fiat Chrysler could use King’s sermon to sell trucks.
SAN DIEGO (AP) — The San Diego Girl Scout council is looking into whether a scout who was photographed selling cookies outside a marijuana dispensary broke any rules. Officials were trying to identify the girl and talk to her family because she was in a commercial area, which is not allowed, council spokeswoman Mary Doyle said in an email Monday.
Urbn Leaf posted a photograph of the girl on Friday outside the shop that sells medical and recreational marijuana and invited customers on its Instagram account to come get some Girl Scout cookies. The girl — wearing her green vest of badges — is clutching boxes of cookies outside the front doors of Urbn Leaf in the photo, which was widely shared on the internet.
BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts teenager who took a selfie with Justin Timberlake during the Super Bowl halftime show has become a social media sensation. Thirteen-year-old Ryan McKenna said on ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Monday that his phone “exploded” with messages and phone calls and he now has thousands of new social media followers.
Ryan says he was unprepared for his brush with fame. Timberlake, he said, “just came up and I just like jumped right in there with him.” He got a shout out from his school, the private Derby Academy in Hingham south of Boston, which tweeted out one of McKenna’s photos. Ryan is also getting some free skiing. He was wearing a sweatshirt bearing the name of Maine’s Sunday River ski resort, which offered him a free season pass.
MADISONVILLE, Texas (AP) — Investigators say a vacation home reported stolen by a Houston couple might have been repossessed and they’re likely victims of alleged financial issues of the prior owner. Jo and Lonnie Harrison say their one-bedroom cabin is missing from Madisonville, 90 miles northwest of Houston. The prefabricated home was on property they purchased last year but hadn’t checked since November.
Lonnie Harrison returned Friday and discovered the house was gone, with blocks and pipes remaining. He contacted the Madison County Sheriff’s Office. Sgt. Larry Shiver said Monday that the Harrisons are likely victims of misrepresentation of the property when they bought it. Shiver said deputies had served financial-related civil papers on the previous owner. Investigators are seeking that person amid concerns the structure was repossessed, not stolen.
ROCKFORD, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan couple with 13 sons is expecting a 14th child in April but waiting until birth to learn the sex. Jay and Kateri Schwandt say adding another child to their large family won’t be too big of a logistic change or financial burden . Kateri Schwandt said she’s used to large families, as one of 14 children herself.
“If you have three, it’s the same as having 10 at this point, if you ask me,” Kateri Schwandt said. “It’s just more chaos, more noise. It’s nothing we’re not used to at this point.” Like with their last few children, the couple has decided against learning the baby’s sex before the birth. “I would love to have a girl, but I just don’t think it’s in the cards,” Jay Schwandt said. This will likely be their last child, he added.
NEW YORK (AP) — An estimated 103.4 million people watched the Super Bowl on NBC, a 7 percent drop from last year that indicates that television’s biggest event may have peaked in popularity. The Nielsen company said it’s the smallest Super Bowl audience on television since 2009 despite the underdog Philadelphia Eagles beating the New England Patriots in a thrilling game that was close from start to finish.
Last year’s Patriots-Falcons game reached 111.3 million viewers. The all-time Super Bowl record — and record for any television event in the United States — was the 114.4 million who watched the Patriots against the Seahawks in 2015. The NFL’s viewership has been down this year, with experts citing factors like increased injuries, some confusing rules changes and anger at players protesting police brutality by kneeling during the national anthem. Similarly, fewer people have cable than they did a few years ago, with streaming onto hand-held devices becoming more popular..
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
Sports, Scores & Skeds
BOYS’ BASKETBALL
Bellefonte 48, Shikellamy 40
Danville 55, Montoursville 37
Hughesville 40, Milton 32
Loyalsock 67, Jersey Shore 54
Meadowbrook Christian 66, New Covenant 30
Millville 44, Bloomsburg 41
Penns Valley 41, St. Joseph’s Catholic 35
Shamokin 70, Southern Columbia 47
South Williamsport 73, Montgomery 29
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL
Danville 39, Williamsport 35, OT
Greenwood 44, Upper Dauphin 20
Line Mountain 47, Newport 37
Susquenita 56, Halifax 11
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Detroit 111 Portland 91
Final Washington 111 Indiana 102
Final Orlando 111 Miami 109
Final Utah 133 New Orleans 109
Final Denver 121 Charlotte 104
Final Sacramento 104 Chicago 98
Final L.A. Clippers 104 Dallas 101
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Toronto 7 Anaheim 4
Final OT Nashville 5 N-Y Islanders 4
Final Dallas 2 N-Y Rangers 1
Final Edmonton 6 Tampa Bay 2
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TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (19) West Virginia 75 (17) Oklahoma 73
TODAY’S SPORTS SCHEDULE
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Cleveland at Orlando 7:00 p.m.
Milwaukee at N-Y Knicks 7:30 p.m.
Boston at Toronto 7:30 p.m.
Houston at Brooklyn 7:30 p.m.
Memphis at Atlanta 7:30 p.m.
Washington at Philadelphia 8:00 p.m.
Oklahoma City at Golden State 10:30 p.m.
Phoenix at L.A. Lakers 10:30 p.m.
———
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Vegas at Pittsburgh 7:00 p.m.
Anaheim at Buffalo 7:00 p.m.
Washington at Columbus 7:00 p.m.
Philadelphia at Carolina 7:00 p.m.
New Jersey at Ottawa 7:30 p.m.
Boston at Detroit 7:30 p.m.
Vancouver at Florida 7:30 p.m.
Minnesota at St. Louis 8:00 p.m.
Arizona at Winnipeg 8:00 p.m.
Calgary at Chicago 8:30 p.m.
San Jose at Colorado 9:00 p.m.
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TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
(4) Michigan St. at Iowa 9:00 p.m.
(5) Xavier at Butler 6:30 p.m.
UCF at (6) Cincinnati 7:00 p.m.
TCU at (10) Kansas 9:00 p.m.
(15) Tennessee at (24) Kentucky 7:00 p.m.
(20) Michigan at Northwestern 7:00 p.m.
(22) Wichita St. at Memphis 9:00 p.m.
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
