AP PA Headlines
LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) — A school bus has flipped on its side in a hit-and-run accident in Pennsylvania, sending more than a dozen people to the hospital. One student was ejected from the bus and was seriously injured. The Lancaster County district attorney’s office says the Lancaster Mennonite school bus was taking students to school in East Lampeter Township on Wednesday morning.
A sedan trying to pass two tractor-trailers hit an escort vehicle, causing it to side-swipe the bus. The 14 students, the bus driver and another driver were taken to a hospital, where a spokesman says two students with trauma injuries were being transferred to children’s hospitals and everyone else was treated and released. Police are looking for the light-colored sedan and its male driver.
WYNNEWOOD, Pa. (AP) — Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito has told graduates at a historic Roman Catholic seminary near Philadelphia freedom of religion and freedom of speech are essential to a democracy and are under threat in the United States. Alito made the remarks during Wednesday’s ceremony at the Saint Charles Borromeo (bor-oh-MAY’-oh) Seminary near Wynnewood.
He warns of what he sees as an increasing impulse to ban speech some people might find offensive. He says religious liberty is being tested. Alito quoted his own dissent in the Supreme Court’s landmark same-sex marriage case and cited reactions to other cases he says show hostility toward people with traditional moral beliefs. He urged the graduates to “keep the flame” of those freedoms in “the hearts of our fellow Americans.” Alito was awarded an honorary degree.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Paul Mango, an ex-health care systems consultant, says on his campaign website that he’s running for Pennsylvania governor in 2018. Mango is expected to make a formal announcement of his candidacy Wednesday night in Pittsburgh. The suburban Pittsburgh resident promises to be a fiscal conservative who can improve the economy, although he’s a virtual unknown in politics and hasn’t done interviews on his views.
In a video on his website, Mango says he’s running because he’s not a politician, and blames Pennsylvania politicians for a sluggish state economy, high taxes and lagging school achievement. Mango is critical of Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s fiscal policy and handling of the economy. But before Mango can challenge Wolf, he faces a GOP primary field that so far includes state Sen. Scott Wagner of York County.
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Oddities and Conversation Starters
NEW YORK (AP) — Sylvia Acevedo, who earned a science badge as a Girl Scout and later became a rocket scientist and entrepreneur, was appointed Wednesday as CEO of the Girl Scouts of the USA. A top priority, she said, would be to stem a sharp decline in the organization’s membership. Acevedo had been serving as the interim CEO since last June while the GSUSA conducted an extensive search for a new permanent leader.
In the end, the national board decided she was the best choice, depicting her as “a long-time champion for girls’ and women’s causes.” Acevedo grew up near Las Cruces, New Mexico, and joined a Brownie troop there in the 1960s. She says her mother got help from troop leaders in practicing her English and passing her U.S. citizenship test.
NEW YORK (AP) — Is the convenience of having a Quarter Pounder and fries delivered to your home or office worth a $5 fee? McDonald’s is hoping it will be. The fast-food chain says it’s expanding its partnership with UberEats to offer delivery in Chicago, Columbus, Los Angeles and Phoenix. The two had already teamed up to offer McDonald’s delivery in Miami, Orlando and Tampa, Florida earlier this year.
In all, McDonald’s says “McDelivery” is now available from more than 1,000 U.S. locations. McDonald’s is hoping delivery can help turn around its U.S. business, which has seen customer visits decline. Uber says its delivery fee varies depending on the city, but that it is generally a flat $4.99. There could also be a “busy area” fee of $1 to $2 where demand is high.
NEW YORK (AP) — Bill O’Reilly is taking up his former Fox News colleague Glenn Beck’s offer to work together again. Variety reports O’Reilly announced on his “No Spin News” podcast that he will have a weekly spot on Beck’s radio show. He calls Beck “a good friend” and says the two have a “lively” rapport.
O’Reilly was ousted by Fox News Channel last month amid accusations of sexual harassment that O’Reilly has denied. Beck left the network in 2011 following an advertiser boycott of his program. Last week, Beck told O’Reilly during an interview on his radio show that he would like him to work for Beck’s outlet, The Blaze.
NEW YORK (AP) — The Koch Brothers’ political network is preparing to spend millions of dollars to inject new urgency into the stalled tax debate. The network’s leading organizations, Americans for Prosperity and Freedom Partners, on Thursday released a set of general preferences for major changes to the tax code. They also promised a campaign to run through the summer to include digital ads and town hall meetings across the country, along with phone banks and direct mail.
The Kochs’ push reflects broader concerns from the nation’s business community that President Donald Trump’s promise to overhaul the tax code may fall victim to his mounting political challenges. Koch network spokesman James Davis says the White House will hopefully “see this as a jolt to support them in driving this forward.”
DETROIT (AP) – According to his representative, rocker Chris Cornell, who gained fame as the lead singer of Soundgarden and later Audioslave, has died at age 52. In a statement to The Associated Press, Brian Bumbery says Cornell died Wednesday night in Detroit. Bumbery called the death “sudden and unexpected” and said his wife and family were shocked by it. The statement said the family would be working closely with the medical examiner to determine the cause and asked for privacy.
CLEVELAND (AP) — A video has gone viral showing more than a dozen Ohio high school students being pepper-sprayed in the face. The Barberton students agreed to be sprayed last week with their parents’ permission as part of a criminal science class exercise for aspiring police officers. Students also have been shocked with a stun gun for the class.
While some online commenters have been critical of parents for allowing their children to be pepper-sprayed, students and parents called it a useful learning experience. One copy of the video has been viewed more than 15 million times. The Barberton schools superintendent says the pepper spray training was conducted by an instructor who is a former police chief.
GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) — Bicyclists across the world have pedaled quietly in their annual Ride of Silence to honor those injured or killed while cycling. The ride took place Wednesday in Gloucester Township, New Jersey, and hundreds of other locations to raise awareness that cyclists share roadways with motorists. The Ride of Silence is part of a global movement involving thousands of cyclists who ride on the third Wednesday in May without saying a word. Organizers say rides were held on every continent and in all 50 U.S. states and zero words were spoken.
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — The bee industry is buzzing over the arrest of a man accused of stealing thousands of hives worth nearly $1 million from California’s almond orchards in one of the biggest such thefts on record. The case has thrown a spotlight on a business many city slickers probably never knew existed: Beekeepers in the U.S. move their colonies around the country by truck and rent them out to farmers to pollinate their flowering crops.
