AP PA Headlines 3/29/19
NORRISTOWN, Pa. (AP) — Authorities in the Philadelphia suburbs are charging six people for four opioid overdose deaths that have occurred there since August. Montgomery County prosecutors said Thursday they have charged five defendants with drug delivery resulting in death and the sixth with involuntary manslaughter. Five of the defendants have been arrested and one is being sought by police.
Prosecutors say one of the victims died of an overdose while incarcerated in the county jail. The drug combinations varied, but autopsies found that all of those who died had fentanyl in their systems. Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele says more than 200 people have died from overdoses in his county since the start of last year.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The steeple at Philadelphia’s landmark Christ Church is leaning, and its supporting tower needs serious structural support. Now, thanks to a $500,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities the church can shore up the structure. Benjamin Franklin and Betsy Ross were members of Christ Church. The NEH announced the grant to Christ Church on Thursday. It’s one of 233 projects the endowment will fund across the country.
The tower and steeple — financed by a lottery organized by Franklin —made it the tallest building in America until 1856. Legend has it Franklin wanted to use the structure in his lightning experiments. Founded in 1695, Christ Church was the first parish of the Church of England in Pennsylvania and the birthplace of the U.S. Episcopal Church.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s first law of 2019 expands the list of crimes that would result in a convicted public official or government employee being stripped of their public pension. Gov. Tom Wolf signed the bill Thursday. Its passage was spurred by the case of a former Democratic state senator who was able to keep his $246,000-a-year pension after a 2012 guilty plea to a federal conspiracy charge for using Senate staff to work on political campaigns.
The legislation expands the law to apply to state and federal felonies and other crimes that could result in at least five years behind bars, in addition to an existing list of crimes related to public office or public employment. The law comes as Pennsylvania’s state and municipal pension funds carry a projected $79 billion debt.
Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
Features
CHICAGO (AP) — President Donald Trump says the FBI and Department of Justice will review the case of “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett in Chicago. Prosecutors offered little explanation and infuriated Chicago’s police chief and mayor this week when they dropped charges against Smollett related to making a false police report. Yet prosecutors still insist the actor faked a racist, anti-gay attack on himself in January.
Trump tweeted early Thursday: “FBI & DOJ to review the outrageous Jussie Smollett case in Chicago. It is an embarrassment to our Nation!” Smollett’s attorney says two brothers who claim they worked with the actor to stage the attack are lying. Investigators alleged Smollett staged the attack with the hopes of gaining attention and advancing his career.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is reversing itself on a budget request to eliminate funding for the Special Olympics. President Donald Trump says he has authorized funding for the organization, adding: “I heard about it this morning. I have overridden my people.” Trump’s announcement comes after Education Secretary Betsy DeVos spent days defending the proposal, which drew widespread condemnation from lawmakers, as well as advocates and celebrities.
DeVos has since issued a statement saying she is “pleased and grateful the President and I see eye to eye on this issue and that he has decided to fund our Special Olympics grant.” She adds that it “is funding I have fought for behind the scenes over the last several years.”
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bryce Harper had already struck out twice in his $330 million debut when he was set to dig his gaudy green Phanatic spikes in at the plate in the seventh inning. With two runners on base and no outs, Harper never got the chance to swing the bat with “ill” — as in, part of the Phillies — stamped on the knob. He was intentionally walked to bring up Rhys Hoksins, and he quickly flexed the power that proved just how dangerous Philadelphia can be.
Harper went 0 for 3 with an intentional walk and failed to deliver a big hit — but no worries, the Phillies picked up the scoring slack. Hoskins hit a grand slam set up by Harper in a 10-4 win over the Atlanta Braves on Thursday. “What a fan base, what a crowd we had today,” Harper said. “If we can keep that for 162, it would be sweet.”
Citizens Bank Park was packed with nearly 45,000 fans dressed like their new favorite player and ready to go wild, hours before the first pitch. Harper fist-bumped fans as the Phillies walked through the outfield stands and onto the red carpet on the field for opening day festivities. He got his first standing O when he jogged out for the lineup introduction — his green cleats visible from the last row of the upper deck — and heard another when he dug in for his first at-bat in the first inning.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Disney is eliminating smoking areas at its theme and water parks in California and Florida. The company said in a statement on Thursday that smoking also won’t be allowed at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex or Downtown Disney in California starting May 1. Smoking areas will be available outside the parks and those entertainment areas. Disney Springs in Florida and the company’s hotels also will have smoking areas.
The smoking policy was part of several rule changes the company is making at its parks. Loose or dry ice won’t be permitted for coolers or cooler bags, and Disney is limiting stroller sizes to 31 inches (79 centimeter) wide and 52 inches (132 centimeters) long. The company also said stroller wagons wouldn’t be allowed after May 1.
SALISBURY, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina fire department is going to have a very big family day this fall.
News outlets report photographer Brianna Mitschele posted on her webpage that the wives of seven firefighters with the Salisbury Fire Department are expecting new additions to their families between now and September.
Mitschele said she noticed word of multiple births on Facebook and seized an opportunity to take pictures of the expectant mothers.
One photo shows the women in firefighter gear, while another has them each holding onesies representing the respective stations where their husbands work. Mitschele said six of the women are first-time mothers. She also said the wives of two other firefighters gave birth last December and in February.
In Maine, nine labor unit nurses in one hospital are expecting in the next few months.
Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
PA Sports, Scores & Skeds
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bryce Harper struck out twice in green Phanatic cleats in his $330 million debut and bowed to thousands of fans in No. 3 jerseys who gave him rousing standing ovations in the Philadelphia Phillies’ 10-4 win over the Atlanta Braves. Harper went 0 for 3 with one intentional walk. He was intentionally walked to load the bases and Rhys Hoskins hit a grand slam. The Phillies play on 1070AM WKOK, while our normal programming continues at WKOK.com.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid had 39 points, 13 rebounds and six assists to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 123-110 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. JJ Redick scored 18 points and Ben Simmons had 16 points and eight assists for the 76ers, who snapped a two-game losing streak. Joe Harris scored 22 points and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson added 19 for Brooklyn.
CINCINNATI (AP) — Derek Dietrich’s three-run homer in the seventh inning rallied the new-look Reds to a 5-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates, an encouraging start for a Cincinnati team looking to escape last place. Playing their first game under manager David Bell, the Reds got starring performances from two players signed for backup roles last month.
Here are the scores from yesterday’s sports events:
———
INTERLEAGUE
Final Chi Cubs 12 Texas 4
———
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final N-Y Yankees 7 Baltimore 2
Final Detroit 2 Toronto 0, 10 Innings
Final Houston 5 Tampa Bay 1
Final Oakland 4 L-A Angels 0
Final Minnesota 2 Cleveland 0
Final Kansas City 5 Chi White Sox 3
Final Seattle 12 Boston 4
———
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final N-Y Mets 2 Washington 0
Final Milwaukee 5 St. Louis 4
Final Philadelphia 10 Atlanta 4
Final L-A Dodgers 12 Arizona 5
Final Colorado 6 Miami 3
Final Cincinnati 5 Pittsburgh 3
Final San Diego 2 San Francisco 0
———
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Detroit 115 Orlando 98
Final Philadelphia 123 Brooklyn 110
Final Toronto 117 N-Y Knicks 92
Final Miami 105 Dallas 99
Final Milwaukee 128 L.A. Clippers 118
Final Houston 112 Denver 85
Final New Orleans 121 Sacramento 118
Final San Antonio 116 Cleveland 110
———
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Washington 3 Carolina 2
Final Columbus 6 Montreal 2
Final OT Detroit 5 Buffalo 4
Final Florida 5 Ottawa 2
Final N-Y Islanders 5 Winnipeg 4
Final SO Dallas 3 Edmonton 2
Final SO Vancouver 3 L.A. Kings 2
Final Chicago 5 San Jose 4
———
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (2) Virginia 53 Oregon 49
Final (4) Gonzaga 72 (10) Florida St. 58
Final OT (13) Purdue 99 (6) Tennessee 94
Final (9) Texas Tech 63 (8) Michigan 44
TODAY’S SPORTS SCHEDULE
———
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Detroit at Toronto 7:07 p.m.
Houston at Tampa Bay 7:10 p.m.
L-A Angels at Oakland 10:07 p.m.
Boston at Seattle 10:10 p.m.
———
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Colorado at Miami 7:10 p.m.
St. Louis at Milwaukee 8:10 p.m.
San Francisco at San Diego 10:10 p.m.
Arizona at L-A Dodgers 10:10 p.m.
———
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Indiana at Boston 7:00 p.m.
Portland at Atlanta 7:30 p.m.
Golden State at Minnesota 8:00 p.m.
Denver at Oklahoma City 8:00 p.m.
Washington at Utah 9:00 p.m.
Charlotte at L.A. Lakers 10:30 p.m.
———
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
St. Louis at N-Y Rangers 7:00 p.m.
Nashville at Pittsburgh 7:00 p.m.
New Jersey at Detroit 7:30 p.m.
Anaheim at Calgary 9:00 p.m.
Arizona at Colorado 9:00 p.m.
Minnesota at Vegas 10:00 p.m.
———
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
(16) Virginia Tech at (1) Duke 9:39 p.m.
(14) Auburn at (3) North Carolina 7:29 p.m.
(12) LSU at (5) Michigan St. 7:09 p.m.
(11) Houston at (7) Kentucky 9:59 p.m.
———
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
New York City at Toronto 8:00 p.m.
Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
