PA Headlines and Sports, Scores & Skeds

AP PA Headlines

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Foreign travel, personal gifts, cash and tickets to major league sports events are among more than $145,000 in freebies being reported by Pennsylvania lawmakers.  The gifts and other benefits are noted in newly filed state financial disclosure forms. The reports cover the year 2016.  The amount is considerably higher than in recent years. Just four years ago, state legislators reported only about $43,000 in gifts and other largesse.

The new filings disclose trips to at least 11 states and the countries of Nigeria and New Zealand.  Pennsylvania’s comparatively lax gift rules for state legislators drew protesters to the Capitol in the past week to push for a House committee to take action on a proposal to add new gift restrictions. A couple dozen protesters were cited for disorderly conduct

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Steven D’Achille hopes that a treatment center for pregnant women and new mothers scheduled to open this fall in Pittsburgh will prevent deaths such as his wife’s.  The idea for the center, which Allegheny Health Network is adding to West Penn Hospital, came to D’Achille while he was waiting outside the intensive care unit where Alexis Joy D’Achille, his wife, was treated before her death in October 2013.

She took her own life amid postpartum depression that her widower said local doctors couldn’t treat.  “We will have a facility that I wish I had and my wife had when we needed it,” said D’Achille, 34, of McCandless.  The Alexis Joy D’Achille Center for Women’s Behavioral Health will offer intensive group and individual therapy for up to 12 mother-baby pairs at a time, said Rebecca Weinberg, a clinical psychologist for AHN’s women’s behavioral health program.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved

Oddities and Conversation Starters

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) — A Massachusetts judge has denied a man’s request to juggle during his trial to show jurors he was just clowning around when he allegedly tried to rob a convenience store.  A Springfield judge on Thursday rejected Orlando Melendez’s request to juggle for jurors when the case goes to trial. He claimed in his written motion that he is a real clown.

Melendez has pleaded not guilty to charges he used a toy gun to try to rob a convenience store in December.  The 20-year-old man, who is representing himself, asked that he be allowed to juggle three wads of paper for 20 seconds to show jurors that the alleged attempted robbery was a misunderstanding.

RIVERDALE, Utah (AP) — A 39-year-old Utah woman has been arrested after she allegedly locked her two young children in her car’s trunk while she went inside a Wal-Mart store to shop.  Riverdale police say witnesses heard the children ages 2 and 5 making noise and saw the car shaking, got the older child to pull the emergency latch and called 911.

Tori Lee Castillo remains jailed on suspicion of child abuse after being arrested Thursday evening when she returned to the car.  Police Lt. Casey Warren says the state child welfare was contacted and the children were turned over to a responsible party.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A private jet once owned by Elvis Presley has been auctioned after sitting on a runway in New Mexico for 35 years. GWS Auctions Inc. says the plane sold for $430,000 on Saturday at a California event featuring celebrity memorabilia.  The auction house says Elvis designed the interior that has gold-tone woodwork, red velvet seats and red shag carpet.

But the red 1962 Lockheed Jetstar has no engine and needs a restoration of its cockpit.  Liveauctioneers.com says the 1962 red Lockheed JetStar was owned by Elvis and his father, Vernon Presley.  It has been privately owned for 35 years and sitting on a tarmac in Roswell, New Mexico.

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — A publicist for rock legend Gregg Allman says the organist and singer for The Allman Brothers Band has died. He was 69.  Ken Weinstein confirmed Saturday that Allman died at his home in Savannah, Georgia.  Allman had cancelled some 2016 tour dates for health reasons. In March 2017, he canceled performances for the rest of the year.

After years of substance abuse, Allman contracted hepatitis C and underwent a 2010 liver transplant.  Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Allman was raised in Florida by a single mother after his father was shot to death.  He and his older brother Duane formed the nucleus of The Allman Brothers Band. It featured tight guitar harmonies by Duane Allman and Dickey Betts, a pair of drummers and the smoky, blues inflected voice of Gregg Allman.

NEW YORK (AP) — Some ‘women only’ screenings of  the new film “Wonder Woman” has caused a social media stir.  The Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas are hearing some grumbling about gender discrimination. One theater says it will funnel proceeds to Planned Parenthood.  The Alamo in Brooklyn posted a statement online saying what better way to celebrate the most iconic superheroine than with “an all-female screening?”

“Apologies, gentlemen, but we’re embracing our girl power and saying ‘No Guys Allowed’ for several special shows at the Alamo Downtown Brooklyn. And when we say ‘Women (and people who identify as women)only,’ we mean it. The movie opens June 2 based on the DC Comics character. It was directed by Patty Jenkins and stars Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman/Diana Prince..

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved

Scores & Skeds

The Philadelphia Phillies play on Newsradio 1070 WKOK today, and tomorrow. Today’s game is at 1:00pm. Tomorrow’s game is at 6:30pm.  When the Phillies are on 1070AM WKOK, we continue with our normal programming on WKOK.com.

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. (AP) — Several Valley athletes helped state records fall during the second day of the 2017 PIAA Track & Field Championships on Saturday at Shippensburg University.  Katie Jones of South Williamsport broke her own PIAA record on the way to winning gold in the girls’ AA pole vault, clearing 13-4 to beat her former record by four inches.  Jahvel Hemphill of Bloomsburg broke the AA boys’ 100-meter dash record from 1979 with a time of 10:47.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved