AP PA Headlines 10/23/19
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A new report says lax campaign finance rules let Pennsylvania’s state lawmakers shield from public scrutiny spending on food, booze and travel, and officials often report them as simply credit card payments or expense reimbursements. A yearlong investigation by the Spotlight PA and Caucus news organizations published Tuesday says reporting practices can make it very hard for outsiders to figure out how legislative campaign donations are spent.
The news organizations say their review of thousands of pages of records indicated state House and Senate candidates spent nearly $3.5 million that can’t be fully traced from 2016 through 2018. They say the spending includes foreign trips, sporting event tickets, country club memberships and a DNA test kit. Pennsylvania’s campaign finance rules put no limits on donations and have minimal penalties for failing to comply.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Authorities say a 17-year-old male was found dead in an off-campus house at Penn State and a fraternity has been suspended. Penn State officials said Tuesday that the Alpha Delta chapter of Chi Phi has lost all its privileges. Police said the teenager was found Saturday night at the house occupied by Chi Phi members. He was not a student and has not been identified.
Penn State says the house is not the fraternity’s official residence. Authorities say the teenager had no signs of trauma. Penn State says the fraternity may not participate, attend or organize any functions, activities or events pending the outcome of the investigation. An email was sent to the fraternity seeking comment.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The Pennsylvania House is giving its approval to a bill that would exempt the state’s volunteer fire and rescue companies from the Right-to-Know Law. State representatives voted 166 to 34 on Tuesday to send the proposal to the Senate. Supporters of the legislation argue the 2008 rewrite of the open records law wasn’t meant to apply to volunteer fire, rescue and ambulance entities, and that records requests puts a burden on entities that are stretched thin.
The Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association says the departments are largely government funded and notes there have been instances of financial wrongdoing. The status of volunteer companies under the law has been the subject of several court cases, and Commonwealth Court has recently sought more information about how they operate.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — President Donald Trump’s visit to Pittsburgh on Wednesday will close roads and a dozen schools. Police Chief Scott Schubert is advising residents and employees to leave early, work from home if they can and expect heavier than normal traffic. The president on Wednesday will speak at an annual natural gas industry conference. Road closures will begin at midnight Tuesday and continue throughout the day Wednesday. Trump’s motorcade also is expected to disrupt traffic near Pittsburgh’s airport. Streets will reopen on a staggered basis after Trump leaves. A dozen schools are closing because of the traffic disruptions and the city schools have canceled all athletic events. Trump was the first Republican presidential candidate since 1988 to win Pennsylvania, and the state is important to his re-election campaign.
EXTON, Pa. (AP) — President Donald Trump is headed to Pennsylvania to show his support for the natural gas industry, making clear he sees his pro-industry policies as a boost to his chances of winning the battleground state. As some of his leading Democratic opponents call for a fracking ban, Trump has been eager to tout his support for a sector he says brings economic benefits and jobs.
But in the suburbs that might be key to his path to victory, Pennsylvania voters have shown a growing opposition to the drilling and massive pipelines. National polling shows growing skepticism of fracking, the process used in extraction. On Wednesday, Trump will speak to a conference in Pittsburgh, a corporate hub of activity in the Marcellus Shale, the nation’s most prolific natural gas reservoir..
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Features.
NEW YORK (AP) — The Trump administration official who wrote an anonymous essay about resistance from the inside has a book deal. The book, titled “A Warning”, will come out Nov. 19, The Hachette Book Group imprint Twelve announced Tuesday. It will likely set off the biggest Washington guessing game since “Primary Colors,” the fictionalized take on Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign that turned out to be written by journalist Joe Klein.
The anonymous essay appeared in The New York Times in September 2018 and said that many within the administration were actively blocking some of Trump’s orders. No one has named the official despite widespread speculation and Trump’s own suggestion that the author’s identity be investigated. Twelve is calling the book “an unprecedented behind-the-scenes portrait” that “offers a shocking, first-hand account of President Trump and his record.” The author will be identified as “A Senior Trump Administration Official.”
According to the publisher, the author accepted no advance and will donate a portion of royalties to nonprofits that focus on accountability and “standing up” for truth in oppressive countries. The official’s literary representatives, the Washington-based Javelin, have made deals for other books that have enraged Trump, including former FBI director James Comey’s “A Higher Loyalty” and former White House aide Cliff Sims’ “Team of Vipers.”
NEW YORK (AP) — Football and mayhem in Chicago, unrelated to the NFL’s Bears, dominated the top of the television rankings last week. While NBC’s Sunday night football game was the most-watched program of the week, producer Dick Wolf’s trio of Windy City-set dramas all finished among the Nielsen company’s list of the top television programs. “Chicago Med,” ”Chicago PD” and “Chicago Fire” were all seen by more than 8 million viewers.
That led NBC to victory in the weekly ratings race. Fox, with a Thursday night football game between Kansas City and Denver, finished second. Since Nielsen’s weekly list measures only same-day viewership, the top of the rankings is dominated by live sports and competition shows like “The Voice” and “The Masked Singer.” ”NCIS” remains the top scripted program.
CNN’s coverage of the latest Democratic presidential debate was seen by 8.6 million viewers, Nielsen said. NBC averaged 7 million viewers for the week, with runner-up Fox grabbing 6.1 million. CBS had 5.7 million, ABC had 4.3 million, Telemundo had 1.4 million, Univision had 1.3 million, ION Television had 1.2 million and the CW had 860,000.
ESPN was the week’s most popular cable network, averaging 2.82 million viewers. Fox News Channel had 2.6 million, CNN had 1.96 million, TBS had 1.8 million and MSNBC had 1.79 million. ABC’s “World News Tonight” topped the evening newscasts with an average of 8.2 million viewers. NBC’s “Nightly News” was second with 7.4 million and the “CBS Evening News” had 5.2 million viewers.
WASHINGTON (AP) — For the first time, U.S. health regulators have endorsed a type of smokeless tobacco as a less harmful alternative to smoking. Under Tuesday’s decision, Swedish Match will be able to advertise that its tobacco pouches carry a lower risk of cancer, bronchitis and other diseases than cigarettes. It’s the first time the Food and Drug Administration has endorsed a tobacco product as a way to reduce the deadly impact of smoking. Swedish Match has sold its tobacco pouches in the U.S. for more than a decade.
ROME (AP) — After five cases of racist chants in eight rounds of Serie A, the Italian soccer federation is considering employing advanced listening devices used in anti-terrorism operations to identify offending fans. Federation president Gabriele Gravina has detailed “a passive radar device that uses directional microphones to determine the source of the noise. It can immediately determine who is making a racist chant — or it can illustrate the trajectory of fireworks or gunshots.”
Gravina adds that the tool being considered requires two panels per stadium section, is not overly expensive and is made by an Italian company. He says the only obstacle is Italy’s privacy laws, “because (the device) can also listen to private conversations inside the stadium.” The federation is coordinating with the Interior Ministry with the aim of testing the tools during Italy’s European Championship qualifier against Armenia in Palermo, Sicily, next month.
WASHINGTON (AP) — NASA reports the ozone hole near the South Pole this year is the smallest since it was discovered in 1985. Scientists say this is due more to freakishly warm Antarctic weather than the decades long effort to reduce the use of chlorinated chemicals that cause the seasonal gap. Earth’s protective ozone layer shields life from harmful ultraviolet radiation.
Chlorine in the air needs cold temperatures in the stratosphere to convert into a form of the chemical that eats ozone. This fall, the average hole in the ozone layer is 3.6 million square miles (9.3 million square kilometers). That’s down from a peak of 10 million square miles (25.9 million square kilometers) in 1998. This year’s hole is even smaller than the one first discovered in 1985.
NEW YORK (AP) — Here are the top ten prime-time programs by viewership compiled by Nielsen for Oct. 14-20, by ranking and viewership.
- NFL Football: Philadelphia at Dallas, NBC, 21.45 million.
- “NFL Pregame Show,” NBC, 16.28 million.
- NFL Football: Kansas City at Denver, Fox, 14.02 million.
- NFL Football: Detroit at Green Bay, ESPN, 14 million.
- “NFL Postgame Show,” Fox, 11.97 million.
- “NCIS,” CBS, 10.88 million.
- “Football Night in America,” NBC, 10.36 million.
- “Chicago Med,” NBC, 8.94 million.
- “FBI,” CBS, 8.76 million.
- “Chicago PD,” NBC, 8.63 million.
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PA Sports, Scores & Skeds.
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Jonathan Huberdeau had a goal and an assist to lift the Florida Panthers to a 4-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Denis Malgin had a goal and an assist, and Noel Acciari, and Frank Vatrano also scored goals for the Panthers.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies have hired Brian Barber to be director of amateur scouting. Barber spent the last 18 seasons with the New York Yankees. The 46-year-old Barber replaced Johnny Almaraz, who stepped down but will remain with the Phillies.
Here are the scores from yesterday’s sports events:
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MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYOFFS
Final Washington 5 Houston 4
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final OT Toronto 130 New Orleans 122
Final L.A. Clippers 112 L.A. Lakers 102
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Boston 4 Toronto 2
Final OT Buffalo 4 San Jose 3
Final Florida 4 Pittsburgh 2
Final OT Arizona 3 N-Y Rangers 2
Final Vancouver 5 Detroit 2
Final Minnesota 3 Edmonton 0
Final Nashville 6 Anaheim 1
Final Los Angeles 3 Winnipeg 2
Final SO Vegas 2 Chicago 1
Final Washington 5 Calgary 3
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MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Toronto FC at New York City FC 7 p.m.
Real Salt Lake at Seattle 10 p.m.
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TODAY’S SPORTS SCHEDULE
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MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYOFFS
Washington at Houston 8:07 p.m.
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Chicago at Charlotte 7 p.m.
Detroit at Indiana 7 p.m.
Cleveland at Orlando 7 p.m.
Minnesota at Brooklyn 7:30 p.m.
Memphis at Miami 7:30 p.m.
Boston at Philadelphia 7:30 p.m.
Washington at Dallas 8:30 p.m.
New York at San Antonio 8:30 p.m.
Oklahoma City at Utah 9 p.m.
Sacramento at Phoenix 10 p.m.
Denver at Portland 10 p.m.
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Detroit at Ottawa 7:30 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Tampa Bay 8 p.m.
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MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Toronto FC at New York City FC 7 p.m.
Real Salt Lake at Seattle 10 p.m.
Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved