AP PA Headlines 7/23/19
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania taxpayers are paying nearly $10 million annually for lawmakers to get their story out through a small army of spokespeople. LNP reported Monday on the vast message machine that often produces news releases, TV shows and other content with a partisan message. The newspaper says it calculated the annual cost by reviewing spending records from 2013 through last year.
The Legislature’s equipment includes at least three TV studios built to produce state-run, news-like programs that feature lawmakers. The four caucuses — Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate — have a combined public relations staff of about 130 people.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A state court is upholding portions of Pennsylvania regulations for Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling while also ruling in part on the side of an industry group. A seven-judge Commonwealth Court panel on Monday issued a 91-page decision in a lawsuit brought by the Marcellus Shale Coalition against the state Department of Environmental Protection and the Environmental Quality Board.
The judges say state officials don’t have the authority to mandate restoration of sites to their original conditions within nine of months of when drilling has ended. But they’re siding with the department and board in other respects, including rules for liquid impoundment ponds and how drillers must respond when nearby wells are affected by their activity.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Prosecutors and corrections officers are urging a review of Pennsylvania’s parole practices following the arrests of three parolees in unrelated homicides committed over the past two months. One is a convicted murderer who got out of prison in March and is now charged with killing an 8-year-old boy two weeks ago.
Two other parolees released from prison in the last two years are facing charges in the beating death of a 2-year-old Baltimore boy and the strangulation of a 49-year-old Hershey, Pennsylvania, woman. The Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association says there should be an exhaustive review to determine if something was done wrong. The corrections officers’ union says violent offenders shouldn’t be paroled. State officials say the men had complied with the terms of their parole up until the time of the alleged homicides.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — A western Pennsylvania TV reporter has sued over injuries he says he suffered during a promotional stunt in which he plunged 22 feet into the Allegheny River in a homemade flying machine. The lawsuit by KDKA reporter Dave Crawley names EQT Three Rivers Regatta, Red Bull and a marketing agency. It stems from an August 2017 media piece before the Red Bull Flugtag event.
The event features teams in homemade devices “fly” from a pier into a river. The suit contends Crawley was left with spleen and diaphragm injuries and a traumatic brain injury. The regatta declined to comment, saying officials were still “gathering information and reviewing the details” of the lawsuit. Red Bull says “the safety of spectators and participants is always our primary concern.”
Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
Features
GRETNA, La. (AP) — Two Louisiana police officers have been fired over a Facebook post calling U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez a “vile idiot” and suggesting that she be shot. Gretna Police Chief Arthur Lawson announced the terminations yesterday. Officer Charlie Rispoli was fired for a post saying Ocasio-Cortez “needs a round” and not “the kind she used to serve” — an apparent reference to her having once been a bartender.
Officer Angelo Varisco was fired for “liking” the post. Lawson said an internal investigation began after he was informed of the post by The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate. The newspaper reported that Rispoli’s post included a fake story making it appear that Ocasio-Cortez said, “We pay soldiers too much.” Lawson said the department has contacted Facebook to see whether any other officers were involved.
DETROIT (AP) — Miss World America says her tweets are biased against Muslims and blacks. But the pageant’s rep from Michigan says it is she who is being discriminated against. Kathy Zhu has been stripped of her crown over tweets saying things like blacks are always “blaming others” for crime.
She also has criticized Muslims in blasts that have since been purged from her Twitter account. Zhu says losing her title is discrimination against her because she’s a conservative who belongs to a group called Chinese Americans for Trump.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Marvel’s push for more women and people of color in its immensely popular film franchise is extending to behind the camera as it launches its next round of films after the massive success of “Avengers: Endgame.” Of the five films the superhero studio announced at Comic-Con on Saturday, only one is set to be directed by a white man.
“It’s about fresh voices and new voices and great filmmakers who can continue to steer the (Marvel Cinematic Universe) into new places,” Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said in an interview after the studio’s explosive Hall H panel. “And I am as proud of that lineup of directors as you saw today as any.”
In addition to a slew of women and people of color at the helm of the upcoming Marvel films, the weekend’s announcements promised more diversity on screen. First up for release is the long-awaited solo film starring Scarlett Johansson as the Black Widow, the lethal assassin she has played for nearly a decade. The film is set for release in May 2020. Johansson said the search for “Black Widow” director Cate Shortland wasn’t easy.
SYDNEY (AP) — A driver has been charged after methamphetamine valued at more than $140 million was found in a van that crashed into police cars parked outside a Sydney police station, police said on Tuesday. A Toyota HiAce van hit the cars outside the Eastwood Police Station on Monday morning, causing significant damage to one car but injuring no one, a police statement said.
Police stopped a van in a nearby suburb about an hour later, arrested 28-year-old Simon Tu and seized 273 kilograms (602 pounds) of crystal meth with an estimated street value of more than 200 million Australian dollars ($140 million), the statement said. Tu was charged with supplying a commercial quantity of drugs, negligent driving and not giving his details to police. He was refused bail.
UNDATED (AP) – A video that came out 44 years ago has hit a major YouTube milestone. YouTube has announced that the video for the Queen song “Bohemian Rhapsody” has garnered one billion views. It’s the first time that a video that came out before the 1990s has reached that goal. Brian May and Roger Taylor say they are honored by the achievement. They’ve released a newly remastered HD version of the video. They’ve also announced a contest for fans to create new videos for “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “A Kind of Magic” and “Don’t Stop Me Now.” Details are at www.YouAreTheChampions.com .
Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
PA Sports, Scores & Skeds
The Phillies play this evening on 1070AM WKOK, while our normal programming continues at WKOK.com and on the Sunbury Broadcasting Corporation app. The Phils travel to the Tigers today 6:30pm on 1070AM WKOK, while the last half-hour of the Late Day News Roundup continues on WKOK.com. Then the .com has CBS Sportsradio.
Here are the scores from yesterday’s sports events:
INTERLEAGUE
Final Chi White Sox 9 Miami 1
Final Arizona 6 Baltimore 3
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Cleveland 7 Toronto 3
Final Boston 9 Tampa Bay 4
Final Minnesota 8 N-Y Yankees 6
Final Houston 11 Oakland 1
Final Seattle 7 Texas 3
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final St. Louis 6 Pittsburgh 5, 10 Innings
Final Cincinnati 6 Milwaukee 5
Final San Francisco 5 Chi Cubs 4
Colorado at Washington 7:05 p.m., postponed
TODAY’S SPORTS SCHEDULE
INTERLEAGUE
Philadelphia at Detroit 7:10 p.m.
Kansas City at Atlanta 7:20 p.m.
Miami at Chi White Sox 8:10 p.m.
Baltimore at Arizona 9:40 p.m.
L-A Angels at L-A Dodgers 10:10 p.m.
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Cleveland at Toronto 7:07 p.m.
Boston at Tampa Bay 7:10 p.m.
Oakland at Houston 8:10 p.m.
N-Y Yankees at Minnesota 8:10 p.m.
Texas at Seattle 10:10 p.m.
NATIONAL LEAGUE
St. Louis at Pittsburgh 7:05 p.m.
Colorado at Washington 7:05 p.m.
San Diego at N-Y Mets 7:10 p.m.
Cincinnati at Milwaukee 8:10 p.m.
Chi Cubs at San Francisco 9:45 p.m.
WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS
L.A. Sparks at Atlanta 7:00 p.m.
Indiana at Phoenix 10:00 p.m.
Seattle at Las Vegas 10:00 p.m.
Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
