Hearing in death of Penn State pledge to resume for 3rd day
BELLEFONTE, Pa. (AP) — Members of a shuttered Penn State fraternity are due back in court for a preliminary hearing on charges related to the death of a pledge after a night of heavy drinking. A Pennsylvania judge will convene for the third day of a preliminary hearing on Tuesday for the Beta Theta Pi chapter and 16 of its members. Two others have waived the hearing.
Some face involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault charges in the death of 19-year-old Tim Piazza, of Lebanon, New Jersey. Others face less serious charges, including evidence tampering and hazing. Piazza was severely injured at the house in February, a night captured on security video. Help wasn’t called until the next morning. The judge will decide if there’s enough evidence to send the case to trial.
Amid threat of downgrade, unbalanced budget bill becomes law
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania lawmakers are to return to the Capitol for another session day, but without an agreement to fully fund the $32 billion budget bill they passed nearly two weeks ago and with the threat of a credit downgrade looming to the state’s bruised credit rating. The budget bill became law Tuesday, even though it is badly out of balance.
Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf declined to veto the bill as he presses the Republican-controlled Legislature to approve a tax package big enough to avoid a credit downgrade. Tuesday’s session could be a sidelight to negotiations to hammer out a $2 billion-plus revenue plan that budget negotiators say is necessary to plug a hole in the state’s finances. Meanwhile, there are questions about the constitutionality of the budget law.
MCHENRY, Md. (AP) — A two-year college in Maryland has instituted a lower tuition rate for residents of six out-of-state counties that border the college’s county. The Cumberland Times-News reports that Garrett College’s border state tuition rate is a $35-per-credit hour reduction over its typical out-of-state tuition rate, resulting in savings of about $2,100 while earning an associate degree.
The creation of the new tuition policy comes as a new state law authorized lower tuition rates at Maryland community colleges for residents of contiguous counties. The rate applies to Somerset and Fayette counties in Pennsylvania and Preston, Tucker, Mineral and Grant counties in West Virginia. College President Richard Midcap says that the college’s primary mission is to serve Garrett County residents, but it wants to increase its accessibility to potential students.
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Oddities and Conversation Starters
WASHINGTON (AP) — The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit accusing President Donald Trump’s commission investigating election fraud of failing to comply with a law designed to ensure public accountability. The lawsuit filed Monday in federal court in Washington says the commission held its first meeting without notifying or making the meeting open to the public. The lawsuit says the commission also failed to make meeting records public.
The ACLU says that violates the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The lawsuit also says the commission is improperly stacked with individuals who’ve supported Trump’s statements on illegal voting. Department of Justice spokesman Ian Prior wrote in an email that the office is reviewing the complaint. He declined futher comment. The commission’s request for the release of voter data has prompted other lawsuits.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota police acquitted in last year’s fatal shooting of black motorist Philando Castile will receive $48,500 as part of a separation agreement with the Minneapolis suburb of St. Anthony. Jeronimo Yanez, who is leaving the St. Anthony Police Department under the agreement announced Monday, also will be paid for up to 600 hours of unused compensatory time. The details were released to The Associated Press through a public information request.
Yanez, who is Latino, was acquitted of manslaughter last month in Castile’s death. Yanez shot Castile several times during a July 2016 traffic stop, seconds after Castile informed him he was carrying a gun. Castile had a permit for the weapon. Yanez testified in his defense that Castile ignored his commands not to pull out the gun and he feared for his life.
UNION, N.J. (AP) — A restoration project at a New Jersey museum has unearthed cases of wine nearly as old as the United States. The Liberty Hall Museum in Union says it discovered almost three full cases of Madeira wine dating to 1796 while restoring its wine cellar. The museum also found 42 large glass jugs dating to the 1820s. Madeira is a fortified wine.
Bill Schroh, director of operations at Liberty Hall, says it was the best wine to ship during the 18th century because it almost never spoils — even centuries later if stored properly. Liberty Hall President John Kean says he’s sampled the wine. He compares it to a sweet sherry.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Vin Scully will receive the Icon Award at The ESPYS, with actor Bryan Cranston presenting the honor given to those whose careers have left a lasting impression on the sports world. Scully retired last fall after 67 years calling Los Angeles Dodgers games. The 89-year-old Hall of Famer’s career was the longest tenure of any broadcaster with a single pro sports team.
Past recipients of the Icon Award are Kobe Bryant, Derek Jeter, Peyton Manning and Abby Wambach. Manning hosts the 25th annual awards show, which celebrates the best sports stories of the year, on Wednesday night in Los Angeles.
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A lost Boise dog is back home after nine months and a brutal winter alone in the Idaho mountains. Mo, an elderly Chesapeake Bay Retriever, wandered away from her owners during a hunting trip last September. Darwin and Cindy Cameron stayed near the tiny hamlet of Horseshoe Bend about 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of Boise for three months looking for Mo. But deep snow and harsh conditions eventually made the search impossible.
Dog rescuer Cheri Glankler took in a starving retriever that had collapsed at a nearby ranch last month. She posted photos of the dog on Facebook, and word quickly reached the Camerons that Mo may have been found. Mo had lost her hearing and half her body weight while surviving in the wild, but the Camerons recognized her through her mannerisms and other distinctive details.
SAUK CITY, Wis. (AP) — Dairy farmers, take note: The key to turning your dairy cow into a cash cow is udder happiness. That’s according to a University of Wisconsin initiative that focuses on making dairy cows happier so they provide more milk . Nigel Cook has directed the effort since 2010. He and his team visit farms to give advice to farmers like providing bigger stalls, adding more air circulation, managing manure and using the fundamentals of cow welfare to ease stress.
They also provide workshops and created a website to share advice with farmers around the world. Mitch Breunig owns 400 cows at Mystic Valley Dairy in Sauk City. He’s spent over $100,000 toward improvements. He’s seen milk production increase from about 13 gallons a milk a day per cow to 15 gallons.
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