AP PA Headlines 10/25/19
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s transportation secretary is telling the U.S. Census Bureau that her agency won’t provide driver’s license records as part of a Trump administration effort to gather citizenship information. Secretary Leslie Richards wrote Thursday to a Census Bureau official, saying her department won’t participate in the project.
More than a dozen other states have already declined to participate, according to an Associated Press survey. The Census Bureau began asking for five years’ worth of driver’s license records in August, promising the information will be kept confidential. That effort began after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a plan to add a citizenship question to next year’s census. The effort has alarmed civil rights groups that see it as part of a move by the Trump administration to reduce the political power of minorities.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania is in line to receive more than $53 million as part of a nationwide settlement with a British company that once distributed a drug used to treat opioid addiction. Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said Thursday that the money is to settle allegations that the company defrauded Medicaid and other state health care programs.
The U.S. Department of Justice had accused an ex-Reckitt Benckiser subsidiary of marketing Suboxone Film by saying the drug was safer than other opioid addiction treatments. Reckitt Benckiser said in July that it would pay $1.4 billion to resolve federal investigations. The states’ share of the settlement is $700 million. Suboxone Film was marketed by RB’s former prescription business Indivior, which was spun off in 2014. Reckitt Benckiser has denied any wrongdoing.
JONESTOWN, Pa. (AP) — The Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals says it rescued 83 cats and 10 dogs from unsafe conditions at a self-proclaimed rescue facility in Lebanon County. WHTM-TV reports that the animals were removed from the Jonestown property on Wednesday. Authorities say many of the cats were suffering from respiratory infections and eye conditions and several dogs were very thin.
Most of the animals were living in enclosures with feces and urine that had accumulated over several days. Five dead cats were found in one enclosure. One cat’s remains could not be removed because it had decomposed so much. All the rescued animals were given to the SPCA. They are expected to be up for adoption once they receive medical treatment. An investigation is ongoing and charges are pending.
PENNSDALE, Pa. (AP) — Federal officials have fined a Lycoming County company for violations found after a worker was killed when she fell into a meat grinder this year. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration issued $49,062 in civil penalties against the Economy Storage Locker Co. in Pennsdale. Authorities say 11 serious violations were found at the meat processing business following the April 22 death of Jill Greninger.
Authorities have said no one saw the 35-year-old Greninger fall. She had been standing on a set of wheeled stairs prior to the accident, and her body was found by a co-worker who heard strange noises coming from the commercial machine. Company officials have not commented on the accident. It’s not clear if they will appeal the penalties.
Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
Features
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A semi-official Iranian news agency is reporting that authorities have amputated the hand of a convicted thief in a prison in the country’s north. Fars news agency reports that one hand of an unidentified convict was cut off in a prison in Sari city, some 200 kilometers (120 miles) northeast of the capital Tehran. The report said the convict committed 28 robberies.
Fars didn’t say how much time the inmate was serving. Iran’s judiciary uses a strict interpretation of Islamic law in handing down such sentences. Cutting off the hands of thieves, however, has been rare in the recent years. Critics say amputations, public executions and floggings hurt Iran’s image.
WASHINGTON (AP) – If you’re watching the World Series tonight, be prepared for a lot of the kids’ song “Baby Shark.” It’s a thing in Washington. Nationals backup outfield Gerardo Parra used it as his walkup music in June when he was in a hitting slump as a tribute to his two-year-old daughter. His slump ended and fans loved it.
Now, when a National gets a hit, the team and the fans do the “baby shark” chomping with index finger and thumb for a single, “mommy shark” by clapping hands for a double, and “daddy shark” with arms for a triple. Fox Sports has been catching grief because they played the wrong version during Wednesday’s game.
SUMMERTOWN, Tenn. (AP) — A haunted house that promises an extreme experience that can last up to 10 hours requires participants be medically cleared by a doctor and sign a 40-page waiver. The McKamey Manor experiences in Summertown, Tennessee, and Huntsville, Alabama, also require visitors be at least 18, insured, and pass a background check and drug test.
WFLA-TV reports that owner Russ McKamey offers thousands of dollars to anyone who completes the tour, but says no one ever has. He records each tour on video — for his own protection he says — and then posts them online, showing them quitting in humiliation. It’s costs nearly nothing to enter: Just a bag of dog food. The website warns of physically demanding environments, but McKamey says the manor is a mental game.
ROCHESTER, Minn. (AP) — A Minnesota museum has turned its creepiest dolls loose just in time for Halloween. The History Center of Olmsted County in Rochester has posted photos and videos of its miniature terrors on social media, taking votes for the most nightmarish one. Curator Dan Nowakowski told Minnesota Public Radio that for a lot of the dolls, the freakiness is all in the eyes.
Some have movable eyelids that snap open when you lift the dolls up. The paint has chipped off the face of another contender, leaving it looking like a mummy. Nowakowski says the dolls weren’t intended to be frightening when they were made, but damage from play and the passage of time have turned them creepy. Voting continues through Thursday. The winner and runner-up will be displayed over Halloween.
ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS, N.J. (AP) — A man says he and his hiking companion were rescued after they fell off a cliff in New Jersey because the impact spurred his smart watch to call 911. James Prudenciano and Paige Paruso were hiking in Hartshorne Woods Park in Atlantic Highlands last week when they got lost in the woods. They eventually tumbled down a steep cliff as darkness set in.
Prudenciano had bought the watch two days earlier and chose to activate the “fall detection” feature, which alerts the owner’s emergency contacts and calls 911 when it detects that its user has fallen. Rescuers were eventually able to reach the couple, who were taken ashore by a boat. They were treated at a hospital for undisclosed injuries.
Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
PA Sports, Scores & Skeds
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — No. 6 Penn State should have its guard up when the unbeaten Nittany Lions face Michigan State this weekend. The Nittany Lions lost to the Spartans each of the past two seasons, falling on a last-second field goal in 2017 and a last-minute touchdown the following year.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies hired former Yankees manager Joe Girardi to replace Gabe Kapler on Thursday. Girardi will be introduced at a news conference on Monday. Kapler was fired after an injury-depleted team went 81-81 despite significant offseason additions highlighted by Bryce Harper’s arrival. Girardi led New York to its 27th World Series title, beating the Phillies in six games in 2009. The Phillies play on 1070AM WKOK, while our normal programming continues at WKOK.com.
CHICAGO (AP) — Kevin Hayes scored after he lost a goal because of an offsides challenge, and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1. Claude Giroux, James van Riemsdyk and Oskar Lindblom also scored for Philadelphia, which beat Chicago 4-3 in Prague in the season opener on Oct. 4. Brian Elliott made 23 saves in his second straight start.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers are taking nothing for granted heading into a visit by the winless Miami Dolphins. Miami is off to a 0-6 start but has shown progress in recent weeks. The Dolphins led in the fourth quarter last week against Buffalo before falling late. The Steelers are 2-4 coming off their bye week and will have Mason Rudolph back under center. Rudolph hasn’t played since being knocked unconscious against Baltimore on Oct. 6. The Steelers play on our sister station 100.9 The Valley.
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — The Philadelphia Eagles aren’t happy coming off two straight losses, including a turnover-filled dud at Dallas last week, in preparing to play at the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. At 5-1, the Bills might be off to their best start in 11 years, but understand they have plenty to prove a week after having difficulty defeating the winless Miami Dolphins. The Eagles play on our sister station Eagle 107.3.
Here are the scores from yesterday’s sports events:
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Atlanta 117 Detroit 100
Final Milwaukee 117 Houston 111
Final L.A. Clippers 141 Golden State 122
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final OT Columbus 4 Carolina 3
Final San Jose 4 Montreal 2
Final N-Y Islanders 4 Arizona 2
Final N-Y Rangers 6 Buffalo 2
Final Nashville 4 Minnesota 0
Final St. Louis 5 Los Angeles 2
Final Philadelphia 4 Chicago 1
Final Dallas 2 Anaheim 1
Final SO Calgary 6 Florida 5
Final OT Edmonton 4 Washington 3
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Final Minnesota 19 Washington 9
TOP-25 COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Final (19)SMU 34 Houston 31
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Final Atlanta 2 Philadelphia 0
Final Los Angeles FC 5 LA Galaxy 3
TODAY’S SPORTS SCHEDULE
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYOFFS
Houston at Washington 8:07 p.m.
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Toronto at Boston 7 p.m.
Minnesota at Charlotte 7 p.m.
New York at Brooklyn 7:30 p.m.
Chicago at Memphis 8 p.m.
Dallas at New Orleans 8 p.m.
Washington at Oklahoma City 8 p.m.
Phoenix at Denver 9 p.m.
Portland at Sacramento 10 p.m.
Utah at L.A. Lakers 10:30 p.m.
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Colorado at Vegas 6 p.m.
Arizona at New Jersey 7 p.m.
San Jose at Toronto 7 p.m.
Buffalo at Detroit 7:30 p.m.
N-Y Islanders at Ottawa 7:30 p.m.
Washington at Vancouver 10 p.m.
Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
