Photo by Mike Pinder.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The state Senate is advancing legislation to make the Eastern hellbender the official amphibian of Pennsylvania, as researchers say its population is shrinking because of pollution. State Senator Gene Yaw’s (R-23rd, Williamsport) bill passed, 47-2, and heads to the House. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, the hellbender is an aquatic salamander that can grow up to two feet long, making them the largest North American amphibian. They are nocturnal and prefer shallow, clear and fast streams with rocks to live under.
Researchers from Lycoming College in Williamsport say hellbenders live in rivers and streams throughout much of Pennsylvania, except for the Delaware River watershed. But they say the hellbender population is declining Pennsylvania because of mine drainage and sedimentation. Hellbenders don’t have federal protected status, although some states give them protected status. Pennsylvania does not.
PA Headlines
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — An audit of the finances of Pennsylvania’s Legislature has found that the House, Senate and internal departments had a $95 million funding surplus at the end of the most recent fiscal year.
The (Allentown) Morning Call reports that the surplus is about 20 percent lower than last year. The state constitution doesn’t set a limit on how much money the Legislature is allowed to amass.
The Legislative Audit Advisory Commission approved the annual review at a meeting Wednesday.
Eric Epstein, a Dauphin County resident who runs the state watchdog group Rock the Capitol, criticized the commission for not releasing the audit prior to the meeting. He said he wasn’t able to see the audit before submitting written comments.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A federal judge has blocked the U.S. government from withholding a major grant because Philadelphia is a “sanctuary city.” U.S. District Judge Michael Baylson says in his decision issued Wednesday that he weighed the public interest and possible harm that could come from the withholding of such funds. A spokesman says the Justice Department is reviewing the ruling and determining next steps.
The city filed suit against Attorney General Jeff Sessions in August. Sessions has said that cities that don’t help enforce immigration law are endangering public safety, especially when it comes to sharing information about immigrants who have been accused of crimes. The Justice Department has threatened to cut off millions of dollars in federal grants to cities if they don’t meet certain criteria for cooperating with immigration officials.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Democratic state senator is introducing legislation to bar non-disclosure agreements in Pennsylvania from attempting to stop people from reporting claims of sexual misconduct. The bill introduced Wednesday by Berks County Sen. Judith Schwank would also prohibit Pennsylvania courts from enforcing such agreements in civil lawsuits over sexual misconduct allegations. It would void pre-existing agreements when a party to it entered it while under duress, impaired or a minor.
Senate Democrats say they aren’t aware of any Pennsylvania law that bars non-disclosure agreements from suppressing information about a potential crime. The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape says non-disclosure agreements may suppress information that isn’t necessarily a crime. Similar bills are on the move in several other states as revelations of sexual misconduct are rocking politics, Hollywood, media and business.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania is threatening to sue a city councilwoman for blocking constituents on Facebook. ACLU legal director Vic Walczak said Pittsburgh City Councilwoman Darlene Harris is censoring critical comments from her Facebook page and thus violating the First Amendment. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported Walczak wrote a letter Tuesday that asked Harris to unblock four residents she had previously blocked from her Facebook page by Dec. 4.
The letter said if Harris does not respond to the letter or does not unblock the constituents by that date, the ACLU will interpret it as a rejection of the request and will file a lawsuit, Walczak said. One of the blocked residents, Lora Rigatti, said Harris’ Facebook page frequently posts important information for constituents, such as locations of fresh water during August’s boil advisory. Another blocked resident, Chris MacTaggart, said he believes Harris ignores constituents who don’t agree with her. Harris, a Democrat, declined to comment. She previously said Facebook posters were using vulgar language against her.
NEW YORK (AP) — Klutzes unite! Walmart is testing a new service that lets you hire someone to handle some of the more difficult chores of first-world life — like assembling bookcases or mounting a flat-screen to the wall. Walmart is teaming up with the online services platform Handy for the pilot program. People who buy a piece of put-together furniture or a TV at participating stores can also book someone to come to their place and handle the nuts and bolts of assembling or installing the product. Right now, the program is only available in some Atlanta area stores. If it works out, expect it to be expanded.
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
Features
BROOKLINE, Mass. (AP) — A Massachusetts town has removed the word “men” from the name of its governing body. Brookline approved changing the Board of Selectmen to the Select Board at a Town Meeting vote Tuesday. The title “selectman” has been replaced with “select board member.” The five-member panel includes two women. The Boston Globe reports the measure also requires the use of gender-neutral language in town documents and communications.
The changes were proposed by a member of the town’s Commission for Diversity Inclusion & Community Relations. Commission member Alex Coleman says the measure is intended to help reflect a commitment to diversity and inclusion. Coleman says similar changes have been made in Newton and Amherst. Brookline Town Meeting member Michael Burstein had proposed referring to all board members as selectwomen. That proposal failed
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump dodged questions about the turmoil in the Alabama Senate race on Wednesday, declining to join national Republicans who’ve called for Roy Moore to abandon the race amid allegations of sexual impropriety with teenage girls. Far from surrendering, Moore’s camp challenged the credibility of one of the accusers.
Trump, who withstood allegations of sexual assault weeks before his own election, was uncharacteristically silent when faced with questions about the scandal, which has rattled the party and left Moore’s would-be remaining hopes for pushing a fellow political rebel from the race.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States government wants you to know: It really, truly doesn’t like Nazis.
At the United Nations this week, the U.S. plans to vote against a yearly resolution that condemns the glorification of Nazism, State Department officials said Wednesday. Although it may seem counterintuitive — who wouldn’t want to condemn Nazis? — officials said free speech protections and other problems with the resolution make it impossible for America to support.
Introduced by Russia, the resolution calls on all U.N. nations to ban pro-Nazi speech and organizations, and to implement other restrictions on speech and assembly. That’s a non-starter in the U.S., where First Amendment protections guarantee all the right to utter almost anything they want — even praise for Adolf Hitler’s followers.
HOUSTON (AP) — A Houston-area sheriff says he’s concerned the driver of a truck displaying an expletive filled message against President Donald Trump and those who voted for him is creating a situation that could lead to confrontations with people offended by the sign. Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls said Wednesday he’s hoping to have “meaningful dialogue” with the driver about the expletives and the confrontational tone of the message.
In a Facebook post earlier Wednesday, Nehls had brought up the idea of a possible disorderly conduct charge against the driver. But the sheriff seemed to back down from that idea later in the day, saying he supports freedom of speech. Legal experts say the driver has a constitutionally protected right to express the message on the truck.
.NEW YORK (AP) — A rare painting by Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci of Christ holding a crystal orb has sold for a record $450 million (380 million euros) at a New York auction. The painting, “Salvator Mundi,” Italian for “Savior of the World,” was sold Wednesday by Christie’s auction house. The highest price paid for a work of art at auction had been $179.4 million (152 million euros), for Picasso’s “Women of Algiers (Version O)” in May 2015, also at Christie’s in New York.
The highest known sale price for any artwork had been $300 million (253 million euros) for Willem de Kooning’s “Interchange” in September 2015, which was sold privately. Scholars believe the Leonardo painting is one of few works by Leonardo to survive the centuries since his death and the only one in private hands.
BUFFALO, New York (AP) — So, what happens when a person who gets an honorary degree from a college or university ends up being thought of as less than honorable? As we saw in the Bill Cosby case, schools have no problem with calling out the offender — and revoking their honors. It’s happened to Harvey Weinstein.
In this case, his alma mater — the University of Buffalo — has rescinded the degree it granted him in 2001. In a statement, the school says the things Weinstein is accused of doing are inconsistent with the values of the university. The scandal has also seen Weinstein expelled from the Motion Picture Academy and banned from the TV academy and the producers’ guild.
NEWCASTLE, England (AP) —Greggs, the British bakery company, is apologizing for placing a sausage roll in the Nativity scene to advertise its Advent calendar. The chain faced a call for a boycott from the chief executive of the Freedom Association who claimed the product was “sick” and the Newcastle-based firm had insulted Christianity in a way it would “never dare” other religions. The advent calendar features a voucher for one of its treats behind each door.
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
