November 18, 2023 4:56 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A witness testifying in federal court says he oversaw improvements at the Philadelphia home of a Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice, work he said was initially paid for by the labor union the justice’s brother led. The testimony about Justice Kevin Dougherty came this week during the embezzlement trial of his brother. John “Johnny Doc” Dougherty (pictured) is accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. Contractor Anthony Massa says he was instructed to bill Local 98. John Dougherty has denied the embezzlement allegations. Kevin Dougherty has not been accused of wrongdoing. He ran successfully for state Supreme Court in 2015. The electricians’ union was a major donor to his campaign.
November 18, 2023 2:54 am
Pennsylvania State Police in Washington say a missing / endangered person has been found. No further information was given. Valerie Bonus, a white female, 63 years of age was last seen on Thursday, November 16, 2023 at approximately 5:00 p.m. Bonus suffers from dementia and her last known location was near the Dollar General on SR 0018 in South Franklin Township, Washington County. Bonus is described as 5’5”, 105 pounds, with brown eyes and brown / gray hair. She was last known to be wearing a black zip up, black leggings and a pink hat.
November 17, 2023 5:37 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — Hip hop legend and marijuana aficionado Snoop Dogg says he’s going to stop smoking. In message posted to social media, the rapper and entrepreneur asked fans to respect his privacy at this time. He didn’t provide many details on the announcement, and representatives did not immediately respond to The Associated Press’ requests for comment. But that didn’t stop ample speculation from fans, many of whom were caught off guard by Snoop’s decision in the comments. Some wondered if the 52-year-old would switch to another form of THC or announce a new business-related or marketing venture down the road. Others applauded the announcement and suggested Snoop may have chosen to stop smoking for his own personal health.
November 17, 2023 5:36 pm
(AP) – Advertisers are fleeing social media platform X over concerns about their ads showing up next to pro-Nazi content, hate speech on the site in general or billionaire owner Elon Musk’s own tweets endorsing an antisemitic conspiracy theory. IBM said it stopped advertising on X after a report said its ads were appearing alongside material praising Nazis. It said the same of ads from Apple, Oracle, NBCUniversal’s Bravo network and Comcast. The EU also said Friday that it’s pausing its advertising on X and other social media platforms, in part because of a surge in hate speech. Musk sparked outcry this week with his own tweets responding to a user who accused Jews of hating white people. Separately, a spokesperson for Lionsgate says the entertainment company has also suspended advertising on X.
November 17, 2023 1:59 pm
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials say at least seven states are seeing high levels of the flu and that cases are rising in other parts of the country. New flu data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows flu is steadily rising. The winter flu season traditionally ramps up in December or January. But it took off in October last year and is making a November entrance now. Louisiana has very high flu activity. There is high activity in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, New Mexico and South Carolina and the District of Columbia. Health officials in Puerto Rico declared an influenza epidemic earlier this month.
November 17, 2023 1:40 pm
(WPXI) – Pennsylvania State Police are investigating after a Westmoreland County bank was robbed by a man with a gun Friday. According to state police, the robbery happened at 11:25 a.m. at the First National Bank Stonehouse Office in Hempfield Township. State police said a black male suspect presented a threatening note and displayed a handgun in his waistband. The suspect fled on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash, according to state police. The suspect is described as wearing a face and head covering, a dark-colored hooded shirt or jacket, blue jeans and white sneakers. He also had on a dark-colored backpack. Anyone with information is asked to call state police in Greensburg at 724-832-3288.
November 17, 2023 12:34 pm
(WPXI) – There is a new warning issued for pet owners after a mystery respiratory illness was discovered. Officials say that it affects dogs and is spreading across the country. The illness is very contagious and can be deadly, veterinarians say. According reports, the most reported symptoms are similar to kennel cough, which includes coughing, sneezing, nasal and/or eye discharges, and lethargy. It was reported first in Oregon in August and Oregon’s Department of Agriculture received over a hundred reports from vets regarding the illness. Vets are recommending that pet owners avoid dog parks or letting their pets hang out with dogs they don’t know. They also suggest avoiding boarding your pets this holiday season if you can.
November 17, 2023 5:13 am
DETROIT (AP) — United Auto Workers union members have voted to approve a new contract with General Motors, making the company the first Detroit automaker to get a ratified deal that could end a contentious and lengthy labor dispute. A vote-tracking spreadsheet on the union’s website shows that with all local union offices reporting, the contract passed by just over 3,400 votes, with 54.7% in favor. A union spokesman on Thursday confirmed that the spreadsheet had the official totals. On Thursday the contract had a big lead in voting at Ford and Stellantis, with 66.7% in favor at Ford and 66.5% voting for it at Stellantis.
November 17, 2023 5:12 am
NEW YORK (AP) — A New York appeals court judge has paused a gag order that barred Donald Trump from commenting on court staffers in his civil fraud trial. The trial judge had imposed the gag order last month and later fined Trump $15,000 for violations after the former president made a disparaging social media post about a court clerk. In his decision Thursday, Judge David Friedman of the state’s intermediate appeals court cited constitutional concerns about restricting Trump’s free speech. He issued a stay of the gag order, allowing Trump to comment freely about court staff while a longer appeals process plays out.
November 17, 2023 5:07 am
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Republicans battling to be the alternative to former President Donald Trump are coming together for what an influential Christian organization in Iowa is billing as a friendly conversation on politics and their world views. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy will appear at the roundtable “family discussion” in Des Moines Friday, Trump is not expected to make an appearance, though he was invited. The field around Trump is winnowing with less than two months before the Iowa caucuses kick off the GOP nominating calendar. In a sign of the urgency the field faces, many of his rivals are going after each other more frequently with jabs that have often turned personal.
