December 21, 2019 4:26 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania’s jobless rate crept up slightly in November, even as the number of nonfarm jobs hit a new record high. The state Labor and Industry Department said Friday the rate last month was 4.3%, up one-tenth of a percentage point from October. The national rate dropped slightly in November, to 3.5%. Pennsylvania has nearly 6.1 million jobs and is seeing the largest increase in leisure and hospitality employment.
December 21, 2019 4:25 am
DETROIT (AP) – A Pittsburgh-area official accused of obstructing police at a Detroit hotel will face a second trial in April on the felony charge. A jury in November couldn’t reach a unanimous verdict in the trial of Chelsa Wagner, the elected controller in Allegheny County. She was acquitted of disturbing the peace, a separate misdemeanor. Wagner, a Democrat, was accused of interfering with police as officers tried to remove her husband from the Westin Book Cadillac hotel last March. They were in Detroit to attend a concert. A judge set a new trial for April 20.
December 20, 2019 4:55 pm
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) – A police chief in North Carolina says a deadly shooting at a city building was an act of “workplace violence.” Winston-Salem Police Chief Catrina Thompson says the gunman at a city building was killed during a gunfight with police officers who responded to the scene. She says the gunman was a 61-year-old city employee who shot and killed another employee whom he had targeted. Another city employee and a police officer were also wounded.
December 20, 2019 2:41 pm
(AP) – Health officials say they believe the “vast majority” of cases in the U.S. vaping illness outbreak have been tied to vitamin E acetate. That’s a thickening agent added to illicit THC vaping liquids.áOfficials also said Friday that vaping illnesses can get worse, even deadly, after patients leave the hospital and doctors should check on patients within two days of sending them home. The nation’s outbreak of vaping-related lung injuries continues. But new cases are on the decline. More than 2,500 cases have been reported across the nation. There have been 54 deaths.
December 20, 2019 11:32 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Steelers have cut Kameron Kelly after his arrest Friday morning outside a South Side bar. Kelly, the Steelers reserve safety, is facing multiple charges following an alleged altercation with police at a bar. The 23-year-old Kelly has been charged with two counts of making terroristic threats and one count of resisting arrest. Authorities say they were called to the bar after an employee reported Kelly was becoming disorderly. Police say the employee told them Kelly had threatened to punch him for skipping Kelly’s selection on the jukebox. The situation escalated when an officer stepped on the foot of Kelly’s female companion. Police say Kelly began resisting arrest and was punched multiple times by an officer.
December 20, 2019 7:27 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – At least one person is presumed dead and another is missing in an explosion and fire that rocked a Philadelphia neighborhood. More than 100 firefighters battled flames that shot out the tops of the homes in south Philadelphia. Three row houses collapsed, and two others sustained heavy damage. Firefighters tried rescuing someone trapped in the debris but were unable to reach the victim. Officials say a second person in an adjacent building remains missing. The cause is under investigation.
December 20, 2019 7:26 am
PARIS (AP) – France’s competition authority has fined Google 150 million euros ($166 million) for “abusing its dominant position” in the online ad market. The agency announced the fine Friday, saying the methods used by Google Ads are “opaque and difficult to understand.” It also ordered Google to clarify how it uses Google Ads and its procedures for suspending accounts. It’s the latest of several European fines against Google, which faces very little competition for search engine business in Europe. Google said in a statement that it would appeal, and that its advertising policies are designed to protect consumers “from exploitative and abusive ads.”
December 20, 2019 7:25 am
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) – Boeing’s new Starliner capsule is rocketing toward the International Space Station on its first test flight. Friday’s liftoff from Cape Canaveral, Florida, marks the start of a crucial dress rehearsal for next year’s inaugural launch with astronauts. The Starliner carries Christmas treats and presents for the six station residents and a mannequin named Rosie in the commander’s seat. The test dummy, named after the World War II riveter, is wearing a red polka dot bandanna just like the original Rosie and Boeing’s custom blue spacesuit. The Starliner should reach the space station Saturday morning.
December 20, 2019 4:56 am
After eight years as a Washington County Commissioner, Harlan Shober has said goodbye. The Democrat lost his seat on the board to Republican Nick Sherman in last months election. Fellow Commissioners Diana Irey Vaughn and Larry Maggi thanked Shober for his hard work and dedication to the County. Shober says it was “a great eight years” and that “it was not a job”. He says he will take some time and reflect but wants to keep busy. Shober also admits that he will be “watching from the sidelines and speaking out when he needs to”.
December 20, 2019 4:17 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump will deliver the State of the Union to a joint session of Congress on Feb. 4. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent a letter to the president on Friday formally inviting him to deliver the address at the U.S. Capitol. The invitation was extended just two days after House adopted two articles of impeachment against Trump. A date for the Senate impeachment trial has not yet been set.
