December 19, 2019 4:13 am
NEW COLUMBIA, Pa. (AP) – A section of Interstate 80 remains closed in central Pennsylvania hours after a multi-vehicle wreck in snow squalls left two people dead and dozens injured. Westbound traffic is being diverted Thursday while tow trucks remove 15 to 20 cars and trucks. State transportation officials say the crash was reported at about 1 p.m. Wednesday on I-80 in White Deer Township as blinding snow made the highway slick. Union County’s coroner confirmed a fatality and the Montour County coroner said a second person died at a hospital. The interstate was closed for 34 miles in both directions until eastbound lanes reopened five hours later. (Photo: Accuweather)
December 19, 2019 4:12 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – A federal judge decides next year on a second trial in the case of a man accused of having set a Pittsburgh fire that killed three firefighters almost a quarter of a century ago. Forty-two-year-old Gregory Brown was sentenced to life in the Valentine’s Day 1995 fire but won a new trial. His attorneys say a federal trial violates double jeopardy. Prosecutors say the state and federal systems represent different jurisdictions. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports the judge told both sides to submit briefs by mid-February, but he says the defense appears to be “trying to create” a new legal standard.
December 19, 2019 4:08 am
(AP) – Health officials investigating a food poisoning outbreak say pregnant women, people over the age of 65 and people with weakened immune systems should avoid store-bought hard-boiled eggs. The listeria outbreak has been linked to a Georgia company, Almark Foods. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says seven people in five states have been reported ill so far. That includes one death in Texas. The agency says its investigation indicates peeled, hard-boiled eggs sold in bulk to food service operators are a likely source. The warning does not apply to the company’s hard-boiled eggs sold directly to consumers.
December 19, 2019 4:07 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – States should soon be receiving a last-minute infusion of federal funds to help boost election security. áA huge spending bill that Congress is expected to send to President Donald Trump this week sets aside $425 million for states to upgrade voting equipment, conduct post-election audits, hold cybersecurity training and take other steps to secure elections. Advocates say the funds are welcome but Congress must still do more to secure next year’s elections. States have been scrambling to shore up their systems. The nation’s intelligence chiefs have warned that Russia and others remain interested in attempting to interfere in U.S. elections and undermine democracy.
December 19, 2019 4:05 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. House has impeached President Donald Trump on two charges, sending his case to the Senate for trial in January to decide whether to remove him from office. The articles of impeachment accuse him of abusing the power of the presidency to investigate a political rival ahead of the 2020 election and then obstructing Congress’ investigation. Trump becomes the third president in U.S. history to be impeached. Democrats control the House, and the voting was almost entirely along party lines. The Senate is controlled by Trump’s Republican Party, and it is almost certain he will be acquitted there. He proclaims his innocence daily, and says the Democrats will pay a price for impeaching him.
December 18, 2019 3:43 am
MILAN (AP) – Fiat Chrysler and PSA Peugeot have signed a deal for a 50-50 merger, creating 4th largest automaker with annual sales of 8.7 million cars. The companies announced the binding terms for the merger that was announced in October in a joint statement Wednesday. The companies say the new group will be led by PSA’s cost-cutting CEO Carlo Tavares, with Fiat Chrysler’s chairman John Elkann as chairman of the merged company. The joint statement says the merger would position the new company to “successfully capitalize on the opportunities presented in the new era of sustainable mobility.”
December 18, 2019 3:42 am
RENO, Nev. (AP) – Nevada says the U.S. Energy Department is engaged in a “secret plutonium smuggling operation” that threatens Nevada’s health, safety and environment. It’s again asking a federal judge to order the removal of weapons-grade material that the government shipped to a security site near Las Vegas over the state’s objections. The state’s latest filing this week in Reno is part of a yearlong legal battle. It urges a judge to reject the government’s motion to dismiss Nevada’s lawsuit challenging the shipments. The Energy Department says the issue is moot because it’s already promised no more plutonium will come to Nevada.
December 18, 2019 3:41 am
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – A federal bankruptcy judge has approved two Pacific Gas & Electric settlements totaling $24.5 billion to help pay for the losses suffered by homeowners, businesses and insurers in a series of catastrophic Northern California wildfires. Those fires led the company into a financial morass and Tuesday’s decision bolsters PG&E’s chances of following its preferred path for getting out of bankruptcy by a June 30 deadline. Even so, the utility still must sway California Gov. Gavin Newsom from his recent recent conclusion that PG&E’s plan doesn’t comply with state law to prevent the settlements from unraveling.
December 18, 2019 3:39 am
NEW YORK (AP) – A new survey shows about 1 out of 5 high school students in the U.S. áhave vaped marijuana in the past year. The report out Wednesday found marijuana vaping has been growing faster than nicotine vaping. The annual University of Michigan survey asked middle school and high school students about smoking, drinking and drugs. Vaping nicotine is still more popular: about 1 in 4 high schoolers said they had done it at least once in the previous year. Overall, marijuana use – in all its forms – is holding steady among teens.
December 18, 2019 3:38 am
WASHINGTON (AP)– A judge has ruled that former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden violated secrecy agreements with the U.S. government that allow it to claim proceeds from a memoir he published. Federal Judge Liam O’Grady ruled that Snowden is liable for breach of contract with the government because he published “Permanent Record,” without submitting it for a pre-publication review. In the book, Snowden explains how he viewed himself as a whistleblower by revealing details about the government’s mass collection of information in the name of national security. Snowden was charged under the U.S. Espionage Act. He now lives in Russia in order to avoid arrest.
