September 21, 2019 4:17 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – The money-losing Three Mile Island, site of the United States’ worst commercial nuclear power accident, has been shut down by its energy giant owner. Friday’s end to the 45-year electricity-producing career of Three Mile Island Unit 1 came after Chicago-based Exelon Corp. tried and failed to get financial aid from Pennsylvania last spring. Three Mile Island’s Unit 1 opened in 1974 and was licensed to operate through 2034. But Exelon complained the plant was losing money in competitive electricity markets. Three Mile Island also faced particularly difficult economics because the 1979 accident that destroyed Unit 2 left it with just one reactor. Decommissioning both units could take decades. No nuclear plant proposed after the 1979 accident has been successfully completed and put into operation in the United States.
September 21, 2019 4:13 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate remained stable in August, as payrolls rose to a record high. The state Department of Labor and Industry said Friday that Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate remained at 3.9%. That’s one-tenth of a percentage point above the lowest rate on record it hit earlier this year. The state says its records go back to 1976. The national unemployment rate was 3.7% in August. Among states, Pennsylvania’s rate ranks 33rd. A survey of households found Pennsylvania’s civilian labor force rose by 9,000, closer to 6.5 million, as employment and unemployment each rose by 5,000. A separate survey of employers showed seasonally adjusted non-farm payrolls rose 16,500, to a record high farther above 6 million. The education and health services sector was the biggest gainer. The figures are preliminary and could change.
September 21, 2019 4:06 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Jewish leaders are preparing to discuss plans to commemorate the deadly shooting that killed 11 worshippers inside a Pittsburgh synagogue almost a year ago.
The October 2018 shooting in the Tree of Life building was the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history. Seven others were injured when, authorities say, gunman Robert Bowers opened fire. He’s pleaded not guilty. Leaders of the three congregations whose members were attacked are gathering Friday to reflect on the past year and discuss plans for next month’s observance.
As the anniversary approaches, paintings by young people from around the world containing messages of support have replaced blue tarps covering a fence cordoning off the Tree of Life building.
September 21, 2019 3:59 am
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – Five people remain in critical condition after a bus crash that killed four Chinese tourists and injured dozens more near a national park in Utah. Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Nick Street said Friday evening that the bus originated in Southern California, and the tourists on board were natives of mainland China. Up to 15 people suffered injuries that were originally considered very critical, but the condition of several passengers has improved in the hours since the crash. Authorities are investigating what caused the bus to careen into a guard rail Friday morning on highway winding through otherworldly spires of red rock near Bryce Canyon National Park in southern Utah. The names and hometowns of the victims were not immediately released.
September 21, 2019 3:55 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump urged the new leader of Ukraine this summer to investigate the son of former Vice President Joe Biden. That’s according to a person familiar with the matter. Democrats condemned what they saw as a clear effort to damage a political rival, now at the heart of an explosive whistleblower complaint against Trump. It was the latest revelation in an escalating controversy that has created a showdown between congressional Democrats and the Trump administration, which has refused to turn over the formal complaint by a national security official or even describe its contents.
September 20, 2019 4:37 pm
(AP) – The New England Patriots have released receiver Antonio Brown after a second woman accused him of sexual misconduct. The team announced the move Friday in a statement emailed to reporters. The statement said: “We appreciate the hard work of many people over the past 11 days, but we feel that it is best to move in a different direction at this time.” Brown has been accused of rape in a lawsuit by a former trainer. He is also accused of exposing himself to a painter he had hired. He has denied the allegations. The Patriots signed Brown this month hours after he was released by Oakland. He was traded to the Raiders after wearing out his welcome with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he was a four-time All-Pro in nine seasons.
September 20, 2019 3:48 pm
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – Officials say a tour bus has crashed near a national park in southern Utah, killing at least four people. Utah Highway Patrol troopers said Friday that the crash on a highway near Bryce Canyon National Park also left a number of people seriously injured. Corp. Chris Bishop says the crash was reported Friday morning, but he did not immediately have further details on the cause or the number of people involved. Bryce Canyon is known for its distinctive landscape of narrow red-rock spires and is about 300 miles (480 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City.
September 20, 2019 2:46 pm
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) – Twenty-three states have sued to stop the Trump administration from revoking California’s authority to set emission standards for cars and trucks. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra is leading the lawsuit filed Friday, along with Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Air Resources Board. The Trump administration on Thursday revoked California’s authority to set its own auto emission standards. The state has had that power for decades under a waiver from the federal Clean Air Act. The lawsuit argues that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does not have the authority to revoke California’s waiver. Becerra says the Trump administration’s action fails to respect states’ authority to protect public health. Four automakers have said they would voluntarily follow California’s standards.
September 20, 2019 2:44 pm
NEW YORK (AP) – Tens of thousands of mostly young people have overflowed a New York City square as U.S. activists join a wave of climate change protests unfolding around the world. Demonstrators rallied Friday with signs bearing such messages as “climate change is real” and “protect the earth, not the corporations.” Then the group began marching through lower Manhattan streets. New York City public schools say student absences for the climate strike will be excused, if the students have parental permission. Thirteen-year-old protester Pearl Seidman says she’s there with a message for President Donald Trump’s administration: “If they can’t be adults, we’re going to be adults. Because someone needs to do it.” Trump announced in 2017 he was withdrawing the United States from the international Paris agreement to fight global warming.
September 20, 2019 12:36 pm
PITTSBURGH (WPXI) – Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vazquez could be deported if he is convicted of charges related to a sexual encounter with an underage girl, The Wall Street Journal reported. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is tracking the charges against Vazquez, a native of Venezuela, according to The Wall Street Journal. However, political instability in Venezuela might make deportation difficult for the U.S. Vazquez, 28, admitted to exchanging sexually explicit pictures with the 13-year-old victim and driving to her home in Scottdale, where he attempted to have sex with her in his car about two years ago, officials said. The girl is now 15 years old and lives in Florida. According to an affidavit from Westmoreland County, Vazquez admitted to investigators the victim “looked too young and that she appeared to be 16 years of age or younger.” Police said Vazquez told them he initially refused to communicate with her due to her age. Vazquez is being held in the Allegheny County Jail.
