August 17, 2019 9:38 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is emerging as an alternative American ambassador abroad, an emissary for bedrock democratic values and the promise of stability that some see as diminishing in the Trump era. Since retaking the speaker’s gavel this year, the California Democrat has led large congressional delegations overseas, reviving a more traditional American approach to foreign policy. As President Donald Trump prepares to head to France for the Group of Seven summit next week with his “America First” agenda, Pelosi has been quietly engaging the world from another point of view. She’s reinforcing long-standing U.S. alliances, and commitments to democracy and human rights at a time when the old order appears to be slipping away.
August 17, 2019 9:28 am
A second ride at the Washington County Fair closed following an incident Thursday night. The fairs Director, Wayne Hunnell said that one of the cars on the Skydiver ride malfunctioned and hit the deck that caused sparks to fly. The broken car was removed from the ride so they could safely operate the ride to let everyone off. Pennsylvania law requires rides pass inspection every 30 days or every time it is set up for a new event. This is the second time inspectors have had to come to the fair this week. This incident follows one where a 3 year old hit her head on the Swing ride Wednesday.
August 17, 2019 9:20 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania’s jobless rate is up slightly but remains near record lows under state records that go back four decades. The Labor and Industry Department said Friday the 3.9% rate in July was 0.1 percent higher than the record low that was in place from April to June. The national rate of 3.7 percent was unchanged from June. The size of the state’s workforce rose by 1,000 to nearly 6.5 million. The number of unemployed Pennsylvanians rose by 4,000, which is the first increase in the current calendar year. The state’s unemployment rate a year ago was 0.3 percentage points higher.
August 17, 2019 9:14 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump has spent many of his mornings this past week on the golf links in New Jersey. But the president has been spending his evenings calling confidants and corporate executives, getting their thoughts on worrying signals from the market. Indications of a possible recession have been worrying for the president, who’s basing his reelection campaign on a robust economy.
August 17, 2019 9:10 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf is directing state police and other agencies under his control to focus greater efforts on addressing gun violence, two days after a gunman shot and wounded six Philadelphia police officers. The Democratic governor on Friday announced changes that include a new Special Council on Gun Violence, which will have six months to recommend how to reduce mass shootings, domestic violence, suicide and accidental shootings. Wolf is setting up a new Office of Gun Violence Prevention at the state commission on crime and delinquency. He wants state police to expand and support gun buy-back programs and increase monitoring of hate groups and white nationalists. The governor’s office says more than 1,600 people in the state died of gunshot wounds in 2017.
August 17, 2019 5:29 am
EL PASO, Texas (AP) – Hundreds of strangers have come to pay their respects for a victim of the El Paso, Texas, mass shooting who had few family members. The mourners braved 100-degree heat Friday to stand outside an El Paso funeral home to honor 63-year-old Margie Reckard. She was one of 22 people killed by a gunman who opened fire at a Walmart in the city earlier this month. Jordan Billard flew in from Los Angeles on Friday after hearing Reckard’s long-time companion, Antonio Basco, say he lost his closest family member and had few relatives left. After she heard him inviting the public to the funeral, the 38-year-old Billard says she bought a ticket to come to Texas. Twenty-one-year-old Natalie Sanchez of El Paso also came to the service and says she’s in awe of how her city is rallying around a stranger.
August 17, 2019 5:26 am
NEW STANTON, Pa. (AP) – Motorists will face detours when a section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike closes for bridge work. The toll road will close in both directions between New Stanton Exit 75 and Breezewood Exit 161 starting at 11 p.m. Saturday until approximately 6 a.m. Sunday, weather permitting. The turnpike commission says the closure is needed for workers to safely remove the temporary bridge over the turnpike at milepost 110 in Somerset. A new bridge opened to traffic on July 19. Motorists will be permitted to enter the turnpike eastbound at the Bedford interchange and westbound motorists can enter the toll road at the Somerset exchange. Detours will be posted.
August 16, 2019 4:56 pm
NEW YORK (AP) – New York City’s medical examiner has ruled Jeffrey Epstein’s death a suicide. The medical examiner’s office said in a statement Friday that an autopsy and other evidence confirms the 66-year-old financier hanged himself in his cell at a federal jail. Epstein was awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges involving underage girls. He was found dead Aug. 10.
August 16, 2019 4:26 pm
SANTA ANA, California (AP) – A review of 38 legal claims obtained by The Associated Press – some of which have never been made public – shows taxpayers could be on the hook for more than $200 million in damages as a result of the Trump administration’s zero tolerance policy. Dozens of migrant children and their families say they suffered trauma during forced separations and prolonged detention. The claims are precursors to lawsuits, and many more are expected. Some of the children, including an 8-year-old Guatemalan boy now living in Southern California, allege they were sexually molested by other children in foster care homes funded by the U.S. government. The departments of Justice and Homeland Security, which are both named in claims, didn’t respond to requests for comment. Health and Human Services said it doesn’t respond to pending litigation and treats the children in its care with dignity and respect.
August 16, 2019 2:52 pm
ORLANDO, Fla. (WPXI) – A chef is suing former Pittsburgh Steelers and current Oakland Raiders wide receiver Antonio Brown, claiming Brown owes him nearly $40,000 for cooking during the 2018 NFL Pro Bowl weekend. The lawsuit names Stefano Tedeschi as a celebrity chef who has appeared on ESPN and Fox Sports, and has been hired at times for cooking at private events for NFL sponsors and players. The suit said Tedeschi and Brown “entered into a verbal contract” and that Tedeschi would cook for Brown’s family and friends during the weekend of the 2018 Pro Bowl. Court documents said Tedeschi cooked all the meals, and that Brown still had not paid. The suit put the total owed to Tedeschi at $38,521.
