October 5, 2019 4:12 am
A lawyer for members of the Sackler family says the amount the family received from OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma was not as big as it seems. Court papers filed Friday by state and local governments cited a Purdue consultant who said that family members made $12 billion to $13 billion from the company they own. But Daniel Connolly, a lawyer for one branch of the family, said that figure does not reflect taxes or the amount the family reinvested in businesses. Purdue is asking a judge to halt all lawsuits against family members as part of a settlement of litigation across the country seeking to hold the company accountable for the opioid crisis. That’s made the wealthy family’s finances subject of legal filings.
October 5, 2019 4:09 am
LAS VEGAS (AP) – Bernie Sanders says he’s feeling “much better” after having a heart attack and being released from a hospital. Sanders posted a video on Twitter Friday where he’s smiling and standing with his wife in a Las Vegas park. In the brief video, the Vermont senator said he “just got out of the hospital a few hours ago,” and added, “I’m feeling so much better.”
He and his wife thanked everyone for their love and warm wishes. Sanders signed off by saying, “see you soon on the campaign trail.”
October 5, 2019 4:07 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida tells reporters he thinks Trump was just kidding when he publicly asked China to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden.
“I don’t think it’s a real request,” Rubio told reporters on Friday. “I think he did it to get you guys. I think he did it to provoke you to ask me and others and get outraged by it.”
Trump’s public request to China Thursday was similar to one he privately made to Ukraine that triggered a House Democratic impeachment inquiry.
October 5, 2019 4:05 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The impeachment inquiry is reaching directly into the White House, with Democrats subpoenaing officials about contacts with Ukraine and President Donald Trump signaling his administration will not cooperate. The demand for documents Friday capped a tumultuous week that widened the constitutional battle between the executive branch and Congress and heightened the political standoff with more witnesses, testimony and documents to come. Trump acknowledges that Democrats “have the votes” to proceed, but predicts they will “pay a tremendous price at the polls.” But Democrats are accusing Trump of speeding down “a path of defiance, obstruction and cover-up” and warning that defying the House subpoena would in itself be considered “evidence of obstruction” and a potentially an impeachable offense.
October 4, 2019 4:54 pm
An inmate at the State Correctional Institution in Greene County has been found dead. Superintendent Robert D. Gilmore says employees were conducting security rounds on a housing unit on Friday morning when an officer discovered inmate Julian Boyer, 41, unresponsive in his cell at approximately 6:15 AM. Staff and medical personnel immediately responded to the scene. The inmate was pronounced dead by the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel. In accordance with state policy, Gilmore says State Police were notified and will conduct an investigation. The official cause of death will be determined by the Greene County Coroner’s Office. Boyer was serving a life sentence for 2nd degree murder out of Allegheny County. He was committed to the Department of Corrections on June 9, 1998, and had been at SCI Greene since January 3, 2017.
October 4, 2019 1:37 pm
NEW YORK (AP) – Diahann Carroll, the Oscar-nominated actress and singer who won critical acclaim as the first black woman to star in a non-servant role in a TV series as “Julia,” has died. She was 84. Carroll’s daughter, Susan Kay, told The Associated Press her mother died Friday in Los Angeles of cancer. Carroll played Julia Baker, a nurse whose husband had been killed in Vietnam, in the groundbreaking situation comedy that aired from 1968 to 1971. During her long career, Carroll earned a Tony Award for the musical “No Strings” and an Academy Award nomination for “Claudine.”
October 4, 2019 1:19 pm
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – The Pennsylvania Health Department says one person in the state has died from lung injuries associated with vaping and it’s investigating dozens of other suspected or confirmed cases. The state’s health secretary, Dr. Rachel Levine, announced the death Friday and said Pennsylvania has also reported nine confirmed cases to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Health Department reported the death on Thursday to the federal agency. State officials aren’t disclosing publicly any other details about the death, such as where or when it occurred. Pennsylvania is also reporting 12 probable cases of vaping-related injury and looking into 63 other cases. The patients have suffered serious lung injuries and most have required hospitalization. Levine is reiterating a recommendation that people do not vape, particularly products that contain THC.
October 4, 2019 10:20 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. unemployment rate fell in September to a new five-decade low of 3.5%, while employers added a modest 136,000 jobs. The Labor Department says that despite the ultra-low unemployment rate, which was down from 3.7% in August, average hourly wages slipped by a penny. Hourly pay rose just 2.9% from a year earlier, lower than 3.4% at the beginning of the year. Hiring has slowed this year as the U.S.-China trade war has intensified, global growth has slowed, and businesses have cut back on their investment spending. Still, hiring has averaged 157,000 in the past three months, enough to lower the unemployment rate over time. The unemployment rate for Latinos fell to 3.9%, the lowest on records dating from 1973.
October 4, 2019 4:51 am
Washington taxpayers will be getting good news soon. Washington City Council is looking to approve two measures to help save money. First, Council is looking to approve a reduction in the earned income tax for workers that are not city residents. Council wants to reduce the rate from .4 to .2 in the collection of the Distressed Pension Finance tax. This is the second reduction in this tax in the last three years. Mayor Scott Putnam looks at the reduction as a benefit to employees and business owners. The second cost saving measure would be council’s approval to act as guarantor for the refinance of a City of Washington Parking Authority Bond. The current bond ends in 2030. The refinance would not extend the term of the loan but would significantly reduce the annual payment. Putnam indicates that the city has been called on to bail out the Parking Authority when revenues did not meet the needs of the current loan. It is hoped that this refinance will eliminate any need for the City to come to the aid of the Parking Authority. In other city business, council approved nearly $300,000 in road improvements for the remainder of this year. The most important project is improvements to Allison Ave. Councilman Ken Westcott highlighted the importance of repaving Allison Ave. now because it will be an important detour when a 2 ½ year PennDot project along Jefferson, Wylie and Allison begins in 2020.
October 4, 2019 4:19 am
BAGHDAD (AP) – Iraq’s prime minister has addressed the nation over the turmoil gripping the country, calling on protesters to go home and saying their demands have been heard. Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi says that the security measures imposed in the wake of this week’s violence, including the temporary curfew, are “difficult choices” but are needed like “bitter medicine” that has to be swallowed. Iraqi security forces have imposed a round-the-clock curfew in Baghdad. Since Tuesday, they fired live rounds and tear gas every day to disperse anti-government protests, leaving 33 people dead and wounding hundreds. The prime minister’s speech was televised early on Friday. He told protesters their “legitimate” demands in countering corruption and providing jobs have been heard and that it’s “important to help the government perform its duty toward you.”
