January 2, 2020 2:55 pm
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Three of Pennsylvania’s professional sports mascots are depicted in the Farm Show’s butter sculpture, an annual feature of the state’s massive agricultural exposition. The sculpture was unveiled Thursday, two days before the Harrisburg event formally opens to the public. This year’s sculpture, crafted from about 1,000 pounds of donated butter, shows Gritty, Swoop and Steely McBeam, mascots for the Philadelphia Flyers and Eagles, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. This year’s Farm Show includes 12,000 competitive exhibits. It runs from Saturday through Jan. 11. Admission is free but parking in Farm Show lots is not.
January 2, 2020 10:30 am
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Former Obama housing secretary Julián Castro is ending his run for president. Castro’s announcement Thursday comes after he failed to garner enough support or donations to make the recent Democratic presidential debates. The former San Antonio mayor languished around 1% in polls and lagged behind his 2020 rivals in fundraising. Castro was the only Latino candidate in the field and one of the biggest voices on immigration. Castro says he’s “proud of the campaign” he ran. He says he and his supporters have “shaped the conversation on so many important issues.” Castro had warned supporters that failing to make the November debate stage would spell the end of his campaign.
January 2, 2020 8:57 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. health officials will begin cracking down on most flavored e-cigarettes that are popular with underage teenagers. But the plan from the Trump administration includes major exceptions that benefit companies that make and sell e-cigarettes and adults who use the nicotine-delivery devices. The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday the policy won’t affect menthol or tobacco flavors. The policy also won’t affect large, tank-based vaping products sold in vape shops that cater to adults. Those changes are a major step back from President Donald Trump’s original plan announced in September, which would have banned nearly all flavors in all vaping products.
January 2, 2020 5:47 am
WHEELING, W.Va. (AP) – Police in West Virginia say a fire has destroyed a former skating rink. Wheeling police spokesman Philip Stahl tells news outlets the large fire took several hours to bring under control Tuesday night in the building located next to a casino and a high school football stadium on Wheeling Island. No injuries were reported. Stahl says the fire did not threaten any other structures. Operations at the Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack were unaffected by the fire. Stahl said the former rink was being used for storage for the casino. The building was constructed in 1924 as a state fairgrounds exposition hall. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
January 2, 2020 5:41 am
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Pete Buttigieg’s campaign says he raised more than $24.7 million in the last three months and now has a campaign staff of 500 people nationwide. It’s a show of financial and organizational strength heading into the presidential primaries. Buttigieg’s campaign said Wednesday he raised $76 million since he launched his bid for president, including more than 2 million contributions from over 733,000 people. Buttigieg’s average contribution was around $38. Buttigieg’s campaign staff includes 100 people on the ground in Iowa, the first state where Democrats make their primary preference known. Buttigieg now has 35 field offices open in Iowa and 30 more field offices spread across the other three early nominating states.
January 2, 2020 4:10 am
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) – The defense ministry has confirmed Taiwan’s top military officer and seven other people were killed in a crash of an air force helicopter. Five people survived the crash of the Blackhawk helicopter in mountains outside the capital. Gen. Shen Yi-ming was responsible for overseeing the island’s defense against China, which threatens to use military force to annex what it considers it own territory. Shen had taken over as chief of the general staff in July after serving as commander of Taiwan’s air force, which is undergoing a substantial upgrade with the arrival of the most advanced version of the U.S. F-16V fighter.
January 2, 2020 4:09 am
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) – Severe flooding in Indonesia’s capital as residents celebrated the new year has killed at least 16 people, displaced tens of thousands and forced an airport to close. Video and photos showed cars floating in muddy waters while soldiers and rescuers in boats helped children and elders forced onto the roofs of flooded homes. As much as 14.5 inches of rain fell on New Year’s Eve, causing two rivers to overflow. Floodwaters reached 8 feet in places. The city of 10 million people is prone to flooding and is rapidly sinking due to groundwater extraction. The president announced in August the national capital would be moved from Jakarta.
January 2, 2020 4:08 am
PERTH, Australia (AP) – Thousands of tourists are fleeing Australia’s wildfire-ravaged eastern coast ahead of worsening conditions as the military started to evacuate people trapped on the shore further south. Cooler weather has aided firefighting and allowed people to replenish supplies. Vehicles formed long lines at gas stations and supermarkets, and traffic was gridlocked as highways reopened. But fire conditions are expected to deteriorate as high temperatures and strong winds return. Wildfires this week have burned more than more than 400 homes in Australia’s two most-populous states. New South Wales ordered tourists to leave a large stretch of the coast.
January 2, 2020 4:05 am
Philadelphia’s new police chief has a challenging agenda ahead that includes addressing the city’s daily gun violence. Two shooting deaths Tuesday make 2019 the city’s deadliest year in a decade. Police have tallied 355 slayings this year, two more than 2018. City data shows the figure had fallen to below 250 homicides just a few years ago. Police say they’ve made arrests in just over half the homicide cases this year. Separately, they say about 1,450 people were shot in Philadelphia in 2019. Portland Police Chief Danielle Outlaw takes over the Philadelphia department in February.
