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Good afternoon! Here’s a look at AP’s general news coverage today in Pennsylvania. For questions about the state report, contact the Philadelphia bureau at 215-561-1133. Ron Todt is on the desk. Editor Larry Rosenthal can be reached at 215-446-6631 or [email protected].
A reminder this information is not for publication or broadcast, and these coverage plans are subject to change. Expected stories may not develop, or late-breaking and more newsworthy events may take precedence. Advisories, digests and digest advisories will keep you up to date.
Some TV and radio stations will receive shorter APNewsNow versions of the stories below, along with updates.
TOP STORIES:
TRUMP ELECTORS-PENNSYLVANIA
HARRISBURG — Anyone hoping Pennsylvania’s 20 “unbound” Electoral College members might participate in turning against Republican president-elect Donald Trump is almost certainly going to be disappointed. By Mark Scolforo. SENT: About 630 words.
DELIVERY DRIVER SLAIN
YEADON — Federal authorities say a man wanted in the shooting death of a delivery truck driver near Philadelphia last year has been arrested in Georgia. SENT: About 350 words.
PHILLY LAWYER-ANTI-TRUMP VANDALISM
PHILADELPHIA — Officials in Philadelphia say a city attorney identified in surveillance footage that captured an anti-Donald Trump vandalism incident will not be charged and will keep his job. SENT: About 230 words.
EXCHANGE:
EXCHANGE-CRACK VERSUS HEROIN
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — When Leola Bivins was first sent away for dealing drugs, she was a 22-year-old high school dropout with a 2-year-old daughter at home. Addiction was the center of the life she knew in East Stroudsburg, where she was born and raised, she recalled recently. Bivins’ mother was a heroin addict — she eventually died of an overdose — and seemingly everyone around her was either selling drugs or abusing them, Bivins said. That was nearly 20 years ago and a drug scare was sweeping Pennsylvania and the nation, prompting pledges by lawmakers to beat back the scourge. But if today’s heroin epidemic has brought calls for better treatment and more compassion, the mid-1980s to late-1990s’ crack cocaine epidemic prompted a very different response: Lock them up and throw away the key. By Riley Yates and Steve Esack, The Morning Call.
EXCHANGE-VITAL VENISON
ALTOONA, Pa. —From the poor man to the rich man, you find everyone in the woods during hunting season. The families that need the food probably aren’t the hunters, said one local hunting association official. “Hunting isn’t a cheap thing; it’s a heritage thing,” he said. Cost of licenses, rifles and ammunition can be hefty. A box of 20 shells can cost between $18-$70 per box. An adult hunting license costs $20.90 per year. And rifles can cost up to $800. However, Thomas Poley, owner of Sabre Dynamic gun shop in Altoona, said rifles and ammunition are generally not that expensive. “There’s a price difference between a Chevy and Lamborghini,” he said. By Russ O’Reilly, Altoona Mirror.
EXCHANGE-HEADWATERS DONATION
LIGONIER, Pa. —Brown trout thrive in the upper reaches of Loyalhanna Creek, providing a feast for belted kingfishers. Thanks to two local couples, that’s how things likely will remain for years to come at the wooded spot in Cook where the waterway tumbles out of the Laurel Ridge and begins its 41-mile journey to merge with the Conemaugh River at Saltsburg. Neighbors Todd Simonds and Henry Armstrong, former board members of the Loyalhanna Watershed Association, and their respective wives, Molly and Nancy, have agreed to donate to the nonprofit association 24 acres they jointly own in order to preserve 1,000 feet of pristine Loyalhanna headwaters that run through it. By Jeff Himler, The Tribune-Review.
EXCHANGE-HOLIDAY HELPERS AND HEROES
WEST POTTSGROVE, Pa. — Local police can tell you that you don’t need a long white beard or a red suit to bring happiness to children during the holidays. For the third year in a row, the Helpers and Heroes program has brought joy to area children who may not have had the opportunity to get Christmas presents for the holidays. The event is aimed at giving children the chance to spend a morning with local police officers as they shop together for the perfect Christmas gifts. By Marian Dennis, The (Pottstown) Mercury.
EXCHANGE-FROM POLICING TO POETRY
LEBANON, Pa. —At the age of 70, retired Lebanon City Police Captain Richard Heverling has found himself involved in the most unlikely of hobbies — poetry. From working the city streets to putting his pen onto sheets of paper, the former captain has roughly written more than 200 poems over the span of his life so far. And there does not seem to be an end in sight. “I just sit down and start writing,” Heverling said. For his entire life, Heverling has lived and been a part of the Lebanon community where he sometimes draws inspiration for his poetry. By Erin Collins, Lebanon Daily News.
IN BRIEF:
PEDESTRIAN KILLED ON INTERSTATE — State police say a man was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer while standing outside his vehicle following an earlier crash on an eastern Pennsylvania interstate.
SHOT IN VEHICLE — A teenager has been sentenced to 35 to 70 years in state prison in the death of a man shot in a vehicle in central Pennsylvania last year.
HOTEL SHOOTING DEATH — A man has been convicted in the shooting death of a suspected drug dealer at a western Pennsylvania hotel last year.
WOMAN DEAD IN STREET — Authorities in western Pennsylvania say a woman whose body was found in a Pittsburgh street was killed by a shotgun wound to the head..
SPORTS:
HKN–STARS-FLYERS
PHILADELPHIA — Brayden Schenn scored three power-play goals to lead the Philadelphia Flyers to their eighth straight victory, a 4-2 win over the Dallas Stars on Saturday.
BKC–PENN STATE-PITTSBURGH
NEWARK, N.J. —Sheldon Jeter can’t quite put his finger on why Pitt is giving up second half leads. Fortunately, he and the Panthers can continue to look for answers after a victory. Michael Young had 29 points and nine rebounds as Pittsburgh held on to defeat Penn State 81-73 on Saturday in the Never Forget Tribute Classic.
BKC–NOTRE DAME-VILLANOVA
NEWARK, N.J. — Josh Hart scored a career-high 37 points and No. 1 Villanova rallied from an 11-point deficit to beat No. 23 Notre Dame 74-66 on Saturday at the Prudential Center.
BKC–TEMPLE-DEPAUL
MIAMI — Obi Enechionyia and Shizz Alston Jr. each scored 15 points, and Temple ran out to a 25-point lead before hanging on to beat DePaul 74-65 on Saturday in the Hoophall Miami Invitational.
BBN–PIRATES-MCCUTCHEN
PITTSBURGH — Make no mistake, Andrew McCutchen is happy to still be a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. But the All-Star centerfielder, who spoke Saturday for the first time since the team openly tried to trade him during the recently completed winter meetings, was bothered by the recent trade talks. By Dan Scifo. SENT: About 750 words.
Also moving:
BKH–PIAA-3A CHAMPIONSHIP.
BKH–PIAA-2A CHAMPIONSHIP.
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MARKETPLACE: Calling your attention to the Marketplace in AP Exchange, where you can find member-contributed content from Pennsylvania and other states. The Marketplace is accessible on the left navigational pane of the AP Exchange home page, near the bottom. For both national and state, you can click “All” or search for content by topics such as education, politics and business.