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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A reminder this information is not for publication or broadcast, and these coverage plans are subject to change.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:

PENNSYLVANIA ATTORNEY GENERAL

HARRISBURG — Lawyers for the Pennsylvania Office of Disciplinary Counsel are expected to respond in writing on Wednesday to the effort by state Attorney General Kathleen Kane to reverse the suspension of her license to practice law. By Mark Scolforo. UPCOMING: About 400 words.

PENNSYLVANIA BUDGET

HARRISBURG — The state Senate returns to session, uncertain what it will be able to do to try to resolve a state budget impasse. By Marc Levy.

XGR-GRADUATION EXAMS

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania is moving to delay the use of exams as a graduation requirement for high school students starting next year. By Marc Levy. SENT: 130 words. UPCOMING: 350 words by 3 p.m. EST.

TEEN DEATH-SELFIE

GREENSBURG — The lawyer for a 17-year-old Pennsylvania boy accused of taking a selfie next to a 16-year-old teen he had just fatally shot wants a judge to dismiss a first-degree murder charge. SENT: 130 words. UPCOMING: 350 words by 1 p.m. EST.

ELDERLY WOMAN STABBED

WEST CHESTER — A man has been charged with first-degree murder in the stabbing death of his 81-year-old grandmother in suburban Philadelphia.

BIG SNOWSTORM

WASHINGTON — The South and East are bracing for a nor’easter at week’s end with the potential for significant snowfall. The National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center warns of heavy, “perhaps crippling” snow across the northern mid-Atlantic region, including Baltimore, Washington and Philadelphia.

MAYORS SURVEY

NEW YORK — Mayors across the U.S. say they worry about their cities’ aging infrastructure and they’d like more state and federal support, according to a survey released Wednesday. The 89 mayors from 31 states also said they get policy ideas by studying other cities, with New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and Los Angeles receiving the most mentions. SENT: About 330 words.

EXCHANGE:

EXCHANGE-CATTLE-FLUCTUATING TEMPERATURES

WASHINGTON, Pa. — Every job outdoors gets harder in extreme cold, but few have it tougher than cattle farmers. And it’s not just the cold snaps that grind agricultural operations to a churning slog, but also the brief warm-ups, which are proving difficult for area farmers. “Once you hit 20 degrees, everything takes twice as long – starting equipment; moving cattle. The problem with the fluctuating temperature is it starts and ends with the ground. Last week, everything was mud; now this week, there are frozen, foot-high ruts that you can barely get a tractor over and it could have the cows spraining or breaking their legs,” said District Judge Ethan Ward, who works 250 acres of pasture. While farmers saw widespread instances of frostbite last year in sustained, bitter cold, veterinary experts at Penn State University are warning the freeze-thaw cycles this winter are increasing the risk of pneumonia and other lung diseases in cattle. David Singer, (Washington) Observer-Reporter.

IN BRIEF:

LATROBE SHOOTING — Police have been searching for a ski-masked suspect who fatally shot a 20-year-old man in a normally quiet western Pennsylvania city.

ATTORNEY GENERAL-STOLLMEISTER — Jack Stollsteimer is quitting the Democratic nomination race for Pennsylvania attorney general.

CASINO CONSPIRACY — Officials say a former casino vice president conspired with a cocktail waitress and a gambler to steal over $400,000 from a northeastern Pennsylvania casino.

POPE’S FIAT AUCTION — One of the two Fiats used by Pope Francis during his September visit to Philadelphia is going up for auction.

HULTON BRIDGE IMPLOSION — PennDOT will implode the 107-year-old Hulton Bridge in Oakmont on Jan. 26.

FATAL SHOOTING — Authorities have identified a man fatally shot in Pittsburgh as a drug suspect charged after a traffic stop earlier this month.

PENN HILLS TEEN SHOT — Allegheny County police have been investigating the shooting of a 17-year-old boy in the Pittsburgh suburb of Penn Hills.

PENN STATE HAZING LAWSUIT — A Philadelphia judge is set to hear a request by Penn State to move a hazing lawsuit to the central Pennsylvania county where the school is based.

DUI HOMICIDE CHARGE — Bail has been set for a suburban Philadelphia man charged with homicide and driving under the influence in a December crash that killed his friend. Prosecutors say Corey Mitchell was jailed on $100,000 bail following his Tuesday arraignment in Norristown. Mitchell is also charged with endangering another person and traffic violations. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 27.

PHILADELPHIA HOVERBOARD-LAW — A Philadelphia City Council member is planning to introduce an ordinance that would fine adults if their children use hoverboards without helmets, knee and elbow pads, and wrist guards.

BIG TEN TOURNAMENT-TICKETS — All-session tickets for the Big Ten baseball tournament at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha go on sale Friday at 10 a.m.

TEACHERS STRIKE — Teachers in the Shamokin Area school district plan to resume a strike after the school board rejected an arbitrator’s report.

FATAL SHOOTING — Authorities are investigating after a man was shot to death in a western Pennsylvania home.

STRANGULATION-STABBING-ROOMMATE — A 52-year-old central Pennsylvania man is going to prison for the rest of his life for fatally strangling and stabbing his roommate.

RETIRED ARCHBISHOP-FUNERAL MASS — A funeral Mass for retired Archbishop Francis B. Schulte, who led the Archdiocese of New Orleans from 1989 to 2001, will take place on Jan. 28 at St. Louis Cathedral.

SPORTS:

BKN–76ERS-MAGIC

ORLANDO, Fla. — The slumping Orlando Magic return home to face the struggling Philadelphia 76ers. By Bill Fay. UPCOMING: 600 words, photos. Game starts at 7 p.m. EST.

FBN–STEELERS-TOMLIN

PITTSBURGH — Mike Tomlin’s tears have dried. Now the Pittsburgh Steelers coach will try to find a way for his resilient team to take the next step after a playoff loss to Denver. By Will Graves. UPCOMING: 600 words.

BKC–DUQUESNE-VCU

RICHMOND, Va. — VCU looks for its ninth consecutive victory when it hosts Duquesne in an Atlantic 10 matchup. By Hank Kurz Jr. UPCONING: 600 words, photos. Game starts at 7 p.m. EST.

BKC–T25-VILLANOVA-SETON HALL

NEWARK, N.J. — No. 4 Villanova will bring an eight-game winning streak up the Turnpike when it faces Seton Hall at the Prudential Center. The Pirates beat nationally ranked Providence last weekend. By Tom Canavan. UPCOMING: 600, photos. Game starts at 9 p.m. EST.

BOX–GARCIA’S TIME

PHILADELPHIA — Danny Garcia is undefeated and looking for a championship. The Philadelphia fighter will have a belt if he can beat Robert Guerrero Saturday in Los Angeles. By Dan Gelston. UPCOMING. 650 words. By 5 p.m. EST. AP Photos.

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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.