PENNSYLVANIA
Pittsburgh: Return to midwifery
Many more women in western PA are turning to midwife centers to deliver children. It only costs about half as much to deliver at a midwife practice compared to a traditional hospital, and they come without the clinical atmosphere and drugs and with more personal attention and coaching.
Pittsburgh: Steelers sign Michael Vick to one-year contract
On Tuesday, the Steelers signed Michael Vick, convicted dog fighter, to a one-year contract as backup to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. While some personalities are telling angered animal rights activists to “get over it,” the response to Vick’s signing has been largely mixed.
Harrisburg: State Supreme Court releases porngate emails
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court publicly released thousands of emails with obscene pornographic and racist content. The messages show who participated in the “filthy email chain.” The court released the emails at the request of Montgomery County Judge William Carpenter, the supervising judge of the grand jury that investigated Attorney General Kathleen Kane.
Harrisburg: Student-teacher molestation case takes a federal turn
In 2014 a student brought charges against her band teacher, and earlier this year Matthew Puterbaugh was sentenced for child porn charges, statutory sexual assault and indecent assault. The student, allegedly told not to report Puterbaugh because it “would ruin his career,” is now suing him, the school and the superintendent for mishandling her case.
Dauphin County: Oversight in grant applications
Dauphin County and its 40 municipalities weren’t listed as eligible for part of a Chesapeake Bay Watershed grant by the state Department of Environmental Protection, but this was a mistake. Now that it’s been rectified, the county is able to apply for up to $2.3 million to control urban stormwater and improve local water quality.
Philadelphia: Man killed after court attack
Curtis Smith was caught in March for jumping the White House fence, and had a trial pending n a domestic-violence case. On Tuesday, Smith entered the Chester County courthouse wielding a knife. He slashed an officer before being shot by a deputy sheriff. As of Wednesday, no motive is known.
NATIONAL
Two journalists killed on live TV
Alison Parker, 24, was mid-interview when she was shot and killed on Virginia’s WDBJ-TV7 Wednesday morning. The videographer, Adam Ward, 27, was killed as well. Law enforcement agencies tracked the suspected gunman, who is believed to be a disgruntled ex-employee of the TV station. Vester Flanagan shot himself when confronted by police and died on Wednesday afternoon.
The growing exhaust problem
Motorists who frequent the most congested highways in the U.S. — in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York — spend an average of 84 hours a year sitting in traffic, while the average wait is about 42 hours. In all, Americans spend 6.9 billion hours a year in gridlock, burning 3.1 billion gallons of fuel in the process. And the system can’t keep pace with the growing population.
James Holmes formally sentenced to life in prison
The Aurora, Colo., movie theater shooter was sentenced by Judge Carlos Samour Jr. on Wednesday. Holmes is sentenced to life in prison without parole for the murders of 12 people, plus 3,200 additional years for attempted murder and an explosives conviction.
Stock market updates
On Wednesday morning, the Dow Jones started strongly, up 1.9 percent half an hour in, and gained traction throughout the day, ending on a high note with about a 4 percent increase. Otherwise, Chinese stocks closed 1.3 percent down on Wednesday.
Firewise precautions
Washington is in the midst of its largest fire in state history, the Okanogan fire. Some homeowners in northern Washington took extreme measures to protect themselves from the flames. One built a futuristic concrete house, and another built a fire line, which ensured the fire didn’t get closer than 20 yards to the home.
IN OTHER NEWS
How dogs get older
In honor of National Dog Day yesterday, one photographer put together this amazing 20-year project depicting dogs in their primes and their advanced ages.
The daily report was compiled by Stephanie Roman, a PublicSource intern. You can reach her with questions or suggestions at sroman@publicsource.org.
