PENNSYLVANIA
Pittsburgh: Duquesne Light asks for more time
The Public Utility Commission mandated two requirements from Duquesne Light following the prolonged 2014 winter season. The first mandate, which has been granted a delay, is for Duquesne to improve communication with consumers and suppliers; and the second, which is under consideration, is to indefinitely extend a rule that allows customers to switch suppliers in only three days.
Pittsburgh: Dick Scaife excluded children from will
Scaife, the late publisher of the Tribune-Review, left out his son and daughter in his will years before the estate was finalized. Scaife’s daughter accused the Trib board chairman and a relative of taking advantage of Scaife’s health to rewrite and sign a will that left the children out.
Philadelphia: Judge overturns 158 narcotics convictions
All of the convictions were tainted by allegations of corruption against seven Philadelphia narcotics officers. Although six of them were acquitted (and one suspended as of Thursday), the Defender Association of Philadelphia and the District Attorney’s office are reexamining the arrests. More overturns are expected, as another hearing is set for October.
York County: Judge relieved of service
York County Magisterial District Judge Jeffrey Joy faces several criminal charges filed by the state Office of the Attorney General, including official oppression, indecent assault and harassment. Joy is accused of making inappropriate sexual comments to female witnesses in his court, and was dismissed by the state Supreme Court “until further notice.”
Allentown: Robber convicted
Steven Felton, acting as his own lawyer, attempted to blame a series of 11 armed robberies on his “evil twin” — but the jury quickly found him guilty.
NATIONAL
Donald Trump dominates debate
News outlets dedicated a lot of space to Donald Trump after Thursday night’s first Republican Party debate. The debate’s Nielsen figures, which estimate the number of viewers on a TV channel, claim that Fox News had a record number of 24 million viewers during the major candidate debate.
Psychologists banned from U.S. interrogations
Psychologists are now banned from observing and partaking in interrogations involving matters of national security. The American Psychological Association approved the ban on Friday, due in part to a new ethics code. Psychologists are still allowed to work with the police and in prisons.
The sentencing of James Holmes
A jury on Friday decided that James Holmes would serve life in prison for the 2012 shootings in an Aurora, Colo., theater. Twelve people were killed and 70 were wounded in the attack during a showing of “The Dark Knight Rises.”
First big dissent to Iran nuclear deal
U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said he will oppose the nuclear accord between Iran and the U.S. Schumer said it’s likely that Iran will not follow the agreement and would pursue its own goals. However, Secretary of State John Kerry strongly disagrees with Schumer’s reasoning.
IN OTHER NEWS
The biggest population boom in history
The United Nations predicts that by the end of the century, the world population will be 11.2 billion. Currently, there are about 7.3 billion people on Earth. Why will it spike so much? Fertility rates aren’t dropping like researchers anticipated, and worldwide health care is improving.
The daily report was compiled by Stephanie Roman, a PublicSource intern. You can reach her with questions or suggestions at sroman@publicsource.org.
