PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE: Federal prosecutors will not pursue criminal charges against suspended Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Seamus McCaffery over hefty referral fees his wife received while working as her husband’s chief aide, a Pennsylvania federal district court said. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania put out a statement this week announcing federal […]
Activists demand comprehensive federal data on Americans killed by police
ALJAZEERA: Activists who mobilized after the shooting death of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown said Wednesday they have collected 200,000 signatures backing their demand that federal agencies address a nationwide trend of police violence with major reforms — including the collection and release of comprehensive data on how many Americans are killed by law enforcement […]
LETTER: Google blinded: Corbett administration wants links to Jerry Sandusky trial transcripts removed from web
A close ally to Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett says the Corbett administration wants all links to court transcripts from the 2012 Jerry Sandusky pedophile trial removed from the Internet.
Universities Lag in Concussion Management, Study Says
Four years after the N.C.A.A. introduced a concussion policy that placed responsibilities on member universities, many have still not implemented all aspects of the program, a new study by researchers at Harvard found.
No Picket Fence: Younger Adults Opting to Rent
NEW YORK TIMES: …Since 2008, the year Lehman Brothers collapsed and home prices dropped precipitously, there has been a steady increase in the number of people ages 18 to 34 renting instead of buying homes. About 875,000 more households are now made up of young adult renters than would have existed if the 2008-era trend […]
U. of North Carolina Investigation Reveals Athletes Took Fake Classes
The N.C.A.A., which initially said that the scandal had nothing to do with the sports program, has reopened an investigation into the matter…
McCaffery suspension may pit ‘king’s power’ against will of the people
Duquesne University law professor Bruce Ledewitz, who tracks state constitutional law decisions, said he does not think the court had the authority to suspend McCaffery…
Lower oil prices push Russia toward recession
USATODAY: …The price of Brent crude oil, a global benchmark, hit a four-year low last week, plunging to below $83 per barrel from $116 in June. While it was just under $85 on Wednesday, there is considerable risk it could dip well below $80, costing Russia, whose budget gets half its revenue from oil and […]
Attack on Ottawa: PM Harper cites terrorist motive
THE GLOBE AND MAIL: …Federal sources have identified the suspected shooter as Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, a man in his early 30s who was known to Canadian authorities. Sources told The Globe and Mail that he was recently designated a “high-risk traveller” by the Canadian government and was unable to secure the appropriate travel documentation, thus blocking […]
Green groups say EPA underestimates methane leaks from fracking
ALJAZEERA: …The EPA has become increasingly concerned with reducing the methane emissions inherent in the oil and gas production and distribution process. In 2012 the agency announced that by 2015, drillers would be required to use green completion technology to capture methane during the drilling completion process — the stage after drilling, when oil and […]
Blackwater guilty verdict long overdue
ALJAZEERA: Seven years after Blackwater contractors killed 14 unarmed Iraqi civilians and injured 17 others in Baghdad’s Nisour Square, a federal jury in the District of Columbia convicted one defendant of murder and three others of manslaughter and weapons charges for the bloodbath. The verdict was announced on Wednesday after 27 days of deliberation. The […]
Parliament attack leaves Canada on alert
FINANCIAL TIMES: …In chaotic scenes unlike anything Canada has seen in recent times, politicians used chairs and tables to barricade themselves in a meeting room during the shootout in the corridors of parliament. Prime minister Stephen Harper was speaking at a meeting in the building at the time of the attack but was safely evacuated. […]
Wolf: Educate or incarcerate Pa. student
BUCKS COUNTY COURIER TIMES: … “I’m not saying that we ought to support Philadelphia’s schoolchildren because we’re trying to be good people,” [Tom] Wolf told the editorial board. “It’s going to be very expensive to incarcerate the children who do not receive a good education. It will be very expensive for the taxpayers of Pennsylvania […]
LETTER: Medical marijuana bill dead for the year
On Monday, the Pennsylvania House adjourned for the year without considering a proposal to protect seriously ill patients who find relief from medical marijuana. Last month, the Senate overwhelmingly approved SB 1182, the Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Act, in a 43-7 bipartisan vote.