Michael Avenatti is convicted of trying to extort Nike
By LARRY NEUMEISTER Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — A lawyer who gained fame by representing porn star Stormy Daniels in lawsuits against President Donald Trump has been convicted of trying to extort sportswear giant Nike. The verdict against Michael Avenatti was returned Friday by a federal jury in Manhattan. It followed a three-week trial in which prosecutors claimed Avenatti made threats to use his media access to hurt Nike’s reputation and stock price unless the apparel company paid him up to $25 million. Avenatti did not testify, but his lawyers said he was following the wishes of an amateur youth basketball league director who wanted him to force Nike to fire corrupt executives and fix its culture.

….AND NOW IT’S TIME FOR THE ‘BUSINESS MINUTE’ REPORT…BROUGHT YOU BY MINUTEMAN PRESS:

Travelers at Pittsburgh International Airport may see some relief when it comes to their wallets. A recent audit for prices at the airport’s Airmall showed that some of the shops are overcharging for what they sell. Businesses inside the airport are not allowed to mark up prices simply because they are in the airport. Allegheny County Controller Chelsa Wagner said that 29 of the businesses offered at least one item at a marked up price. Overall the audit revealed 22% of items were priced too high.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks wobbled between small gains and losses in early trading Friday as investors focused on another round of mostly solid corporate earnings. Trading is more subdued and cautious on Wall Street, following China’s report Thursday of a surge in cases of a new virus that could crimp global economic growth. Solid gains from earlier in the week are still holding and keeping the major indexes on track for weekly gains. Technology companies gained ground in the early going. Chipmaker Nvidia was a standout after it handily beat analysts’ profit forecasts. Expedia and Newell Brands climbed on solid earnings.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks edged higher in midday trading Friday as investors focused on another round of mostly solid corporate earnings. Trading is more subdued and cautious on Wall Street, following China’s report Thursday of a surge in cases of a new virus that investors fear could crimp global economic growth. Solid gains from earlier in the week are holding and keeping the major indexes on track for weekly gains. The S&P 500 index rose 2 points, or 0.1%, to 3,376. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 26 points, or 0.1%, to 29,396. The Nasdaq rose 19 points, or 0.2% to 9,731.

….AND THAT’S THE ‘BUSINESS MINUTE’ REPORT…BROUGHT YOU BY MINUTEMAN PRESS.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is ignoring his attorney general’s public request to stop tweeting about the Justice Department. Trump says he has the legal right to ask the agency to intervene in a criminal case, but he’s so far “chosen not to.” Trump’s Friday morning tweet came just hours after Attorney General William Barr said in a striking interview with ABC News that the president’s tweets were making it “impossible” to do his job, especially following the department’s bungled handling of the sentencing recommendation for Trump ally and confidant Roger Stone. Trump has the right to compel DOJ to investigate as an executive branch agency. But historically, the Justice Department has functioned as an independent agency.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — California billionaire Tom Steyer and former South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg are the first Democratic presidential candidates to file signatures to get on Pennsylvania’s primary ballot. That’s according to information from the state election office Friday. The other campaigns have through 5 p.m. on Tuesday to file 2,000 signatures of voters who are registered Democrats to get on Pennsylvania’s April 28 primary ballot. Pennsylvania is a late primary state, but nonetheless could be important if the eventual nominee remains in doubt past March.

 

 

 

The Ambridge Area School District has named its new superintendent. Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano has more. Click no ‘play’ to hear Sandy’s report…

Two Hopewell police officers are being recognized as part of a statewide aggresive driving program. Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano has details…

The ACLU of Pennsylvania has filed a brief with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court asking it to enforce the rules for the use of cash bail in Philadelphia’s court system. Andrea Sears reports…

Pittsburgh is one of the cloudiest cities in America. That’s according to the website Current-Results-dot-com, which analyzed cloud cover stats from the National Climatic Data Center to make its list. Pittsburgh ranked fourth, with just over 200 days out of the year with heavy cloud cover. Buffalo, New York, ranked third, followed by Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, Washington.

A Uniontown man is suing Penn State over claims that the university rescinded a job offer after learning he was colorblind. Danny David said he applied to become a campus police officer after spending more than 20 years as a public safety officer at Penn State-Fayette. According to the suit, when a required medical exam discovered David was colorblind, the university rescinded the offer. He is suing for damages and the reinstatement of the job offer. In response to the lawsuit, Penn State said the deficiency would pose a threat to the health and safety of the university.

Authorities say a Pittsburgh woman has been quarantined after returning from a trip to China. Pat Premick is unable to leave her home for two weeks. Premick says she is shocked that she is being isolated, saying she has no symptoms and was not in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak.