UNDATED (AP) — 2020 is being rung in around the globe. More than 1 million people descended on Sydney Harbour to see fireworks despite the wildfires ravaging other parts of Australia. In Hong Kong, revelers as well as pro-democracy protesters came out to usher in the new year. Russia held the world’s longest New Year’s celebrations, spread across 11 time zones. Samoa’s New Year’s Eve remembered the 81 lives lost in a measles epidemic while Pope Francis delighted tourists in St. Peter’s Square when he took a stroll. In Indonesia, revelers were warned not to get too close to an active volcano. And in New York, a throng gathered in Times Square for the iconic ball drop.

HERSHEY, Pa. (AP) — The Hershey Co. will soon retire its vehicles that are shaped like its Hershey’s Kisses. The Hershey Kissmobiles are each made up of three huge Kisses candies and have traveled across the country since 1997. The chocolate company has confirmed that the 26-foot-long vehicles won’t return in 2020. A Hershey Co. spokesman says the company decided to pull the aging Kissmobiles out of safety concerns for employees and the public. It has also become more difficult to find replacement parts for the custom vehicles. One of the Kissmobiles will be available for public viewing at the AACA Museum in Hershey.

WILKES-BARRE, Pa. (AP) — Police say an Amazon delivery driver stole a package that was delivered earlier by UPS at a Pennsylvania home. A woman in Wilkes-Barre reported a package being stolen from her home Monday. Surveillance footage showed a UPS driver dropping off a package at the house. An Amazon driver dropped off two packages later that afternoon and took the UPS package as he was leaving. Wilkes-Barre police say charges will be filed once the Amazon driver is identified.

UNDATED (AP) — Philadelphia’s new police chief has a challenging agenda ahead that includes addressing the city’s daily gun violence. Two shooting deaths Tuesday make 2019 the city’s deadliest year in a decade. Police have tallied 355 slayings this year, two more than 2018. City data shows the figure had fallen to below 250 homicides just a few years ago. Police say they’ve made arrests in just over half the homicide cases this year. Separately, they say about 1,450 people were shot in Philadelphia in 2019. Portland Police Chief Danielle Outlaw takes over the Philadelphia department in February.

BUTLER, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania man has admitted he killed his girlfriend’s 4-year-old son nearly three years ago. Keith Jordan Lambing entered a guilty plea Monday to third-degree murder and assault. Sentencing is likely to be imposed next week. The victim bled to death after the attack in March 2017. Butler County prosecutors say they opted not to pursue the death penalty because the child’s parents did not want to relive the facts of the crime during a trial. The 22-year-old Lambing, from Butler, Pennsylvania, is expected to receive 30 to 60 years under the plea agreement. A charge of rape was dismissed.

The owner of the Ellwood City Medical Center has filed for federal bankruptcy protection. Americore Health LLC, which now lists its headquarters as St Louis, Mo., filed paperwork Tuesday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Eastern District of Kentucky seeking Chapter 11 protection. Ellwood City Medical Center, which has been temporarily closed by Americore since Dec. 10 after the state Department of Health shut down its emergency room and inpatient services Nov. 27 for serious violations, is not the only facility affected. They will also close hospitals in Arkansas and St. Louis.

Weather Report 1/1/20

Today- Cloudy skies this morning will become partly cloudy this afternoon. High 39

Tonight- Mostly clear. Low 32

Tomorrow- Partly cloudy skies during the morning hours will become overcast in the afternoon. High 48

St. Barnabas acquires Windle Dental of Brighton Township

 Dr. Henry Windle and staff of Brighton Township have become part of St. Barnabas Medical Center. Dr. Windle has operated a very successful dental and sleep solutions practice in Brighton Township since 1981. They are located at 5060 Tuscarawas Road and next to the St. Barnabas Beaver Meadows living assistance residence. Across the street from Dr. Windle are the Tusca Plaza and Tusca Plaza Shop ‘n Save.

“The staff and I are excited to join the St. Barnabas team and we’ll continue to bring the same high quality patient care that we have over the last 38 years. We’ll continue seeing our dental and sleep apnea patients without any interruptions. We are also accepting new patients.” said Dr. Windle.

Dr. Windle is a graduate of Penn State University and the University of Pittsburgh, School of Dental Medicine. For 120 years, St. Barnabas has been caring for people in southwest PA. Today, in Allegheny, Beaver and Butler counties St. Barnabas offers the full continuum of care including independent living, living assistance, skilled care,memory care, Medical Center, dental, home care and so much more.

Since 2015, when St. Barnabas acquired the Beaver Meadows living assistance residence in Brighton Township, the organization continued to look for opportunities to expand the level of care and services to the local community in Beaver County. During the past two years, St. Barnabas has added to its presence in Brighton Township. In 2018, St. Barnabas acquired the previous Michael Baker Corporation’s property on Dutch Ridge Road and soon after, the Tusca Plaza on Tuscarawas Road was purchased.   On December 5, 2019, St. Barnabas opened the doors to their brand new Shop ‘n Save store at the Tusca Plaza. Everything in the store is brand new and the excitement in the Brighton Township community continues to grow. Residents are excited to have a new store that is a short drive from their home. The Tusca Plaza also includes other popular shops such as China Café, Hometown Pharmacy, Tusca Pizzeria and Subway. St. Barnabas is currently operating the Tusca Fueling Center and recently opened the Tusca Thrift Shop at the plaza.

With all of this positive activity in Brighton Township, we’re excited to expand the St. Barnabas story even further.

In 2019, the box office belonged to Disney
By JAKE COYLE AP Film Writer
Disney dominated American moviegoing more than any studio ever has before in 2019. The Walt Disney Co. accounted for about 38% of domestic moviegoing, easily the largest market share ever for one studio — a whopping $13 billion in worldwide box office. That includes films from 20th Century Fox, the 84-year-old studio that Disney gobbled up in March in a $71 billion acquisition. Once “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” inevitably reaches the milestone, it will mark the studio’s seventh such $1 billion movies in 2019. Despite Disney’s considerable firepower, overall ticket sales in U.S. and Canada theaters were down 4.4% from the year before, and many are forecasting another down year in 2020.