Bloomberg axes company using prisoners for campaign calls
By ALEXANDRA JAFFE Associated Press
Democratic presidential contender Michael Bloomberg has cut ties with a contractor that used prisoners to make calls for his presidential campaign. The online news site The Intercept reported Tuesday that Bloomberg’s campaign contracted a New Jersey-based call center company that, in at least one instance, used Oklahoma inmates to make calls on behalf of the billionaire’s campaign. The former New York mayor says he was unaware of the arrangement until it a reporter raised it. Bloomberg says in a statement that the campaign is making sure its vendors more properly vet subcontractors in the future.

NEW YORK (AP) — More people did their shopping online this year in one of the shortest holiday shopping seasons in years and that pushed overall sales higher. Early data from Mastercard SpendingPulse shows that retail sales in the US rose 3.4% between Nov. 1 and Dec. 24 compared with last year. However, that’s slower growth than in the previous year, when sales grew 5.1%. Online sales rose at a faster pace, up 18.8% from last year.

RIO RANCHO, N.M. (AP) — Police in New Mexico are investigating the shooting of four people who were found dead on Christmas Day in a home in an Albuquerque suburb. Police in Rio Rancho have not identified the dead. They didn’t say whether they have a suspect or suspects, but issued a statement that they did not believe there was an ongoing threat to the public. A woman told KRQE-TV she’s related to the people who lived in the home, and her mother and brother found the bodies. They went to the home because they were concerned that they had not heard from the family.

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City police say they’ve located a 14-year-old boy suspected of fatally stabbing a Barnard College freshman in a park near the school’s Manhattan campus. Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison tweeted Thursday that the boy had been found, but gave no other details. He is one of three youths police believe were involved in the stabbing of 18-year-old Tessa Majors on Dec. 11 at Morningside Park. Police tracked him down after taking the unusual step last Friday of releasing photographs of him but not his name or any other identifying information. Of the two other suspects, only one has been charged.

BOSTON (AP) — A woman and two children have died after being found unconscious on a sidewalk near a Boston parking garage. The identities of the victims, as well as the relationship of the woman to the children, has not yet been determined. Boston Police Commissioner William Gross said the children appeared to be under age 5. News video showed police looking at an SUV, with several doors wide open, parked on the top level of the parking garage, which is adjacent to the Ruggles MBTA rail station. Gross said there were two child car seats in the vehicle.

A federal judge has denied defendants’ motions to dismiss a class-action lawsuit against a juvenile detention facility and allowed nearly all the plaintiff’s claims to move forward. Andrea Sears reports…

UNDATED (AP) — A rundown of the top Pennsylvania stories of 2019 begins with the clergy abuse scandal. State lawmakers revamped child sexual abuse laws to make it easier for some victims to sue and for police to file charges. Meanwhile, Catholic dioceses paid tens of millions to victims. Other top Pennsylvania stories of the year include the state’s role in the upcoming presidential election. Former Vice President and Scranton native Joe Biden launched his candidacy in Philadelphia. President Donald Trump, hoping for a repeat of his 2016 victory in battleground Pennsylvania, made four trips to the state in 2019.

UNDATED (AP) — An Associated Press review finds that Pennsylvania’s Roman Catholic dioceses have paid nearly $84 million to 564 victims of sexual abuse. Seven of the state’s eight dioceses launched victim compensation funds in the wake of a landmark grand jury report on sexual abuse by Catholic clergy. The funds were open to claims for a limited time this year. The tally is sure to grow in 2020 as compensation fund administrators work through a backlog of claims. One survivor says the money won’t make him rich, but he hopes it will make his life a little better and help him to put the abuse behind him.

Police said Tuesday a North Huntington woman and her boyfriend were both charged with assault for a fight over wrapping gifts. Authorities say Daniel Hill and Diedra Dibucci, both 50 years old, were arrested after the incident in the North Huntingdon apartment they shared. Police answered a call about a man with a knife and had to force their way inside. That’s where they say they found Hill on the floor, with injuries and scratches to his face and neck. Dibucci told officers Hill threw a chair at her and grabbed a kitchen knife. Hill was charged with aggravated assault and resisting arrest. He was jailed after failing to post bail. Court records indicated Dibucci faces an assault charge. Police say the fight began when Hill found Dibucci wrapping presents for another boyfriend.

As a Pennsylvania attorney general’s office investigation continues, many Ellwood City Medical Center Workers remain unsure when they will get the full wages they are owed. Hospital officials say that the medical center is working closely with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry on a plan for getting the 152 laid off employees paid. They say everyone who is still working at the hospital – which is about 20 people – have been paid in full.