Texas judge: Hospital can remove baby from life support
By JAMIE STENGLE Associated Press
A Texas judge has sided with a Fort Worth hospital that plans to remove an 11-month-old girl from life support against her mother’s wishes. The mother of Tinslee Lewis had asked Judge Sandee Bryan Marion to issue an injunction in Tarrant County district court to ensure the Cook Children’s Medical Center doesn’t take the baby off life support. But Marion ruled Thursday in favor of the hospital. Doctors say Tinslee’s condition will never improve and that even changing Tinslee’s diaper causes her pain. Her mother said the decision to remove Tinslee from life support should be hers to make. She will appeal the decision.

5 crew members feared dead after Alaska fishing boat sinks
By BECKY BOHRER and MARTHA BELLISLE Associated Press
Some fishermen called loved ones and mentioned poor conditions just hours before their boat sank off Alaska and left five crew members missing. The National Weather Service says the boat was traveling in an area with warnings about strong winds and heavy freezing spray. An ex-girlfriend of the captain told the Anchorage Daily News that he said the boat was icing but that he didn’t sound alarmed. The fiance of another missing crew member says he also told her conditions were bad. The Coast Guard has called off their search and all five are feared dead. Two other crew members were rescued from a life raft.

Pope Francis has apologized for hitting the hand of a well-wisher who grabbed him and yanked him toward her. In his new year’s wishes to the public in St. Peter’s Square on Wednesday, Francis confessed to losing patience with the woman while he was strolling in the square Tuesday evening to admire the holiday decorations. Cameras captured the scene when the woman, from behind a barrier, reached out and grabbed the pope’s hand, pulling him violently toward her. Francis reacted sharply, slapping her hand so she would let him go. He later said he was sorry for the “bad example” of impatience he gave.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Former Obama housing secretary Julián Castro is ending his run for president. Castro’s announcement Thursday comes after he failed to garner enough support or donations to make the recent Democratic presidential debates. The former San Antonio mayor languished around 1% in polls and lagged behind his 2020 rivals in fundraising. Castro was the only Latino candidate in the field and one of the biggest voices on immigration. Castro says he’s “proud of the campaign” he ran. He says he and his supporters have “shaped the conversation on so many important issues.” Castro had warned supporters that failing to make the November debate stage would spell the end of his campaign.

HOWELL, N.J. (AP) — Authorities say a man set off fireworks near a New Jersey movie theater as his friend made a marriage proposal and created panic among moviegoers who mistook them for gunshots. The confusion caused authorities to evacuate the Xscape Theater in Howell on Wednesday night. Responding officers soon found the remnants of the fireworks, and it was determined no shots had been fired. The man who set off the fireworks was charged with an infraction and disorderly conduct. Authorities say that there was no intent to cause panic at the theater and that it was just “a very poor decision.”

DALLAS (AP) — A Texas judge has sided with a Fort Worth hospital that plans to remove an 11-month-old girl from life support against her mother’s wishes. The mother of Tinslee Lewis had asked Judge Sandee Bryan Marion to issue an injunction in Tarrant County district court to ensure the Cook Children’s Medical Center doesn’t take the baby off life support. But Lewis ruled Thursday in favor of the hospital. Doctors say Tinslee’s condition will never improve and that even changing Tinslee’s diaper causes her pain. Her mother said the decision to remove Tinslee from life support should be hers to make. She will appeal the decision.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health officials will ban most flavored e-cigarettes popular with underage teenagers. But the plan from the Trump administration includes major exceptions that benefit companies that make and sell e-cigarettes and adults who use the nicotine-emitting devices. The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday the policy won’t affect menthol or tobacco flavors. The policy also won’t affect large, tank-based vaping products sold in vape shops that cater to adults. Those changes are a major step back from President Donald Trump’s original plan announced in September, which would have banned nearly all flavors in all vaping products.

The Beaver County Recorder of Deeds is retiring…as we hear in this report from Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Sandy Giordano. Click on ‘play’ to hear Sandy’s report…

Several new laws will go into effect in Pennsylvania in 2020. The laws range from changing how we vote to how military families pay for college. One of the laws with broader impact is the election reform bill, which allows Pennsylvania residents to vote by mail up to 50 days before an election without an excuse. It also extends voter registration times and gives $90 million to help counties buy new voting machines. The election reform bill will be in effect by the April primary. Another law raises Pennsylvania’s smoking age to 21 — which also just passed on the federal level — and expands tobacco products to include e-cigarettes and other vaping products. As for hunting, it’s now allowed on three Sundays a year: one during rifle deer season, one during archery deer season and a third one to be determined by the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Two criminal justice laws will change sentencing guidelines and expand drug treatment programs…and a new GI Bill will give 10 semesters of tuition-free education to spouses and children of members of the Pennsylvania National Guard.

There were two newly reported flu deaths in Pennsylvania, and in the last week the number of flu cases jumped 56%. The total number of deaths caused by the flu in Pennsylvania in 2019 jumped to nine. Health department officials said there were more than 4,000 confirmed flu cases since September in Allegheny County alone – accounting for 24% of the state’s total. Officials said the flu vaccine can reduce the risk of flu-related hospitalization for everyone, especially children and senior citizens. That is why they urge people to get the vaccine.