A report out this week says Pennsylvania’s roads are getting better. The Reason Foundation’s report released yesterday puts the commonwealth at 35th in the nation for cost-effectiveness and condition. That rank is up six spots from their last report. P-A still ranks low in structurally deficient bridges and is 39th in total spending per mile. New Jersey now ranks dead last in overall highway performance.

Transportation Security Administration agents have started offering a friendly reminder to travelers about Real ID compliance. Starting in October 2020, travelers will not be able to fly with just a regular license. A Real ID or a passport will be required — even for domestic flights. The most Real IDs in the state have been issued in Allegheny Co. Pennsylvanians aren’t getting Real IDs as fast as PennDOT would like them to. The Real ID Act was passed after 9/11 to create a single national standard for licenses. In order to get a Real ID, people are required to prove their identity with four forms of ID. They can include a current driver’s license, passport, social security card, utility bill, payroll stub or birth certificate.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced Thursday that his office was partnering with 12 telecommunications companies to crack down on illegal robocalls. According to a press release from Shapiro’s office, the 12 companies are AT&T, Bandwith, CenturyLink, Charter, Comcast, Consolidated, Frontier, Spring, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, Verizon and Windstream. The companies have agreed to adopt eight principles targeted at improving prevention of the calls and enforcement. To prevent the calls, the companies will offer some form of call-blocking services for all customers at no cost; offer free, easy-to-use labeling tools for smartphone mobile and residential customers; implement technology to authenticate that callers are coming from a valid source; and monitoring the networks for robocall traffic.

Dick’s Sporting Goods is delaying its decision on whether to keep selling guns. The company was considering the move after the recent mass shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio. But now, they say it’s too early to make a decision. Dick’s did make changes after the mass shooting at Parkland High School in Florida last year. The company stopped selling assault-style rifles, high-capacity magazines and bump stocks. Dick’s third quarter numbers were released Thursday and the company had a strong third quarter and early success in cutting back gun sales.

LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) — Police say a woman tried to snatch a 4-year-old from her mother in a hospital’s emergency room in Pennsylvania. Lancaster General Hospital security officers told police the woman grabbed the child on Thursday. Officers quickly intervened and returned the child to her mother. Police say the women then became combative with security, punching an officer several times. The woman is a patient at the hospital and her name has not been released.

The FBI is asking for the public’s help to identify potential victims of a suspected serial sexual predator who lived in the Pittsburgh area. 56-year-old Robert Dean Caesar, 56, is currently in federal custody. According to the FBI, Caesar would hire or befriend teens to assist with household and yard chores or help care for his animals. Investigators said he lived in several places including Pittsburgh and Cranberry Township. Caesar has been charged with production, receipt and possession of child pornography in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Anyone with information is asked to contact the FBI by emailing ReportRDC@fbi.gov.

New Castle City Police have charged a Mahoningtown couple with abusing a five month old baby girl. According to police, 31-year old Thomas Perod and 29 year old Ashley Leonard both face a number of charges in connection with the injuries the girl suffered between September of 2017 and January of 2018. Police said the girl was diagnosed with broken ribs two skull fractures and other injuries. The investigation is continuing.

WEATHER FORECAST FOR FRIDAY, AUGUST 23RD, 2019

 

TODAY – SUNSHINE AND CLOUDS MIXED. HIGH – 75.

TONIGHT – SOME CLOUDS THIS EVENING WILL GIVE WAY
TO MAINLY MAINLY CLEAR SKIES OVERNIGHT.
LOW – 53.

SATURDAY – SUNSHINE. HIGH – 77.

SUNDAY – SUNSHINE. HIGH NEAR 80.

NEW YORK (AP) — A new poll finds 62% of Americans disapprove of the way President Donald Trump is handling his job while just 36% approve. The poll released Thursday by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds some support for the Republican president’s handling of the U.S. economy but gives him weak marks on other major issues. Trump’s poor grades in the AP-NORC poll extend to his handling of immigration, health care, foreign policy and guns.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A former Danish prime minister is criticizing U.S. President Donald Trump after Trump canceled a trip to Denmark and complained that the country only spends 1.35% of its GDP on defense. Lars Loekke Rasmussen tweeted Thursday that defense willingness is not just about the amount of money spent. His comments came after Trump scrapped a visit to Denmark and said the current Danish prime minister was “nasty” when she rejected his idea of buying Greenland as an absurdity.