Road improvement work on Brighton and Massachusetts avenues and Pleasant and West Madison streets in Rochester begins Monday and continues through Saturday, PennDOT announced. Single-lane, alternating traffic controlled by flaggers will occur from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day in the following locations:

• Brighton Avenue between the Rochester Roundabout and Pleasant Street.

• Pleasant Street and Massachusetts Avenue between Rhode Island Avenue and Adams Street.

• Brighton Avenue and West Madison Street between the Rochester Roundabout and Delaware Avenue.

Crews will conduct milling and paving operations as part of the $10.07 million Route 18 improvement project.

Gulisek Construction LLC is the prime contractor.

Biden promises to end ‘forever wars’ as president
By BILL BARROW Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — Joe Biden promised on Thursday his White House would end “forever wars” and reassert American leadership to combat authoritarianism and global instability, which he says are proliferating under President Donald Trump.
“The world’s democracies look to America to stand for the values that unite us. … Donald Trump seems to be on the other team,” Biden said during a foreign policy speech in New York, hammering the president for “embracing dictators who appeal to his vanity” and emboldening a worldwide rise of nationalism, xenophobia and isolationism.
The remarks offered Biden a chance to ignore his Democratic rivals and instead return to the issues he’s most comfortable talking about: foreign policy and the dangers posed by Trump. The decision to make the speech reflects Biden’s belief that his experience as a longtime senator and former chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee combined with his eight years as vice president distinguish him in the crowded Democratic field.
But that long record also subjects the 76-year-old to criticism, particularly from progressives who cast Biden as someone who enabled a more hawkish foreign policy establishment.
Acknowledging those forces, Biden promised to “end the forever wars in Afghanistan and the Middle East” and terminate U.S. involvement in the Yemen civil war. He did not mention his support for the 2003 invasion of Iraq under President George W. Bush, a vote that hampered Biden’s brief 2007 presidential campaign and continues to draw criticism from 2020 rivals, including Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who both voted against the action as House members.
Republicans, meanwhile, have gleefully noted that Biden opposed the 1991 U.S. military actions to drive Iraq out of Kuwait and that he was an outlier in the Obama administration in warning against the raid that ultimately killed Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Biden said on Thursday that military force will always be an option, but must be a “last resort” with a “defined” and “achievable mission.” He also pledged to “elevate diplomacy as the principle tool of our foreign policy” and said he’d rebuild expertise in the State Department after an exodus of diplomats under Trump.
His promise to stop “endless wars” also came with qualification; he called for removing most combat troops from Afghanistan in favor of “narrowly focusing our mission” in the region.
Biden envisioned not just a return to the traditional U.S. role in the post-World War II international order, but to use that power and influence to take on 21st century problems. He emphasized the urgency for U.S-led global alliances to combat the climate crisis, forge new trade agreements to create a more even international economy and to recommit to nuclear proliferation.
Biden said in the first year of his presidency, he would convene a global summit of democracy, bringing together political and civic leaders, along with those from the private sector. He singled out “tech companies and social media giants” as necessary partners.
“I believe they have a duty to make sure their algorithms and platforms are not used to sow division here at home,” he said, referring to U.S. intelligence findings that Russian actors have used social media platforms like Facebook to influence American politics.
Biden’s speech comes at a time of trade tensions with China; increasing tensions with Iran, with Tehran announcing that it is enriching uranium beyond the levels allowed by a 2015 nuclear deal that Trump had abandoned; and after Trump again met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, with the Republican president saying he wants to restart negotiations for a nuclear agreement.
As president, Biden said he’d re-engage with Iran if it returns to the limits of the 2015 deal. He also promised to immediately rejoin the Paris climate agreements and urge the world’s leading economies — principally China — to commit to aggressively curtail carbon emissions.
He noted Beijing is investing heavily in cleaner energy technologies but still financing traditional fossil fuel projects with trillions of dollars in infrastructure development across Asia.
Biden’s commitment to ending longtime wars stopped short of pledges by more liberal rivals like Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who link military conflict to a world economy dominated by multinational corporations, including those that have benefited from the trillions of dollars the U.S. has spent on foreign wars in recent decades.
Though he didn’t nod to that military-industrial complex, Biden argued that economic conditions play a fundamental role in global stability. He criticized Trump’s reliance on tariffs but tacitly agreed with the president’s notions that some economic rivals have taken advantage of the U.S., specifically China.
Biden said he’d push for trade agreements that don’t hamper the international exchange of goods but don’t disadvantage American consumers or business, while also holding China accountable for intellectual property abuses.
“There’s not going to be a back to business-as-usual on trade,” he said. “We need new rules. We need new processes.”
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Follow Bill Barrow on Twitter at https://twitter.com/BillBarrowAP

11 years later, Federer tops Nadal in Wimbledon semifinals
By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Roger Federer waited 11 years to get another shot at Rafael Nadal on Centre Court. This one was a semifinal, not a final. It was settled in four sets, not five.
Felt like just as much of a classic contest, though, one that anyone present is not likely to forget.
That, of course, includes Federer, who managed to pull away and beat long-time rival Nadal 7-6 (3), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 Friday by finally coming through on his fifth match point.
“I’m exhausted,” Federer said. “It was tough at the end.”
Federer closed in on a ninth championship at the All England Club and 21st Grand Slam trophy in all. In Sunday’s final, Federer will go up against Novak Djokovic, who is the defending champion and seeded No. 1.
Djokovic overcame Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 earlier Friday to reach his sixth Wimbledon final.
As entertaining as that match was — including a 45-stroke point won by Djokovic — it was merely a tasty appetizer ahead of the day’s delectable main course.
Not only was this the 40th installment of Federer vs. Nadal, but it also was their first meeting at Wimbledon since the 2008 final. Nadal won that one 9-7 in the fifth set that ended after 9 p.m., as any trace of daylight disappeared, in what some consider the greatest tennis match in the sport’s lengthy annals.
How excited, then, were the spectators for the rematch, more than a decade in the making? When Federer and Nadal strode out into the sunshine at 4:30 p.m., they were welcomed by a standing ovation before ever swinging a racket.
Quickly, that greeting was justified. These are, of course, two of the greats of all-time — maybe the two greatest — and they lived up to that status for stretches.
One key, for Federer, was that his rebuilt backhand, hit strong and flat more frequently than it used to be, held steady against Nadal’s bullwhip of a lefty forehand. Another was that he was able to withstand Nadal’s serve, which has improved a ton over the years. Federer amassed 10 break points, and though he succeeded on just two, that was enough, with the last, vital conversion making it 2-1 in the fourth set. And then there was this: Federer won 25 of the 33 points when he went to the net.
There was something of an “Anything you can do, I can do, too” vibe to the proceedings. Federer would kick up chalk with an ace to a corner, and Nadal would do the same in the next game. When Nadal jumped out to a 3-2 lead in the first-set tiebreaker, Federer used sublime returning to reel off five points in a row to claim it.
Who else but Federer could strike a serve so well that Nadal’s framed response would end up caught by someone seated in the Royal Box, as happened early in the second set? Who else but Nadal could attack Federer’s generally unassailable forehand in such a manner as to draw one so out of character and off the mark that it landed in the third row, as happened later in that set?
No one ever has managed to reduce Federer to mid-match mediocrity quite the way Nadal can on occasion, part of why the Spaniard entered Friday with a 24-15 overall lead head-to-head, including 10-3 at Grand Slam tournaments.
This was the second major in a row where they’ve faced off: Nadal won their windy French Open semifinal last month en route to his 12th championship on the red clay there. But Wimbledon is Federer’s dominion. He’s won 101 matches at the place — more than any other man at any other Slam, even Nadal at Roland Garros — and eight trophies.
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More AP tennis coverage: https://www.apnews.com/apf-Tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Acosta resigning amid new scrutiny, outrage for Epstein deal
By DARLENE SUPERVILLE and JILL COLVIN Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta said Friday he is resigning following renewed scrutiny of his handling of a 2008 secret plea deal with wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein , who is accused of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls.
President Donald Trump, with Acosta at his side, made the announcement as he left the White House for a trip to Wisconsin and Ohio. The president said “I hate to see this happen” and that he did not ask Acosta to leave the Cabinet. But conservatives unhappy with steps Acosta has taken at the department had been pushing for his ouster.
Trump, who publicly faults the news media nearly every day, said Acosta put the blame for his departure there, too.
The president tweeted from aboard Air Force One that Acosta “informed me this morning that he felt the constant drumbeat of press about a prosecution which took place under his watch more than 12 years ago was bad for the Administration, which he so strongly believes in, and he graciously tendered his resignation.”
Acosta was the U.S. attorney in Miami when he oversaw a 2008 non-prosecution agreement that allowed Epstein to avoid federal charges but plead guilty to state charges and serve 13 months in jail. Similar charges filed against Epstein by federal prosecutors in New York this week had put Acosta’s handling of the 2008 agreement with the now-jailed financier back in the spotlight.
Acosta said his resignation would be effective in seven days. He said he didn’t think it was right for his handling of Epstein’s case to overshadow the president’s agenda and his work as secretary of labor.
“My point here today is we have an amazing economy, and the focus needs to be on the economy,” Acosta said.
Top Democratic lawmakers and presidential candidates had demanded that Acosta resign. But Acosta had defended his actions, insisting at a news conference Wednesday that he got the toughest deal on Epstein that he could get at the time.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California said the secretary should never have been appointed by Trump and confirmed by the Senate. “Thank God he’s gone,” she said
A federal judge said Acosta violated federal law by not notifying Epstein’s victims of the plea arrangement. The Justice Department has been investigating.
“We should never allow an official who has been held to break the law by a federal court, to hold an office in the president’s Cabinet. His resignation today is hopefully only the first step in holding those accountable,” said Spencer Kuvin, a Florida lawyer who represents several Epstein victims.
Acosta had also frustrated some conservatives who had been pushing for his ouster long before the Epstein uproar. Among their objections were Acosta’s decisions to proceed with several employment discrimination lawsuits and to allow certain Obama administration holdovers to keep their jobs.
Trump had initially defended Acosta but said he’d look “very closely” at his handling of the 2008 agreement.
The deal had come under scrutiny earlier this year following reporting by The Miami Herald.
Epstein, 66, reached the deal to secretly end a federal sex abuse investigation involving at least 40 teenage girls that could have landed him behind bars for life. He instead pleaded guilty to Florida state charges, spent 13 months in jail, paid settlements to victims and registered as a sex offender.
Acosta had attempted to clear his name, and held a news conference — encouraged by Trump — to defend his actions. In a 50-plus-minute lawyerly rebuttal, Acosta argued his office had secured the best deal it could at the time and had worked in the best interests of Epstein’s victims.
“We did what we did because we wanted to see Epstein go to jail,” he said. “We believe that we proceeded appropriately.”
Pressed on whether he had any regrets, Acosta repeatedly said circumstances had changed since then. He did not answer a question about whether he would resign if the Justice Department were to find misconduct on his part.
“We now have 12 years of knowledge and hindsight and we live in a very different world,” he said. “Today’s world treats victims very, very differently.”
After federal attorneys in New York announced the new charges against Epstein this week, Acosta tweeted that he was pleased by their decision.
“The crimes committed by Epstein are horrific,” Acosta tweeted. “With the evidence available more than a decade ago, federal prosecutors insisted that Epstein go to jail, register as a sex offender and put the world on notice that he was a sexual predator.”
“Now that new evidence and additional testimony is available, the NY prosecution offers an important opportunity to more fully bring him to justice.”
Acosta took office as the nation’s 27th labor secretary in early 2017, leading a sprawling agency that enforces more than 180 federal laws covering about 10 million employers and 125 million workers. The department also plays a role in combatting human trafficking.
Trump said Acosta would be replaced by Pat Pizzella, now the department’s deputy secretary.
Before he was named a U.S. attorney, Acosta was an assistant attorney general for the civil rights division in President George W. Bush’s first term. Before joining the Trump administration, Acosta was dean of the Florida International University law school.
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AP Legal Affairs Writer Curt Anderson in Miami, AP Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro and Associated Press writer Deb Riechmann in Washington contributed to this report.
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Follow Darlene Superville and Jill Colvin on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dsupervilleap and http://www.twitter.com/colvinj

States that have legalized marijuana have seen a higher increase in snack sales compared to states that haven’t, according to a recent report from Nielsen.

“Marijuana consumption has been clinically and anecdotally shown to increase a consumers’ appetite …… according to the Nielsen report. “And sales data from within the U.S. Census divisions where cannabis has been legalized for recreational use supports the munchies effect.”

There have been increased sales of both salty and sweet snacks over the past year in the U.S., totaling $29.9 billion in salty snack sales and $6.5 billion in sweet snack sales, according to the data.

Volkswagen today announced plans to invest $2.6 billion in Pittsburgh based Argo AI.

According to a release, VW will commit $1 billion in funding and contribute its $1.6 billion Autonomous Intelligent Driving (AID) company. AID has more than 200 employees, most of whom have been working on self-driving tech for the Volkswagen group.

VW will also purchase Argo AI shares from Ford Motor Co. for $500 million over three years. According to the release, Ford will invest the remaining $600 million of its previously announced $1 billion cash commitment to Argo AI.

“Argo AI is fortunate to have a world-class team due to our clear mission and the commitment to deployment from our partners, and together with AID employees, we will have a global workforce to attract even more of the best talent,” said Argo AI CEO Bryan Salesky in a statement. “Plus, thanks to Ford and Volkswagen, Argo AI technology could one day reach nearly every market in North America and Europe, applied across multiple brands and to a multitude of vehicle architectures.”

Flash flooding hitting parts of Beaver County and northwestern Allegheny County after heavy rains Thursday.

Beaver County Emergency Services Center dispatchers said Laird Avenue from Brodhead Road to Kane Road in Hopewell Township was closed Thursday afternoon, as was Park Road and East Hookstown Grade Road in Independence Township and Rock Avenue and Patterson Avenue in West Mayfield.

A section of Route 65 in Leetsdale also closed because of flooding, and westbound University Boulevard heading toward Robert Morris University in Moon Township was closed as police and workers attempted to clear the road after a landslide.

Other roads in the area were also affected with most having re-opened as of this morning.

50 year old Lori Lockhart of Oil City faces charges of Endangering the Welfare of Children after allegedly imbibing large amounts of Scotch Whiskey while she was babysitting five children at Kohler’s Hole. One of the children left the scene and went home to call police to report the incident. Lockhart also had a bench warrant for a prior criminal charge and was arrested by State Police Troopers serving the warrant.

The keystone attraction to Kennywood’s “Steelers Country” – the Steel Curtain Rollercoaster – is set to open to the public this weekend.

In attendance this morning – PA Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman. Fetterman will speak during dedication ceremonies of the Steel Curtain this morning at Kennywood Park. The Second Family has been invited to take a ride on the coaster – the first amusement attraction themed after a professional football team.

Media and contest winners had the first chance to ride the record-setting coaster this morning.

Some of those records: it holds the world record for highest inversion at 197 feet, the North American record for most inversions at 9, and the PA state record for tallest roller coaster at 220 feet tall.

The ride opens to the public Saturday.

TODAY:
PARTLY CLOUDY – HIGH 81

TONIGHT:
MOSTLY CLEAR – LOW 59

SATURDAY:
SUNNY – HIGH 87 LOW 68

SUNDAY:
PARTLY CLOUDY – HIGH 83