Category: News

Phillies sue to block Phanatic from becoming ‘free agent’

Phillies sue to block Phanatic from becoming ‘free agent’
NEW YORK (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies have sued the New York company that created the Phanatic mascot to prevent the green furry fan favorite from becoming a free agent.
In a complaint filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, the team alleged Harrison/Erickson threatened to terminate the Phillies’ rights to the Phanatic next year and “make the Phanatic a free agent” unless the team renegotiated its 1984 agreement to acquire the mascot’s rights.
The Phillies asked for declaratory judgments affirming their rights and sued H/E claiming unjust enrichment and breach of good faith.
A message left Saturday on the recorder that answered the company’s telephone was not immediately returned.
The team said it contracted with Harrison/Erickson in 1978 at the behest of then-Phillies executive vice president Bill Giles to develop the mascot for $3,900 plus expenses, which turned out to be about $2,000. The Phillies said they reached an agreement to cover promotional items, paid Harrison/Erickson more than $100,000 in royalties and were sued by the company in 1979. As part of the settlement later that year, the Phillies said they made a $115,000 one-time payment and agreed to pay $5,000 annually, increasing by $1,000 per year.
The Phillies said they reached an agreement with H/E in 1984 to buy all rights to the “artistic sculpture known as the ‘Phillie Phanatic'” for $215,000.
The team said Harrison/Erickson lawyers sent a letter to the Phillies on June 1 last year claiming H/E had the right to terminate the 1984 agreement and saying absent a new deal the Phillies would not be able to use the Phanatic after June 15, 2020.
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More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Race car flips over fence after crash, kills a spectator

Speedway car flips over fence after crash, kills man
MECHANICSBURG, Pa. (AP) — Authorities say a car flipped over the infield fence at a central Pennsylvania speedway and struck a track volunteer, killing him.
The Cumberland County coroner’s office said two Sprint car drivers crashed into each other while rounding a turn at Williams Grove Speedway just before 9:30 p.m. Friday.
Coroner Charles Hall said one of the cars went out of control, hit the inside wall and then flipped up and over the infield fence, striking Richard Speck Jr., who was sitting in the back of a pickup truck parked along the fence.
Speck, 67, of Mechanicsburg, was pronounced dead at the scene, Hall said. Speck volunteered at the track driving a push truck, which assists the open-wheel race cars on and off the track.
Vicky Leah, who said she had been Speck’s neighbor in Mechanicsburg for five years, told the York Daily Record she was devastated by the news.
“Every Saturday, he would wash the truck down. I will miss seeing the dirt run off in the street outside his home from cleaning the truck after each race,” she said.
“Even our dog adores him, and he always welcomed her. He would stop what he was doing, yard work in most cases, to have her come to him for petting,” she said. “He would also talk about what a good race it was the night before.”
Driver Wyatt Hinkle, making his first racing appearance of the year at Williams Grove, said he always saw Speck at races. “He was someone who supported the sport so much,” he told the paper.
The speedway said the rest of Friday night’s racing program was canceled. State police, the coroner’s office and speedway officials are investigating the collision.
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This story has been corrected to show two Sprint cars crashed, not Spring cars.

The Latest: Official: El Paso attack victim dies at hospital

The Latest: Official: El Paso attack victim dies at hospital
EL PASO, Texas (AP) — The Latest on a shooting at an El Paso shopping complex (all times local):
3:30 p.m.
A University Medical Center of El Paso official says one of 12 people who were rushed to the hospital after the attack on a shopping complex has died.
Ryan Mielke (MIL’-kee), a hospital spokesman, says all of the victims suffered traumatic injuries in Saturday’s attack at or near the Cielo Vista Mall. He declined to provide additional details about the victims, including the one who died.
Mielke says two children, ages 2 and 9, were stabilized at the medical center before being transferred to the neighboring El Paso Children’s Hospital.
Authorities say multiple people were killed in the attack, but they haven’t said how many were killed or wounded. They say they believe it was carried out by a single male suspect who has been taken into custody.
President Donald Trump tweeted, “Reports are very bad, many killed.”
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3 p.m.
Authorities believe a deadly attack at or near a shopping mall in El Paso, Texas, was carried out by a single gunman who is in custody.
Police spokesman Robert Gomez says investigators are still trying to determine what happened during Saturday’s attack. He says multiple people were shot, but he didn’t say how many.
City officials have said there were multiple people killed, but they didn’t say how many.
State Rep. Cesar Blanco said on MSNBC that he had received reports that at least 18 people had been shot.
NBC News reports that a University Medical Center of El Paso official said it had received at least 10 seriously injured victims and that victims had also been taken to other hospitals.
El Paso, which has about 680,000 residents, is in West Texas and sits across the border from Juarez, Mexico.
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2:30 p.m.
Presidential candidate and former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke says he’s distraught by the news of a mass-shooting in his hometown of El Paso, Texas.
An emotional O’Rourke told reporters on Saturday in Las Vegas that he had spoken by phone to El Paso Mayor Dee Margo, the city’s sheriff and U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar. He says they were still learning details about the attack at or near the Cielo Vista Mall. Police say multiple people were killed and a male suspect was taken into custody.
O’Rourke said he planned to return home immediately to be with his family. He asked “for everyone’s strength for El Paso right now. Everyone’s resolve to make sure that this does not continue to happen in this country.”
El Paso, which has about 680,000 residents, is in West Texas and sits across the border from Juarez, Mexico.
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2:20 p.m.
Authorities say multiple people were shot and killed and a suspect was taken into custody in an attack at a shopping complex in El Paso, Texas.
Police Sgt. Enrique Carrillo told reporters Saturday that the attack at or near the Cielo Vista Mall had ended. He didn’t say how many people were wounded or killed, but NBC News reports that a University Medical Center of El Paso official said it had received at least 10 seriously injured victims and that some victims were taken to other hospitals.
The White House says President Donald Trump has been briefed on the shooting and has spoken to Attorney General William Barr and Gov. Greg Abbott.
El Paso, which has about 680,000 residents, is in West Texas and sits across the border from Juarez, Mexico.
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2 p.m.
Officials say multiple people were killed in an attack at a shopping complex in El Paso, Texas.
Olivia Zepeda, the chief of staff to El Paso Mayor Dee Margo, told CNN on Saturday that multiple people had been killed in the attack in or near the Cielo Vista Mall and that suspects have been taken into custody. She didn’t say how many victims there were.
The police department is asking the public to stay away from the area.
Authorities haven’t given any information about possible shooting victims.
El Paso is in West Texas along the border with Mexico.
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1:20 p.m.
Police in El Paso, Texas, say they’ve received reports of multiple shooters at a shopping complex and are urging the public to stay away from the area.
The police department tweeted Saturday that officers are at the Cielo Vista Mall area and that it is still an active shooter scene.
Authorities haven’t given any information about possible shooting victims.
El Paso is in West Texas along the border with Mexico.
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12:45 p.m.
Police in the West Texas city of El Paso have responded to reports of an active shooter in a commercial area near a mall.
El Paso police tweeted Saturday that officers were responding to an active shooting scene and that people were advised to stay away from the Cielo Vista Mall area. The mall complex is near Interstate 10 and on El Paso’s east side.
Police didn’t immediately provide details on whether anyone was hurt or in custody.
Further details weren’t immediately available.

Funding for Beemac Trucking Helps Finance New Facilities

State Rep. Rob Matzie announced that a grant for Beemac Trucking, LLC will further boost the company’s economic influence in the state.

Beaver County Radio News Correspondent, Sandy Giordano, has more on the story…

Single Lane Traffic on Route 68 Eastbound

Drivers on Route 68 Eastbound should be aware of the new single lane traffic pattern.

Beaver County News Correspondent, Sandy Giordano,has more on the story.

 

PA DNC to Host Education and Training Session in Vanport

The Pennsylvania Democratic National Convention will be holding an education and training session in Vanport tomorrow. This session is free and open to anyone and will take place at the IBEW Local 712 Hall, beginning at 9 AM. At this event, people will learn about how they can become a delegate for the 2020 DNC. There will be other sessions held in each of the state’s congressional districts.

US Economy Stays Strong Through Slow Hiring in July

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers slowed their hiring in July, adding a still-healthy 164,000 jobs to an economy that appears poised to extend its decade-plus expansion. The Labor Department says the unemployment rate stayed at 3.7% for a second straight month. Average hourly earnings increased 3.2% from a year ago, up from annual gains of 3% in June.

Saudi Arabia Expands Women’s Rights

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia has published new laws that loosen restrictions on women by allowing them to apply for a passport and travel freely. The development ends a long-standing guardianship policy that had controlled women’s freedom of movement and is a potential game-changer for Saudi women’s rights. Still in place, however, are rules that require male consent for a woman to marry. Women still cannot pass on citizenship to their children and cannot provide consent for their children to marry.

US Plans for Missile Testing in Coming Weeks

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States plans to test a new missile in the coming weeks that would have been prohibited under a landmark, 32-year-old arms control treaty that the U.S. and Russia ripped up on Friday. Washington and Moscow walked out of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces treaty that President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev signed in 1987, raising fears of a new arms race. The U.S. blamed Moscow for the death of the treaty.

US Tariffs on Chinese Goods Spark Retaliation Threats

BEIJING (AP) — China has threatened retaliation if President Donald Trump goes ahead with planned tariff hikes on Chinese goods. Trump stepped up a dispute over Beijing’s trade surplus and technology ambitions by announcing 10% tariffs effective Sept. 1 on $300 billion of Chinese imports. The Commerce Ministry said Beijing would be forced to take unspecified ‘necessary countermeasures.’ The ministry said Trump violated an agreement with President Xi Jinping in June to revive negotiations.