McConnell shuts door on Senate action on Obama court pick

Where is the 'LOVE?' Philadelphia sculpture moved for rehab

Good evening! Here's a look at AP's general news coverage today in Pennsylvania. For questions about the state report, contact the Philadelphia bureau at 215-561-1133. Ron Todt is on the desk. Editor Larry Rosenthal can be reached at 215-446-6631 or lrosenthal@ap.org. A reminder this information is not for publication or broadcast, and these coverage plans are subject to change. Expected stories may not develop, or late-breaking and more newsworthy events may take precedence. Advisories, digests and digest advisories will keep you up to date. Some TV and radio stations will receive shorter APNewsNow versions of the stories below, along with updates. TOP STORIES: BILL COSBY PHILADELPHIA — Entertainer Bill Cosby is using the courts to intimidate the accuser in his criminal sex-assault case, along with her mother and potential witnesses, the woman's lawyer wrote in a court filing. By Maryclaire Dale. SENT: About 430 words. PENNSYLVANIA ATTORNEY GENERAL HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania House Democrats are raising questions about the wisdom of trying to impeach state Attorney General Kathleen Kane now that she's not running for the party's nomination for another term in office. SENT: About 610 words. SUPREME COURT JUSTICE-EMAILS HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania's ethics court for judges will meet this week for a hearing that could resolve allegations Supreme Court Justice Michael Eakin's email practices violated conduct standards for judges. By Mark Scolforo. SENT: NewsNow. UPCOMING: About 500 words. GAS DRILLING-DIMOCK SCRANTON — Two families who accuse one of the largest natural gas drillers in Pennsylvania of polluting their well water are trying to persuade a federal jury to hold the company accountable. SENT: About 410 words. INMATE MURDER-FOR-HIRE CHARGES PINE GROVE, Pa. — A state prison inmate and his girlfriend have been charged in a murder-for-hire plot foiled by an undercover state police officer posing as a go-between named Joanie Pepperoni. SENT: About 270 words. ALLEGHENY TECHNOLOGIES-CONTRACT PITTSBURGH — The United Steelworkers union has reached a tentative four-year agreement with Allegheny Technologies after 2,200 workers were first locked out six months ago. SENT: About 510 words. OVERDOSE ON BUS PHILADELPHIA — Police outside Philadelphia released video Tuesday showing a man overdosing on heroin on a crowded transit bus and being revived by police officers carrying a lifesaving drug. By Kristen DeGroot. SENT: About 270 words. BUSINESS: ALLEGHENY TECHNOLOGIES-CONTRACT PITTSBURGH — The United Steelworkers union has reached a tentative four-year agreement with Allegheny Technologies Inc. after 2,200 workers were locked out more than six months ago. About 500 words. OIL SUMMIT HOUSTON — Saudi Arabia's oil minister says production cuts to boost oil prices won't work, and that instead the market should be allowed to work even if that forces some operators out of business. By David Koenig. SENT: About 690 words. EXCHANGE: EXCHANGE-TREATMENT HOUSE WAYNESBURG — Nearly two years ago, Lynn Bird's two oldest daughters told her they would get sober as a Mother's Day present to her. Later that year in 2014, they both died of heroin overdoses just four months apart. "They said 'For you, Mom, we're both going to get clean,' and they did for a while," Lynn said last week. "It was devastating." Since their deaths, Lynn, who lives in Morris Township, Greene County, has been working with the Waynesburg nonprofit rehabilitation program Steps Inside to establish a sober-living facility close to home. The first Oxford House in Waynesburg, a recovery home for men, opened in October 2014, but there were no options for women until recently. That changed Jan. 1 when she and Steps Inside collaborated to open the Bird Sisters Oxford House in Waynesburg in memory of Lynn Bird's daughters, Jennifer Bird Porter, 32, and Megan, 30. Katie Anderson, (Washington) Observer-Reporter. SENT: About 1150 words. IN BRIEF: DRAG RACING-DEADLY CRASH — Authorities say a second suspect is in custody in a triple-fatal high-speed crash that authorities said occurred as two cars were drag racing in northeast Philadelphia last summer, AMUSEMENT PARK FIRING OUTCRY — An autism fundraising and awareness walk is moving out of a Pennsylvania amusement park over its treatment of an employee with special needs. ELDERLY WOMAN BURNED — An elderly southern New Jersey woman was seriously burned when her clothes accidentally caught fire while she was cooking at her stove. DOG ATTACKED — A northeastern Pennsylvania man has been charged with clubbing his dog on the head with a hammer and stabbing her. NEW LAWS — New laws are on the books in Pennsylvania to exempt people in the military from a tax and to fund oversight of the struggling horse racing industry. PENNSYLVANIA CONGRESSMAN INDICTED-WIFE — Philadelphia news anchor Renee Chenault-Fattah is leaving her job as her congressman-husband prepares for his federal racketeering trial. TONGUE-SPLITTING BAN — A Pennsylvania county's health department wants to prevent tattoo artists from splitting the tongues of their customers, too. FATAL CRASH-SENTENCE — A western Pennsylvania man is getting prison time after pleading guilty to charges he caused a fatal crash in 2013. CHILD SHOT IN CAR — A man is facing charges in a shooting that wounded a 10-year-old girl riding in a car with her parents a few days before Christmas. CHILD LEFT AT MACY'S — Police say a woman who left her daughter at a Macy's department store while evading Philadelphia police is now in custody. SCHOOL BUS OVERTURNED — Six students from a Pittsburgh-area Catholic high school have suffered minor injuries after their school bus was rear-ended and overturned. TROUBLED LANDLORD ARRESTED — A Pittsburgh-area landlord being sued for renting slum-like properties to Bhutanese refugees has been arrested after nodding off in court and testing positive for drugs. DUI SUSPECT ARRIVES DRUNK — A Pennsylvania man who showed up drunk when he was supposed to plead guilty to a five-year-old drunken driving case has been jailed KERNS-CHARGES — A former county Republican chairman from suburban Philadelphia who pleaded no contest to a sex offense has agreed to be disbarred. DOG STABBED-BURGLARY — A western Pennsylvania woman is heading to prison after pleading guilty to charges she broke into a neighbor's apartment and stabbed the woman's dog. PENN STATE CREAMERY — Penn State's famous Berkey Creamery has reopened after closing for renovations during a longer-than-usual winter break. TYRONE HOSPITAL-CEO — A central Pennsylvania hospital has found its new CEO. PITTSBURGH ZOO-LEOPARD CUB — The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium has announced the birth of a rare Amur leopard. ODD-LOVE ON THE MOVE — Philadelphia's iconic "LOVE" statue has taken a ride to its temporary home while the park named after it gets a multimillion-dollar renovation. DONATION BIN CRACKDOWN — Philadelphia is cracking down on unsightly, unlawful clothing donation bins around the city. RAIN-SNOW STORMS — National weather forecasters say a storm system bearing down on the region could cause flooding in parts of central and eastern Pennsylvania while the northeastern part of the state faces a winter weather advisory. The National Weather Service said Tuesday that moderate to heavy rain is expected late Wednesday and into the night that could cause localized flooding, especially in areas of poor drainage in southeastern Pennsylvania. EYE GOUGING — A judge called a Philadelphia man a threat to society as she sentenced him to serve 41 ½ to 83 years in prison for gouging another man's eyes out. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Stephen Masten was sentenced Monday in Philadelphia for a 2012 assault that left David Phillips blind as well as for a prison guard assault. RESERVER UNIT-GUANTANAMO About 100 members of an Army Reserve unit in western Pennsylvania have left for their eventual nine-month deployment to guard prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. SALAMANDER FUNGUS — U.S. regulators are stepping up their efforts to block the spread of a skin fungus fatal to salamanders. The U.S. Geological Survey said in a statement Monday that the Pacific Coast and the Appalachian Mountains could see significant declines in salamander populations if the fungus known as Bsal (BEE'-sal) enters the country. The agency says the risk is particularly high in Pennsylvania. SPORTS: BKC--VILLANOVA-XAVIER SHOWDOWN CINCINNATI — No. 5 Xavier plays perhaps its biggest game yet in the Big East when it hosts No. 1 Villanova on Wednesday, the first time a top-ranked team has played at the Cintas Center. By Joe Kay. UPCOMING: 600 words by 6 p.m. EST. HKN--FLYERS-HURRICANES RALEIGH, N.C. — The Carolina Hurricanes face the Philadelphia Flyers in a Metropolitan Division matchup. UPCOMING: 500 words, photos from 7 p.m. EST start. BBN--PHILLIES-HOWARD CLEARWATER, Fla. — Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard says two offseasons of legal battles have taken their toll on him, but trying to focus on baseball helps escape the drama of fighting performance-enhancing drug allegations and family financial disputes. SENT: About 500 words. Also moving: HKN--PENGUINS-LOVEJOY — The Pittsburgh Penguins will have to continue their playoff push without veteran defenseman Ben Lovejoy. ___ If you have stories of regional or statewide interest, please email them to phillyap@ap.org. If you have photos of regional or statewide interest, please send them to the AP state photo center in New York, 888-273-6867. For access to AP Exchange and other technical issues, contact AP Customer Support at apcustomersupport@ap.org or 877-836-9477. MARKETPLACE: Calling your attention to the Marketplace in AP Exchange, where you can find member-contributed content from Pennsylvania and other states. The Marketplace is accessible on the left navigational pane of the AP Exchange home page, near the bottom. For both national and state, you can click "All" or search for content by topics such as education, politics and business.

AP-PA--Pennsylvania News Digest, PA