Defamation case against Pennsylvania attorney general tossed

Woman pleads guilty to punching reporter in face on live TV

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. Mark Scolforo 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 A reminder this information is not for publication or broadcast, and these coverage plans are subject to change.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: SENATE 2016-PENNSYLVANIA CHAMBERSBURG — UU.S. Sen. Pat Toomey has been a critic of Donald Trump's and is skipping the Republican National Convention, and it is fueling questions from GOP voters as he hopscotches to meet-and-greets across Pennsylvania in his re-election campaign. By Marc Levy. SENT: 693 words. With: SENATE2016-PENNSYLVANIA-SPENDING HARRISBURG — Republican incumbent Pat Toomey headed into the last four months of Pennsylvania's U.S. Senate race with three times the campaign cash as Democratic challenger Katie McGinty, even after outspending her three-to-one in the latest period. SENT: 130 words. PENNSYLVANIA ATTORNEY GENERAL-LAWSUIT PHILADELPHIA — A federal judge has dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed by former Pennsylvania attorney general staffers against Attorney General Kathleen Kane, and says any comments Kane made weren't damaging enough to warrant litigation. SENT: 273 words. UNITED STATES-TURKEY WASHINGTON — Secretary of State John Kerry is calling on Turkey to provide hard evidence that a U.S.-based cleric who lives in Pennsylvania was behind a foiled coup attempt last weekend if it wants him extradited. By Matthew Lee. SENT: 444 words. MOTHER ARRESTED-POISONING WILKES-BARRE — An elderly Pennsylvania woman convicted of poisoning her son's girlfriend with antifreeze leaving her near death deserves a new trial because of ineffective legal counsel, a judge has ruled. SENT: 379 words. NFL CONCUSSIONS-INSURANCE LAWSUIT A former NFL player who suffered what the league deemed a career-ending concussion has sued Lloyd's of London for denying a $1 million insurance policy for professional athletes. By Maryclaire Dale. SENT: 449 words. EXCHANGE: EXCHANGE-NARCAN FINES PITTSBURGH — Fed up with the rising number of opiate overdoses in Western Pennsylvania, an Allegheny County judge is making convicted drug dealers buy lifesaving naloxone kits for the communities where they've sold drugs. By Matthew Santoni. SENT: 752 words. EXCHANGE-EDITORIAL ROUNDUP Editorials from around Pennsylvania. SENT: 2314 words. ELSEWHERE: VIKING SHIP BAY CITY, Mich. — A Norwegian ship described as the largest Viking vessel in the world has departed for Chicago after raising enough money to leave Michigan and continue at least part of a Great Lakes tour. SENT: 155 words, AP Photos. IN BRIEF: —VINTAGE AIRCRAFT-PILOT INJURED — The pilot of a vintage airplane has been knocked over by the craft's tail and was being treated for a head injury at a Pittsburgh hospital. —NATURAL GAS EXPLOSION — A federal agency has ordered a natural gas pipeline company to conduct additional assessments on three lines buried in western Pennsylvania, including one that has corrosion similar to a fourth line that blew up in April, scorching some 40 acres. —XGR-INDUSTRIAL HEMP — A new law is on the books that could eventually lead to the return of the production of industrial hemp in Pennsylvania. —PENNSYLVANIA OPIOID GUIDELINES — State regulators are giving their OK to new parameters for distributing and prescribing opioids in Pennsylvania. —RAIL CARS-DEFECT — A train manufacturer says faulty welds are at the root of the problem that has put has put more than 100 regional rail cars out of service at Philadelphia's main transit agency. —BILL COSBY — Bill Cosby is again fighting for the chance to question his accuser in court before his sexual-assault case goes to trial near Philadelphia. —DEM2016-CONVENTION-KENNEDY — A Kennedy is being added to the list of speakers at the Democratic National Convention. —COFFEE THEFTS-CONVENIENCE STORES — Police in suburban Philadelphia say they have grounds to believe a one-woman string of coffee thefts across four states has been brewing for months and want the public's help in finding her. —FLOODING-DISASTER ASSISTANCE — A southwestern Pennsylvania county has been designated a disaster area by the U.S. Small Business Administration following recent storms and severe weather in the area. —HEROIN USER ASSISTED-SUSPECT — A Pennsylvania man police assisted for being in "distress" from heroin use was arrested hours later on charges he robbed a drug store of opioid painkillers —TWO DEAD-WELFARE CHECK — Police say two people found dead in their southwestern Pennsylvania home were elderly siblings who had fallen. —OFFICER OF YEAR CHARGED — A central Pennsylvania county's "Police Officer of the Year" has been charged with assaulting his wife. —DRIVER CRUSHED-GARBAGE TRUCK — Authorities say a garbage truck driver was crushed to death when his truck ran over him while he was trying to repair its brakes in eastern Pennsylvania. —OVERRUN BY KITTENS — An animal shelter in a largely rural western Pennsylvania county has been overrun by kittens and is waiving the fee normally charged to adopt them. —AMUSEMENT PARK POOL DEATH — A coroner says the cause of an 8-year-old boy's death in a swimming pool at a central Pennsylvania amusement park remains inconclusive. —LINE MOUNTAIN TEACHERS — Teachers in one central Pennsylvania school district have their first new contract in more than five years. —UNCONSCIOUS STUDENT RAPED — A former student who raped an unconscious student in her West Chester University dorm room will spend six to 12 years in prison. —ATV CRASH-CHILD KILLED — Police say an 8-year-old has died in an all-terrain vehicle accident on a private track behind his western Pennsylvania home. —EXPLOSIVE DEVICES FOUND-CAR — Philadelphia police say they've found two explosive devices inside a van with young children in it. —AIRCRAFT CRASH — Police say the pilot of an ultralight aircraft was injured when it crashed in York County. —GETTYSBURG FEES INCREASE — It will cost more to visit exhibits surrounding the hallowed ground of Gettysburg National Military Park. —PHILADELPHIA SHOOTING — Police are seeking suspects in a shooting that left a man dead in Philadelphia's Parkside section. SPORTS: NASCAR-EARNHARDT OUT INDIANAPOLIS — Dale Earnhardt Jr. will not race again this month because of concussion-like symptoms and the No. 88 car will be turned over to trusted former teammate Jeff Gordon for the next two weeks. Hendrick Motorsports announced Wednesday that Earnhardt has not yet been cleared to drive by doctors and will miss Sunday's Brickyard 400 as well as next weekend's race at Pocono. By Michael Marot. SENT: 784 words, AP Photos. ___ 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.

BC-PA--Pennsylvania News Digest, PA