Student suspended amid racist remarks after Trump election

Newspaper columnist reports fighting off thief in hotel room

Good afternoon! 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 A reminder this information is not for publication or broadcast, and these coverage plans are subject to change.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. Also please note: The AP is moving election test reports for the November Pennsylvania general election on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 1-3 p.m. These test tables are NOT for publication, broadcast or use online. WOLF-PENNSYLVANIA LEGISLATURE HARRISBURG — Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf will face the next two years with even larger Republican majorities in the state House and Senate after Tuesday's election and, as he prepares to run for a second term in 2018, he has not achieved many key planks in his 2014 campaign for governor. By Marc Levy. UPCOMING: About 700 words by 3 p.m. EST. TRUMP-RACIAL INCIDENTS PHILADELPHIA — Officials say a University of Oklahoma student has been suspended after black freshmen at the Philadelphia university were added to a group chat in which one post read "daily lynching," and one participant was called a "dumb slave." SENT: NewsNow. UPCOMING: About 250 words by 5 p.m. EDT. MENTAL HEALTH FACILITY ATTACK PITTSBURGH — An armed man shot after stabbing five people at a mental health facility in western Pennsylvania will be charged with attempted homicide and other counts, authorities said. SENT: NewsNow. UPCOMING: About 250 words by 5 p.m. EDT. EXCHANGE: EXCHANGE-VETERANS VISITING BATTLEFIELDS PITTSBURGH — They were soldiers once, and young. Carl King of Mt. Pleasant Borough was 18 when he joined the Army in 1943, during the height of World War II, and ended up following Patton across Europe. Donald McIlrath of Penn Hills was 18 when he joined the Army in 1951 and left for Korea. Bill Bigelow of Hempfield was 19 when he joined the Navy and shipped out for Vietnam in 1967. Decades later, each man trekked back to the war zone where he served. Something persistent — in each case, slightly different — drew them halfway around the world to sites where they grew up in an instant, forever changed. King, who returned to Germany last fall, and McIlrath, who flew into Seoul in 1998, said curiosity drew them back to the nations where they served as young men. Debra Erdley, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. EXCHANGE-BEER SALES ALLENTOWN — In the state Capitol, Republicans and Democrats toasted passage of a bill that would let beer distributors sell six-packs and single bottles as evidence lawmakers finally are loosening Pennsylvania's restrictive Prohibition-era alcohol laws. But in a small northern Northampton County borough, businessman Casey Kopko cringed at the bill. Kopko says a little-known provision could ruin his family's 70-year-old retail distributing company. Kopko's concern — shared by other small distributors — centers around a Prohibition-era law that deals with where and how brewers can sell beer in Pennsylvania. Since the 1930s, brewers can enter into private contracts with large wholesale beer distributors giving them exclusive territorial rights to where brewers' brands can be sold geographically to small licensed retail distributors, six-pack stores, bars and restaurants. Under the bill, retail distributors would be prohibited from buying from one wholesaler and selling to a bar or restaurants in another wholesaler's territory. Steve Esack, The (Allentown) Morning Call. EXCHANGE-COLD CASE MURDER YORK — In November 1972, on a desolate stretch of road in southern York County, Anne Elder had a chance encounter with the Isaacs brothers, Carl and Billy. Two months later, Elder was murdered, shotgunned to death in her bedroom. No murder weapon was found. No physical evidence conclusively linked anyone to the homicide. Carl Isaacs, however, had just escaped from jail. And he and Billy and two others had set off on what would become a multi-state killing spree. Their roles in the murders of a Maryland man and a family of six in Georgia were proven. The state of Georgia executed Carl in 2003. Billy served time in Georgia and Maryland. Police feel confident that Carl Isaacs killed Elder, but they could never prove that. And so, 44 years later, police have no hope of officially closing the case unless new evidence arises or new witnesses come forth. If ever the term cold case applied to a murder investigation, this seems to be it. Rick Lee, York Daily Record. EXCHANGE-SCHOOLS COMPETING IN CYBERSPACE ERIE — It's not a typical classroom. Students work on laptops at tables set up in an open area at the junction of two main hallways at Erie's Central Career and Technical School. Three teachers stationed at desks beside and behind them are available for help when the students need it. Most of the time, teachers monitor other students working online at home. The makeshift classroom is home base for the Erie School District's cyber school. High school students work mainly online at home but come to the class if they need one-on-one help from teachers. It caters to students who don't thrive in traditional classrooms, but school officials hope that it will also cater to Erie students enrolled in outside cyber charter schools. "I'd rather that students that want cyber school choose ours," says coordinator Neal Brokman. Valerie Myers, Erie Times-News. EXCHANGE-DRUG-RELATED AUTOPSIES JOHNSTOWN — Cambria County Coroner Jeffrey Lees has requested $40,000 in additional funds for operating his department and says drug overdoses are "a big part of it." ''Our case volume is way up," he said. Autopsies and toxicology reports are squeezing the Cambria coroner's department budget this year, with Lees saying he is running $10,000 in the red in this category alone. Across the region, those who perform autopsies - both for government agencies and as private businesses - reported a spike in the number of deaths they investigate that are tied to drug abuse. Lees said dealing with the increase is something out of his control as he works to accomplish his job to determine the cause and manner of each death. "I cannot sacrifice a death investigation over a budget situation," he said. "When I say that this drug epidemic is affecting everyone, it's affecting everyone." Jocelyn Brumbaugh, The (Johnstown) Tribune-Democrat. IN BRIEF: BEATEN OVER STOLEN BEER — A western Pennsylvania man accused of having beaten his roommate for stealing some beer has now been charged with criminal homicide. MOTHER AND SON SLAIN — A man has been charged in the shooting deaths of a mother and her adult son in a central Pennsylvania home. KRISTOF-HOTEL INTRUDER — New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof fought with and restrained a burglary suspect he found in his Philadelphia hotel room who tried to steal his wife's purse. SPORTS: BKN--76ERS-HAWKS ATLANTA — Dwight Howard and the Atlanta Hawks try for their fourth straight victory as Philadelphia visits Philips Arena. Joel Embiid and the 76ers are 1-7 after winning their first game Friday. UPCOMING. 600 words with photos. Game starts at 7:30 p.m. EST. FBC--T25--PENN ST-INDIANA BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — No. 12 Penn State tries to keep its surprising climb in the Big Ten on track Saturday when it visits surging Indiana. The Nittany Lions have their highest ranking in five years. The Hoosiers can become bowl-eligible with a win. By Michael Marot. UPCOMING: 650 words, with photos and breakout story. Gametime is noon. FBC--T25-PITTSBURGH-CLEMSON CLEMSON, S.C. — No. 3 Clemson looks to start 10-0 for a second straight season and clinch the ACC Atlantic Division when it faces Pittsburgh on Saturday. By Pete Iacobelli. UPCOMING, 600 words from 3:30 p.m. EST start. HKN--MAPLE LEAFS-PENGUINS PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins host the Toronto Maple Leafs and rookie Auston Matthews on Saturday night. Game begins at 7 p.m. EST. UPCOMING: 700 words, photos. HKN--WILD-FLYERS PHILADELPHIA -- The Minnesota Wild head to Philadelphia to play the Flyers. UPCOMING. 605 words. Game starts at 7 p.m. EST. 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