DAD PLEADS GUILTY IN CHILD’S DEATH
PHILADELPHIA» A Philadelphia father accused of “carelessly and recklessly” waving a gun around a small bedroom with seven children present before it went off, killing his 4-yearold daughter, has pleaded guilty to third-degree murder.
Maurice Phillips, 31, entered an open guilty plea Friday to homicide and 16 other counts including child endangerment, reckless endangerment, evidence-tampering and a weapons count.
Authorities said he aimed a .45-caliber pistol at the television in the Kensington home’s bedroom in April 2016 and the weapon discharged, hitting Tahirah Phillips in the head. After the shooting, the other children became upset and began yelling, and Phillips struck his 5year-old daughter and “wiped the blood from his hand onto her shirt” in an attempt to shift blame, investigators said.
Bridenstine is Trump’s choice for NASA.
The White House said President Donald Trump plans to nominate an Oklahoma congressman to serve as the next administrator of NASA.
Trump on Friday announced his pick of Republican Rep. Jim Bridenstine to lead the nation’s space agency.
The congressman serves in the Oklahoma Air National Guard and is a former executive director of the Tulsa Air and Space Museum and Planetarium. He was elected to Congress in 2012.
13-year-old running for Vt. governor.
VT.» A candidate for governor in Vermont is too young to vote, but he’s not too young to run.
Ethan Sonneborn, 13, told The Burlington Free Press that he can run because Vermont is one of two states without age restrictions. He is collecting 500 signatures of registered voters, a requirement for the Vermont ballot.
The Bristol teen insists he is running to win the 2018 election but that he would be happy to merely “send a message about young people in politics.”
Chestnut defending his wings title.
BUFFALO, Champion eater Joey Chestnut is set to defend his title as chicken wing champion at the National Buffalo Wing Festival.
The annual festival takes place each Labor Day weekend. The chicken wing-eating championship is set for Sunday.
Last year, Chestnut ate 188 wings in 12 minutes to claim first place. The winner will collect $2,500.
The festival features several other contests, including an amateur wing-eating contest, traditional and creative sauceoffs, an extra hot wingeating contest and a Miss Buffalo Wing pageant.
USS Constitution reopens for tours. BOSTON» The USS Constitution has reopened for public tours after more than two years of restoration.
The world’s oldest commissioned warship reopened for tours again Saturday, in time for the Labor Day holiday. After Monday, it will resume its regular Tuesday through Sunday tour schedule.
The wooden ship is docked at the Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston. It was launched in 1797 and earned its nickname, “Old Ironsides,” during the War of 1812.
The restoration work included replacing 100 hull planks and installing 2,200 new copper sheets. Tokens no good, library insists. MASS.» A
DANVARS, Massachusetts library is reminding residents that Chuck E. Cheese tokens are not an acceptable form of payment for book fines.
The Peabody Institute Library in Danvers posted on Facebook that the library has had a surge of people attempting to pay fines and printing fees with tokens from Chuck E. Cheese and Bonkers — a Peabody amusement center. Denver Post wire reports