PEOPLE IN THE NEWS

‘General Hospital’ wins 6 trophies, Lucci honored at Daytime Emmys

“General Hospital” won five trophies, including four for acting, at the Daytime Emmy Awards on Friday night.

The late Sonya Eddy won for her 16year role as no-nonsense head nurse Epiphany Johnson on the venerable ABC show. She died last December at age 55 from an infection after surgery.

Alley Mills, best-known for her role as the mother on “The Wonder Years,” won for guest performance on a daytime drama. The 72-year-old actor began playing Heather Webber on “General Hospital” when the role was recast last year.

“General Hospital” also won for its directing team.

Susan Lucci received the Lifetime Achievement Honor for her 40-year run as Erica Kane on “All My Children.” The actor, who turns 77 this week, was nominated 18 times in the lead actress category without winning before she ended the futility in 1999.

“How lucky am I to dream my dreams of becoming an actress and grow up to have my dreams come true?” said Lucci, who sniffled during her remarks. “There were obstacles and roadblocks. I mean, there were wannabe obstacles and roadblocks.”

Prince Harry wins telephone hacking lawsuit against British tabloid publisher

Prince Harry’s phone was hacked by journalists and private investigators working for the Daily Mirror who invaded his privacy by snooping on him unlawfully, a judge ruled Friday, delivering an historic victory for the estranged royal who broke from family tradition to take on the British press.

Phone hacking was “widespread and habitual” at Mirror Group Newspapers, and executives at the papers covered it up, Justice Timothy Fancourt said in his 386-page ruling handed down in the High Court.

The newspapers were ordered to pay the Duke of Sussex 140,000 pounds ($180,000) for using unlawful information gathering in 15 of the 33 newspaper articles examined at trial.

Harry said the ruling was “vindicating and affirming” and should serve as a warning to other news media that used similar practices, an overt reference to two tabloid publishers that face upcoming trials in lawsuits that make nearly identical allegations.

Fancourt awarded the duke damages for the distress he suffered and a further sum to “reflect the particular hurt and sense of outrage” because two directors at Trinity Mirror knew about the activity and didn’t stop it.

Mirror Group welcomed the judgment for providing the “necessary clarity to move forward from events that took place many years ago,” Chief Executive Jim Mullen said.