China frees three activists who probed Trump supplier

June 29, 2017 at 12:00a.m.

GANZHOU, China

The three Chinese investigators who went undercover at a factory that made Ivanka Trump shoes walked out of a Chinese police station Wednesday after a month behind bars, but face an uncertain future and threat of a trial.

Chinese authorities released the three on bail after they purportedly broke the law by using secret cameras and listening devices. It is extremely rare for individuals to be freed on bail if they had been criminally detained, a possible sign that they won’t be formally charged and put on trial.

Political dissidents and other activists who are released in China typically face restrictions on what they can do and say, including comments to the media.

Man destroys new 10 Commandments statue in Arkansas

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.

A man yelled “Freedom!” as he crashed his vehicle into Arkansas’ new Ten Commandments monument early Wednesday, nearly three years after he was arrested in the destruction of Oklahoma’s monument at its state Capitol, authorities said.

The privately funded Arkansas monument had been in place outside the state Capitol in Little Rock for less than 24 hours before it was knocked from its plinth and smashed to pieces.

Michael Tate Reed, 32, of Van Buren, Ark., was booked in the Pulaski County jail shortly after 7:30 a.m. on preliminary charges of defacing objects of public interest, criminal trespass and first-degree criminal mischief.

Airstrike kills at least 15 in Syria

BEIRUT

At least 15 people were killed in an airstrike in eastern Syria on Wednesday, activists said, in the second attack in three days reported to kill civilians in the Islamic State-held Euphrates River valley.

Two Syrian monitoring groups, Deir Ezzor 24 and Justice For Life, said an unidentified jet dropped a cluster bomb on the village of Doblan. Russian, Syrian and U.S.-led coalition aircraft are all known to operate in the area.

Cluster bombs are designed to spread small bomblets across a wide area, but many fail to explode, endangering civilians long after the fighting has ended.

Prosecutors settle Panda Express discrimination claim

WASHINGTON

Panda Express reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over allegations the company discriminated against workers who were not U.S. citizens, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.

Under the settlement, Panda Express will pay a $400,000 penalty to the U.S. government and establish a $200,000 fund to compensate workers who lost wages due to the chain’s practices. Panda Express said in a statement it did not discriminate.

Selected local stocks

STOCK, DIVIDENDCLOSECHANGE

Alcoa Inc., .1232.961.33

Aqua America, .71 33.620.08

Avalon Holdings,2.480.03

Chemical Bank, .2747.490.49Community Health Sys. 9.83 0.25

Cortland Bancorp, .2818.05-0.20

Farmers Nat., .1614.650.35

First Energy, 1.44 29.09-0.63

Fifth/Third, .5225.490.40

FirstMerit Corp.,--

First Niles Financial, .1210.000.00

FNB Corp., .4813.990.18

General Motors, 1.5234.570.36

General Electric, .9227.07-0.14

Huntington Bank, .28 13.140.23

iHeartMedia Inc.,1.45-0.09

JP Morgan Chase, 1.9289.801.75

Key Corp, .3418.350.15

LaFarge, .34--

Macy’s, 1.51 23.170.08

Parker Hannifin, 2.52 158.041.82

PNC, 2.20123.422.30

Simon Prop. Grp., 6.60163.751.38

Stoneridge 15.500.54

United Comm. Fin., .12 8.060.11

Selected prices from Wednesday’s 4 p.m. close.