Powerful Philadelphia union boss, council member go on trial

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A powerful Philadelphia labor leader has gone on trial two years after a lengthy indictment put him at the center of a sweeping corruption case. The charges against Johnny Dougherty are being split into at least two trials. In the case starting Monday, the boss known as “Doc” is accused of keeping City Council member Bobby Henon on the union payroll to push his agenda at City Hall. The 61-year-old Dougherty has steered more than $30 million to mostly Democratic candidates over the years. His brother sits on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Both he and Henon have pleaded not guilty.