Due to contract obligations, we are not able to broadcast the regular Sunday worship services from the Church of The Covenant and St. James Parish this morning. We are providing those services on WJPA.com. The Church of The Covenant worship service and St. James Parish mass are available at this link. Click Here
ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pa. — The U.S. Department of Justice alerted the PA Department of State Secretary Al Schmidt that there will be election monitors in four Pennsylvania counties on November 3rd. According to the DOJ letter to the PA DOS, election monitors will be in Philadelphia, Allegheny, Luzerne and Lehigh counties. The DOJ says that these monitors only observe and take notes. They do not intrude or interfere in the voting process. The PA DOS says that they expect everyone working in, voting in and observing polling places to follow all applicable state and federal laws.
WESTMORELAND COUNTY, Pa. — Over 150 duplicate ballots were sent out to voters in Westmoreland County by the county’s election bureau. According to the Department of State, they initially learned about the issue on Thursday and that this is not a systematic issue. DOS and the county have since resolved the problem. The statewide voter registration system has safeguards in place that will not allow more than one vote to be counted for a single voter, even if a voter sent back both ballots. Only one ballot will be counted. Westmoreland County Commissioner Doug Chew says that said voters with the double ballots were contacted. Chew also shared that the duplicate ballots have the exact same identification numbers and that will stop them from being counted more than once. “Whichever ballot comes in first, the next ballot can never, ever be recorded,” Chew said. The Department of State says that they are not aware of this happening in any other county in the state.
The long-awaited extension of the Mon-Fayette Expressway will connect Camp Hollow Road in West Mifflin to the former endpoint in Jefferson Hills. After years of construction, the first two sections of the southern half of the expressway are set to open to drivers on Nov. 20, just in time for Thanksgiving. The new sections will bring the Mon-Fayette Expressway to 57 miles, running from Interstate 68 near Morgantown, West Virginia, all the way to West Mifflin. The road only needs some finishing touches. This Tuesday, state and local leaders will get the first chance to drive it. The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is hosting a celebration at the project site with elected officials and project partners expected to take part. This long-awaited update is half a century in the making. Plans for the expressway date back to the 1970s, with the goal of connecting communities in Southwestern Pennsylvania to northern West Virginia and improving access through a region that has long looked to new development and investment.
CORAOPOLIS, Pa. — A high school football coach has died after suffering a medical emergency during a game Friday night. According to our news partners at Channel 11, Cornell High School Superintendent Dr. Aaron Thomas said head football coach Ed Dawson was taken to a local hospital after suffering a medical emergency during the team’s game at Rochester High School in Beaver County. He later died. “This is an extremely difficult situation. To say Coach Dawson was an integral part of Cornell School District would be an understatement. It is hard to put into words what Coach Dawson means to Cornell and we are all heartbroken, crushed, and in shock,” Thomas said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with Coach Dawson and his family. We have difficult days ahead and we will lean on each other to get through them the best we can. We love you, Coach Dawson.” School officials say resources will be made available to students and staff. The School was previously scheduled to have an in-service day on Monday. Following the news of Dawson’s passing, community leaders, family and friends began sharing posts of condolences on social media. (Photo: WPXI)
PARIS (AP) — Clashes erupted in Paris as a mass march drew to a close Saturday. More than 400,000 people rallied across France over school funding and soaring living costs, challenging President Emmanuel Macron. Police made nearly 1,000 arrests. The Paris march began peacefully but turned violent near its endpoint. Masked protesters hurled objects and fireworks at police, who responded with tear gas and water cannons. The Interior Ministry reported 410,000 protesters nationwide, while the CGT union estimated nearly 800,000. This unrest is testing Macron’s authority in the final months of his presidency before elections in May.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine and Russia have signaled willingness to resume peace talks and back a humanitarian mission led by U.S. First lady Melania Trump, but deep disagreements over territory and security guarantees underscore obstacles to ending the war. U.S. President Donald Trump is pushing for a new round of negotiations, potentially in mid-November, as Russia continues to demand control of Ukrainian regions it illegally annexed but does not fully control. Kyiv rejects any suggestion of unilateral withdrawal and says stronger Western pressure on Moscow is needed to advance peace efforts.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump has cast his ballot in the midterm elections, voting for all Republicans in Florida before speaking at a Georgia rally. Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrived at their West Palm Beach polling location together Saturday after Trump spent the morning at his nearby golf course. Trump has endorsed Republican Rep. Byron Donalds, who is running against David Jolly, a Republican-turned-independent-turned-Democrat, to succeed term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis. He has also campaigned for Republican Sen. Ashley Moody, who is running to fill the last two years of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s former Senate term against progressive state lawmaker Angie Nixon.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers reviewing the issue of sexual harassment on Capitol Hill say they’re disturbed by what they’ve found. They say congressional staff members are unclear about where they can go for help and they don’t believe there will be repercussions for perpetrators. And the current requirements for reporting harassment can work against those filing complaints. One of the congresswomen leading a task force on the matter is Florida Republican Kat Cammack. She says the current system is designed to have a chilling effect on victims who come forward. The task force is expected to release recommendations with a goal of taking action before year’s end.
Halloween candy sales are off to a slow start this year as U.S. consumers grapple with high living costs and eye-popping chocolate prices. Halloween candy sales fell 6.7% in the month ending Oct. 17 compared to the same period last year, according to NielsenIQ, a market research firm. Chris Costagli, a vice president at NielsenIQ, said high gas prices have worsened Americans’ concerns about affordability, and that’s dampening demand for Halloween treats. But the National Confectioners Association, which represents candy-makers like Mars, says the U.S. is just entering the peak Halloween season and it’s optimistic about consumer demand. (Photo: AP)
