July 29, 2022 4:14 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania judge was urged by state lawyers Thursday to order three counties to add some 800 mail-in ballots to their May primary election results, but the local election officials insisted their decisions are firmly rooted in unambiguous state law. A six-hour hearing in Harrisburg was the latest in a string of recent court proceedings about the rules for absentee and mail-in ballots, a running battle that pits Democrats who embraced mail-in voting under a 2019 law against Republicans who see inconsistent practices and widespread confusion about what is legal. The acting secretary of state, Leigh Chapman, sued the three counties after they declined to follow her guidance in response to a federal appeals court decision that handwritten dates on a mail-in ballot’s exterior envelope — required by law — are not mandatory. The votes, including some from Fayette County, are not expected to change the results of the state’s marquee primary races this year for governor and U.S. Senate, but the judge’s decision could clarify whether inaccurate or missing dates on those envelopes can form the basis for future vote-counting challenges.
July 29, 2022 4:06 am
FAYETTE COUNTY, Pa. — (WPXI) – The two people killed in a head-on crash in Fayette County that also left three others injured Thursday evening have been identified by Pennsylvania State Police. According to Fayette County 911, the crash happened at 5:23 p.m. in the 600 block of Walnut Hill Road in Georges Township. State police said one vehicle was traveling eastbound on Walnut Hill and collided head-on with the second vehicle that was traveling westbound. State police said the driver, Tyler Durst, 29, of Point Marion, and Mercedes Mecozzi, 27, of Uniontown, the passenger in that same vehicle, were pronounced dead at the scene. Three people in the second vehicle were injured and flown from the scene by medical helicopters. Pennsylvania State Police are investigating.
July 29, 2022 2:55 am
Detectives with the City of Washington Police Department with the assistance of Chartiers Township Police, the Washington County Sheriff’s Warrant Squad and Washington County Detectives, have arrested 23-year-old Jamil “Milly” Carr. Authorities say he was picked up Thursday in the parking lot of a Chartiers Township hotel. Police say Carr’s arrest came as result of a tip received by city detectives regarding the whereabouts of 26-year-old Russell Porter, formerly of Washington. Carr was wanted by police for his role in the July 15th killing of 19-year-old Antonio Martinez of Clarksville, Tennessee at Jollick Manor in the city of Washington. Porter was wanted by police on allegations of attempted homicide and aggravated assault after he allegedly fired a handgun into an occupied vehicle near the intersection of Wylie Avenue and Allison Avenue on July 26th. Both men were taken into custody without incident. Detectives say they are continuing to investigate both incidents and ask that anyone with information regarding either investigation contact them at (724) 223-4226.
July 28, 2022 5:23 pm
JACKSON, Ky. (AP) – Heavy rains have caused flash flooding and mudslides as storms pound parts of central Appalachia. Gov. Andy Beshear says at least three people have died from flooding in Kentucky. He says property damage has been massive, with hundreds losing their homes. Water rescues continue across the region. In eastern Kentucky’s Perry County, the emergency management director calls the damage “catastrophic.” More than 30,000 customers are without power in parts of Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia. The city of Hazard, Kentucky is urging people to “pray for a break in the rain.” (Photo: ABC)
July 28, 2022 1:25 pm
DENVER (AP) – A wealthy dentist accused of shooting and killing his wife in their cabin at the end of an African safari trip has denied that he killed her. Larry Rudolph took the stand Wednesday at his murder trial in Denver federal court. He said an unfamiliar shotgun they brought with them accidentally went off, wounding Bianca Rudolph as she packed in a hurry to leave and return home. Prosecutors allege Rudolph killed his wife of 34 years to be with his girlfriend. But Rudolph testified that he and his wife had an open marriage and he didn’t face pressure to leave his wife.
July 28, 2022 8:42 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. economy shrank from April through June for a second straight quarter, contracting at a 0.9% annual pace and raising fears that the nation may be approaching a recession. The decline in the gross domestic product – the broadest gauge of the economy – followed a 1.6% annual drop from January through March. Consecutive quarters of falling GDP constitute one informal, though not definitive, indicator of a recession. The report comes at a critical time. Consumers and businesses have been struggling under the weight of punishing inflation and higher borrowing costs. On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate by a sizable three-quarters of a point for a second straight time.
July 28, 2022 7:15 am
JetBlue has agreed to buy Spirit Airlines in a $3.8 billion deal, a day after Spirit and Frontier Airlines agreed to abandon their merger proposal. JetBlue will acquire Spirit for $33.50 per share in cash, including a prepayment of $2.50 per share in cash payable once Spirit stockholders approve the transaction. There’s also a ticking fee of 10 cents per month starting in January 2023 through closing.
July 28, 2022 4:20 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – “Leave It to Beaver” actor Tony Dow has died. Agent Frank Bilotta says Dow died Wednesday at age 77. As Wally Cleaver on the beloved sitcom that ran on CBS and ABC from 1957 to 1963, Dow helped create the popular and lasting image of the 20th century American teenager. Wally was the just-a-little-wiser big brother “Beaver” Cleaver, played by Jerry Mathers. Dow would revive the role of Wally in a 1980s sequel series and also worked as a television director. Dow announced in May that he had been diagnosed with prostate and gall bladder cancer. Bilotta, who represented Dow in his work as a sculptor, confirmed his death in an email to The Associated Press.
July 28, 2022 4:16 am
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) – Judges have blocked abortion bans set to take effect this week in Wyoming and North Dakota amid lawsuits arguing that the bans violate their state constitutions. A judge in Wyoming on Wednesday sided with a firebombed women’s health clinic and others who argued the ban would harm health care workers and their patients, while a North Dakota judge sided with the state’s only abortion clinic. The court action puts those states among several where judges have temporarily blocked “trigger laws” meant to go in effect when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. The Wyoming law was set to take effect Wednesday. The North Dakota law was set to take effect Thursday. Elsewhere hundreds protested an abortion ban bill that advanced in the West Virginia Legislature.
July 28, 2022 4:13 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has warned he’s ready to use his nuclear weapons in potential military conflicts with the United States and South Korea. State media reported Kim made such a warning in a Wednesday speech marking the 69th anniversary of the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. Some experts say Kim’s threats were apparently meant to boost internal unity in the impoverished country suffering pandemic-related economic difficulties. Kim also called South Korea’s new president “a confrontation maniac” who’s gone further than past South Korean leaders. Some observers expect more North Korean threats before the United States and South Korea hold military drills the North views as an invasion rehearsal.
