June 26, 2021 3:47 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Common pleas and magisterial district judges would be allowed to hire private collection agencies to pursue overdue court fines and costs under a bill that’s been approved by the Legislature. The bill that passed the state House Friday by a vote of 109 to 92 would apply after a defendant fails to appear for a court hearing on the status of restitution and other court-related financial costs. A Senate analysis projects it could bring in a few million dollars in the short term and hundreds of millions a year after that. Backers say much of the unpaid costs are traffic fines from people who live in other counties.
June 26, 2021 3:41 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – The Pennsylvania General Assembly is giving its approval to a $39.8 billion general fund budget that puts into savings about $5 billion in federal coronavirus relief money and boosts K-12 education funding by $300 million. The budget package that passed Friday pumps $279 million into transportation infrastructure and directs $280 million to nursing homes and similar facilities, both drawing from the federal pandemic money. It puts $2.5 billion into the rainy day fund and doesn’t spend much of the rest of the state’s share of federal pandemic money. Supporters say the reserves will help avoid future tax increases. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf plans to sign it next week.
June 25, 2021 12:26 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Justice Department is suing Georgia over the state’s new election law and alleging that Republican state lawmakers rushed through a sweeping overhaul with an intent to deny Black voters equal access to the ballot. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the lawsuit on Friday, two weeks after he said his department would scrutinize a wave of new laws in Republican-controlled states that tighten voting rules. Republican lawmakers in the state pushed back immediately, pledging a forceful defense of Georgia’s law. The federal government’s move also comes as pressure grows on the Biden administration to respond to a wave of GOP-backed laws being pushed in the states this year.
June 25, 2021 4:20 am
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin has been sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison for the murder of George Floyd, whose dying gasps under Chauvin’s knee led to the biggest outcry against racial injustice in the U.S. in generations. The punishment handed out Friday fell short of the 30 years that prosecutors had requested. With good behavior, Chauvin, 45, could be paroled after serving two-thirds of his sentence, or about 15 years.
June 25, 2021 4:19 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden has announced a bipartisan agreement on a pared-down but still huge infrastructure plan. The agreement with a group of Republican and Democratic senators on Thursday would make a start on his top legislative priority and validate his efforts to reach across the political aisle. However, Biden acknowledged that Democrats will likely have to tackle much of his remaining agenda alone. The first package, with around a trillion dollars in new and existing spending, has rare bipartisan backing and could open the door to the president’s more sweeping $4 trillion proposals later on.
June 25, 2021 4:14 am
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Civil rights organizations and people who were part of a Biden campaign caravan last fall that was surrounded on a Texas highway by Trump supporters have filed two federal lawsuits, including allegations that local law enforcement failed to respond to efforts to intimidate them. Videos shared on social media from Oct. 30 show a group of cars and pickup trucks adorned with large Trump flags riding alongside the campaign bus as it traveled from San Antonio to Austin. The Trump supporters at times boxed in the bus. Plaintiffs, including former Texas Senator Wendy Davis, say police in San Marcos “turned a blind eye.” The lawsuits were filed Thursday.
June 25, 2021 4:11 am
SURFSIDE, Fla. (AP) – Officials say there are still 159 people unaccounted for after the partial collapse of a beachside building in Florida. Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava noted Friday that rescue officials were still searching for survivors. Raide Jadallah, an assistant Miami-Dade County fire chief, said rescue operations continued throughout the night. He said that 130 firefighters are working at the site. Miami-Dade Police Director Freddy Ramirez said they are working with the medical examiner’s office to identify four victims.
June 25, 2021 4:05 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Lawmakers are sending the governor a bill to let Pennsylvania parents decide whether to have their children repeat a year of school. It’s a measure designed to help children catch up after a year of schooling disrupted by the pandemic. The Senate voted 50 to 0 on Thursday for the proposal. It also would permit students in special education to return for another year, even if they have reached the maximum age of 21. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf hasn’t said if he’ll sign it. Under the bill, parents would have to decide by July 15 whether their child should repeat a grade.
June 25, 2021 4:05 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania’s plans for its share of coronavirus relief and a potential boost in education funding are among the issues being negotiated as lawmakers and the governor entered the final week of their budget year. Leaders say the budget could wrap up this weekend, but details are scanty as high-level negotiations continued Thursday inside the Capitol. The final days of budget talks invariably are accompanied by deals on other issues. For example, talks on whether to reauthorize mixed-drinks to go for restaurants are still being discussed. The state’s fiscal year ends on June 30.
June 25, 2021 4:02 am
Canon McMillan School Directors met Thursday evening and were greeted by roughly 50 residents. Parents and students packed the meeting room to hear just what school directors had to say about one particular subject for the next school year. It was not the budget; it was not the health and safety plan. Seven of the nine people that spoke wanted to offer their support for their candidate for varsity wrestling coach. Ron Dami, whose son is a wrestler stated that issues of nepotism may have come into play in trying to block who he and many others felt was the best candidate to coach. Ultimately the board reopened the interview process and hired Brian Krenzelak as head coach by a 7-2 roll call vote. Directors Darla Bowman Monaco and Bernard Price were the dissenters. In school district business items, directors unanimously passed a $95 million operating budget for the 2021-2022 school year without raising taxes. Assistant Superintendant Scott Chambers stated that the board worked countless hours to craft a budget that did not raise taxes, to be fair to residents because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Directors also approved the health and safety plan that calls for students to return to classrooms 5 days a week. Masks and vaccinations are optional and daily sanitation of buildings and buses will continue.
