September 20, 2024 4:57 am
As the general election draws near the lawsuits for election voting rules continue to get played out in court. Thursday a ruling was clarified by the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court that effectively dismisses a filing by the Republican National Committee that would require a handwritten date on each mail-in ballot. The ACLU was representing the group of 9 community organizers that were challenging the RNC’s assertion in Allegheny and Philadelphia counties. Originally the ACLU lawyers were seeking to add all 67 counties to the lawsuit but in the move late Thursday afternoon the State Supreme court clarified their ruling so the move is now unnecessary. The other lawsuit in question filed on behalf of the RNC Wednesday was a request for a King’s Bench by the State Supreme Court to make a definitive ruling to not allow ballot curing in the Commonwealth. The current law states counties are “not required” to alert voters of minor mistakes on mail-in ballots, but the law does not state that it is disallowed. ACLU Attorney Vic Walczak (Pictured) says this is a clear voter suppression issue. The King’s Bench power is a discretionary power of the PA Supreme Court that allows the court to consider cases that are not pending so they can address issues of immediate public importance
November 22, 2023 5:07 am
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s national security adviser says a planned hostage-for-prisoner swap with Hamas has been delayed until at least Friday. In a statement released late Wednesday, Tzachi Hanegbi said that contacts on the deal were continuing. “The release will begin according to the original agreement between the parties, and not before Friday,” he said. The swap is to take place as part of a four-day truce expected to begin on Thursday. Hanegbi gave no explanation for the delay, and it was not immediately clear when the cease-fire might begin.
December 31, 2022 5:21 am
VATICAN CITY (AP) – The Vatican says Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI has died. He was 95. Benedict was the first pope in 600 years to resign. Benedict had become increasingly frail during his almost 10 years of retirement. Benedict’s dramatic decision in 2013 to resign paved the way for the conclave that elected Pope Francis. The two popes then lived side-by-side in the Vatican gardens in an unprecedented arrangement that set the stage for future “popes emeritus” to do the same. The former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger never wanted to be pope. But he was forced to follow in St. John Paul II’s footsteps, running the church during a period of scandal and indifference.
February 18, 2022 4:16 am
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – A Texas grand jury has indicted 19 Austin police officers on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for their actions during 2020 protests over racial injustice that spread nationwide after the killing of George Floyd, according to people familiar with the matter. Multiple people spoke to The Associated Press Thursday on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case publicly. It ranks among the most indictments on a single police department in the U.S. over tactics used by officers during the widespread protests. Word of the indictments came hours after Austin city leaders approved paying $10 million to two people injured by police in the protests.
March 26, 2021 4:10 am
Pennsylvania is ordering vaccine providers to work with agencies that serve older adults to help clear a backlog of people 65 and over who have spent months waiting for COVID-19 shots. The state has speeded up its overall rollout after a series of early stumbles, but only 35% of older people are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. Hundreds of thousands of them still need to be inoculated before Pennsylvania plans to expand eligibility. The state ordered vaccine providers to collaborate with county-level agencies on aging to schedule appointments for people who want them but haven’t able to get them.
May 27, 2020 4:49 am
(AP) – Boeing is cutting more than 12,000 jobs through layoffs and buyouts, with several thousand more jobs expected to be cut over the next few months as the aircraft deals with a downturn in travel caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The company said Wednesday it will lay off 6,770 U.S. workers this week, and another 5,520 employees are taking buyouts. Boeing had already said it would cut 10% of a workforce that numbered about 160,000. The layoffs are expected to be concentrated in the Seattle area, home to Boeing’s big commercial-airplanes business. The Chicago-based company says its defense business is stable and will help blunt the impact of falling demand for passenger jets.
August 8, 2019 7:22 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – A man who was “full of anger” stabbed, slashed and robbed his way across two Southern California cities in a bloody rampage that killed four people and wounded two others who were apparently targeted at random, authorities said. The 33-year-old man from Garden Grove robbed more than half a dozen businesses and killed two men at his own apartment complex during the two-hour wave of violence Wednesday, police said. He was arrested as he walked out of a convenience store in neighboring Santa Ana, dropping a knife and a gun he had taken from a security guard he had just killed. The attacker’s name wasn’t immediately released. The violence appeared to be random and the only known motives seem to be “robbery, hate, homicide,” Garden Grove police Lt. Carl Whitney said at a news conference. “We know this guy was full of anger and he harmed a lot of people tonight,” Whitney said Wednesday. The attacker and all the victims were Hispanic, police said. The two people who were wounded were listed in stable condition Wednesday night and were expected to survive.
September 20, 2024 5:00 am
Several residents of Donegal Township gathered to voice their frustrations with township supervisors who laid off the road crew on September 12th. Dr. Kathleen Miller was quite vocal because the very next day, a fire hydrant was struck by a vehicle that was detoured through West Alexander due to an accident on Interstate 70. According to Miller, it took 5 days to have the hydrant fixed and proper notice was not given alerting residents to a boil water advisory. That notice took five days to be issued. Labor Negotiator Phil Binotto says the crew was laid off due to decreased productivity. Heath Malson is one of the laid off workers that says the reason productivity is so low is that supervisors took control of ordering supplies and did not order them, so they do not have the materials needed to perform the maintenance required. According to Binotto, the township could call back the crew in emergencies if they are available. Otherwise, road maintenance will be handled by outside contractors. Former supervisor Tammi Iams says that if the township does not have a road crew and must hire outside contractors, according to the Pennsylvania Municipal Liquid Fuels Program regulations, any outside contractors must be paid prevailing wage. That cost is much higher than paying the current road crew. These and other concerns such as snow removal and current road deterioration repair projects left unfinished are major concerns to residents. The road crew will be officially discharged on Friday. The union representing the road crew and the township are currently working on the agreement to officially disband the crew.
Meanwhile, in an update Friday afternoon, Larry Cardillo from the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 66 said that effects bargaining talks are continuing in efforts to come to a final resolution for the layoff but nothing is concrete. He says that they are continuing negotiations to avoid the layoff of the road crew. Contract negotiations are no longer being negotiated by the township. (Photo: Dr. Kathleen Miller)
November 22, 2023 4:53 am
The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC) held a public meeting Tuesday previewing its next Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP). The upcoming plan will cover the years 2025-2028. It looks at roads, bridges, public transportation and other means of transportation like trails and bikeways. According to Dominic D’Andrea, SPC Director of the Office of Transportation Planning, $3.9 billion is estimated to be available for the 10 county region for that time period. D’Andrea states that currently in the highway/bridge plan, 43% of the monies are designated for bridge projects and 23% for roads. Angela Swallop Saunders, Transportation Planning Manager for PennDot states that projects are still suffering cost overruns due to inflation. Supplies and diesel fuel are still high. She also said that delays in steel beam construction and concrete culvert construction also contribute to those cost increases. Saunders also stated that PennDot is working with local municipalities, that have extremely limited funds to maintain bridges, to help them financially to replace and main bridges that they own. According to the SPC’s D’Andrea, funding methods could change over the next several years. The buying power of the gas tax is becoming less productive because of fuel efficent vehicles, hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles. Ideas such as tolls, road use charges and additional registration fees suggested by Governor Tom Wolf’s administration are being entertained by the current adminstration. A draft of the 2025-2028 TIP will be available in May, 2024.
December 31, 2022 4:33 am
The first Mega Millions drawing of the new year will be a big one as no one won Friday night’s estimated $685 million jackpot. The top prize increased to $785 million ahead of the next drawing Tuesday night. Mega Millions says no ticket purchased for the lottery matched all six numbers drawn Friday night. The numbers selected Friday were: 1, 3, 6, 44, 51 and gold Mega Ball 7. The jackpot has grown so large thanks to long odds of one in 302.6 million that have resulted in 22 straight drawings without a big winner. The estimated $785 million prize is for a winner who chooses to be paid through an annuity, with annual checks over 29 years. Nearly all winners opt for cash, which for the next drawing would be an estimated $395 million.
