May 14, 2025 4:01 am
Pennsylvania State Representative Natalie Mihalek (R-40) is fighting for food safety for her fellow Pennsylvanians. She is the sponsor of the Health PA Package of legislation aimed at changing the way foods are processed and grown in order to limit obesity and severe illness caused by chemicals, dyes and pesticides used by food manufacturers. The package of bills is made up of House Bill 1130, and it takes aim at the “Generally Recognized As Safe” or GRAS loophole that allows food companies to introduce chemicals to foods without FDA approval or independent review. House Bill 1131 is the Healthy Students Act that targets harmful food dyes. House Bill 1132 seeks to create a statutory definition of “ultra processed foods” that are made up of substances not commonly found in culinary preparations. House Bill 1133 targets BHA, a chemical compound classified as a carcinogen since 1991. It is commonly found in cereals, frozen pizzas and sodas. House Bill 1134 is aimed at explicit labeling of foods containing dyes. House Bill 1135 is designed to ban the use of the pesticide Paraquat. Mihalek and her co-sponsors outlined statistics that show obesity in the United States at 40%, a Type 2 diabetes increase of over 200% in adolescents, and ADHD diagnoses doubling in the last 20 years. Mihalek is the primary sponsor of the package and she has enlisted nearly 40 other representatives on both sides of the aisle to enact the Healthy PA package.
May 14, 2025 3:59 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania voters would get more than a week of early voting and county election officials more time to start processing mail-in ballots under a wide-ranging election law proposal that advanced out of the state House. The bill passed on Tuesday by a single vote, with all Republicans opposed. It addresses a range of election-related matters, including rules for ballot drop boxes, electronic lists of registered voters for election workers to consult, in-person early voting and voter registration. It was sent to the Republican majority state Senate.
May 14, 2025 1:37 am
Two weeks ago, Washington County Commissioners voted to withhold hotel tax revenues to the Washington County Tourism Promotion Agency. The vote did not count because notice of the action did not appear in an online agenda 24 hours prior to the vote being taken violating Sunshine Law requirements. Commissioner Chairman Nick Sherman vowed to have the vote taken again at the next voting meeting. At Tuesday’s agenda setting meeting, the item was on the agenda and Sherman requested that it be removed. Sherman stated that interim conversations with he and commissioner Electra Janis and WCTPA president Jeff Kotula, produced more clarity on the concerns that they had with the use of taxpayer funds by the WCTPA. When asked about the change of plans, Kotula said he was pleased to hear the news that the vote will not take place. He said it is important to him that an open dialogue continues with commissioners. Commissioner Larry Maggi is confused as to why commissioners continue to go down this path. He said that he has studied audits from the organization previously and this audit accurately reflects the financial position of the agency and is in line with state law and county requirements. Sherman did state that additional meetings with the WCTPA are scheduled in the near future.
May 13, 2025 5:06 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s agreement with China to temporarily slash tariffs for 90 days offered the world a bit of welcome relief. But what persists is a sense of uncertainty and the possibility that the damage from the trade war could already be done. Trump declared the de-escalation of the trade war a victory, saying he would soon chat with Chinese President Xi Jinping about how to preserve the financial relationship between the world’s two largest economies. Regardless, the tariffs are now elevated from when Trump took office and the scramble to respond to the White House’s mix of threats and olive branches might leave CEOs, investors and consumers unwilling to take risks.
May 13, 2025 5:05 am
A federal judge is refusing to block the Internal Revenue Service from sharing immigrants’ tax data with Immigration and Customs Enforcement for the purpose of identifying and deporting people illegally in the U.S. In a win for the Trump administration, U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich denied a preliminary injunction Monday in a lawsuit filed by nonprofit groups. They argued that undocumented immigrants who pay taxes are entitled to the same privacy protections as U.S. citizens and immigrants who are legally in the country. The decision comes after former acting IRS commissioner Melanie Krause resigned over the deal allowing ICE to submit names and addresses of immigrants inside the U.S. illegally to the IRS for cross-verification against tax records.
May 13, 2025 5:03 am
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A day after China and the U.S. agreed to a 90-day truce in their tariffs stalemate, China is moving to strengthen its alliances as a counterweight to President Donald Trump’s trade war. President Xi Jinping warned against bullying and said he was ready to join hands with Latin American countries to block protectionism. He was addressing a regional forum where he was joined by the presidents of Brazil, Chile and Colombia and other Latin American and Caribbean officials. Meanwhile, the head of the WTO appealed to Japan to champion global free trade. The realities of Trump’s global trade offensive overshadowed an initial burst of optimism over the China-U.S. deal among investors, as rallies in stocks and oil prices faded.
May 13, 2025 5:02 am
PARIS (AP) — A Paris court has found actor Gérard Depardieu guilty of having sexually assaulted two women on a 2021 film set. He was given an 18-month suspended prison sentence. The 76-year-old actor was convicted Tuesday of having groped a 54-year-old set dresser and a 34-year-old assistant during the filming of “Les Volets Verts” or “The Green Shutters.” The case was widely seen as a key post-MeToo test of how French society and its film industry address allegations of sexual misconduct involving prominent figures. Depardieu has denied the accusations.
May 13, 2025 5:01 am
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — President Donald Trump opened his four-day Mideast trip by paying a visit to Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Prince Mohammed warmly greeted Trump after he landed on Tuesday morning in Riyadh. The two leaders are expected to hold talks on U.S. efforts to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program, end the war in Gaza and more. Trump is also slated to take part in a U.S.-Saudi investment conference later Tuesday. And the crown prince plans to fete Trump with a formal dinner. Trump on Wednesday is slated to attend a gathering of members of the Gulf Cooperation Council. It is made up of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
May 13, 2025 2:58 am
Road conditions on Route 19 in Peters Township have been described by residents as deplorable. The section of Rt. 19 heading north between Pleasantview Avenue and Valleybrook Road is particularly rough to travel. Earlier in 2025, PennDot reached out to the township saying that they plan to pave Rt. 19 from the Allegheny County line to the intersection of East McMurray Road at Donaldson’s Crossroads. A few months later, Columbia gas notified the township of their plans to perform gas line work in the center turning lane of Route 19 in the exact same area as PennDot planned to pave. This week PennDot informed Peters Township of their plans to delay the paving project. The township reached out to PennDot to request that they at least put down a skim coat to even out the road surface and make it easier to travel. PennDot’s response was that they will patch the road. Township Manager Paul Lauer says that the patching has not been a help and it seems like it may have made the road more uneven. The township has reached out to State Representative Natalie Mihalek to seek her help in finding a better answer until the gas line work is done. According to Columbia gas, their project could encompass two construction seasons.
May 13, 2025 2:51 am
A second suspect in a drive by shooting on Ridge Avenue in May of 2022 has pleaded guilty. Juan Worthey, 20 of Grove City, PA pleaded guilty to his role in the killing of Kristen Barfield as she was sitting on her porch. The shots fired were intended for her son Trey Willis. On Monday a jury was being selected for his trial. Worthey entered an open plea of guilty to third degree murder. In a previous trial of Worthey’s accomplice Brandon Allen, testimony from Tyriq Moss implicated Worthey as the shooter in the killing. Evidence in that trial showed shell casings in the car used in the shooting matched those of a gun belonging to Worthey. Worthey could be sentenced for up to 40 years in the shooting. His sentencing hearing will be July 29.
