May 17, 2023 2:20 am
Republican nominations for several row offices are set. Incumbent Coroner Tim Warco, who switched his party registration prior to this election, defeat newcomer Marc Zmijowski. Ray Phillips defeated incumbent Brenda Davis for Clerk of Courts. Laura Hough, incumbent Prothonotary, easily outdistanced Kevin Hill. Register of Wills James Roman (incumbent) beat Christine Wiles Thomas. District Attorney Jason Walsh and Treasurer Tom Flickinger were unopposed in the primary.
Coroner: Warco 9,837 Zmijowski 7,554
Clerk of Courts: Phillips 9,330 Davis 7,328
Prothonotary: Hough 8,888 Hill 6,901
Register of Wills: Roman 9,065 Wiles-Thomas 7,358
May 16, 2023 9:46 pm
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Dan McCaffery has won the Democratic primary in Pennsylvania for a vacant seat on the state Supreme Court, which is playing a prominent role in settling disputes over voting rights, abortion rights and gun rights in the presidential battleground. McCaffery defeated Deborah Kunselman in the two-way race. Both currently sit on the state Superior Court, a statewide appellate body that handles appeals from county courts in criminal and civil cases. McCaffery will face the winner of the Republican primary for the seat in the November general election. Democrats currently hold a 4-2 majority on the court, which has an open seat following the death last fall of Chief Justice Max Baer, a Democrat. The court has handled a number of hot-button issues over the past few years. It is currently examining a challenge to a state law that restricts the use of public funds to help women get an abortion as well as Philadelphia’s challenge to a state law that bars it and other municipalities from restricting the sale and possession of guns.
May 16, 2023 12:00 pm
The Main Street Farmer’s Market in downtown Washington will open for the season on Thursday. The market is held at the community pavilion on South Main Street across from the Observer Reporter building. It will be held on Thursdays from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. through October. Market organizers say they are looking forward to another outstanding season with old and new vendors in attendance. They say their goal is to see farmers and local small businesses thrive along with offering the community access to the freshest local products and welcoming SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) customers to shop with added savings. Organizers say there will be plenty of new and old activities throughout the season, including a First Responders Day.
May 16, 2023 4:17 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will discuss the debt limit with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and congressional leaders at the White House. It’s a high-profile Tuesday afternoon session with reverberations across the globe ahead of the president’s trip to the Group of Seven summit in Japan. Early outlines of a potential deal are beginning to emerge despite the painstakingly slow negotiations. But expectations are low for an agreement as staff talks are expected to continue. McCarthy is prodding Biden to move faster toward a deal. The U.S. Treasury is warning that the U.S. could run out of cash to keep paying the nation’s bills as soon as June 1 if there is no agreement.
May 16, 2023 4:17 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — An investigation into the origins of the FBI’s probe into ties between Russia and Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign has finally been concluded. The prosecutor leading the inquiry has submitted a much-awaited report that found major flaws. It is the culmination of a four-year investigation into possible misconduct. It contained withering criticism of the FBI but few significant revelations. Nonetheless, it will give fodder to Trump supporters who have denounced the Russia investigation, as well as as Trump opponents who say Durham’s meager court record — one guilty plea and two acquittals at trial — shows his probe was a politically motivated farce.
May 16, 2023 4:15 am
FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — A northern Virginia man has been arraigned on charges involving baseball bat attacks on three women, including two staffers for Rep. Gerry Connolly. Forty-nine-year-old Xuan-Kha Tran Pham learned his charges by video hookup from the Fairfax County jail, where he was ordered held pending a hearing in July. Pham’s father told The Washington Post that his son was diagnosed with schizophrenia but can’t obtain treatment. Pham is accused of damaging the windshield of a woman in Fairfax after asking if she was white. Police say he showed up at Connolly’s district office shortly thereafter and hit two women with the bat.
May 16, 2023 4:13 am
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — A fire ripped through a hostel in New Zealand’s capital overnight, killing at least six people and forcing others to flee in their pajamas in what a fire chief called his “worst nightmare.” Six bodies have been found so far but not all areas of the building had been searched yet. The incident controller for Fire and Emergency New Zealand said the roof collapsed, bringing debris down on the top floor and making the area unsafe. One resident said smoke was pouring under his door on the top floor of the four-story building. He jumped out a window, landing on a roof two floors below. The Loafers Lodge offered affordable rooms for short or long stays to people of a wide range of ages. Some were vulnerable people placed there by government agencies.
May 16, 2023 4:12 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian air defenses have thwarted an intense Russian air attack on Kyiv, shooting down all 18 missiles aimed the capital. Loud explosions boomed over Kyiv as the attack early Tuesday combined Russian missiles launched from the air, sea and land in an apparent attempt to overwhelm Ukraine’s air defenses. No casualties were reported. It is the eighth time this month that Russian air raids have targeted the capital, a clear escalation after weeks of lull and ahead of a much-anticipated Ukrainian counter-offensive. It also came as President Volodymyr Zelenksyy concluded a whirlwind European tour to greet Ukraine’s key wartime allies, which spurred an additional tranche of pledged military aid.
May 16, 2023 4:10 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Party nominees for four open seats on Pennsylvania’s statewide appellate courts will be settled in the primary election. Tuesday’s top-of-the-ticket race is for a state Supreme Court seat. On the Democratic ticket are Dan McCaffery of Philadelphia and Deborah Kunselman of Beaver County. Both of them currently sit on the statewide Superior Court, which handles appeals from county courts in criminal and civil cases. On the Republican ticket are Carolyn Carluccio, a Montgomery County judge; and Patricia McCullough, a judge on the statewide Commonwealth Court, which handles cases involving government agencies or state laws. Two seats are open on the Superior Court, and one is open on the Commonwealth Court.
May 16, 2023 4:06 am
The Peters Township School Board met Monday evening and adopted their preliminary general budget for the 2023-2024 school year. The budget announced is for $80,252,395. That is an increase of $3,457,989 over last year. Brad Rau, Business Manager for the school district says that there will be a .3 mill or 2% tax increase this year. What that means in numbers is that Peters Township Residents will be paying $30 more per year for each $100,000 of assessed value. Rau stated that the increase in the budget is due to mandated expenditures such as salaries and benefits. He also pointed to inflationary issues as a cause for the budget increase. Inflated costs for fuel, supplies, and utilities were also built into this year’s spending plan. No change in the budget numbers is expected. The budget will be adopted at the June meeting.
