February 8, 2023 4:04 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania judge says the state’s funding of public education falls woefully short and violates students’ constitutional rights. The decision issued Tuesday in a long-running case sides with poorer districts that are seeking billions of dollars in additional annual support. Commonwealth Court Judge Renee Cohn Jubelirer says that the state hasn’t fulfilled its constitutional obligations to the poorest public schools. She says that violates those students’ rights to what she said should be a “comprehensive, effective, and contemporary” system. Lawyers for the districts and others who sued are hailing the decision as a historic victory for students.
February 8, 2023 4:01 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Democrats have won control of the Pennsylvania House by sweeping three special elections, gaining new power in an important swing state. Democrats won the vacant Pittsburgh-area House seats up for election Tuesday to claim a slim majority over Republicans. The victories bring an end to a dozen years of Republican power in the chamber, though the GOP still controls the Senate. The partisan divide could make it difficult for lawmakers to send priorities to new Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro. Democrats appeared to have won the House last November. But one Democrat died of cancer and two others resigned for higher offices, leaving control of the chamber uncertain.
February 7, 2023 7:43 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pittsburgh-area voters are participating in special elections to fill three vacancies in the state House of Representatives. The results Tuesday may resolve a stalemate over majority control that’s left the chamber in limbo for the past month. If Democrats sweep all three districts, which they also won in November, it will give them a 102-101 majority. It’s been 12 years since Republicans have not been able to determine what gets voted on in the House. Republicans had a 113-90 majority last year but Democrats flipped just enough seats to control the chamber. But one reelected House Democrat died of cancer in October and two others resigned after being elected to higher offices.
February 7, 2023 4:21 am
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A former White House press secretary for President Donald Trump, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, is set to return to the national stage. Sanders is delivering the GOP response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address Tuesday night. She was sworn in last month as Arkansas’ first female governor and, at 40, is the youngest governor in the country. With her speech, GOP leaders are giving a platform to a figure linked closely to Trump. The former president remains influential within the party even as Republicans question how much of a hindrance his quest to return to the White House has become.
February 7, 2023 4:19 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is ready to offer a reassuring assessment of the nation’s condition rather than roll out flashy policy proposals as he delivers his second State of the Union address Tuesday night. He’ll also be trying to overcome pessimism in the country and concerns about his own leadership. His speech before a politically divided Congress comes as the nation struggles with economic uncertainty, a wearying war in Ukraine and growing tensions with China. It’s Biden’s first speech to Congress since Republicans took control of the House in the midterm elections.
February 7, 2023 4:17 am
NURDAGI, Turkey (AP) – Search teams and aid are pouring into Turkey and Syria as rescuers working in freezing temperatures dig through the remains of buildings flattened by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake. The death toll soared above 7,200 on Tuesday and was still expected to rise. With the damage spread over a wide area, the massive relief operation often struggled to reach devastated towns, and voices that had been crying out from the rubble fell silent. Monday’s quake and a cascade of strong aftershocks caused damage that stretched hundreds of kilometers across southeastern Turkey and neighboring Syria. It toppled thousands of buildings and heaped more misery on a region wracked by Syria’s 12-year civil war and refugee crisis.
February 7, 2023 4:11 am
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Someone in Washington state overcame steep odds Monday night to win an estimated $747 million Powerball jackpot. The winning numbers were 05, 11, 22, 23, 69 and the Powerball 07. Lottery officials say a single ticket matched all six numbers and was worth $754.6 million. The full jackpot is for a winner opting for an annuity distributed in one immediate but partial payout followed by additional payments over 29 years that increase by 5% annually. The winner also can opt for a one-time cash payment of $407.2 million. Powerball says both prizes are the amounts before taxes. The jackpot was the ninth-largest in U.S. history.
February 7, 2023 4:08 am
EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (AP) – Authorities in Ohio say air monitoring hasn’t detected dangerous levels of fumes in communities where crews released and burned toxic chemicals from a derailed train. But they said Tuesday that Ohio and Pennsylvania residents living close to the wreckage still aren’t being allowed in their homes. The fire from the controlled release of the chemicals on Monday is no longer burning. Environmental officials say they want to ensure the air is safe before lifting the evacuation order. Residents in East Palestine were ordered to leave because of the risk of death from toxic fumes from five derailed tanker cars.
February 7, 2023 4:03 am
Cecil Township held their regular meeting on Monday night and scheduled a public hearing on a large development. The developers for Cool Valley, a mixed use residential, office and retail development similar to Southpointe and adjacent to it, asked for a public hearing. Cindy Fisher, Supervisor Chairwoman indicated that the developer T&R Properties came before the board last fall with an illustrative plan that needed additional work. They were sent back to complete the work and have now requested a public hearing to be scheduled. That hearing will take place on February 15, 2023 at 7:00 PM. The public is encouraged to attend and present their thoughts and concerns about the project to the board of supervisors.
February 7, 2023 2:37 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – The federal government’s pandemic-era prohibition against kicking people off Medicaid is ending, meaning that hundreds of thousands of people in Pennsylvania face losing free health insurance. Many people who stand to lose Medicaid coverage have no idea that the changes are coming. That’s according to advocacy organizations who do outreach to the poor. Enforcing the eligibility rules will be a massive bureaucratic task for the new administration of Gov. Josh Shapiro. All told, state caseworkers must resume enforcing eligibility rules April 1 for more than 3.6 million people who are on Medicaid. Those who are no longer eligible – or who didn’t submit information – will be guided to low-cost programs.
