October 18, 2022 4:07 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The state and national Republican parties are suing anew in Pennsylvania in an effort to block some mail-in ballots — those lacking the voter’s handwritten date on the return envelope — from being counted in November, when voters will elect a new governor and U.S. senator. The GOP’s filing late Sunday went straight to the state Supreme Court, with barely three weeks left before Election Day. The court does not have to take up the lawsuit. “The time for the Court to act is now,” lawyers for the Republican Party told the justices in the lawsuit. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration declined to comment, but it supports counting ballots with undated or improperly dated envelopes. The effort by Republicans to ensure that improperly dated or undated ballot envelopes are thrown out could help their candidates in tight contests around the state. As of Friday, nearly 1.2 million voters had applied for a mail-in ballot, with applications from registered Democrats outnumbering Republicans by an almost 4-to-1 ratio. Throwing out undated ballots would theoretically ensure that more Democratic ballots are tossed out, helping Republican candidates.
October 18, 2022 2:55 am
A North Strabane man who held police at bay for several hours earlier this month, threatening to shoot them and himself, had his preliminary hearing on Monday. Lance Stumpf, 53 will face a felony charge of terroristic threats and a misdemeanor charge of prohibited firearms possession. Stumpf’s girlfriend called county 9-1-1 to report that he was threatening suicide and would shoot police if they showed up at his North Strabane Township home. The incident caused the blocking of township streets and the lockdown of Canonsburg Hospital before the it ended nearly eight hours later. Originally the firearms charge was a first degree felony charge but negotiation between the defense counsel and district attorney had the original felony designation modified to a misdemeanor charge. Stumpf was ordered to undergo mental health and drug and alcohol evaluations. He will be arraigned on November 28.
October 18, 2022 2:35 am
NEWTOWN, Pa. (AP) – Police say political signs in southeastern Pennsylvania have been found booby-trapped with razor blades, which resulted in sliced fingers for one resident. Upper Makefield Township police said Sunday that a resident found a sign for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro placed without permission on their property, and while trying to remove it found razor blades “placed around the perimeter of the sign.” Signs for two other Democratic candidates were also found to be booby-trapped. Police said their investigation continues and warned residents to use caution in removing signs placed on their property without permission.
October 17, 2022 5:22 pm
NEW YORK (AP) – Donald Trump’s private company arranged for the Secret Service to pay for rooms at his properties in excess of government-approved rates at least 40 times during his presidency – including two charges for more than $1,100 per night. That is according to documents released Monday by a congressional committee investigating the former president. The House Oversight Committee said the Secret Service was charged more than $800 per night at least 11 times by his properties. The Trump Organization denied anything improper. It said it provided rooms to the Secret Service at cost or deep discount, adding that its business did not profit at all from the presidency.
October 17, 2022 3:52 pm
(AP) – The rapper formerly known as Kanye West is offering to buy right-wing friendly social network Parler shortly after he was blocked from posting on Twitter and Instagram for antisemitic posts. West, who is legally known as Ye, was locked out of Twitter and Instagram a week ago over antisemitic posts that the social networks said violated their policies. In one post on Twitter, Ye said he would soon go “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE,” according to internet archive records, making an apparent reference to the U.S. defense readiness condition scale known as DEFCON. The potential purchase of Parler would give Ye control of a social media platform and a new outlet for his opinions with no gatekeeper.
October 17, 2022 4:33 am
ATLANTA (AP) – Voters in Georgia, Texas and some other states are facing new hurdles to cast a ballot during the midterm election under laws passed by Republican-led legislatures following President Donald Trump’s false claims that voter fraud cost him re-election in 2020. The restrictions have prompted groups that assist voters to reorient themselves so they can avoid running afoul of new barriers. They anticipate confusion and conflict at the polls, and are redoubling efforts to register and educate. The Brennan Center for Justice says lawmakers in 21 states have passed at least 42 restrictive laws since 2021. At least 33 of those are in effect for this year’s midterm.
October 17, 2022 4:31 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – President Joe Biden has officially kicked off the application process for his student debt cancellation program. He announced Monday that 8 million borrowers had already applied for loan relief during the federal government’s soft launch period over the weekend. Biden is encouraging the tens of millions eligible for potential relief to visit studentaid.gov and touting the application form, which he says will take less than five minutes to complete. He says an early, “beta launch” version of the online form released late Friday handled the early stream of applications “without a glitch or any difficulty.”
October 17, 2022 4:31 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – A new poll shows 71% of voters think the future of the country is at stake when they vote in November’s midterm elections. That’s according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The poll findings suggest voters are motivated to turn out despite deep pessimism about the state of U.S. politics and dissatisfaction with the country. With less than a month to go, about 8 in 10 registered voters say casting their ballot this year is extremely or very important. That’s true of voters who prefer Republicans win majorities in Congress, and those who want to see Democrats remain in control.
October 17, 2022 4:29 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – Explosive-laden suicide drones have struck Ukraine’s capital as families were preparing to start their week, the blasts echoing across Kyiv and sending people scurrying to shelters. Kyiv city Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the capital’s central Shevchenko district was hit, damaging several apartment blocks and setting fire to a non-residential building. There was no immediate word on casualties. The drones’ intended targets weren’t immediately clear but Russian strikes over the past week have hit infrastructure, including power facilities. Witnesses posted videos of drones buzzing across bright morning skies over Kyiv and of what sounded like gunshots of people trying to shoot them down.
October 17, 2022 4:26 am
PITTSBURGH – (WPXI) – Pittsburgh police on Monday provided an update on the North Side shooting that left three people dead and one injured over the weekend. During the press conference, police said the two women who were killed were innocent bystanders. Pittsburgh police Commander Richard Ford said an altercation that took place in the Sunoco gas station parking lot escalated to gunfire between two shooters.. Jacquelyn C. Mehalic, 33, and Betty J Averytt, 59, were standing at a bus stop when they were killed, Ford said. Police and medics were called to the 300 block of Cedar Avenue at around 10:08 p.m. Saturday. The names of the fourth victim and a man who survived the shooting have not been released as police investigate if they were involved Ford said he was angered by all of the violence in the city. “I’m tired of going out there and seeing what I’m seeing every day,” he said. Mayor Ed Gainey also spoke and asked anyone with information to speak up. “Together we can solve some of this,” he said. Gainey said that closing Shuman Juvenile Detention Center, the county’s only juvenile detention center, without a backup plan was a mistake. He said there are too many guns on the street. “More and more of our young people can get guns quicker than you get get a bag of chips at the grocery store,” Gainey said.
