March 28, 2024 4:48 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A federal appeals court says a requirement for Pennsylvania voters to put accurate handwritten dates on the outside envelopes of their mail-in ballots doesn’t run afoul of a civil rights law. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday to uphold enforcement of the required date on return envelopes. The dates are a technical mandate that caused thousands of votes to be declared invalid in the 2022 election. The total number is a small fraction of the large state’s electorate. The court’s ruling puts additional attention on Pennsylvania’s election procedures ahead of the presidential election.
March 28, 2024 4:44 am
BULLSKIN TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – A man was killed in a crash in Bullskin Township on Wednesday afternoon. Crews were called to Route 119 near Kingview Road at 3:23 p.m., a Fayette County 911 supervisor said. The victim has been identified as Joseph Baker Jr., 25. Route 119 was closed between Route 819 in East Huntingdon Township and Kingview Road. No one else was hurt, according to dispatchers.
March 28, 2024 4:40 am
Members of the Washington County Opioid Overdose Coalition met Wednesday to discuss data related to opioid overdoses and prevention in Washington County. Cheryl Andrews, Executive Director of the Washington Drug and Alcohol Commission led off the meeting by discussing the Commission’s foundation in 2016 and its affiliation with the Opioid Overdose Coalition. The WDAC is the provider of education, training and overdose prevention supplies. Kiandra Foster is a program manager at the University of Pittsburgh Program Evaluation and Research Unit. She spoke on a number of topics regarding stigma of opioid use disorder and how to eliminate it. She also spoke on harm prevention strategies to assist those with an opioid use disorder. Physical tools available are Narcan kits that can help revive someone experiencing an overdose. Fentanyl and xylazine test strips allow users to test their samples. According to Foster, studies show that if a user finds fentanyl in their sample, between 70%-90% of those users will choose not to continue that particular usage. She also spoke of a strategy of Never Use Alone. That means that if a user chooses to use, they should have someone present to call for medical assistance in case of an overdose. If no one is available, they can call the Never Use Alone hotline to have someone there to make contact with emergency responders if the user overdoses while on the phone. Common Pleas Court Judge John DiSalle (pictured) is a co-chair of the coalition and directs the specialty courts for the county, specifically the drug treatment court. He says that it is impossible to prosecute our way out of the overdose problem. We must overcome the stigma of substance abuse disorders and educate and treat users so that they may find their way out of their addiction. Studies show that there is a 76% drop in recidivism when specialty courts are employed.
March 28, 2024 2:20 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A proposal to ban the purchase, sale and production of untraceable gun parts has passed the Pennsylvania state House of Representatives. The bill passed on Wednesday, with Democrats in the House using their majority to propel gun control after years of stagnation in a divided state government. The legislation passed the House 104-97, with almost all Democrats and three Republicans voting in favor of it. The bill will likely face a cold reception in the GOP-controlled state Senate, which has not taken up gun control measures advanced by the House this session.
March 27, 2024 7:15 pm
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Former Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut has died, according to his family. He was 82 and died Wednesday of complications from a fall. Lieberman nearly won the vice presidency on Democrat Al Gore’s ticket in the disputed 2000 White House race. Eight years later, he came close to joining the GOP ticket as John McCain’s running mate. The Democrat-turned-independent stepped down from the Senate in January 2013 after 24 years. His independent streak often irked Senate Democrats he aligned with. Yet his support for gay rights, civil rights, abortion rights and environmental causes at times won him the praise of many liberals over the years.
March 27, 2024 2:42 pm
(AP) – For the first time in history, world timekeepers may have to consider subtracting a second from our clocks in a few years because the planet is rotating a tad faster. Wednesday’s study in a scientific journal says that clocks may have to skip in a second — called a “negative leap second” — around 2029. Ice melting at both of Earth’s poles has been counteracting the planet’s burst of speed and is likely to have delayed the global second of reckoning by about three years. It’s a complicated situation that involves, physics, global power politics, climate change, technology and two types of time. (Photo: AP)
March 27, 2024 2:40 pm
BALTIMORE (AP) — Investigators are collecting evidence from the cargo ship that plowed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge and caused its collapse. Meanwhile in the waters below, divers searched Wednesday through twisted metal for six construction workers who plunged into the harbor and were feared dead. The investigation picked up speed as the Baltimore region reeled from the sudden loss of a major transportation link that’s part of the highway loop around the city. The disaster also closed the port that is vital to the city’s shipping industry. Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board boarded the ship and planned to recover information from its electronics and paperwork.
March 27, 2024 5:12 am
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Someone in New Jersey overcame the odds and won the $1.12 billion Mega Millions jackpot, breaking a winless streak that dated to last December. The numbers drawn Tuesday night were: 7, 11, 22, 29, 38 and 4. Until the latest drawing, no one had matched all six numbers and won the Mega Millions jackpot since Dec. 8. It’s tough to win the Mega Millions jackpot because the odds are so long, at 1 in 302.6 million. The prize is the 8th largest in U.S. lottery history. The $1.12 billion jackpot is for a winner who is paid through an annuity. Most winners choose a cash payout, which would be $537.5 million.
March 27, 2024 5:10 am
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his government will not accept Hamas’ “delusional” conditions for a cease-fire in Gaza. The militant group has rejected the latest truce proposal because it says Israel is ignoring the group’s core demands. Hamas wants an end to the war and Israel’s full withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Israel seeks to destroy Hamas and recover all of the roughly 100 Israeli hostages held by Hamas. Netanyahu on Tuesday also rebuked U.N. Security Council resolution calling for a cease-fire in Gaza. Much of the Gaza Strip is in ruins after nearly six months of war. Most of its 2.3 million residents are displaced, and a third of the besieged population is on the brink of famine.
March 27, 2024 5:05 am
CHARLEROI, Pa. — (WPXI) – Charleroi historically was a mill town that felt the impact of a shrinking industry; but the last two years, this town’s population is exploding again. “I speak French, Creole, Portuguese, Spanish and English,” said Kervens Lerantis. He is only in the fourth grade. He’s just one of 172 English Language Learners (ELL) in the Charleroi Area School District. Many of whom never spoke the language before stepping foot in Washington County. The immigrant population has grown in this community by over 2,000% in just the last two years, bringing new challenges for the school district. “Just in the last year we had over $400,000, we had to add two ELL teachers, an ELL coach for our teachers, a registrar, an interpreter,” said Superintendent Dr. Ed Zelich. With the growth, the district is looking at another $300,000 on top of that next year. This is the highest-taxed district in the county. Dr. Zelich said increasing taxes isn’t an option, so he’s looking to the state for help. So far, the state has only offered after-school and summer tutoring, which Zelich said doesn’t even scratch the surface. The buildings are running out of space, forcing some Pre-K classes to leave the building and classroom size to grow where nearly half the lower grades are already full of multiple languages. The district has brought the PA Department of Education in and local lawmakers, but still can’t seem to get the financial help they need. The superintendent told Channel 11 he’s going to continue knocking on their doors because he knows the growth is not stopping here.
