October 4, 2023 2:50 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Most Pennsylvania lawmakers want to move their state’s presidential primary election up from late April. But disagreements arose in the House on Tuesday over whether to embrace a Senate-backed plan that would shift the election to mid-March. A House committee first rejected, but later passed, a bipartisan Senate bill that seeks to hold the election on March 19. That second vote came hours after the committee approved its own bill to move the primary to April 2. Most lawmakers are motivated to move the primary from April 23 to avoid a conflict with the Jewish holiday of Passover and to make it earlier in the primary calendar.
October 4, 2023 1:24 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — If your cellphone was on at 2:20 p.m. Eastern time you should have heard a loud noise and seen a message flash across your screen. That’s when the U.S. government on Wednesday conducted its once-every-three-years nationwide test of the emergency alert system. Alerts also went out on radio and television. The cellphone alerts went off at the White House during press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre’s briefing. Ahead of the test, organizations that work with abuse survivors who have secret phones recommended they turn them off so as to not have the blaring noise tip off their abusers. The last nationwide test was Aug. 11, 2021.
October 4, 2023 1:17 am
HOLLSOPPLE, Pa. (AP) — Authorities say a mining company employee was crushed to death in an accident involving a shuttle car in a western Pennsylvania mine. LCT Energy said in a statement that the man became trapped between the car and an interior wall of the company’s Maple Springs mine near Hollsopple on Monday. The Somerset Count coroner, Cullen Swank, identified him as 37-year-old Brandon Frederick of Johnstown and said he sustained multiple blunt force injuries. The death was ruled accidental. The state Department of Environmental Protection has ordered the operators of the Conemaugh Township mine to temporarily cease operations in the affected section.
October 3, 2023 4:01 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former union leader and Democratic insider Laphonza Butler has been sworn in as the newest member of the U.S. Senate, replacing California Sen. Dianne Feinstein after her death and becoming only the third Black female senator in history. Butler was appointed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday, just two days after Feinstein died at her home in Washington. Butler is a longtime fundraiser and strategist in the state’s Democratic circles and was the head of Emily’s List, a national organization that raises money for women candidates who support abortion rights. Butler was sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris, who served as the second Black female senator. (Photo: AP)
October 3, 2023 5:10 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Prosecutors in Philadelphia say Monday that more suspects will be charged with smashing into stores last week as law enforcement officials review video of the social-media fueled mayhem. More than 70 people already face a range of charges, such as burglary, conspiracy and riot. The flash mob-style break-ins hit dozens of stores Tuesday night, including Foot Locker, Lululemon and Apple. Authorities say suspects used social media to target business in several parts of the city, including pharmacies, a hair salon, a cellphone store, and dozens of liquor stores. Authorities say they are looking for additional ringleaders in the thefts.
October 3, 2023 5:08 am
FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (AP) — The Powerball jackpot climbed to an estimated $1.2 billion after no one beat the immense odds and won the giant prize. The winning numbers drawn Monday night were: 12, 26, 27, 43, 47 and the Powerball 5. The prize on the line for the next drawing Wednesday night has grown so massive because there have been 33 consecutive drawings since someone won the jackpot. The odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 292.2 million. The $1.2billion jackpot is for a sole winner who takes an annuity, paid annually over 30 years. Winners taking the cash option would receive an estimated $551 million.
October 3, 2023 5:05 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump’s court appearances are no longer distractions from his campaign to return to the White House. They are central to it. The dynamic was on full display Monday as the former president and GOP front-runner went to court in New York for the opening day of a civil fraud trial accusing him of grossly inflating the value of his businesses. Trump was under no obligation to appear, but he nonetheless seized the opportunity to create a media spectacle that put him back in the spotlight and once again portrayed himself as a victim of a politicized justice system.
October 3, 2023 5:04 am
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty in Delaware to three federal firearms charges filed after a plea deal imploded. Biden’s Tuesday plea puts his case on track toward a possible trial as the 2024 election looms. The charges allege the California resident lied about his drug use in 2018 on a form to buy a gun he kept for 11 days. His lawyer says he plans to file a motion to dismiss the case, challenging their constitutionality. Biden acknowledges struggling with a crack cocaine addiction then, but his lawyers say he didn’t break the law. President Joe Biden’s son was indicted weeks after a plea agreement on tax and gun charges collapsed.
October 3, 2023 5:03 am
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has been voted out of the job in an extraordinary showdown, a first in U.S. history. The 216-210 vote was forced by a contingent of hard-right conservatives and throws the House and its Republican leadership into chaos. McCarthy’s chief rival, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, brought forward the “motion to vacate,” drawing together more than a handful of conservative Republican critics of the speaker and many Democrats who say he is unworthy of leadership. Next steps are uncertain, but there is no obvious successor to lead the House Republican majority. (Photo: AP)
October 3, 2023 4:59 am
Washington City Council held their agenda meeting Monday evening and committee reports were the highlights of the evening. The agenda that was previewed was largely procedural. Ordinances governing traffic and limiting the business tax privilege abatement will be addressed. From the Washington Business District Authority, Director Shanan Brown announced that the city will have two new businesses by the end of the year and possibly three more in the first quarter of 2024. The Masala House Restaurant is having its ribbon cutting on Tuesday and will be serving lunch immediately following the ribbon cutting. A second business that will be making their announcement shortly is planning to open by December. Mayor Scott Putnam put out an all call for volunteers to join several city boards. Putnam says that the Planning Commission, Zoning Hearing Board and Civil Service Board all currently have vacancies that need to be filled. The Washington East Washington Joint Authority needs volunteers to fill out the board when terms expire. The Washington Business District Authority is also looking for business owners to sit on its board. Applications for all positions may be obtained at the office of the City Clerk or on the city’s website.
