Kemp, Perdue Duel Could End With Georgia’s GOP Primary

May 24, 2022 4:16 am

ATLANTA (AP) – Georgia’s Republican gubernatorial primary Tuesday could bring an end to the faceoff between Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and former U.S. Sen. David Perdue. On the Democratic side, Stacey Abrams is running unopposed and will be crowned as her party’s nominee. With three other Republicans running, it’s possible neither Kemp nor Perdue will win a majority, requiring a June 21 runoff. But polling has shown Kemp extending his lead, raising the possibility that the nomination could be settled Tuesday. Perdue was personally courted by former President Donald Trump to enter the race as retribution for Kemp not backing Trump’s effort to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election, which he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.

Russian Soldier Gets Life For Killing Civilian

May 24, 2022 4:15 am

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – A Ukrainian court sentenced a captured Russian soldier to the maximum penalty of life in prison for killing a civilian, and the Kremlin hinted that it may put on trial some of the fighters who surrendered at Mariupol’s steelworks. Meanwhile, a veteran Kremlin diplomat resigned and sent a scathing letter Monday to foreign colleagues in which he said he had never been so ashamed of his country as when the invasion was launched on Feb. 24. It was a rare public expression of opposition to the war from the ranks of the Russian elite. Heavy fighting was raging in the Donbas in the east, where Moscow’s forces have stepped up their bombardment.

Autopsy: Steelers QB Haskins Was Drunk

May 24, 2022 4:11 am

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) – An autopsy report shows that Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins was legally drunk when he was fatally struck by a dump truck on a Florida highway last month. The Broward County Medical Examiner said in its report released Monday that Haskins’ blood-alcohol content was more than twice the legal level for driving when he was struck April 9. The 24-year-old former Ohio State star had run out of gas on Interstate 595 near Fort Lauderdale about dawn. He told a companion he was going to find a gas station. The dump truck driver told investigators Haskins stepped in front of him as he traveled in the center lane.

Wolf’s Environmental Protection Secretary To Depart

May 24, 2022 4:07 am

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – A cabinet secretary who helped shepherd Pennsylvania’s entry into a regional carbon pricing program to combat climate change is leaving the administration of Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf. The governor said Monday that Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Patrick McDonnell will be replaced in July by Ramez Ziadeh. McDonnell was deeply involved in the state’s entry into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. The program imposes a cost for emitting planet-warming carbon dioxide from fossil fuel-fired power plants. McDonnell started at the agency in 1998 and has been secretary since 2016. Ziadeh has been a deputy secretary at the agency after starting there in 1994.

GOP’s 2020 Election Inquiry Contract Extended

May 24, 2022 4:06 am

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Republicans in the Pennsylvania Legislature are extending their inquiry into the state’s 2020 presidential election inspired by former President Donald Trump’s baseless claims of election fraud. The contract is to last another six months, through Nov. 18, under an extension signed last week. The original no-bid contract, including an addendum, was worth $485,115 and expired last week. The extension has no dollar figure attached to it. Senate Republican officials say the contractor hasn’t billed for the contract’s full value while Republicans fight in court to get access to voting machines and certain information about voters and voting systems. Republicans have yet to report any findings.

Peters Twp Alerted To Possible Magisterial Change

May 24, 2022 4:04 am

Peters Township Council was alerted by a local attorney about the proposed changes that the Washington County Court of Common Pleas is proposing. Sean Logue addressed council and explained that the magisterial court in the township will be vacated and all cases in the township would be shifted to Cecil Township. Logue pointed out that it would be difficult for residents to get to the new location as there is no easy way to get from Peters Township to the court’s location on Millers Run Road. Township Manager Paul Lauer explained that the proposed change would drastically increase costs to the township in travel time for police and staff when they are called to testify. He also pointed out the extra wear and tear on vehicles that would be encountered. Council Vice Chairman Frank Kosir found the proposal hard to believe and encouraged residents to reach out to county officials to let them know they want to keep their magisterial court in Peters Township.

5 Killed At Puerto Rico Public Housing Complex

May 23, 2022 4:28 am

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) – Authorities in Puerto Rico say at least five people have been shot to death at a public housing complex. Police spokesman Axel Valencia told The Associated Press that the deaths occurred Sunday night in the community of Caimito in the capital of San Juan. He says the group was shot outside the Villa Esperanza housing complex. Valencia says that police have not yet identified the victims and that it isn’t immediately clear why they were targeted. No one has been arrested. Last month, police reported that two men were found fatally shot inside an overturned car at the same public housing complex.

Man Fatally Shot On New York Subway Train

May 23, 2022 4:25 am

NEW YORK (AP) – An unidentified gunman has shot and killed another passenger on a moving New York City subway train. Police officials say it appears to have been an unprovoked attack, and the victim died at a hospital. Police say the shooting took place Sunday on a Q train traveling over the Manhattan Bridge at around 11:40 a.m. That’s a time of day when subway cars are often filled with families, tourists and people headed to brunch. Recent subway crime has set New Yorkers on edge. Last month, a man opened fire inside a Brooklyn subway train, scattering random shots that wounded 10 people.

78,000 Pounds Of Infant Formula Arrives In U.S.

May 23, 2022 4:23 am

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – A military plane carrying enough specialty infant formula for more than half a million baby bottles arrived Sunday in Indianapolis. It’s the first of several flights expected from Europe aimed at relieving a shortage that has sent parents scrambling to find enough to feed their children. President Joe Biden authorized the use of Air Force planes for the effort, dubbed “Operation Fly Formula,” because no commercial flights were available. The nationwide shortage of formula follows the closure of the largest domestic manufacturing plant in Michigan in February due to safety issues.

Russian Offensive Turns To Key Donbas City

May 23, 2022 4:21 am

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – Ukrainians were digging in to defend the eastern city of Sievierodonetsk as it endured heavy bombardment from Russian forces trying to take the industrial area known as the Donbas. In Tokyo on Monday, President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida condemned Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Authorities in Luhansk accused the Russians of a scorched-earth policy focused on Sievierodonetsk, the main Ukrainian-held city in the region. A family who fled a village near the front line in Donetsk said they hadn’t seen the sun in three months and heavy artillery was pounding the village.