March 30, 2022 9:45 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Maine Sen. Susan Collins says she will vote to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, giving Democrats at least one Republican vote and all but assuring that Jackson will become the first Black woman on the Supreme Court. Collins’ support Wednesday gives Democrats at least a one-vote cushion in the 50-50 Senate and likely saves them from having to use Vice President Kamala Harris’ tie-breaking vote to confirm President Joe Biden’s pick. It is expected that all 50 Democrats will support Jackson, though one notable moderate Democrat, Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, hasn’t yet said how she will vote.
March 30, 2022 4:20 am
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) – The Maryland General Assembly has passed a measure to expand access to abortion by lifting restrictions that only physicians provide them and by providing equitable insurance coverage. The Senate gave final passage to a House bill on Tuesday, sending the legislation to Gov. Larry Hogan, whose office did not immediately comment on his position on the bill. The measure would remove a legal restriction that prevents nurse practitioners, nurse midwives and physician assistants from providing abortions. It creates an abortion care training program and requires $3.5 million in state funding annually. The legislation also aims to provide equitable access to abortion coverage.
March 30, 2022 4:19 am
PHOENIX (AP) – Arizona’s Republican governor has signed a bill requiring voters to prove their citizenship to vote in a presidential election, drawing fierce opposition from voting rights advocates who say it risks affecting some 200,000 people. The bill signed Wednesday also requires anyone newly registering to vote to provide proof of their address. The Legislature’s own lawyers say the measure is unconstitutional, directly contradicts a recent Supreme Court decision and is likely to be thrown out in court. Ducey and others who support the bill say it promotes election integrity, though cases of noncitizens voting are extremely rare.
March 30, 2022 4:17 am
BERLIN (AP) – Germany’s economy minister says he’s triggering the early warning level for gas supplies amid Russia’s continued demand to be paid in rubles. Robert Habeck told reporters Wednesday that this was the first of three warning levels and entails the establishment of a crisis team in his ministry that will heighten monitoring of the gas supply situation. Habeck said he took the measure after Moscow indicated it would pass measures requiring payment in rubles despite the Group of Seven countries rejecting this demands on Monday. He said that Germany’s gas storages are currently filled to about 25% capacity.
March 30, 2022 4:16 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. intelligence officials have determined that Russian President Vladimir Putin is being misinformed by his advisers about his nation’s forces’ poor performance in Ukraine. That’s according to a U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity Wednesday to discuss the recently declassified intelligence. The official added that the finding says Putin is aware of the situation and there is now persistent tension between him and senior Russian military officials. Meanwhile, the White House said President Joe Biden informed Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday that another $500 million in direct aid for Ukraine was on its way.
March 30, 2022 4:10 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – Pennsylvania’s payrolls recorded a big jump in February and the unemployment rate sank to a new post-pandemic low. The state Department of Labor and Industry says Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate dropped three-tenths of a percentage point to 5.1% from January’s rate. The national rate was 3.8%. In a survey of households, the labor force was flat, although the number of employed grew by 12,000. In a survey of employers, non-farm payrolls in Pennsylvania grew in February by 34,000, driven primarily by hiring in manufacturing and the trade, transportation and utilities sectors. Pennsylvania has regained about 80% of the 1.1 million jobs lost in the early months of the pandemic.
March 30, 2022 3:17 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – A Republican proposal to prevent transgender girls from competing in girls’ school sports is advancing in the Pennsylvania Legislature. The measure was passed on party lines Tuesday by the Pennsylvania House Education Committee. The “Save Women’s Sports Act” bill would restrict players to male or female teams based on their reproductive organs, biology or genetics at birth. The bill says athletic teams designated for women or girls may not be open to “students of the male sex.” It would give students a route to sue if they feel harmed by violations of that rule. It covers K-12 school teams, college sports, intramurals and club teams sponsored by school entities.
March 30, 2022 2:43 am
Many groups and organizations are striving to reduce the amount of methane in the air due to natural gas drilling across the country and here in Southwestern Pennsylvania. During a W&J Center For Energy Policy Management webinar Wednesday morning, Karen Marsh of the Environmental Protection Agency says the current presidential administration has already taken steps to curb the release of toxins in the air through the proposal of the Clean Air Act. The act will call for the end of venting methane into the air, proper detection and repairs of well leaks as well as using new technologies to track and record data surrounding the drilling operations. Marsh says these practices would save companies money and increase the recovery of natural gas while reducing methane, toxins and smog in the environment. One company that will be vital in this process is Project Canary. The group is looking to provide real-time monitoring of wells and accurate data analytics for those involved in the gas production as well as the EPA.
March 30, 2022 2:34 am
A Fayette County man will face trial on an aggravated assault by vehicle charge along with several other charges. Allen Csonka, 26 of Republic waived his charges to court at his Tuesday morning preliminary hearing. Csonka is accused of hitting a child with his car at an intersection in California. Csonka claimed that the child ran out in front of his car. According to police documents witnesses saw Csonka driving at an unsafe speed before striking the child. In addition to aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI, Csonka faces an accident involving injury while not licensed charge and several summary charges. Csonka is in the Washington County jail for lying to the magistrate about his previous criminal history. The magistrate modified his bond to a monetary $10,000 bond. Csonka will be arraigned on April 28.
March 30, 2022 2:07 am
A Scenery Hill man will spend one to two years in county jail for his role in causing injuries to a three month old child by putting it in a bear hug. Nicholas Benson, 29 pleaded guilty to aggravated assault for his role in injuring a three month old child who would not stop crying. The child’s mother noticed the baby vomiting blood. The baby was taken to Children’s Hospital where doctors found bruising and healing rib fractures that were caused by a squeezing incident. Benson admitted to police he had put the baby in a bear hug for three minutes to try and make it stop crying. Benson was sentenced to jail for one year minus one day to two years minus two days. He will be eligible for home monitoring after he spends six months in jail. Benson will report to the Washington County Jail on April 29th.
