November 8, 2022 2:52 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Some of Pennsylvania’s largest counties scrambled Monday to help voters fix mail-in ballots that have fatal flaws such as incorrect dates or missing signatures on the envelopes used to send them in, bringing about confusion and legal challenges in the battleground state on the eve of the election. Elections officials in Philadelphia and Allegheny County, which includes Pittsburgh, announced measures they were taking in response to state Supreme Court rulings in recent days that said mail-in ballots may not be counted if they lack accurate handwritten dates on the exterior envelopes. Ahead of Tuesday’s midterms, more than a million mail-in and absentee ballots have already been returned in Pennsylvania, with Democrats far more likely than Republicans to vote by mail. The numbers are large enough that they might matter in a close race, such as the contest between Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Mehmet Oz that could determine majority control of the U.S. Senate. The Department of State said it was unclear just how many ballots are at issue across the state. The agency over the weekend asked counties to provide the numbers, broken down by political party. Officials said some counties were not letting voters fix their mistakes. A new federal lawsuit over the envelope dates was filed Monday in Pittsburgh federal court by the national congressional and senatorial Democratic campaign organizations, two Democratic voters and Fetterman’s U.S. Senate campaign. They sued county boards of election across the state, arguing that throwing out ballots that lack proper envelope dates would violate a provision in the 1964 U.S. Civil Rights Act that says people can’t be kept from voting based on what the lawsuit calls “needless technical requirements.” A separate federal lawsuit filed Friday makes a similar argument.
November 7, 2022 1:54 pm
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Better catch the moon’s disappearing act Tuesday — there won’t be another like it for three years. The total lunar eclipse will be visible throughout North America in the predawn hours — the farther west, the better — and across Asia, Australia and the rest of the Pacific after sunset. As an extra treat, Uranus will be visible just a finger’s width above the moon, resembling a bright star. Totality will last nearly 1½ hours — from 5:16 a.m. to 6:41 a.m. EST — as Earth passes directly between the moon and sun. Known as a blood moon, it will appear a reddish-orange from the light of Earth’s sunsets and sunrises. At the peak of the eclipse, the moon will be 242,740 miles away, according to NASA scientists. Binoculars and telescopes will enhance viewing, provided the skies are clear. South America will get a glimpse of Tuesday’s lunar eclipse, weather permitting. Striking out altogether, Africa, the Middle East and most of Europe will have to wait until 2025. Among those providing a livestream of Tuesday’s lunar extravaganza: Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles and the Italian-based Virtual Telescope Project. It’s the second total lunar eclipse this year; the first was in May. The next one won’t be until 2025. Plenty of partial lunar eclipses will be available in the meantime. (Photo: AP)
November 7, 2022 1:30 pm
(WPXI) – A 2-year-old who fell into a pond in Bethel Park Saturday has died. According to Bethel Park police, officers responded to a residence on Tischler Road just after noon for a report of a child who fell into a pond on the property. Officers started CPR when they got there. Medics arrived and transported the child to an area hospital. Police were notified the child died overnight.
The investigation is ongoing.
November 7, 2022 4:27 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – North Korea’s military says its recent barrage of missile tests were practices to “mercilessly” strike key South Korean and U.S. targets such as air bases and operation command systems with a variety of missiles that likely included nuclear-capable weapons. The North’s military said Monday its missile tests were reaction to last week’s massive air force drills between the U.S. and South Korea, which Pyongyang views as an invasion rehearsal. The announcement underscored leader Kim Jong Un’s determination not to back down in the face of his rivals’ push to expand their military exercises. But some experts say Kim also eventually wants to use their drills as an excuse to modernize his nuclear arsenal and increase his leverage in future dealings with Washington and Seoul.
November 7, 2022 4:25 am
BOSTON (AP) – Elon Musk says Twitter will permanently suspend any account that impersonates another. The social media platform’s new owner issued the warning Sunday after some celebrities changed their Twitter display names – not their account names – to ‘Elon Musk’ in reaction to the billionaire’s decision to offer verified accounts to all comers for $8 month. Comedian Kathy Griffin had her account suspended on Sunday for switching her display name to Musk’s. Actor Valerie Bertinelli did the same before switching it back to her real name. But first, she posted a series of tweets in support of Democratic candidates.
November 7, 2022 4:23 am
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (AP) – More than 100 world leaders are about to discuss a worsening problem that scientists’ call Earth’s biggest challenge, yet observers say it will be hard to make progress given all the other things happening in the world. Dozens of heads of states or governments Monday take the stage in the first day of “high-level” international climate talks in Egypt with more to come in following days. Much of the focus will be on national leaders telling their stories of being devastated by climate disasters. But leaders of China, India and Russia will be missing and the U.S. midterm elections will be grabbing headlines.
November 7, 2022 4:23 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Both President Joe Biden and his predecessor, Donald Trump, are hoping to provide their parties late boosts on the last full day of campaigning before midterm elections that could reshape the balance of power in Washington. Biden is holding a Monday evening rally in Maryland as Democrats eye retaking its governorship. Trump is set to stage his own event in Ohio, where his hand-picked Senate candidate, JD Vance, is running in a state that has turned more reliably red in recent cycles. Republicans are optimistic about winning enough seats to retake control of both the House and the Senate, while Democrats insist they are poised for a better night than many expect.
November 7, 2022 4:17 am
PITTSBURGH — (WPXI)- A Pitt football player is facing assault charges. According to court documents, police were dispatched to an apartment on East Hills Drive after dispatchers received a call of what appeared to be a struggle over the phone. Officers said a woman told them she had been fighting over the phone with her boyfriend and child of her father, 21-year-old Dayon Hayes. Court documents say Hayes allegedly grabbed a fistful of the woman’s hair and pulled her head back. The woman was able to free herself since she was wearing a wig. Hayes then allegedly began to force the woman’s head to the wall and hold her there. The woman told police she attempted to leave the room after Hayes let her go, but he refused to let her leave. Hayes allegedly slammed the door into the woman’s leg while trying to prevent her from leaving, court documents say. Hayes has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Nov. 22.
November 7, 2022 4:14 am
EAST HUNTINGDON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — (WPXI) – A man was killed in an motorcycle crash in Westmoreland County. According to Pennsylvania State Police, the crash happened on state Route 31 at residence 1291 in East Huntingdon Township at around 12:51 a.m. Police said the driver, identified as 28-year-old Timothy Lee Glover Jr., from Roscoe, was driving along state Route 31 when he lost control after negotiating a left curve. According to police, the motorcycle went onto the right shoulder traveling west, before driving through three yards and rotating in a counterclockwise direction. As the motorcycle rotated, it hit a utility pole, speed limit sign and mailboxes, police said. The motorcycle tumbled and stopped in the driveway at residence 1291, according to police. Glover Jr. was pronounced dead at the scene.
November 7, 2022 2:57 am
SOUTH STRABANE, Pa. — Officials went door to door in a Washington County neighborhood after two homes tested positive for methane last week. According to the South Strabane Fire Department, 42 homes along Scout Drive in South Strabane Township were metered after a confirmed methane release in two homes on the street. The department said they received no positive results in any of the other homes. Columbia Gas notified the fire department Friday gas was detected on Scout during a routine metering the week before. The gas company monitored the situation and noted positive readings inside a home. They notified Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and South Strabane Fire and Emergency Services. Columbia Gas sent samples for testing, according to the department, and they don’t believe it’s natural gas at this point. The samples are believed to include low levels of methane, a colorless, odorless, potentially explosive gas. The department said the state DEP will continue to investigate.
