October 11, 2022 2:25 am
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) – The U.S. Supreme Court is invalidating a lower appeals court decision regarding how rules for mail-in ballots had been applied in a Pennsylvania election. The decision Tuesday adds an element of uncertainty about voting procedures four weeks ahead of the state’s high-stakes elections for governor and U.S. Senate. Pennsylvania’s top-ranking elections official says the decision is under review and that guidance to counties about how to handle such ballots will be updated if necessary. The justices vacated a decision in May by the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that had said mail-in ballots without a required date on the return envelope must be allowed in a 2021 Pennsylvania judge race.
October 11, 2022 2:20 am
ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) – A carbon monoxide leak at a Pennsylvania day care center has sent more than two dozen children and several adults to the hospital. Officials say none of the injuries are considered serious. Emergency responders went to the Happy Smiles Learning Center in Allentown on Tuesday morning on reports of an unconscious child. Authorities say the building was evacuated after air quality detectors worn by firefighters were triggered. The children and adults were evaluated. Eight staffers were also in the building. Investigators say the leak was caused by a malfunctioning heating unit and a blocked venting system. (Photo: AP)
October 10, 2022 3:42 pm
(AP) – The United Methodist Church, long a mainstay of the American religious scene, is beginning to fracture. Hundreds of churches have already disaffiliated from the denomination this year, with hundreds more moving toward the exits. Many plan to join the newly created Global Methodist Church, formed by conservatives frustrated by continued defiance of denominational bans on same-sex marriages and the ordaining of openly LGBTQ pastors. So far the majority of congregations are staying, but several of the largest are planning to leave. The breakup comes amid mutual accusations of hardball tactics and spreading falsehoods. (Photo: AP)
October 10, 2022 4:32 am
ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AP) – Russia President Vladimir Putin is calling the attack on the Kerch Bridge to Crimea a terrorist act carried out by Ukrainian special services. In a meeting Sunday with the chairman of Russia’s Investigative Committee, Putin said “there’s no doubt it was a terrorist act directed at the destruction of critically important civilian infrastructure.” His investigative chief said he had opened a criminal case into an act of terrorism. Ukrainian officials, meanwhile, say a Russian missile strike on a southern city has killed 13 people and partially collapsed an apartment building in the city of Zaporizhzhia.
October 10, 2022 4:30 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Rising suicide rates among active service members have forced the Pentagon to review the military’s mental health protocols. But many service members in crisis still fear coming forward and admitting they need help. And those who do seek that help often find themselves fighting through deep-rooted stigma surrounding mental health issues, bureaucratic obstacles and an internal pressure to stay on the job. The Pentagon has created an independent committee to review the military’s mental health and suicide prevention programs. At the same time, a network of military-adjacent charitable organizations has tried to fill the gaps with a variety of programs and outreach efforts.
October 10, 2022 4:29 am
NEW YORK (AP) – Kanye West is once again embroiled in controversy. The rapper who is legally known as Ye made antisemitic posts on Twitter and Instagram and the social networks locked his accounts. Spokespersons for Twitter and for Instagram parent Meta said on Sunday that Ye posted messages that violated their policies. According to internet archive records, Ye said on Twitter he would soon go “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE.” The social media suspensions cap a whirlwind week for Ye, even by his standards. Among other things, he was harshly criticized for wearing a “White Lives Matter” T-shirt to his collection at Paris Fashion Week. Representatives for Ye did not return requests for comment.
October 10, 2022 4:27 am
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – The third largest railroad union rejected its deal with the railroads Monday – renewing the possibility of a strike that could cripple the economy – but before that could happen both sides will return to the bargaining table. About 56% of the track maintenance workers represented by the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division union who voted opposed the five-year contract even though it included 24% raises and $5,000 in bonuses. Union President Tony Cardwell said the railroads didn’t do enough to address worker concerns about the lack of paid time off – particularly sick time – and demanding working conditions after the major railroads eliminated nearly one-third of their jobs over the past six years.
October 10, 2022 4:25 am
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – North Korea says its recent barrage of missile launches were the simulated use of its tactical battlefield nuclear weapons to “hit and wipe out” potential South Korean and U.S. targets. Its leader Kim Jong Un has signaled he would conduct more provocative tests. Monday’s North Korean statement released on the 77th birthday of its ruling Workers’ Party is seen as an attempt to buttress a public unity behind Kim as he is struggling to overcome difficulties such as pandemic-related economic hardships. State media say North Korea’s recent missile tests were response to recent naval drills between U.S. and South Korean forces, which involved the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan.
October 10, 2022 4:25 am
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) – Russia has retaliated for what it claimed was a Ukrainian terrorist attack on a critical bridge by unleashing its biggest and most widespread attacks against Ukraine in months. The lethal barrage Monday against multiple cities smashed civilian targets. It killed at least 11 people, knocked out power and water, and shattered cars and buildings. Ukraine’s Emergency Service said 64 people were wounded across the country in the morning attacks – the biggest and broadest since the early days of the war. One Russian missile hit a playground in downtown Kyiv and another struck a central building of a university. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attacks aimed to inflict the most damage on civilians.
October 10, 2022 4:22 am
Federal prosecutors on Sunday recommended a prison sentence of approximately four years for a Pennsylvania man who pleaded guilty to assaulting an Associated Press photographer and using a stun gun against police officers during a mob’s attack on the U.S. Capitol. U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss is scheduled to sentence Alan Byerly on Oct. 21 for his attack on AP photographer John Minchillo and police during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot in Washington. Sentencing guidelines recommend a prison term ranging from 37 to 46 months. Prosecutors are seeking a sentence of at least 46 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release. Byerly’s attorney has until Friday to submit a sentencing recommendation. The judge isn’t bound by any of the sentencing recommendations. Byerly was arrested in July 2021 and pleaded guilty a year later to assault charges. Byerly purchased a stun gun before he traveled from his home in Fleetwood, Pennsylvania, to Washington for the “Stop the Steal” rally on Jan. 6. Leaving the rally before then-President Donald Trump finished speaking, Byerly went to the Capitol and joined other rioters in using a large metal Trump sign as a battering ram against barricades and police officers, prosecutors said.
