FILE – Chester County, Pa., election workers process mail-in and absentee ballots at West Chester University in West Chester, Pa., Nov. 4, 2020. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A divided Pennsylvania appeals court ruled Wednesday that the envelopes voters use to send in mail ballots do not need to have been accurately hand-dated, weighing in after the state Supreme Court sidestepped the issue and six days before the end of voting in the presidential election.

The 3-2 decision by Commonwealth Court upheld a Philadelphia judge’s ruling that 69 mail ballots should be counted in a pair of single-candidate state House of Representatives special elections held in September.

The majority said the mandate for exterior envelope dates, which are not needed to determine if a ballot has arrived in time, violates a state constitutional provision that says elections must be free and equal and no civil or military power can interfere with the “free exercise of the right of suffrage.”

The majority opinion by Judge Ellen Ceisler said the envelope dating rules “restrict the right to have one’s vote counted in the special election to only those voters who correctly handwrite the date on their mail ballots and effectively deny the right to all other qualified electors who sought to exercise the franchise by mail in a timely manner but made minor mistakes or omissions.”

Ceisler, in a footnote, urged the national and state Republican parties, which lost the case, “to proceed expeditiously should they wish to appeal this decision.”

A lawyer for the Republican parties, Linda A. Kerns, said an appeal will be filed in the coming days.

“We know that the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania has already spoken on this issue,” Kerns said Wednesday. “Pennsylvania law requires voters to sign and date mail ballots — that is an important election integrity safeguard.”

Lawyers for the two Philadelphia voters who sued to have their ballots counted hailed the decision but acknowledged it may not be the last word.

“We hope that every county will abide by this ruling in its processing of mail ballots next month,” Mimi McKenzie, legal director of the Public Interest Law Center, said in a statement. She advised voters to still date their return envelopes and fix any balloting mistakes if they can.

In a dissent, Judge Matthew Wolf said his colleagues should have simply forwarded the case to the state Supreme Court or at least waited until after the election.

“The majority, in no uncertain terms, concludes that any county board of elections’ decision not to count undated or incorrectly dated mail-in and absentee ballots violates the free and equal elections clause of the Pennsylvania Constitution,” Wolf wrote.

Another dissent, by Judge Patricia McCullough, called the majority decision “a substantial change to voting rules at the eleventh hour and on specious grounds.”

“Wrong decisions issued at the wrong time are doubly threatening to the integrity of Pennsylvania’s elections and the public’s confidence in them,” McCullough said.

The state Supreme Court earlier this month rejected a request by voting rights and left-leaning groups to stop counties from throwing out mail-in ballots without the accurate, handwritten dates, citing earlier rulings that courts should avoid confusing voters close to elections.

A self-driving tractor trailer maneuvers around a test track in Pittsburgh, Thursday, March 14, 2024. The truck is owned by Pittsburgh-based Aurora Innovation Inc. Late this year, Aurora plans to start hauling freight on Interstate 45 between the Dallas and Houston areas with 20 driverless trucks. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Autonomous truck company Aurora Innovation says it won’t start hauling freight without humans on board until April of next year, a delay from previous statements that commercial service would begin by the end of 2024.

The Pittsburgh company on Wednesday said the April launch of driverless semis traveling from Dallas to Houston will be “modestly later” than the company had intended.

The company told investors on its third-quarter earnings conference call that it has made progress toward ensuring its trucks will operate safely.

Remaining obstacles are “primarily in the areas of some elements of surface street driving and some elements of construction that we see on the freeway,” CEO Chris Urmson said. “We want to have extremely high confidence in the system as we as we go forward.”

The company will start with about 10 autonomous tractor-trailers and move to “tens” of trucks by the end of next year, Urmson said.

“This shift to our timeline will have a negligible financial impact and does not affect our scaling efforts on our path to self-funding,” Urmson said.

Aurora also intends to haul freight without human drivers from Fort Worth, Texas, to Phoenix later in 2025, Urmson said.

Aurora in August added nearly $500 million to its balance sheet with a capital raise in August, which the company expects to fund the initial phases of its strategy to scale up driverless trucking.

PepsiCo said Wednesday it plans to close four U.S. bottling plants and lay off nearly 400 workers as part of its efforts to streamline its operations.

The company said the closures will impact 136 workers in Cincinnati; 131 in Chicago; 127 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; and fewer than 50 in Atlanta.

The Chicago plant is the only one that will fully close. PepsiCo confirmed that closure earlier this week. The company said sales, delivery and warehouse functions will continue at the other three locations.

Earlier this month, PepsiCo lowered its sales forecast for the year as consumers in the U.S., China and elsewhere pulled back on buying its drinks and snacks after years of price hikes. PepsiCo’s North American beverage sales fell 3% in both the second and third quarters of this year.

PepsiCo’s net income fell 5% to $2.9 billion in the July-September period. The company has repeatedly said it is sharply focused on efficiency and productivity gains.

PepsiCo, which is based in Purchase, New York, said affected employees will be paid and receive benefits for 60 days even though most will not be required to work during that time.

Story by Sandy Giordnao – Beaver County Radio. Published October 31, 2024 10:38 P.M.

(Aliquippa, Pa) On Wednesday afternoon, a press release was issued regarding an individual portraying himself as SGT. Gonzalez requesting funds and Bitcoin. The caller is providing a fictitious badge number and stating if the resident doesn’t pay they will be arrested. Police are telling residents not to accept anything sent by the scammers  or provide them with anything.

[Oct. 31, 2024] — Daylight saving time ends on November 3 and the American Red Cross encourages everyone to test their smoke alarms as they turn their clocks back to make sure the devices are working.

“Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in a home fire in half as you only have about two minutes to safely get out,” said Jorge Martinez, CEO of the American Red Cross of Greater Pennsylvania. “Every second counts when there’s a home fire and the sooner an alarm alerts you to a fire, the sooner you can get to a safer place. When daylight saving time ends this weekend, test your smoke alarms to help prevent a tragedy in your home.”

Over the past year, local Red Cross volunteers responded to help nearly 5,500 people in communities across the commonwealth affected by more than 1,400 home fires. Home fires account for most of the about 65,000 disasters that the Red Cross responds to annually across the country.

SMOKE ALARMS When turning your clocks back this weekend, test your smoke alarms and replace the batteries if needed. Visit redcross.org/fire for more information, including an escape plan to create and practice with your family, or download the free Red Cross Emergency app by searching “American Red Cross” in app stores.

• Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, including inside and outside bedrooms and sleeping areas.
• Replace smoke alarms that are 10 years or older. Components such as sensors can become less sensitive over time. Follow your alarm’s manufacturer instructions.
• Practice your two-minute home fire escape plan. Make sure everyone in your household can get out in less than two minutes — the amount of time you may have to escape a burning home before it’s too late.
• Include at least two ways to get out of every room and select a meeting spot at a safe distance away from your home, such as your neighbor’s home or landmark like a specific tree in your front yard, where everyone can meet.

Story by Sandy Giordano – Beaver County Radio. Published October 31, 2024 10:35 P.M.

(Hopewell Township, Pa) A 2 vehicle accident with injuries occurred in the area of Lock 6 at 6:45pm Wednesday evening.  According to information from a resident, traffic travelling eastbound on Route 68 was diverted onto Barclay Hill  Road. Route 68 was closed to the oil tanks in Vanport. At this time, we only know that 2 persons were life flighted to the hospital.