FILE – Emergency personnel work at the site of a deadly explosion at a chocolate factory in West Reading, Pa., March 24, 2023. Workers at the Pennsylvania chocolate factory smelled “rotten eggs” before a powerful natural gas explosion that leveled one building, heavily damaged another and killed seven, federal safety officials said Monday, May 2, in a preliminary report. (Jeff Doelp/Reading Eagle via AP, File)

Workers at a Pennsylvania chocolate factory smelled rotten eggs before a powerful natural gas explosion that leveled one building and heavily damaged another, killing seven people. That’s according to federal safety officials, who released a preliminary report on the March 24 blast. The National Transportation Safety Board’s five-paragraph account Tuesday of the fatal explosion confirmed earlier reporting by The Associated Press and other media outlets that employees had detected an odor of natural gas at the R.M. Palmer Co. factory in West Reading. Federal investigators have been focusing on the role of a natural gas pipeline as they look for the cause of the explosion.

FILE – A sign is displayed at the federal prison complex in Terre Haute, Ind., Aug. 28, 2020. A judge tossed 49-year-old Bruce Webster’s death sentence in accordance with a 2002 Supreme Court decision that executing anyone with an intellectual disability violated Eight Amendment protections against “cruel and unusual” punishment. After years of delays, his lawyers said Webster has been moved off death row to a less restrictive prison. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)

CHICAGO (AP) — Prison officials have moved a former drug dealer convicted of killing a 16-year-old Texas girl off federal death row to serve a life sentence in another prison amid criticism he should have been moved years ago after a judge deemed him intellectually disabled and vacated his death sentence. The transfer comes two weeks after The Associated Press first highlighted Bruce Webster’s case, reporting that chronic bureaucracy left him stuck in solitary confinement on federal death row in Terre Haute, Indiana, since the judge’s 2019 ruling. His lawyers say the prison told them Tuesday that Webster had been transferred to a less restrictive prison in Pennsylvania. Lawyer Steven Wells said he was “delighted” but that the move should have happened “a long time ago.”

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A bill to broaden protections for LGBTQ+ people passed the Pennsylvania state House of Representatives, the first time similar legislation has advanced this far after years long efforts by Democrats, though it faces strong headwinds in the Republican-controlled Senate. The bill passed 102-98 on Tuesday where Democrats have a razor-thin majority, becoming the first of its kind to see a floor vote. Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, says he supports it. Under the bill, it would be illegal to discriminate against LGBTQ+ people in housing, work places and public services.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The man charged in the deadliest attack on Jewish people in U.S. history has lost a bid to get the death penalty removed as a possible punishment. Robert Bowers is accused of gunning down 11 worshipers at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018. Jury selection is underway at his federal trial. Lawyers for Bowers argue the Justice Department is pursuing the death penalty against Bowers in an arbitrary manner. A federal judge ruled against the defense Tuesday, leaving the death penalty on the table. More than 100 potential jurors have been questioned by prosecutors and the defense, with a heavy focus on their views on a potential death sentence.

FILE – Students work in the library during homeroom at D.H.H. Lengel Middle School in Pottsville, Pa., on March 15, 2022. Test scores in history and civics have declined slightly for eighth-grade students in the U.S., according to results that show an increasing number of children lack a basic understanding in either subject, according to the the National Assessment of Educational Progress, Wednesday, May 3, 2023. (Lindsey Shuey/Republican-Herald via AP, File)

Test scores in history and civics have declined slightly for eighth grade students in the U.S., according to results that show an increasing number of children lack a basic understanding of either subject. The scores were released Wednesday by the National Assessment of Educational Progress. That same assessment reported in October that every single state had seen a decline in math or reading scores amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest scores, officials said, reflect more of the impact of the disruptions from the virus that shuttered schools across the country. Nearly one-third of eighth grade students, 31%, cannot describe the structure or function of government, according to the results.

CARNEGIE, P.A. — Today, Congressman Chris Deluzio (PA-17) released the following statement in support of the nursing home therapists at the Brighton Rehab Wellness Center in his district who are seeking a fair contract. The union therapists at Brighton Rehab and Wellness have voted to strike unfair labor practices starting on May 6 after seven months of negotiation, especially over wage increases.

Ahead of the scheduled strike, Congressman Chris Deluzio released the following statement:

“I call on Brighton Rehabilitation and Wellness Center to do the right thing and return to the bargaining table ready to discuss fair wage increases for its hardworking therapist staff members. I met with nursing home workers in March and heard firsthand the difficulties and challenges staff face everyday in the workplace, caring for some of the most vulnerable among us. Management should remain willing to sit down with its workers and negotiate a fair contract in good faith.”

The next bargaining session is scheduled for May 9. This is the first contract negotiation for the group that unionized last year.

Story by Sandy Giordano – Beaver County Radio. Published May 3, 2023 10:41 A.M.

(Aliquippa, PA) Aliquippa Police Chief John Lane reported on Tuesday that a total of 27 stolen vehicles have been reported in the city in the last month. He said the vehicles are not just Hyundai’s and KIA’s but Hondas  and other types of vehicles.

Acting Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen (center) poses with her award with PA AAP President Dr. Mary Ann Rigas (left) and PA AAP Executive Director Annette Myarick (right).

Hunger Caucus Co-Chairs Sen. Elder Vogel Jr. (R-47) and Rep. Emily Kinkead (D-20) gathered with representatives from the Downtown Daily Bread, Pennsylvania Vegetable Growers Association, and the Penn State Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners, and Sens. Judy Schwank (D-11) and Timothy Kearney (D-26) for the 13^th opening season of the Capitol Hunger Garden.

HARRISBURG – Today, Sen. Elder Vogel, Jr. (R-47) and Rep. Emily Kinkead (D-20), co-chairs of the Hunger Caucus, gathered at the Capitol Hunger Garden for its 13^th annual opening season which will supply fresh produce to those in need through the Downtown Daily Bread in Harrisburg.

“Since its inception in 2010, the Capitol Hunger Garden continues to fulfill the mission of raising and providing healthy food options to those in need,” said Vogel. “Our bi-partisan, unified efforts enable us to continue to raise awareness and fight hunger in our Commonwealth.

“The Capitol Hunger Garden isn’t just a place that grows hundreds of pounds of food every year, said Kinkead, “It is also a demonstration of small things that we all can do to help our food insecure neighbors and a symbol of this legislature’s commitment to end hunger across our Commonwealth.”

Last year’s Hunger Garden bounty yielded a total of over 700 pounds of produce, including 99 pounds of cucumbers, 83 pounds of zucchini, 65 pounds of carrots, 63 pounds of red beets, 58 pounds of tomatoes and 53 pounds of green peppers. Also harvested from the garden were many other vegetables and herbs.

Vogel added, “I want to thank the Department of General Services, the Pennsylvania Vegetable Growers Association, the Penn State Master Gardeners, the Downtown Daily Bread, and all the volunteers who help make this garden possible each year.”

Plants for this year’s garden were supplied by the Pennsylvania Vegetable Growers and volunteers from the Penn State Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners will assist with maintaining the garden throughout the summer until the season ends in early September.

Established in 2008, the legislative Hunger Caucus seeks to raise awareness for hunger. The most visible of this caucus’s initiatives is the Capitol Hunger Garden, which is a bi-partisan, bi-cameral effort of the General Assembly.

Harrisburg, PA – Acting Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt today urged Pennsylvanians planning to vote by mail ballot in the May primary election to apply online or in person now, before the May 9 deadline, and return their mail ballot immediately to ensure their vote can be counted.

“With just a week before the deadline, apply online or in person today so you have time to receive your mail ballot, fill it out, and return it by 8 p.m. on Primary Election Day, which is May 16,” Schmidt said. “Remember that voters who apply for a mail ballot in person at their county board of elections office can complete their ballot and return it all in one visit.”

To date, more than 683,000 Pennsylvanians have applied for a mail ballot and more than 63,000 Pennsylvanians have applied for an absentee ballot to vote in the primary.

Whether completing their mail ballot at home or at their county board of elections office, voters should read all instructions carefully and follow these steps to ensure their ballot is counted:

• Enclose the mail ballot in the inner security envelope marked “official election ballot” and seal it. Do not make any stray marks on the envelope.
• Seal the inner security envelope in the pre-addressed outer envelope.
• Sign and write the current date on the voter’s declaration on the outer envelope.

Voters should return their voted ballot to their county board of elections as soon as possible. They have two options:

• Mail the ballot. Mailed ballots must be received by 8 p.m. May 16. Mail ballots received after that time will not count, even if postmarked by 8 p.m. May 16.
• Hand-deliver their ballot to their county elections office, officially designated satellite office or drop box site. Hand-delivered ballots must be received by 8 p.m. May 16.

Voters may return only their own mail ballot unless the voter has a disability and designates someone in writing to return it for them using the designation form on the Department of State website, or the voter requires an emergency absentee ballot.

Voters also have the option of voting at the polls on May 16, provided they have not already voted by mail ballot. Polling places will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Voters who received an absentee or mail ballot may vote in person on May 16 if they bring their unvoted mail ballot packet, including the outer envelope, with them to be voided. After they surrender their ballot packet and sign a declaration, they can then vote on their county’s voting system. Voters who already successfully voted by mail are not eligible to vote in person in the primary.

Voters who requested a mail ballot and did not receive it or do not have it to surrender may vote by provisional ballot at their polling place on May 16. The provisional ballot will be reviewed by their county board of elections after the primary to determine whether it can be counted.

“Whichever voting option you prefer – by mail ballot, in person by mail ballot at your county elections office, or at the polls on Primary Election Day – make sure your voice is heard,” Schmidt said. “If you choose to vote by mail ballot, be sure you act quickly by completing and returning your mail ballot now.”

Only voters registered as Democrats or Republicans may select nominees in the primary to represent their party in the Nov. 7 general election. However, on May 16, all registered voters, regardless of party affiliation, will be able to vote on any local ballot questions and in special elections in the following districts:

• 108th Legislative District for state representative in parts of Montour and Northumberland counties, and
• 163rd Legislative District for state representative in parts of Delaware County.

For more information on voting and elections, visit vote.pa.gov or call the Department of State’s year-round hotline, 1-877-VOTESPA (1-877-868-3772), which offers information and interpretation services in more than 200 languages.