(AP Photo)
By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV, DASHA LITVINOVA, YURAS KARMANAU and JIM HEINTZ Associated Press
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian troops have launched a wide-ranging attack on Ukraine as President Vladimir Putin cast aside international condemnation and sanctions. He warned other countries that any attempt to interfere would lead to “consequences you have never seen.” Ukraine’s leadership said at least 40 people have been killed so far in what it called a “full-scale war” targeting the country from the east, north and south. Ukrainian border guards released footage of what they said were Russian tanks moving in. Big explosions were heard in Ukrainian cities Thursday. The Russian military claimed to have wiped out Ukraine’s entire air defenses in a matter of hours. Ukrainians fled some cities. World leaders decried the start of a long-anticipated invasion with far-reaching consequences.

Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is announcing an overnight eastbound closure on I-376 (Beaver Valley Expressway) in Hopewell Township, Beaver County, will occur tonight, Wednesday, February 23.

AP-NORC poll: Most in US oppose major role in Russia strife
By NOMAAN MERCHANT and HANNAH FINGERHUT Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — A new poll finds little support among Americans for a major U.S. role in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. President Joe Biden has acknowledged a growing likelihood that war in Eastern Europe would affect Americans even if U.S. troops don’t deploy to Ukraine. Just 26% of Americans say the U.S. should have a major role in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The poll found 52% of Americans think the U.S. should have a minor role in the conflict; 20% say the U.S. shouldn’t be involved at all.

HARRISBURG – Speaker of the House Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster) and House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff (R-Centre/Mifflin) issued the following statement after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court picked the Carter plan for congressional districts:
“This is not about where lines are drawn or where they could have been drawn. The court has now confirmed once and for all they do not abide by the state and federal Constitutions.
“Only the map submitted by House and Senate Republicans followed all constitutional guidelines, went through a deliberative legislative process and was endorsed by a judicial body.
“The process for creating district lines is clearly defined, and even if the governor refused to follow the process, it does not allow the courts to just pick and choose when or when not to follow the law.
“Sadly, candidates and voters must now submit to a unilateral court that sees itself above every person in our Commonwealth.”

By MARC LEVY and MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s highest court is breaking a partisan deadlock over a new map of congressional districts by selecting boundaries that broadly adhere to the current outlines of the state’s districts. The Democratic-majority state Supreme Court in a 4-3 decision picked a 17-district map that had been proposed by a group of Democratic-aligned voters who sued last year in an effort to get the court involved. It’s unlikely to create a big shift in the makeup of the congressional delegation, as the state loses a seat because of sluggish population growth. By one analysis, the map has eight Republican-leaning districts, six Democratic-leaning districts and three closely divided districts.

(File Photo)
Story by Sandy Giordano, Beaver County Radio News Correspondent
(Center Twp., Beaver County, Pa.) PA State Police reported just after 11:30 AM Wednesday morning that I-376 east bound (Beaver Valley Expressway) is reopened. A spokesperson said the road was closed due to clean up from a tractor trailer rollover that occurred Tuesday morning.   The spokesperson said the road reopened completely around 11 AM.

There has been no further information released about the accident. It’s not known at this time if anyone was injured in the accident or what caused the accident.

GOP candidate for governor ups campaign cash in late filing
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Republican state lawmaker who is running for governor of Pennsylvania filed an updated campaign finance statement showing that he has almost twice as much campaign cash as he initially reported. Tuesday’s filing by state Sen. Doug Mastriano was three weeks after the deadline in state law. Mastriano is now reporting that he had slightly over $1 million in his campaign account heading into 2022, instead of the $550,000 he initially reported. The updated statement puts Mastriano among the biggest-raising candidates in a double-digits-deep Republican primary field competing for the nomination to challenge the presumed Democratic nominee, two-term state Attorney General Josh Shapiro.

Lawsuit seeks halt to court picking congressional map
By MARK SCOLFORO Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A federal lawsuit claims the Pennsylvania Supreme Court would overstep its authority by selecting a new set of congressional district maps. The plaintiffs asked Monday for a restraining order to prevent the state justices from changing the election calendar. The lawsuit was filed by two Republicans running for Congress, a member of the election board in rural Susquehanna County and two others. They’re suing Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and two high-ranking state elections officials, arguing that the stalemate over passing new maps should require all 17 races to be run as “at-large” statewide contests this year.