05:50 AM
By MARC LEVY Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Spending in the race for an open seat on Pennsylvania’s state Supreme Court has blown past $5 million, with less than two weeks left until Election Day. Campaign finance reports filed Friday show that most of it, or roughly $3 million, has been spent to help Republican Kevin Brobson, including spending by third-party groups in the race. That compared with about $2 million to help Democrat Maria McLaughlin. Brobson’s largest donor, by far, is a group that receives millions from suburban Philadelphia billionaire Jeffrey Yass. Labor unions, the Philadelphia Trial Lawyers Association and the state Democratic Party are McLaughlin’s biggest donors.

Keystone State News Connection

Emily Scott

ERIE, Pa. — The Keystone State is seeing several barrier-breaking progressive candidates running for office in unexpected places: rural Pennsylvania.

The trend of progressive Democrats running for office is not unique to Pennsylvania. It has been increasing since the 2016 election, everywhere from Maine to Virginia to Iowa.

Tyler Titus is running for Erie County Executive. A victory would mean Titus would be the first openly transgender county executive in the country. Titus tells of experiencing rural generational poverty firsthand, growing up in a small-town southeast of Erie, and said poverty solutions need a holistic and progressive approach, whether in urban or rural America.

“When you talk on progressive values that center around people and not just profit, you can win in purple spaces, you can win in red spaces,” Titus asserted. “And I think that we see a momentum shifting. And that’s exciting, and it shows that I really think that the U.S. is at a time of reckoning.”

Titus is running against Republican Brenton Davis, a small-business owner and military veteran, in the Nov. 2 election.

The small Rust Belt city of Beaver Falls, northwest of Pittsburgh, may elect its first Black woman mayor next week.

Kenya Johns is a lifelong resident of Beaver Falls who defeated Democrat incumbent George Quay in May and currently is unopposed in the November election. Johns said her success speaks to the importance of uplifting voices reflective of the communities they represent.

“It’s going to show that although we talk about needing diversity, equity and inclusion, we’re at a space now where we can’t just talk about it,” Johns contended. “We need to be able to put people in that can make sustainable change. That’s what the future of America looks like. It looks like brothers helping brothers, sisters helping sisters, to make a better place, a better environment, for all of us.”

Mayor Quay is attempting a write-in campaign to have his name on the ballot. Johns’ running mates, Peggy Evans and Vanessa Taylor, who are both running for City Council, also won in the May primary.

In the featured photo, firefighters can be seen battling the fully engulfed building.

Story and photo/video by Beaver County Radio News Correspondent Curtis Walsh, published October 23, 2021 at 5:08 A.M. Updated 9:29 A.M. October 24, 2021.

(New Brighton, PA) A structure fire broke out around 4:30 A.M. Saturday morning in New Brighton. The fire occurred on the 1400 block of Penn Avenue at the location of Meehan’s Self Storage. Flames could be seen coming from one fully engulfed garage type building, storage units attached to the structure were affected as well. Additionally, a neighboring shed and trees along the building caught fire. New Brighton, Beaver Falls, and Rochester fire departments were dispatched to the scene, along with multiple other departments responding as well. Firefighters appeared to be getting the blaze under control by around 5 AM, and remained on scene for hours after. Beaver Falls Fire Department reported that several other nearby buildings that were exposed to the fire sustained heat damage and water was immediately placed on those buildings to prevent further damage.  We have not yet learned the cause of the fire. You can see video of the fire here:

Aftermath photos submitted by Ray Harris, a renter of storage units at the facility:

• Modernized dining rooms with globally inspired décor and new furniture
• Digital self-order kiosks and menu boards
• Expanded McCafé service areas
• Remodeled counters that allow for table service
• Mobile Order and Pay technology
• Expansive outdoor patio

Higher wages, sick pay now attached to state’s incentives
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — In a stalemate with lawmakers over raising the minimum wage or requiring companies to have paid sick leave, Gov. Tom Wolf will impose those requirements on companies getting financial incentives from the state. Wolf signed an executive order requiring companies receiving incentives to pay at least $13.50 an hour, rising to $15 an hour in 2024. State contractors already must pay that amount, under a prior executive order Wolf signed in 2016. The sick pay requirement has no required time frame attached to it. The state annually budgets for tens of millions of dollars in grants, loans and tax breaks for companies that make certain promises to expand in Pennsylvania.

07:18 AM

(Pittsburgh, Pa.) A man in Bloomfield must not of ever heard of the Pittsburgh Chair to save his parking spot as he has been charged after he became mad at a women who parked in front of his home in Bloomfield on Wednesday.
When police arrived on the scene they found a the woman bleeding and after investigating they discovered that James Gazis had thrown two pumpkins at the women and got into an argument with her son.
Gazis admitted to throwing the pumpkins at the woman as well as getting into the fight with her son when he was taken into custody.

The woman told police she was just trying to find a parking spot so she could pick up her grandchild who lived down the street.

Gazis is facing charges of aggravated assault and propulsion of missiles.

06:40 AM

UPDATE: the National Weather Service is conforming that three tornadoes hit southwestern Pennsylvania on Thursday. Two of the tornadoes were in Allegheny County, in the Hampton Township and Mount Nebo areas. Another tornado was in Washington County.

(Beaver County, Pa.) Thousands are still without power this morning after line of strong thunderstorms tore through are area last evening prompting the National Weather Service in Moon Twp. To issue tornado warnings for parts of Beaver, Butler, Mercer, Allegheny, Washington, and Greene counties.
Duquesne Light has not given an estimated restoration time, but West Penn Power anticipates that power will be back on for its customers between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m..
There were reports of wide spread damage throughout the area including reports of trees down along Route 18 but the hardest hit area was Hampton Township where the strong winds ripped the roof off a home on Kirk Avenue. Crews put a tarp over the roof to protect it from the elements. Another nearby home had its roof partially ripped off during the wild storms. and the Hampton Township Fire Department reported on their twitter that they believe a micro-burst came through the township.
Thankfully no injuries were reported due to the storms.