Trump promises court fight over Pennsylvania absentee votes
By MARK SHERMAN Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump and his reelection campaign are signaling they will pursue an aggressive legal strategy to try to prevent Pennsylvania from counting mailed ballots that are received in the three days after the election. The matter could find its way to the Supreme Court, especially if those ballots could tip the outcome in the battleground state. The three-day extension was ordered by Pennsylvania’s top court. The Supreme Court refused to block it, but several conservative justices have indicated they could revisit the issue after the election. Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar, a Democrat, already has told local elections officials to keep the late-arriving ballots separate, but also to count them.

Another restaurant chain, Friendly’s, hits wall in pandemic
By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Business Writer
WILBRAHAM, Mass. (AP) — Friendly’s Restaurants, an East Coast dining chain known for its Fribble milkshake and ice cream sundaes, is filing for bankruptcy protection. All 130 of its locations will remain open while in restructures under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Substantially all of its assets are being sold to the restaurant company, Amici Partners Group. The pandemic has hit the restaurant sector hard, particularly those that rely on people in their dining rooms. At least 10 chains have filed for bankruptcy protection since the pandemic began this year. But Friendly’s Restaurant, like most other chains that have stumbled this year, had been struggling. The Wilbraham, Massachusetts, company filed for bankruptcy protection in 2011 as well.

The final Emerson College poll before the November 3rd election in Pennsylvania finds the former Vice President Joe Biden leading President Donald Trump 50% to 46%. Two percent (2%) of voters plan to vote for someone else and 2% are undecided. Since the last Emerson Pennsylvania poll, Trump has gained one-point, and Biden has held his support.

(Photo Courtesy of Sean Parnell)

(Ohio Twp., Pa.) Republican Candidate for United States Representative in the 17^th District Sean Parnell woke up Sunday morning to his home be vandalized. Sometime late Saturday or early Sunday morning someone spray painted the words of elections no revolution yes in red on his garage door. Vandals also painted a red image of a hammer and sickle on his concrete driveway. That symbol is typically associated with communism. In a statement sent via e-mail Sunday Parnell stated that:

“This morning I woke up to find my garage door and driveway spray painted with communist messages and symbols. This is not the way.

“Regardless of political party, those that choose to run for office do so because they believe they can help the country. It is perfectly reasonable to disagree with each other and with political candidates, but the way to do that is at the voting booth.

“I believe that we are at an important point in our great nation’s history and I most assuredly stand against socialism, violence, and destruction. Hopefully, we all can respect our system of choosing our representatives in a peaceful and dignified way and no matter who we support and oppose, we do it with our vote, and not through destruction of property and violence to our fellow Americans.”

Keystone State News Connection

November 2, 2020

Faith Leaders Launch Initiatives to Vote for Justice, Reconcile Families

Andrea Sears

HARRISBURG, Pa. — A national organization of religious leaders is encouraging people of faith to reject the politics of fear, heal family divisions and participate in voting as a sacred act.

The New Moral Majority, representing more than 750 faith leaders, has launched an initiative to encourage broad participation in the presidential election.

Last week, the group released three new ads to run in battleground states such as Pennsylvania, calling on people to embrace love and compassion as a step toward healing the nation.

Rev. Ryan Eller, founder of the New Moral Majority, said he is concerned many Americans are discouraged by the multiple stresses facing their communities, even though voter turnout appears to be strong.

“We’ve been battling not only with a pandemic,” Eller described. “We’re exhausted from generations of racial injustice and the lack of political will, it seems, to really deal with some of the systemic issues.”

He believes this year’s vote can be an important step toward a longer process of healing the political tensions that have divided communities and families.

Part of that process is a campaign to help young people rebuild family relationships shattered by political polarization.

Liza Ryan Gill, co-founder of Operation Family Meeting, said evangelical support for Donald Trump has driven many millennials away from the church.

“For many people, that means that their relationship with their parents and friends and family that they grew up with is broken or completely severed,” Gill lamented.

The campaign provides tools and encouragement to help young evangelicals engage family members in difficult conversations about religious values and political choices.

Sarah Ryan, Liza’s sister and co-founder of Operation Family Meeting, explained they encourage beginning conversations from a position of mutual caring.

“‘We love you, we miss you and we’d love to talk about faith again,'” Ryan suggested as a message. “‘We actually feel like we have faith. We’ve defined it in a different way than you but we’d love if you’d be willing to talk about it with us.'”

She noted the goal of the New Moral Majority is not only to ensure that every vote counts this year, but to begin the long-term healing that the nation needs going forward.

Keystone State News Connection

November 2, 2020

Anti-Hunger Advocates Call for SNAP Boost

Andrea Sears

HARRISBURG, Pa. — With more people facing food insecurity during the COVID pandemic, anti-hunger advocates are urging Congress to increase Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.

The HEROES Act, originally passed in the House last May, would raise the maximum benefit under SNAP by 15% through September of next year.

But there has been no increase in the benefit in COVID relief bills passed by Republicans in the Senate.

Amy Hill, director of community engagement for the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, said since the pandemic began they’ve seen about a 50% increase in the number of people asking for food assistance, many of them for the first time.

“The 15% would help put a few more healthy things on the dinner table that really is going to make a big, big difference for the families who participate,” Hill emphasized.

Last week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell adjourned the Senate until Nov. 9, ending prospects for passing a new stimulus bill until well after the election.

Joel Berg, CEO of Hunger Free America,
acknowledged raising the maximum SNAP benefit by 15% would cost at least $10 billion, but said the added nutritional benefits would save many times that in extra health-care costs.

“Spending money to improve the nutritional status of tens of millions of low-income Americans is about the most cost-effective investment this nation could make,” Berg contended.

The total price tag for the HEROES Act as updated by the House in September would be $2.2 trillion.

Over 16 months, a 15% increase in SNAP would raise the benefits available in Pennsylvania by more than $490 million. And Hill said the extra funds do more than help low-income people buy nutritious food.

“It helps the families who are enrolled in SNAP but it also is this economic stimulator, and we know we need some economic stimulus for small business in our communities,” Hill argued.

The Central Pennsylvania Food Bank serves more than 200,000 people in 27 counties every month.