HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Republican David McCormick is expected to announce his second bid for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, according to people familiar with his plans, taking on Democratic Sen. Bob Casey after narrowly losing an expensive and bruising GOP primary last year to a Donald Trump-endorsed rival.

McCormick, 58, has strong support from the party establishment. With his deep pockets as a former hedge fund CEO, Republicans believe he will mount a strong challenge to the three-term Casey in a state that is critical to control of the White House and the Senate.

He has begun telling people of his intention to run and is expected to announce his candidacy next week, according to three people who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to avoid disclosing private conversations.

McCormick’s impending candidacy is a huge win for Republicans, who had heavily recruited him to run again after he sought the seat of retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey last year. McCormick lost to celebrity heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz in the primary by just 950 votes, and Oz went on to lose to Democrat John Fetterman in the general election, costing the GOP a seat in a critical presidential battleground state.

McCormick has floated the possibility that he would run almost since the moment he lost last year’s Senate GOP primary, and he has consolidated support by showing up at local party events and raising money for Republican candidates.

He has stayed in the public eye by making the rounds of conservative podcasts on a publicity tour for a book he published in March.

Republicans acknowledge that beating Casey will be difficult.

Casey, 63, is a stalwart of Pennsylvania’s Democratic politics, the son of a former two-term governor and the longest-ever serving Democrat in the Senate from Pennsylvania. He has won all of his Senate elections by at least 9 percentage points, and the last full fundraising quarter was his best ever.

The Democratic Party has treated McCormick as the de facto GOP nominee for months, attacking his record in business, his opposition to abortion rights and indications that he still lives on Connecticut’s ritzy “Gold Coast,” where he spent a dozen years as an executive at the hedge fund Bridgewater Associates.

McCormick insists he lives in Pittsburgh, in a house he bought there in early 2022 and has stressed his hometown roots in Pennsylvania, including growing up on a Christmas tree farm near Bloomsburg that he still owns.

So far, McCormick has a clear GOP primary field and Republican Party brass is solidly behind McCormick.

McCormick has drawn pledges of support from two major Senate GOP donor committees — the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC linked to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell — even in a primary.

In recent days, a McCormick ally has been circulating a letter of support for McCormick featuring a who’s-who of party brass, including the state party chair, the party’s two national committee representatives and 36 of 67 county party chairs.

A Sept. 30 state party meeting is approaching, and GOP circles are alive with talk that McCormick will seek an endorsement vote there.

McCormick boasts a resume that spans from the military to the highest levels of government to business.

The son of Pennsylvania’s first state university system chancellor, McCormick graduated from West Point, won a Bronze Star for his service in the Gulf War, got a doctorate from Princeton University, served in senior positions in former President George W. Bush’s administration and reached Wall Street celebrity as CEO of Bridgewater.

He ran last year amid carpetbaggery cries as one of three wealthy, connected Republican candidates — including Oz, the heart surgeon best-known as the host of daytime TV’s now-ended “The Dr. Oz Show” — who moved from blue states to run in swing-state Pennsylvania.

Ultimately, McCormick lost the primary after spending $14 million of his own money on the race. McCormick has reported assets of over $100 million, and could again spend heavily on the 2024 next race.

(Beaver Falls, Pa.) On Tuesday September 19, 2023 Tom Young from 1st Consultants, Inc. in Beaver will join Eddy Crow on “Teleforum” and co-host a guest segment on 99.3 FM and 1230 WBVP to discuss the 30,000-foot view. Why does 95% of everybody end up dead or dead broke? The discussion will reveal the deep secrets of the Government, Wall Street, and the Banks. This is information everyone needs to be able to make great money decisions. What is Velocity of Money and how it will make me rich. Macroeconomic analysis is a must to find the answers and the secret to Opportunity Cost. Where’s the Money? Tune in to find out the answers to your questions. The special show starts at 9:10 A.M. as part of an ongoing monthly series of multi media forums.

Change your mindset and you change the future.

Tune in on Tuesday, September 19, 2023,  the special multi media presentation  begins at 9:10 A.M. on Beaver County Radio.

Do you want to know more?

You can participate in the show by calling 724-843-1888 or 724-774-1888. You can also ask your questions on Facebook Live.

Click the picture below on Tuesday’s showtime of 9:10 A.M. to be directed to the WBVP and WMBA Facebook page where the special multi media simulcast will be streamed on Facebook Live.

FILE – Former President Donald Trump points to the crowd as he arrives to speak at a rally July 22, 2022, in Prescott, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)

ATLANTA (AP) — A Georgia judge has ruled that former President Donald Trump and 16 others will be tried separately from two defendants who are set to go to trial next month in the case accusing them all of participating in an illegal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Lawyers Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro had filed demands for a speedy trial, and Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee set their trial to begin Oct. 23. Trump and other defendants had asked to be tried separately from Powell and Chesebro, with some saying they couldn’t be ready by the late October trial date.

Pittsburgh, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) reminds motorists to remain alert when traveling in low visibility conditions such as fog.

Increasing fog on roadways creates dangerous conditions for both drivers and pedestrians. Motorists should drive slowly to allow enough reaction time as slower moving cars and pedestrians may be more difficult to see during foggy conditions. If fog becomes so dense that you cannot see, it is best to pull completely off the road and turn on hazard lights to make your vehicle more visible.

Pennsylvania Law requires moving vehicles to have headlights turned on when traveling in unfavorable conditions. This includes fog, rain, and other conditions where visibility is low. Be sure to use low beam headlights as high beams will create a glare and make it more difficult to see the road ahead.

To prevent commute disruption, PennDOT offers the following safety tips for driving in fog:

• Allow additional time to get to your destination.
• Check your vehicle’s headlights, taillights, and turn signals to ensure they are working properly.
• Along with low beam headlights, use windshield wipers and defrosters to maximize visibility.
• Use roadside reflectors or the right edge of the road as a guide.
• Be patient and avoid passing other vehicles or changing lanes.

FILE -Taylor Swift appears at the American Music Awards in Los Angeles on Nov. 24, 2019, left, and Beyonce appears at the world premiere of “The Lion King” in Los Angeles on July 9, 2019. Gannett, the United States’ biggest newspaper chain, posted two unusual job listings to its site. On Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023 they revealed they are hiring a reporter focused on Taylor Swift. On Wednesday, Sept. 13, they shared a posting for a dedicated Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reporter who will be employed through USA Today and The Tennessean, the company’s Nashville-based newspaper. (AP Photo/File)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Gannett, the United States’ biggest newspaper chain, posted two unusual job listings to its site. On Tuesday, they revealed they are hiring a reporter focused on Taylor Swift. On Wednesday, they shared a posting for a dedicated Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reporter who will be employed through USA Today and The Tennessean, the company’s Nashville-based newspaper. Online criticism of these new roles come in part because of major layoffs at Gannett. The NewsGuild says that Gannett’s workforce has shrunk 47% in the last three years due to layoffs and attrition. Journalists, fans and academics shared their opinions on the controversial job postings with the Associated Press.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA is releasing a report on what it needs to better understand unidentified flying objects from a scientific point of view. The space agency planned to release findings Thursday after a yearlong study into UFOs. Don’t get your hopes up. At the one and only public meeting in May, the independent team insisted there is no conclusive evidence of extraterrestrial life associated with UFOs. No top-secret files were accessed. Instead, the group relied on unclassified data in an attempt to better understand unexplained sightings in the sky. NASA says there are so few high-quality observations that no scientific conclusions can be drawn.

In this image from video provided by CBS NEWS Philadelphia, law enforcement officers pose for a group photo with Danelo Cavalcante after his capture in rural Pennsylvania on Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023. The murderer who brazenly escaped from a Pennsylvania jail was captured in the woods by a team of tactical officers, bringing an end to an intensive search that terrified residents as the fugitive broke into homes for food, changed his appearance and stole a van and rifle during two weeks on the run. (CBS NEWS Philadelphia KYW-TV via AP)

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A group of two dozen officers posed for a photo with escaped murderer Danelo Cavalcante, minutes after his capture. The photo has drawn criticism from policing reform advocates and some members of the public, who say it was inappropriate. The moment was captured by a KYW-TV news helicopter Wednesday. It shows the officers and federal agents gathered around the handcuffed escapee for a photo before loading him into an armed vehicle. A Pennsylvania State Police leader said he was “not bothered” by the photo. Experts say departments have inconsistent conduct directives that sometimes limit what officers can post to personal social media pages or share from on-duty or in-uniform events.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Two men have been sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole in a drive-by shooting in downtown Pittsburgh that left a toddler dead in his car seat. Twenty-five-year-old Markez Anger and 27-year-old Londell Falconer were both sentenced Wednesday in connection with their first-degree murder convictions last June. They were also sentenced to additional terms on other counts. Prosecutors said Falconer was driving as Anger fired more than a dozen shots at another vehicle near PPG Place in May 2022. At least one bullet hit 18-month-old De’Avry Thomas, who was in the back seat. Both defendants maintain their innocence and have vowed to seek new trials.