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.

Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is announcing ramp improvement work continues at the I-376 (Beaver Valley Expressway) Monaca/Shippingport Route 18 interchange in Potter Township, Beaver County.

The ramp from northbound Route 18 to westbound I-376 will close to traffic from 5 a.m. Wednesday, May 3 continuously through the evening of Saturday, May 13 for improvement work.

Ramp traffic will be detoured to allow crews from Lindy Paving to conduct milling and paving operations, inlet adjustments, signage improvements, and pavement marking installation.

Posted Detour

Northbound Route 18 to westbound I-376

• From northbound Route 18, take the ramp for East I-376 toward Pittsburgh
• From eastbound I-376, take the Center (Exit 42) off-ramp
• Turn left onto Pleasant Drive
• Take the ramp for West I-376 toward New Castle/Beaver
• Follow westbound I-376 back to the Monaca/Shippingport interchange
• End detour

HARRISBURG – Today, Sen. Elder Vogel, Jr. (R-47) and Reps. Aaron Bernstine (R-8), Jim Marshall (R-14), and Robert Matzie (D-16), announced $185,060 in Dual Credit Grant Program funds was awarded by the Department of Education to various school districts in Beaver and Lawrence counties to help encourage students to get a jumpstart on their college education.

“It is important for our students to have access to every advantage they can to better their academic future,” said Vogel. “These investments will help our school districts continue to cultivate relationships with our local colleges as well as allow them to offer beneficial courses to students – giving them a head start with their college course requirements.”

The following school districts will benefit from the Dual Credit Grant Program funds:

• Big Beaver Falls Area School District, $75,000.
• Mohawk Area School District, $75,000.
• Rochester Area School District, $35,060.

“As we continue to examine how we can put our students in the best possible position to succeed, I am pleased to see this investment dedicated to them so our scholars can achieve their educational goals,” said Marshall.

“This is extremely beneficial to our students because dual enrollment allows high school students to take college courses and earn college credit in both academic and career subjects,” said Bernstine. “If they continue to pursue post-secondary education, the students will save tuition money. Colleges and universities often grant college credit to students who successfully complete dual enrollment courses. Unlike Advanced Placement (AP) classes, which award credit based on a test, dual enrollment courses award credit as long as the student passes the class.”

“Dual credit programs are one of the most successful educational initiatives we have in Pennsylvania,” said Matzie. “They allow high school students to get a jump start on the next chapter of their lives by earning post-secondary credits while still in high school. This not only helps with the cost of continued education for those students, but it gives them the opportunity to tangibly start on their career path while still in high school.”

This grant funding will allow school districts to create or expand dual credit opportunities for all secondary school students; and all students enrolled in the school entity, which includes students experiencing educational instability, students enrolled in career and technical education programs, low-income students, and historically underserved student groups.

Effective beginning with the 2022-23 school year, Pennsylvania law requires school entities to enter into agreements with institutions of higher education (IHE) to allow students to earn college-level credit prior to graduating high school. This grant funding is intended to support school entities with meeting these requirements and to increase access to dual credit coursework statewide.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Apple and Google are teaming up to thwart unwanted tracking through Bluetooth devices that were created to help people find lost keys, keep tabs on luggage or to locate other things that have a tendency to be misplaced or lost. The two companies submitted a proposal Tuesday to set standards for combatting secret surveillance on Apple’s AirTag trackers and similar gadgets. The $30 AirTag has become a popular item since its 2021 release, helping users pinpoint the locations of a wide variety of lost property. But stalkers have also deployed AirTags and similar products to follow people who are unaware.The goal is to have a mutually acceptable plan in place by year’s end.

Tuesday Morning logo from website

Tuesday Morning has announced they are going out of business and closing all stores. The announcment was made on Facebook and their website, stating that a going out of business sale will be in effect at their remaining stores. The sale is starting at 30% off. Customers must use active gift cards by May 13th. The chain has been in business for 49 years, and have filed their second bankruptcy in three years. Tuesday Morning operates stores locally with locations in Leetsdale and New Castle.

This photo provided by the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, in South Carolina, shows Jamie Lee Komoroski, on April 29, 2023. Komoroski is charged with reckless vehicular homicide and three counts of driving under the influence causing death. (Charleston County Sheriff’s Office via AP)

FOLLY BEACH, S.C. (AP) — Authorities say a bride leaving her wedding reception was killed when a woman driving under the influence and well over twice the speed limit slammed into the back of a golf cart on a South Carolina beach road. Folly Beach investigators say data retrieved from Jamie Lee Komoroski’s rental car indicated she was driving 65 mph and only briefly hit the brakes before she hit the golf cart around 10 p.m. Friday. Authorities say 34-year-old Samantha Miller of Charlotte, North Carolina, died in the wreck. Three others in the golf cart that was being driven legally were injured. Komoroski is charged with reckless vehicular homicide and three counts of driving under the influence causing death.

President Joe Biden speaks in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Monday, May 1, 2023, about National Small Business Week. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration will send 1,500 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border amid an expected migrant surge following the end of pandemic-era restrictions. That’s according to three administration officials. The troops would be sent to focus on administrative tasks so that U.S. Customs and Border Protection can work in the field, two of the officials said. They would not do law enforcement work. The officials were not authorized to speak publicly about the request because it had not yet been approved and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. It wasn’t clear when they would be deployed.

FILE – Writers Guild of America (WGA) writers and others strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) in a rally at Fox Plaza in Los Angeles’ Century City district on Nov. 9, 2007. Television and movie writers on Monday, May 1, 2023, declared that they will launch an industrywide strike for the first time since 2007, as Hollywood girded for a shutdown in a dispute over fair pay in the streaming era. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — Television and movie writers soured by Hollywood’s low pay in the streaming era went on strike for the first time in 15 years on Tuesday, meaning late-night and variety shows would be the first programs to go dark. The Writers Guild of America said that its 11,500 unionized screenwriters would head to the picket lines. Negotiations between studios and the writers, which began in March, failed to reach a new contract Monday. The labor dispute could have a cascading effect on TV and film productions depending on how long the strike goes on.

HARRISBURG – State House Democrats today blocked an effort by Rep. Aaron Bernstine (R-Butler/Lawrence) to drastically expand educational freedom in Pennsylvania.

Bernstine offered an amendment to an education bill being considered by the House that would have ensured all families have equal access and maximum flexibility in schooling options.

If adopted, it would have been one of the most transformative school choice bills in the nation.

Instead, House Democrats used a parliamentary maneuver to block Bernstine’s amendment to House Bill 688 from debate and vote.

Bernstine expressed disappointment in his House colleagues:

“No child should be forced to attend a certain school just because of their ZIP code. Too many kids are trapped in schools that aren’t working for them. Adopting this amendment would have given those kids the resources and schooling options to succeed. I’m beyond disappointed that my Democrat colleagues chose to play partisan games with our kids’ futures by shutting down debate and blocking a vote.

“I firmly believe that parents are the best equipped to make decisions about their children’s education. School choice is not about favoring one school over another, it’s about letting families choose the education that best suits their child. I will continue to advocate for policies that expand school choice options and provide all children with the opportunity to receive an excellent education, regardless of their ZIP code or family income. House Democrats today voted against giving every single child in Pennsylvania the chance to attend a school that fits their needs.”