Sample ballots are photographed on Feb. 3, 2023, for the three Western Pennsylvania districts that will choose new State Representatives on Tuesday, Feb. 7. If Democrats sweep all three districts, which they also won in November, it will give them a 102-101 majority and will be the first time in 12 years that Republicans have not been able to determine what gets voted on. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Democrats have won control of the Pennsylvania House by sweeping three special elections, gaining new power in an important swing state. Democrats won the vacant Pittsburgh-area House seats up for election Tuesday to claim a slim majority over Republicans. The victories bring an end to a dozen years of Republican power in the chamber, though the GOP still controls the Senate. The partisan divide could make it difficult for lawmakers to send priorities to new Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro. Democrats appeared to have won the House last November. But one Democrat died of cancer and two others resigned for higher offices, leaving control of the chamber uncertain.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania judge says the state’s funding of public education falls woefully short and violates students’ constitutional rights. The decision issued Tuesday in a long-running case sides with poorer districts that are seeking billions of dollars in additional annual support. Commonwealth Court Judge Renee Cohn Jubelirer says that the state hasn’t fulfilled its constitutional obligations to the poorest public schools. She says that violates those students’ rights to what she said should be a “comprehensive, effective, and contemporary” system. Lawyers for the districts and others who sued are hailing the decision as a historic victory for students.

Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is announcing overnight inspection activities on the McKees Rocks Bridge (Route 3104) in McKees Rocks Borough, Allegheny County will occur Thursday night, February 9 weather permitting.

Single-lane alternating traffic will occur on the McKees Rocks Bridge over the CSX Railroad tracks from 9 p.m. Thursday night to 5 a.m. Friday morning. Crews from the Gannett Fleming will conduct routine bridge inspection work.

Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras.

511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional Twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA website.

Pittsburgh, PA – PennDOT District 11 is announcing the reopening of the ramps from Route 65 to southbound I-79 at the Neville Island Bridge in Glenfield Borough, Allegheny County.

The ramps that carry traffic from northbound and southbound Route 65 to southbound I-79 closed on January 18 to allow crews to conduct paint containment removal work. The ramps are now open to unrestricted traffic.

The $43 million I-79 Neville Island Bridge Rehabilitation Project includes structural steel repairs, full structure painting, bearing and deck joint replacements, deck repairs and overlays, bridge barrier repair, substructure concrete work and drainage improvements.  The project also includes concrete roadway reconstruction, guide rail replacement and preservation work on four sign structures. Additionally, preservation work will occur on the I-79 bridge over Deer Run Road, north of the Neville Island Bridge.  Motorists will see ramp closures and single-lane and shoulder closures in each direction on I-79 during daylight off-peak and overnight hours. The overall project is expected to be completed in the fall of 2023.

The Trumbull Corporation is the prime contractor.

To help keep motorists informed as work progresses, PennDOT has created an email distribution list for the I-79 Neville Island Bridge rehabilitation including traffic advisories and construction updates. Enroll by sending email addresses to stcowan@pa.gov. Please write “Subscribe – I-79” in the subject line.

Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles, including color-coded winter conditions on 2,900 miles, by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information, and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras.

511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA website.

Harrisburg, PA – PEMA Director Randy Padfieldreleased the following update on the East Palestine train derailment:
“The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency continues to closely monitor the situation in Eastern Ohio and its effects on Southwestern Pennsylvania. As continues to be the case, no concerning air quality readings have been detected. For now, out of an abundance of caution, Pennsylvanians who were evacuated from their homes should continue to stay away from the site. We know how difficult it is to leave your home and thank Pennsylvanians for their continued cooperation. We are working with working with Norfolk Southern and our partners in Ohio to get people back in their homes as soon as it is safe to do so.
“Pennsylvanians who live within 2 miles of East Palestine where this derailment occurred should continue to shelter in place and keep their windows and doors closed. Pennsylvanians’ health and safety are our top priority. We will continue to update the public as information becomes available.”

FILE – President Joe Biden delivers his first State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol, March 1, 2022, in Washington. (Jim Lo Scalzo/Pool via AP, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is ready to offer a reassuring assessment of the nation’s condition rather than roll out flashy policy proposals as he delivers his second State of the Union address. He’ll also be trying Tuesday night to overcome pessimism in the country and concerns about his own leadership. His speech before a politically divided Congress comes as the nation struggles with economic uncertainty, a wearying war in Ukraine and growing tensions with China. It’s Biden’s first speech to Congress since Republicans took control of the House in the midterm elections.

Frank Caltagirone, a sports book employee at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J., counts money from his drawer Monday, Feb. 6, 2023. On Feb. 7, 2023, the gambling industry’s national trade group, the American Gaming Association, predicted that over 50 million American adults will bet a total of $16 billion on this year’s Super Bowl, including legal bets with sports books, illegal ones with bookies, and casual bets among friends or relatives. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — The gambling industry’s national trade group predicts that 1 in 5 American adults will make a bet on Sunday’s Super Bowl between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs. The American Gaming Association says over 50 million U.S. adults plan to bet on the game, wagering a total of $16 billion. But most of that will happen off the books — whether it’s people placing a bet with an illegal bookie, or filling out squares in an office. Sports betting is legal in 33 states plus Washington, D.C., this year, up from 30 states last year. Experts in addiction say aggressive advertising is contributing to a rise in problem gambling.

FILE – Bono speaks with Cathedral Canon historian Jon Meacham at the Washington National Cathedral on Dec. 5, 2022, in Washington. The Irish lead singer of U2 will be among the featured guests sitting alongside first lady Jill Biden at President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on Tuesday night, Feb. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard, File)

Rock star Bono, the 26-year-old who disarmed a gunman in last month’s Monterey Park, California, shooting, and the family of Tyre Nichols will be among the featured guests sitting with first lady Jill Biden at Tuesday’s State of the Union address. The White House says the guests were invited because they personify issues or themes President Joe Biden will address in the speech, or they embody policies that are working for the American people. Oksana Markarova, the Ukrainian ambassador to the U.S., is a guest, as she was last year. Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, has invited Ruth Cohen, a 92-year-old Holocaust survivor from the Washington area as his guest.

MCKEESPORT, Pa. (AP) — A man has been charged with homicide in the shooting and killing one police officer, and wounding a second officer after they responded to a domestic disturbance call in western Pennsylvania. Thirty-one-year-old Johnathan Jermia Morris is charged in Allegheny County with criminal homicide, aggravated assault and attempted murder, and assault of a law enforcement officer in the shooting Monday afternoon in McKeesport. Authorities allege that he fired at officers responding to a domestic call, killing 32-year-old officer Sean Sluganski and wounding a second officer. Morris was shot in an exchange of gunfire with a third officer; court documents don’t list a defense attorney.