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Barletta pledges to not hike taxes if elected Pa. governor

HARRISBURG (AP) — Lou Barletta, the former congressman seeking the Republican nomination for governor of Pennsylvania, has signed a pledge from a conservative anti-tax Washington-based group that commits him to oppose tax increases. The pledge, sponsored by Americans for Tax Reform, commits the signer to the state’s taxpayers to “oppose and veto any and all efforts to increase taxes.” Barletta, of Hazleton in northeastern Pennsylvania, said on Twitter on Friday that he was proud to sign it. He is the first one in a crowded GOP field to do so. Barletta did not immediately ...

Appeals court judge candidates talk temperament, not cases

HARRISBURG (AP) — Eight candidates for four seats on Pennsylvania’s statewide appeals court endured an hour of lightning round questions during an online campaign forum on Monday, but the verdict on their performance will have to wait for voters on Nov. 2. Judicial conduct rules prevented the candidates from even being asked about specific cases or controversies in a state where last year’s presidential election and sharp partisan divisions over the pandemic have repeatedly landed in state courts. But they did have a lot to say about their own qualifications and backgrounds, ...

Pennsylvania mobile clinics seek to bump vaccination rate

By the Associated Press Rosie Goris lost two family members and a close friend to COVID-19. So it was a no-brainer that she would agree to host a vaccination clinic at her York, Pennsylvania, corner store, which serves a largely Hispanic clientele. The vaccination rate among Pennsylvania’s Hispanic population of about 1 million badly trails the state as a whole, despite the Wolf administration’s outreach to minority communities. Clinics like the one to be held Monday at Rivas Deli Grocery II are aimed at closing that gap. Goris said many of her customers are fearful the vaccine ...

Man convicted of first-degree murder in girlfriend’s death

WILKES-BARRE (AP) — A man has been convicted of first-degree murder in the death of his girlfriend, whose body was found in his sport-utility vehicle in northeastern Pennsylvania three years ago. Jurors in Luzerne County who heard three days of testimony took only about a half-hour Friday to convict 42-year-old Dana Ganjeh in the August 2018 death of 56-year-old Linda Frick. He now faces a mandatory life term without possibility of parole. Prosecutors characterized Ganjeh as a jealous and abusive boyfriend who brutally killed Frick, whose body was found covered with a blanket and ...

Police: Officer shot, killed man after 4 wounded

HILLSVILLE (AP) — A local police officer in western Pennsylvania shot and killed a man who had stabbed or slashed four people, including another local officer, authorities said. State police in Lawrence County say troopers were called shortly after 9 p.m. Saturday to investigate a reported stabbing in Mahoning Township to which several local police departments had earlier responded. Police say the local officers found a man “armed with a cutting instrument” who was alleged to be responsible for stabbing three people shortly after 8:30 p.m. Saturday. They said the man then ...

Paddling the Susquehanna in search of adventure, history

MANHEIM (AP) — Mark Heller, of Manheim, wanted to paddle 444 miles down the Susquehanna River for a sense of adventure. A year of COVID-19 claustrophobia and a similar yearning for exploration did it for the Rev. John Laughlin, a Millersville resident and pastor of Salem United Methodist Church in Manheim. “Follow the exploits, adventures and journey of four guys who want to do something a bit bigger than themselves,” wrote Todd Roy, of East Petersburg, who created the trip and is founder of the Conestoga River Club. Like hiking the Appalachian Trail, plenty of people have ...