New Castle City police arrested a man following a shooting on Thursday. According to the departments facebook page David Morales-Fernandez allegedly fired several gunshots aa woman’s car along Altman Road in the Harbor Heights Housing Complex. The female victim was struck in the left forearm. He was found with a handgun and is facing charges of aggravated assault, recklessly endangering another person, simple assault and criminal mischief.
A Volant man was sentenced last week to serve three to six years in prison for a drunken driving crash that killed his passenger. According to the New Castle News, 22 year old Russell Cyphert was also sentenced to serve four years probation. Cyphert pled guilty in February for causing the one-vehicle accident on July 3rd of 2021, in Springfield Township. 17 year old Dylan Emery of Volant was killed in the crash. Cyphert was driving with a suspended license at the time of the accident.
People who want to see the commonwealth’s primary elections open up to over a million independent voters hope the legislature will act this year. Pennsylvania is one of nine states that has closed primaries, meaning only registered Democrats and Republicans can vote during partisan spring elections. Though the change has bipartisan support and has gained traction in recent legislative sessions, it has never passed both the state House and Senate. Opponents argue that allowing voters from outside a party to participate in choosing its candidates dilutes the platform.
A federal grand jury has handed up a new indictment against a Mercer County woman in connection with the January 6th riot at the U.S. Capital. WFMJ-TV reports, Rachel Powell is scheduled for an April 18th arraignment in U.S. District Court in Washington D.C. on a nine-count superseding indictment that adds a charge of Civil Disorder to eight previous charges. She faces trial on charges that include obstruction, destruction of US property over $1,000, entering a restricted building or property with a dangerous weapon, entering a restricted building/property, and disorderly conduct.
A new report says the tech industry in Pennsylvania added nearly ten-thousand new jobs last year. The findings by CompTIA issued last week relays that work in the tech sector grew by three-point-four percent. That’s the eighth-highest total among all states. CompTIA predicts Pennsylvania will add an additional 83-hundred new tech jobs in the near future. Those would be in specialties such as software development, programming, web development and quality assurance.
A proposed state Senate bill would allow medical marijuana patients to buy edibles. Currently, they may only buy their medicine in six forms: pills, oils, topicals, dry leaf, tinctures and liquids. The bill’s sponsor says the state’s lack of action on the idea has prompted many users to try to make their own edibles at home. But Senator Dan Laughlin says a lack of uniformity can cause them to accidentally consume too little or too much medicine when they make it into cookies, brownies, and other foods. He says 25 other states have legalized edibles for medical cannabis.
A House Democrat has introduced legislation that would provide state funding to cover the cost of community college while giving students ten years to repay the debt, interest-free. Representative Eddie Pashinski of Luzerne says his plan would help residents improve career prospects while the work to continue their school work. Students would need to agree to stay in Pennsylvania after graduating until their tuition is repaid. The idea would be funded by a 45-million-dollar annual appropriation by the General Assembly.
A permanent health clinic is opening in East Palestine [[ pal-uh-steen ]] today. The care center is on North Walnut Street and is replacing the temporary clinic opened by the Ohio Department of Health in February. The center is funded by the State of Ohio and will provide free care to individuals without health insurance. The clinic opens to patients at 2:00 o’clock this afternoon. Regular operating hours will be 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on weekdays.