Boy, 11, Killed Hunting
Atlantic – An 11-year-old Amish child was killed over the weekend, accidentally shot by a .22 caliber rifle while hunting squirrels and chipmunks in Crawford County. According to the Pennsylvania State Police and Crawford County 9-1-1, the juvenile male whose name is being protected due to his young age was hunting squirrels with two other boys near Atlantic on Saturday when he was struck in the head by a single errant shot. He was airlifted from the scene and taken to UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh where he died on Sunday.

SCOTUS Allows Provisional PA Ballots
Washington D.C. – On Friday, The Supreme Court of the United States upheld the ruling of the PA Supreme Court saying that voters whose mail-in ballots are rejected may cast a provisional ballot in person. Provisional ballots are different from regular or mail-in ballots and are only accepted under specific conditions. They are counted up to a week after the election and once county election officials determine the identity of the voter is true. Pennsylvania’s Constitution and Federal Election law both provide multiple reasons a citizen may cast a provisional ballot.
While it was a 4-3 decision by Courts in Pennsylvania, the SCOTUS decision seems to be unanimous as no dissenting opinions were offered by any of the court’s justices.

Brushfire Destroys Cars and Buildings
Girard – A multiacre brush fire was extinguished overnight near Girard in Erie County, but not before it destroyed structures and vehicles. Multiple fire crews fought for three hours to get the fires under control and spent much of the rest of the night ensuring it would not flare back up. Two vehicles and two structures were destroyed by the flames before firefighters got them under control. Officials recommend not starting fires because of dry conditions and high winds and have been reporting for weeks that the risk for wildfires is high. In Northampton County, firefighters are still contesting a wildfire that has burned nearly 200 acres of land in Blue Mountain.

Erie County Election Kerfluffle
Erie – As many as 17,000 Erie County residents planning to vote by mail have not received their ballots. Erie County’s Board of Elections is blaming the issue on a firm contracted to handle the printing and mailing of ballots; the election board issued a press release stating that their office will be open after hours until 6 p.m. Monday night and anyone who didn’t receive their ballot can get and fill out their ballots at the Erie County Courthouse. Voters who requested a mail-in ballot and didn’t get one may also go to their polling station on Tuesday and cast a provisional vote. The Democratic Party of Pennsylvania has filed a lawsuit against Erie County due to this and other mail-in voting mishaps experienced by the Erie region in October. 
If you live anywhere in Pennsylvania and received a mail-in ballot but would rather vote in person, bring your ballot and everything included with it to your polling place.