Political
Need information regarding current political news? Here we'll keep you updated on the latest political news, locally and nationally.
Grant County primary turnout slips from 2022 levels as officials look ahead to November election
EPHRATA — Grant County's voter turnout in the 2026 primary election finished at nearly 34%, a figure county electi…
Water shutoff protections extended by Michigan governor
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Protections to prevent water shutoffs during the coronavirus pandemic are being extended to the end of the year under an order signed Wednesday by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
Indiana on course for school reopenings despite virus jumps
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana officials showed no signs Wednesday of slowing down school reopenings that are just weeks away even as the state has been seeing higher rates of people testing positive and being hospita…
School reopening plans become political flash point
Associated Press (AP) — The debate over whether schools should reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic with in-person learning offered five days a week has become a political flash point in Virginia.
New oversight committee would restore faith in NYPD, AG says
NEW YORK (AP) — New York Attorney General Letitia James proposed sweeping changes Wednesday to boost oversight of the New York City Police Department, including forming an independent commission that would approve …
Several veto override attempts at N.C. legislature fail
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Republican-controlled General Assembly again fell short Wednesday in overriding several of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper's vetoes. The unsuccessful votes for the GOP mean directives within the…
NJ carries on counting after first mostly mail election
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey went on tallying votes Wednesday in a handful of primaries after COVID-19 upended the state's election by turning it into a mostly mail-in event.
Lawmakers take up fight against governor's climate strategy
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania's Republican-controlled House of Representatives moved Wednesday to ensure that it can block Gov. Tom Wolf from imposing a price on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants as …
US rule targets disease-stricken countries to deny asylum
SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Trump administration on Wednesday proposed empowering border authorities to deny asylum to people from countries with widespread communicable disease, its latest in a string of regulations befo…
Houston scraps Texas GOP’s in-person convention due to virus
HOUSTON (AP) — Houston officials on Wednesday canceled the Texas Republican Party’s in-person convention, saying the spread of the coronavirus made it impossible to hold the event as scheduled.
Noem vaunts hands-off virus approach; testing draws concern
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem on Wednesday doubled-down on her hands-off approach to the coronavirus pandemic by pointing to the state's low hospitalization numbers, and cast doubt on key r…
Farmer-Butterfield leaving N.C. House for appeals board
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina lawmakers confirmed on Wednesday a veteran legislator to a state panel considered the last arbiter of unemployment benefit appeals, thus creating a vacancy in the General Assembl…
Criticism of US pullout from WHO from allies, China alike
GENEVA (AP) — Top U.S. allies on Wednesday denounced the planned pullout of the United States from the World Health Organization, with the Italian health minister calling it “wrong” and a political ally of Germany'…
Evers: Capitol will stay closed, state workers to wear masks
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Capitol building will not reopen next week, as had been planned, and state employees will have to wear masks whenever they're working indoors to help slow the spread of the corona…
Whitmer vetoes bills to further delay taxes during pandemic
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday vetoed bills that would have further delayed tax payments amid the coronavirus pandemic, citing harm to local budgets across Michigan and saying one measure …
Commerce Department IG seeks info on 2 Census hirings
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Commerce's inspector general has asked the Census Bureau for information related to the hiring process of two men whose appointments to top positions have drawn sharp cr…