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D-Day in key battleground: Special election to determine if Democrats or Republicans control State House

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D-Day in key battleground: Special election to determine if Democrats or Republicans control State House

It’s Election Day in a western Pennsylvania legislative district in a race that will determine whether the Democrats regain control of the battleground state’s lower chamber or if Republicans win back the State House majority.

The Pennsylvania State House is currently deadlocked, with Democrats and Republicans each controlling 101 seats.

Democrats lost their razor-thin majority in January after the death of state Rep. Matt Gergerly. 

Voters in District 35, located southeast of Pittsburgh, on Tuesday are choosing between Democratic candidate Dan Goughnour, a police officer, Republican Chuck Davis, a fire chief, and libertarian Adam Kitta.

DEMOCRATS FAR FROM THRILLED ON POSSIBLE BIDEN POLITICAL REEMERGENCE

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The Pennsylvania State Capitol (AP Photo/Matt Rourke/File)

If Democrats end up winning the election – the district leans blue – it will be the fifth time this year they’ve come out on top in a special legislative election with a state majority up for grabs.

It comes as the Democratic Party tries to emerge from the political wilderness after November’s stinging election setbacks, when the party lost control of the White House and U.S. Senate and fell short in its attempt to win back the U.S. House majority from the GOP.

POLL POSITION: DEMOCRATIC PARTY’S NUMBERS PLUNGE TO ALL-TIME LOWS

And recent polling indicates the Democratic Party brand is in need of repair. 

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The party’s favorable rating sank to all-time lows in separate national polls conducted this month by CNN and NBC News. Those numbers followed a record low for Democrats in a Quinnipiac University survey in the field in February. 

Additionally, the latest Fox News National poll, which was released last week, indicated congressional Democrats’ approval rating at 30%, near an all-time low. And Democrat activists are irate over their party’s inability to blunt President Donald Trump’s agenda.

“State Democrats have been overperforming in specials this year because voters trust them to put working families’ needs above the chaos and dysfunction fueled by Trump and Republicans in Washington,” said Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee President Heather Williams in a statement.

In a sign of the local election’s importance, Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin stopped by the district last month.

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“Sending Dan to Harrisburg isn’t just about what it means for this community,” Martin said in a statement to Fox News. “It sends a signal to Pennsylvanians. It sends a signal to Democrats around the country that we’re willing to fight for our values at every single level.”

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin speaks with Fox News Digital on Dec. 12, 2024, in Washington. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

While Democrats are favored in the special election, Republicans have also put resources into the race.

“No matter who looks good on paper, you’ve got to have the election,” Pennsylvania House Rep. Jamie Barton, who leads the state House GOP’s campaign arm, told the AP. “We’re not taking anything for granted.”

On the side of Pennsylvania, voters will be heading to the polls to fill a vacant state Senate seat.

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GOP state Sen. Ryan Aument stepped down in December to work as state director for newly elected U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, a fellow Republican.

Republican Josh Parsons, a Lancaster County commissioner, Democrat James Andrew Malone, the mayor of East Petersburg, and libertarian Zachary Moore are running to succeed Aument in state Senate District 36, a red-leaning seat in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

Regardless of the election results, the GOP will continue to control the state Senate, where they currently hold a 27-22 majority.

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Pittsburg, PA

Miami Dolphins just did something in Pittsburgh snow that could end their years-long cold game nightmare

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Miami Dolphins just did something in Pittsburgh snow that could end their years-long cold game nightmare


The Miami Dolphins are historically a poor team in the cold. With the Pittsburgh Steelers welcoming them in a game that will occur in below-freezing temperatures, the Dolphins flew up to Pittsburgh early and practiced in a snow storm on Saturday.

The Pittsburgh area received anywhere from five-to-eight inches around the city and its suburbs, and the Dolphins practiced at Joe Walton Stadium on Robert Morris University’s campus near the Pittsburgh International Airport.

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel is trying to turn around a narrative that his team can not win in cold weather situations. They have run the ball well over the last four games, amassing over 160 yards in each game for the first time since the 1970s.

“(Practicing in Pittsburgh on Saturday night) was something that was considered in the offseason,” McDaniel said. “The odd part of the schedule is a Monday night on the road. It always feels like you’re so far removed from the last time you were on the football field. Doing it this way allows us to have our final full-speed practice about 48 hours from kickoff. It’ll be good, I think it’s an added bonus that we get to get ourselves into the environment, but realistically, that’s something we’ve been thinking about for a while to keep consistency about 48 hours from kickoff, having your last activity.”

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When the temperature is below 40 degrees, the Dolphins have lost 12 straight games. That is the stat the Dolphins hope to crack by acclimating to the cold earlier than just Monday night, but the Steelers have also practiced outside at Acrisure Stadium as they prepare for this game.



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Connecticut

Connecticut to erase $63 million in medical debt for 40,000 residents

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Connecticut to erase  million in medical debt for 40,000 residents


HARTFORD, Conn. (WFSB) – Nearly 40,000 Connecticut residents will find some good news in their mailboxes this week: their medical debt has been erased.

Gov. Ned Lamont announced Monday that letters are going out to residents informing them that some or all of their medical bills have been eliminated. This third round of the Medical Debt Erasure Initiative is wiping out more than $63 million in medical debt.

Since the program began in December 2024, nearly 160,000 Connecticut residents have had a total of $198 million in medical debt eliminated.

“Medical debt can delay healing due to stress and anxiety about how to pay these bills,” Lamont said. “This makes a real difference in the lives of our families, reducing fear and concerns.”

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The state partners with the nonprofit Undue Medical Debt to buy large bundles of qualifying medical debt for pennies on the dollar. To qualify, residents must have income at or below 400% of the federal poverty level or have medical debt that equals 5% or more of their income.

There’s no application process — the debt erasure happens automatically through purchases from participating hospitals and collection agencies. Residents who qualify will receive letters from Undue Medical Debt over the next several days.

The first round erased about $30 million for roughly 23,000 people, and the second round eliminated more than $100 million for 100,000 people. Lamont plans to continue the program using $6.5 million in federal ARPA funding.



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Maine

Eight Maine Subway locations reopen

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Eight Maine Subway locations reopen


An image from Michael T. Fay’s Facebook page shows him in front of the location on Allen Avenue in Portland, one of the franchises ordered closed. (Facebook screenshot)

Eight Subway locations closed last week by state regulators have reopened.

MTF Subway franchise owner Michael T. Fay has confirmed that all of his franchise locations in Maine are open for business, following the closure of eight of them last Wednesday.

Maine Revenue Services ordered what it characterized as “several” Subway locations closed for “for noncompliance with Part 3, 36 M.R.S.A.,” which primarily governs Maine’s sales and use tax.

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The agency did not elaborate and would only reiterate Monday that, “Due to confidentiality requirements, MRS cannot comment on individual tax situations.”

In an email to the Sun Journal on Monday, Fay confirmed that eight of his locations were affected by the ordered closures, after the state revoked the registration certificates for each location.

Fay stated that none of his employees were laid off by the company.

MTF Subway locations affected:

Blue Hill

Brunswick

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Hampden

Lisbon Falls

Portland

Topsham

Westbrook

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Wiscasset

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A long-time journalist, Christopher got his start with Armed Forces Radio & Television after college. Seventeen years at CNN International brought exposure to major national and international stories…
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