Pennsylvania
Independents sue to open Pennsylvania’s primary elections – AOL
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — More than 1.5 million Pennsylvanians won’t be able to vote on May 19 because of the state’s closed primary elections.
The state is an outlier, as 42 other states and D.C. have open primaries, which means voters don’t need to affiliate with a political party ahead of the election to vote. Lawmakers have been pushing for reform since at least 1995, but so far none have successfully changed the law.
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The issue has support from Democrats and Republicans. But now a group of independents has filed a lawsuit asking a Pennsylvania court to force them into the primaries.
John Jones, a former federal judge, cited the “free and fair elections” in Pennsylvania’s Constitution for grounds to open the state’s primary elections.
“Emphasis on the word fair,” he said. Jones and political scientists argue too many elections are decided on primary day, rather than Election Day in November.
“You look statistically in elections from 2020 to 2025, in the state legislature, for example, only about 10% of those elections were actually really contested,” he said.
Pa. primary election 2026: A complete guide
Not everyone is open to open primaries. Republican strategist Chris Nicholas said if voters don’t care to be a part of a party, they shouldn’t get a say in the primary.
“Imagine if you’re a member of the Elks Lodge, and you work all year to make the Elks Lodge the best it can be,” he said. “Then on Election Day, you let those folks from the Moose Lodge in, and they come in for one hour, vote in your elections and leave, never to come back again.”
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LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) — A central Pennsylvania woman was charged Thursday after allegedly pushing her mother, causing her to fatally fall down a flight of stairs, according to the district attorney’s office.
The Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office said an involuntary manslaughter and simple assault charge were filed against 34-year-old Elissa Waltman, of Lancaster.
Waltman and her mother, Eileen Flugrath, were arguing when Waltman allegedly pushed Flugrath into a wall. This caused Flugrath to fall down the stairs outside her home in the 100 block of Pickwick Place in Millersville Borough on April 5, the DA’s office said.
Flugrath was taken to the hospital after police arrived. Officers also found an indentation in the wall at the top of the stairs, which a witness said was not there before, according to the DA’s office.
After four days at the hospital, Flugrath died of head and neck injuries, and her death was ruled a homicide, according to the DA’s office.
Officials said Waltman first claimed Flugrath backed up and fell on her own, denying that she ever pushed her. But, officials say Waltman later allegedly admitted to pushing Flugrath.
The DA’s office noted there was a resident on the bottom floor who reported to police hearing a crash and then seeing Flugrath face down at the bottom of the stairs, while Waltman was at the top, cursing and right away claiming never to have touched Flugrath.
Court records show bail was denied for Waltman after she was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Joshua Keller. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 23.
Warning: The details of this story are graphic and could be disturbing for some readers.
A Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty to stabbing his wife to death, officials announced on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, March 11, 2025, around 8:30 a.m., Bethlehem Township Police responded to a home on the 2100 block of 3rd Street in Easton, Pennsylvania, for a welfare check. A family member had told police they were concerned about the wellbeing of the people inside the house.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS to 22522.
The responding officers banged on the doors and windows, announcing their presence but no one answered. They then used a ladder to enter a second-floor window and were met by 58-year-old James Christopher Frank.
After opening the door for the officers, Frank led them into a bedroom and told them, “My wife is dead in the bathtub.” The officers entered the bathroom and found the body of Frank’s wife, 55-year-old Deborah Denise Glaser, in the tub. Glaser was facedown in the tub with multiple puncture wounds while her shirt was soaked in blood.
The officers also found knives, razor blades, box cutters and a mallet inside the bathroom.
Frank admitted to police that he cut his wife’s throat with a steak knife. He then told police he punctured his wife’s chest and heart with a knife and hammer around 10 times to make sure she was dead. He was then arrested and charged.
On Wednesday, June 10, 2026, Frank entered a guilty plea to the charge of first-degree murder. The mandatory sentence is life in prison. He is scheduled for sentencing on June 17, 2026.
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