Pennsylvania
Kamala Harris invigorates Democrats in swing state Pennsylvania
In the US state of Pennsylvania, the Democratic Party’s switch to Kamala Harris as its presumptive nominee for president has re-energized its campaign for the White House in a key battleground state, grassroots party activists say.
“I believe we’re going to have a blue landslide,” said Bill Leiner, a volunteer with the Democratic presidential campaign in Allentown, a city of about 125,000 residents.
“People are energized,” he added.
In an unprecedented development in modern US electoral history, President Joe Biden on Sunday announced he was dropping his bid for reelection, and endorsed Vice President Harris’s candidacy in the November poll.
In Allentown, 70-year-old Leiner said he wasted little time in amending his existing Biden/Harris sign to show his support for the vice president.
“The minute I heard Harris is going to be the person, I cut it off, and then kind of taped it up, and I got the first Harris sign in my town,” he said.
Leiner, who works as a nurse, is “optimistic” about the Democratic Party’s odds now that Harris is headlining the ticket.
“It has to be Kamala Harris because if we don’t pick Kamala Harris, we will lose,” he said.
Leiner believes Harris has the right tools to take on Republican Party nominee Donald Trump, especially in light of Biden’s disastrous debate performance in June.
“She’s going to carve him up,” Leiner said.
A few yards away, in his garden shed, dozens of signs from previous election and social awareness campaigns pile up.
Unlike Leiner, some Allentown Democrats found the change in ticket harder to swallow.
Jimmy Spang Jr, a 66-year-old retired security officer, came to know Biden personally over the years, referring to him as “Uncle Joe.”
“I’ve picked him up several times at the airport when he was a senator,” he told AFP. “I consider him a friend.”
Biden was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, about 75 miles north of Allentown, earning him the nickname “Scranton Joe.”
“Joe is a good man,” Spang said, his throat tightening before he burst into tears.
“I’m upset… because this man did nothing wrong,” Spang continued. “He didn’t deserve how he was treated.”
Although “Uncle Joe” has bowed out of the race, Spang plans to continue to support the Democratic cause.
One way he does so is by overseeing event security for the local Democratic Party chapter.
“If Joe supports Kamala, I will support Kamala,” he told AFP.
Spang said he is fearful of a second Trump presidency.
“If Trump wins, I think the country is in deep trouble because of the divisiveness the people that control his campaign,” he said.
Although both Democratic Party workers approached the change at the top of the ticket differently, they share the same pick for Harris’s running mate: Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.
The Democrat was elected in 2022 over a far-right candidate backed by Donald Trump, proving he can sway voters in the purple state.
A “Kamala and Josh” ticket is a “marriage made in heaven,” said Spang.
Even Democrats who are not actively involved in local outreach appear enthusiastic about the shift.
“With the news that came out yesterday, I’m very hopeful and excited,” said J. Marc Rittle, the executive director of New Bethany, a nonprofit that assists residents facing economic and social hardship.
“I’m personally for Harris… I really believe that a Harris administration will get us far,” he said.
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This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Pennsylvania
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Pennsylvania
3 Winning Lottery Tickets Sold In Philadelphia Recently
PHILADELPHIA — Three Pennsylvania Lottery tickets sold in Philadelphia recently have been named winners in separate contests, according to officials.
In the Saturday drawing for the Treasure Hunt game, five tickets won.
One of the tickets that matched all five numbers drawn, 2-6-10-25-26, was sold at 7-Eleven, 3301 Tyson Ave. in Philadelphia. The other was sold at Omgn Inc., 2100 East Allegheny Ave., also in Philadelphia.
Those ticket and three others split the jackpot prize of $139,917.50 to win $27,983.50.
The other winning tickets were sold in Bucks, Butler, and Lebanon counties.
More than 45,800 other Treasure Hunt tickets won prizes in the drawing. Players should check every ticket, every time.
Additionally, a West Philadelphia Wawa sold a winning lottery ticket.
Lottery officials Monday announced the winning Raffle ticket numbers drawn for the third, four $50,000 prizes in the 4s Galore Drawings as part of the New Year’s Millionaire Raffle.
The Wawa at 3744 Spruce St. sold a ticket between Dec. 3 and Dec. 16 that was selected in the drawing.
Other winning tickets were sold in Cumberland, Bradford, and Westmoreland counties.
The Raffle features four bonus drawings held every other week, each awarding four $50,000 prizes, leading up to the Millionaire Raffle drawing on Jan. 4, 2025.
To learn if your ticket won a $50,000 4s Galore Drawings prize, scan it using the ticket checker on the PA Lottery Official App or at a lottery retailer.
Pennsylvania
HS FOOTBALL: LFC and WVC players selected as finalists for Pennsylvania Player of Year Award; Call receives invites to showcase games
Several athletes from the Lackawanna Football Conference and District 2 are among the 55 finalists for the Pennsylvania Player of the Year award selected by the Maxwell Football Club.
Abington Heights wide receiver Shawn Theodore, Honesdale running back Mason Avery, Riverside tight end Richie Kostoff, Scranton Prep quarterback Louis Paris and Wyoming Area running back Lidge Kellum were listed among the 55 players who are Mini Max Award winners according to a release Monday night by the Maxwell Football account on X.
The Mini Max Awards are a prestigious honor for high school football players across the Tri-State Region that includes Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. This year is the first year District 2 players were included among the nominees.
Awards are presented at the annual Mini Max Dinner in Philadelphia on Feb. 2 at the Drexelbrook Convention Center in Drexel Hill. The award recognizes outstanding athletic achievement and sportsmanship in high school football.
In addition to the Mini Max Awards, the Maxwell Football Club also chooses the Player of the Year for Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. The event culminates with the Jim Henry Award, which goes to one of the three State Players of the Year.
Call receives invites
Valley View freshman lineman Brody Call received invites to three postseason games.
Call, a 6-0, 230-pound standout for the Cougars, is invited to the Offense-Defense All-American Bowl at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Dec. 26-29, the All-American Bowl on Jan. 17-20 in Miami, Florida, and the Polynesian Bowl Combine and Showcase in Las Vegas, Nevada, on March 21-22.
Call started every game for the Cougars and helped lead the team to the District 2 Class 4A championship and an 11-2 record.
Cesare ceremony
The 33rd Fiore Cesare Award and Scholarship ceremony is Friday at 2 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel in Scranton.
Mid Valley running back and defensive back Jakob Lesher, Delaware Valley quarterback and punter Logan Olsommer, Scranton Prep quarterback Louis Paris, Riverside quarterback Chase Taddonio and Western Wayne running back and defensive back Josh Vinton are the five finalists named by the Roy Davis Scranton Chapter of PIAA Football Officials.
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