washingtontimes--2020-10-31--‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ author hosts 'pool party’ in Maryland

ELDERSBURG , Md .
( AP ) - Jeff Kinney ’ s latest book tour stop took him into Eldersburg , where the bestselling children ’ s author and cartoonist hosted a virtual pool party for hundreds of his fans .
The Maryland-born Kinney is best known for the “ Diary of a Wimpy Kid ” series , and the 15th book in that series became available to the public Oct. 27 .
Kinney is in the midst of a promotional schedule for “ Diary of a Wimpy Kid : The Deep End , ” and said he came up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ party during the tour of his last book in the series that was published in November 2019 .
Kinney didn ’ t know then his pool party would be taking place amid the coronavirus pandemic , but the The Deep End Pool Party Tour is going on as planned thanks to a dedicated staff and help from local businesses and organizations .
“ Kids needed something to do that wasn ’ t canceled , ” Kinney said as he sat down to sign copies of “ The Deep End ” before the start @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ It felt really good to be able to do that ( last year ) , so now we ’ ve tried to amplify the experience and make it into something that ’ s still really safe.
” The event took place at Century High School , in conjunction with Carroll County Public Library and A Likely Story Bookstore in Sykesville .
Lisa Picker , CCPL director of communications , said tickets for the event sold out in less than one day ― 250 cars were allowed to participate in waves , so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Each car made its way through the parking lot pool party and drove past a tiki hut , pool toys , and a car wash before winding up in the “ pool ” where Kinney waited to give them an autographed copy of his new book ― by using a 6-foot-long pool skimmer to assist in deliveries .
Water balloons were handed out along the way , and a PVC-designed catapult sat near the end of the route for Kinney ’ s crew to launch a few toward unsuspecting automobiles .
A sound @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attraction , complete with music and splashing water , while volunteers donned beach-themed attire ( from tropical prints to lifeguard gear ) in helping direct traffic .
Families were encouraged to “ Wimpify ” their cars , and the vehicle chosen at the end of the event as the best decorated received a box set of Kinney ’ s books in the series .
“ They get to do it as a family , in the comfort of their car , ” Picker said .
“ It ’ s just wonderful in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ activities that families used to be participating in may be off limits .
They may look completely different this year .
… It ’ s a one-of-a-kind experience for them.
” Cars lined up in the parking lot about 15 minutes before the official 4:30 p.m. start time , and many of them came ready to enjoy the party .
A few minivans and SUVs bore Kinney ’ s “ Wimpy Kid ” cartoon drawings on their sides , and passengers were decked in swimsuits and pool gear .
Kim Putnam and her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wednesday ’ s event , even if it meant leaving their Frederick residence for a road trip .
Kim and husband Dave were first in line , while sons Ethan , 14 , and Ryan , 10 , sat in the backseat waiting for their turn to drive through .
Putnam said she brought the family to a similar event when the library partnered with children ’ s author Dav Pilkey during a popular “ Captain Underpants ” book promotion .
Kinney gave out a signed copy of his book and thanked the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ picture next to their car .
“ I think I got an email ( notification ) about this , ” Putnam said .
“ We didn ’ t wait because I knew it would sell out .
He ’ s awesome .
I ’ m so glad that he ’ s doing it .
It ’ s very cool.
” Picker said those who couldn ’ t attend the event or didn ’ t find out about it in time could still purchase signed copies of “ The Deep End.
” Kinney is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to promote “ The Deep End , ” which follows the series ’ main character Greg Heffley .
In the latest adventure , Heffley and his family “ hit the road for a cross-country camping trip , ” but “ find themselves stranded at an RV park that isn ’ t exactly a summertime paradise.
” The first “ Diary of a Wimpy Kid ” book was published in 2007 , and the series has sold more than 250 million copies worldwide .
The first of four “ Diary of a Wimpy Kid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The movie franchise has grossed more than $ 265 million at the box office , according to an Oct. 8 Forbes article .
Debbie Scheller , owner of A Likely Story Bookstore , took a moment to soak in the setup before cars began weaving their way through the socially distant pool party to meet the author .
“ It ’ s so awesome , isn ’ t it ?
” Scheller said .
“ This is fun .
It shows what he can do during a pandemic , you know ?
… @ @ @ @ @ @ @ come out and socially distance in an event like that .
It helps us too , because it has been tough during this time .
”

ELDERSBURG, Md. (AP) - Jeff Kinney’s latest book tour stop took him into Eldersburg, where the bestselling children’s author and cartoonist hosted a virtual pool party for hundreds of his fans.
The Maryland-born Kinney is best known for the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series, and the 15th book in that series became available to the public Oct. 27.
Kinney is in the midst of a promotional schedule for “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Deep End,” and said he came up with the idea for a virtual pool party during the tour of his last book in the series that was published in November 2019.
Kinney didn’t know then his pool party would be taking place amid the coronavirus pandemic, but the The Deep End Pool Party Tour is going on as planned thanks to a dedicated staff and help from local businesses and organizations.
“Kids needed something to do that wasn’t canceled,” Kinney said as he sat down to sign copies of “The Deep End” before the start of his drive-thru pool party event. “It felt really good to be able to do that (last year), so now we’ve tried to amplify the experience and make it into something that’s still really safe.”
The event took place at Century High School, in conjunction with Carroll County Public Library and A Likely Story Bookstore in Sykesville. Lisa Picker, CCPL director of communications, said tickets for the event sold out in less than one day ― 250 cars were allowed to participate in waves, so as to maintain social distancing guidelines.
Each car made its way through the parking lot pool party and drove past a tiki hut, pool toys, and a car wash before winding up in the “pool” where Kinney waited to give them an autographed copy of his new book ― by using a 6-foot-long pool skimmer to assist in deliveries.
Water balloons were handed out along the way, and a PVC-designed catapult sat near the end of the route for Kinney’s crew to launch a few toward unsuspecting automobiles.
A sound system pumped pool party sounds throughout the attraction, complete with music and splashing water, while volunteers donned beach-themed attire (from tropical prints to lifeguard gear) in helping direct traffic.
Families were encouraged to “Wimpify” their cars, and the vehicle chosen at the end of the event as the best decorated received a box set of Kinney’s books in the series.
“They get to do it as a family, in the comfort of their car,” Picker said. “It’s just wonderful in a week where so many of the normal activities that families used to be participating in may be off limits. They may look completely different this year. … It’s a one-of-a-kind experience for them.”
Cars lined up in the parking lot about 15 minutes before the official 4:30 p.m. start time, and many of them came ready to enjoy the party. A few minivans and SUVs bore Kinney’s “Wimpy Kid” cartoon drawings on their sides, and passengers were decked in swimsuits and pool gear.
Kim Putnam and her family weren’t going to miss Wednesday’s event, even if it meant leaving their Frederick residence for a road trip. Kim and husband Dave were first in line, while sons Ethan, 14, and Ryan, 10, sat in the backseat waiting for their turn to drive through.
Putnam said she brought the family to a similar event when the library partnered with children’s author Dav Pilkey during a popular “Captain Underpants” book promotion.
Kinney gave out a signed copy of his book and thanked the Putnams for coming before posing for a picture next to their car.
“I think I got an email (notification) about this,” Putnam said. “We didn’t wait because I knew it would sell out. He’s awesome. I’m so glad that he’s doing it. It’s very cool.”
Picker said those who couldn’t attend the event or didn’t find out about it in time could still purchase signed copies of “The Deep End.”
Kinney is in the middle of a 20-city tour to promote “The Deep End,” which follows the series’ main character Greg Heffley. In the latest adventure, Heffley and his family “hit the road for a cross-country camping trip,” but “find themselves stranded at an RV park that isn’t exactly a summertime paradise.”
The first “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” book was published in 2007, and the series has sold more than 250 million copies worldwide. The first of four “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” films came out in 2010. The movie franchise has grossed more than $265 million at the box office, according to an Oct. 8 Forbes article.
Debbie Scheller, owner of A Likely Story Bookstore, took a moment to soak in the setup before cars began weaving their way through the socially distant pool party to meet the author.
“It’s so awesome, isn’t it?” Scheller said. “This is fun. It shows what he can do during a pandemic, you know? … To have a thousand people willing to come out and socially distance in an event like that. It helps us too, because it has been tough during this time.”


washingtontimes--2020-10-31--Man injured in suspected road rage shooting on I-35 near KC

LENEXA , Kan. ( AP ) - A man is hospitalized after being shot by a motorcyclist on Interstate 35 @ @ @ @ @ police believe road rage was behind the shooting .
KCTV-TV reports that the incident happened @ @ @ @ @ shutdown of the interstate near the busy intersection with I-435 .
Lenexa police say the @ @ @ @ @ I-35 when a motorcyclist driving the same direction shot him .
Police say they ’ @ @ @ @ @ road rage incident , but provided no additional information .
The victim drove home and @ @ @ @ @ taken to a hospital but details about his condition have not been released .

LENEXA, Kan. (AP) - A man is hospitalized after being shot by a motorcyclist on Interstate 35 in Johnson County, and police believe road rage was behind the shooting.
KCTV-TV reports that the incident happened Friday night, causing the shutdown of the interstate near the busy intersection with I-435.
Lenexa police say the victim was driving northbound on I-35 when a motorcyclist driving the same direction shot him. Police say they’re investigating it as a road rage incident, but provided no additional information.
The victim drove home and called 911. He was taken to a hospital but details about his condition have not been released.


washingtontimes--2020-10-31--BBC says Scottish actor Sean Connery, who played James Bond in seven movies, has died at the age of

LONDON ( AP ) - BBC says Scottish actor Sean Connery , who played James Bond in seven movies , @ @ @ @ @ of 90 .

LONDON (AP) - BBC says Scottish actor Sean Connery, who played James Bond in seven movies, has died at the age of 90.
Copyright © 2023 The Washington Times, LLC.


washingtontimes--2020-10-31--Kansas deputy killed in accident involving school bus

TONGANOXIE , Kan. ( AP ) - An eastern Kansas deputy is dead following an accident involving a school bus @ @ @ @ @ said the accident happened Friday afternoon in Leavenworth County near the town of Tonganoxie .
@ @ @ @ @ was driving an unmarked sheriff ’ s vehicle when it collided with a school bus @ @ @ @ @ hospitalized with injuries characterized as not life-threatening .
A child on the bus had minor @ @ @ @ @ hospitalization .
The patrol has released no further information about the accident , which remains @ @ @ @ @ behind a wife and three children .

TONGANOXIE, Kan. (AP) - An eastern Kansas deputy is dead following an accident involving a school bus.
The Kansas Highway Patrol said the accident happened Friday afternoon in Leavenworth County near the town of Tonganoxie. Deputy Corporal Daniel R. Abramovitz was driving an unmarked sheriff’s vehicle when it collided with a school bus.
The bus driver was hospitalized with injuries characterized as not life-threatening. A child on the bus had minor injuries that did not require hospitalization.
The patrol has released no further information about the accident, which remains under investigation.
Abramovitz leaves behind a wife and three children.


washingtontimes--2020-10-31--Final weekend: Galloway in STL, KC; Parson in St. Peters

ST. LOUIS ( AP ) - Republican Gov .
Mike Parson is campaigning in the St. Louis suburb of St. @ @ @ @ @ his Democratic opponent , Nicole Galloway , is spending the final weekend of the campaign @ @ @ @ @ s big cities .
Parson was scheduled to appear Saturday at a “ Keep Missouri @ @ @ @ @ St. Charles County town .
He ’ s being joined by Sarah Huckabee Sanders , @ @ @ @ @ former press secretary .
Galloway , the state auditor , will be in Independence for @ @ @ @ @ march Saturday morning , then later speak at a virtual town hall on “ Women @ @ @ @ @ ” hosted by the Urban League of Greater Kansas City .
On Sunday , she @ @ @ @ @ services and make other stops in St. Louis .

ST. LOUIS (AP) - Republican Gov. Mike Parson is campaigning in the St. Louis suburb of St. Peters on Saturday, and his Democratic opponent, Nicole Galloway, is spending the final weekend of the campaign in both of Missouri’s big cities.
Parson was scheduled to appear Saturday at a “Keep Missouri Red” rally in the St. Charles County town. He’s being joined by Sarah Huckabee Sanders, President Donald Trump’s former press secretary.
Galloway, the state auditor, will be in Independence for a get out the vote march Saturday morning, then later speak at a virtual town hall on “Women, Power & Politics,” hosted by the Urban League of Greater Kansas City. On Sunday, she’ll attend two church services and make other stops in St. Louis.


washingtontimes--2020-10-31--Coast Guard searching for boater who departed from Groton

GROTON , Conn. ( AP ) - The U.S. Coast Guard was searching Saturday for a missing boater who departed @ @ @ @ @ dinghy and has not been seen .
The Coast Guard said 49-year-old Matthew Lyon left @ @ @ @ @ Marina at 2:30 p.m. Friday .
Rescuers from several Connecticut and New York police and @ @ @ @ @ Guard in searching for Lyon after he was reported missing at 5 p.m. , authorities @ @

GROTON, Conn. (AP) - The Connecticut State Police on Saturday recovered the body of a missing boater who had departed from Groton in a 14-foot dinghy on Friday.
The body of 49-year-old Matthew Lyon was pulled from the water about 10:30 a.m. after being spotted by a tug boat crew two nautical miles north of Great Gull Island, New York, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
The body was taken to the Coast Guard station in New Haven, where it was positively identified.
The cause of death was under investigation.
Lyon left the Groton Elks Lodge and Marina at 2:30 p.m. Friday. Rescuers from several Connecticut and New York police and fire departments assisted the Coast Guard in searching for Lyon after his wife reported he was overdue about three hours later, authorities said.


washingtontimes--2020-10-31--Youths kick furniture at Austrian church, no one hurt

VIENNA ( AP ) - A group of 30 to 50 youths gathered in a Vienna church earlier this week , kicking furniture but then dispersing after police were called , authorities said Saturday .
The incident drew condemnation from leading politicians at a time when nearby France has seen Islamic extremist attacks , one of them in a church .
The incident at the St. Anton church in Vienna ’ s Favoriten district happened on Thursday evening .
It was reported a day later by the Kurier newspaper , which said investigators suspect the intruders were Turkish youths who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said a priest called police when the youths started kicking the furniture , and that they dispersed in several directions before officers arrived .
No damage was caused and no people were hurt or threatened , according to a police statement Saturday .
The local branch of the domestic intelligence agency was looking into the matter .
The incident came at a time of heightened tensions over attacks in France and the French president ’ s vow to protect the right to caricature the Prophet Muhammad , a stance the Turkish president has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ night tweeted the Kurier report with the comment : “ All Christians must be able to exercise their belief in Austria freely and safely !
We will continue the fight against political Islam with determination and will show no false tolerance.
” In a separate incident , police said an Afghan man walked into Vienna ’ s cathedral , the Stephansdom , early Saturday morning and shouted unspecified “ Islamic slogans.
” Police said he left a “ confused impression ” and a medical examination was being conducted .
Investigators searched the cathedral @ @ @ @ @

VIENNA (AP) - A group of 30 to 50 youths gathered in a Vienna church earlier this week, kicking furniture but then dispersing after police were called, authorities said Saturday.
The incident drew condemnation from leading politicians at a time when nearby France has seen Islamic extremist attacks, one of them in a church.
The incident at the St. Anton church in Vienna’s Favoriten district happened on Thursday evening. It was reported a day later by the Kurier newspaper, which said investigators suspect the intruders were Turkish youths who had organized via social media.
Police said a priest called police when the youths started kicking the furniture, and that they dispersed in several directions before officers arrived. No damage was caused and no people were hurt or threatened, according to a police statement Saturday. The local branch of the domestic intelligence agency was looking into the matter.
The incident came at a time of heightened tensions over attacks in France and the French president’s vow to protect the right to caricature the Prophet Muhammad, a stance the Turkish president has assailed.
Chancellor Sebastian Kurz on Friday night tweeted the Kurier report with the comment: “All Christians must be able to exercise their belief in Austria freely and safely! We will continue the fight against political Islam with determination and will show no false tolerance.”
In a separate incident, police said an Afghan man walked into Vienna’s cathedral, the Stephansdom, early Saturday morning and shouted unspecified “Islamic slogans.” Police said he left a “confused impression” and a medical examination was being conducted. Investigators searched the cathedral but found nothing untoward.


washingtontimes--2020-10-31--AP News Guide: A look at Maine's general election

PORTLAND , Maine ( AP ) - The 2020 election in Maine on Tuesday will carry a footnote : It marked the first use of ranked choice voting in a presidential contest in the U.S. Maine voters first approved ranked voting in federal races in a statewide referendum in 2016 .
The Legislature later enacted a law to ensure that it ’ s used in the presidential race .
Republicans sought unsuccessfully to force a “ People ’ s Veto ” referendum that would ’ ve delayed use of the voting system in presidential contest .
There are five candidates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Donald Trump and Democratic former Vice President Joe Biden .
If none of them wins a majority of first-round votes , then there will be additional tabulations in which last-place candidates are eliminated and those supporters ’ second-place choices are reallocated to the remaining field .
Ranked voting is sometimes called an “ instant runoff.
” But there ’ s nothing instant about Maine ’ s implementation of the voting system .
If additional tabulations are required , then all the ballots from hundreds of municipalities have to be shipped to Augusta @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the additional tabulations .
The voting system is not used for state legislative or governor ’ s races because of concerns it runs afoul of the Maine Constitution .
The Senate contest between incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic Maine House Speaker Sara Gideon is the costliest political race in Maine history .
The two candidates and their allies together have spent more than $ 120 million on television advertising alone .
Collins is battling for a fifth term against a candidate who drew donations for all corners of the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as Collins ’ vote for Trump ’ s Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh ensured the race would draw national attention and cash .
For all the fundraising , neither candidate had an edge in the polls ahead of Election Day .
Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden is battling Trump ally Dale Crafts in the vast , rural 2nd Congressional District .
Golden , who narrowly defeated GOP Rep. Bruce Poliquin thanks to ranked voting in 2018 , describes himself as a moderate voice for all Mainers .
He has pledged to keep supporting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and to make access to health care a priority .
Crafts , a Republican , is a businessman and former state lawmaker who is counting on Trump ’ s popularity in the 2nd Congressional District and endorsement carrying him to victory .
Democratic U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree is considered a safe bet in her reelection battle against Republican Jay Allen .
Pingree , 65 , is seeking a seventh term in a liberal district that has been friendly to her over the years .
If reelected , she would be the first person @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than six consecutive terms representing the 1st Congressional District .
Allen is a family physician and former Army doctor from the Bristol area who is running on a staunchly conservative platform .
He hopes his campaign will be propelled by voters turning out for Trump at the top of the ticket .
A referendum on a proposed power corridor in western Maine wasn ’ t on the ballot .
Opponents of Central Maine Power ’ s $ 1 billion New England Clean Energy Connect that aims to serve as a conduit for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statewide referendum .
But the Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruled the referendum violated the Maine Constitution because referendums can be used only to nullify legislative actions , not state agency actions .

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - The 2020 election in Maine on Tuesday will carry a footnote: It marked the first use of ranked choice voting in a presidential contest in the U.S.
Maine voters first approved ranked voting in federal races in a statewide referendum in 2016. The Legislature later enacted a law to ensure that it’s used in the presidential race.
Republicans sought unsuccessfully to force a “People’s Veto” referendum that would’ve delayed use of the voting system in presidential contest.
There are five candidates on the presidential ballot, including Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic former Vice President Joe Biden. If none of them wins a majority of first-round votes, then there will be additional tabulations in which last-place candidates are eliminated and those supporters’ second-place choices are reallocated to the remaining field.
Ranked voting is sometimes called an “instant runoff.” But there’s nothing instant about Maine’s implementation of the voting system.
If additional tabulations are required, then all the ballots from hundreds of municipalities have to be shipped to Augusta and entered into a computer which completes the additional tabulations.
The voting system is not used for state legislative or governor’s races because of concerns it runs afoul of the Maine Constitution.
Other races include:
SENATE RACE
The Senate contest between incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic Maine House Speaker Sara Gideon is the costliest political race in Maine history.
The two candidates and their allies together have spent more than $120 million on television advertising alone.
Collins is battling for a fifth term against a candidate who drew donations for all corners of the country. Democratic support quickly coalesced around Gideon as Collins’ vote for Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh ensured the race would draw national attention and cash.
For all the fundraising, neither candidate had an edge in the polls ahead of Election Day.
2ND DISTRICT
Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden is battling Trump ally Dale Crafts in the vast, rural 2nd Congressional District.
Golden, who narrowly defeated GOP Rep. Bruce Poliquin thanks to ranked voting in 2018, describes himself as a moderate voice for all Mainers. He has pledged to keep supporting small business and traditional rural industries, and to make access to health care a priority.
Crafts, a Republican, is a businessman and former state lawmaker who is counting on Trump’s popularity in the 2nd Congressional District and endorsement carrying him to victory.
1ST DISTRICT
Democratic U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree is considered a safe bet in her reelection battle against Republican Jay Allen.
Pingree, 65, is seeking a seventh term in a liberal district that has been friendly to her over the years. If reelected, she would be the first person in six decades to be elected to more than six consecutive terms representing the 1st Congressional District.
Allen is a family physician and former Army doctor from the Bristol area who is running on a staunchly conservative platform.
He hopes his campaign will be propelled by voters turning out for Trump at the top of the ticket.
NO REFERENDUMS
A referendum on a proposed power corridor in western Maine wasn’t on the ballot.
Opponents of Central Maine Power’s $1 billion New England Clean Energy Connect that aims to serve as a conduit for Canadian hydropower obtained enough signatures for a statewide referendum. But the Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruled the referendum violated the Maine Constitution because referendums can be used only to nullify legislative actions, not state agency actions.


washingtontimes--2020-10-31--Election 2020 Today: The path to 270 and a focus on Michigan

Here ’ s what ’ s happening Saturday in Election 2020 , three days until Election Day : ON THE TRAIL : Joe Biden is in Michigan for two stops .
President Donald Trump is in Pennsylvania for four events .
HOW TO VOTE : AP ’ s state-by-state interactive has details on how to vote in this election .
ROAD TO 270 : Trump and Biden each has a path to the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the 2020 election .
Biden ’ s is appreciably wider .
The former vice president is competitive in all the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has put a handful of traditional Republican states , including Georgia and Arizona , in play .
That has Trump scrambling to defend a wide swath of territory and putting his hopes for reelection on two of the most populous swing states , Florida and Pennsylvania .
Election Day is Tuesday .
BIDEN , OBAMA HEAD TO MICHIGAN : Biden - with help from his old boss Barack Obama - is focusing on Black voters in Michigan as the Democrat looks to head off a repeat of 2016 nominee Hillary Clinton ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Obama will hold a pair of drive-in rallies Saturday in Flint and Detroit , predominantly Black cities whose turnout will play a large factor in whether Biden turns the state back to the Democrats ’ column .
BIDEN ON THE ISSUES : Biden is promising to take the country on a very different path from what it has seen over the past four years under Trump , on issues ranging from the coronavirus and health care to the environment , education and more .
The Democratic presidential nominee is promising to reverse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement and weakening protections against environmental pollution .
TRUMP ON THE ISSUES : Expect to see a lot more of the same if there ’ s a second Trump administration .
President Donald Trump has consistently pointed to tax cuts and regulatory relief as key successes of his first four years in office .
He has repeatedly pushed for the end of the Obama-era health law , but hasn ’ t yet delivered a plan to replace it .
There ’ s no indication of any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ four years in office .
AP FACT CHECK : An AP Fact Check finds that Trump has persistently warned about a catastrophe in mail-in voting that hasn ’ t materialized .
He also makes a false point that the big rise in virus cases is simply the result of increased testing .
His own officials have refuted him on that .
Meantime , Biden got it wrong when he said the trade deficit with China is worse now than during the Obama administration .
That trade deficit has shrunk under Trump .
AP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than 170 years , The Associated Press will count the nation ’ s vote in real time on Election Day and report the results of presidential , congressional and state elections on Nov. 3 and beyond .
Read more about how that ’ s done .
If 2020 is like 2000 , Trump believes he ’ s got the votes

Here’s what’s happening Saturday in Election 2020, three days until Election Day:
ON THE TRAIL: Joe Biden is in Michigan for two stops. President Donald Trump is in Pennsylvania for four events.
HOW TO VOTE: AP’s state-by-state interactive has details on how to vote in this election.
TODAY’S TOP STORIES:
ROAD TO 270: Trump and Biden each has a path to the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the 2020 election. Biden’s is appreciably wider. The former vice president is competitive in all the battleground states Trump carried in 2016 and has put a handful of traditional Republican states, including Georgia and Arizona, in play. That has Trump scrambling to defend a wide swath of territory and putting his hopes for reelection on two of the most populous swing states, Florida and Pennsylvania. Election Day is Tuesday.
BIDEN, OBAMA HEAD TO MICHIGAN: Biden - with help from his old boss Barack Obama - is focusing on Black voters in Michigan as the Democrat looks to head off a repeat of 2016 nominee Hillary Clinton’s epic collapse in the state. Biden and Obama will hold a pair of drive-in rallies Saturday in Flint and Detroit, predominantly Black cities whose turnout will play a large factor in whether Biden turns the state back to the Democrats’ column.
BIDEN ON THE ISSUES: Biden is promising to take the country on a very different path from what it has seen over the past four years under Trump, on issues ranging from the coronavirus and health care to the environment, education and more. The Democratic presidential nominee is promising to reverse Trump policy moves on things such as withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement and weakening protections against environmental pollution.
TRUMP ON THE ISSUES: Expect to see a lot more of the same if there’s a second Trump administration. President Donald Trump has consistently pointed to tax cuts and regulatory relief as key successes of his first four years in office. He has repeatedly pushed for the end of the Obama-era health law, but hasn’t yet delivered a plan to replace it. There’s no indication of any big policy switch if he gets another four years in office.
AP FACT CHECK: An AP Fact Check finds that Trump has persistently warned about a catastrophe in mail-in voting that hasn’t materialized. He also makes a false point that the big rise in virus cases is simply the result of increased testing. His own officials have refuted him on that. Meantime, Biden got it wrong when he said the trade deficit with China is worse now than during the Obama administration. That trade deficit has shrunk under Trump.
AP EXPLAINS: As it has for more than 170 years, The Associated Press will count the nation’s vote in real time on Election Day and report the results of presidential, congressional and state elections on Nov. 3 and beyond. Read more about how that’s done.
ICYMI:
If 2020 is like 2000, Trump believes he’s got the votes
Race for Texas intensifies amid surging turnout, COVID cases
Sen. Lindsey Graham and Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison clash on criminal justice, health care


washingtontimes--2020-10-31--News Guide: A look at New Hampshire's Nov. 3 election races

CONCORD , N.H. ( AP ) - New Hampshire ’ s governor , a U.S. senator , and its two House members sought another term during the general election Tuesday .
Here is a summary of those races on the ballot : President Donald Trump is trying to win a state he narrowly lost to Hillary Clinton in 2016 , this time facing former Vice President Joe Biden , who finished fifth in New Hampshire ’ s Democratic primary in February .
U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen , a Democrat seeking a third term , faces Republican Corky Messner and Libertarian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the first woman in U.S. history to serve as both governor and senator .
Messner , a U.S. Army veteran and attorney , is a newcomer to both the state and politics who was endorsed by President Donald Trump .
Republican Gov .
Chris Sununu faces Democrat Dan Feltes and Libertarian Darryl Perry in his bid for a third term .
Feltes has represented Concord in the state Senate for six years , where he saw some of his key initiatives blocked by Sununu ’ s vetoes .
U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ challenge from Republican Matt Mowers and Libertarian Zachary Dumont .
Pappas , who made history in 2018 by becoming the state ’ s first openly gay member of Congress , was a state lawmaker and his family runs a popular restaurant in Manchester .
Mowers , who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump and briefly worked in his administration ’ s State Department , moved to New Hampshire last year .
Mowers ran former New Jersey Gov .
Chris Christie ’ s 2016 presidential primary campaign in New Hampshire and was the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from 2013 to 2015 .
U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster , a Democrat , is seeking her fifth term in office .
She faces Republican challenger Steve Negron in a rematch of the 2018 race , and Libertarian Andrew Olding .
Negron runs a defense consulting firm and served one term in the New Hampshire House .
In the Democrat-controlled Legislature , all 400 state House seats and 24 Senate seats are on the ballot .
After four years of Republican control , Democrats won majorities in both chambers in 2018 .
Heading into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seats , Republicans held 157 and there were 13 vacancies .
In the Senate , Democrats outnumbered Republicans 14-10 .

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) - New Hampshire’s governor, a U.S. senator, and its two House members sought another term during the general election Tuesday. Here is a summary of those races on the ballot:
President:
President Donald Trump is trying to win a state he narrowly lost to Hillary Clinton in 2016, this time facing former Vice President Joe Biden, who finished fifth in New Hampshire’s Democratic primary in February.
US Senate:
U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat seeking a third term, faces Republican Corky Messner and Libertarian Justin O’Donnell. Shaheen was the first woman in U.S. history to serve as both governor and senator. Messner, a U.S. Army veteran and attorney, is a newcomer to both the state and politics who was endorsed by President Donald Trump.
Governor:
Republican Gov. Chris Sununu faces Democrat Dan Feltes and Libertarian Darryl Perry in his bid for a third term. Feltes has represented Concord in the state Senate for six years, where he saw some of his key initiatives blocked by Sununu’s vetoes.
1st Congressional District:
U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas, a freshman Democrat, is facing a challenge from Republican Matt Mowers and Libertarian Zachary Dumont. Pappas, who made history in 2018 by becoming the state’s first openly gay member of Congress, was a state lawmaker and his family runs a popular restaurant in Manchester. Mowers, who has been endorsed by President Donald Trump and briefly worked in his administration’s State Department, moved to New Hampshire last year. Mowers ran former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s 2016 presidential primary campaign in New Hampshire and was the executive director of the New Hampshire GOP from 2013 to 2015.
2nd Congressional District:
U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster, a Democrat, is seeking her fifth term in office. She faces Republican challenger Steve Negron in a rematch of the 2018 race, and Libertarian Andrew Olding. Negron runs a defense consulting firm and served one term in the New Hampshire House.
Statehouse:
In the Democrat-controlled Legislature, all 400 state House seats and 24 Senate seats are on the ballot. After four years of Republican control, Democrats won majorities in both chambers in 2018. Heading into the election, Democrats held 230 House seats, Republicans held 157 and there were 13 vacancies. In the Senate, Democrats outnumbered Republicans 14-10.


washingtontimes--2020-10-31--Top of the Vermont ticket is governor, US representative

MONTPELIER , Vt. ( AP ) - The races for governor and the U.S. House top the ballot in Vermont , where voting concludes Tuesday on Election Day .
Republican President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger , former Vice President Joe Biden , are both seeking Vermont ’ s three electoral votes .
In addition to the two major party candidates , there are 19 third-party presidential candidates .
Republican Gov .
Phil Scott , the incumbent , is seeking his third two-year term leading Vermont .
The only statewide Republican office holder in the deeply blue state , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Berlin , is popular and has been given high marks for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic .
Throughout the pandemic , Vermont has consistently had among the lowest rates of transmission .
Scott , a frequent and rare GOP critic of Trump , has consistently called for civility in politics .
Scott continues to lead Vermont by working , as he calls it , to make the state more affordable by promoting economic growth and not raising taxes or fees while protecting the most state ’ s most vulnerable .
Scott , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gov .
David Zuckerman , who is running as a Democrat but throughout his political career has also worked with and represented Vermont ’ s Progressive Party .
Zuckerman , a 48-year-old Hinesburg farmer , campaigned on promises to do more to advance progressive causes , saying wealthy people should pay more in taxes , Vermont should do more to combat climate change and he would work to expand access to health care in the state .
Democrat Peter Welch is seeking reelection to the seat in the U.S. House that he first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the House , Welch , 73 , has consistently been one of Vermont ’ s top statewide vote-getters .
Welch says he feels his popularity has been due to his continued focus on the state ’ s needs .
He says the country is facing the “ extraordinary challenges ” of the coronavirus pandemic and what Welch has described as Trump ’ s threat to democracy .
Welch is being challenged this year by Republican Miriam Berry , a registered nurse from Essex , who is making her first run for elected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conservative who opposes current proposals for universal health care and is for civil rights and cutting waste from the budget .
She said it was time for a change .
Voters will also be casting ballots Tuesday for the state ’ s other statewide elected offices , including lieutenant governor , attorney general , state treasurer , secretary of state and auditor of accounts .
In local and regional races being decided Tuesday , Vermonters will elect all 150 members of the state House of Representatives and 30 members of the state Senate @

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - The races for governor and the U.S. House top the ballot in Vermont, where voting concludes Tuesday on Election Day.
PRESIDENT
Republican President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger, former Vice President Joe Biden, are both seeking Vermont’s three electoral votes. In addition to the two major party candidates, there are 19 third-party presidential candidates.
GOVERNOR
Republican Gov. Phil Scott, the incumbent, is seeking his third two-year term leading Vermont.
The only statewide Republican office holder in the deeply blue state, Scott, a former construction executive from Berlin, is popular and has been given high marks for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. Throughout the pandemic, Vermont has consistently had among the lowest rates of transmission.
Scott, a frequent and rare GOP critic of Trump, has consistently called for civility in politics. Scott continues to lead Vermont by working, as he calls it, to make the state more affordable by promoting economic growth and not raising taxes or fees while protecting the most state’s most vulnerable.
Scott, 61, is being challenged by Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman, who is running as a Democrat but throughout his political career has also worked with and represented Vermont’s Progressive Party.
Zuckerman, a 48-year-old Hinesburg farmer, campaigned on promises to do more to advance progressive causes, saying wealthy people should pay more in taxes, Vermont should do more to combat climate change and he would work to expand access to health care in the state.
US HOUSE
Democrat Peter Welch is seeking reelection to the seat in the U.S. House that he first won in 2006.
During his years in the House, Welch, 73, has consistently been one of Vermont’s top statewide vote-getters. Welch says he feels his popularity has been due to his continued focus on the state’s needs. He says the country is facing the “extraordinary challenges” of the coronavirus pandemic and what Welch has described as Trump’s threat to democracy.
Welch is being challenged this year by Republican Miriam Berry, a registered nurse from Essex, who is making her first run for elected office. Berry described herself as a conservative who opposes current proposals for universal health care and is for civil rights and cutting waste from the budget. She said it was time for a change.
Voters will also be casting ballots Tuesday for the state’s other statewide elected offices, including lieutenant governor, attorney general, state treasurer, secretary of state and auditor of accounts.
In local and regional races being decided Tuesday, Vermonters will elect all 150 members of the state House of Representatives and 30 members of the state Senate.


washingtontimes--2020-10-31--Girl lost baseball cards to wildfire, gets surprise donation

PRATHER , Calif. ( AP ) - A 9-year-old girl who lost her collection of baseball cards when a wildfire destroyed her family ’ s central California home received a huge surprise when firefighters presented thousands of new , donated cards and put her on the phone with her favorite player .
Reese Osterburg didn ’ t get a chance to save her 200-card collection when the Creek Fire forced her family to evacuate from their home in Pine Ridge .
Her family told the East Bay Times that she spent three years compiling the collection , which included a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ player Buster Posey , and would often pore over them while watching baseball games .
Her uncle bought her a pack of baseball cards and a binder to help rebuild her collection .
Reese then wrote a letter to Posey , asking him to sign a new card and ball .
Her mother , Amy Osterberg , wasn ’ t sure the best way to mail it to Posey so she asked a friend in local law enforcement for help .
Word of Reese ’ s loss spread and the California Department of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ County unit posted a plea on Facebook asking for baseball card donations .
A San Jose man who heard about the plea on the radio donated more than 25,000 baseball cards he had been collecting since the 1990 ’ s .
“ I thought , you know what , rather than sell these on eBay , I ’ m just going to donate them , ” Kevin Ashford told NBC Bay Area .
“ I ’ m gon na donate them all and put a smile on a little girl ’ s face.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ cards to Reese and friends on her baseball team on Friday , they put her on a Zoom call with Ashford so they could meet .
They also helped arrange for Posey to jump on the call to speak with his young fan .
“ This is the best day I ’ ve ever had , ” Reese told The Fresno Bee .
“ More than awesome , probably .
”

PRATHER, Calif. (AP) - A 9-year-old girl who lost her collection of baseball cards when a wildfire destroyed her family’s central California home received a huge surprise when firefighters presented thousands of new, donated cards and put her on the phone with her favorite player.
Reese Osterburg didn’t get a chance to save her 200-card collection when the Creek Fire forced her family to evacuate from their home in Pine Ridge. Her family told the East Bay Times that she spent three years compiling the collection, which included a few prized cards of San Francisco Giants player Buster Posey, and would often pore over them while watching baseball games.
Her uncle bought her a pack of baseball cards and a binder to help rebuild her collection.
Reese then wrote a letter to Posey, asking him to sign a new card and ball. Her mother, Amy Osterberg, wasn’t sure the best way to mail it to Posey so she asked a friend in local law enforcement for help.
Word of Reese’s loss spread and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Fresno County unit posted a plea on Facebook asking for baseball card donations.
A San Jose man who heard about the plea on the radio donated more than 25,000 baseball cards he had been collecting since the 1990’s.
“I thought, you know what, rather than sell these on eBay, I’m just going to donate them,” Kevin Ashford told NBC Bay Area. “I’m gonna donate them all and put a smile on a little girl’s face.”
When Cal Fire firefighters presented the cards to Reese and friends on her baseball team on Friday, they put her on a Zoom call with Ashford so they could meet. They also helped arrange for Posey to jump on the call to speak with his young fan.
“This is the best day I’ve ever had,” Reese told The Fresno Bee. “More than awesome, probably.”


washingtontimes--2020-10-31--Trump pulls ahead of Biden in Iowa, poll shows

President Trump has pulled into the lead in Iowa over Democrat Joseph R. Biden , according to a new Des @ @ @ @ @ Saturday .
The president leads by 7 percentage points over Mr. Biden , 48 percent @ @ @ @ @ September , the same survey found the candidates tied at 47 percent .
The poll @ @ @ @ @ was conducted by Selzer & Co. of Des Moines from Oct. 26-29 , with a @ @ @ @ @ or minus 3.4 percentage points .
Mr. Biden campaigned in Iowa on Friday .
The @ @ @ @ @ in Dubuque on Sunday .
“ The president is holding demographic groups that he won @ @ @ @ @ , and that would give someone a certain level of comfort with their standing , @ @ @ @ @ president of the polling company , told the Register .
“ There ’ s a @ @ @ @ @ what happened in 2016.
” Mr. Trump won Iowa in 2016 by 9.4 percentage points @ @ @ @

President Trump has pulled into the lead in Iowa over Democrat Joseph R. Biden, according to a new Des Moines Register/Mediacom poll released on Saturday.
The president leads by 7 percentage points over Mr. Biden, 48 percent to 41 percent. In September, the same survey found the candidates tied at 47 percent.
The poll of 814 likely Iowa voters was conducted by Selzer & Co. of Des Moines from Oct. 26-29, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.
Mr. Biden campaigned in Iowa on Friday. The president will hold a rally in Dubuque on Sunday.
“The president is holding demographic groups that he won in Iowa four years ago, and that would give someone a certain level of comfort with their standing,” J. Ann Selzer, president of the polling company, told the Register. “There’s a consistent story in 2020 to what happened in 2016.”
Mr. Trump won Iowa in 2016 by 9.4 percentage points over Hillary Clinton.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-10-31--Trump flexes White House muscle on trail, signs order protecting Pennsylvania from fracking ban

President Trump on Saturday announced to a rally crowd in Pennsylvania that he had signed an order to protect the state from a ban on fracking .
He said it was an insurance policy against the anti-energy agenda of Democratic challenger Joseph R. Biden and his running mate , Sen. Kamala Harris of California .
“ In other words , if one of these maniacs come along and they say we ’ re going to end fracking [ and ] they ’ re destroying the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , you can say something about that , ” he told the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Pittsburgh with hundreds of natural gas wells .
Mr. Trump said he signed the order aboard Marine One as he helicoptered to Butler , his third of four stops Saturday in Pennsylvania .
The order , details of which were not immediately provided by the White House , was more of a gesture for Pennsylvania ’ s energy sector than long-term protection against a ban .
If Mr. Biden takes the White House , he could rescind Mr. Trump ’ s order .
The left ’ s push to end fracking or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ oil and gas from shale , is a top issue in the Pennsylvania battleground where it supports between 20,000 and 50,000 jobs .
Mr. Biden said he will not ban fracking except on federal lands , but he has promised to “ transition from the oil industry ” and cut fossil fuel emission 50 % by 2035 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 .
At the rally , Mr. Trump showed a video on a Jumbotron of Mr. Biden at various times pledging to do away with fracking or fossil fuels .
Mr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of higher taxes and energy restrictions , which not only cost jobs but increase the cost of gasoline and electricity .
“ Biden ’ s plan is an economic death sentence for Pennsylvania , ” the president said .
“ He will outlaw fracking and eradicate your great economy.
” Mr. Trump said the election Tuesday was “ a choice between a Biden depression and a Trump boom.
” Pennsylvania helped seal Mr. Trump ’ s upset win in 2016 when he put the state in the GOP column for the first time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Keystone State is ground zero in the race and Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden both are lavishing attention on its voters .
Mr. Trump is pushing to drive up turnout from his army of small-town and rural voters , while Mr. Biden strives to big numbers in Pittsburgh , Philadelphia and its suburbs .
“ A vote for Biden-Harris is a vote to ban fracking , ban money and completely destroy Pennsylvania .
Otherwise , he ’ s not that bad , ” Mr. Trump said .
“ A vote for me is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ build the strongest economy in the history of your state or your country .
”

President Trump on Saturday announced to a rally crowd in Pennsylvania that he had signed an order to protect the state from a ban on fracking.
He said it was an insurance policy against the anti-energy agenda of Democratic challenger Joseph R. Biden and his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris of California.
“In other words, if one of these maniacs come along and they say we’re going to end fracking [and] they’re destroying the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, you can say something about that,” he told the rally in Butler, a town north of Pittsburgh with hundreds of natural gas wells.
Mr. Trump said he signed the order aboard Marine One as he helicoptered to Butler, his third of four stops Saturday in Pennsylvania.
The order, details of which were not immediately provided by the White House, was more of a gesture for Pennsylvania’s energy sector than long-term protection against a ban. If Mr. Biden takes the White House, he could rescind Mr. Trump’s order.
The left’s push to end fracking or hydraulic fracturing, a method of extracting oil and gas from shale, is a top issue in the Pennsylvania battleground where it supports between 20,000 and 50,000 jobs.
SEE ALSO: Donald Trump: ‘You know what’s looking good? Pennsylvania’
Mr. Biden said he will not ban fracking except on federal lands, but he has promised to “transition from the oil industry” and cut fossil fuel emission 50% by 2035 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
At the rally, Mr. Trump showed a video on a Jumbotron of Mr. Biden at various times pledging to do away with fracking or fossil fuels. Mr. Trump also warned of a Biden double-whammy of higher taxes and energy restrictions, which not only cost jobs but increase the cost of gasoline and electricity.
“Biden’s plan is an economic death sentence for Pennsylvania,” the president said. “He will outlaw fracking and eradicate your great economy.”
Mr. Trump said the election Tuesday was “a choice between a Biden depression and a Trump boom.”
Pennsylvania helped seal Mr. Trump’s upset win in 2016 when he put the state in the GOP column for the first time since 1988. This year, the Keystone State is ground zero in the race and Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden both are lavishing attention on its voters.
Mr. Trump is pushing to drive up turnout from his army of small-town and rural voters, while Mr. Biden strives to big numbers in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and its suburbs.
“A vote for Biden-Harris is a vote to ban fracking, ban money and completely destroy Pennsylvania. Otherwise, he’s not that bad,” Mr. Trump said. “A vote for me is a vote to remain energy independent and build the strongest economy in the history of your state or your country.”
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-10-31--Super typhoon slams into the eastern Philippines

MANILA , Philippines ( AP ) - A super typhoon slammed into the eastern Philippines with ferocious winds early Sunday and about a million people have been evacuated in its projected path , including in the capital where the main international airport was ordered closed .
“ There are so many people who are really in vulnerable areas , ” said Ricardo Jalad , who heads the government ’ s disaster-response agency .
“ We ’ re expecting major damage.
” Typhoon Goni hit the island province of Catanduanes at dawn with sustained winds of 225 kilometers ( 140 miles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kph ( 174 mph ) - equivalent to a Category 5 hurricane .
It was blowing west toward densely populated regions , including Manila , and rain-soaked provinces still recovering from a typhoon that hit a week ago and left at least 22 dead .
“ Within the next 12 hours , catastrophic violent winds and intense to torrential rainfall associated with the region of the eyewall and inner rain bands of the typhoon will be experienced , ” the Philippine weather agency said in an urgent advisory .
It said Catanduanes and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , including Albay , where tens of thousands of villagers have been moved to safety , especially near the active Mayon volcano , where mudflows have caused deaths during past storms .
Residents have been warned of likely landslides , massive flooding , storm surges of more than 5 meters ( 16 feet ) and ferocious wind that can blow away shanties .
One of the most powerful typhoons in the world this year , Goni has evoked memories of Typhoon Haiyan in November 2013 , which left more than 7,300 people dead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ swept ships inland and displaced more than 5 million in the central Philippines .
Jalad said nearly a million people have been preemptively moved into emergency shelters , mostly schools and government buildings .
He warned of storm surges that could inundate coastal villages , including in Manila Bay .
Forecasters said the typhoon ’ s eye may hit or graze metropolitan Manila , the densely populated capital region of more than 13 million , late Sunday to early Monday and asked the public to brace for the worst .
The typhoon may @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Madre mountain range , then cross the main northern Luzon island toward the South China Sea .
Manila ’ s main airport was ordered shut down for 24 hours from Sunday to Monday and airlines canceled dozens of international and domestic flights .
The military and national police , along with the coast guard and firefighters , have been put on full alert .
About 1,000 COVID-19 patients were moved to hospitals and hotels from tent quarantine and treatment centers in the capital and the northern province of Bulacan , Jalad said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ usual to avoid congestion that can rapidly spark infections .
The war-like typhoon preparations will further strain government resources , which have been drained with months of coronavirus outbreaks that prompted the government to set up isolation and treatment centers when hospitals were overwhelmed and provide aid to more than 20 million poor Filipinos .
The Philippines has reported more than 380,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases , the second-highest in Southeast Asia , with 7,221 deaths .
Displaced villagers may have to stay longer in evacuation centers even after Goni exits Tuesday due to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ may affect the Philippines in a few days , Jalad said .
The Philippines is lashed by about 20 typhoons and storms a year .
It ’ s also located in the so-called Pacific “ Ring of Fire , ” a seismically active region around the Pacific where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are common and makes the impoverished Southeast Asian nation of more than 100 million people one of the world ’ s most disaster-prone .
Associated Press journalists Aaron Favila and Joeal Calupitan contributed to this report .

MANILA, Philippines (AP) - A super typhoon blew into the eastern Philippines with disastrous force Sunday, killing at least 10 people and triggering volcanic mudflows that engulfed about 150 houses before weakening as it blew away from the country, officials said.
Typhoon Goni blasted into the eastern island province of Catanduanes at dawn from the Pacific with sustained winds of 225 kilometers (140 miles) per hour and gusts of 280 kph (174 mph), threatening some provinces still recovering from a deadly typhoon that hit a week ago.
Goni barreled through densely populated regions and threatened to sideswipe Manila, which shut down its main airport, but shifted southward Sunday night and spared the capital, the government weather agency said.
At least nine people were killed in the hard-hit province of Albay, including a father and son. Villagers fled to safety as the typhoon approached, but the two apparently stayed put in the community in Guinobatan town where about 150 houses were inundated by volcanic mudflow.
“The child was found 15 kilometers (9 miles) away,” Albay Gov. Al Francis Bichara told DZMM radio, adding that the boy was swept away by mudflows and found in the next town.
He did not say whether there were any other residents trapped by the rampaging mudflows in the community and added that downed communications made it hard for people to communicate. The Office of Civil Defense reported that three Guinobatan residents were missing, but it was not immediately clear if they were from the mudflow-hit community.
The other deaths in Albay included a villager who was pinned by a fallen tree. One person was killed in Catanduanes province.
Ricardo Jalad, who heads the government’s disaster-response agency, had feared that the typhoon could wreak major damage due to its enormous force. The Philippine weather agency reinforced those concerns, saying that within 12 hours after the typhoon’s landfall, people could face “catastrophic, violent winds and intense to torrential rainfall.”
Residents were warned of possible landslides, massive flooding, storm surges of up to 5 meters (16 feet) and powerful winds that can blow away shanties. But after hitting a mountain range and repeatedly slamming into coastal provinces, the typhoon gradually weakened, although it remained potentially deadly as it blew out into the South China Sea, forecasters said.
One of the most powerful typhoons in the world this year, Goni evoked memories of Typhoon Haiyan, which left more than 7,300 people dead or missing, flattened entire villages, swept ships inland and displaced more than 5 million in the central Philippines in November 2013.
Manila’s main airport was ordered shut down for 24 hours from Sunday to Monday, and airlines canceled dozens of international and domestic flights. Commuter train services were also suspended and a no-sail policy restriction was imposed by the coast guard due to initial fear over the typhoon’s threatening power. The military and national police, along with the coast guard, were put on full alert.
Jalad said nearly a million people were preemptively moved into emergency shelters.
In a Manila gymnasium that was turned into an emergency shelter, COVID-19 outbreaks were an added worry of displaced residents. The Philippines has had more than 383,000 cases of the virus, the second-most in Southeast Asia behind Indonesia.
“We are scared - our fears are doubled,” said Jaqueline Almocera, a 44-year-old street vendor who took cover at the shelter.
The Philippines is lashed by about 20 typhoons and storms each year. It’s also located on the so-called Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions are common, making it one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries.
___
Associated Press photojournalist Aaron Favila contributed to this report.


washingtontimes--2020-10-31--19-year-old Omaha woman dies after being shot in head in car

OMAHA , Neb .
( AP ) - A 19-year-old woman has died from her injuries after being shot while @ @ @ @ @ said Nomi Herrera died at a local hospital Friday night a day after she was @ @ @ @ @ s seat of her car .
Officers responded to a report of an accident Thursday @ @ @ @ @ car had gone off the road .
The Omaha World-Herald reports that Herrera had a @ @ @ @ @ of her head .
Her father told WOWT-TV in Omaha that a senseless act and @ @ @ @ @ justice for our daughter .
”

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - A 19-year-old woman has died from her injuries after being shot while driving in Omaha.
Police said Nomi Herrera died at a local hospital Friday night a day after she was found in the driver’s seat of her car. Officers responded to a report of an accident Thursday night and found that her car had gone off the road.
The Omaha World-Herald reports that Herrera had a gunshot wound to the back of her head.
Her father told WOWT-TV in Omaha that a senseless act and added, “We want justice for our daughter.”


washingtontimes--2020-10-31--Governor urges New Mexicans to avoid Halloween gatherings

SANTA FE , N.M. ( AP ) - Gov .
Michelle Lujan Grisham on Saturday said the spread of coronavirus is out of control in New Mexico as she urged residents to stay home and avoid gathering with others to celebrate Halloween .
“ Please - do your part to protect yourself and your fellow New Mexicans by celebrating a COVID-SAFE Halloween , ” the Democratic governor ’ s office said in a Facebook post .
“ Stay home .
Do not gather with others.
” State officials on Saturday reported 592 additional known virus cases and 11 additional deaths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day was incomplete due to a technical problem .
“ Due to a technical disruption of the electronic laboratory reporting system , the following data reflects only a partial total for today ’ s case update , ” state officials said in a statement .
“ The delayed results will be included in the state ’ s reporting as soon as they are received and confirmed.
” The additional cases and deaths reported Saturday increased the state ’ s totals to 46,490 cases and 1,018 deaths .
The state reported over 1,000 additional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a single-day record of 13 deaths and when the state ’ s death toll exceeded 1,000 .
Lujan Grisham on Friday ordered flags to fly at half-staff starting Monday for a week of mourning .
She called the toll “ an unfathomable tragedy , ” saying the drumbeat of a few more deaths every day should not diminish the acute feeling of loss .
State health officials also renewed their pleas that people adhere to the public health order , which calls for residents to stay home whenever possible , limit contact with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other things .
Coronavirus related hospitalizations reached 354 on Saturday , the ninth consecutive day the state has set a record for that metric .
State officials and administrators from some of the largest hospital systems in New Mexico have warned that the health care system could be overloaded if the trends continue .
The number of infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested , and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick .
The additional 11 deaths reported Saturday included @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Bernalillo County and one in Otero County .
The additional cases included 187 in Bernalillo County , 127 in Dona Ana County , 41 in Chaves County , 33 in Santa Fe County , 31 in Sandoval County , 22 in McKinley County and 17 in San Juan County .
For most people , the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms , such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks .
For some , especially older adults and people with existing health problems , it can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and death .
The vast majority of people recover .

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Saturday said the spread of coronavirus is out of control in New Mexico as she urged residents to stay home and avoid gathering with others to celebrate Halloween.
“Please - do your part to protect yourself and your fellow New Mexicans by celebrating a COVID-SAFE Halloween,” the Democratic governor’s office said in a Facebook post. “Stay home. Do not gather with others.”
State officials on Saturday reported 592 additional known virus cases and 11 additional deaths but said the case data for the day was incomplete due to a technical problem.
“Due to a technical disruption of the electronic laboratory reporting system, the following data reflects only a partial total for today’s case update,” state officials said in a statement. “The delayed results will be included in the state’s reporting as soon as they are received and confirmed.”
The additional cases and deaths reported Saturday increased the state’s totals to 46,490 cases and 1,018 deaths.
The state reported over 1,000 additional cases on Friday when it also reported a single-day record of 13 deaths and when the state’s death toll exceeded 1,000.
Lujan Grisham on Friday ordered flags to fly at half-staff starting Monday for a week of mourning. She called the toll “an unfathomable tragedy,” saying the drumbeat of a few more deaths every day should not diminish the acute feeling of loss.
State health officials also renewed their pleas that people adhere to the public health order, which calls for residents to stay home whenever possible, limit contact with others and wear face coverings, among other things.
Coronavirus related hospitalizations reached 354 on Saturday, the ninth consecutive day the state has set a record for that metric.
State officials and administrators from some of the largest hospital systems in New Mexico have warned that the health care system could be overloaded if the trends continue.
The number of infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.
The additional 11 deaths reported Saturday included six in Dona Ana County, four in Bernalillo County and one in Otero County.
The additional cases included 187 in Bernalillo County, 127 in Dona Ana County, 41 in Chaves County, 33 in Santa Fe County, 31 in Sandoval County, 22 in McKinley County and 17 in San Juan County.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death. The vast majority of people recover.


washingtontimes--2020-10-31--MLS postpones game, cancels another because of COVID-19

NEW YORK ( AP ) - Major League Soccer postponed the Los Angeles FC ’ s scheduled game Sunday night @ @ @ @ @ canceled Minnesota ’ s match at Sporting Kansas City because of the coronavirus pandemic .
@ @ @ @ @ among their player group .
While the remaining players and staff have continued to test @ @ @ @ @ postponed to allow for additional testing and evaluation .
MLS said it is evaluating whether @ @ @ @ @ .
After confirming a case Wednesday , Minnesota had a second player Saturday with a @ @ @ @

NEW YORK (AP) - Major League Soccer postponed the Los Angeles FC’s scheduled game Sunday night at San Jose, and canceled Minnesota’s match at Sporting Kansas City because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The league made the moves Saturday.
LAFC had three positive cases among their player group. While the remaining players and staff have continued to test negative, the match was postponed to allow for additional testing and evaluation. MLS said it is evaluating whether the match can be rescheduled.
After confirming a case Wednesday, Minnesota had a second player Saturday with a confirmed positive test.


washingtontimes--2020-10-31--'We need you': GOP hunts for new voters in Trump territory

SLIPPERY ROCK , Pa. ( AP ) - President Donald Trump ’ s campaign has a bold theory for how he will win reelection : It can tap a universe of millions of supporters who did not vote for him in 2016 but will do so this time .
Supposedly , these voters are overlooked by polls that show Trump consistently trailing Democrat Joe Biden .
They are mostly the white working class from factory towns , farms and mining communities that Trump has elevated to near-mythic status as the “ forgotten Americans.
” They are disaffected and disconnected from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Republican president ’ s rallies , plaster their yards with signs and have been filling up voter registration rolls , the campaign insists .
This strategy will be tested in Pennsylvania , a critical state that Trump carried by only 44,292 votes out of 6.1 million cast in 2016 .
A Democratic surge of votes in cities and suburbs could quickly erase that narrow lead .
To hold onto Pennsylvania ’ s 20 electoral votes , the president needs to prove that a hidden groundswell of supporters exists - and will vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is tight .
Trump ’ s plan requires blowout victories and historic turnout in conservative strongholds across the state , places where he outperformed traditional Republicans four years ago and he knows must do even better .
His mission is made clear by his campaign stops in Pennsylvania this week - a tour through GOP areas like Latrobe , Lititz and Martinsburg , “ Trump has to drive turnout , ” said Terry Madonna , a professor at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster who has conducted polls in the state for almost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t see any evidence that he ’ s expanded his base.
” The strategy is more difficult to execute given the stunning disruption wrought by the coronavirus pandemic , both in terms of a public health crisis and nationwide economic dislocation .
Trump ’ s handling of the virus has cost him support among suburban women and older voters .
His response to the civil unrest reacting to police killings of Black men only served to energize the resolve of Black women , as candidates and as voters .
His wrecking-ball persona has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to reject him .
So his fate lies in large part in places like Butler County , an overwhelmingly white , conservative county north of Pittsburgh .
There are nearly two Republicans for each registered Democrat .
Most adults did not graduate from college .
The economy rests on manufacturing and fracking , as well as service-sector jobs from suburbs creeping in from the city .
Republican turnout in Butler County was an impressive 80 % in 2016 .
But local Republicans say the goal is to push that number as high as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ ve spent several months registering new Republicans , adding 9,043 of them this year alone , for a 12.8 % increase .
Trump ’ s campaign is trying to replicate those kinds of numbers in other rural and exurban counties in the state .
Al Lindsay , a 74-year-old trial lawyer and farmer who leads the Butler County Republicans , says that registration push has been made easy by frustrations over pandemic lockdowns and a growing belief that Democrats don ’ t understand people who are religious and rural .
His pitch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s an urgency here .
We need you.
” Butler wears its industrial past openly .
There is still a baseball field at the historic Pullman Park , but the company closed its railcar factory in 1982 .
Its towns ’ Main Streets recall an era when America was ascendant .
The wire rope that holds up the Brooklyn Bridge was made in Butler County .
So was the prototype for the Jeep deployed in World War II .
Republicans have been operating three campaign offices in the county - a declaration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rock Mayor Jondavid Longo pushed to open one of those offices in his town of 3,600 .
It sits opposite North Country Brewing , the town ’ s second-largest employer after Slippery Rock University , where Longo , a former Marine infantryman , attended college .
Longo , 30 , was elected mayor of Slippery Rock in 2017 by promising to keep taxes low and attract new businesses .
The Republican knocked on 1,000 doors on the premise - similar to Trump ’ s - that the key to winning was finding people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suits are tailored , his beard manicured and he drives entrepreneurs through Slippery Rock in a matte white Tesla .
Trump “ has given us an energy that says , Don ’ t back down , stand up for what ’ s right , ” Longo said .
“ Open your mouth when you feel compelled to do so.
” The mayor has aimed to turn out younger voters , a group that normally favors Democrats .
But in Butler County , there are almost twice as many Republicans under 35 as there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the politics of their peers across the country .
“ Most dear to me , first and foremost , would be abortion - obviously , pro-life , ” said Adam Jones , 19 , a sophomore at Slippery Rock University who plans to cast his first vote for Trump .
Behind that , Jones says , he prioritizes the Second Amendment and “ resisting socialism.
” Tyler Good , 21 , was a month too young to vote for Trump in 2016 and is among the Trump voters who ’ ve been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s a Baptist , works as a photocopier technician and hunts deer with a .270 Remington rifle .
He says Trump is appealing because he broke the mold of what a president can be .
“ He ’ s not a politician , ” Good said .
“ He does get stuff done .
He ’ s a businessman , you know .
He doesn ’ t mess around , it seems.
” Republicans like Longo are also hunting for voters like Dane Patricelli , a 27-year-old construction worker who leans conservative but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Party candidate Gary Johnson .
Patricelli said Trump seemed like too much of a wild card in 2016 .
He wrestled for months with his decision this year , believing that Biden was a moderate even if the Democrats were drifting leftward .
But he ultimately decided last week - after the last debate - that Trump had earned his vote .
“ I do like Trump because he ’ s shaken things up and is not bought and paid for , ” he said .
“ He ’ s sticking to his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up some first-time and third-party voters , he continues to lose Republicans like Lisa Barrickman .
At 52 , she retired from working at a Walmart store and has seen Cranberry Township become part of Pittsburgh ’ s suburban sprawl .
Barrickman said she voted Republican four years ago but can ’ t this time around .
“ There is just too much division in this country , ” she said .
“ If you ’ re a leader , you don ’ t incite , you quiet the storm .
I know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ - but it ’ s just too much to me .
Biden - he ’ s calmer , he doesn ’ t spew with the hate.
” The Trump campaign has long known its best shot at winning was finding new voters in its strongholds , rather than persuading swing Democrats or independents .
They used Trump ’ s raucous rallies in small towns and places that rarely get presidential attention to attract those voters to an unconventional campaign .
They launched a voter registration and data collection effort around those events .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Florida , the party has registered 475,500 Republicans over the past four years , outpacing gains of 395,600 for Democrats .
The campaign has claimed that as many as a quarter of attendees at rallies did not vote in 2016 .
But in Pennsylvania , Democrats still outnumber Republicans by more than 700,000 registered voters , and there are an additional 1.3 million who are not associated with either party .
And an Associated Press analysis of voting in key counties demonstrates the hurdles the GOP faces to overcome Democratic enthusiasm .
Butler @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but did not vote in 2016 .
About 11 % of them decided to cast a ballot in this year ’ s Republican primary , in which Trump ran unopposed , according to the analysis using data from L2 , a political data firm .
That ’ s a strong indicator that those voters are likely to vote again this year .
A similar pattern played out in 10 major Republican counties in Pennsylvania : Just over 10 % of registered Republicans who sat out 2016 voted in the 2020 primary .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ obstacle for Trump is that Democrats - they had a competitive presidential primary - have more voters and generated a better return rate .
There are 258,000 Democrats who were registered but did not vote in Philadelphia and its surrounding counties in 2016 .
But during this year ’ s primary , more than 34,300 of them became voters and cast ballots .
That ’ s more than double the gains in Republicans from the 10 leading Trump counties .
“ For both campaigns , they ’ re seeing an acceleration of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Christopher Nicholas , a veteran Republican strategist .
“ Biden is doing better in the suburbs across the state .
The Trump campaign is doing better in rural and exurban Pennsylvania.
” While Democrats stopped most in-person campaigning as the virus peaked during the spring and summer , Republicans were quick to resume an aggressive ground game in Butler County as early as May .
The campaign groomed “ super volunteers ” tasked with pushing turnout to a record , borrowing from the same playbook as Democrat Barack Obama ’ s 2008 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Trump campaign ’ s Pennsylvania operations .
Many of the Republican volunteers in Butler County are women , and their message is that Democrats just don ’ t understand parts of the country where schools close for the start of hunting season , said Trish Lindsay , the wife of the local party chairman as well as the vice-chair .
“ It is the way of life that this election is about - and that is what is dividing people , ” she said .
While the pandemic is often viewed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s popularity , Republicans here say it ’ s given Trump an extra push .
His supporters said the restrictions set by Democratic Gov .
Tom Wolf were an overreach that shuttered restaurants and hurt businesses .
The issues motivating them include abortion , gun ownership and the continued fracking of natural gas - all areas where Trump has delivered for his base and Biden is perceived as a risk .
“ You start with the proposition that most of the people here are very alienated by the Democratic Party , ” explained @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trish ’ s husband .
He was talking about politics while giving a tour of family land he once farmed - now a golf course where natural gas is being pumped from beneath the fairways .
Beyond cultural issues , he summarized his case directly : “ We ’ re afraid that if the Biden ticket wins , that the gas and oil thing is going to be shut down.
” Democrats are engaged in their own version of hunting for that rare nonvoter who can be persuaded to turn out this time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t even registered as a Democrat in 2016 , but the trained nurse now leads the Butler County party .
She was unaffiliated and voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 , only to be stunned by her loss .
The Democrats ’ office - it didn ’ t exist in 2016 - is a hive of candidates and voters picking up signs in the morning to replace those damaged or stolen during the night .
Trump signs might dominate , but frustrated Democrats feel a new urgency about expressing themselves .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a little more cautious about putting up signs because they ’ re in a place with a Republican majority , ” Lalonde said .
“ But this year , they feel they have to do it.
” But in Butler County , for every eager Democratic voter like Lalonde , there are more Republicans who are lining up to vote for Trump - and many believe that in this election , everything is at stake .
Bill Adams , 76 , has long lamented the decline of U.S. manufacturing , having proudly opened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after transitioning from work as an elementary school librarian .
Adams is convinced the nation is at a precipice where Democrats would destroy businesses , if not personal freedom .
“ I ’ ve never seen anything like it - we are where Venezuela was before the socialists took over , ” he said .
“ That is the choice .
It ’ s not what I think .
It ’ s what history tells us.
” Trump will need many more like Adams if he is to win a second term .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Angeles and data reporter Pia Deshpande in Chicago contributed to this report .
AP ’ s Advance Voting guide brings you the facts about voting early , by mail or absentee from each state : https : //interactives.ap.org/advance-voting-2020/ .

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. (AP) - President Donald Trump’s campaign has a bold theory for how he will win reelection: It can tap a universe of millions of supporters who did not vote for him in 2016 but will do so this time.
Supposedly, these voters are overlooked by polls that show Trump consistently trailing Democrat Joe Biden. They are mostly the white working class from factory towns, farms and mining communities that Trump has elevated to near-mythic status as the “forgotten Americans.”
They are disaffected and disconnected from conventional politics. Yet they flock to the Republican president’s rallies, plaster their yards with signs and have been filling up voter registration rolls, the campaign insists.
This strategy will be tested in Pennsylvania, a critical state that Trump carried by only 44,292 votes out of 6.1 million cast in 2016. A Democratic surge of votes in cities and suburbs could quickly erase that narrow lead. To hold onto Pennsylvania’s 20 electoral votes, the president needs to prove that a hidden groundswell of supporters exists - and will vote.
But the math behind the theory is tight. Trump’s plan requires blowout victories and historic turnout in conservative strongholds across the state, places where he outperformed traditional Republicans four years ago and he knows must do even better. His mission is made clear by his campaign stops in Pennsylvania this week - a tour through GOP areas like Latrobe, Lititz and Martinsburg,
“Trump has to drive turnout,” said Terry Madonna, a professor at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster who has conducted polls in the state for almost three decades. “I don’t see any evidence that he’s expanded his base.”
The strategy is more difficult to execute given the stunning disruption wrought by the coronavirus pandemic, both in terms of a public health crisis and nationwide economic dislocation.
Trump’s handling of the virus has cost him support among suburban women and older voters. His response to the civil unrest reacting to police killings of Black men only served to energize the resolve of Black women, as candidates and as voters. His wrecking-ball persona has prompted some of his backers in 2016 to reject him.
So his fate lies in large part in places like Butler County, an overwhelmingly white, conservative county north of Pittsburgh. There are nearly two Republicans for each registered Democrat. Most adults did not graduate from college. The economy rests on manufacturing and fracking, as well as service-sector jobs from suburbs creeping in from the city.
Republican turnout in Butler County was an impressive 80% in 2016. But local Republicans say the goal is to push that number as high as 90% this year. And they’ve spent several months registering new Republicans, adding 9,043 of them this year alone, for a 12.8% increase. Trump’s campaign is trying to replicate those kinds of numbers in other rural and exurban counties in the state.
Al Lindsay, a 74-year-old trial lawyer and farmer who leads the Butler County Republicans, says that registration push has been made easy by frustrations over pandemic lockdowns and a growing belief that Democrats don’t understand people who are religious and rural. His pitch is simple: “Look, there’s an urgency here. We need you.”
___
Butler wears its industrial past openly. There is still a baseball field at the historic Pullman Park, but the company closed its railcar factory in 1982. Its towns’ Main Streets recall an era when America was ascendant. The wire rope that holds up the Brooklyn Bridge was made in Butler County. So was the prototype for the Jeep deployed in World War II.
Republicans have been operating three campaign offices in the county - a declaration of their intention to dominate. Slippery Rock Mayor Jondavid Longo pushed to open one of those offices in his town of 3,600. It sits opposite North Country Brewing, the town’s second-largest employer after Slippery Rock University, where Longo, a former Marine infantryman, attended college.
Longo, 30, was elected mayor of Slippery Rock in 2017 by promising to keep taxes low and attract new businesses. The Republican knocked on 1,000 doors on the premise - similar to Trump’s - that the key to winning was finding people who had tired of politics.
His suits are tailored, his beard manicured and he drives entrepreneurs through Slippery Rock in a matte white Tesla. Trump “has given us an energy that says, Don’t back down, stand up for what’s right,” Longo said. “Open your mouth when you feel compelled to do so.”
The mayor has aimed to turn out younger voters, a group that normally favors Democrats. But in Butler County, there are almost twice as many Republicans under 35 as there are Democrats - and their perspectives veer from the politics of their peers across the country.
“Most dear to me, first and foremost, would be abortion - obviously, pro-life,” said Adam Jones, 19, a sophomore at Slippery Rock University who plans to cast his first vote for Trump. Behind that, Jones says, he prioritizes the Second Amendment and “resisting socialism.”
Tyler Good, 21, was a month too young to vote for Trump in 2016 and is among the Trump voters who’ve been added to the rolls. He’s a Baptist, works as a photocopier technician and hunts deer with a .270 Remington rifle. He says Trump is appealing because he broke the mold of what a president can be.
“He’s not a politician,” Good said. “He does get stuff done. He’s a businessman, you know. He doesn’t mess around, it seems.”
Republicans like Longo are also hunting for voters like Dane Patricelli, a 27-year-old construction worker who leans conservative but cast his ballot in 2016 for Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson.
Patricelli said Trump seemed like too much of a wild card in 2016. He wrestled for months with his decision this year, believing that Biden was a moderate even if the Democrats were drifting leftward. But he ultimately decided last week - after the last debate - that Trump had earned his vote.
“I do like Trump because he’s shaken things up and is not bought and paid for,” he said. “He’s sticking to his promises.”
But while Trump can tally up some first-time and third-party voters, he continues to lose Republicans like Lisa Barrickman.
At 52, she retired from working at a Walmart store and has seen Cranberry Township become part of Pittsburgh’s suburban sprawl. Barrickman said she voted Republican four years ago but can’t this time around.
“There is just too much division in this country,” she said. “If you’re a leader, you don’t incite, you quiet the storm. I know all politicians lie, cheat and scam - but it’s just too much to me. Biden - he’s calmer, he doesn’t spew with the hate.”
___
The Trump campaign has long known its best shot at winning was finding new voters in its strongholds, rather than persuading swing Democrats or independents. They used Trump’s raucous rallies in small towns and places that rarely get presidential attention to attract those voters to an unconventional campaign. They launched a voter registration and data collection effort around those events.
There are signs of success: In Florida, the party has registered 475,500 Republicans over the past four years, outpacing gains of 395,600 for Democrats. The campaign has claimed that as many as a quarter of attendees at rallies did not vote in 2016.
But in Pennsylvania, Democrats still outnumber Republicans by more than 700,000 registered voters, and there are an additional 1.3 million who are not associated with either party. And an Associated Press analysis of voting in key counties demonstrates the hurdles the GOP faces to overcome Democratic enthusiasm.
Butler County has 10,600 Republicans who were registered but did not vote in 2016. About 11% of them decided to cast a ballot in this year’s Republican primary, in which Trump ran unopposed, according to the analysis using data from L2, a political data firm. That’s a strong indicator that those voters are likely to vote again this year.
A similar pattern played out in 10 major Republican counties in Pennsylvania: Just over 10% of registered Republicans who sat out 2016 voted in the 2020 primary. That translates into nearly 14,000 voters.
The obstacle for Trump is that Democrats - they had a competitive presidential primary - have more voters and generated a better return rate. There are 258,000 Democrats who were registered but did not vote in Philadelphia and its surrounding counties in 2016. But during this year’s primary, more than 34,300 of them became voters and cast ballots. That’s more than double the gains in Republicans from the 10 leading Trump counties.
“For both campaigns, they’re seeing an acceleration of the trends we saw in 2016,” said Christopher Nicholas, a veteran Republican strategist. “Biden is doing better in the suburbs across the state. The Trump campaign is doing better in rural and exurban Pennsylvania.”
___
While Democrats stopped most in-person campaigning as the virus peaked during the spring and summer, Republicans were quick to resume an aggressive ground game in Butler County as early as May. The campaign groomed “super volunteers” tasked with pushing turnout to a record, borrowing from the same playbook as Democrat Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign, said Brittney Robinson, director of the Trump campaign’s Pennsylvania operations.
Many of the Republican volunteers in Butler County are women, and their message is that Democrats just don’t understand parts of the country where schools close for the start of hunting season, said Trish Lindsay, the wife of the local party chairman as well as the vice-chair.
“It is the way of life that this election is about - and that is what is dividing people,” she said.
While the pandemic is often viewed as a millstone on the president’s popularity, Republicans here say it’s given Trump an extra push. His supporters said the restrictions set by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf were an overreach that shuttered restaurants and hurt businesses. The issues motivating them include abortion, gun ownership and the continued fracking of natural gas - all areas where Trump has delivered for his base and Biden is perceived as a risk.
“You start with the proposition that most of the people here are very alienated by the Democratic Party,” explained Al Lindsay, the party chair and Trish’s husband. He was talking about politics while giving a tour of family land he once farmed - now a golf course where natural gas is being pumped from beneath the fairways.
Beyond cultural issues, he summarized his case directly: “We’re afraid that if the Biden ticket wins, that the gas and oil thing is going to be shut down.”
Democrats are engaged in their own version of hunting for that rare nonvoter who can be persuaded to turn out this time.
Catherine Lalonde, 59, wasn’t even registered as a Democrat in 2016, but the trained nurse now leads the Butler County party. She was unaffiliated and voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016, only to be stunned by her loss. The Democrats’ office - it didn’t exist in 2016 - is a hive of candidates and voters picking up signs in the morning to replace those damaged or stolen during the night.
Trump signs might dominate, but frustrated Democrats feel a new urgency about expressing themselves.
“Other years, people tended to be a little more cautious about putting up signs because they’re in a place with a Republican majority,” Lalonde said. “But this year, they feel they have to do it.”
But in Butler County, for every eager Democratic voter like Lalonde, there are more Republicans who are lining up to vote for Trump - and many believe that in this election, everything is at stake.
Bill Adams, 76, has long lamented the decline of U.S. manufacturing, having proudly opened up a suction-cup factory in Butler County after transitioning from work as an elementary school librarian. Adams is convinced the nation is at a precipice where Democrats would destroy businesses, if not personal freedom.
“I’ve never seen anything like it - we are where Venezuela was before the socialists took over,” he said. “That is the choice. It’s not what I think. It’s what history tells us.”
Trump will need many more like Adams if he is to win a second term.
___
AP data reporter Angeliki Kastanis in Los Angeles and data reporter Pia Deshpande in Chicago contributed to this report.
___
AP’s Advance Voting guide brings you the facts about voting early, by mail or absentee from each state: https://interactives.ap.org/advance-voting-2020/.


washingtontimes--2020-10-31--Woman dies at Deadwood casino after shooting

DEADWOOD , S.D .
( AP ) - The Deadwood Police Department reported a woman died on the dance floor @ @ @ @ @ shooting early Saturday .
The Rapid City Journal reported the incident occurred at The Buffalo @ @ @ @ @ attempted to revive the woman , but were unsuccessful .
She was declared dead at @ @ @ @ @ ’ s identity is not being released pending family notification .
The Deadwood Police Department @ @ @ @ @ incident with assistance from the Lawrence County Sheriff ’ s Department .

DEADWOOD, S.D. (AP) - The Deadwood Police Department reported a woman died on the dance floor of a casino after a shooting early Saturday.
The Rapid City Journal reported the incident occurred at The Buffalo Bodega Gaming Complex. Medics attempted to revive the woman, but were unsuccessful. She was declared dead at the scene.
The victim’s identity is not being released pending family notification.
The Deadwood Police Department said they are investigating the incident with assistance from the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department.


washingtontimes--2020-10-31--Mississippi program to use door cameras to fight crime

JACKSON , Miss .
( AP ) - Mississippi ’ s capital city could begin using residents ’ door security cameras in its effort to fight rising crime .
Recently , Jackson began a pilot program with two technology corporations to provide a platform for the police department to access private surveillance via Ring cameras .
Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said if home and business owners allow , they could give the city permission to access those cameras through the platform , and the city could use the data collected to track criminal activity , WLBT-TV reported .
Lumumba said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ access the devices when crimes occur in those areas .
“ Ultimately , what will happen is residents and businesses will be able to sign a waiver , if they want their camera to be accessed from the Real Time Crime Center , ” he said .
“ It would save ( us ) from having to buy a camera for every place across the city.
” The city council signed off on entering the pilot program at its Tuesday meeting .
The equipment needed to allow the center access to cameras is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
PILEUM , an information and technology consulting company founded in 2002 , is based in Jackson , according to its website .
Fusus , a Georgia-based company , provides cloud services to allow real-time crime centers to extract video information , its website states .
“ Fusus allows us to connect into cameras , ” Lumumba said .
“ If someone says , ‘ I want my Ring door camera to be used , ’ we ’ ll be able to use it.
” Under the program , Lumumba said , once @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials will be able to access cameras in the area to determine escape routes , look for getaway vehicles and the like .
“ We ’ ll be able to get a location , draw a circle around it and pull up every camera within a certain radius to see if someone runs out of a building , ” he said .
“ We can follow and trace them.
” The pilot program will be for 45 days and will not cost the city anything .
The mayor said it ’ s too @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continue the contract after that time .
The news comes as the city grapples with its deadliest year on record .
According to WLBT-TV and FBI figures , 110 homicides have been reported in the city so far this year .

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi’s capital city could begin using residents’ door security cameras in its effort to fight rising crime.
Recently, Jackson began a pilot program with two technology corporations to provide a platform for the police department to access private surveillance cameras such as Ring.
Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba said if home and business owners allow, they could give the city permission to access those cameras through the platform, and the city could use the data collected to track criminal activity, WLBT-TV reported.
Lumumba said the city would only be able to access the devices when crimes occur in those areas.
“Ultimately, what will happen is residents and businesses will be able to sign a waiver, if they want their camera to be accessed from the Real Time Crime Center,” he said. “It would save (us) from having to buy a camera for every place across the city.”
The city council signed off on entering the pilot program at its Tuesday meeting. The equipment needed to allow the center access to cameras is being provided by corporations PILEUM and Fusus.
PILEUM, an information and technology consulting company founded in 2002, is based in Jackson, according to its website. Fusus, a Georgia-based company, provides cloud services to allow real-time crime centers to extract video information, its website states.
“Fusus allows us to connect into cameras,” Lumumba said. “If someone says, ‘I want my Ring door camera to be used,’ we’ll be able to use it.”
Under the program, Lumumba said, once a crime is reported, crime center officials will be able to access cameras in the area to determine escape routes, look for getaway vehicles and the like.
“We’ll be able to get a location, draw a circle around it and pull up every camera within a certain radius to see if someone runs out of a building,” he said. “We can follow and trace them.”
The pilot program will be for 45 days and will not cost the city anything. The mayor said it’s too early to determine whether the city would continue the contract after that time.
The news comes as the city grapples with its deadliest year on record. According to WLBT-TV and FBI figures, 110 homicides have been reported in the city so far this year.
___
This story was first published on October 31, 2020. It was updated on November 5, 2020, to correct the story and the summary to show that the program was not specific to Ring cameras, but is applicable to any private security camera device.