Pennsylvania had record-high voter turnout in 2024 general election

Pennsylvania had record-high voter turnout in 2024 general election

Updated: 6:22 PM EST Jan 31, 2025

WHY? ONE D.A. WANTS TO THROW THE BOOK AT HIM. ALL NEW TONIGHT. A RECENTLY FILED LAWSUIT CLAIMS THE TWO SIBLINGS IN A SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT HAVE EXPERIENCED A RACIALLY HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT FOR YEARS. WELCOME TO NEWS EIGHT AT 5:00, EVERYONE. I’M BRIAN ROACH, AND I’M LORI BURKHOLDER. NEWS EIGHT’S TOM LEHMAN IS LIVE AT THE FEDERAL COURTHOUSE IN HARRISBURG WITH DETAILS ON THAT SUIT INVOLVING CUMBERLAND VALLEY. TOM. WELL, LORI, THAT LAWSUIT FILED ABOUT A WEEK AGO BY THE MOTHER OF TWO CHILDREN WHO ARE BIRACIAL, BUT PHYSICALLY APPEAR AS BLACK. AND THIS LAWSUIT THAT WAS FILED IN THE FEDERAL DISTRICT COURT FOR THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA SAYS THAT BOTH OF THOSE TWO BOYS WHO ATTEND THE HIGH SCHOOL IN THE CUMBERLAND VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT EXPERIENCED WHAT WAS DESCRIBED AS A RACIALLY HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT. NOW, THAT LAWSUIT FILED BY THE PARENTS OF THESE TWO BOYS, AGAIN, A PAIR OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, CLAIMS THAT THE DISTRICT IS NOT ADDRESSING PERVASIVE, RACIALLY HOSTILE BEHAVIOR THAT THE BOYS HAVE SUFFERED AND EXPERIENCED UNDER THAT ENVIRONMENT FOR YEARS, AND THAT INCLUDES RACIALLY HOSTILE BEHAVIOR FROM CLASSMATES OR EVEN A BUS DRIVER WITHOUT CONSEQUENCES FOR THOSE WHO CARRIED THAT ACTIVITY OUT. AND AGAIN, IT’S CLAIMS THE SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS NOT REALLY BEEN ADDRESSING BEHAVIOR, INCLUDING ON ONE OCCASION WHEN ONE OF THESE BOYS HAD TO WITNESS A TEACHER COMPARE A BLACK CLASSMATE TO A MONKEY. A LAWYER INVOLVED IN THE CASE SAID THE MOTHER IS SIMPLY DEMANDING CHANGE. THEY WANT TO SEE THE SCHOOL DISTRICT TAKE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR ESSENTIALLY DECADES OF ALLOWING THIS ENVIRONMENT TO FESTER AND TO TAKE THE NECESSARY ACTIONS THAT ARE GOING TO ACTUALLY EFFECTUATE CHANGE. THE CUMBERLAND VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS NOT YET SEEN OR BEEN SERVED THE LAWSUIT AND WOULD NOT COMMENT ON ALLEGATIONS THAT ITS LEGAL TEAM AT THIS POINT, HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO REVIEW. NOW, THIS LAWSUIT DOES NAME SEVERAL DEFENDANTS WITHIN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT, INCLUDING THE SUPERINTENDENT AND MULTIPLE BOARD MEMBERS IN HARRISBURG, TOM LEHMAN. WGAL NEWS EIGHT. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THE SCHOOL DISTRICT HAS BEEN IN HOT WATER OVER ALLEGATIONS OF HOSTILE BEHAVIOR TOWARD MINORITIES. A CIVIL LAWSUIT WAS FILED LAST YEAR AGAINST THE DISTRICT. SOME BOARD MEMBERS AND ITS CHEERLEADING COACHES CLAIMING SERIOUS RACIAL DISCRIMINATION. IT WAS FILED BY AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN TEENAGER IN THE DISTRICT AND HER PARENTS, WITH ONE OF THE ALLEGATIONS BEING THAT SHE WAS TOLD TO GO INTO ANOTHER CHEERLEADER’S HOTEL ROOM AND PRESSURED TO GET DOWN ON ALL FOURS AND PRETEND TO BE A PET. THE DISTRICT TOLD NEWS EIGHT AT THE TIME THAT THEY HIRED AN INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATOR THAT CLEARED ITS COACHES OF ANY WRONGDOING, BUT THE TEEN’S FAMILY SAYS THE ONES INVOLVED IN THE ALLEGED BULLYING WERE NOT INTERVIEWED. ALSO NEW TONIGHT A SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT SAYS THEY ARE AWARE OF A SIGN POSTED ON A SCHOOL BUS SAYING THAT SPEAKING SPANISH IS NOT ALLOWED ON BOARD. NEWS EIGHT HAD THIS SIGN SENT TO US BY A VIEWER THAT SAYS, QUOTE, OUT OF RESPECT TO ENGLISH ONLY STUDENTS, THERE WILL BE NO SPEAKING SPANISH ON THIS BUS WITH ATTRIBUTION TO THE OWNER. SLASH MANAGEMENT. NEWS EIGHT GOT A STATEMENT FROM THE DISTRICT TODAY THAT SAYS THEY, ALONGSIDE THEIR TRANSPORTATION PARTNER, TOOK IMMEDIATE ACTION IN RESPONSE. AS TO WHAT THAT IMMEDIATE RESPONSE IS, THEY DID NOT ELABORATE. IT’S NOT CLEAR WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR PUTTING UP THE SIGN. A FRANKLIN COUNTY JURY HAS CONVICTED A FORMER AREA YOUTH BASEBALL COACH OF DOZENS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT CHARGES FOR CRIMES AGAINST TWO ADULTS AND THREE CHILDREN. 45 YEAR OLD JUSTIN BISSER, OF WAYNESBORO, WAS FOUND GUILTY OF 65 OFFENSES, INCLUDING SEXUAL ASSAULT, INDECENT ASSAULT, CHILD PORNOGRAPHY AND INVASION OF PRIVACY. ACCORDING TO TRIAL TESTIMONY, BISSER TARGETED YOUNG PEOPLE BY GETTING CLOSE TO THEM THROUGH HIS POSITION AS A COACH. ALL RIGHT, LET’S TALK ABOUT THE WEATHER. A RAINY FRIDAY OUT THERE ACROSS THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY. AS WE LOOK LIVE FROM OUR NETWORK OF SKY CAMS GRAY SKIES. WATER ON THE LENSES THERE. A LITTLE BIT OF FOG OUT THERE TO HEARING ABOUT THAT FOG. HOPEFULLY THE WEEKEND IT DRIES OUT A LITTLE BIT. LET’S FIND OUT. LET’S GO TO METEOROLOGIST ETHAN HUSTON. ETHAN, WHAT ARE WE IN STORE FOR? WE HAVE A FEW MORE HOURS TO GO WITH THIS RAIN BEFORE WE START DRYING BACK OUT AND LIKELY STAYING DRY FOR MUCH OF THE WEEKEND AHEAD, BUT UNTIL THEN, BE PREPARED FOR THAT STEADY RAIN ACROSS MUCH OF THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY THROUGH THE EVENING. TEMPERATURES RIGHT NOW QUITE THE RANGE 34 IF YOU’RE WATCHING US IN LEWISTOWN NOW, UP TO 39 DEGREES IN HARRISBURG. BUT IF YOU DRIVE JUST DOWN I-83 TO YORK. TEMPERATURES ARE CHALLENGING 50 DEGREES. SO LET’S PUT THIS MOTION HERE FOR YOU. THE RADAR ON LIVE LOCALLY. THE STORM TEAM. LIVE RADAR NETWORK. IT’S A LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN. IT’S LIKELY GOING TO STAY AT THIS INTENSITY AS THE STORM SCOOTS BY TO OUR SOUTHWEST, AND THEN EVENTUALLY TO OUR SOUTHEAST. GOING THROUGH THE NIGHT TONIGHT. SO I EXPECT LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN WITH SOME OF THAT FOG OUT THERE TO LINGER ACROSS THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY UNTIL ROUGHLY ABOUT 8 TO 10:00. AS IT TAPERS. WE SHOULD BE DRYING OUT BY MIDNIGHT, AND THEN THE WINDS WILL PICK UP GOING THROUGH THE LATE OVERNIGHT HOURS INTO EARLY SATURDAY. SO MORE RAIN FOR A FEW MORE HOURS. BUT AGAIN, I THINK IT’S OUT OF HERE BY MIDNIGHT. WE’RE DRY FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY FOR YOUR SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, BUT IT’S GOING TO BE A LITTLE BIT COOLER WITH HIGHS IN THE UPPER 30S, AND WE ARE TRACKING SEVERAL DISTURBANCES GOING THROUGH NEXT WEEK THAT COULD BRING US A WINTRY MIX TO RAIN. WE’LL TALK ABOUT WHEN WE COULD SEE THOSE COMING UP IN THE UPDATED TEN DAY FORECAST. RIGHT NOW WE’RE GOING TO GET A LIVE LOOK AT THE SCENE OF A RECOVERY OPERATION IN THE WATERS OF THE POTOMAC RIVER OUTSIDE OF WASHINGTON, D.C. TODAY. DIVERS ARE BACK IN THOSE WATERS TRYING TO RECOVER THE REMAINING VICTIMS OF WEDNESDAY NIGHT’S MID-AIR COLLISION BETWEEN A PASSENGER AIRCRAFT AND AN ARMY BLACKHAWK HELICOPTER NEAR REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT. 67 PEOPLE WERE KILLED AS A RESULT, SOME OF THEM FROM HERE IN PENNSYLVANIA. AT THIS HOUR, WE’RE EXPECTED TO HEAR FROM NTSB INVESTIGATORS ON THE LATEST FROM THIS DEADLY COLLISION. AND WE’LL BRING YOU A LIVE PRESS CONFERENCE THAT IS SCHEDULED IN

Pennsylvania had record-high voter turnout in 2024 general election

Updated: 6:22 PM EST Jan 31, 2025

Voter turnout in the 2024 general election was among the highest on record in Pennsylvania, Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt said Friday.Video above: Headlines from News 8Turnout is measured in two ways: the percentage of registered voters who voted and the percentage of voting-age population who voted.Both figures for the 2024 election ranked among the highest for every presidential election dating back to 1988.77.1% of registered voters68.5% of voting-age populationSchmidt also said 35 of the 67 counties saw turnout hit 80% or higher, including some in the Susquehanna Valley:Adams: 80.2%Franklin: 80.4%Juniata: 84.8%Mifflin: 81.4%Perry: 83.1%

Voter turnout in the 2024 general election was among the highest on record in Pennsylvania, Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt said Friday.

Video above: Headlines from News 8

Turnout is measured in two ways: the percentage of registered voters who voted and the percentage of voting-age population who voted.

Both figures for the 2024 election ranked among the highest for every presidential election dating back to 1988.

• 77.1% of registered voters

• 68.5% of voting-age population

Pennsylvania Department of State

Schmidt also said 35 of the 67 counties saw turnout hit 80% or higher, including some in the Susquehanna Valley:

• Adams: 80.2%
• Franklin: 80.4%
• Juniata: 84.8%
• Mifflin: 81.4%
• Perry: 83.1%