In other news

State

Election officials in Richmond, Virginia have been urging residents to find alternatives to mailing in absentee ballots for the presidential primary elections next week. According to AP News, General Registrar Keith Blamer said at a recent meeting that there have been issues with mail delivery that could impact absentee ballots. Attempting to find practical solutions to this issue, there are multiple ways to go about voting outside of an absentee ballot. Some of these options include visiting a voting center early to fill out a form, allowing individuals to cast ballots or casting a provisional ballot on March 5. “I understand that these issues extend beyond mere inconvenience,” Balmer said. “They represent a fundamental threat to our democracy.” According to The Washington Post, data collected by the Virginia Department of Elections shows that nearly 33% of Virginians who voted in 2023 voted by absentee ballot. The U.S. Postal Service has addressed the issues with its mail-in voting timeliness saying that it is committed to “secure, timely” delivery of election mail. However, with the issues faced in Richmond and other parts of the country, there is still worry about ballots making it in time. Struggling with a shortened labor market, Richmond’s new regional processing center is attempting to correct these problems and ensure voters are able to participate.

National

Wildfires across the Texas panhandle have now spread into Oklahoma to become the largest fires in Texas’ recorded history. With over 1 million acres ablaze in Texas alone, these catastrophic fires have wreaked havoc across the northern part of the state. According to CNN, the largest section of the fire is the Smokehouse Creek Fire, charring more than 32,000 acres of Oklahoma and over 1 million acres in Texas. was fueled by dry air and strong winds and has spread over 2,000 square miles, about the size as the state of Delaware. Two people have been killed thus far by the fire across two counties in Texas. As of Monday March 4, the fire was only 15% contained. According to the Independent, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 60 counties Tuesday, Feb. 27.

International

After reporting flu-like symptoms, Pope Francis was taken to the hospital Wednesday, Feb. 28, for medical testing. Stating that he still has flu symptoms, the pope has told supporters that he is focusing on recovering before returning to his normal schedule. According to The Guardian, he was taken to Gemelli hospital in Rome for “diagnostic tests” before going back to the Vatican the same day. Facing multiple health issues in recent years, this is nothing new for the 87-year-old pope. Francis was admitted to the Gemelli last March for bronchitis and returned in June for health checks. In November, he was seen in a wheelchair or with a walking stick due to nerve pain and a knee problem. With these issues building up over the course of the last year or so, many people are worried for the revered Catholic leader. According to Crux, Pope Francis said in a message to his general audience Wednesday, Feb. 28, that “I am still a bit sick,” and had Monsignor Filippo Ciampanelli read the catechesis.

Bessire is the special assignments reporter for the Liberty Champion. Follow him on X