The eight candidates endorsed by the Allegheny County Democratic Committee appear to have edged out other competitors for the Democratic primary: Amanda Green-Hawkins, Dan Miller, Quita Bridges, Julie Capone,

Allegheny County has formed a new special committee designed to keep the area prepared for emergencies. The new “Special Committee of Emergency Preparedness and After-Action Review” comes after hundreds of thousands of people were left in the dark following an unprecedented storm at the end of April.

Wednesday is a severe weather alert day with heavy rainfall at times. A flood watch is in effect for much of the Pittsburgh region.

Fewer than one in three registered voters in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties are expected to cast a ballot in this year’s primary. That may seem paltry, particularly compared with November’s hotly contested presidential election when voter turnouts in the two counties approached or exceeded 80%.