Gary Sweat News Today

The American Civil Liberties Union is urging Washington County officials to reverse their decision to not allow people to fix mistakes with their mail-in or absentee ballots, which it claims will disenfranchise hundreds of voters in the April 23 primary. In the letter sent Tuesday, the ACLU and Philadelphia-based Public Interest Law Center said they […]

Washington County’s board of elections is deliberating over whether to allow voters who fail to sign or date their mail-in ballots an opportunity to “cure” the issues so their vote will count. All 67 counties have multiple options on how to handle the decision after the state Department of State recently gave guidance on the […]

Washington County sent nearly $350,000 in cryptocurrency to a Russian hacker last week in order to end the cyberattack that crippled the county’s government and courthouse. County solicitor Gary Sweat read a lengthy statement during Thursday’s board of commissioners meeting in which he detailed aspects of the cyberattack and why officials thought they needed to […]

The Washington County commissioners are planning to “ratify” two motions Thursday that were originally passed during last week’s emergency meeting in response to the cyberattack on the county government and courthouse. County solicitor Gary Sweat said during Tuesday’s board workshop meeting that the commissioners plan to vote again on the motions in an apparent attempt […]

The Washington County commissioners are planning to “ratify” two motions Thursday that were originally passed during last week’s emergency meeting in response to the cyberattack on the county government and courthouse. County solicitor Gary Sweat said during Tuesday’s board workshop meeting that the commissioners plan to vote again on the motions in an apparent attempt […]

The Washington County commissioners called an emergency meeting Tuesday to approve $400,000 for wide-ranging digital security upgrades to the county’s computer systems along with an apparent ransom payment to the hackers who launched last month’s cyberattack that crippled government services and the courthouse. The motion authorized Digital Mint of Chicago to “provide digital security consulting […]

By Gary Stout We should all offer best wishes to Nick Sherman, the new Republican chairman of the Washington County Board of Commissioners, along with his fellow commissioners, Republican Electra Janis and Democrat Larry Maggi, as they embark on their new term in office. Washington County is now firmly in the ranks of the majority […]

Nick Sherman took the helm Thursday for his first voting meeting as chairman of the Washington County Board of Commissioners, and said afterward he hopes to try new initiatives to spur public engagement in government. Among those plans include holding rotating town halls around the county to let people know of various services available to […]

Washington attorney Gary Sweat has been selected to serve as Washington County’s next solicitor for the Board of Commissioners. Commissioner Nick Sherman and commissioner-elect Electra Janis announced Sweat’s appointment Thursday in a joint press release as the two Republicans prepare to take control of the board next week alongside Democratic Commissioner Larry Maggi. Sweat will […]

A judge in Washington County will have to decide whether to temporarily halt the plan to overhaul the county’s emergency responders radio system after two municipalities sued claiming the “most