Congressman Fitzpatrick pushes for wartime aid for Ukraine – Bucks Round-Up – March 25, 2026
Congressman Fitzpatrick pushes for wartime aid for Ukraine
The war in Ukraine is on the mind of Bucks County-area Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (R-01). He’s busy talking with House colleagues about the possibility of setting aside funds for Ukraine in addition to the Pentagon’s request for $200 billion in supplemental funding for the war in Iran, also called Operation Epic Fury. Fitzpatrick, who cochairs the Congressional Ukraine Caucus, has been a consistent supporter of Ukraine in its ongoing defensive war against Russia. Between February 2022 and early 2026, the U.S. has authorized about $180 billion in total emergency funding as well as humanitarian, financial, and military aid. Of the total, about $128 billion, including economic support, is committed directly to the Ukrainian government.
Middletown EAC considers plastic bag ban
Middletown Township’s Environmental Advisory Council is again thinking about prohibiting single-use plastic bags in stores. Middletown Township residents annually generate about 4,000 tons of plastic waste, a relatively small amount of it from convenience store and grocery bags. At a recent township supervisors’ meeting, officials considered a phaseout of plastic bags, polystyrene food containers, and single-use utensils. If the ordinance is soon adopted, Middletown would be among the 40 Pennsylvania municipalities, including neighboring Newtown Borough and Newtown Township, with a plastics ban. Middletown officials have mulled the idea since the EAC came out with its 2021 Climate Action Plan.
Newtown Township’s residents want help with sinkholes in the neighborhood
Residents of the Woods of Saxony housing development have a recurring safety issue involving sinkholes and speeders, the Newtown Township supervisors were told. Dmitry Ostanin, spokesman for the Saxony Homeowners Association reported sinkholes near Yorkshire and Saxony drives that resulted in injuries. The township, he noted as an example, was notified in 2019 that a child fell into a hole when the ground collapsed. Township work crews filled it in, but that was not a permanent fix. In the summer of 2024, a resident’s family member fell into a sinkhole and broke a leg. A report from an engineering firm contracted by the HOA concluded that the stormwater pipes near the sinkhole site were significantly damaged and likely responsible for the sinkholes. The HOA’s position is that, because the township “owns” the infrastructure, it is therefore responsible for maintenance and repair. Supervisors also heard concerns about cars speeding as they take shortcuts through the neighborhood. The safety of children and cyclists is threatened, Ostanin said. The HOA believed the township could install speed bumps, but the better alternative, according to the chief of police, was pole-mounted speed indicators. The month’s meeting ended with no clear legislative path forward on the matter. The homeowners asked the supervisors to review both issues and consider the possible installation of speed indicator signs and a plan to address the damaged storm sewer pipes.
Pat Wandling is a veteran journalist, formerly of the Bucks County Courier, and was a mainstay on WBCB for over 20 years.
