Report on the death of Bucks prison inmate is pending – Bucks Round-Up – April 8, 2026
Report on the death of Bucks prison inmate is pending
Bucks County has opened an investigation into the death of a prison inmate who died shortly after she was rushed to Penn Medicine Doylestown Health Hospital on March 20, according to the county coroner’s office. Ashley Gushue, 37, of Bristol Township, was taken to Doylestown Hospital from the Bucks County Correctional Facility on March 20 and pronounced dead shortly after 1 a.m., March 21. According to public records, Gushue was arrested on a bench warrant March 3 and scheduled for a hearing on probation violations later in April. Over the last fifteen years, corrections data reveals 28 individuals in custody have died in the county’s prison. The cause of death is consider likely either natural or suicide.
Unregistered voters solicited by unknown outsiders
Bucks County election officials are looking into the source of voter registration mailings sent to households without registered voters by outside organizations. However, the address on the envelope is the Bucks County Board of Elections. County officials said the documents are not sent or sponsored by the county government but are being distributed by third-party groups, namely the Center for Voter Information (CVI) and the Voter Participation Center (VPC). The mailers are addressed to “current resident” and directed to persons not yet registered to vote. A call to a phone number listed for both organizations resulted in a computer response, asking for the caller’s name, phone number, and the number at the bottom of the letter received. The caller is told, if they respond, they will be contacted “within a day.”
Bipartisan opposition in Lower Bucks to possible utility rate hikes
Lower Bucks County’s state lawmakers including both Republicans and Democrats are urging PECO to reconsider its recent filings for additional increases to electric and natural gas rates, noting the company received increases for electric and natural gas in January 2025. The state legislators expressed concerns that any increases would negatively affect ratepayers already dealing with higher utility costs. Lower Bucks lawmakers pointed to PECO’s January 2025 rate increase of ten percent for electric service and 12.5 percent for natural gas. Later, the company reported a 47.7 percent increase in net revenue, totaling $814 million for the year. PECO is now seeking an additional 12.5 percent increase for residential electric customers and 11.4 percent for residential natural gas customers at a combined cost of $429 million. Ultimately, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission will review the proposals, but the legislators emphasized the importance of protecting consumers from possible excessive rate burdens now. The legislators who signed an April 2 letter opposing any possible increases and asking for a face-to-face meeting with PECO are Republican Senator Frank Farry (R-6) as well as representatives Shelby Labs (R-143), Joe Hogan (R-142), Kristin Marcell (R-178), and Kathleen Tomlinson (R-18). On the other side of the aisle, Democratic legislators also voiced objections. They include Senator Steve Santarsiero (D-10) as well as representatives Tina Davis (D-141), Brian Munroe (D-144), Jim Prokopiak (D-140), and Perry Warren (D-31).
Pat Wandling is a veteran journalist, formerly of The Bucks County Courier, and was a mainstay on WBCB for over 20 years.
