McCormick among GOP senators who urged Trump not to reclassify marijuana
U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick is at odds with President Donald Trump’s move to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, arguing that it could adversely impact Americans’ health and safety, tax revenue and economic growth. McCormick, a Republican from Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill, was one of 22 GOP senators to co-sign...
Hundreds of rapes in State College area weren’t reported in public police data over nearly a decade
This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. Sign up for our north-central Pa. newsletter, Talk of the Town, at spotlightpa.org/newsletters/talkofthetown. Over the span of nearly a decade, the State College Police Department...
Caregivers in Pa. are celebrating a rare pay boost, but long-term funding issues linger
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Public funding for child care, home services for older adults, and disability support will increase under Pennsylvania’s...
JD Vance touts Trump record on economy during Lehigh Valley visit amid voter concerns
Vice President JD Vance touted the Trump administration’s economic record Tuesday at an address in the Lehigh Valley, highlighting jobs and inflation numbers, even as polls suggest a majority of Americans remain unsatisfied with the state of the U.S. economy. Vance, speaking before a crowd of hundreds at the Uline...
Man who torched Gov. Shapiro’s residence sentenced for assaulting ex-wife, stepkids
The arsonist who threw two incendiary devices into the Governor’s Residence in April, saying he wanted to kill Gov. Josh Shapiro, has received a second sentence Tuesday on charges related to a 2023 domestic violence incident. Cody Balmer, 38, of Penbrook pleaded guilty to three counts of simple assault in...
Final U.S. pennies sell for millions at auction after mint ends production
PHILADELPHIA — The last minted pennies sure cost a pretty penny. On Thursday, a three-coin set of the final pennies minted for circulation sold at auction for $800,000. Another of the sets sold for $180,000. In all, the final pennies sold for a combined nearly $17 million. Sold by Stack’s...
New Penn State building will remain closed next semester after ‘structural issue’
One of Penn State’s newest buildings will remain closed next semester because of a “localized structural issue.” The university’s $128 million Susan Welch Liberal Arts Building is scheduled to remain out of service for the entire spring 2026 semester. Though the building has been determined safe for limited reentry, it...
Dog licenses fees increase for 2026
Dog owners in Pennsylvania will pay more to license their pets in 2026. The state’s Department of Agriculture said dog license fees will increase $2 for the upcoming year and could rise another $1 in 2027 under legislation signed into law in 2023 by Gov. Josh Shapiro. That law set...
Shapiro admin subpoenaed for records detailing use of public funds to upgrade governor’s private home
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — A Pennsylvania Senate panel has taken the rare and dramatic step of subpoenaing the Shapiro administration for...
Plan to keep a Rocky statue at the top of the Art Museum steps in Philly moves forward
PHILADELPHIA — Keep punching, Rocky. Creative Philadelphia’s proposal to permanently install a Rocky statue at the top of the Philadelphia Art Museum’s famed steps is one step closer to reality following an Art Commission meeting Wednesday, though the plan fell short of receiving final approval following a mixed vote. Three...
Shapiro joins Utah governor in condemning political violence, extreme rhetoric
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro quickly shifted gears Tuesday night inside the Washington National Cathedral as another shouting protester tried to interrupt him during an event on political violence and civility. “By the way, I’ll just thank the cathedral for the amazing acoustics. I can’t hear a word of what these...
Feds allowed terror suspect to have truck license even after his arrest, PennDOT says
The state Senate held a committee hearing this week on Pennsylvania’s commercial driver’s license process, a month after the system became the controversy du jour with the Trump administration. Despite the political rhetoric that erupted in November, the hearing was far less dramatic and pointed to several cases where bureaucratic...
Expiring Obamacare subsidies prompt thousands to drop Pennie health insurance
For every new enrollment, two Pennsylvanians are dropping Obamacare coverage as steep government subsidies are set to expire at year’s end. About 38,000 people who have Affordable Care Act coverage through Pennie, the state’s health insurance exchange, have opted not to renew their plans for next year. That’s compared to...
Pa. transgender health leader’s name changed on federal portrait in act of ‘bigotry’
Among the portraits of agency leaders that line the hallways at the federal Department of Health and Human Services is one of Admiral Rachel Levine, who served as Pennsylvania secretary of health and physician general before being named President’s Biden’s assistant secretary of health. Levine was the first transgender person...
Shapiro pushes back on federal policy change, urges continuation of hepatitis B vaccines at birth
Gov Josh Shapiro is again pushing back on a Trump administration reversal on vaccine guidance, this time involving the hepatitis B vaccine given at birth. In a press release, the Shapiro administration said it was standing with medical experts “to ensure parents can protect children from lifelong liver disease by...
Trump to visit Pa. pushing efforts to curb inflation as high prices squeeze Americans
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump plans to travel to Pennsylvania on Tuesday to highlight his efforts to reduce inflation even as fears mount about a worsening job market and amid signs that Americans are still feeling squeezed by high prices. A White House official said Trump would be making the...
Pa. Amazon warehouse worker sues company, saying she was fired for being pregnant
A Dauphin County woman who worked at the Amazon warehouse in Carlisle is suing the company for discrimination, saying she was illegally fired for being pregnant. Malissa Saintus-Trammel, of Hummelstown, says the online shopping giant forced her to take unpaid leave due to her pregnancy when she didn’t require accommodations....
State budget was 135 days late, but Pa. lawmakers got their pay raise on time
Pennsylvania lawmakers just received a 3.25% pay increase on Dec. 1, raising their base salary to $113,575. Only New York and California’s legislators make more. The national average for state lawmakers was $47,904, less than half of what the commonwealth’s lawmakers made, per the National Conference of State Legislatures. The...
Poll shows Fetterman still tanking among Dems, while Republicans give him a thumbs up
Sen. John Fetterman remains more popular with Pennsylvania Republicans than fellow Democrats, according to a new poll. In the survey commissioned by RealClearPennsylvania and Emerson College, Fetterman has a 31% job approval rating from Democrats compared to 57% from Republicans and 30% from independents. The poll questioned 2,000 Pennsylvanians and...
Pennsylvania loses hundreds of pharmacies after a law promised help
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — As pharmacy closures have continued across the state, a bipartisan group of lawmakers has questioned how the...
Skill games avoid regulation again in Pa. as gambling lobby war intensifies
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — This year’s state budget didn’t pull slot-like skill games out of their legal limbo in Pennsylvania, despite...
Shapiro signs CROWN Act against hair discrimination
Pennsylvania is now the 28th state to ban discrimination based on hair or appearance, after Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a bill expanding the definition of “race” to include hair texture, protective hairstyles and religious creed. On Tuesday, Shapiro and other legislators gathered at Island Design Natural Hair Studio in Philadelphia...
Trump is changing the way aid goes to cities. Philly stands to lose tens of millions of dollars for housing
Philadelphia stands to lose tens of millions of dollars in federal funds intended to fight homelessness under a plan issued by the Trump administration that advocates say could significantly disrupt permanent housing programs and return formerly homeless people to the streets. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development released...
GOP senator threatens subpoenas over $1M in security upgrades at Shapiro’s private home
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — A GOP-led Pennsylvania Senate committee is moving to subpoena the Shapiro administration for records related to the...
Christmas tree retailers find lots to like at a Pennsylvania wholesale auction
MIFFLINBURG, Pa. — Christmas went on the auction block this week in Pennsylvania farm country, and there was no shortage of bidders. About 50,000 Christmas trees and enough wreaths, crafts and other seasonal items to fill an airplane hangar were bought and sold by lots and on consignment at the...
