Pennsylvania category, Page 101
Police rule out foul play in death of Penn State student who fell down trash chute at a State College apartment
State College police ruled out foul play in the November death of the Penn State student who plunged 11 stories down a trash chute at her off-campus apartment, the department wrote in a statement Thursday. Neither the borough police department nor the Centre County Coroner’s Office gathered any evidence that...
Pennsylvania high court eyes how to pick House districts map
Ranks of lawyers packed the courtroom of Pennsylvania’s state Supreme Court on Friday, with most of them aiming to persuade justices to pick their clients’ preferred map of new congressional districts for the state and reject a Republican-backed map recommended by a lower court judge. Oral arguments were on course...
Pennsylvania man accused of torturing employee in Iraq
A Pennsylvania man is accused of torturing an employee in Iraq after the worker raised concerns about a project to produce weapons parts in that country, federal prosecutors said. Under a superseding indictment returned Tuesday, federal authorities accused Ross Roggio, 53, of Stroudsburg, with suffocating the victim with a belt,...
Construction wraps on problem-plagued Mariner East pipeline
PHILADELPHIA — Work is finished on a multibillion-dollar pipeline system that connects the vast Marcellus Shale gas field in western Pennsylvania to an export terminal near Philadelphia, according to its corporate owner, which faces criminal charges that it fouled waterways and residential water supplies during pipeline construction. Energy Transfer said...
As virus surged, few Pa. schools signed up for free covid-19 testing
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Nearly six months into the school year, the majority of Pennsylvania schools have not opted into a free, on-site...
‘The brand is so toxic’: Democrats fear extinction in rural U.S.
SMETHPORT — Some Democrats here in rural Pennsylvania are afraid to tell you they’re Democrats. The party’s brand is so toxic in the small towns 100 miles northeast of Pittsburgh that some liberals have removed bumper stickers and yard signs and refuse to acknowledge their party affiliation publicly. These Democrats...
Pennsylvanians bet $68 million on Super Bowl, a 26% increase over 2021 wagers
Pennsylvania’s sports betting industry is off to a strong start after Super Bowl LVI set a record for wagers in the Keystone State, according to preliminary figures from state regulators. Pennsylvanians wagered more than $68 million on Sunday’s game, which saw the Los Angeles Rams overtake the Cincinnati Bengals, 23-20....
Wolf renews higher-ed scholarship idea, amid worker shortage
HARRISBURG — Two years after he first proposed it, Gov. Tom Wolf is trying to engage the Legislature anew in his bid to start a major new scholarship program for college students in Pennsylvania, but on Wednesday said the idea has new urgency because of difficulties in finding workers across...
Low-income Philadelphians to receive no-strings-attached cash in anti-poverty experiments
PHILADELPHIA — The City of Philadelphia will be introducing two programs that will distribute money to low-income residents with no strings attached. The goal of the programs is to understand the impact of cash infusions on household stability and economic well-being. City officials are releasing few details about the initiatives,...
Sen. Doug Mastriano, seeking GOP governor nomination, issued Jan. 6 subpoenaVideo
HARRISBURG — A Pennsylvania state senator who was in regular communication with Donald Trump as the then-president sought to reverse his 2020 election loss, and was outside the U.S. Capitol the afternoon of the Jan. 6 rioting, was subpoenaed Tuesday by the congressional committee looking into the insurrection. Sen. Doug...
Justice Department finds Pa. courts discriminated against people with opioid use disorder
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Courts in Pennsylvania violated federal law by telling people to stop taking life-saving addiction medications, the Department of Justice...
What is snowmobiling worth to Pennsylvania’s economy?
Snowmobiling adds $65 million to Pennsylvania’s economy each year, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. More than 40,000 snowmobiles are registered with the department, which requires registration and titling of all snowmobiles in the state. Registration is $20 for two years. Titling is $22.50. In addition,...
Deer hunting popularity on rise in Pennsylvania
When it comes to hunting, there’s no doubt that the white-tailed deer is the premier game animal in the country due to its widespread range and the opportunities that sportsmen have to pursue it. A recent report by the National Deer Association (NDA), however, highlights just how popular deer hunting...
Ex-lawmaker Margo Davidson fined over campaign law violations
HARRISBURG — A former Democratic state lawmaker who pleaded guilty to theft and campaign finance violations in December was fined $150 on Monday by a county judge in Harrisburg. Margo Davidson, who had represented a Delaware County district in the state House before she resigned after being charged last year,...
Budget report on Pa. education agency provokes spat between lawmakers, watchdogs
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — With a single sentence tucked 15 pages into an otherwise dry budget report on the state Department of Education,...
Bill to protect doctors prescribing ivermectin, other unproven drugs against covid advances in Pa.
A state House committee on Monday approved a bill that would free doctors to prescribe off-label drugs to treat covid-19 and allow pharmacists to fill the prescriptions, also without penalty. The bill was authored by Republican state Rep. Dawn Keefer of York County. It was approved by the health committee...
Suspect charged 40 years after Pennsylvania woman was killed
MARCUS HOOK, Pa. — A Pennsylvania man has been charged with murder and kidnapping more than 40 years after an 18-year-old woman was killed, prosecutors announced Friday. Investigators had long suspected two men named in the announcement Friday had played a role in the death of Denise Marie Pierson, who...
See how the final Pa. state Senate map scores in every key area
This article is part of a yearlong reporting project focused on redistricting and gerrymandering in Pennsylvania. It is made possible by the support of Spotlight PA members and Votebeat, a project focused on election integrity and voting access. HARRISBURG — A panel has approved a final Pennsylvania Senate map that...
Oz gets Walk of Fame star as rival says he’s too ‘Hollywood’
HARRISBURG — Mehmet Oz, the celebrity cardiologist who recently ended his daytime TV “Dr. Oz Show” to run for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, will be honored Friday with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame — just as he is being attacked 2,000 miles away in a rival’s TV...
Delaware County fire company suspended for alleged use of racial slurs
DARBY TOWNSHIP — One of Darby Township’s three volunteer fire companies has been suspended after another fire company allegedly heard them using racial slurs and disparaging Black residents in a virtual meeting. Briarcliffe Fire Company volunteers apparently failed to disconnect from the online meeting in January with local officials and...
Fetterman a no-show so far in U.S. Senate candidate forum series
Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, a Democratic U.S. Senate candidate from Braddock, is facing criticism for failing to sign up for an online candidate event organized by a coalition of Democratic political groups in Southwestern Pennsylvania. The SWPA Grassroots Coalition is hosting a series this month where Democratic U.S. Senate...
Pennsylvania Supreme Court puts hold on primary petition gathering
HARRISBURG — The period for candidates and their supporters to circulate petitions to qualify for Pennsylvania’s May 17 primary election was put on temporary hold Wednesday by the state Supreme Court. The justices issued an order that applies to all races — congressional and legislative contests, as well as U.S....
Tens of thousands of bees stolen from grocery store’s central Pa. headquarters
The Giant Company has put out an alert to other beekeepers in the region after the recent theft of three beehives and their colonies from their corporate headquarters. The hives contained colonies of approximately 60,000 bees, and were taken from the company’s headquarters on the Harrisburg Pike in Carlisle some...
Wolf asks GOP-led legislature to spend Pa.’s federal aid dollars, pitches $1.8B boost for education
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — In his eighth and final budget address, Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf returned to the themes that have marked his...
Wolf’s final budget, like his first, features public schools
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf’s eighth and final budget proposal unveiled Tuesday would push state spending past $43 billion for the first time, as the Democrat asks lawmakers for the biggest-ever increase in aid for public schools, plus more money for direct care workers, higher-education institutions and college scholarships. Wolf...
