Pennsylvania category, Page 108
Harrisburg must pay disability benefits to cop who suffered ‘psychological injury’ when colleagues yelled at her: Pa. court
A former Harrisburg police officer is entitled to workers compensation disability benefits because she suffered a “psychological injury” when colleagues berated her for not firing her Taser at a suspect, a Commonwealth Court panel ruled Friday. The decision, outlined in an opinion by Judge Michael J. Wojcik, sinks an attempt...
GOP gubernatorial candidate Jake Corman lays out platform in Pittsburgh campaign stopVideo
State Sen. Jake Corman, a Republican candidate for governor, made a campaign stop in Pittsburgh on Thursday, using a former Pittsburgh mill site being redeveloped as a tech hub as a backdrop. Corman, 57, of Centre County, is in his sixth term in the state Senate, where he serves as...
The Pennsylvania Wilds is known for quiet, but some worry fighter jet training will disturb that
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 — A proposal that would allow military planes to fly training missions less than a quarter-mile above a section of...
Gov. Tom Wolf adds to mounting veto tally, kills permitless-gun bill
Gov. Tom Wolf followed through on his veto threat Thursday, rejecting Republican-penned legislation to allow people to carry a firearm openly or concealed, without a permit, adding to his total for Pennsylvania’s chief executive with the most vetoes in more than four decades. Wolf, a Democrat, called the bill “dangerous.”...
PIAA is subject to state open records laws, court rules
The Commonwealth Court on Tuesday said that Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association is subject to the state’s Right to Know Law. In a 28-page opinion, the appellate court said it is “undisputed” that the PIAA, which governs high school athletics, is a state-affiliated entity and therefore subject to providing information pursuant...
Dr. Oz calls Keystone State home as he ponders U.S. Senate bid
Dr. Mehmet Oz’s claim to residency in Pennsylvania may be both recent and tenuous, but that won’t keep him off the crowded GOP ballot of contenders seeking to replace U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey. The Associated Press reported that Oz, 61, a longtime New Jersey resident, is planning to announce his...
Lawsuit claims abuse, threats at Pennsylvania church farm
HARRISBURG — A federal lawsuit filed this month claims boys and young men at a church-related farm business in Pennsylvania were subjected to forced labor and punishment that included dragging chains and breaking up rocks with a hammer. The lawsuit by two former residents of Liberty Ridge, an 80-acre farm...
Gov. Tom Wolf will use computer-drawn maps and other tools to help spot Pa. gerrymandering
PHILADELPHIA — Pennsylvania’s new congressional map will help shape political power for a decade — and Gov. Tom Wolf is laying down some rules as it gets drawn. Wolf plays a key role in the decennial redistricting: The Republican-controlled state Legislature will draw a map, but Wolf, a Democrat, can...
Teen shot 18 times while waiting for bus in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA — A 14-year-old Philadelphia boy waiting for a bus to take him home from school was shot 18 times and killed Monday afternoon, police said. Samir Jefferson was waiting at a bus stop shortly before 3:30 p.m. Monday in a North Philadelphia neighborhood when two unknown shooters fired at...
Sources: Dr. Oz plans to run for Senate seat in Pennsylvania
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Dr. Mehmet Oz, the celebrity heart surgeon best known as the host of TV’s Dr. Oz Show after rocketing to fame on Oprah Winfrey’s show, is planning to run for Pennsylvania’s open U.S. Senate seat as a Republican, according to three people familiar with his plans. Should...
Pa. Latinos work to turn huge population gains into political muscle, but still face barriers
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. LEHIGH VALLEY — Over the past five years, Victor Martinez has noticed...
Pa. House GOP leader diagnosed with breakthrough case of covid
Pennsylvania House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff, R-Centre County, is quarantining at home after being diagnosed with a breakthrough case of covid-19. Benninghoff, 59, who was fully vaccinated against the coronavirus earlier in the year, developed mild symptoms prior to the Thanksgiving holiday and got tested. On Monday, he received his...
Some states know a lot about vaccinated people who have gotten covid-19. Pennsylvania doesn’t
PHILADELPHIA — Each week in Oregon, state health officials produce a public report documenting how many people have contracted the coronavirus even after getting the vaccine, including data about their ages, races, the counties where they live, which covid-19 variants they caught and how sick it made them. That type...
Pa. deer hunter shot in the head, killed by young relative: coroner
A child hunting with family missed a deer and shot a 71-year-old man in the head, killing him. The tragedy happened around 10 a.m. Saturday in Jackson Township, Cambria County, as WJAC-TV in Johnstown reports. The victim is identified as 71-year-old William Tripp of Elizabethtown. Tripp was hunting with family...
Pennsylvania’s child care and staffing crisis, by the numbers
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 — As a roughly $2 trillion social spending plan moves through Congress, transformational change could be on the horizon for...
Boy fatally wounded in target shooting incident in Berks County
A 10-year-old boy was shot and killed on Thanksgiving Day while he was with someone who was target shooting in southeastern Pennsylvania, authorities said. The shooting occurred around 1:30 p.m. near the child’s home in Hereford, Berks County District Attorney John Adams said Friday. The boy was taken to a...
Staffing crisis at Pa. child care centers is upending family routines and slowing the economic recovery
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 — Baby giggles and occasional cries are supposed to spill from the infant room at The Willow School, where lyrics...
Grouse on the rise: State bird’s population showing improvement after devastation of West Nile virus
Pennsylvania’s state bird population is on an upward trend despite years of decline from West Nile virus. According to Lisa Williams, the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s division chief of wildlife diversity and former state ruffed grouse biologist, the combination of shortened hunting seasons and aggressive habitat work have helped boost grouse...
Wolf administration asks state Supreme Court to leave school mask mandate in place
The state attorney general’s office, in an expected move, has asked the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to keep intact the school mask mandate pending the outcome of litigation on the issue. The mandate is set to expire on Dec. 4 following an order by the state Commonwealth Court last week. “The...
Process of pending Pennsylvania election audit remains shrouded in secrecy
An Iowa-based firm that has never conducted an election review will delve into a forensic audit of Pennsylvania’s contentious 2020 general election results and this year’s May primary. How it intends to determine election integrity remains shrouded in secrecy. Steve Lahr, president of Envoy Sage LLC, on Tuesday declined to...
Pennsylvania activist Frank Scavo sentenced to 60 days in prison
Frank Scavo was sentenced to 60 days in prison Monday for his role in the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C., his attorney confirmed. Attorney Ernie Preate Jr. said Scavo was also fined $5,000 and must pay $500 in restitution. Senior U.S. District Judge Royce C....
Penn State enrollment numbers mirror national trends
We are? If the answer to the popular college cheer is “Penn State,” there are fewer voices chiming in these days. Although Penn State’s University Park campus, which turns away hundreds of well-qualified students every year, bounced back to better than 2019 enrollment numbers, increasing from 46,313 students last year...
2 top executives quit giant Pa. pension fund amid FBI, SEC probes
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 — Following months of controversy and amid an ongoing federal investigation, Pennsylvania’s biggest pension fund on Thursday announced that its...
Penn State student dies after falling 11 stories down trash chute
STATE COLLEGE — A 19-year-old Penn State student who had been reported missing probably died after falling 11 stories down a trash chute in her campus apartment building, authorities said Friday. Justine Gross, a sophomore from New Jersey, was reported missing Nov. 11 after not returning to her room the...
Senate GOP hires firm to review Pennsylvania’s 2020 election
HARRISBURG — Republicans in the Pennsylvania Senate said Friday they will pay up to $270,000 over the next six months to have an Iowa consulting firm examine the 2020 election with an eye toward developing changes to state election law. The “forensic investigation” is being launched in response to pressure...
