Pennsylvania category, Page 122
Ethics panel closes investigation into former Pa. Victim Advocate Jennifer Storm
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 — After a more than yearlong investigation, state ethics investigators have found that Pennsylvania’s former chief advocate for crime victims...
Fireworks destroy Pennsylvania home, displacing family of 8
A family of eight has been displaced after a firework set off nearby destroyed their home in Wilkes-Barre. Four children and four adults, who were just getting ready for bed, rushed out of the burning house around 12:30 a.m. Monday after an aerial firework landed on their back porch, WNEP...
After contact tracing data breach, Pa. sidesteps scrutiny on proposed $34M contract
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 — The Pennsylvania Department of Health is working to hire a new company under an even pricier contract to take...
Group described as white supremacists march in PhiladelphiaVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Police say scores of members of a group described by the Anti-Defamation League as white supremacist marched in Philadelphia over the weekend, clashing with pedestrians and setting off what were believed to be smoke bombs at one point. The group of Patriot Front members, estimated at 150 to...
Redistricting reform in Pa. is dead for now, advocates say. So what’s next?
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 — Redistricting reform supporters in Pennsylvania are having a moment of...
Man rescued after at least 3 days in abandoned Pennsylvania cistern
READING — A man was rescued after at least three days at the bottom of an abandoned stone cistern near the landmark pagoda overlooking the eastern Pennsylvania city of Reading, authorities said. The man was healthy enough to climb out on his own on a city fire department rope ladder...
Failure by Pa. officials to clarify rules around medical marijuana, addiction treatment had serious consequences
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. BENSALEM — Tyler Cordeiro slept on a couch outside his mother’s Bucks County home, suffering from opioid withdrawal. His sister took a photo of his mother, Susan...
Allegheny County family’s overdose loss inspires law designed to ‘save lives’
Heather’s Law was signed this week by Gov. Tom Wolf, ending a four-year effort to provide an extra tool in the battle against overdose deaths. Authored by Rep. Eric Nelson (R-Hempfield), the legislation is named for an Allegheny County family’s daughter who died of an overdose. Formally titled Act 41...
New law requires public meeting agendas be posted online, if possible
Bipartisan support of just about anything is a fairly rare thing nowadays in the Pennsylvania General Assembly. But lawmakers on both sides of the aisle recently found one thing they could agree: Local and state government bodies should be as aggressive as possible in publicizing the business they will conduct...
Mysterious bird illness prompts Game Commission, Audubon to recommend taking down bird feeders
A mysterious illness causing bird deaths has prompted the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the local Audubon Society to ask the public to take down their bird feeders. “Out of an abundance of caution and in agreement with the Pennsylvania Game Commission, we advise people to remove their bird feeders (including...
State law against municipal plastic bag bans on track to end
HARRISBURG — Philadelphia began the soft rollout Thursday of its ban on retailers giving out plastic bags to customers, while the state’s two-year-old prohibition on such bans is set to expire later this year. The city will not fully enforce the ban until April 1, with steps in between. On...
Whither #MeToo? Chilling effect of Cosby reversal feared
When Indira Henard, director of the DC Rape Crisis Center, received the text message Wednesday, she thought she wasn’t reading her phone correctly. “Indira oh my god,” said the message from a colleague. “Cosby’s walking out of prison.” “I put on the news and there it was, and my heart...
‘Horrified’ and ‘finally’; reaction varies on Cosby release
NEW YORK — Reaction to Wednesday’s Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling overturning Bill Cosby’s sexual assault conviction, allowing him to be released from from prison: “Mr. Cosby should never have been prosecuted for these offenses. District attorneys can’t change it up simply because of their political motivation.” — Cosby appellate lawyer...
Cosby’s release leaves accusers dismayed, but women’s advocates say no court can erase their ‘courage and resolve’
PHILADELPHIA — It was late morning in Las Vegas when a caretaker told Autumn Burns that Bill Cosby was about to be released from prison. Assuming it had to be a joke, Burns responded: “Oh, come on.” Then the news flickered on, and Burns, who is 74 and blind, listened...
Wolf signs off on revisions to Pennsylvania medical pot law
HARRISBURG — Medical marijuana patients can continue to get a three month’s supply at a time, rather than one month’s, under revisions to the Pennsylvania program signed into law Wednesday by Gov. Tom Wolf. The bill makes it easier for producers to remove contaminants such as yeast and mold from...
Hempfield resident John Ventre announces bid for Pa. governor
Hempfield Republican John Ventre said he’s been stewing for years, believing Gov. Tom Wolf’s “one size fits all and scorched earth policies” hurt state residents. Ventre, 64, announced Wednesday he is running for governor in 2022. Wolf, a Democrat, will leave office in 2023 because of term limits. “You don’t...
Pennsylvania governor vetoes GOP-led election overhaul, citing voter ID restrictions
This article is made possible through Votebeat, a nonpartisan reporting project covering local election integrity and voting access. This article is available for reprint under the terms of Votebeat’s republishing policy. HARRISBURG — Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed a Republican rewrite of Pennsylvania’s Election Code on Wednesday, making clear his...
U.S. holiday travel expected to approach pre-pandemic levels
Americans are expected to travel in near-record numbers over the July 4 holiday despite the increased cost of gasoline, rental cars and hotel rooms, according to the trade group AAA. “Americans are ready to catch up on those missed opportunities with their friends and families from last year, especially to...
Bill Cosby released from prison after sex assault conviction overturned by Pa. Supreme Court
PHILADELPHIA — Pennsylvania’s highest court threw out Bill Cosby’s sexual assault conviction and released him from prison Wednesday in a stunning reversal of fortune for the comedian once known as “America’s Dad,” ruling that the prosecutor who brought the case was bound by his predecessor’s agreement not to charge Cosby....
Pa. covid hospitalizations drop to levels not seen since early days of pandemic
Pennsylvania’s covid-19 hospitalizations dropped to a level not seen since the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, there are 313 covid-19 patients currently hospitalized throughout the state. That’s the lowest total since March 27, 2020, when there were 252 people hospitalized. The state’s...
Pittsburgh, Philadelphia move ahead with plastic bag bans as Pa.’s preemption nears its end
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 — Cities and townships hoping to ban plastic bags within their borders may finally have the legal authority to do...
Wolf signs $40M budget package, celebrates public school funding
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday signed a roughly $40 billion budget package that passed last week, as he touted the importance of new funding for public schools. The hundreds of pages of budget legislation emerged publicly from closed-door negotiations on Friday and won approval within hours in the...
Pennsylvania bill to legalize cocktails to-go stalls, on hold for summer
Cocktails to-go will remain a no-go in Pennsylvania until at least the fall, when state lawmakers are scheduled to return from their summer break. The state Senate decided to shelve a measure regarding to-go drinks because the House removed a provision championed by state Sen. Mike Regan, R-York County, that...
Google launches new ‘Find Food Support’ interactive site
One in nine people in Pennsylvania face hunger, according to the Feeding America Network, which claims to be the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization. With that in mind, Google has created a new site called “Find Food Support.” The site launched Monday. The idea behind it is to make it...
33 train cars derail in eastern Pennsylvania; no injuries, spills
GOLDSBORO — Authorities say dozens of freight train cars derailed in Pennsylvania, but no injuries or hazardous spills were reported. Chief Steve Lutz of the Newberry Township police force said 33 of the 133 cars on the eastbound Norfolk Southern train derailed and overturned shortly after 3 p.m. Monday in...
