Pennsylvania category, Page 194

HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf is signing legislation that his office says clarifies the options for who school districts and private schools can hire as armed security guards, although Wolf’s administration says it bars districts from allowing teachers to be armed. The bill Wolf signed Tuesday also expands training requirements...

The Pennsylvania Department of Health has ordered a Greene County medical marijuana grower/processor to discontinue most of its operations after a surprise inspection found numerous violations. The state told AGRiMED Industries of Carmichaels to cease and desist harvesting, cutting or destroying marijuana plants without a department inspector present. During the...

State Senate Republicans issued a letter to Lt. Gov. John Fetterman Tuesday expressing “grave concerns” over what they described as his “dereliction of duty and defiance as the presiding officer of the Senate.” Signed by all 28 Republicans in the state Senate, the letter refers to chaos — shouting, name...

Gov. Tom Wolf on Monday commuted the sentence of Robert Wideman, who was serving life in prison for his role in a 1975 murder. Wolf affirmed the Board of Pardons recommendation issued in May. Wideman, 68, of Homewood, was charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of Nicola Morena....

WILLIAMSPORT — The former mayor of Scranton has pleaded guilty to charges he shook down businesses for bribes and campaign contributions throughout his term and a half in office. Bill Courtright’s plea in federal court Tuesday to bribery, extortion and conspiracy came less than 24 hours after he resigned as...

Before the days of limited-release lotteries, savvy liquor aficionados would invade the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board’s website with internet bots in search of highly sought-after bourbons and whiskeys. The web robots significantly slowed down the state website, said Shawn Kelly, a Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board spokesman. Pennsylvania residents often lost...

In an experiment being watched across the country, Pennsylvania court officials began scrubbing more than 3 million old, nonviolent criminal charges from the public docket over the weekend. They are scheduled to repeat that feat every month for the next year under the provisions of the state’s Clean Slate law....

Pennsylvania residents have until 11 p.m. Saturday to opt in to the latest limited-release lottery by the state Liquor Control Board. The July lottery features seven highly sought-after whiskeys, the board said. Entry is limited to one bottle per household, per lottery. Featured products include: Lottery One features two bottles...

Pennsylvania is among four states where fireworks have been recalled just ahead of the July 4 holiday. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced four fireworks-related recalls this week for fireworks that were “overloaded with pyrotechnics.” That can result in a greater than expected explosion, which poses explosion and burn...

HARRISBURG — Lower-level criminal convictions are starting to be automatically sealed under a year-old Pennsylvania state law touted as a way to give offenders a fresh start. State officials and other supporters on Friday called the “clean slate” legislation a model for other states. The court system plans to be...

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania is poised to roll out its own online health insurance exchange to take the place of the one run by the federal government for the state’s residents since 2014, saying it can save money for hundreds of thousands of policy-buyers. The Republican-controlled Legislature gave final approval Friday...

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission will offer its second and final Fish-For-Free Day of the year on July 4 when anyone can fish, even without a state fishing license. All other fishing regulations apply, though. The commission offers the free days to open up fishing opportunities for the public,...

HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf prepared Friday to sign a $34 billion compromise budget after lawmakers wrapped up the week with a flurry of votes on hundreds of pages of legislation that in some cases drew angry protests from his fellow Democrats. Fueled by strong tax collections, the budget boosts...

Pennsylvania’s health secretary emphasized the importance of vaccination in the wake of a national measles outbreak. “Vaccines are a safe and effective way to protect yourself from a number of serious, life-threatening diseases,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said in a statement. “Getting your vaccinations can help protect those...

Pennsylvania advocates for redistricting reform will keep pushing for an independent commission to oversee the process in light of Thursday’s U.S. Supreme Court decision to keep courts out of state efforts to address gerrymandering. The high court’s conservative majority decided in a 5-4 ruling that partisan gerrymandering — drawing congressional...

Lt. Gov. John Fetterman said he isn’t harboring any ill will over the chaotic scene that unfolded Wednesday while he was presiding over the state Senate. “I don’t take any of this personally,” he told the Tribune-Review on Thursday ahead of an expected vote on the state budget. Shouting, name-calling...

HARRISBURG — Republicans who control the Pennsylvania Legislature are inserting some pet policy objectives into hundreds of pages of just-unveiled legislation with the annual budget deadline days away, forcing Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf to make hard choices. Amid the deadline brinksmanship, measures expected to advance Thursday included a $34 billion...

HARRISBURG — A proposal to end Pennsylvania’s ban on Sunday hunting has the approval of the state Senate. Senators voted 36 to 14 on Wednesday for a bill that would permit hunting on one Sunday during deer rifle season, one during deer archery season, and on a third day. The...

A slate of bills passed this week by the state Senate could bring sweeping changes to vehicle emissions test requirements in Pennsylvania. The five-bill package would exempt vehicles less than eight years old and eliminate seven counties — including Westmoreland — from the emissions program. Drivers with older vehicles in...

HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Senate devolved into partisan shouting, name-calling and bare-knuckled procedural tactics over a bill to end a decades-old program that offers $200 a month to people deemed unable to work. The bill ultimately passed the GOP-controlled chamber, 26-24, with two Republicans siding with Democrats against it. The...

A 2013 audit that found Pennsylvania lax in dog-law enforcement will be revisited, Auditor General Eugene DePasquale announced this week. The 2013 performance audit of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Dog Law Enforcement Office found several problems, including: $8 million from the restrictive dog law account being spent for unrelated...

Once again, Pennsylvania is ranked No. 1 — only of a list no one wants to top: college costs. The state’s public universities are among the priciest in the nation and landed Pennsylvania at the top of a list that calculated how many hours a week a student would have...

The number of highway fatalities dipped nationally last year even as Pennsylvania’s overall traffic deaths saw a bump, federal and state data analyzed by the Tribune-Review shows. Early estimates show 36,750 people died in motor vehicle crashes nationally in 2018, a roughly 1% year-over-year decrease, according to the National Highway...

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania voters would be able to vote in primaries even if they aren’t Democrats or Republicans and have easier absentee ballot deadlines under election law changes being considered by the Legislature. The Senate on Tuesday voted 42 to 8 on Tuesday for a bill that would let unaffiliated...