Pennsylvania category, Page 198
Woman pleads guilty to soliciting stepfather’s murder
WILKES-BARRE — A woman has pleaded guilty to soliciting the homicide of her stepfather nearly five years ago in northeastern Pennsylvania. Twenty-five-year-old Kendra Dias entered the plea Monday as her trial was about to open. Under a plea agreement, Luzerne County prosecutors withdrew a conspiracy count and are to recommend...
No evidence Flyers mascot Gritty hit 13-year-old in the back, police say
Did Gritty physically assault a 13-year-old boy in November? No, said Philadelphia police Monday. A news release stated that the actions of the person wearing the Flyers’ mascot costume that night did not constitute physical assault. The investigation is no longer active. The person wearing the mascot costume has not...
Pennsylvania ranked as 5th best state for singlesVideo
Being single for Valentine’s Day might not be so bad this year — especially for people in Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth came in fifth out of all 50 states as the best place to be single in 2020, according to a recent WalletHub.com report. The report used 29 metrics related to...
2 men arrested after gas station gunfire exchange kills 2 in ChesterVideo
CHESTER — Police have arrested two suspects after a gas station convenience store robbery and gun battle that left two people dead near Philadelphia. Officers in Chester were called to the Sunoco A-Plus Mini Market shortly after 4 a.m. Saturday and found 29-year-old Tahriq Doward in front of the store...
Sweeping changes to Pennsylvania election law could make early voting a norm
The heat is on — and it’s getting hotter for election officials across Pennsylvania as the April 28 presidential primary approaches. A new state election law that allows, among other things, no-excuse mail-in balloting 50 days before an election, coupled with the introduction of new voting machines in 22 counties,...
What to watch for in Pennsylvania governor’s budget proposal
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Gov. Tom Wolf’s sixth budget proposal to the Republican-controlled Legislature will come out Tuesday, and the Democrat is expected to seek more for public schools and emphasize the urgency of addressing student-loan debt and cleaning up lead and asbestos in schools. Many details of the plan, which...
Pennsylvania on track to expand overtime pay eligibility
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration is on the brink of making Pennsylvania one of a handful of states to expand eligibility for overtime pay beyond federal thresholds, winning a final vote Friday from a state regulatory board. The Independent Regulatory Review Commission voted 3-2 to approve a regulation that...
Lead, asbestos contamination shuts down Pennsylvania schools
Students at three Pennsylvania schools were told to stay home Thursday amid concerns over lead and asbestos contamination, as Pennsylvania State Police investigate what former district officials did to address problems with tainted water. One day after Gov. Tom Wolf unveiled a $1.1 billion plan to help Pennsylvania’s public schools...
Sheetz Christmas campaign collects $700K for children’s charity
Sheetz For the Kidz, a charity affiliated with the Altoona-based Sheetz convenience store chain, raised a record amount in its Christmas 2019 fundraiser for children in need, the company announced on Thursday. The $704,658 raised from in-store customer donations provided toys, clothes and other necessities for more than 9,600 children...
Trump support edges up in Pennsylvania poll as impeachment continues
President Trump has grown stronger with Pennsylvania voters despite ongoing impeachment proceedings, a poll finds. A majority of the 628 registered Pennsylvania voters who responded to a Jan. 20-26 Franklin & Marshall Poll said it is time for a change in the White House. Still, 38% of them said President...
3rd-degree murder charge filed in death of 91-year-old grandfatherVideo
WILKES-BARRE — Authorities allege that a man charged in the death of his 91-year-old grandfather last week ingested LSD and exhibited “violent and erratic behavior” that prompted his friends to leave the northeastern Pennsylvania home hours before the victim’s body was found. Nineteen-year-old Joshua Bacon is charged in Luzerne County...
Pennsylvania has early primary envy, plots to move up in 2024
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania wants to be a player in the presidential primary, instead of an afterthought. The state Senate on Wednesday unanimously approved a bill that would move up Pennsylvania’s primary elections in presidential election years by five weeks, starting in 2024, in a state where critics say its presidential...
Unwed, pregnant teacher in Pennsylvania can sue Catholic school over bias
SUNBURY — A Pennsylvania teacher who alleges that she was fired from her job at a Roman Catholic school because the diocese was upset she was pregnant and unmarried has lost another bid for reinstatement, but she will be allowed to proceed with her discrimination lawsuit. A judge in Northumberland...
Gov. Wolf floats plan to attack lead, asbestos in Pa. schools
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf unveiled a new $1.1 billion package Wednesday intended to help eliminate lead and asbestos contamination in Pennsylvania’s schools, homes, day care facilities and public water systems. The five initiatives include money in Wolf’s upcoming budget proposal and expanding existing grant programs, his administration said. One...
Inspector General charges 45 with welfare fraud
The state caught 45 suspected welfare fraudsters in December, who allegedly scammed the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and other programs out of more than $240,000, according to the Office of the State Inspector General. The office charged 35 people with felonies, the remaining 10 with misdemeanors. Three residents of Allegheny...
Firm says Wawa customers’ hacked credit card info being sold
PHILADELPHIA — Convenience store giant Wawa Inc. said Tuesday it is responding to reports that hacked information from its customers’ credit cards may be being sold on the dark web. The company said in a news release that customers who may be affected can obtain free credit monitoring and identity...
Lawmakers OK ending election of Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor
HARRISBURG — A measure to amend the constitution in Pennsylvania and let each political party’s gubernatorial nominee choose who will serve under them as lieutenant governor cleared a first hurdle Tuesday. The Republican-controlled Senate voted 46 to 2 for a constitutional amendment that would end the current practice, in which...
Pennsylvania senators pass bill to toughen penalties for repeat DUI drivers
HARRISBURG — The state Senate on Tuesday overwhelmingly passed legislation to substantially increase penalties for motorists who have multiple DUI convictions to end what the bill’s sponsor called Pennsylvania’s “revolving door system” for the most serious drunk drivers. The bill passed, 43-6, and goes to the House of Representatives for...
PETA wants Punxsutawney Phil to retire; Groundhog Club president responds
PETA is suggesting Pennsylvania’s most famous groundhog call it a career. The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sent a letter to Punxsutawney Groundhog Club president Bill Deeley on Tuesday morning and asked for Punxsutawney Phil to retire “to a reputable sanctuary and start using a cutting-edge animatronic groundhog...
Gov. Tom Wolf has $2.2M to help Democrats win Pennsylvania seats
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf is renewing his push for his top priorities that have stalled in Pennsylvania’s Republican-controlled Legislature, and the Democrat will have at least a couple million dollars to spend in this year’s legislative elections to try to improve his chances. Wolf’s campaign raised $2.8 million in...
Judge rejects Sandusky’s latest request for shorter sentence
BELLEFONTE — A judge flatly rejected Jerry Sandusky’s latest request to have his 30- to 60-year child molestation sentence reduced during a brief hearing Tuesday. Judge Maureen Skerda said she purposely fashioned the prison term to have an impact on the former Penn State assistant football coach and noted Sandusky...
Pennsylvania watches as Supreme Court considers public support for parochial schools
Pennsylvanians on both sides of the school choice debate watched the U.S. Supreme Court last week for hints of how it could rule in a pivotal case that has implications for the way K-12 education is funded across the nation. Justices heard arguments in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue,...
Suspect in custody in fast-food restaurant robbery, slaying near Edinboro
EDINBORO — A suspect is behind bars in the shooting death of an employee during an attempted robbery of a fast-food restaurant in northwestern Pennsylvania during the weekend, state police said. Officers were called to a Wendy’s in Washington Township near Edinboro shortly after 2 p.m. Saturday and found an...
Recalled ground beef may contain plastic
Amity Packing Company has recalled 2,020 pounds of raw ground beef that may be contaminated with plastic. Labeled for Pre Brands, the 1-pound, vacuum-packed packages of 95% lean ground beef were produced on Jan. 6 by the Chicago-based company and were distributed to retailers in nine states including Pennsylvania, Ohio,...
State House scales back proposed emissions inspection overhaul
The state House scaled back a proposal that would have exempted many Pennsylvania drivers from vehicle emissions inspections — now calling for a study instead of an immediate overhaul. “They essentially gutted and replaced it,” said state Sen. Kim Ward, R-Hempfield, chair of the Senate Transportation Committee and the driving...
