Pennsylvania category, Page 237
Church abuse victims wait to see if Legislature will act
HARRISBURG — Lawmakers have returned to the Pennsylvania Capitol but have yet to revisit legislation on child sexual abuse scandals since an October fight killed a bill that would have allowed long-ago victims to sue the Roman Catholic Church and other institutions. The Legislature’s new two-year session began in earnest...
N.Y. law change would deliver abuse survivors day in court, hope to Pennsylvanians
New York on Monday was poised to become the 10th state to temporarily suspend the statute of limitations to provide adult survivors of child sexual abuse an opportunity to sue their abusers. Child protection advocates said the new law, passed only after a change of leadership in that state’s Senate,...
Perdue chicken nuggets recalled for undeclared milk ingredient
Perdue Foods is recalling more than 16,000 pounds of chicken nuggets because the label doesn’t indicate the product contains milk ingredients, an allergen for some consumers. The recall is in effect for 12-ounce packages of refrigerated, ready-to-eat Perdue Fun Shapes Chicken Breast Nuggets that are dated for use by March...
K-9 with bone cancer gets final salute outside Pa. vet’s office
ETTERS — A beloved K-9 suffering from bone cancer got a final salute at the Pennsylvania veterinarian’s office where he was euthanized. Newberry Township Police Chief Steven Lutz says 9-year-old German Shephard Tazer didn’t seem well after his last shift Saturday night. Sgt. Chris Martinez, his handler, took him to...
4 dead in shootings at State College bar, home
STATE COLLEGE — A gunman opened fire at a hotel bar in State College, killing a man and wounding two other people, then broke into a home where he fatally shot another man before killing himself, authorities said. Authorities said a fourth victim died Friday, according to the Centre Daily...
Natural gas impact fee revenue expected to be up this year, agency says
A state agency projects that natural gas impact fee collections for 2018 will exceed those from 2017 by $37.4 million. Total collections on the impact fee for 2018 are projected to be $247 million, according to the Pennsylvania Independent Fiscal Office. Should the projection hold, it will be the largest...
Fetterman to launch statewide listening tour on merits of recreational pot
Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman will wade into the weeds to gauge public interest in legalizing recreational marijuana during a 67-county tour of the state beginning Saturday in Pittsburgh. On Thursday, Fetterman, the former Braddock mayor who was sworn in as lieutenant governor last week, said he is planning a...
Pa. Gov. Tom Wolf takes new step on marijuana with town hall sessions
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration is taking a new step in its exploration of legalizing marijuana, with Lt. Gov. John Fetterman preparing a series of town hall-style public listening sessions. Fetterman, himself an advocate for legalizing marijuana, said Thursday he’ll hold a listening session in each of Pennsylvania’s...
Pennsylvania man says emotional support alligator is ‘just like a dog’
YORK HAVEN —A Pennsylvania man says his emotional support alligator helps him deal with his depression. Joie Henney, 65, said his registered emotional support animal named Wally likes to snuggle and give hugs, despite being a 5-foot-long alligator. The York Haven man said he received approval from his doctor to...
In a surprise move, Pennsylvania is throwing the door open for industrial hemp production
In a surprising turn, Pennsylvania is throwing the door wide open for industrial hemp production — something the state, or the country for that matter, has not seen since before World War II. State Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said Tuesday that Pennsylvania submitted a plan to the Department of Agriculture...
Pitt Medical School leader transitions to research
A physician who led the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Medicine to national prominence in research circles announced Wednesday he is stepping aside from his post as senior vice chancellor for health sciences and dean of the School of Medicine. Pitt officials said Dr. Arthur S. Levine, who came to...
Pittsburgh Diocese opens compensation fund for sexual abuse survivors
Five months after a scathing grand jury report detailed rampant allegations of clergy sexual abuse in Catholics diocese across Pennsylvania, the Pittsburgh Catholic Diocese has begun accepting compensation claims from clergy sexual abuse survivors. Church officials said they began reaching out this week to inform survivors who notified the church...
Pennsylvania drivers can bring documents to PennDOT to pre-verify for ‘REAL ID’
Pennsylvania drivers are getting information in the mail about pre-verifying for “REAL ID.” The identifications, in the form of a new driver’s license or photo identification card, will be available this spring, according to the postcard PennDOT spokesman Steve Cowan said the agency is sending to all customers. REAL ID-compliant...
Body found encased in frozen Pa. pool
NEW HOPE — Police say a body was found incased in ice in a pool in Pennsylvania. Authorities say the body was discovered Tuesday at a business in New Hope. Police say the body had to be cut from the pool, and they are investigating the victim’s identity and cause...
Philly apartment building fire injures 3, residents flee into cold
A fast-moving fire at a Philadelphia apartment building left three people injured and sent residents fleeing into the bitter cold. The fire in the six-story building broke out around 11:30 p.m. Monday. Firefighters soon arrived and saw flames shooting out of a third-story unit. The building’s fire alarm system alerted...
Former Pa. Sen. Harris Wofford, activist who helped Kennedy win, dies at 92
Harris Wofford, a Democratic senator from Pennsylvania, university president and lifelong crusader for civil rights who made a crucial contribution to John F. Kennedy’s slender victory in the 1960 presidential contest, died Jan. 21 at a hospital in Washington. He was 92. The cause was complications from a fall, said...
Penn State launches center to study campus Greek life
Penn State, which came under fire following the Feb. 2017 death of 19 year-old Timothy Piazza in an alcohol-fueled fraternity pledge event, is opening a research center to study Greek life on college campuses. University officials Tuesday pledged $2 million toward the creation of the Timothy J. Piazza Center for...
Man who pleaded guilty to slaying teen brother gets parole
YORK — A man who pleaded guilty to stabbing his younger brother to death when they were teenagers two decades ago has been granted parole. Thirty-five-year-old Zachary Witman will be eligible for release beginning May 21 following Friday’s decision in York County. The Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole cited...
To protect concrete from road salt, Drexel engineers have an odd idea: bacteria
If past years are any indication, trucks will spread 900,000 tons of salt on Pennsylvania’s state roadways this winter, lowering the melting point of snow and ice to the point where some of it turns into harmless liquid. Their counterparts in New Jersey will disgorge an additional 300,000 tons. Great...
Emotional support alligator offers comfort, sharp teeth
YORK, Pa. — On a recent Monday afternoon, Joie Henney walked into the Glatfelter Community Center at the Village at Sprenkle Drive, an assisted-living development north of York, with his emotional support animal on a leash. He walked by an elderly woman sitting on a bench by a window, reading...
Man gets 10 to 20 years in death of Lock Haven woman missing since 1991
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. — A man has been sentenced to 10 to 20 years on a murder conviction in the disappearance a quarter-century ago of a woman whose body has never been found. Senior Lycoming County Judge Kenneth Brown sentenced Loyd Groves in Clinton County Thursday to the maximum term...
Recalled Johnsonville pork patties may contain rubber
Wisconsin-based Johnsonville, LLC, has recalled more than 48,000 pounds of flavored raw pork patties because they may be contaminated with black rubber. The frozen ground pork patties, packaged in 24-ounce cartons, are labeled “Johnsonville Grillers Cheddar Cheese & Bacon Flavor.” Produced on Sept. 27 and Oct. 17 and 18, they...
Perdue recall: Those chicken nuggets may contain wood
Georgia-based Perdue Foods has recalled more than 68,000 pounds of ready-to-eat frozen chicken nuggets that may be contaminated with wood. The recall applies to 22-ounce plastic bags of gluten-free Perdue Simply Smart Organics breaded chicken breast nuggets with a “best by” date of Oct. 25, 2019. The bags, which bear...
Jurors convict man in Temple University student slaying
PHILADELPHIA — A man was convicted of murder and sentenced to life without possibility of parole Thursday in the slaying of a 22-year-old Temple University student. Jurors convicted Joshua Hupperterz of first-degree murder and possession of an instrument of crime in the death of Jenna Burleigh. He earlier pleaded guilty...
Tom Marino resigning from Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation for private-sector job
HARRISBURG — Tom Marino, a five-term Republican congressman who helped steer Donald Trump’s successful presidential campaign in Pennsylvania, said Thursday that he is resigning just days into a new term. In a statement, Marino said his last day will be Jan. 23 and that he is taking a job in...
