Pennsylvania category, Page 26
Penn State taps consultant to assess academic programs
Penn State University has hired a consultant to help determine “if it is teaching the right courses in the right places,” given shifting enrollments and employer demand. Hanover Research, headquartered in Arlington, Va., is expected to begin work in early October on the university’s Academic Portfolio and Program Review (APPR)...
Democrats run unopposed to fill 2 state House vacancies in Philadelphia
HARRISBURG — Philadelphia voters on Tuesday will fill two vacant state House seats in special elections, and in both cases a Democratic candidate is the only person on the ballot. Keith Harris is seeking to replace Rep. Donna Bullock, while Andre Carroll is in line to succeed Rep. Stephen Kinsey....
Pennsylvania court rejects Cornel West’s bid to get on ballot and clears way for mail voting
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court on Monday upheld a lower court ruling that rejected a bid to get independent presidential candidate Cornel West on the ballot for the November election in the battleground state. The courts sided with the secretary of state’s office under Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro in rejecting...
Activists gain meeting with Kim Ward’s office over bill to ban foreign campaign money
Activists demanding campaign finance and lobbying reforms staked out the office of Pennsylvania’s state Senate leader on Monday — and got a commitment to meet with top legislative staff on a bill they hope will clear the chamber soon. Members of March on Harrisburg and other affiliated groups rallied at...
Statewide search for historic buildings finds thousands after a decades-long drought
This story first appeared in PA Local, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA taking a fresh, positive look at the incredible people, beautiful places, and delicious food of Pennsylvania. An army of contractors has spent the past several years quietly fanning out across Pennsylvania to find the history state records...
Gannon University looks to merge with Ohio college
Gannon University in Erie and Ursuline College near Cleveland intend to merge, creating what leaders say would be the largest Catholic university system in the Lake Erie region. Presidents of both institutions outlined the move to their campuses Monday. The plan is subject to review by both institutions. If approved,...
Canned cocktail sales expand among Pennsylvania retailers following liquor code reform
As of Monday, Pennsylvanians finally have what Gov. Josh Shapiro has called “real freedom” — the freedom to buy canned cocktails from a wider variety of retailers. Under bipartisan legislation (Senate Bill 688) signed by the governor in July, about 12,000 restaurants, bars, beer distributors, grocery stores and gas stations...
A cost-saving Pa. dental policy did the opposite, lawmakers, health advocates say
This story first appeared in The Investigator, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA featuring the best investigative and accountability journalism from across Pennsylvania. BELLEFONTE — To save money, in 2011 the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services curtailed most dental services for adults covered by Medicaid. Now, lawmakers and advocates are...
Pa. Supreme Court rules on mail-in ballot date errors, but it’s likely not the final word
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court dealt a blow Friday — at least temporarily — to Democrats and voting-rights groups on the critical issue of how to handle date errors on mail-in ballots. But the decision, which threw out a lower court’s ruling that it is unconstitutional to discard ballots with date...
Shapiro names members of State Board of Higher Education
Gov. Josh Shapiro named Friday the inaugural members of a new State Board of Higher Education, a key part of his college reforms intended to curb price hikes through better planning and avoiding unnecessary competition. The body includes members from each sector of postsecondary education, plus government, business, labor and...
Pa. Gov. Josh Shapiro will headline a reproductive rights rally for Kamala Harris campaign in Philadelphia
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro will kick off Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign’s “Fighting for Reproductive Freedom” bus tour at 11 a.m. Sunday morning in Philadelphia. The popular Democratic governor will headline the Old City event alongside Hadley Duvall, a Kentucky reproductive rights advocate whose stepfather sexually abused and impregnated her...
Debate was an ‘eye opener’ in suburban Philadelphia and Harris got a closer look
BRISTOL, Pa. — The presidential debate this week was the final affront to Rosie Torres’ lifelong Republicanism. She said her allegiance to Donald Trump, already strained by his stand on abortion, snapped in the former president’s “eye opener” encounter with Kamala Harris. It’s time to put “country before party,” Torres,...
WCCC, Penn State expand transfer options for students
Westmoreland County Community College students pursuing two-year degrees in 11 high-demand fields could have an easier path to a bachelor’s degree under an agreement inked with Penn State University. Specifically, the pact outlined this week by Penn State and WCCC covers 14 of the university’s 19 Commonwealth campuses statewide, a...
A Philadelphia officer has died of his injuries from a June shooting
PHILADELPHIA — A Philadelphia police officer has died of his wounds, nearly three months after being shot in the neck after stopping a vehicle while on duty, city officials said. Officer Jaime Roman, 31, who spent 80 days in intensive care without regaining consciousness, died Tuesday night. Roman leaves behind...
Outgoing State System chancellor tapped by firm for national role
State System of Higher Education Chancellor Daniel Greenstein will join the consulting firm Baker Tilly and its higher education advisory practice. Greenstein, 64, will lead initiatives that deal with fast-evolving needs of higher education institutions, “prioritizing improved student outcomes and long-term institutional sustainability by optimizing operations, aligning academic portfolios with...
Penn State alumni-elected trustee could be removed after committee reviews ‘conduct violation’
The Penn State board of trustees is set to vote on removing an outspoken alumni-elected trustee after a committee reviewed a potential code of conduct violation. During a special meeting of the Governance Committee Monday morning, members discussed a potential code of conduct violation by Trustee Barry Fenchak in an...
N.Y. man faces 50 charges in Hersheypark robbery, slashing
Police in Derry Township identified a man they believed slashed another person in the face with a knife after stealing a credit card from an unlocked car in the Hersheypark parking lot this summer, according to police. Huley Williams, of Brooklyn, N.Y., has been charged with 50 offenses, including robbery,...
Penn State seeks to add 800 students at its main University Park campus as branch campus enrollment sags
Penn State trustees plan a nearly $225 million addition to the university’s five-year capital plan to fund endeavors that include a new classroom building to support a planned 800-student expansion at University Park. The move from 9,200 to 10,000 incoming students is envisioned to take place over several years. Student...
Gov. Josh Shapiro joins ‘The View’ to discuss gun violence, antisemitism, fracking
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said he believes the parents of school shooters should be held liable for their child’s actions during an appearance on “The View” on Friday. Shapiro’s response came after cohost Sara Haines asked a question about whether or not the parents of the 14-year-old Apalachee High School...
Gov. Shapiro to appear on ‘The View’ to discuss the latest in the presidential race
Gov. Josh Shapiro will appear on ABC’s The View Friday morning in his role as one of the most vocal supporters of the Democratic Party ticket of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Shapiro will find himself in a comfortable setting on the show with the panel...
Pennsylvania voters can cast a provisional ballot if their mail ballot is rejected, court says
HARRISBURG — A court decided Thursday that voters in the presidential battleground of Pennsylvania can cast provisional ballots in place of mail-in ballots that are rejected for a garden-variety mistake they made when they returned it. Democrats typically outvote Republicans by mail by about 3-to-1 in Pennsylvania, and the decision...
Amish woman dies 18 years after being severely injured in deadly schoolhouse shooting
HARRISBURG, Pa. — A woman who was severely injured when a gunman killed five girls and wounded her and four other girls during an attack on their one-room Amish schoolhouse in Pennsylvania has died 18 years later, a funeral director said Thursday. Rosanna S. King, 23, died at her home...
GOP appeals date ruling on mail-in ballots to Pa. Supreme Court
The Republican National Committee and Republican Party of Pennsylvania are appealing a Commonwealth Court ruling that mail-in ballots with incorrect or missing dates on their outer envelopes should be counted. The appeal to the state Supreme Court was expected. It is being fast-tracked, like all elections cases this year. Whatever...
Pa. GOP narrows gap in registered voters with election 2 months out
HARRISBURG — The 2024 presidential election is two months away and, in Pennsylvania, Republicans continue to shrink the margin by which Democrats lead in registered voters. Democrats had 350,341 more registered voters compared to Republicans as of Monday, according to this week’s data update from the Department of State. That...
Trump heads to Pennsylvania as polls show toss-up with Harris
Former President Donald Trump headed to Harrisburg on Wednesday for a town hall forum as new polls show a toss-up race with Vice President Kamala Harris in the crucial Keystone State. Trump will interact with voters at the Fox News event hours after a new poll of battleground states showed...
