Pennsylvania category, Page 29
Former Pennsylvania Gov. Mark Schweiker sees no justice in 9/11 prisoner plea deal
For more than 20 years, former Pennsylvania Gov. Mark Schweiker has been a conduit for information and healing for the families of the 33 passengers of United Flight 93, all of whom were killed on Sept. 11, 2001 in the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil. In many ways, Schweiker...
Pennsylvania man accused of beheading father in their home is competent to stand trial, judge rules
DOYLESTOWN — The man accused of beheading his father in their suburban Philadelphia home early this year and posting a video of the severed head online is competent to stand trial, a judge ruled Thursday. The decision by Judge Stephen Corr came after a five-hour hearing in which prosecutors and...
Trump draws thousands to Harrisburg rally only weeks after Western Pa. shooting: ‘I’m thrilled to be back’
Former President Donald Trump returned to Pennsylvania on Wednesday for a campaign rally in Harrisburg, unleashing a stream of attacks on the presumptive Democratic candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris. It marked the first time since the July 13 attempt on his life during a rally at a fairgrounds in Butler...
Next stop could be White House for ‘dynamic’ Shapiro
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro told graduates at his college alma mater last year he might not have ventured into politics if he hadn’t failed a science test and been cut from the basketball team during his freshman year. “I planned to be the first doctor to get drafted by the...
By the dozen, accusers tell of rampant sexual abuse at Pennsylvania juvenile detention facilities
A group of nearly 70 people alleged Wednesday they were sexually abused as children while housed in detention centers in Pennsylvania, adding to earlier lawsuits targeting what the accusers’ lawyers say is the state’s broken juvenile justice system. The latest group of plaintiffs filed suit in state or federal court...
Man shot to death outside mosque as he headed to pray was a 43-year-old Philadelphia resident
PHILADELPHIA — A man shot and killed outside the Philadelphia mosque where he was headed for a prayer service was identified by police on Wednesday as a 43-year-old resident of the city. Police and the district attorney’s office said they had no new information about what motivated a man in...
Have a gripe about your flight? Pa. AG launches online aviation complaint form
Pennsylvania travelers facing issues such as flight delays, cancellations or boarding problems now can file complaints through an online form launched Wednesday by the state Attorney General’s Office. Attorney General Michelle Henry said a national uptick in consumer complaints prompted her to act. State residents and travelers who experience airline...
Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman recovering from covid-19 in Braddock
HARRISBURG, Pa. — U.S. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania said he is recovering from covid-19 at home. Fetterman said in a statement Tuesday that he was at his home in Braddock, just outside Pittsburgh, recovering and missed the day’s votes in the Senate. That included the Senate’s 91-3 passage of...
Former President Donald Trump campaigns in Harrisburg
Just over two weeks ago, former President Donald Trump, the Republican candidate for president, survived an assassination attempt while campaigning in Pennsylvania. Trump will be back in the state today, his first campaign visit here since the shooting. People were camped out at the rainy Farm Show Complex overnight ahead...
Pennsylvania casinos ask court to force state to tax skill games found in stores equally to slots
HARRISBURG — The owners of 12 Pennsylvania casinos have asked the state’s highest court to declare that a tax on slot machine revenue is unconstitutional because the state doesn’t impose it broadly on cash-paying electronic game terminals known as skill games that can be found in many bars and stores....
Harris campaign said she would not ban fracking, reversing past pledge
Vice President Kamala Harris will not seek a ban on natural gas drilling, or fracking, if elected, according to a statement from her campaign. “She would not ban fracking,” the Harris campaign said in a statement to TribLive. The statement comes as a reversal of Harris’ past comments on fracking....
Shapiro was set to endorse Harris for president in 2019. Will she want him on her ticket now?
When Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president last week, it wasn’t the first time. A little-known political fact of Harris’s first run for the Democratic nomination in the 2020 campaign cycle is that then-Pennsylvania Attorney General Shapiro offered his endorsement of Harris’s first presidential bid...
National GOP to spend $1 million toward Ryan Mackenzie in race vs. Susan Wild
State Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, who is running to unseat U.S. Rep. Susan Wild in the Lehigh Valley’s hotly contested 7th District congressional race, is one of a handful of Republican candidates selected to a National Republican Congressional Committee program, which will spend upward of $1 million to elect him. Mackenzie,...
Pennsylvania congressman chosen to lead House task force investigating Trump assassination attempt
WASHINGTON — A Pennsylvania congressman who witnessed the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump firsthand will lead the House task force charged with investigating what went wrong and recommending solutions to help ensure such an attack doesn’t happen again. Republican Rep. Mike Kelly represents Butler County, where the July...
Bill adds free-speech protection against frivolous ‘SLAPP’ lawsuits
A new state law provides some additional free-speech protection to Pennsylvania citizens and groups who find themselves in court after criticizing powerful interests, such as real estate developers or political figures. House Bill 1466 was signed into law July 17 by Gov. Josh Shapiro, protecting free speech on public-sector issues...
Court tells governor’s office to reveal more details about why it hired private law firms
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. HARRISBURG — A three-judge Commonwealth Court panel has directed the governor’s office to reveal key details about why it spent tens of thousands in public...
Inside Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s support for private school vouchers
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is being eyed as a potential Democratic vice presidential nominee, but with that attention has come intense scrutiny of...
6,300 University of Pittsburgh staffers gain chance to join Steelworkers union
For University of Pittsburgh staff who watched as 3,400 faculty colleagues gained collective bargaining rights a few years back, what’s coming in the mail soon represents their own moment of choice. The Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board will oversee another union election at Pitt. This time, it’s for 6,300 staff. Ballots...
Sen. Ward says she will work to ensure potential Democratic presidential ticket including Shapiro loses
State Sen. Kim Ward, R-Hempfield, pledged to try to avoid becoming Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor — something that would happen should Gov. Josh Shapiro leave office before his term ends. “I’m going to fight as hard as I can to make sure I don’t become lieutenant governor … that it never...
Trump announces 1st Pennsylvania rally since assassination attempt
Former President Donald Trump has announced his first rally in Pennsylvania since the July 13 assassination attempt at a rally in Butler Township. Trump will return to the state for a July 31 rally at the New Holland Arena in Harrisburg. Trump sustained an injury to his ear after shooter...
Gabrielle Giffords stumps for Kamala Harris in Pennsylvania as campaign for running mate takes shape
PHILADELPHIA — Gabrielle Giffords, the former Democratic congresswoman who was grievously wounded in a 2011 shooting in her Arizona district, took to the campaign trail Thursday for Vice President Kamala Harris, as Harris’ nascent presidential campaign gets off the ground and a parallel campaign to be Harris’ running mate takes...
Listeria outbreak linked to deli meat includes Pennsylvania
A listeria outbreak linked to deli meat has affected 12 states — including Pennsylvania, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Two people have died, and there have been at least 28 people infected, the CDC said. No recalls have been issued. “Investigators are collecting information to determine...
Pa. Democrat leaders talk up Shapiro as VP pick
Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Austin Davis said Tuesday if the state’s chief executive is tapped to run as the Democrats’ nominee for vice president — and wins — he would be ready to step in for Gov. Josh Shapiro. “As the lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, I know I have a job...
Antisemitism runs rampant in Philadelphia schools, Jewish group alleges in civil rights complaint
The Philadelphia school district has failed to protect Jewish students from “a virulent wave of antisemitism” that swept through classrooms after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, according to a federal complaint filed Tuesday. The district, among the largest public school systems in the U.S., has ignored persistent harassment and...
Chancellor of State System of Higher Education announces resignation
Daniel Greenstein, chancellor of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education, is resigning this fall after a transformative six-year tenure that saw controversial campus mergers, a historic jump in state university funding, and no tuition increases. Greenstein notified the system’s Board of Governors on Monday of his intention to leave, effective...
