Pennsylvania category, Page 35
American river otter returns to Pa. watershed after 100-year absence
An American river otter has been spotted in the Ridley Creek watershed after more than a century of absence. Ridley Creek is a tributary of the Delaware River in Chester and Delaware counties near Philadelphia. The otters have returned to the headwaters of the creek in southeastern Chester County. “This...
Penn State branch campuses will offer faculty, staff buyouts
Penn State University is offering eligible faculty, staff and administrators on its 20 Commonwealth campuses the option to leave their jobs with a lump sum payment and benefits. The move comes as Pennsylvania’s flagship public university works to shrink a multimillion-dollar budget deficit. A number of its Commonwealth campuses, including...
Pennsylvania will make animal sedative xylazine a controlled substance
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro will sign legislation to criminalize the misuse of a powerful animal tranquilizer called xylazine that is showing up in supplies of illicit drugs and contributing to a growing number of human overdose deaths, his office said Wednesday. Xylazine, which is being mixed into fentanyl...
Pennsylvania sees fewer mail ballots rejected for technicalities, a priority for election officials
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania election officials said Wednesday that the number of mail-in ballots rejected for technicalities, like a missing date, saw a significant drop in last month’s primary election after state officials tried anew to help voters avoid mistakes that might get their ballots thrown out. The success of the...
Pa. House Republicans want to investigate DA Larry Krasner over handling of state Rep. Kevin Boyle’s withdrawn warrant
HARRISBURG — Top Republican leaders in the Pennsylvania House said Tuesday that they want the attorney general’s office to investigate how Philadelphia law enforcement bungled a now-withdrawn arrest warrant for state Rep. Kevin Boyle just days before April’s primary election — and whether their actions violated the state’s election laws....
Pennsylvania Senate approves GOP’s $3B tax-cutting plan, over objections of top Democrats
HARRISBURG — Republican lawmakers on Tuesday advanced legislation for a $3 billion tax cut, their just-unveiled counterproposal to Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro ‘s budget plan as each side offers a competing vision for how to use a massive cash surplus sitting in the state treasury. The tax legislation cutting taxes...
Cumberland Valley school director resigns over ‘30 Rock’ actor being allowed to speak to students
Cumberland Valley School director Brian Drapp has resigned his school board seat over the district’s handling of a middle school assembly featuring author/actor Maulik Pancholy. But in an interview Tuesday with PennLive, he said that issue is really a symptom of deeper problems with the board’s operation. “I believe you...
Beaver Stadium renovation plan set for vote by Penn State trustees this month
Penn State’s Board of Trustees will hold a meeting on May 21 to vote on approving the Beaver Stadium renovation plan. The Board of Trustees will meet via conference call at 10 a.m. in an executive session. The board’s committee on Finance, Business and Capital Planning will then hold a...
Where Pennsylvania has lost Democrats since 2008, and what it means for November
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. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — For the first time in at least 16 years, the Democratic and Republican parties in Pennsylvania are...
Crews search central Pa. waterways for Pittsburgh area woman police say was killed
The search for a missing Western Pennsylvania woman last seen in the Harrisburg area and deemed a homicide victim was concentrated Friday along two creeks in northern York County. Susquehanna Township police sent out a thank you via Crimewatch on Monday that expressed “its sincere gratitude for the agencies, organizations,...
Pa. Senate Republicans propose ‘historic’ tax cut to counter Democrats’ desire to spend more
Senate Republicans are proposing a historic tax cut for Pennsylvanians that includes taking the personal income tax back to 2003 levels and lower electric bills. An amendment offered Monday afternoon to a bill granting a tax credit to volunteer emergency medical technicians was approved on 11-5 party-line vote by the...
How often does Gov. Josh Shapiro use Pennsylvania’s state plane?
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. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — The two-engine, eight-seat Beechcraft King Air 350i took off from a small regional airport across the Susquehanna...
Experts say there is no evidence of avian flu strain in Pennsylvania
A strain of avian flu that has infected cattle elsewhere in the United States hasn’t been found in Pennsylvania. But even if it does arrive locally, experts said it won’t affect the meat or milk supply and will likely only cause a cold for cattle. “It poses no issue in...
Penn State trustees advance proposed property sales involving Behrend, Harrisburg campuses
Property zoned for college housing at Penn State University’s Behrend campus near Erie may gain new life as a church, while a Penn State Harrisburg building could be going to that city’s school district. A panel of Penn State trustees endorsed both real estate divestitures Thursday as board members began...
Remains of child found in duffel bag in Philadelphia neighborhood identified as missing boy
A decomposed body found earlier this year in a duffel bag in Philadelphia has been identified as a 4-year-old boy who authorities say was beaten to death. The body of Damari Carter was found March 18 in the city’s Mantua neighborhood by a worker who was cleaning out an alleyway....
Pa. Senate Republicans pass bill allowing certain energy projects to bypass administration
The Pennsylvania Senate on Wednesday passed a bill that would overhaul elements of the commonwealth’s energy development system — a move hailed by the Republican majority as a way to attract more investment but decried by Democrats as an attempt to skirt environmental regulations. The bill, which passed on a...
Democrats advance election bill in Pennsylvania long sought by counties to process ballots faster
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a bill long sought by counties seeking help to manage huge influxes of mail-in ballots during elections in the presidential battleground state and to avoid a repeat of 2020’s drawn-out vote count. The bill comes barely six months before Pennsylvania could...
Top Pa. Game Commission official resigns amid questions over side business
The Pennsylvania Game Commission has a new executive director this week after the agency’s former head resigned abruptly on Monday after issues were raised by commissioner members and lawmakers about his business dealings with employees. Bryan Burhans, who served as its executive director since 2017, was replaced by deputy executive...
Pennsylvania moves to join states that punish stalkers who use Bluetooth tracking devices
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania took a step Tuesday toward becoming the latest state to punish someone for using a Bluetooth-connected device to track someone without their permission. The state House of Representatives voted 199-1 to approve legislation that would make using a tracking device to secretly track another person part of...
Pa. priest accused of stealing $40K for Candy Crush, other phone games
Police have accused a Catholic priest in Montgomery County of stealing over $40,000 from a Chester County parish in order to fund his addiction to cell phone games. The Rev. Lawrence Kozak, 51, of Pottstown, has been charged with theft and related crimes, according to reports from 6ABC and the...
Pa. bill to ban live pigeon shoots advances for first time in a decade
A bill to end the practice of captive pigeon shoots — cruel contests that involve the slaughter of hundreds of birds at close range — cleared the state House Judiciary Committee on Monday. Bill sponsor Rep. Perry Warren, D-Bucks County, called the legislation “progress” in addressing an issue that has...
Boy, 16, who died as a result of racial incident phoned his dad as he ran from classmates
By all accounts, Orville Johnson was building a better life for his son in America. The family hailed from Jamaica, arriving here about two years ago. Johnson built up his HVAC business. And he specifically chose the Central Dauphin School District for 16-year-old Justin because it was ‘the best,” a...
Thousands of employees at federal contractors do not have whistleblower protections despite 2013 law
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. As she read the memo explaining why she was being fired, Kierra Varcos felt her cheeks burn and blood pound in her ears. She had...
Casey, McCormick agree to 3 debates across Pa. in U.S. Senate race
With the primary election just barely in the rearview mirror, the candidates for Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate wasted no time in thinking ahead to November. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey announced Thursday he wants to participate in three debates this fall. Casey, of Scranton, proposed holding debates in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia,...
With Democrat Janelle Stelson’s win, analyst dials back chances for GOP to hold Rep. Perry’s seat
On the heels of Janelle Stelson’s win on Tuesday as the Democratic challenger to GOP U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, a well-known political forecaster has slightly downgraded Perry’s chances of victory in November. Kyle Kondik with University of Virginia political science professor Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball said this week he was...
