Pennsylvania category, Page 37
Bill would give teachers Pa. tax credit for out-of-pocket classroom costs
Alexa Kutch, like many teachers, has made a habit of buying things for her classroom — from posters to decorate the walls to lamps for softer lighting and other items to spruce up her space. She said it helps create an environment conducive to learning, particularly since her classroom has...
Oldest living conjoined twins, Lori and George Schappell, die at 62
READING — Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, according to funeral home officials. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died April 7...
Voting rights groups appeal ruling that directs Pa. to reject undated mail ballots
This article is made possible through Spotlight PA’s collaboration with Votebeat, a nonpartisan news organization covering local election administration and voting. After a court defeat, Pennsylvania voting rights organizations are trying to convince a larger group of federal appellate judges that the state shouldn’t be allowed to reject mail ballots...
GOP lawmakers offer alternative to Gov. Shapiro’s higher ed plan
Senate and House Republican lawmakers have crafted a college affordability plan that seeks to make Pennsylvania more competitive for both in-state and out-of-state students in high-demand fields in exchange for a requirement that they remain in the state after graduation. The Grow PA proposal introduced on Wednesday also establishes a...
Pennsylvania’s $10M student teacher stipend program to launch
Anyone planning to do their student teaching in 2024-25 better set their alarms on Thursday to be ready around 9 a.m. when applications for stipends through Pennsylvania’s new $10 million Student Teacher Support Program become available. The stipends will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. The process begins with...
Why independents can’t vote in the 2024 Pa. primary, and the slow-moving push to change that
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 — Millions of voters are expected to cast ballots during Pennsylvania’s April 23 primary, choosing candidates to represent the Democratic and Republican parties in...
3 shot and 5 in custody after gunfire disrupts Philadelphia Eid event, police sayVideo
PHILADELPHIA — A joyful celebration of the end of Ramadan devolved into panic Wednesday in Philadelphia after rival groups exchanged gunfire, leaving at least three people injured and hundreds of parents and children to flee in search of safety. The annual Eid al-Fitr event, held outside a large mosque in...
Marijuana legalization measure fails in central Pa. borough
A small central Pennsylvania borough on Tuesday night rejected a measure that would have decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana. The North York Borough Council upheld a veto by the mayor, who had opposed the measure from the beginning and last month vetoed it immediately after council had approved...
Pennsylvania makes a push to attract and approve carbon capture wells
HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania state Senate on Tuesday approved legislation aimed at helping the nation’s No. 2 natural gas-producing state attract carbon capture projects and enable federally-funded hydrogen hubs, but critics say the bill lacks important safeguards. The Republican-penned bill lays out a framework for how Pennsylvania would regulate underground...
Pennsylvania poised to become the next state to ban using a handheld device while driving
Pennsylvania is on its way to becoming the next state to ban the use of handheld cellphones while driving. The House of Representatives on Tuesday voted 124-77 to approve an amended version of a Senate-passed bill championed by Sen. Rosemary Brown, R-Monroe County, that would make it illegal for a...
Pa. Supreme Court hears debate on gun-industry immunity in lawsuit over Mt. Pleasant boy’s death
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Tuesday heard argument on whether a federal law that protects gun manufacturers from civil liability prohibits a Westmoreland County family from suing the company whose gun killed their teenage son. The case turns on the court’s interpretation of the federal Protection of Lawful Commerce in...
Pa. House committee to consider bill setting electric vehicle fee to start at $125
Pennsylvania’s electric vehicle owners would pay an annual fee to help make up for lost gas tax revenue that goes toward maintaining the state’s roads and bridges under a bill to receive consideration by a legislative committee Monday. The legislation, sponsored by the House Transportation Committee Chairman Ed Neilson, D-Philadelphia,...
Morning Roundup: Pa. Turnpike Commission warns of E-ZPass scam; Jagr bobblehead update
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Monday, April 8: Pa. Turnpike Commission warns of E-ZPass scam The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is warning E-ZPass customers about a phishing scam targeting users with text messages asking for personal financial information. The texts say they’re from “PA Turnpike...
Penn State trustee scolded for making ‘spectacle’ in push to name football field after Joe Paterno
This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. Sign up for our north-central Pa. newsletter, Talk of the Town, at spotlightpa.org/newsletters/talkofthetown. STATE COLLEGE — Leaders of Penn State’s Board of Trustees recently admonished...
Donald Trump to hold rally in Lehigh Valley next week
Former President Donald Trump is set to return to the Lehigh Valley next weekend for a campaign rally as he seeks a second term in the White House. A rally has been scheduled for the Schnecksville Fire Hall on Old Packhouse Road in North Whitehall Township at 7 p.m. April...
Raccoon attacks Hersheypark guests in roller coaster line
Two Hersheypark goers were sent to the hospital last week when a raccoon attacked guests while they were waiting in line for a roller coaster on opening day. In a video posted on TMZ, guests who were waiting in line for the SooperDooperLooper were seen running away and screaming in...
Harrisburg couple sues Catholic school after teacher cuts Black girl’s hair in class
The parents of an 8-year-old Harrisburg girl who lost a 20-inch section of hair when a teacher cut it off without their permission have filed a lawsuit against St. Margaret Mary Catholic school. The lawsuit, filed by Julia and Darin Smith in January against the school at 826 Herr Street,...
Summer Lee is Pennsylvania’s most progressive representative in Congress and its only Democrat facing a primary fight
NORTH IRWIN — U.S. Rep. Summer Lee stood with Republican and Democratic elected officials in Westmoreland County, holding an oversized check symbolizing federal dollars to rebuild a bridge, where behind her there was instead, a gaping hole. “We’re not just delivering asphalt and concrete,” Lee said in the small town...
DA plans to seek death penalty against man charged with killing 3 relatives in suburban Philadelphia
FALLSINGTON — Pennsylvania authorities said Wednesday they plan to pursue the death penalty against a man charged with killing his stepmother, sister and the mother of his children before officials say he fled in a stolen vehicle to New Jersey, where he was arrested last month. Andre Gordon Jr. appeared...
Biggest cicada rise in decades set for eastern U.S.
Trillions of evolution’s bizarro wonders, red-eyed periodical cicadas that have pumps in their heads and jet-like muscles in their rears, are about to emerge in numbers not seen in decades and possibly centuries. This time, however, Western Pennsylvania will be spared. Crawling out from underground every 13 or 17 years,...
She’s a high schooler and an IUP student. State system finds success with dual admission strategy
Ella Fleming’s stomach sank when she walked into her first class at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. After all, Fleming was 16. Not to mention, she was almost two years shy of finishing high school during that initial class last fall. “I was absolutely terrified,” said Fleming, of Armstrong Township, Indiana...
Pennsylvania hunters harvest more than 400K deer for 2nd year in a row, game commission says
No matter how you look at it, 400,000 is a lot of deer and Pennsylvania hunters have harvested at least than many in each of the past two years. According to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, deer hunters took 430,010 whitetails during the most recent season, up 2% from 2022-23, when...
Democrats open Philly headquarters as Biden campaign boosts staffing across Pennsylvania
PHILADELPHIA — President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign and the Pennsylvania Democratic Party say they’re staffing up early in southeastern Pennsylvania and concluded a swing through the state with a rally at a new Philly headquarters on Saturday. National campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez, who led a public event in Philadelphia...
Pennsylvania’s minimum wage battle is being led by Philly and its suburbs, with officials fighting for $15 per hour
With new leadership in Philadelphia and the surrounding counties, there’s a new spirit of collaboration. And they’re using it to pressure the state to raise the minimum wage. Twelve Democratic leaders and two Republicans from Southeastern Pennsylvania, home to almost half of the state’s population, are working together to lobby...
All 3 of John Fetterman’s top communications staffers have resigned in the past month
There’s been some serious turnover in Sen. John Fetterman’s office, The Philadelphia Inquirer has learned. In the last month, all three of Fetterman’s top communications staffers have left Capitol Hill. Nick Gavio, who was deputy communications director, will leave the office at the end of March to take a new...
