Pennsylvania category, Page 47
Vote to name PennWest interim president to lead West Chester University could happen this month
PennWest University interim President Lorraine “Laurie” Bernotsky is one vote away from being named the next president of West Chester University in suburban Philadelphia, effective in July. The State System of Higher Education board of governors is expected to call a special meeting this month to select the 16th president...
New Pa. House rules sought to strengthen bipartisanship, but insiders say they didn’t work
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 — During the chaotic start to this year’s legislative session, Pennsylvania House Democrats used their new majority to pass a high-profile set of changes...
Pa. adult club owner files $11M lawsuit against borough, officials
PORTAGE — The owner of a Portage Borough adult entertainment club is suing the borough and 10 officials for $11 million. Club owner Gary Vaughn is suing the borough of Portage, all five council members, Mayor Robert Fox, Borough Manager Robert Koban and two police officers, claiming a borough ordinance...
Gov. Shapiro rebukes Philadelphia protesters for chanting outside Israeli restaurantVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Protesters marching in Philadelphia against the bombardment of Gaza chanted about genocide Sunday outside an Israeli-style restaurant, leading Gov. Josh Shapiro to call the demonstration “antisemitic.” In Philadelphia’s Center City and University City neighborhoods, hundreds of people marched to criticize Israel’s military actions in Gaza, The Philadelphia Inquirer...
Man suspected of shoplifting stabs 2 security guards at Philadelphia store, killing 1
PHILADELPHIA — A man who had tried to steal merchandise from a department store in Philadelphia returned 15 minutes later and stabbed two security guards, killing one and injuring the other, city police said. The attack at the Macy’s store occurred shortly after 11 a.m. Monday. Security guards saw the...
Tracking Josh Shapiro’s 11 biggest campaign promises through his 1st year
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 — During his run for governor, Josh Shapiro was boosted by his reputation as a deal-making coalition-builder. That standing ran into a different reality...
Billboards thanking John Fetterman for his support of Israel are circling Pennsylvania Society events in N.Y.
NEW YORK — LED trucks thanking Sen. John Fetterman for his support for Israel are driving around midtown Manhattan this weekend during Pennsylvania Society, the annual glitzy gatheringof the state’s political establishment. The digital billboards have a photo of Fetterman next to an Israeli flag and say, “Thank you Senator...
Prisoner escapes from Pa. correctional facility while on work detail: reports
Police are currently searching for a man who escaped from a Philadelphia correctional center on Thursday. Gino Hagenkotter, 34, was an inmate at the Riverside Correctional Facility, located in the Holmesburg section of the city. He was serving a sentence for drug and theft charges, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer....
Congressmen ask DOJ to investigate water utility hack, warning it could happen anywhere
HARRISBURG — Three members of Congress have asked the U.S. Justice Department to investigate how foreign hackers breached a water authority near Pittsburgh, prompting the nation’s top cyberdefense agency to warn other water and sewage-treatment utilities that they may be vulnerable. In a letter released Thursday, U.S. Sens. John Fetterman...
With generous benefits, Pa. lawmakers could be second best compensated in nation
The base salary of Pennsylvania’s 253 state legislators is the third highest in the nation behind New York and California, but when benefits are added, it likely pushes them into second place. Legislators are eligible for lifetime medical benefits and retirement benefits unlike their counterparts in California but still trail...
With GOP ‘failing’ to win over Pa. voters on mail-in ballots, conservative group launches ambitious plan
Frustrated by state and national Republican efforts to tout mail-in voting, a conservative Pennsylvania group is launching an initiative to personally reach half a million likely GOP voters in 2024. Citizens Alliance of Pennsylvania CEO Cliff Maloney, a Delaware County native and national Republican operative, on Wednesday announced the Pennsylvania...
Charges dismissed against 3 emergency management supervisors in 2020 death
WAYNESBURG — A judge has dismissed all charges against three Western Pennsylvania emergency management supervisors who had been accused of obstructing an investigation into an emergency dispatcher accused of failing to send an ambulance to the rural home of a woman who died of internal bleeding about a day later....
Can Pennsylvania police search my phone during a traffic stop? Here’s what the law says
If you’re driving in Pennsylvania, you might find yourself pulled over by police for a number of reasons. But what happens if law enforcement officers try to look through your cellphone? When you’ve been pulled over, you might feel legally obligated to hand over your phone if a police officer...
Lawmaker helping lead impeachment of Philadelphia’s prosecutor will run for state attorney general
HARRISBURG — A state lawmaker who is helping lead the effort to impeach Philadelphia’s elected prosecutor on Tuesday became the newest candidate for Pennsylvania attorney general, an office that played a critical role in court defending Joe Biden’s 2020 victory in the presidential battleground. Rep. Craig Williams, a Republican who...
Man who wounded 14 in Pennsylvania elementary school with machete dies in prison 22 years later
HARRISBURG, Pa. — A man imprisoned since 2001 for attacking educators and students in a Pennsylvania elementary school with a machete, wounding 14, has died in prison. William Stankewicz died Monday, Pennsylvania prison officials said. He was 78. Stankewicz was found unresponsive in his cell at the State Correctional Institution...
Pennsylvania will require patient consent for pelvic exams by medical students
HARRISBURG — A new Pennsylvania law will require doctors to get a patient’s verbal and written consent before medical students can perform pelvic or rectal exams on someone who receives anesthesia. At a press conference Monday, supporters touted the recently enacted legislation, which goes into effect in January. Tracking how...
Pa. community colleges still waiting for state funding using loans, reserves to get by
Pennsylvania lawmakers who managed to pass a long-overdue appropriation for state-related universities before Thanksgiving left Harrisburg without doing the same for the state’s 15 community colleges. The appropriations for the 2024 fiscal year were due July 1 and are five months late. Some community college leaders say they have begun...
Delaware County’s top prosecutor becomes 5th Democrat to run for Pennsylvania attorney general
HARRISBURG — Jack Stollsteimer, the top prosecutor in heavily populated Delaware County, will run for Pennsylvania attorney general in 2024, seeking an office that played a critical role in court defending Joe Biden’s 2020 victory in the presidential battleground. Stollsteimer said he will make an official announcement Tuesday, joining a...
Republican ex-federal prosecutor in Philadelphia to run for Pennsylvania attorney general
HARRISBURG — Former federal prosecutor Katayoun “Kat” Copeland will run for attorney general of Pennsylvania in 2024, she said this week. Copeland, a Republican, recently left her job in the U.S. attorney’s office in Philadelphia ahead of announcing her candidacy for attorney general, the state’s top law enforcement official. The...
Northampton County official resigns as software issues persist during election audit
Following an election process steeped in controversy and software bugs, Northampton County’s administrative director resigned Friday, a news release from County Executive Lamont G. McClure says. The release from the county states Charles M. Dertinger, the county’s director of administrative director for the past six years, says, while the 2020,...
Feral hogs roaming into Pennsylvania from South pose threat to forests, agriculture
Feral hogs are 300-pound, 30 mile-per-hour rampaging, crop-eating machines and they are moving north into Pennsylvania. A recent study by outfitter Captain Experiences using data from the University of Georgia found that about three dozen hogs have been spotted in 14 Pennsylvania counties. An expert at Penn State told WJAC-TV...
Police say some 70 bullets fired in North Philadelphia shooting that left 2 dead, 5 woundedVideo
PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia police investigation into the shooting of seven men, including two who died, continued Wednesday but authorities said no arrests have been made. Several guns were recovered from the scene and police said at least 70 rounds were fired around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, leaving bullet holes in...
Automatic pay raise pays dividends, again, for top state officials in Pennsylvania
HARRISBURG, Pa. — A Pennsylvania law that delivers automatic pay raises for state officials will pay dividends next year for lawmakers, judges and top executive branch officials. The law will give more than 1,300 officials — including Gov. Josh Shapiro, 253 lawmakers and seven state Supreme Court justices — a...
Democrats who swept Moms For Liberty off school board fight superintendent’s $700,000 exit deal
PHILADELPHIA — A Pennsylvania school board that banned books, Pride flags and transgender athletes slipped a last-minute item into their final meeting before leaving office, hastily awarding a $700,000 exit package to the superintendent who supported their agenda. But the Democratic majority that swept the conservative Moms For Liberty slate...
Pennsylvania governor appeals decision blocking plan to make power plants pay for greenhouse gases
HARRISBURG — Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration said Tuesday that it is appealing a court ruling that blocked a state regulation to make Pennsylvania’s power plant owners pay for their planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions, even as the Democrat warned lawmakers to get to work on a better alternative. In a statement,...
