Pennsylvania category, Page 51
Pennsylvania counties tell governor, lawmakers it’s too late to move 2024’s primary election date
HARRISBURG — Counties in Pennsylvania have told Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro and lawmakers that it is too late to move up the state’s 2024 presidential primary date if counties are to successfully administer the election. In a letter, the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania said there is no longer enough...
Fetterman takes swipes at lawmakers, talks hoodies and health scare in ‘Late Show’ appearance
Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. John Fetterman took some swipes at his colleagues in Washington, D.C., during a Wednesday appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” The interview included discussions about his health issues and the challenges facing the United States. Oh, and confirmation that he’s “a Sheetz guy.” Wearing his...
Penn State spars with conservative activist over whether campus event was booked correctly
Penn State says a conservative activist did not appear for a speech on campus because her event was not booked properly, although the speaker’s representatives suggested the university was using this as cover for preventing the event out of political concerns. Riley Gaines made waves among conservative press outlets after...
Pennsylvania universities are still waiting for state subsidies. It won’t make them more affordable
HARRISBURG — Four of Pennsylvania’s universities are plugging budget gaps while they await hundreds of millions of dollars in aid that has been snarled in a partisan dispute among lawmakers in a state that has one of the nation’s most abysmal records for funding higher education. Education advocates argue that...
Fatal Indiana County shooting marks 540th mass incident this year, according to gun violence group
White Township joined the likes of Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Harrisburg as communities struck by a mass shooting when gunfire erupted early Sunday morning at a party at the Chevy Chase Community Center. One person died and at least eight others were wounded in a chaotic scene that state police described...
Witnesses to FBI hunt for Civil War gold in Elk County dispute its story
PENFIELD — In the heart of Pennsylvania elk country, Eric McCarthy and his client, Don Reichel, woke before sunrise to scour the forest for so-called “brown gold,” a rack of freshly shed antlers to add to Reichel’s collection. One hill over, a team of FBI agents also was hunting for...
Some see presidential aspirations in Gov. Josh Shapiro’s school voucher support
HARRISBURG — In the partisan politics of education funding, the school choice movement has pressed states for decades to send taxpayer money to private and religious schools and long had to concentrate its efforts on states where a Republican governor was an ally. That suddenly changed over the summer. Pennsylvania...
Police issue arrest warrant for 19-year-old acquaintance in death of Philadelphia journalist
PHILADELPHIA — Police said Friday that they have issued an arrest warrant for a 19-year-old acquaintance in the death of a Philadelphia journalist who went from sleeping on the street to working for the mayor to writing urgent columns on the city’s most pressing social issues. Josh Kruger, 39, was...
Gov. Shapiro offers first public remarks about the sexual harassment claims involving a former top aide
Gov. Josh Shapiro on Thursday voiced his commitment to a “healthy, safe, professional work environment” for employees who work for his administration as he struggles to address a sexual harassment complaint involving a former top aide. Shapiro, in his first public remarks about the matter, declined to comment directly about...
Pennsylvania chocolate factory fined for failing to evacuate before fatal natural gas explosion
WEST READING — A Pennsylvania chocolate factory was fined more than $44,000 by the federal workplace safety agency on Thursday for failing to evacuate before a natural gas explosion that killed seven people. R.M. Palmer Co. did not heed warnings from employees about a natural gas leak, according to the...
Pennsylvania could go after lottery winnings, tax returns of turnpike toll scofflaws
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s state Senate unanimously approved legislation Wednesday that would authorize the Department of Revenue to go after the lottery winnings and income tax returns of turnpike toll scofflaws. The bill now goes to the House of Representatives. The Associated Press reported in 2021 that an internal study by...
3 Philadelphia officers injured in shooting after dispute about video game, police say; suspect dead
PHILADELPHIA — Three Philadelphia police officers responding to a home where people were arguing about a video game were wounded in a shootout Wednesday evening, authorities said. Acting Police Commissioner John Stanford told reporters the suspect was killed. The officers were taken to an area hospital, where they were in...
Aggravated assault charges filed in case of Philly motorcyclist seen smashing in back of woman’s carVideo
PHILADELPHIA — A man accused of being the motorcyclist seen smashing in the back of a woman’s car while her two young children were inside near Philadelphia’s City Hall and then waving a gun at her after she confronted him has been charged with multiple counts of aggravated assault. Prosecutors...
Attack ads and millions of dollars flow into race for Pennsylvania Supreme Court seat
HARRISBURG — Spending in the campaign for an open Pennsylvania state Supreme Court seat is picking up, with millions of dollars flowing into the race as the sides sharpen their attacks over questions about ethics and abortion rights. The race between Democrat Dan McCaffery and Republican Carolyn Carluccio won’t change...
Penn State suspends fraternity over alleged hazing incident
A Penn State University fraternity has been suspended for four years following an investigation into an alleged hazing incident. The sanction imposed on the Delta Theta chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity runs through fall 2027. Details of the incident were not released by the university. The fraternity chapter was...
Bail set at $3M for Penn State student charged with vehicular homicide in State College crash
BELLEFONTE — Centre County’s top judge set bail at $3 million Wednesday for a Penn State student charged with vehicular homicide in the death of a fellow student who was killed while jogging near the University Park campus. Centre County President Judge Jonathan Grine’s ruling gave Ahmed M. Alqubaisi, 20,...
Pa. bill would allow cities to crack down on illegal dirt bikes, ATVs
State legislators from Pennsylvania’s urban areas are hoping a bill that would allow cities to pass their own, stricter rules regarding dirt bikes and ATVs will help curb the problem of off-road vehicles ridden by thrill-seekers on city streets. The Pennsylvania House passed the bill Monday with a bipartisan 160-43...
Pennsylvania House proposes April 2 for presidential primary, 2 weeks later than Senate wants
HARRISBURG — Most Pennsylvania lawmakers want to move their state’s presidential primary election up from late April, but disagreements arose in the House on Tuesday over whether to embrace a Senate-backed plan that would shift the election to mid-March. A House committee first rejected, but later passed, a bipartisan Senate...
Pa.’s ‘snot otter’ gets prime spot on new state license plateVideo
The official state amphibian, despite its slimy appearance and a name — and nicknames — that can make young kids snicker, now appears on a Pennsylvania license plate. License plates featuring the Eastern Hellbender — aka the snot otter and Allegheny alligator — are now available for sale through PennDOT...
Philadelphia journalist who advocated for homeless and LGBTQ+ communities shot and killed at home
PHILADELPHIA — A journalist and advocate who rose from homelessness and addiction to serve as a spokesperson for Philadelphia’s most vulnerable was shot and killed at his home early Monday, police said. Josh Kruger, 39, was shot seven times at about 1:30 a.m. and collapsed in the street after seeking...
Ward rips Shapiro over handling of sexual harassment complaint against top aide
Pennsylvania Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward lashed out at Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration Monday over its handling of a sexual harassment allegation made by a female worker against a top aide of the governor. Ward, R-Hempfield, said it was “unacceptable” that Mike Vereb, Shapiro’s secretary of legislative affairs, remained...
Pa. court says state-owned universities violated pact by cutting faculty without discussion beforehand
Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Court has issued a split opinion in a case with implications for faculty cuts imposed at 10 state-owned universities since 2021 and any future professor layoffs. In an opinion that partly affirmed an arbitrator’s earlier decision, the court said Friday that the State System of Higher Education failed...
Pennsylvania governor’s voter registration change draws Trump’s ire in echo of 2020 election clashes
HARRISBURG — Donald Trump has a familiar target in his sights: Pennsylvania’s voting rules. He never stopped attacking court decisions on mail-in ballots during the covid-19 pandemic, falsely claiming it as a reason for his 2020 loss in the crucial battleground state. Now, the former Republican president is seizing on...
Does the 2010s stink bug invasion hold any spotted lanternfly lessons?
Tracy Leskey remembers when the brown marmorated stink bug became “explosively invasive” in the early 2010s. “We had significant crop losses, some homeowners had thousands trying to overwinter in their houses,” said Leskey, a research entomologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Appalachian Fruit Research Station in West Virginia. Leskey...
Pitt trustees OK $100 million in campus renovations
University of Pittsburgh trustees on Friday elected a new chairman, received their first full report from Chancellor Joan Gabel on university progress and approved $100 million in campus building renovation projects. Board members meeting in the William Pitt Union in Oakland also encountered protests. They ranged from a boisterous but...
