Pennsylvania category, Page 55
A Pennsylvania study suggests links between fracking and asthma, lymphoma in children
HARRISBURG — Children who lived closer to natural gas wells in heavily drilled Pennsylvania were more likely to develop a relatively rare form of cancer, and nearby residents of all ages had an increased chance of severe asthma reactions, researchers said in reports released Tuesday evening. The taxpayer-funded research by...
Philadelphia teen accused of buying and testing bomb-making materials in support of foreign terror group
PHILADELPHIA — A 17-year-old from West Philadelphia has been charged with buying and testing bomb-making materials in support of a foreign terrorist group, state and federal authorities announced Monday. The teen, whom prosecutors declined to name because he is a juvenile, was arrested Friday at his home in the Wynnefield...
David McCormick is gearing up for a Senate run in Pennsylvania. But he lives in Connecticut
WASHINGTON — David McCormick had a clear explanation for why his fellow Republican, Dr. Mehmet Oz, lost a critical Pennsylvania Senate seat last year: Voters viewed the daytime television celebrity as an interloper from New Jersey with limited ties to the state he hoped to represent. “People want to know...
Hershey Chocolate World evacuated due to bomb threat
Hershey Chocolate World evacuated its building due to a bomb threat reported at around 3:30 p.m. Friday, according to officials. Security officials from Chocolate World called Dauphin County 911 dispatchers to report the threat, according to Jennifer Fitch, press secretary for Dauphin County. Fitch said the popular tourist destination was...
Former Pa. corrections officers’ union leaders charged with theft
Five former leaders of Pennsylvania’s corrections officers’ union have been charged with theft after police say they stole union funds by using credit cards for personal expenses and conspiring to conceal their actions. The men were charged in a Harrisburg court last month following a financial crimes investigation led by...
Penn State gender pay gap is among worst compared to public Big Ten schools, federal data show
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. STATE COLLEGE — Penn State is facing at least one allegation of wage discrimination, while salary data show the university’s gender pay gap is among...
Harris says new rule means ‘thousands of dollars’ for workers on federal construction projects
PHILADELPHIA — Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday announced changes to labor rules that could give higher wages to construction workers on federal projects. In a speech in Philadelphia, Harris said the Labor Department has provided the first update in decades to the Davis-Bacon Act of 1931, a law that...
In Penn Hills visit, Shapiro announces Universal Free Breakfast Program for Pa. public school students
Gov. Josh Shapiro visited Penn Hills Elementary School on Tuesday to announce a new program to provide universal free breakfast to all public school students in Pennsylvania. The free-breakfast program was part of a $567 million increase in education funding for the state’s public school districts in the recently signed...
Vehicle crashes onto Pa. home’s roof; police say it was intentional
Pennsylvania State Police said a crash on Sunday that ended with a car stuck into the roof of a house was intentional. The one-vehicle crash happened around 3:15 p.m. on Alfrata Road in Decatur Township in Mifflin County. Police have charged the driver 20-year-old driver Evan Miller with aggravated assault,...
Property tax and rent rebate program will soon serve more older Pennsylvanians
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Thousands more older and disabled Pennsylvanians will qualify for help from a landmark state property tax rebate program, after...
Survivor of fatal Pa. bus crash describes chaos, heroism after it turned over
HARRISBURG — A passenger bus carrying up to 50 people crashed and hit another vehicle on a Pennsylvania interstate, killing three bus passengers, state police said. The wreck happened during heavy rain around 11:50 p.m. Sunday on southbound Interstate 81 just north of Harrisburg, state police said. The bus drove...
3 killed in bus crash on Pennsylvania Interstate 81
HARRISBURG — Authorities have released the names of two of three people killed in a bus crash on a Pennsylvania interstate near the commonwealth’s capital city. The Dauphin County coroner’s office said Tuesday that 39-year-old Alioune Diop of the Bronx, N.Y., and 26-year-old Serigne Ndiaye, whose residence is unknown, died...
Free speech group says Penn State’s funding cut to student newspaper suggests lack of support for free expression
A group that advocates for speech and press freedoms is criticizing Penn State University’s decision to eliminate funding for its student newspaper, The Daily Collegian, saying the cut suggests the university does not truly support free expression. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression registered its concerns in a letter...
Pennsylvania man bitten on the head by bear during attack in his garage
DANVILLE — A Pennsylvania man says he’s paying a lot more attention to his surroundings after a surprise attack by a bear in the garage of his home. John Swartz, 60, and his wife Lori, 59, were watching TV at their home outside Danville on the evening of July 27...
Penn State works to trim deficits that have placed it in ‘vulnerable state,’ president says
A plan to phase out funding for The Daily Collegian over the next two years is part of a broader financial belt-tightening to address deficit spending at Penn State and its branch campuses. “As an institution, we have been spending more money each year than we bring in, which has...
Western Pennsylvania senator caught calling Philly firefighter a vulgar name apologizes laterVideo
The latest shot in the cross-state rivalry between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh is a Western Pennsylvania state senator’s insult aimed at a City of Brotherly Love firefighter. According to The Keystone, which first reported the incident, Republican state Sen. Devlin Robinson, who represents Robinson Township, used a vulgarity to describe PA...
6 months after East Palestine train derailment, Congress deadlocked on new rules
WASHINGTON — Congress responded to the fiery train derailment in eastern Ohio early this year with bipartisan alarm, holding a flurry of hearings about the potential for railroad crashes to trigger even larger disasters. Both parties agreed that a legislative response was needed. Yet, six months after life was upended...
Gov. Shapiro signs Pa. budget, scratches out $100 million for tuition vouchers
Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a new state budget Thursday, putting to rest the worst fears over a budget stalemate that could cost Pennsylvanians access to critical safety net programs and send cash-strapped school districts scrambling for dollars to open for the new school year. The crisis was averted through a...
Pennsylvania anglers advised to catch, kill invasive Northern Snakehead fish
An invasive fish found in Pennsylvania fresh waters has made the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission advisory list. In a release Wednesday, the agency said anyone reeling in a Northern Snakehead in Pennsylvania should report their catch and dispose of the fish. The advisory applies to the lower Susquehanna River...
GOP group set to air anti-Trump ads in Pa. as post-indictment pressure ramps up
One of the nation’s biggest anti-Trump groups is poised to launch a six-figure advertising campaign Thursday in four swing states — including Pennsylvania — in response to the former president’s indictment on efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The Republican Accountability Project said Wednesday it will be running the ad...
Officials say urban search and rescue task force for Pittsburgh area badly needed
After Pittsburgh’s Fern Hollow Bridge collapsed into a ravine one snowy morning in 2022, it took hours before authorities could confirm that no one had been killed or trapped beneath the rubble. Pennsylvania’s only urban search and rescue team with dogs trained to locate victims of structural collapses is based...
More teachers are quitting their jobs. Educators of color often are more likely to leave
HARRISBURG — Rhonda Hicks could have kept working into her 60s. She loved teaching and loved her students in Philadelphia’s public schools. As a Black woman, she took pride in being a role model for many children of color. But other aspects of the job deteriorated, such as growing demands...
Murrysville Rep. Cooper proposes pay suspension for Pa. legislators if they don’t pass budget on time
The longer the Legislature goes without passage of a budget for Pennsylvania, the more likely it is that services which depend on its annual funding appropriations will be disrupted. State Rep. Jill Cooper, R-Murrysville, is of the mind that legislators should be feeling that same disruption. “By law, we’re supposed...
PennDOT seeks applicants for Young Ambassadors program
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is seeking applicants entering grades 10 to 12 for its Youth Ambassadors of Pennsylvania program. Youth ambassadors help instill civic responsibility and pride by helping to keep Pennsylvania clean and beautiful. It also provides opportunities to train and network with industry leaders, state agencies, local...
Biden administration rolls out new income-driven student loan repayment program
Students hoping to reduce or even eliminate their remaining student debt can now enroll online in the Biden administration’s new income-driven student loan repayment plan called Saving on a Valuable Education, or SAVE. It may take some patience, though, because the website application containing the SAVE enrollment option — active...
