Pennsylvania category, Page 110
Justices take up Pennsylvania’s deadly force rules for cops
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania’s high court may soon decide whether state law on police use of deadly force during arrests gives officers too much leeway to take the life of a fleeing suspect. The state Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Tuesday on the question, which arose during the criminal...
Don’t get duped when donating to charity, Pa. officials warn
It’s the season of giving, and criminals often want to take advantage of donors’ generosity, according to Pennsylvania state government officials. The Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities and Pennsylvania Department of State are offering tips to help consumers make sure their contributions go to legitimate charitable organizations. Consumers can...
Reach Cyber partners with carpenters’ union to offer online carpentry programVideo
In recent years, school districts have made a stronger push to gauge student interest in trade careers, extolling the virtues of the region’s technical schools and the wide-open job market for skilled laborers. In Pennsylvania, one cyber charter school is looking to add some of those elements to its curriculum....
1st confirmed omicron case reported in Pennsylvania
PHILADELPHIA — Health officials reported the first confirmed case of the omicron variant in Pennsylvania on Friday, a man in his 30s from Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Department of Public Health announced the case in a news release. No other details were immediately available, including whether the man was vaccinated against...
Vaunted Pennsylvania Society weekend loses luster among politicos
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 — For years, Pennsylvania Society has been the marquee event for the state’s politicians and the well-heeled special interests that...
Harrisburg must pay disability benefits to cop who suffered ‘psychological injury’ when colleagues yelled at her: Pa. court
A former Harrisburg police officer is entitled to workers compensation disability benefits because she suffered a “psychological injury” when colleagues berated her for not firing her Taser at a suspect, a Commonwealth Court panel ruled Friday. The decision, outlined in an opinion by Judge Michael J. Wojcik, sinks an attempt...
GOP gubernatorial candidate Jake Corman lays out platform in Pittsburgh campaign stopVideo
State Sen. Jake Corman, a Republican candidate for governor, made a campaign stop in Pittsburgh on Thursday, using a former Pittsburgh mill site being redeveloped as a tech hub as a backdrop. Corman, 57, of Centre County, is in his sixth term in the state Senate, where he serves as...
The Pennsylvania Wilds is known for quiet, but some worry fighter jet training will disturb that
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 — A proposal that would allow military planes to fly training missions less than a quarter-mile above a section of...
Gov. Tom Wolf adds to mounting veto tally, kills permitless-gun bill
Gov. Tom Wolf followed through on his veto threat Thursday, rejecting Republican-penned legislation to allow people to carry a firearm openly or concealed, without a permit, adding to his total for Pennsylvania’s chief executive with the most vetoes in more than four decades. Wolf, a Democrat, called the bill “dangerous.”...
PIAA is subject to state open records laws, court rules
The Commonwealth Court on Tuesday said that Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association is subject to the state’s Right to Know Law. In a 28-page opinion, the appellate court said it is “undisputed” that the PIAA, which governs high school athletics, is a state-affiliated entity and therefore subject to providing information pursuant...
Dr. Oz calls Keystone State home as he ponders U.S. Senate bid
Dr. Mehmet Oz’s claim to residency in Pennsylvania may be both recent and tenuous, but that won’t keep him off the crowded GOP ballot of contenders seeking to replace U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey. The Associated Press reported that Oz, 61, a longtime New Jersey resident, is planning to announce his...
Lawsuit claims abuse, threats at Pennsylvania church farm
HARRISBURG — A federal lawsuit filed this month claims boys and young men at a church-related farm business in Pennsylvania were subjected to forced labor and punishment that included dragging chains and breaking up rocks with a hammer. The lawsuit by two former residents of Liberty Ridge, an 80-acre farm...
Gov. Tom Wolf will use computer-drawn maps and other tools to help spot Pa. gerrymandering
PHILADELPHIA — Pennsylvania’s new congressional map will help shape political power for a decade — and Gov. Tom Wolf is laying down some rules as it gets drawn. Wolf plays a key role in the decennial redistricting: The Republican-controlled state Legislature will draw a map, but Wolf, a Democrat, can...
Teen shot 18 times while waiting for bus in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA — A 14-year-old Philadelphia boy waiting for a bus to take him home from school was shot 18 times and killed Monday afternoon, police said. Samir Jefferson was waiting at a bus stop shortly before 3:30 p.m. Monday in a North Philadelphia neighborhood when two unknown shooters fired at...
Sources: Dr. Oz plans to run for Senate seat in Pennsylvania
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Dr. Mehmet Oz, the celebrity heart surgeon best known as the host of TV’s Dr. Oz Show after rocketing to fame on Oprah Winfrey’s show, is planning to run for Pennsylvania’s open U.S. Senate seat as a Republican, according to three people familiar with his plans. Should...
Pa. Latinos work to turn huge population gains into political muscle, but still face barriers
This article is part of a yearlong reporting project focused on redistricting and gerrymandering in Pennsylvania. It is made possible by the support of Spotlight PA members and Votebeat, a project focused on election integrity and voting access. LEHIGH VALLEY — Over the past five years, Victor Martinez has noticed...
Pa. House GOP leader diagnosed with breakthrough case of covid
Pennsylvania House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff, R-Centre County, is quarantining at home after being diagnosed with a breakthrough case of covid-19. Benninghoff, 59, who was fully vaccinated against the coronavirus earlier in the year, developed mild symptoms prior to the Thanksgiving holiday and got tested. On Monday, he received his...
Some states know a lot about vaccinated people who have gotten covid-19. Pennsylvania doesn’t
PHILADELPHIA — Each week in Oregon, state health officials produce a public report documenting how many people have contracted the coronavirus even after getting the vaccine, including data about their ages, races, the counties where they live, which covid-19 variants they caught and how sick it made them. That type...
Pa. deer hunter shot in the head, killed by young relative: coroner
A child hunting with family missed a deer and shot a 71-year-old man in the head, killing him. The tragedy happened around 10 a.m. Saturday in Jackson Township, Cambria County, as WJAC-TV in Johnstown reports. The victim is identified as 71-year-old William Tripp of Elizabethtown. Tripp was hunting with family...
Pennsylvania’s child care and staffing crisis, by the numbers
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 — As a roughly $2 trillion social spending plan moves through Congress, transformational change could be on the horizon for...
Boy fatally wounded in target shooting incident in Berks County
A 10-year-old boy was shot and killed on Thanksgiving Day while he was with someone who was target shooting in southeastern Pennsylvania, authorities said. The shooting occurred around 1:30 p.m. near the child’s home in Hereford, Berks County District Attorney John Adams said Friday. The boy was taken to a...
Staffing crisis at Pa. child care centers is upending family routines and slowing the economic recovery
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 — Baby giggles and occasional cries are supposed to spill from the infant room at The Willow School, where lyrics...
Grouse on the rise: State bird’s population showing improvement after devastation of West Nile virus
Pennsylvania’s state bird population is on an upward trend despite years of decline from West Nile virus. According to Lisa Williams, the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s division chief of wildlife diversity and former state ruffed grouse biologist, the combination of shortened hunting seasons and aggressive habitat work have helped boost grouse...
Wolf administration asks state Supreme Court to leave school mask mandate in place
The state attorney general’s office, in an expected move, has asked the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to keep intact the school mask mandate pending the outcome of litigation on the issue. The mandate is set to expire on Dec. 4 following an order by the state Commonwealth Court last week. “The...
Process of pending Pennsylvania election audit remains shrouded in secrecy
An Iowa-based firm that has never conducted an election review will delve into a forensic audit of Pennsylvania’s contentious 2020 general election results and this year’s May primary. How it intends to determine election integrity remains shrouded in secrecy. Steve Lahr, president of Envoy Sage LLC, on Tuesday declined to...
