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Pennsylvania category, Page 51

Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
Police say Altoona man killed neighbor, lived with the corpse for 3 days
An Altoona, Blair County, man is under arrest after police say he killed his neighbor and then lived with the corpse for three days. According to WTAJ, police were called to an apartment along Eighth Avenue around 3:49 p.m. Wednesday for a report of a robbery involving Raymond Oechsle Jr.,...
Landmark bill in fight against breast cancer headed to Gov. Shapiro’s desk
Landmark legislation is on its way to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s desk that represents a major step forward in the fight against breast cancer and is a sign that bipartisanship is possible in Pennsylvania’s divided General Assembly. The House on Wednesday voted 200-0 to pass a bill that won unanimous support...
Pa. House passes bill officially recognizing Diwali
The state House nearly unanimously passed a bill Wednesday to officially recognize Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights celebrated in the fall. State Rep. Arvind Venkat, D-McCandless, introduced the bill and celebrated its passing. Venkat is the first Indian-American representative in Pennsylvania state House history. “This legislation is important in...
Gun control measures advance in Pennsylvania state House
HARRISBURG — Democrats advanced four gun-control bills in Pennsylvania’s state House of Representatives on Wednesday after years of a virtual standstill on legislation amid a politically divided government. The bills passed through committees on party lines. They could go before the full House as early as next week. The measures...
Tuition discounting by private colleges and universities reaches new high
Sticker prices at private colleges may be sky high, but what many students actually pay has been lower as those schools aggressively compete by dangling deep tuition discounts. Now, a new study finds that for the first time, entering and returning undergraduates at those schools, on average, are paying less...
Pa. House passes 4th bill on child sex abuse lawsuit window
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Tuesday passed — for the fourth time this year — a measure that would open up a window in the commonwealth’s statute of limitations in order to allow survivors of childhood sexual abuse a two-year legal window to file suit. House Bill 1 —...
Bill allowing counties to process mail ballots early clears 1st hurdle in Pa. House
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 — After years of advocacy and political deadlock, Pennsylvania counties could be a step closer to getting more time to...
Switch to Pa.’s corporate filing system led to backlog and longer waits for business owners
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 — Business owners trying to register new companies in Pennsylvania faced unusually long waits this winter, after the state switched...
House committee passes anti-discrimination bill for LGBTQ Pennsylvanians
The Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee approved a bill Monday that would add sexual orientation and gender identity to the state’s nondiscrimination law, a step forward in what was described as a two-decade effort to codify rights for LGBTQ people in the state. The legislation, House Bill 300, is a fundamental...
DuBois official’s corruption arrest puts consolidation with Sandy Township at risk
This story first appeared in Talk of the Town, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA’s State College regional bureau featuring the most important news and happenings in north-central Pennsylvania. Sign up for free here. SANDY TOWNSHIP — The arrest of DuBois City Manager Herm Suplizio in March on corruption charges...
Affordability remains top issue for Pa.’s state-related universities during budget process
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 regional newsletter, Talk of the Town. HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s four state-related universities are asking the legislature for a long-awaited budget increase,...
As Pitt imposes ticket limit on graduation ceremony, some worry that family will be left out
The April 19 message sent to University of Pittsburgh students readying for graduation Sunday began routinely enough: “We are very excited that so many graduates will be joining us at the universitywide commencement ceremony on April 30, ” it read. Then came the next sentence, posted in bold: “Due to...
Pa. House panel advances election reform bill that makes ballot secrecy envelopes optional
Legislation that would give counties a seven-day head start on getting ballots ready for tabulating and require voters be given the chance to correct minor issues to ensure their ballot gets counted won passage by a state House committee on Monday. The bill, sponsored by House State Government Committee Chairman...
2 events featuring controversial right-wing speakers at Penn State are canceled
An April 24 event featuring self-proclaimed professional troll Alex Stein, who gained headlines last summer for sexually harassing U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, was canceled by the organizing student group after the university said it could not accommodate a “last-minute request” to change the date or the speaker. An April 20...
Erie’s view of the 2024 solar eclipse will be exceptional. It’s also going to cost you.
This story first appeared in PA Local, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA taking a fresh, positive look at the incredible people, beautiful places, and delicious food of Pennsylvania. Sign up for free here. Next year, an army of people will descend on Erie to don mail-ordered glasses and watch...
Pennsylvania state lawmaker involved in single-vehicle alcohol-related crash
A state lawmaker was involved in an alcohol-related crash late Tuesday evening in Huntington Township, Adams County, according to state police. State Rep. Torren Ecker, 37, of New Oxford, was traveling south on State Route 94, a hilly two-lane rural road that connects Carlisle and Hanover, when his car drifted...
EPA agrees to make Pennsylvania cut Chesapeake Bay pollution
BALTIMORE — Pennsylvania must minimize its outsized role in polluting the Chesapeake Bay, according to a proposed settlement agreement announced Thursday that would subject the state to increased oversight from federal environmental officials. The agreement comes after other jurisdictions in the bay’s watershed — Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and the District...
Former Pennsylvania Congressman Bud Shuster dies at 91
HARRISBURG — Former U.S. Rep. Bud Shuster, an influential Republican lawmaker who strongly backed transportation projects but ran afoul of ethics guidelines, has died. He was 91. Shuster died peacefully at his farm Wednesday in Everett, Bedford County, surrounded by his family, including his son, Bill Shuster, who succeeded his...
Fulton County sanctioned over copying 2020 voting machine data
HARRISBURG — A Pennsylvania Republican-majority county government where two commissioners secretly allowed a third party to copy voting-machine data last year to help former President Donald Trump overturn his 2020 reelection defeat received contempt sanctions Wednesday from the state’s highest court. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled against Fulton County commissioners...
Sen. John Fetterman posts video trolling body-double conspiracy ‘fringy fringies’ 
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman is back on Capitol Hill and back on social media, trolling conspiracy theorists who claimed last month that he had a body double. Tuesday evening on his non-official Senate Twitter account, Fetterman posted a short video referring to the “fringy fringies” and their conspiracy theory targeting...
Charges put focus on Jehovah’s Witnesses’ handling of abuse 
YORK HAVEN — A Pennsylvania grand jury in recent months accused nine men with connections to the Jehovah’s Witnesses of child sexual abuse in what some consider the nation’s most comprehensive investigation yet into abuse within the faith. The sets of charges filed in October and February have fueled speculation...
Expecting more than $1B in opioid settlement money, Pa. grapples with policing versus treatment
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 historic settlement to resolve claims against opioid companies is expected to bring Pennsylvania more than $1 billion, but...
Pennsylvania to restrict ‘tranq,’ animal sedative linked to overdoses
HARRISBURG — States are increasingly looking to restrict access to an animal tranquilizer showing up in supplies of illicit drugs and contributing to a growing number of human overdose deaths. Pennsylvania’s governor said Tuesday that his administration will add xylazine to the state’s list of controlled substances, tightening regulations on...
Printing error forces Pennsylvania county to replace ballots
HARRISBURG — Elections officials in a central Pennsylvania county were scrambling on Monday to fix an error on more than 18,000 mail-in ballots for the spring primary, when voters will elect judges for the state Supreme Court and other positions. Late last week someone noticed that the ballot for Superior...
Court tosses Gov. Wolf suit against voter ID, abortion amendments
HARRISBURG — A Pennsylvania court on Monday dismissed a challenge to how lawmakers have bundled together five potential state constitutional amendments, including one regarding abortion, on grounds the legal dispute was not ripe for the judges’ review. The five-judge Commonwealth Court panel said judges were not passing judgment on the...


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