Got to Category

Pennsylvania category, Page 54

Pope Francis, first Latin American pontiff, dies at 88
$9.25 million settlement announced in 2020 protest lawsuits
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia officials announced a $9.25 million settlement Monday with hundreds of people over several lawsuits challenging the police response to the protests and civil disorder in 2020 after George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police. Officials said the money will be distributed among 343 plaintiffs in...
Central Pa. school board rejects ‘Addams Family’ musical
A Central Pennsylvania school board last week voted against allowing high school students to perform “The Addams Family” musical next year, according to WITF. School directors debated for about 30 minutes before the majority concluded that the musical promotes bad values and is inappropriate for families, the news outlet reported....
Opponents of Saturday deer opener cite negative economic, social impacts
A few years ago, Randy Santucci’s deer hunting season would begin at a leisurely pace once Thanksgiving was over. “People would start trickling into camp on Saturday, we’d do a campfire Saturday night, my brother would fly in from South Carolina with a bunch of dove breasts from hunting, and...
Pa. delegation pushes to end opioid treatment co-pays, saying many people thwarted by cost
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey this week introduced a bill that would lower costs for people who need drug addiction treatment. Another Pennsylvania Democrat, U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean, said she would introduce a similar bill in the U.S. House. What would the bills do? Mainly, they would eliminate insurance deductibles and...
Pa. woman mauled to death while caring for neighbor’s dogs, coroner says
A woman who went to her neighbor’s Perry County home to feed their dogs while they were out of town was mauled to death by the pets, authorities said. Two Great Danes killed Kristen Potter, 38, of New Bloomfield, around 5 p.m. Thursday on the 700 block of Clouser Hollow...
Pa. woman whose wheelchair was shoved down stairs by Mercyhurst student athletes lost legs in car wreck
A 22-year-old Erie woman who lost both of her legs in a car crash in 2021 owned the wheelchair that was shoved down a flight of stairs by Pa. college student athletes at a bar Saturday night, PennLive has found. Sydney Benes, who has a TikTok account under the name...
Pa. prosecutors call Jerry Sandusky’s latest appeal ‘variations on a theme’
State prosecutors have sized up Jerry Sandusky’s latest appeal of his conviction on a battery child sex abuse charges, and they say it amounts to little more than a variation on a theme “that has already been thoroughly explored, litigated, reviewed and rejected.” For that reason, the prosecutors said, Judge...
Penn State president says cuts will be deeper than anticipated as leaders finalize layoff plans
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. STATE COLLEGE — A Penn State administrator directed university leaders representing nearly all departments to...
Gov. Shapiro’s NCAA bracket pits Pitt vs. Penn State in Sweet 16
It’s a bold prediction. One only a Pennsylvania governor could dream up. Right there in his Sweet 16 round, Gov. Josh Shapiro has Pitt meeting Penn State in this year’s NCAA Tournament. The governor shared his bracket Wednesday on social media. It's the best three weeks in basketball, Pennsylvania.Take a...
Bill seeks to move Pa. firearms deer season opener back to Monday
As the debate around the timing of the opening day of the Pennsylvania’s firearms deer season continues, a Lehigh Valley legislator has joined the ranks of those considering moving the opener back to its traditional Monday after Thanksgiving. Last week, state Sen. Lisa Bosola posted a legislative memo looking for...
Pa.’s ‘Most Wanted’: How do Pennsylvania State Police decide who makes the list?
Five are wanted for killing or trying to kill someone. One, a suspected rapist, police have been trying to apprehend since 1998. Police say they’ve committed crimes against people in the commonwealth’s biggest cities, as well as in small towns like Meadville or in suburban Chester County. And now they...
Invasive species are a ‘scourge’ in Pa., report says
Pennsylvania has been hit with a slew of invasive species over the years, from spotted lanternflies colonizing Pittsburgh bridges to emerald ash borers destroying the state’s timber stock. In a report released Monday, the Pennsylvania Governor’s Invasive Species Council recommends a statewide response to tackle the threat of invasive species,...
New Pa. Lt. Gov. Austin Davis fires 2 employees touted as ‘success stories’
As one of his first official acts, Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Austin Davis fired two employees who had been touted as prime examples of successful second chances. Davis, however, is refusing to take responsibility for the firings. Davis, a McKeesport native, fired George Trudel, 56, and Naomi Blount Wilson, 72, from...
Pa. hospital’s revoked property tax exemption is ‘warning shot’ to other nonprofits, expert says
This story first appeared in The Investigator, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA featuring the best investigative and accountability journalism from across Pennsylvania. Sign up for free here. HARRISBURG — A Commonwealth Court judge recently revoked a Southeastern Pennsylvania hospital’s property tax exemption and denied appeals regarding three others, decisions...
Determining if someone is mentally fit for trial in Pa. often traps them in the place making them worse — jail
This story is a collaboration between Spotlight PA and the Pittsburgh Institute for Nonprofit Journalism, published as part of a Pittsburgh Media Partnership project. Sign up for Spotlight PA’s free newsletters here. Rachel Bridgeman thought she could hear God. Locked in the Allegheny County Jail, she slid from reality. The...
Philadelphia state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta announces bid for auditor general
State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta announced on Thursday he will be vying for the Democratic nomination for state auditor general in 2024. Standing outside the Pennsylvania Capitol, the 32-year-old Philadelphia lawmaker said he is running to take back the office that had been in Democratic hands for 24 years until 2020...
Former Pa. Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar to join Pitt as visiting scholar
Former Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar is joining the University of Pittsburgh as a visiting scholar and adjunct professor, campus officials announced Thursday. She will work in Pitt’s Institute for Cyber Law, Policy and Security and also teach as an adjunct in the university’s School of Law. Boockvar’s work will...
How much do Pa. government workers make? More are seeing $200K+ pay
From candy to cars, the price of everything is going up — and that includes government salaries. PennLive’s annual roundup of six-figure earners in Pennsylvania state government attracts a lot of attention — and criticism. Now, with membership in this once-exclusive “club” growing so large — approaching 12,000 employees in...
Senate OKs Shapiro picks for attorney general, police chief
HARRISBURG — Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro’s nominees for attorney general and state police commissioner won unanimous approval from Pennsylvania’s Republican-controlled Senate on Wednesday — a smooth landing for his top two public safety appointees. Michelle Henry, a career prosecutor from Bucks County before becoming Shapiro’s top deputy at the attorney...
Advocacy group says higher ed funding in Shapiro’s proposed budget shows ‘appalling neglect’
A Pennsylvania group that advocates for public education says it is “deeply disappointed and concerned” by Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed funding support for state-owned universities in his first proposed state budget. Shapiro’s 2% increase includes neither the funding that system leaders sought to freeze tuition for a fifth straight year...
Pa. lawmaker Mike Zabel quits amid sex harassment allegations
HARRISBURG — A Pennsylvania state lawmaker submitted his resignation letter Wednesday, a week after a union lobbyist accused him by name of having sexually harassed her four years ago. Democratic Rep. Mike Zabel of Delaware County said in the letter to Democratic Speaker Joanna McClinton that his resignation will take...
State university scholarship initiative not included in Shapiro’s budget, nor is aid sought to freeze tuition
Leaders of Pennsylvania’s state-owned universities said boosting Commonwealth funding by 3.8% to $573.5 million would enable them to consider freezing tuition across the 85,000-student system for a fifth straight year this fall. But when Gov. Josh Shapiro on Tuesday unveiled his proposed state budget for 2023-24, he included about half...
Speaker Joanna McClinton sets vote during May primary to fill House vacancy
HARRISBURG — A special election to fill a state House vacancy in a Republican-leaning district was scheduled on Tuesday to take place during the May primary. Democratic Speaker Joanna McClinton of Philadelphia announced that the vote to succeed former Rep. Lynda Schlegel Culver will take place on May 16. Schlegel...
Shapiro’s $44.4B budget pitch keeps Pa. spending relatively flat, preserves some pandemic benefits
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 — In his first budget proposal as Pennsylvania’s chief executive, Gov. Josh Shapiro is calling for $1 billion in new...
16 Pa. GOP female lawmakers call on Democratic Rep. Mike Zabel accused of sexual harassment to resign
Pressure continues to mount on a Delaware County Democratic Rep. Mike Zabel to resign in the wake of the sexual harassment accusations leveled against him with the latest call for him to step down coming from a group of 16 House Republican lawmakers. In a letter sent on Monday to...


Editor's Picks

Front Porch Theatricals’ musical ‘Baby’ is a labor of love

Washington townhouse on the market for $1,225,000
Folk legend Bruce Cockburn gives uplifting performance at City Winery
‘Champagne & Chapeaux’: Westmoreland Symphony’s annual soiree for a good cause
Jimmy Stewart’s P-51 Mustang stops in hometown for museum anniversary
More Editor's Picks >