Pennsylvania category, Page 4
Blight fight bill would create statewide database of scofflaw property owners
Absentee and out-of-state property owners who acquire real estate as an investment might have little interest in their tenants or the quality of their homes. State Rep. Brandon Markosek, D-Monroeville, said such a site can impact an entire neighborhood if it isn’t addressed quickly. His House Bill 1062, which passed...
No injuries when fire erupts at Philadelphia transit lot filled with decommissioned buses
PHILADELPHIA — A fast-moving fire erupted early Thursday at a transit bus lot in Philadelphia and burned dozens of decommissioned vehicles, sending a thick plume of black smoke into the sky but causing no injuries. The fire did not impact the morning commute. The cause of the blaze remains under...
Man accused of shooting stranger after bumping into her in Harrisburg remains on the loose
Police are looking for help in finding a 24-year-old man accused of shooting a stranger after bumping into her in downtown Harrisburg last month. Donnell Rhodes Jr., of Harrisburg was charged May 29 in connection with a shooting that injured a 22-year-old woman in the early hours of May 10...
New Pennsylvania law bans handheld cellphone use while driving. What to know
A new Pennsylvania law aimed at cracking down on distracted driving is set to go in effect Thursday, one that could lead to citations for what have become common driving behaviors. Paul Miller’s Law makes it illegal to use a handheld cellphone while driving. Texting while driving has been illegal...
John Fetterman loses another top staffer in Senate office
Another top aide is leaving U.S. Sen. John Fetterman’s staff. The departure of chief of staff Krysta Sinclair Juris, first reported by Axios, is the latest in a string of departures from the Braddock Democrat’s office staff. “I’m grateful for Krysta’s work. She’s been an invaluable member of the team...
Federal uncertainty complicates Pa. budget haggling over transit, education
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. HARRISBURG — Competing priorities and possible federal cuts to Medicaid are complicating negotiations as top Pennsylvania lawmakers attempt to hammer out a budget deal by...
Police: Lancaster County man cut off Labradoodle’s injured leg with scissors, refused vet care
A Lancaster County man was charged with animal cruelty when police say he used scissors to cut off the leg of an injured Labradoodle. Stephen L. Stoltzfus, 45, told police his 4-year-old female dog got injured by a hay machine blade, so he cut the remainder of her leg off...
Fetterman, McCormick find common ground on many issues, split on budget plan
U.S. Sens. John Fetterman and Dave McCormick have found common ground on a number of key issues during their first five months working together in Washington, but they acknowledge it’s unlikely they’ll agree on President Trump’s budget plan. Fetterman, D-Braddock, and McCormick, R-Pittsburgh, appeared together Monday at a forum in...
To prevent blackouts, Trump administration keeps an aging Pa. power plant online through summer
HARRISBURG — The Department of Energy has ordered another power plant, this time an oil and gas plant in Pennsylvania, to keep its turbines running through the hottest summer months as a precaution against electricity shortfalls in the 13-state mid-Atlantic grid. The department’s order to the grid operator, PJM Interconnection,...
Ex-Pennsylvania judge gets prison term for shooting, wounding her ex-boyfriend as he slept
HARRISBURG — A former magistrate judge in Pennsylvania convicted of shooting and wounding her ex-boyfriend in the head as he slept has been sentenced to 13 1/2 to 30 years in prison. Sonya McKnight was convicted last month on attempted homicide and aggravated assault charges. She resigned her post during...
A man charged in a 2013 Pennsylvania campus sex assault hires a lawyer to review possible plea deal
GETTYSBURG — An American who was extradited from France this year to face allegations of a 2013 campus sexual assault after the accuser went public with her story hired a private lawyer to review a potential plea deal, lawyers in the case said in court Thursday. Ian Cleary, 32, of...
Pa. is the last state to elect poll workers. Local officials say they’re short thousands of candidates
This article is made possible through Spotlight PA’s collaboration with Votebeat, a nonpartisan news organization covering local election administration and voting. Pennsylvania voters went to the polls last week to help carry on a centuries-old practice that no other state does: elections to choose their election workers. “It was a...
Sen. John Fetterman says his mental health struggles have been ‘weaponized’ against him
Facing increasing scrutiny about his mental health and ability to perform his job, U.S. Sen. John Fetterman said he has been unfairly shamed into showing up for Senate votes and public hearings that he believes are a waste of his time, according to a New York Times article. The first-term...
Gov. Josh Shapiro blasts House Republicans for ‘ripping away’ Medicaid, SNAP from Pennsylvanians
PHILADELPHIA — Lashing out at Republicans for proposing to “rip away” Medicaid and SNAP benefits from Pennsylvanians, Gov. Josh Shapiro said Friday the commonwealth would be unable to replace lost funding for those programs should President Donald Trump’s so-called big, beautiful bill become law. “The impact of what they’re doing...
Ex-Philadelphia officer convicted of manslaughter, not murder, in traffic stop shooting
PHILADELPHIA — A former Philadelphia police officer who shot and killed a motorist during a traffic stop has been acquitted of murder charges by a jury that did convict him of voluntary manslaughter and related counts. Mark Dial could face up to six years in prison when he’s sentenced in...
Pennsylvania legislators vow no tax increases to cover federal funding cuts
With about five weeks remaining before the deadline to pass a state budget, legislators are in the dark as to how the proposed cutbacks in federal spending will impact Pennsylvania’s fiscal planning. But one thing is certain: No new taxes, the top Senate leader said Thursday. “We’re certainly not going...
Pa. set to expand cellphone ban for drivers — aiming to shift focus from phones to freeway
Fair warning: Come June 5, it will not be legal to hold a cellphone — even during calls — while driving in Pennsylvania. The new law expands the state’s restrictions on cellphone use while driving. Those who are caught violating the law will receive written warnings until June, 5, 2026....
Larry Krasner wins Philadelphia’s Democratic primary for a 3rd term as district attorney
PHILADELPHIA — Progressive stalwart Larry Krasner has won Philadelphia’s Democratic primary election Tuesday to continue serving as district attorney after withstanding an impeachment attempt and years of criticism by President Donald Trump and other Republicans. Krasner’s victory all but guarantees him a third four-year term in office as the city’s...
Johnstown kindergartner gave booze-filled Jell-O shots to schoolmates, district says
A Pennsylvania kindergartner handed out Jell-O shots containing alcohol to other students this week, according to the school district. Greater Johnstown School District Superintendent Amy Arcurio said in a message to parents posted on Facebook that the “isolated incident” was under investigation. Arcurio said that the student gave small cups...
Pa. House gives this sweet treat its chef’s kiss of approval as the state candy
When you represent “the sweetest place on Earth,” you fight for the Kiss over its dreaded rival, the Peep. Rep. Tom Mehaffie of Dauphin County is making a second run to cement the iconic Hershey’s Kiss as Pennsylvania’s official state candy. A bill sponsored by Mehaffie, who represents Derry Township,...
Penn State trustees’ private talks on campus closures should happen in public, expert says
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. Transparency advocates are questioning the Penn State Board of Trustees’ use of private meetings to discuss potential campus closures — including one who said the...
Penn State president wants to close 7 campuses; internal records explain why
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 Talk of the Town, a weekly newsletter of local stories that dig deep, events, and more from north-central PA, at spotlightpa.org/newsletters/talkofthetown. Penn...
Democrats endorse set of changes to Pennsylvania election rules, sending bill to state Senate
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania voters would get more than a week of early voting and county election officials would have more time to start processing mail-in ballots under an election law proposal that advanced out of the state House on Tuesday by a single vote, with all Republicans opposed. The wide-ranging...
Bill to sell legal marijuana through Pa. state stores rejected by GOP-led panel
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. HARRISBURG — A Pennsylvania Senate panel has rejected a bill advanced by Democrats that would permit the sale of recreational cannabis to adults at state-owned...
Pa. lawmaker ignites budget talk, backlash with flamethrower video
Pennsylvania’s always-contentious budget season is heating up. In one instance, quite literally. Sen. Dawn Keefer, R-York County, got blowback from Democrats over the weekend after posting a video in which she torches Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget proposal with a flame thrower. Keefer, one the legislature’s more hardline conservatives, posted the...
