Pennsylvania category, Page 101
Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, Mansfield universities to merge into Commonwealth University
HARRISBURG — Three state-owned universities in Pennsylvania will soon be known as the consolidated Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania after a vote by the State System Board of Governors on Wednesday. The board voted unanimously to make the change involving Bloomsburg, Lock Haven and Mansfield universities, although those previous names will...
Philadelphia police: Boy, 12, killed after officers in car fired uponVideo
PHILADELPHIA — A plainclothes Philadelphia police officer fatally shot a 12-year-old boy in the back Tuesday night, moments after a bullet was fired into an unmarked car, police said. Police identified the youth as Thomas Siderio Jr., saying officers took him to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center where he was pronounced...
Justices keep Pennsylvania’s mail-in voting law in place, at least for now
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s mail-in voting law will remain in place, at least for the near future, despite a state judge’s order that would have made it expire in two weeks, the state Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. The justices issued a one-paragraph order that overturned a Feb. 16 decision by Commonwealth...
Toomey calls for tougher sanctions on RussiaVideo
As the war on Ukraine continues, U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey is calling for tougher sanctions on Russia. As a ranking member of the Senate Banking Committee, Toomey holds considerable influence. President Joe Biden has led the international response to Russia’s invasion with severe sanctions targeting the Russian economy and against...
Police say Pa. woman attacked pregnant woman for having to wait for a ride home
A Cumberland County resident attacked a pregnant woman and told her “I’ll kill you and I’ll kill your baby” after she was told she’d have to wait 20 minutes to get a ride home, Pennsylvania State Police said. Margarita Maldonado, 30, was staying with the pregnant woman for a couple...
Pennsylvania moves to divest holdings in Russian assets
HARRISBURG — The Russian invasion of Ukraine is spurring Pennsylvania lawmakers to draft legislation to require the state Treasury Department and the state’s three public pension funds to divest holdings connected to Russia, as some selling off was already underway Monday. The state Treasury Department said it began divesting its...
Fred Keller won’t run for reelection as Pennsylvania loses seat
HARRISBURG — U.S. Rep. Fred Keller of Pennsylvania changed his mind Monday and said he will not run for reelection if he must face a primary election against another Republican incumbent. Pennsylvania’s highest court selected new boundaries for congressional districts last week, and Keller and U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson —...
Supreme Court asked to intervene in congressional maps case
HARRISBURG — A group suing over Pennsylvania’s new map of congressional districts asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to reconsider whether they are entitled to an emergency order to halt the plan. The petition came three days after U.S. District Judge Jennifer P. Wilson in Harrisburg denied their request...
Eugene DePasquale will not oppose U.S. Rep. Scott Perry in the 10th Congressional District race
U.S. Rep. Scott Perry has just vanquished one major potential foe in his quest for a 6th term in Congress, as former Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale has decided not to seek a rematch of their 2020 race. DePasquale, a Pittsburgh native, was widely considered Perry’s top political threat, with...
Pa. driver opens fire after 2-vehicle crash involving Amazon van
A two-vehicle crash involving an Amazon delivery van was then followed by one of the drivers opening fire on the other. As 6ABC reports, the possible road-rage incident occurred around 12:20 p.m. Sunday in normally quiet Clifton Heights, Delaware County. Police tell the news station the two drivers collided at...
Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board removes Russian-made products from state store shelves
That didn’t take long. Following a strongly worded message from Gov. Tom Wolf urging it to do so, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) on Sunday ordered Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores to remove all Russian-made booze from shelves, in a show of support for the people of Ukraine....
Liquor privatization in Washington state could provide lessons for Pennsylvanians
Another attempt is underway to privatize Pennsylvania’s state-run liquor system and end the monopoly of state-owned stores being the only place to buy distilled spirits. A proposed constitutional amendment introduced by state Rep. Natalie Mihalek is the latest effort in a decades-long campaign by state Republicans to do away with...
No notes, same logo: Dr. Oz’s campaign is like his TV show
NEWTOWN — The banners and big red video screen all said Dr. Oz, the host gave a rousing introduction and in strode the candidate, Mehmet Oz, to take up the microphone and become the center of attention for more than an hour. Welcome to Oz’s campaign for U.S. Senate, where...
CDC loosens mask guidance, Pa. health chief says state moving into ‘next phase’ of living with covid
As the federal government loosens masking guidance for a majority of healthy Americans, Pennsylvania officials said they will follow suit while keeping an eye on covid-related hospital admissions and case counts should they begin to rise again. “Pennsylvania is moving in the right direction,” said Acting Secretary of Health Keara...
Pa. officials address concerns about vaccination data
State health officials on Thursday said there should not be concern over the veracity of federal data they used to tout the state’s covid-19 vaccination rate among adults as 95%. In a release from Gov. Tom Wolf’s office Wednesday, officials celebrated the milestone that a spokesperson said was based on...
Pa. State Police push back on recommendation requiring independent probes when troopers kill, injure
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 — Independent investigations of deaths or injuries caused by Pennsylvania State Police would require a change to state law, the...
PHEAA to trim its workforce by 43 employees
The state’s student financial agency on Thursday advised 43 employees who work in its information technology area that March 11 will be their last day on the job. The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency officials cited the decision to transition out of its role as a federal student loan servicer...
Contest seeks Pennsylvania’s best homebrewers
Are you a home beer brewer? If so, and if you believe you have a winning ale, you can put your drink to the test in a new statewide contest searching for the best homebrewed beer in Pennsylvania. The first-ever Breweries In Pennsylvania Homebrew Invitational will have five regional competitions,...
Report: Pa. hunters, sport shooters spend more than $1.8B on their sports
Hunters and target shooters in Pennsylvania spent more than $1.8 billion on their sports in 2020, according to a new report from the Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation. The report looked at the economic impact of hunting and target shooting at the national, state and legislative district levels. The researchers found that...
‘Reckless’ Amish buggy driver accused of DUI tells Pa. cops he ‘had a couple beers’
The horse-drawn buggy was being driven so recklessly the wheels were throwing sparks, Pennsylvania police said. When they pulled it over, the man driving it told police he “had a couple of beers,” resulting in his arrest for DUI. As WJAC-TV in Johnstown reports, the driver is identified as 20-year-old...
Pennsylvania truck convoy protest fizzles out to a few vehiclesVideo
The Pennsylvania truck protest convoy largely fizzled out on Wednesday in spite of its organizer promising a spectacular run along the highways to Washington. The convoy organized by Scranton-area business Bob Bolus got off to a rocky start in the morning, when he reportedly had to tend to flat tires...
Jake Corman’s campaign calls for probe into GOP gubernatorial opponent’s campaign finance filings
Republican gubernatorial candidate Jake Corman is calling for an investigation into suspected violations of the state’s campaign finance law by opponent and Senate colleague Doug Mastriano. In a letter sent on Wednesday to Franklin County District Attorney Matt Fogel, Corman’s campaign counsel questions whether Mastriano complied with the law when...
Pa. touts high covid vaccine rate using questionable data
Pennsylvania officials on Wednesday touted a milestone in covid-19 vaccinations based on federal data, though some experts have for months cast doubt on the veracity of those numbers. Gov. Tom Wolf, using numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, declared on Twitter and in a press release that...
Police union sues over Philadelphia ban on low-level stops
PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police filed a lawsuit seeking to invalidate a city law banning officers from pulling over drivers for low-level offenses, saying the law illegally preempts existing state laws on traffic violations. The lawsuit, filed in Common Pleas Court on Tuesday by...
Pennsylvania high court picks new map of U.S. House districts
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s highest court broke a partisan deadlock Wednesday over a new map of congressional districts by selecting boundaries that broadly adhere to the outlines of current districts, even as the state loses one seat because of sluggish population growth. The Democratic-majority state Supreme Court in a 4-3 decision...
