Pennsylvania category, Page 2
Feds allowed terror suspect to have truck license even after his arrest, PennDOT says
The state Senate held a committee hearing this week on Pennsylvania’s commercial driver’s license process, a month after the system became the controversy du jour with the Trump administration. Despite the political rhetoric that erupted in November, the hearing was far less dramatic and pointed to several cases where bureaucratic...
Expiring Obamacare subsidies prompt thousands to drop Pennie health insurance
For every new enrollment, two Pennsylvanians are dropping Obamacare coverage as steep government subsidies are set to expire at year’s end. About 38,000 people who have Affordable Care Act coverage through Pennie, the state’s health insurance exchange, have opted not to renew their plans for next year. That’s compared to...
Pa. transgender health leader’s name changed on federal portrait in act of ‘bigotry’
Among the portraits of agency leaders that line the hallways at the federal Department of Health and Human Services is one of Admiral Rachel Levine, who served as Pennsylvania secretary of health and physician general before being named President’s Biden’s assistant secretary of health. Levine was the first transgender person...
Shapiro pushes back on federal policy change, urges continuation of hepatitis B vaccines at birth
Gov Josh Shapiro is again pushing back on a Trump administration reversal on vaccine guidance, this time involving the hepatitis B vaccine given at birth. In a press release, the Shapiro administration said it was standing with medical experts “to ensure parents can protect children from lifelong liver disease by...
Trump to visit Pa. pushing efforts to curb inflation as high prices squeeze Americans
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump plans to travel to Pennsylvania on Tuesday to highlight his efforts to reduce inflation even as fears mount about a worsening job market and amid signs that Americans are still feeling squeezed by high prices. A White House official said Trump would be making the...
Pa. Amazon warehouse worker sues company, saying she was fired for being pregnant
A Dauphin County woman who worked at the Amazon warehouse in Carlisle is suing the company for discrimination, saying she was illegally fired for being pregnant. Malissa Saintus-Trammel, of Hummelstown, says the online shopping giant forced her to take unpaid leave due to her pregnancy when she didn’t require accommodations....
State budget was 135 days late, but Pa. lawmakers got their pay raise on time
Pennsylvania lawmakers just received a 3.25% pay increase on Dec. 1, raising their base salary to $113,575. Only New York and California’s legislators make more. The national average for state lawmakers was $47,904, less than half of what the commonwealth’s lawmakers made, per the National Conference of State Legislatures. The...
Poll shows Fetterman still tanking among Dems, while Republicans give him a thumbs up
Sen. John Fetterman remains more popular with Pennsylvania Republicans than fellow Democrats, according to a new poll. In the survey commissioned by RealClearPennsylvania and Emerson College, Fetterman has a 31% job approval rating from Democrats compared to 57% from Republicans and 30% from independents. The poll questioned 2,000 Pennsylvanians and...
Pennsylvania loses hundreds of pharmacies after a law promised help
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. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — As pharmacy closures have continued across the state, a bipartisan group of lawmakers has questioned how the...
Skill games avoid regulation again in Pa. as gambling lobby war intensifies
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. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — This year’s state budget didn’t pull slot-like skill games out of their legal limbo in Pennsylvania, despite...
Shapiro signs CROWN Act against hair discrimination
Pennsylvania is now the 28th state to ban discrimination based on hair or appearance, after Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a bill expanding the definition of “race” to include hair texture, protective hairstyles and religious creed. On Tuesday, Shapiro and other legislators gathered at Island Design Natural Hair Studio in Philadelphia...
Trump is changing the way aid goes to cities. Philly stands to lose tens of millions of dollars for housing
Philadelphia stands to lose tens of millions of dollars in federal funds intended to fight homelessness under a plan issued by the Trump administration that advocates say could significantly disrupt permanent housing programs and return formerly homeless people to the streets. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development released...
GOP senator threatens subpoenas over $1M in security upgrades at Shapiro’s private home
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. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — A GOP-led Pennsylvania Senate committee is moving to subpoena the Shapiro administration for records related to the...
Christmas tree retailers find lots to like at a Pennsylvania wholesale auction
MIFFLINBURG, Pa. — Christmas went on the auction block this week in Pennsylvania farm country, and there was no shortage of bidders. About 50,000 Christmas trees and enough wreaths, crafts and other seasonal items to fill an airplane hangar were bought and sold by lots and on consignment at the...
See how much money your Pa. school district will receive to close adequacy, tax burden gaps
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. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s 500 school districts will each receive a slice of $565 million that lawmakers put in this...
Pitt, Penn State get flat state funding but optimistic toward future
The state budget passed last week signals flat appropriations to the University of Pittsburgh and Penn State, but officials at those colleges are encouraged by an approved plan that establishes and outlines the state’s first performance-based funding formula. General support funding for Penn State holds at $242.1 million — the...
Deluzio, other Dems tell troops to refuse illegal orders, Trump labels them ‘traitors’
Six Democratic members of Congress who served in the military or intelligence community, including U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio of Fox Chapel, are telling current servicemembers and intelligence officials they have a right — and obligation — to refuse illegal orders. In response, President Donald Trump described the message from Democrats...
Pa. bill prohibiting hair-based discrimination bound for Shapiro’s desk
A bill banning discrimination based on hair texture and style is headed to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s desk after sailing through the state Senate this week, hailed as a victory for Black women in Pennsylvania who have faced prejudice toward the way they wear their hair. The measure amends the commonwealth’s...
Long-sought Pa. tax credit for some workers to be ready for filing season
A new tax credit for lower-income workers in Pennsylvania will be ready for tax time this spring, Gov. Josh Shapiro ‘s administration said, calling it the most significant tax change for the state’s working class in over half a century. The new program — called the Working Pennsylvanians Tax Credit...
Capitol Police arrest 18 at protest against lax Pa. campaign finance laws
More than 100 people rallied Monday inside the Capitol rotunda, demanding a ban on gifts and outside employment for state lawmakers, protesting what they called legislators’ unchecked private interests. Activists with March on Harrisburg delivered speeches criticizing Pennsylvania’s lax campaign finance laws, with one speaker noting that 35 fundraisers are...
Sen. John Fetterman returns to D.C. after hospitalization, speaks at conference for Jewish leaders
Sen. John Fetterman is back to work after recovering from a fall that required hospitalization. Fetterman, D-Braddock, was hospitalized last week following a fall after he experienced a heart issue, an unnamed spokesperson announced Thursday. On Saturday, Fetterman shared a selfie after being released from the hospital with a coffee...
Voter support for Trump remains a wildcard as Pa. approaches major election for governor
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. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Democrats feel confident they’ll prevail in next year’s gubernatorial race after recent election wins they believe...
Lawmaker wants to give towns the ability to clamp down on irresponsible e-bike drivers
E-bikes have been nothing but a pain in Arnold, says Mayor Shannon Santucci. With e-bike riders zipping down the middle of the street, or not following road rules, Arnold is at a crossroads of what it can and can’t do to enforce rules for the motorized bikes. “There’s so many...
Sen. John Fetterman’s health issues, explained
Sen. John Fetterman was hospitalized Thursday after suffering injuries to his face in a fall due to a serious heart condition, ventricular fibrillation. This life-threatening condition is the 56-year-old’s latest health issue in recent years, following a 2022 stroke on the campaign trail that nearly killed him. Like atrial fibrillation,...
Formula recalled in Pa. after infant botulism outbreak
Pennsylvania is one of 12 states included in an outbreak of infant botulism — linked to ByHeart Whole Nutrition Infant Formula. Parents and caregivers should stop using any ByHeart infant formula products “immediately,” Allegheny County said Friday in an announcement, as all of its products have been recalled. The recall...
