Pennsylvania category, Page 22
Human relations commission seeks additional feedback on harassment, bullying guidelines
The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission is seeking feedback as it develops guidelines to address bullying and harassment in schools. The commission released an initial draft of proposed guidelines on Aug. 8. “In August we received more than 70 public comments on our harassment in education guidance,” said commission Executive Director...
GOP asks Pa. Supreme Court to reject mail-in ballots with handwritten date errors
The Republican Party is calling on the state Supreme Court to discount mail-in ballots that arrive on time but lack written dates. On Tuesday, the Republican National Committee and Republican Party of Pennsylvania filed a petition asking the court to reverse a decision last month by the state’s Commonwealth Court....
Pennsylvania lawmaker among those being considered for Trump Cabinet post
A Pennsylvania member of Congress may be in line for a Cabinet post in the new Trump administration. House Agriculture Chair Glenn Thompson is among the candidates under consideration as Trump’s agriculture secretary, according to a report in E&E News/Politico. Thompson has served in the House since 2009, most recently...
Schumer invites McCormick to Senate orientation
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has reversed course and invited Pennsylvania Republican Dave McCormick to the chamber’s orientation for new senators following an initial snub because of uncounted ballots in McCormick’s race. McCormick was declared the winner Friday by The Associated Press in an upset victory, but Democratic incumbent...
Hoarding disorder can drive families and communities apart. An Irwin nonprofit can help
This story first appeared in How We Care, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA featuring original reporting and perspectives on how we care for one another at all stages of life. Sign up for free here. Cindy’s home has so much stuff that she can’t use certain areas. Boxes form...
Black cheerleader at Cumberland Valley made to act like a ‘pet’ as white teammates took videos, lawsuit says
A competitive cheer team from a Pennsylvania high school was staying in a Florida hotel to compete in a national competition when a freshman cheerleader received a knock on her door. It was a teammate telling her to come to another room where other members had gathered during the February...
McCormick to go to Washington for Senate orientation over Schumer objections
Republican Dave McCormick said Monday he is off to Washington, D.C. for freshman orientation at the U.S. Senate, even as the chamber’s Democratic leaders are withholding an invitation while waiting for the remaining votes to be counted in Pennsylvania. The Associated Press Friday declared McCormick the winner in an upset...
How did Pa. Dems keep the state House during a red wave? Meet Frank Burns
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 House Democrats have clung to their one-vote majority despite a statewide wave of GOP wins that...
McCormick, appearing in Pittsburgh, declares victory over Casey
Republican David McCormick appeared Friday morning in Downtown Pittsburgh to declare victory in his tight U.S. Senate race against incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, who has yet to concede. The Associated Press called the race Thursday in McCormick’s favor, and the Republican claimed there’s no path for Casey to...
Union puts potential Philadelphia mass transit strike on hold as talks continue
PHILADELPHIA — The union that represents thousands of Philadelphia mass transit system workers has agreed to delay a strike that could have started Friday, saying progress was being made in ongoing contract talks. Transport Workers Union Local 234 members had voted last week to authorize a strike once their one-year...
Trump rebuilds Democrats’ ‘blue wall’ states with red bricks. Especially Pennsylvania
HARRISBURG — Republicans landed historic victories in Pennsylvania this week, winning the battleground state’s valuable presidential electoral votes, posting a two-seat gain in its U.S. House delegation and sweeping all four statewide offices on the ballot, including a U.S. Senate seat. The strong performance means Donald Trump has won Pennsylvania...
Why AP called the Pennsylvania Senate race for David McCormick
WASHINGTON — Republican David McCormick cut Democratic Sen. Bob Casey’s leads in Philadelphia and its populous suburbs and built leads in the more GOP-leaning parts of the state, foreclosing the incumbent’s pathway to victory when The Associated Press called the race. McCormick was leading by more than 30,000 votes when...
Nearly 237K people moved to Pennsylvania in 2023. Which states are they coming from?
Pennsylvania is home to nearly 13 million people, but its population is still on the rise thanks to migrants from other states, new U.S. Census data shows. Overall, Pennsylvania gained an estimated 237,526 people from other states in 2023, year-over-year, according to recently published Census data. But where are the...
Dave McCormick defeats Bob Casey in Pa. Senate race
Republican businessman David McCormick has won an upset in Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate race against Democratic incumbent Bob Casey, The Associated Press reported Thursday, but Casey has not conceded. “Thank you, Pennsylvania! Looking forward to representing every citizen of our great Commonwealth,” McCormick posted on X two hours later. McCormick, 59,...
Trump’s victory fueled by growth in rural counties as he cuts into Democrats’ urban bases
Three factors emerged within the numbers behind Donald Trump’s victory Tuesday in Pennsylvania. Muted turnout in Philadelphia, the state’s largest city, and growing support for the former president in rural and urban centers combined to help pave the way to Trump’s victory. Also contributing was diminished backing for Vice President...
McCormick campaign confident it will flip Casey’s U.S. Senate seat to GOP
With no decisive winner called in the tight race for Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate seat, David McCormick’s campaign manager said Wednesday he believes the Republican businessman will topple Bob Casey, the incumbent Democrat. The McCormick camp is banking on capturing the outstanding votes left to count in conservative counties and indicated...
Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick wins reelection; 3 Pennsylvania congressional races still uncalled
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania is home to five heavily contested races for the U.S. House, contests that will be critical to determining control of a narrowly divided chamber where Democrats need a net pickup of four seats to take control. Three of those five races are in eastern Pennsylvania, where Republican...
Republicans sweep races for Pennsylvania row offices
Republican candidates, including two incumbents, swept all three of Pennsylvania’s row offices. Attorney General In the race for attorney general, the Associated Press has called the race for York County’s Dave Sunday. Sunday has amassed 51.08% of the votes counted as of 10 a.m., compared to 45.95% for Pittsburgh native...
Casey, McCormick locked in tight contest for Pa.’s U.S. Senate race
Republican David McCormick held a slight edge over Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. Bob Casey early Wednesday morning, but the rivals remain locked in a tight battle, and the race for the hotly contested seat remained up for grabs. With more than 95% of the ballots tallied in nearly every Pennsylvania...
Pennsylvania election officials weighing in on challenges to 4,300 mail ballot applications
HARRISBURG — More than 4,000 mail ballot applications have been challenged across 14 Pennsylvania counties, leaving election officials to decide voter eligibility during hearings that will extend well past Election Day. State elections officials say the “mass challenges” focused on two separate groups — people who may have forwarded their...
Pennsylvania faculty union joins national AFT
The union representing more than 5,000 faculty and coaches across Pennsylvania’s 10 state-owned universities is the latest to affiliate with AFT, a nationwide union of education and other workers. Members of the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties approved the affiliation in a three-day election last week. It...
‘Patience is the watch word’ on Election Day as votes are counted, expert says
Voters throughout the nation may have to wait days to learn whether Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump wins Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes, election officials say. But Pennsylvania is literally the keystone state to decide who wins the White House once Tuesday’s votes are counted. “Please be...
Pennsylvania challenge of Elon Musk’s $1M-a-day voter sweepstakes moves back to state court
PHILADELPHIA — A legal fight over Elon Musk’s $1 million-a-day voter sweepstakes is back in state court in Pennsylvania, a loss for the billionaire, after a federal judge said Friday that he doesn’t have jurisdiction. Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner wants to keep his fight to shut down the giveaways...
Supreme Court allows Pennsylvania to count contested provisional ballots, rejecting Republican plea
DOYLESTOWN— The Supreme Court on Friday rejected an emergency appeal from Republicans that could have led to thousands of provisional ballots not being counted in Pennsylvania as the presidential campaigns vie in the final days before the election in the nation’s biggest battleground state. The justices left in place a...
Pennsylvania colleges restrict student voter outreach, free speech groups say
Setting up a table on a college campus to encourage voter turnout or promote a political candidate are time-honored student expressions of free speech, as is canvassing door-to-door before an election. But in Pennsylvania, those campus activities have received pushback from a number of school administrators this fall, free speech...
