Pennsylvania category, Page 27
A cost-saving Pa. dental policy did the opposite, lawmakers, health advocates say
This story first appeared in The Investigator, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA featuring the best investigative and accountability journalism from across Pennsylvania. BELLEFONTE — To save money, in 2011 the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services curtailed most dental services for adults covered by Medicaid. Now, lawmakers and advocates are...
Pa. Supreme Court rules on mail-in ballot date errors, but it’s likely not the final word
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court dealt a blow Friday — at least temporarily — to Democrats and voting-rights groups on the critical issue of how to handle date errors on mail-in ballots. But the decision, which threw out a lower court’s ruling that it is unconstitutional to discard ballots with date...
Shapiro names members of State Board of Higher Education
Gov. Josh Shapiro named Friday the inaugural members of a new State Board of Higher Education, a key part of his college reforms intended to curb price hikes through better planning and avoiding unnecessary competition. The body includes members from each sector of postsecondary education, plus government, business, labor and...
Pa. Gov. Josh Shapiro will headline a reproductive rights rally for Kamala Harris campaign in Philadelphia
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro will kick off Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign’s “Fighting for Reproductive Freedom” bus tour at 11 a.m. Sunday morning in Philadelphia. The popular Democratic governor will headline the Old City event alongside Hadley Duvall, a Kentucky reproductive rights advocate whose stepfather sexually abused and impregnated her...
Debate was an ‘eye opener’ in suburban Philadelphia and Harris got a closer look
BRISTOL, Pa. — The presidential debate this week was the final affront to Rosie Torres’ lifelong Republicanism. She said her allegiance to Donald Trump, already strained by his stand on abortion, snapped in the former president’s “eye opener” encounter with Kamala Harris. It’s time to put “country before party,” Torres,...
WCCC, Penn State expand transfer options for students
Westmoreland County Community College students pursuing two-year degrees in 11 high-demand fields could have an easier path to a bachelor’s degree under an agreement inked with Penn State University. Specifically, the pact outlined this week by Penn State and WCCC covers 14 of the university’s 19 Commonwealth campuses statewide, a...
A Philadelphia officer has died of his injuries from a June shooting
PHILADELPHIA — A Philadelphia police officer has died of his wounds, nearly three months after being shot in the neck after stopping a vehicle while on duty, city officials said. Officer Jaime Roman, 31, who spent 80 days in intensive care without regaining consciousness, died Tuesday night. Roman leaves behind...
Outgoing State System chancellor tapped by firm for national role
State System of Higher Education Chancellor Daniel Greenstein will join the consulting firm Baker Tilly and its higher education advisory practice. Greenstein, 64, will lead initiatives that deal with fast-evolving needs of higher education institutions, “prioritizing improved student outcomes and long-term institutional sustainability by optimizing operations, aligning academic portfolios with...
Penn State alumni-elected trustee could be removed after committee reviews ‘conduct violation’
The Penn State board of trustees is set to vote on removing an outspoken alumni-elected trustee after a committee reviewed a potential code of conduct violation. During a special meeting of the Governance Committee Monday morning, members discussed a potential code of conduct violation by Trustee Barry Fenchak in an...
N.Y. man faces 50 charges in Hersheypark robbery, slashing
Police in Derry Township identified a man they believed slashed another person in the face with a knife after stealing a credit card from an unlocked car in the Hersheypark parking lot this summer, according to police. Huley Williams, of Brooklyn, N.Y., has been charged with 50 offenses, including robbery,...
Penn State seeks to add 800 students at its main University Park campus as branch campus enrollment sags
Penn State trustees plan a nearly $225 million addition to the university’s five-year capital plan to fund endeavors that include a new classroom building to support a planned 800-student expansion at University Park. The move from 9,200 to 10,000 incoming students is envisioned to take place over several years. Student...
Gov. Josh Shapiro joins ‘The View’ to discuss gun violence, antisemitism, fracking
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said he believes the parents of school shooters should be held liable for their child’s actions during an appearance on “The View” on Friday. Shapiro’s response came after cohost Sara Haines asked a question about whether or not the parents of the 14-year-old Apalachee High School...
Gov. Shapiro to appear on ‘The View’ to discuss the latest in the presidential race
Gov. Josh Shapiro will appear on ABC’s The View Friday morning in his role as one of the most vocal supporters of the Democratic Party ticket of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. Shapiro will find himself in a comfortable setting on the show with the panel...
Pennsylvania voters can cast a provisional ballot if their mail ballot is rejected, court says
HARRISBURG — A court decided Thursday that voters in the presidential battleground of Pennsylvania can cast provisional ballots in place of mail-in ballots that are rejected for a garden-variety mistake they made when they returned it. Democrats typically outvote Republicans by mail by about 3-to-1 in Pennsylvania, and the decision...
Amish woman dies 18 years after being severely injured in deadly schoolhouse shooting
HARRISBURG, Pa. — A woman who was severely injured when a gunman killed five girls and wounded her and four other girls during an attack on their one-room Amish schoolhouse in Pennsylvania has died 18 years later, a funeral director said Thursday. Rosanna S. King, 23, died at her home...
GOP appeals date ruling on mail-in ballots to Pa. Supreme Court
The Republican National Committee and Republican Party of Pennsylvania are appealing a Commonwealth Court ruling that mail-in ballots with incorrect or missing dates on their outer envelopes should be counted. The appeal to the state Supreme Court was expected. It is being fast-tracked, like all elections cases this year. Whatever...
Pa. GOP narrows gap in registered voters with election 2 months out
HARRISBURG — The 2024 presidential election is two months away and, in Pennsylvania, Republicans continue to shrink the margin by which Democrats lead in registered voters. Democrats had 350,341 more registered voters compared to Republicans as of Monday, according to this week’s data update from the Department of State. That...
Trump heads to Pennsylvania as polls show toss-up with Harris
Former President Donald Trump headed to Harrisburg on Wednesday for a town hall forum as new polls show a toss-up race with Vice President Kamala Harris in the crucial Keystone State. Trump will interact with voters at the Fox News event hours after a new poll of battleground states showed...
Pittsburgh man arrested at Trump rally wanted to hang protest banner, police say
HARRISBURG — A man arrested last week at a Pennsylvania rally for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump had hoped to hang a banner to protest Trump’s policies, Johnstown’s police chief said Tuesday. Authorities announced that misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest were filed against Stephen A. Weiss, 36,...
Nearly 50 years after being found dead in a Pennsylvania cave, ‘Pinnacle Man’ is identified
The body of a man found frozen in a small Pennsylvania cave nearly 50 years ago has finally been identified. The remains of Nicolas Paul Grubb, 27, of Fort Washington, were discovered in January 1977 by two hikers who had ducked inside the cave to escape some inclement weather. Grubb...
Turnpike Commission warns of more phone scams targeting personal information
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is warning motorists of cell phone scams that try to trick unsuspecting individuals into providing personal information, it said in a recent online post. Scammers impersonate the PA Turnpike and other toll agencies by pretending to warn recipients they owe the turnpike toll fees, and that...
Rural Pa. faces widening health services gap, but state officials think loan forgiveness could help
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. BELLEFONTE — Health care professionals in rural Pennsylvania would be eligible for student debt relief under a bipartisan proposal aimed at addressing workforce gaps in...
Commonwealth Court: Mail-in ballots with errant dates on their envelopes should be counted
The Commonwealth Court said Friday that not counting mail-in ballots with missing or mistaken dates on their outer envelopes is unconstitutional. “The refusal to count undated or incorrectly dated but timely mail ballots submitted by otherwise eligible voters because of meaningless and inconsequential paperwork errors violates the fundamental right to...
Escaped killer who was on the run in Pennsylvania for 2 weeks faces plea hearing
WEST CHESTER, Pa. — A convicted killer captured last year after two weeks on the run in southeastern Pennsylvania’s rolling farmlands is due in court Friday for a potential plea on the escape charges. Danilo Cavalcante, 35, a native of Brazil, escaped from a Chester County lockup while waiting to...
State System of Higher Education recommends interim chancellor
The chair of the State System of Higher Education Board of Governors intends to recommend Christopher Fiorentino, retired president of West Chester University, as interim system chancellor while a search for Daniel Greenstein’s successor is conducted. Cynthia Shapira notified students, faculty and staff at the 10 state-owned universities in a...
