Pennsylvania category, Page 58
Authorities charge 5 more in probe of child sexual abuse among Jehovah’s Witnesses in PennsylvaniaVideo
PHILADELPHIA — A Pennsylvania grand jury investigating child sexual abuse in the Jehovah’s Witnesses community has charged another five people with raping or molesting children as young as 4, the latest developments in an ongoing probe that has identified 14 suspects. Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry, at a Friday news...
Is Pa. primed to legalize weed? 2 lawmakers introduce bill to allow recreational use
Two Senate lawmakers are making a new run at legalizing marijuana in Pennsylvania. Sens. Dan Laughlin (R-Erie County) and Sharif Street (D-Philadelphia) introduced a bill Thursday that would allow those 21 and older to use recreational marijuana in the state. The measure would include provisions for enforcement of DUI and...
Pennsylvania governor calls on divided Legislature to finalize budget past deadline
HARRISBURG — Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro called on the Republican-controlled Senate on Thursday to return to the Pennsylvania Capitol to finalize a state spending plan, as the state government neared a week without full spending authority. He disputed Republican accusations that he went back on his word about the $45...
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey’s campaign says incumbent raised $4M in second quarter
U.S. Sen. Bob Casey’s campaign raised more than $4 million during the second quarter of this year, a quarterly fundraising record for the incumbent Democrat who plans to seek reelection next year. Casey, a Democrat from Scranton, announced April 10 that he is seeking a fourth term in Washington. Casey’s...
With lawsuit dismissed, Pa. Republicans file appeal to try and overturn mail-in voting law
Unhappy with their latest legal setback in trying to have Pennsylvania’s mail-in voting law thrown out, Republicans are now appealing to the state Supreme Court. On June 27, a state Commonwealth Court judge denied the request of 14 current and former GOP legislators to invalidate Act 77, which 11 of...
Father of the bride and teen who tried to save friend among 5 killed in Philadelphia shooting
PHILADELPHIA — A father preparing to walk his eldest daughter down the aisle. An aspiring actor who appeared as an extra in the “Creed” movie franchise. A teenager who tried to help a wounded friend. These are the stories of those killed in the all-too-familiar thrum of another mass shooting....
Pennsylvania House approves state budget after Gov. Shapiro backs off voucher plan
HARRISBURG — Late Wednesday night, the Democratic-controlled Pennsylvania House approved a new state spending plan after a days-long stalemate in Pennsylvania’s politically divided Legislature. The chamber approved the main bill in a $45 billion spending plan, 117-86, as the state government plowed through its fifth day without full spending authority....
Pennsylvania governor backs off $100M private schools program in budget stalemate
HARRISBURG — Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro on Wednesday backed off his insistence on money for a new private-school funding program after it became a sticking point in a budget stalemate between Pennsylvania’s politically divided Legislature. Shapiro’s shift in position came as state government plowed through its fifth day without full...
Explosion destroys Lancaster County road crew’s building, equipment
A Wednesday morning explosion destroyed a Lancaster County government building, spewed black smoke and sent earthquake-like shakes through homes miles away. The explosion stemming from a propane leak also led emergency responders to evacuate six homes on the 900 block of North Colebrook Road in Rapho Township, where the explosion...
Philadelphia suspect left a will and was acting agitated days before shootings, prosecutors sayVideo
PHILADELPHIA — The man accused in the fatal shooting spree in Philadelphia that left five people dead and four others wounded Monday night left a will at his house, and according to a roommate had acted agitated and wore a tactical vest around his house in the days before the...
Poll: Taxes, cost of living driving away young residents from Pennsylvania
A new survey suggests the price residents pay to live in Pennsylvania tempts younger generations to move. Results from the Commonwealth Foundation poll conducted last month show more than half of respondents between the ages of 18 and 44 have considered moving to another state – or know someone who...
5 dead in Philadelphia-area shooting spree that’s nation’s worst violence yet around July 4Video
PHILADELPHIA — A 40-year-old man with a rifle, a pistol, a bulletproof vest, extra magazines and a police scanner fatally shot four men in a Philadelphia neighborhood and chased and killed a fifth man inside a house, police said. A 2-year-old boy and a 13-year-old were also wounded in the...
Any progress made toward settling Pa.’s state budget dispute? It’s hard to tell
Pennsylvania enters the Fourth of July holiday with a budget agreement still a work in progress — if there is even any progress. The state Capitol was a near-ghost town on Monday, the third day of the new fiscal year. Neither spokeswomen for the Democratic-controlled House nor Republican-controlled Senate offered...
Penn State, Pitt, others get hundreds of millions in taxpayer funds, but tracking it is a challenge
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 our regional newsletter, Talk of the Town. STATE COLLEGE — Each year, Pennsylvania’s legislature sends hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to...
Changing their tune? Pennsylvania lawmakers consider replacing the state’s official song
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania may soon be changing its tune. A proposal to establish a new state song got a positive vote Thursday in the House of Representatives, although there was some discord. The resolution to establish an independent commission to review the history, solicit suggestions from the public and make...
Western Pa. campuses say diversity will remain priority following high court ruling
Just as they had before Thursday’s U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down affirmative action in college admissions, campuses across Western Pennsylvania made one thing clear within hours after the historic ruling. They said they will find ways to keep their classes diverse, even without direct use of race. What that...
Pennsylvania budget agreement is elusive as fiscal-year deadline nears
HARRISBURG — Gov. Josh Shapiro and Pennsylvania’s politically divided Legislature appeared on track Thursday to start the state’s fiscal year without a spending plan in place, with closed-door talks yielding optimism from Republicans, but discontent from Democrats. For Shapiro, getting his first budget across the finish line is perhaps the...
Sheetz expanding into Michigan, with planned store in Detroit area
Sheetz is heading West. The Altoona-based convenience store and gas station chain is slated to open its first store in Michigan — Romulus to be exact — in late 2024. “While it is too early in the development process to provide a timeline or location for any additional stores, our...
Here’s which fireworks are legal, illegal in Pennsylvania
Nearly every U.S. state has legalized the purchase and use of fireworks, but regulations vary in strength across the country. In Pennsylvania, more advanced and explosive fireworks are illegal, but other types are widely available for purchase. Those caught violating state and local ordinances could face significant fines and even...
What to Watch: Pennsylvania budget talks near deadline, and get contentious
HARRISBURG — Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro is trying to wrap up his first budget by the start of the new fiscal year, as he works to balance Pennsylvania’s politically divided Legislature in perhaps the biggest test yet of his political skills under the Capitol dome. The last few days have...
Pa. man convicted of driving into fundraiser crowd, then killing mother gets 2 life terms
BLOOMSBURG — A man convicted of driving into a fundraiser crowd in Pennsylvania last summer, killing one and injuring 19 others, then going home and bludgeoning his mother to death has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. President Judge Gary Norton told Adrian Oswaldo Sura...
Ex-Philadelphia police officer is charged with dozens more sex crimes in 19 new cases
PHILADELPHIA — A retired Philadelphia police officer already in custody on child sex assault charges is now charged with dozens more sex crimes that stem from his time on duty. Former patrol officer Patrick Heron was previously charged with posing as an officer after he retired in 2019 to lure...
Pennsylvania Senate advances bill to overhaul probation system
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s state Senate on Tuesday approved legislation that is designed to reduce the number of people on probation and in jail, by limiting the length of probation and preventing people from being sent back to jail for minor violations. The bill passed on a 45-4 vote and now...
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will no longer speak at Moms for Liberty summit in Philly
PHILADELPHIA — Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Democratic presidential candidate known for promoting anti-vaccine conspiracy theories, will no longer speak at the Moms for Liberty summit this week in Philadelphia. The campaign for Kennedy, who had been announced as a speaker a week earlier, “told us his schedule changed and...
Pennsylvania state trooper killed in ambush lauded as a hero during funeral service
ERIE — A Pennsylvania state trooper who was shot and killed earlier this month when he went to work on his day off after learning his barracks had been attacked by an armed man was laid to rest Tuesday during a funeral where the state’s governor and his colleagues lauded...
