Pennsylvania category, Page 8
Armed robbers in latest Philadelphia-area Brinks truck heist took $700,000 or more, police say
PHILADELPHIA — Police are investigating whether the armed robbery of a Brinks truck outside a Philadelphia-area store is related to four other attacks on armored vehicles in and around the city this summer. Two armed males got away with between $700,000 and $800,000 in the midday Tuesday heist at an...
Penn State ramps up lobbying, but it’s difficult to tell who or what it’s trying to influence
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 Talk of the Town, a daily newsletter of local stories that dig deep, events, and more from north-central PA, at spotlightpa.org/newsletters/talkofthetown. Penn...
GOP-controlled Pa. Senate advances budget, transit plans
The Republican-controlled Pennsylvania Senate advanced proposals Tuesday to end the state’s budget impasse and address funding problems at transit agencies for the next two years. Both proposals passed along party lines, with all of the chamber’s 27 Republicans voting in favor and the 22 Democrats present opposing. For the measures...
‘Cyber incident’ shuts down Pa. attorney general’s website, phone system
The Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General announced Monday evening that its email, website and phone lines are down because of a systems outage. The office said in a statement posted on Facebook that the network that hosts their systems “is currently down.” The office said they are working to determine...
Pa. House passes transit funding bill, but critics give it little chance of advancing in Senate
The Democratic-controlled state House voted Monday to pass a transit funding bill, with support from several Republicans, that the legislation’s prime sponsor said could help stave off sweeping service cuts and fare hikes at Pennsylvania’s two largest transit agencies. “If they become reality, these service cuts will hurt real people,...
Trump administration seeks more Pa. voter information, raises potential legal concerns
This article is made possible through Spotlight PA’s collaboration with Votebeat, a nonpartisan news organization covering local election administration and voting. The U.S. Justice Department is asking Pennsylvania to turn over its complete voter rolls, a request that appears to encompass voters’ personal information, including Social Security and driver’s license...
Hidden talents of Pa. lawmakers: The legislators lurking in episodes of ‘Succession’ and ‘Cheers’
This story first appeared in PA Local, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA taking a look at the people, places, and foods that make Pennsylvania so unique. Months before launching his bid for a Schuylkill County state House seat, Tim Twardzik spent an entire day on the set of The...
Wounded Pennsylvania troopers recovering after chaotic shooting that left gunman, neighbor dead
A man fatally shot his neighbor in rural Pennsylvania and then unleashed a hail of gunfire on first responders, wounding two state troopers, running an EMT off the road and sniping a police drone from the sky, officials said. The chaotic scene unfolded Thursday morning after Thompson resident Lori Wasko’s...
Advocates call for closure of ICE facility near Philipsburg after detainee’s death
A coalition of several local and national immigration rights groups on Thursday called for the closure of the Moshannon Valley Processing Center — the largest federal immigration detention center in Pennsylvania and the rest of the Northeast — after the death earlier this week of a 32-year-old Chinese national. Chaofeng...
Woman killed by neighbor before responding state troopers were ambushed by gunfire, police say
THOMPSON — A 61-year-old man fatally shot a neighbor Thursday in rural Pennsylvania and then ambushed responding state troopers, wounding two while firing dozens of rounds from a semiautomatic weapon, police said. Lori Wasko’s boyfriend called 911 after 11 a.m. from their home near Thompson to report shots fired, state...
Pa. Turnpike execs get 5-figure pay raises, including CEO’s $86K boost
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission approved $367,107 in pay raises for the organization’s chief officers during a closed-door executive session in March. The raises were recommended by a wage study commissioned in February, which offered two options that resulted in the same total cost for salary increases. CEO Mark Compton received...
Gov. Shapiro says U.S. has ‘moral obligation’ to get food to starving Gaza residentsVideo
Gov. Josh Shapiro said Tuesday that the United States has a “moral obligation” to make sure that starving Gaza residents get the aid they need to survive. While saying that the terrorist group Hamas needs to release the nearly 50 hostages it still holds, Shapiro said he also wants food...
Pa. budget impasse reaches 36 days, with sides still at odds on several key issues
As Pennsylvania’s budget impasse reached 36 days Tuesday, the highest-ranking Republican in the state Senate said lawmakers should consider adopting a six-month spending plan that maintains last year’s funding levels for many essential services while negotiations continue on thornier budgetary issues. “If we can’t come to agreement (on an overall...
Most popular meteor shower, full moon to peak soon over Pennsylvania. Here’s when to look
A full “sturgeon” moon will peak soon over Pennsylvania, and residents can also enjoy viewing the peak of a popular meteor shower soon after. This month’s moon is referred to as the “sturgeon moon” because of the abundance of fish typically found in late summer, according to the Farmers’ Almanac....
Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board opens summer whiskey lottery
Nine whiskey lotteries are now open for Pennsylvania liquor connoisseurs. The lottery, run by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, allows consumers to enter into a drawing for the opportunity to purchase special liquor with limited quantity but high demand. Among the bottles up for grabs are two varieties of Blanton’s...
Voting machines rarely malfunction during Pa. elections, new data show
This article is made possible through Spotlight PA’s collaboration with Votebeat, a nonpartisan news organization covering local election administration and voting. Sign up for Votebeat’s free newsletters here. Pennsylvania voters encountered only scattered voting-machine malfunctions that rarely affected their ability to cast ballots in recent elections, according to a Votebeat...
This Pennsylvania city is one of the ‘dirtiest in America,’ report finds
A city’s cleanliness is one of the key components of both residents’ quality-of-life and health, as evidenced by the recent strike in Philadelphia that left trash piling on the streets. Unfortunately for residents in this other Pennsylvania location, their city is one of the top five dirtiest in the entire...
Ohiopyle State Park tops list of nation’s ‘great-value stays’
Nine state parks in Pennsylvania have been listed among the United States’ best when it comes to getting the most bang for your buck. In fact, one topped the list. As conducted and published by HomeToGo, the list ranked Ohiopyle State Park in Fayette County as the No. 1 state...
500K in Pa. face soaring health care premiums as insurers seek rate hikes
Nearly 500,000 Pennsylvanians could see their health insurance premiums spike next year. Insurers selling coverage on the state’s Affordable Care Act marketplace, Pennie, want to raise premiums by an average of 19% for customers who buy their own insurance and 13% for small businesses, the Pennsylvania Insurance Department announced Friday....
Campaign cash already flowing in Pa. ahead of pivotal 2026 midterms
Republican incumbents in Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation outraised their Democratic counterparts by nearly a 2-to-1 margin, on average, during the first half of the year, according to federal election filings. Chris Borick, a political science professor at Allentown’s Muhlenberg College, said the fundraising gap is less of a reflection of any...
Pennsylvania’s new monitoring stations will better alert residents to floods and other weather events
Pennsylvania is on track to install 30 new weather stations across the state by this time next year, allowing meteorologists and emergency officials the ability to better track severe weather and flooding and provide more timely alerts to the public. The upgrade to the Pennsylvania Integrated Flood Warning and Observation...
Gov. Shapiro joins lawsuit against Trump administration over defunding of Planned Parenthood
Gov. Josh Shapiro has signed onto a lawsuit alleging the federal government is illegally blocking Medicaid funds from going to Planned Parenthood and affiliated healthcare providers. The suit centers on a provision of the recently passed mega bill, which enacts many of President Donald Trump’s domestic policy priorities. It bans...
Sen. John Fetterman to release ‘Unfettered’ memoir this fall — looking at political and health battles
NEW YORK — A long-rumored and “unapologetic” memoir by Sen. John Fetterman will be released this fall, his publisher said. Crown, an imprint of Penguin Random House, announced Wednesday that “Unfettered” is scheduled for Nov. 11. The book’s price is listed at $32. In the memoir, the Democrat will open...
Congressional proposal would target spotted lanternfly
Spotted lanternflies, targeted by stomping feet wherever they’re found, have a new enemy: Congress. U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Butler, and three of his colleagues have introduced legislation that would authorize the nation’s agriculture chief to make grants available for lanternfly research aimed at stopping the spread of the invasive insect....
10 lifeguards on hand when girl drowned at Hersheypark wave pool
Ten lifeguards were watching the wave pool at Hersheypark when a 9-year-old girl drowned, officials said. A spokesperson for the theme park confirmed the incident occurred at the wave pool within the Boardwalk at Hersheypark, on Thursday, as reported by NBC10 Philadelphia. At the time of Sophia Subedi’s death, the...
