Pennsylvania category

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....

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 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...

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...

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 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,...

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...

The wealthiest households in Pennsylvania are carrying over a third of the state’s personal income tax burden, according to a new study. The top 1% now pay 35.09% of all personal income taxes collected in the Keystone State, the study by finance company SmartAsset found, which examined the latest IRS...

HARRISBURG — Environmental advocates and a handful of Democratic lawmakers are lambasting legislative leaders for agreeing to pull Pennsylvania out of an interstate cap-and-trade program as a part of the state’s long-awaited $50.1 billion budget. The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) would have capped the amount of carbon that companies...

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania lawmakers have passed a $50.1 billion budget that makes additional investments in public schools, creates a new tax credit for lower-income people, and ends the state’s participation in a climate program. The bills that made up the final package won bipartisan approval in the state House and...

Pennsylvania’s top health care union launched a petition drive Wednesday for improved workplace safety after the beating of a worker at UPMC Altoona hospital last week. Service Employees International Union Healthcare Pennsylvania argues the assault of Travis Dunn should be the catalyst for UPMC and other health systems to invest...

Costco wants to break into the beer and wine business in Pennsylvania, starting with its Cranberry location. The bulk goods retailer has a pending application with the Pa. Liquor Control Board that, if successful, would enable it to sell limited amounts of alcohol. In states and stores where allowed, Costco...