John Fetterman’s stock purchase draws scrutiny over timing and Senate committee role
A recent stock purchase by Sen. John Fetterman is raising eyebrows for its timing and because the company has reportedly received billions in federal funding that his committee oversees. Benzinga, a stock trading and news site, cited a post by an online stock tracker in reporting that Fetterman bought an...
Pa. House passes bill opening door to separate public, private state playoffs
The state House on Wednesday overwhelmingly voted in favor of a proposal that would clear the way for the PIAA to hold separate postseason tournaments for traditional public high schools and private, parochial and charter schools. The bipartisan bill passed on a 178-23 vote and now goes to the Senate...
Pennsylvania court grants public access to voting data in dispute from 2020 election’s aftermath
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s high court ruled Tuesday that spreadsheets of raw data associated with every ballot are public records, providing access to the “cast vote records” that had been requested by an election researcher hired by the Trump Administration last year. The Democratic-majority Supreme Court said its unanimous decision was...
Ending the death penalty gains support from both parties in Pa. House
A Pennsylvania House committee on Monday passed a pair of bills that would abolish capital punishment in the commonwealth, potentially ending decades of limbo in which death sentences have been handed down but not carried out. Both bills passed the House Judiciary Committee on party-line votes, with the Democratic majority...
Man gets month in jail for Pennsylvania voter registration quotas in 2024 presidential race
HARRISBURG — A man who managed problem-plagued voter registration drives in Pennsylvania ahead of the 2024 presidential election pleaded guilty Monday to three misdemeanor counts and was sentenced to a month in county jail. Phoenix resident Guillermo Sainz Gurrola was also fined $1,000 and will serve probation for three counts...
Former Pa. governors call on state leaders to make Shapiro’s security a priority
In the wake of a third assassination attempt on President Donald Trump on Saturday, all five of Pennsylvania’s living former governors called on state leaders to make the safety and security of Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family a top priority. “Combating political violence and keeping our elected officials safe...
Philadelphia museum brings Rocky statue inside after decades of tension
PHILADELPHIA — Every day, visitors from around the world make their way to the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art — not necessarily for the galleries inside, but for a statue of a fictional boxer from South Philadelphia. The bronze figure of Rocky Balboa — arms raised in victory,...
Pennsylvania treasurer says ‘no’ to taxpayers footing $1M in security upgrades at Shapiro’s home
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s treasurer refused Thursday to approve payments for more than $1 million in security systems and other upgrades to the private home of Gov. Josh Shapiro, changes that were made after an intruder set fire to the state-owned governor’s residence last year in an attempt to kill the...
Fetterman looks to expand SNAP benefits to include hot rotisserie chicken
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman says hot rotisserie chicken from Costco is a staple on his family’s dinner table. At $4.99 apiece, Costco’s hot rotisserie chicken is “America’s best (and delicious) affordability play,” the Democrat from Braddock said. “It’s one of my family’s favorites,” Fetterman added. But Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program...
PennWest merger undershot estimated tuition revenue by $63M, enrollment by 4,800 studentsVideo
While the 2022 merger of California, Clarion and Edinboro universities realized savings in personnel and operations, enrollment projections for Pennsylvania Western University were short 4,800 students and $63 million in tuition revenue last school year. “While we’ve generated significant savings, it’s not as significant as had been originally projected, and...
Pennsylvania high school history instructor named nation’s Teacher of the Year
HAVERFORD — A high school history teacher in Pennsylvania who helps students look inward to find their strengths and outward to find community inside and outside the classroom has been named the 2026 National Teacher of the Year. Leon Smith, 46, has spent his entire 25-year career at Haverford High...
Turnpike starts engineering work for updated Breezewood, I-70 interchangeVideo
More than 5 million vehicles per year traverse the short stretch of Route 30 that links the Pennsylvania Turnpike to Interstate 70. This month, preliminary engineering work began on a new interchange that will give drivers a direct connection to I-70, accommodating those who want to remain on the turnpike...
Pennsylvania to expand hunter program as crop damage climbs from deerVideo
While the Pennsylvania Game Commission prepares to take its Certified Hunter Program statewide to combat agricultural losses, some veteran farmers say the move is “too little, too late” to save their fields from a skyrocketing deer population. The commission recently approved the expansion of the program, which was piloted last...
ACLU of Pennsylvania sues ICE for information on efforts to ‘unmask’ anonymous online critics
PHILADELPHIA — The Pennsylvania arm of the American Civil Liberties Union has filed a federal lawsuit to obtain information from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on the agency’s efforts to unmask anonymous social media critics. ICE has issued administrative subpoenas to tech companies to obtain information about accounts that track...
Pennsylvania court overturns limits on Medicaid coverage for abortions
A Pennsylvania court on Monday said that the state’s constitution guarantees a right to abortion while striking down a decades-long law banning the use of state Medicaid funds to cover abortion costs. The ruling by a divided seven-judge panel of the appellate-level Commonwealth Court is a major victory for Planned...
Pennsylvania judges say blocking Medicaid for abortion violates state constitution
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 ban on state Medicaid dollars paying for low-income people’s abortion care is unconstitutional, a state appellate...
Mother and 6 children killed in explosion and fire at central Pennsylvania home
MILL HALL — An Amish woman and her six children ranging in age from 3 to 11 were killed in a swift-moving house fire after an explosion that shook nearby houses in rural northcentral Pennsylvania, authorities said. Firefighters responding to a report of an explosion and fire at a home...
County governments group pushes for funding during Pa. budget impasses
Pennsylvania’s budget is due each year on June 30. But that doesn’t always mean it will get done on time. If lawmakers can’t agree on a spending plan, it can leave counties, school districts, and nonprofit organizations that provide services for the state in the lurch. That’s what happened last...
Shapiro wants to eliminate 3 ‘niche’ tax credits; supporters say they should be expanded
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 — For the second year in a row, Gov. Josh Shapiro is asking Pennsylvania lawmakers to scrap three...
Game commission seeks entries for 2027 wildlife art contest
The Pennsylvania Game Commission is looking for artists’ best portraits of a Pennsylvania shorebird. The agency is seeking entries for its 2027 Working Together for Wildlife art contest. The featured category is shorebirds, and unlike in previous years, the 2027 contest is restricted to paintings. One or more shorebirds can...
Descendants say the theft of body parts from Pennsylvania grave sites is not a victimless crime
MEDIA — Judy Prichard McCleary believes her ancestors have gone to the afterlife, and that only their bodies are buried at the family mausoleum in a sprawling Philadelphia-area cemetery. Yet she remains rattled by the discovery that five of their nine crypts were disturbed — and the remains of a...
Walmart stores in Bethel Park, Unity among 32 Pa. stores set for upgrade
Walmart plans to remodel 32 stores in Pennsylvania this year, including two in the Western Pennsylvania region. The retailer announced Thursday morning that the remodels are part of ongoing efforts to modernize the in-store and digital shopping experience at its stores. The remodels include upgrades to layouts, technology, and services....
Gov. Josh Shapiro, Pat McAfee wager on Penguins-Flyers playoff series
The impending NHL hockey playoff series between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers has even the state’s governor getting in on the action. Though he represents all of Pennsylvania, Gov. Josh Shapiro says he is decidedly a Philadelphia fan when it comes to sports. Shapiro made a friendly wager with...
Pa. House sends budget proposal to Senate earlier than it has in nearly a decade
The state House sent a proposed $53.3 billion budget for the coming fiscal year to the Senate on Tuesday — the earliest it has initially passed a spending plan in nearly a decade. The plan passed this week by the Democratic-controlled House has virtually no chance of making it through...
Former Gettysburg mayor’s arrest in Texas captured on body camVideo
Authorities in Texas have released body camera footage of former Gettysburg Mayor Chad-Alan Carr’s April 8 arrest in Texas on child sex charges. The footage was released by the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office in Texas, which was serving a warrant on behalf of the Adams County Sheriff’s Office after new...
