Pennsylvania category, Page 140
Pa. asks for money to extend school meals benefits
The Pennsylvania Departments of Human Services and Education asked for federal approval Tuesday to issue more than $1 billion in benefits to families with children in remote school during the covid-19 pandemic. The families would have otherwise had access to free and reduced priced meals during the 2020-21 school year....
Gov. Wolf: Teachers, others can get Johnson & Johnson vaccine when it arrives
Educators in Pennsylvania will be able to receive the Johnson & Johnson covid-19 vaccine when it becomes available, and shipments should start arriving in the state this week, state officials said Tuesday. “We have an unusual opportunity with (the Johnson & Johnson vaccine) because it’s a one-dose,” Gov. Tom Wolf...
Pa. reports 2,564 covid cases, 74 additional deaths
Pennsylvania on Tuesday reported 2,564 additional coronavirus cases and 74 additional deaths, according to the state Department of Health. Tuesday’s reported cases were designated 1,843 confirmed and 721 probable. Of the newly reported deaths, 69 are from February, three from January and one each in December and November. Health officials...
Censure of Sen. Toomey for Trump impeachment vote falls short
A sharply-split Republican State Committee in Pennsylvania voted Monday night to again express its displeasure with Sen. Pat Toomey’s vote last month to convict former President Donald Trump on an article of impeachment, but stopped short of voting to censure him. Committee members were given the choice of voting for...
Thomas Saylor outlines plans to step down as Pa. chief justice in April
The chief justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court said Monday he will relinquish that title to a colleague in a few months but stay on the court until his full retirement at year’s end. Chief Justice Thomas Saylor said the position of chief justice will be filled by Justice Max...
Coroner called after vehicle crashes into Gettysburg gift shop, starts firesVideo
A coroner was called to the scene of a crash in which a vehicle slammed into a Gettysburg gift shop and burst into flames, setting the building and a neighboring structure on fire, authorities said. Emergency dispatchers said the vehicle crashed into the Blue and Gray Gift Shop shortly before...
Pa. teachers could move to vaccine’s phase 1A distribution, task force says
Discussions are in progress in Pennsylvania’s General Assembly to possibly move teachers to phase 1A of the state’s vaccine rollout. State Rep. Tim O’Neal, R-Washington, sent an email Sunday alerting House GOP members of the possibility, according to WPXI. He explained that the National Guard would be involved in the...
Pennsylvania saw record declines in covid numbers in February
In February, Pennsylvania saw the steepest decline in new cases of the entire pandemic. The state went from 202,899 new cases in January to 88,418 new cases in February — a 56% drop. Even though February has three fewer days than January, if you were to add three days of...
Gov. Wolf raises capacity limits on event spaces, rescinds travel restrictions
Pennsylvania officials eased some covid-19 restrictions effective immediately, specifically those orders pertaining to occupancy limits on indoor and outdoor events, paving the way for the Penguins and Pirates to allow fans at PPG Paints Arena and PNC Park. The new orders, announced by Gov. Tom Wolf, raised the occupancy limits...
Pa. prison legal mail policy updated after 2 guards sickened by K2
Mail safety protocols in the state’s prisons are being updated after two guards at a Northeastern Pennsylvania facility were hospitalized. Officials said the pair were exposed to K2, or synthetic marijuana, that was sent in correspondence supposedly from the courts. Department of Corrections Secretary John Wetzel said the new protocols...
1 arrested in Lehigh County Walmart lot shooting that killed 1, injured 1Video
WHITEHALL — A man has been arrested in a shooting in the parking lot of a Walmart store in eastern Pennsylvania that killed a woman and wounded another person, authorities said. Edward Joel Rosario-Jimenez, 23, was charged Sunday with criminal homicide, attempted criminal homicide and aggravated assault as well as...
Several Pennsylvania organizations to participate in Problem Gambling Awareness Month
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is working in conjunction with other state entities to promote Problem Gambling Awareness Month in March. Throughout the month, the gaming control board’s Office of Compulsive and Problem Gambling will join the state Department of Drug and Alcohol, the Pennsylvania Lottery, the Council on Compulsive...
Toomey censure remains on hold with Pennsylvania Republicans
As former President Trump prepared for his first public appearance before the national Conservative Political Action Conference on Sunday, the Pennsylvania Republican State Committee remained stalled on demands by county leaders that the state GOP censure Sen. Pat Toomey for his vote to convict Trump for incitement of insurrection. What...
Pennsylvania reports nearly 3,400 more covid cases, 132 deaths
Pennsylvania health officials on Saturday reported 3,361 new coronavirus cases, as hospitalizations and case counts continue to decrease in the Keystone State. The new data bring the total cases to 929,697. That’s a jump of about 18,100 additional cases from this time last week. Two weeks ago, the increase was...
Pa. health official: Still no timeline for next phase of covid vaccination processVideo
There remains no estimate on when Pennsylvania will move to the next phase of its vaccination plan, which includes a slew of essential workers as well as first responders and teachers, a health official said Friday. “I don’t think we’re putting out estimates at this point,” Health Department Senior Adviser...
Pennsylvania reports most new covid cases in over a week
Pennsylvania reported the most additional covid-19 cases in about 10 days on Friday, according to data from the state Department of Health. There were 3,346 additional covid cases (2,722 confirmed, 624 probable), the most since 3,413 were reported Feb. 17. Another 69 covid-related deaths were reported, marking the ninth consecutive...
Bipartisan bill to legalize marijuana introduced in Pa. Legislature
Marijuana legalization will get another chance in the Pennsylvania Legislature thanks to a new bipartisan bill. State Sens. Dan Laughlin, R-Erie, and Sharif Street, D-Philadelphia, this week introduced a bill that would allow those over the age of 21 to buy and use marijuana. It would also expunge the convictions...
Public asked to push Pennsylvania legislators for dog license fee hike
Increased dog license fees could bring in $1.2 million this year for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Dog Law, if the proposal is approved by state legislators. Department Secretary Russell Redding hopes it will be. Without the additional funding, lost dogs or mistreated canines could face an uncertain...
Penn State aims to return to full in-person instruction for fall semester; here’s the plan
Penn State is planning to return to a “full on-campus learning environment” by the fall with expanded in-person classes, in another notable step toward normalcy. The university announced Wednesday that it will phase in its return by transitioning to more in-person classes over the summer, using event spaces and outdoor...
New coronavirus grants for small Pa. businesses aim for inclusivity, but can’t track success
Spotlight PA is an independent, non-partisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. HARRISBURG — Applications open next month for $145 million in state grants for small hospitality businesses, with a significant change by lawmakers intended to ensure the money...
Pennsylvania adds fewer than 3,000 covid cases 7 days in a row
Pennsylvania has reported fewer than 3,000 additional cases of covid-19 each day for a week. The state on Thursday added 2,356 coronavirus cases to bring its total to 922,990 since the start of the pandemic, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The seven-day average of new cases in the...
Pa. GOP meets to discuss Toomey, impeachment vote
HARRISBURG — Republican Party committee members in Pennsylvania were meeting remotely Wednesday night, for hours, in what involved a discussion of whether to censure U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey for his vote to convict Donald Trump during the former president’s second impeachment trial. Toomey’s vote — and his earlier assessment that...
Pennsylvania man charged in Capitol insurrection after ex-girlfriend turns him in to FBI
A Pennsylvania man was charged after his ex-girlfriend went to the FBI with his text messages and videos from inside the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection. Richard Michetti, of Ridley Park, Delaware County, is charged with knowingly entering a restricted building, violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol...
Small pet turtles linked to Pennsylvania salmonella outbreak
Tiny turtles have sparked a salmonella outbreak that killed one person and sickened at least eight others, state health officials said Wednesday. The outbreak has been linked to small pet turtles purchased from street vendors, said Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam. She said a majority of the cases have...
Pa. Republicans say Gov. Wolf is trying to sabotage ballot question
HARRISBURG — Republican leaders of Pennsylvania’s Legislature said Wednesday that Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration is trying to sabotage ballot questions to amend the constitution to shift authority over the length of emergency declarations from governors to lawmakers. The measures arose from Republican lawmakers’ strident disagreement with how Wolf, a Democrat,...
