Pennsylvania category, Page 143
Pennsylvania adds 3,378 covid cases; Fayette County surpasses 10,000 cases
Fayette County became the 27th county in Pennsylvania to surpass 10,000 coronavirus cases on Wednesday. The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 29 additional cases to bring Fayette’s total to 10,022. In the region, Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Washington and Westmoreland have already surpassed that mark. Overall in the state, 3,378 additional...
Sheetz announces pay increases, plan to give new moms time off with pay
Altoona-based Sheetz today said it will invest $28.5 million in employee wage increases and give new mothers 12 weeks off with full pay. Sheetz said the pay increases will be effective Feb. 12 for “the majority” of its 18,000 employees. Sheetz did not elaborate on how much the wage increases...
Commonwealth Court establishes presence on Twitter
During the flurry of legal activity in Pennsylvania following the results of the November election, the state’s Commonwealth Court staff was firing out press releases at a record pace as cases were heard and decided. Now, the public will have a better chance of following the court’s activity by way...
Gov. Wolf announces new covid vaccine task force
Gov. Tom Wolf on Tuesday announced the creation of a joint task force aimed at improving the state’s vaccine rollout, including several members of the General Assembly from both sides of the political aisle. “We have a good working relationship with our legislators, and we know they are the eyes,...
Pennsylvania mail-in ballot registry isn’t as permanent as the word implies
Editor’s note: A prior version of this story incorrectly stated the impact of ignoring a letter regarding the requirement to apply for mail in ballots annually even if voters registered for the “permanent mail-in ballot list.” Pennsylvania’s 2019 mail-in ballot law continues to create confusion as election officials across the...
Pennsylvania tool lets you know when it’s your turn to get covid vaccine
The Pennsylvania Department of Health launched another new online tool to help with covid-19 vaccine information, and residents now can sign up for alerts as to when they’re eligible. The website, called Your Turn, first will determine whether a person is eligible for the vaccine and, if they aren’t, give...
Gov. Wolf outlines plan to raise Pa.’s minimum wage to $15 by 2027
Gov. Tom Wolf on Tuesday joined Democrats in the General Assembly to lay out a plan to raise the state’s minimum wage to $12 an hour effective in July. From there, he said, the wage would be raised 50 cents a year until it reaches $15 by July 2027. “Our...
Report: Super Bowl bets up 75% this year across Pennsylvania
Pennsylvanians legally bet more money this Super Bowl compared to last year, according to the state Gaming Control Board. Preliminary figures suggest that $53.6 million was bet at sportsbooks across the state on Sunday’s game, which saw the underdog Tampa Bay Buccaneers wallop the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9. This year’s...
Pa. reports 4,088 additional covid cases, 149 deaths
Pennsylvania on Tuesday continued its current trend of reporting less than 5,000 additional covid-19 cases, per the state Department of Health. There were 4,088 covid cases added, bringing total cases to 876,913 in the state. There have been 33,689 cases reported in February to this point. Since Jan. 31, there...
Small plane lands on Pennsylvania TurnpikeVideo
LANCASTER — A small plane landed on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, shutting down some traffic and prompting a crash on Monday evening, authorities said. Turnpike Commission spokesperson Carl Defebo told WGAL-TV the plane apparently made an emergency landing and then was struck by a vehicle. #BREAKING Plane's engine died, forcing pilot...
Settlement near in case of Pennsylvania pot suspect killed by state bulldozer
The estate of a man who was run over by a bulldozer while being chased by Pennsylvania State Police for illegally growing a handful of pot plants is nearing settlement of its federal wrongful death lawsuit against the state. Gregory Longenecker, a 51-year-old short-order cook and Grateful Dead fan, had...
Some college students temporarily eligible for SNAP benefits
Some college students will be eligible for SNAP food benefits based on their family’s income, a change that is temporary but will open up the program for a swath of students who otherwise did not qualify for the support, Pennsylvania officials announced Monday. Under normal circumstances, federal rules dictate that...
How some Pa. lawmakers score a ‘golden parachute’ to pad their pensions
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. A version of this story originally appeared in our free weekly newsletter. HARRISBURG — Members of Pennsylvania’s Gaming Control Board, whose responsibilities include meeting once or twice...
Pa. Lt. Gov. John Fetterman makes U.S. Senate run official
Pennsylvania Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman officially launched his campaign for U.S. Senate on Monday. “Now, it’s my turn,” Fetterman said on Twitter early Monday morning. “Let’s get to work.” “This will be the most important Senate race in 2022, so we need to build as much early momentum as...
Police: Off-duty officer charged after car injures 2 in Philadelphia homeVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Authorities say an off-duty police officer is facing charges after his car went out of control and crashed into a northeast Philadelphia home, hitting two residents and critically injuring one of them. Police say the car was heading north on Caroline Road near the Northeast Philadelphia Airport when...
In race for covid-19 vaccinations, older residents in rural Pa. face tough obstacles
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. Sign up for our free newsletters. SULLIVAN COUNTY — Robert Keen figured his year of dodging the coronavirus was over. At 84, the retired ambulance driver —...
Pa. legislature enacted 140 laws last year, only 27 addressed pandemic
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. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — In 2020, the coronavirus thrust state government into the lives of Pennsylvanians unlike any other time in recent history....
Pennsylvania posts 3,930 new covid cases, 157 deaths
Pennsylvania health officials on Saturday reported 3,930 new coronavirus cases, as hospitalizations and case counts continue to trend downward in the Keystone State. The new data bring the total cases to 865,604. That’s a jump of more than 26,000 additional cases from this time last week. Two weeks ago, the...
‘One Lens’ project seeks to archive state residents’ covid-19 experience
Looking at photos from a specific period in history can be very telling. American photographs from the years of World War II, without any words, can tell the stories of battle-worn soldiers, the families they left behind and the efforts of those at home to support them. Pennsylvania First Lady...
Abuse survivors and advocates push emergency measure for May ballot
A bipartisan team of Pennsylvania lawmakers will invoke a rare emergency provision of the Pennsylvania Constitution, seeking to restore a constitutional amendment ballot question long sought by victims of child sex abuse. An administrative error by the Department of State, discovered late last month, prevents the question from appearing on...
Pa. district attorney charged with sex assault vows to remain in office
TOWANDA — A Pennsylvania district attorney vowed Friday to remain in office while he fights sexual assault charges, maintaining his innocence and complaining that he was handcuffed and “paraded in front of television cameras” by the state attorney general. Bradford County District Attorney Chad Salsman, who took office a year...
Gov. Wolf to sign $912M pandemic relief bill
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf will sign legislation approved Friday by lawmakers that carries over $900 million in pandemic-driven aid for hard-hit hospitality businesses, private schools and people struggling to pay rent or utility bills. Both chambers passed the bill unanimously Friday and Wolf’s office said he will sign it....
Pennsylvania covid cases continue slow decline, 138 new deaths reported
While Pennsylvania on Friday reported 4,688 additional cases of the coronavirus — the highest since adding 5,191 on Saturday — the state’s seven-day case average continues to trend downward. Not since mid-November has Pennsylvania’s seven-day average — now at 3,947 — been as low. The current average is 30% lower...
Pa. Republicans mostly support Marjorie Taylor Greene in House committee ouster
Eight out of nine Pennsylvania Republicans in the House of Representatives stood with U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, as Democrats led a successful move to strip committee assignments from the controversial Georgia Republican with a history of supporting conspiracy theories and making racist comments. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, who represents a...
End of an era: Last 2 Kmart stores in Pa. to close
It appears to be an end of an era. Kmart, the store known for its discount prices and its “blue light specials” is closing its last two stores in Pennsylvania. The last two Kmart stores in the state including the last Kmart in the midstate will be closing in Transformco’s...
