Pennsylvania category, Page 144
Lt. Gov. John Fetterman files statement of candidacy for possible U.S. Senate run
Lt. Gov. John Fetterman has taken further steps toward finalizing a possible bid for Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate seat that will be open in the 2022 election. While he has not formally announced his bid for the seat, Fetterman, 51, filed a statement of candidacy this week with the Federal Election...
Lawmakers consider fast-track plan for abuse lawsuit window
HARRISBURG — A bid to amend the Pennsylvania Constitution to give victims of child sexual abuse a new legal window to sue over otherwise time-barred allegations got new life Thursday, days after the disclosure of a paperwork error threw it into disarray. Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-Berks, told colleagues during a...
Pa. lawmakers’ spending jumps, reserves grow during pandemic as deficit ballooned
HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Legislature’s spending grew by more than 8% last year, adding some $28 million to its own reserves as the state’s deficit ballooned and many residents struggled to pay bills during the pandemic. The Legislative Audit Advisory Commission on Thursday voted without debate to approve the legislative...
Gov. Wolf defends funding plan for public education
Gov. Tom Wolf doubled down on his proposal for major funding increases for public education, joining others on Thursday to lay out additional details for improving equity across Pennsylvania. “Pennsylvania’s school funding system is unfair to students, teachers and communities,” Wolf said during a virtual press briefing. Wolf on Wednesday...
Covid hospitalizations in Pa. continue to fall
The number of people in Pennsylvania hospitalized because of the coronavirus continues to fall. The state Department of Health on Thursday reported 3,138 people were being treated for covid-19 in hospitals, 86 fewer than the day before. It marked the 14th day out of the past 15 that the number...
Public education advocates hail Wolf’s school budget; Republicans balk at tax proposal
Public education advocates applauded the proposed 21% boost to K-12 funding in Gov. Tom Wolf’s 2021-22 budget Wednesday calling it bold and overdue, even as members of the Republican-controlled Legislature savaged it. “It is long overdue and very, very necessary,” said Ron Cowell, the former Allegheny County lawmaker and founder...
Bradford County DA accused of sex assaults on clients while he was defense lawyer
A Pennsylvania county prosecutor was charged Wednesday with sexually assaulting women who were his clients in criminal and child custody cases when he worked as a defense attorney. Bradford County District Attorney Chad Michael Salsman was charged with three counts of sexual assault, five counts of indecent assault, witness intimidation,...
Pa.’s lagging vaccine rollout takes center stage in Harrisburg
Pennsylvania’s lagging coronavirus vaccine distribution came under fire Wednesday as health leaders cited poor communication and disorganization as reasons for the slow rollout and lawmakers questioned the state’s efficiency in inoculating residents. The three-hour hearing, conducted by the House Health Committee, addressed concerns with vaccine accessibility, racial disparities, the pace...
Wolf asks for tax increase on Pa.’s top earners amid pandemic; GOP pans proposal as ‘irresponsible’
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 one of his boldest budget proposals since taking office, Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf is asking the legislature to...
Covid hospitalizations continue to drop in Pennsylvania
Covid hospitalizations in Pennsylvania are on a downward trend, decreasing more than 500 in a week. Data from the Pennsylvania Department of Health shows the number of coronavirus patients dropped 544 from 3,768 a week ago to 3,224 Wednesday. The number also shrunk by 57 from Tuesday’s 3,281. There are...
Here’s how Pa. ranks in vaccination rollout nationwide
If it feels like the coronavirus vaccine rollout in Pennsylvania is among the worst in the country, you’re not wrong. According to data compiled by the Associated Press, Pennsylvania is tied for 39th among the 50 states in terms of the percentage of the population that has received at least...
Wolf launches a budget fraught with deficits, uncertainty
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf will ask lawmakers Wednesday to raise income taxes on higher earners and give public schools a massive boost in aid, even as he faces a gaping deficit and uncertainty over how much more pandemic relief the federal government will send. Because of the coronavirus pandemic,...
Man shot while shoveling snow in Philadelphia
A man was shot while shoveling snow from a sidewalk in Philadelphia on Tuesday night. The incident occurred around 6 p.m. outside of a laundromat on the 400 block of West Allegheny Avenue in the city’s West Kensington section, Action News 6 ABC is reporting. According to reports, the 23-year-old...
Pa. bowling alley roof collapses under heavy snow
A portion of the roof at Hampton Lanes in Northampton Borough collapsed early Tuesday as a winter storm dumped more than two feet of snow in some areas. Jason Lauchnor of Northampton Borough, general manager of the bowling alley in the 300 block of Main Streeet said he was awakened...
DA directs case closed in snow-related murder-suicide
The triple shooting in Plains Township motivated by a dispute about snow removal will be officially ruled a murder-suicide, according to the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office. Authorities said Jeffrey Spaide, 47, shot and killed his neighbors, James Goy, 50, and his wife Lisa Goy, 48, on Monday morning as...
Another path to justice for survivors of clergy sex abuse faces uphill battle in Pa. legislature
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 — When Republican state Rep. Jim Gregory learned Monday from Gov. Tom Wolf that an administrative error will delay a...
National Alliance on Mental Illness will host youth-focused virtual conference Friday
As Christine Michaels, CEO of the National Alliance on Mental Illness’ Keystone Pennsylvania chapter, prepares for the group’s first virtual conference on Friday, she can’t help but think of her own family. This year’s conference, “Closing the Gap: Prioritizing the Needs of Traumatized Youth,” will focus on the impact that...
Gov. Wolf seeks income tax hike to pay for big increase in school funding
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf will propose a sweeping new plan to dramatically boost funding for public schools, to be supported by an increase in the state’s personal income tax rate that also expands exemptions for lower-wage earners, administration officials said Tuesday. Wolf’s administration began releasing details of the plan...
Pa. covid hospitalizations increase slightly for 1st time in 2 weeks
After about two weeks of decreasing covid hospitalizations in the state, the streak ended with Tuesday’s numbers. Albeit slight, covid hospitalizations increased to 3,821 on Tuesday in Pennsylvania, after dropping for 12 consecutive days. Prior to this stretch, covid hospitalizations last increased on Jan. 20 when the total went up...
Pennsylvania declares emergency for snow removal
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has declared a disaster emergency as that state’s residents begin digging out from the storm. Wolf’s proclamation frees up millions of dollars for snow removal and other expenses associated with the massive, slow-moving storm, which dumped feet of snow on swaths of eastern Pennsylvania....
Johnstown Rotarian will hike the Appalachian Trail to help fight polioVideo
When Owen Standley set out to lose a little weight, walking 2,200 miles along the Appalachian Trail was not the plan. But when Standley, 34, of Ferndale, Cambria County, joined his wife in a diet and exercise plan, it included a journaling assignment to list something he thought he could...
Punxsutawney Phil says there will be 6 more weeks of winterVideo
PUNXSUTAWNEY — There will be six more weeks of winter, Punxsutawney Phil predicted as he emerged from his burrow on a snowy Tuesday morning to perform his Groundhog Day duties. Members of Phil’s “inner circle” woke up the furry critter at 7:25 a.m. at Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to...
Greensburg area man’s frustration ends, finally gets unemployment benefits
Seven months of frustration trying to get the state to release thousands of dollars in unemployment benefits from last year ended for a Southwest Greensburg man this past weekend when he got a long-awaited check from the Labor Department. “I won’t have to worry so much,” Scott Flanigan, 58, said...
Luzerne County couple slain as a result of snow disposal argument; suspect also dead
A northeastern Pennsylvania shooting stemming from an argument Monday between neighbors over snow disposal left two people dead, and the suspect was later found dead at his home, authorities said. Luzerne County District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis said a husband and wife were shot to death in the street outside their...
Pa. has administered more than 1 million vaccine doses
The Pennsylvania Department of Health announced Monday that more than 1 million doses of covid-19 vaccine have been administered throughout the state. There are 811,555 Pennsylvania residents who have received the vaccine. Of them, 615,085 have received one dose and are partially covered. The other 196,470 are fully covered with...
