Pennsylvania category, Page 156
Pennsylvania adds nearly 12,000 new covid cases in 2 days
Since Saturday, Pennsylvania has added 11,837 new cases of coronavirus, the state’s Department of Health said Monday. On Sunday 7,075 cases were added, while Monday saw an addition of 4,762 cases. The statewide total stands at 314,401. The seven-day average of new cases rose to a record 6,398 cases; over...
Feds charge 15 alleged Philly mobsters with racketeering, drug dealing and extortion
The Philadelphia mob has limped along on life support for the past decade, its former leaders, Joseph “Uncle Joe” Ligambi and Joseph “Skinny Joey” Merlino, out of the picture after high-profile federal prosecutions. But reports of La Cosa Nostra’s demise have been greatly exaggerated, according to a federal grand jury...
Pa.’s new ‘Pennie’ health exchange in jeopardy if Trump’s ACA lawsuit prevails
Pennsylvania’s new state-run health exchange is among the many pieces of the Affordable Care Act that would be in peril if the Trump administration’s attack on it prevails in the Supreme Court, consumer advocates warn. The state’s insurance enrollment system, called Pennie, debuts this season’s open enrollment period, which runs...
PennDOT seeks public-private partnership to address major bridgesVideo
Through a public-private partnership, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation replaced more than 550 small bridges across the state in just under three years. Now, PennDOT hopes to do the same to address major bridges statewide. “A lot of these bridges were designed in the ‘50s and built in the ‘60s,...
Suit challenges expansion of mail-in voting in Pennsylvania
Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly is leading a suit filed Saturday in Pennsylvania challenging the use of mail-in ballots predominately cast by Democrats in lifting Joe Biden to victory in the presidential race in the state and seeking to block certification of the election results. The lawsuit was filed in...
Judge throws out bid to stop Pa. vote certification; Toomey calls on Trump to ‘accept outcome of election’
Pennsylvania officials can certify election results that currently show Democrat Joe Biden winning the state by more than 80,000 votes, a federal judge ruled Saturday, dealing President Donald Trump’s campaign another blow in its effort to invalidate the election. NEW: The @TeamTrump lawsuit against the PA Sec’y of State —...
Pennsylvania surpasses 300,000 coronavirus cases; reports 112 deaths
Pennsylvania on Saturday reported 6,778 new coronavirus cases, marking a grim milestone of the Keystone State surpassing 300,000 cases. The new data bring the total cases to 302,564. Officials said 20,086 of those are considered probable cases. The state also reported 112 new deaths. Of the new deaths reported Saturday,...
Fetterman’s flags fly in the face of some Pa. lawmakers
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor, Democrat John Fetterman, may have gotten under somebody’s skin. A provision slipped into lame-duck budget legislation Friday would ban flags not approved by lawmakers from flying at the state Capitol — such as the pro-marijuana legalization and LGBTQ- and transgender-rights flags that Fetterman hangs...
Pennsylvania nears 300K covid-19 cases, records 108 more deaths
Another 6,808 cases of covid-19 were reported in Pennsylvania on Friday, according to a report from the state’s Department of Health. It’s now likely Pennsylvania will surpass the 300,000 case mark over the weekend. The state’s total number of cases — confirmed and probable — since the pandemic began in...
Dutch Wonderland will open Holiday Lights drive-thru attraction
Dutch Wonderland may have closed their amusement park for the year, but a festive seasonal attraction is starting up in December. The park’s Holiday Lights attraction will allow guests to drive through a ⅕ mile long trail, decorated with hundreds of thousands of electric Christmas lights. The drive-thru destination will...
Pa. lawmakers to use remaining $1.3B in coronavirus aid to prop up state budget
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 — Despite the pleas of restaurant owners, service providers and other industries, Republican leaders in the House have put forth...
Toomey, Casey propose bill to increase oversight, resources at nursing homesVideo
Bucking the stereotypical lack of bipartisan cooperation in federal politics, U.S. Sens. Bob Casey and Pat Toomey were exploring weaknesses in the country’s nursing homes long before the coronavirus pandemic, commissioning a June 2019 report examining their federal oversight. This week, they announced a bipartisan bill that aims to enhance...
Vaccine on the horizon, but immunization will take time, Pa. health secretary says
A covid-19 vaccine could be approved and available before the end of the year, but supply constrictions and phased rollouts mean immunizing the state will be a slow process stretching into next year, Pennsylvania’s top health official said Thursday. “A lot will depend on exactly how much vaccine we get,...
State officials highlight food assistance programs ahead of holidays
State officials on Thursday encouraged Pennsylvania residents to take advantage of food assistance programs, if needed, over the holidays. “Pennsylvania’s food assistance programs were built for times like these and no one should be too shy to take advantage of what they have to offer,” said Russell Redding, secretary of...
Pa. records highest daily increase in coronavirus cases
Pennsylvania on Thursday eclipsed more than 7,000 new coronavirus cases in a single day for the first time. The state reported a record 7,126 additional covid-19 cases and 116 new deaths. That brings the totals since the pandemic struck the state in March to 288,978 cases and 9,581 deaths. In...
State House Republicans vote for election procedures study
HARRISBURG — Republicans in the state House on Wednesday pushed forward on party lines a proposal for a review of election procedures in Pennsylvania, although its author insisted he accepts voting results and is not trying to overturn them. GOP members of the State Government Committee all voted for the...
Pennsylvania gives update on antigen tests, contact tracing efforts
Pennsylvania health officials are echoing pleas to follow covid-19 health guidelines and cooperate with contact tracing efforts as infections continue to reach new heights. At a news briefing Wednesday afternoon, Michael Huff, director of testing and contact tracing, once again asked Pennsylvanians to answer the calls of case investigators and...
Pa. high court takes up Trump challenge to 8K Philly votes
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s state Supreme Court said Wednesday that it will take up challenges to more than 8,000 ballots in Philadelphia filed by President Donald Trump’s campaign, among the lawsuits launched by the Republican and his allies amid President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the battleground state. The high court’s five-member...
6 Western Pa. counties set new highs as Pa. reports record new coronavirus cases
Six counties in southwestern Pennsylvania experienced their highest single-day coronavirus case totals, as the state set another record for most new cases in a single day on Wednesday. Pennsylvania added 6,339 new positive cases, raising the state’s total to 281,852. The previous high of 5,900 was set Tuesday. Allegheny, Armstrong,...
Clarion president hopeful universities merger reduces tuition by 25%
The university leader tasked with overseeing the merger plan for California, Clarion and Edinboro says she is confident her group can reduce students’ costs at the state-owned universities by 25%. Experts say the cost reduction will be a heavy lift as colleges and universities across the nation face a new...
Hundreds of nurses strike at Philadelphia-area hospitalVideo
LANGHORNE — Hundreds of nurses have gone on strike at a suburban Philadelphia hospital, citing low staffing levels amid rising coronavirus cases. The walkout that began at 7 a.m. Tuesday involves the 700-plus registered nurses at St. Mary Medical Center in Langhorne and their allies in the Pennsylvania Association of...
Pennsylvania expands mask mandate as coronavirus cases rise
New orders from Pennsylvania’s Secretary of Health expand on an April order mandating masks be worn in public, extending the conditions under which one must be worn to include indoors when with anyone outside their household. The orders, which also give further guidance to hospitals and colleges, are meant to...
Pa. Supreme Court rejects Trump campaign claim that Republicans lacked access to Philly vote count
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Republican monitors observing vote counting in Philadelphia were given sufficient access under state law to view the proceedings. In a 5-2 decision, the court overturned a lower court decision that ordered monitors with President Donald Trump’s campaign be allowed within 6 feet of...
Pennsylvania sets another record for new covid-19 cases, nearly 6,000 cases reported
Pennsylvania reported 5,900 new covid-19 cases Tuesday, the new high for daily cases in the state. With the new cases, the seven-day case total stands at 36,856 for the period of Nov. 11 through Tuesday. The seven-day case average is 5,265. Both figures are new records in Pennsylvania. There were...
Levine to announce ‘targeted efforts’ to control covid cases
Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine is set to announce “targeted efforts” to control the spread of covid-19 as case counts across the state continue to rise. The announcement, set for 1 p.m., comes a day after Levine told members of the media there were no plans to shut...
