Pennsylvania category, Page 18
Police: Snowmobilers said they were trying to run over fox they chased through Lebanon County field
A Lebanon County man and teenager admitted they were trying to run over a fox when they chased the animal on snowmobiles through a field earlier this month, newly filed court documents show. Myerstown resident Jeffrey S. Horst, 20, was charged Thursday with six offenses, including animal cruelty, court records...
Shapiro rolls out plan to fast-track and subsidize power plants, hydrogen projects
HARRISBURG — Gov. Josh Shapiro said Thursday that he wants to fast-track the construction of big power plants in Pennsylvania and offer hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks for projects that provide electricity to the grid and use hydrogen. Shapiro’s announcement comes a few days before he delivers...
Temple student hurt while celebrating Philadelphia Eagles win dies from his injuries
PHILADELPHIA — A college student who was hurt when he climbed a street pole and fell while Philadelphia Eagles fans celebrated the team’s victory in Sunday’s NFC championship game has died from his injuries. Temple University announced the death of Tyler Sabapathy, 18, in a statement posted Tuesday night on...
Allentown police get search warrant for DNA in City Hall noose investigation
ALLENTOWN — A Lehigh County district judge approved a search warrant for the DNA of an Allentown employee who allegedly was the victim of a hate crime. The warrant application said the employee was not willing to provide a sample for the investigation. According to an affidavit by Allentown Police...
Pa.’s 1st avian flu case reported at Lehigh County farm, agriculture department says
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture on Monday announced this year’s first positive case in the state of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in domestic poultry. The positive samples were detected in a 50,000-bird layer chicken flock on a commercial poultry farm in Lehigh County, the department said. The farm and commercial...
John Fetterman nearly doubles his approval rating among Republicans, according to a recent analysis
Sen. John Fetterman, D.-Pa., has nearly doubled his approval rating among Republicans while continuing to bolster his job performance rating among all Pennsylvania voters, according to an analysis from Morning Consult published recently. The analysis points to how the Democratic senator’s frequent outreach to the GOP — enough to help...
Community fears fox chased by snowmobiles was killed; 2 witnesses say it was exhausted but aliveVideo
SCHAEFFERSTOWN — Residents in this rural stretch of Lebanon County feared the worst after seeing appalling video of two snowmobile riders relentlessly chasing a fox, appearing to run it down several times. But two witnesses interviewed Monday by PennLive — including a person who shot video that was provided to...
Pa. township supervisor who mimicked Elon Musk’s salute on TikTok resigns
A supervisor in a Montgomery County township has resigned after a TikTok video that showed her mimicking a salute Elon Musk gave at an inauguration event went viral. Laura Smith, who was the Vice Chair on the Towamencin Township Board of Supervisors, submitted her resignation on Sunday. In a letter...
3 injured by car driven into a crowd in Philadelphia after Eagles playoff game
PHILADELPHIA — A car hit and injured three pedestrians in a crowd of people that was leaving the Philadelphia Eagles playoff game on Sunday night, police said. A driver is in custody and the collision did not immediately appear to be intentional, the Philadelphia Police Department said in a social...
Penn State faculty fear the school will close campuses across the stateVideo
This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. Sign up for Talk of the Town, a weekly newsletter of local stories that dig deep, events, and more from north-central PA, at spotlightpa.org/newsletters/talkofthetown. Penn...
‘AI-driven’ cyber charter school wants to teach Pa. kids core academics in 2 hours per day
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. HARRISBURG — A cyber charter school network that says it will use “AI-driven” technology to allow students to learn all the core academics they need...
The legal weed debate is starting up again in Pa.
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. HARRISBURG — No one in the Pennsylvania Capitol is prepared to say if this is the year the state will legalize marijuana. But that hasn’t...
Judge sides with Penn State after professor alleges he was not promoted due to discrimination
A federal judge sided with Penn State last week in a lawsuit brought by a tenured associate professor at a commonwealth campus who claimed he was wrongfully denied a promotion, granting the university’s request to rule in its favor as a matter of law. U.S. Circuit Judge D. Michael Fisher’s...
Fewer lanternflies this summer? Maybe, and you can thank this week’s deep freeze
One upside to the frigid cold — there should be fewer pesky spotted lanternflies this summer. The mottled, brilliant red and white plant hoppers lay eggs inside a sac that clings to trees and resembles a bag of baked beans, but some of those sacs likely will not survive this...
Sen. John Fetterman had ‘zero clue’ that he took a photo with a Jan. 6 rioter, his office says
Sen. John Fetterman inadvertently took a photo Monday with the rioter who grabbed then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s lectern and posed with it during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. The photo came the same day President Donald Trump took the oath of office and hours before Trump...
Pennsylvania row officers sworn in, marking 1st time Republicans hold all 3 offices
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s three statewide row officers were sworn in to new four-year terms on Tuesday, joining Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro in Harrisburg and marking the first time that all three offices were filled at the same time by elected Republicans. Treasurer Stacy Garrity and Auditor General Tim DeFoor embarked...
Death of Democratic lawmaker leaves Pennsylvania House deadlocked at 101-101
HARRISBURG — A Democrat from McKeesport in Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives has died, the House Democratic caucus said Sunday night, leaving the chamber deadlocked at a 101-101 partisan divide. Rep. Matt Gergely, D-Allegheny, died Sunday. He was 45, House Democrats said. Neither House Democrats or Gergely’s family disclosed a cause,...
Fetterman was elected to challenge convention. Now, he’s challenging his fellow Democrats
HARRISBURG — When Democrat John Fetterman got elected to Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate seat, many backers hoped he’d challenge convention and the status quo. He did and has — just not in the way many had expected. Fetterman has broken with his party on some policy matters and warmed to President-elect...
Governor’s office forced to reveal why it spent $368K on private law firms
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. HARRISBURG — An ethics investigation. Federal and state grand jury probes. Advice on taxes. These are the reasons the administration of former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom...
American accused of assaulting Pennsylvania student is extradited from France to the U.S.
PHILADELPHIA — An American accused of sexually assaulting a Pennsylvania college student in 2013 and later sending her a Facebook message that said “So I raped you” was extradited Thursday from France to the United States. Ian Cleary, 31, of Saratoga, California, arrived in the U.S. and was being flown...
2 Philadelphia men plead guilty to killing SWAT officer in 2020 as police served murder warrant
PHILADELPHIA — Two men pleaded guilty Wednesday to murder and racketeering charges in the March 2020 shooting death of a Philadelphia police officer. Hassan Elliott, 26, and Khalif Sears, 23, admitted killing SWAT Cpl. James O’Connor IV, as police sought to arrest them in a 2019 homicide. As police climbed...
‘The labor shortage will only get worse:’ Trump deportation plans could hit Pa. agriculture hard
Pennsylvania is home to an estimated 155,000 undocumented migrants, according to the American Immigration Council. And around 30,000 of them may work in the state’s agricultural sector, according to estimates from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. With the state’s agriculture industry already facing a workforce shortage, President-elect Donald Trump’s promise...
Allentown activists demand FBI investigation into alleged hate crime against city employee
A group of Allentown activists held a protest Monday afternoon in front of City Hall, calling for justice and accountability after a noose reportedly was found on the desk of a city employee last week. Allentown police announced Friday they are investigating an incident in which a Black woman who...
Pa.’s Real ID deadline is looming — here’s how to get one before you’re banned from flying
The Real ID deadline is coming in a few short months, so Pennsylvanians who haven’t gotten one yet might want to get their plans — and documents — in order. Here’s what you’ll need to get your Pennsylvania driver’s license updated to meet the new federal security standards. What is...
Shapiro says this ‘broken process’ could lead to higher electricity costs
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. HARRISBURG — Pennsylvanians could face higher electricity bills if federal regulators don’t force the state’s grid operator to fix a “broken process” that artificially affects...
