Pennsylvania category, Page 184
Wolf calls for police oversight, troopers association calls it an attack on law enforcement
Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday announced his proposals to implement more training, transparency and oversight of Pennsylvania police departments in response to the killing of George Floyd. “We must rise to the challenge, because too many people have lost faith in our public safety institutions, and in our institutions in...
Vote counting drags into 3rd day after Pennsylvania primary
HARRISBURG — Counting an avalanche of 1.4 million mail-in votes dragged into a third day in Pennsylvania on Thursday as some races from Tuesday’s primary remained too close to call. The Associated Press has not yet called a number of races where the contest was close or had a large...
Pennsylvania reports 75 new coronavirus deaths, 537 new cases
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 75 new covid-19 deaths and 537 new cases in the state Thursday. That brings the state’s total case count to 73,942, with 5,817 deaths. The state considers 618 patients as probable cases, but they are not confirmed. Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday renewed the...
Casey, Toomey weigh in as Trump threatens military force
Pennsylvania’s U.S. senators are weighing in on President Trump’s threat to invoke the Insurrection Act in response to protests following the death of George Floyd. On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, joined 20 other senators in sending a letter to Defense Secretary Mark Esper urging him to refrain from...
Wolf lifts stay-at-home order, renews disaster declarationVideo
The stay-at-home order that has governed life in Pennsylvania since early March will expire at day’s end Thursday as the entire state moves into the yellow and green reopening phases, Gov. Tom Wolf said. But Wolf said he will renew the 90-day disaster declaration that was set to expire along...
Gov. Wolf joins protesters; Philadelphia under curfew againVideo
HARRISBURG — Philadelphia will be under curfew again for a fifth straight night Wednesday, as Gov. Tom Wolf marched in Harrisburg with demonstrators protesting police violence against black people and racial injustice following the killing of George Floyd. Wolf, with officials from Harrisburg, marched from the Capitol steps to a...
Philadelphia to be under curfew for 5th straight nightVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia will be under curfew again for a fifth straight night Wednesday. City officials said the curfew will extend from 6 p.m. until 6 a.m. Thursday. During that time, people will only be allowed to leave their homes to work at essential businesses or to seek medical attention...
75 new coronavirus deaths, 511 new cases reported in Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 75 new covid-19 deaths and 511 new cases Wednesday. That brings the state’s total case count to 73,405, with 5,742 deaths. The state considers 617 patients as probable cases, but they are not confirmed. More than half of coronavirus cases in the state are...
Statue of divisive Philadelphia Mayor Frank Rizzo is removed
A crane lifted a long-polarizing statue of former Philadelphia Mayor Frank Rizzo from its home outside a public building in the wee hours of Wednesday, whisking it away after recent protests against police brutality hastened its removal. As National Guard troops deployed for the protests watched, the crane lifted the...
Officials: Pennsylvania schools can reopen in-person teaching on July 1
Elementary and secondary schools inside Pennsylvania’s less restrictive reopening zones can resume teaching in person and other activities at the end of June, the Education Department announced Wednesday. The guidance issued by the department says school boards in the green and yellow zones under the stoplight-colored reopening system must first...
Statue of divisive former Philadelphia Mayor Rizzo removedVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Workers removed the statue early Wednesday of controversial former Philadelphia Mayor Frank Rizzo, which was recently defaced during a protest following George Floyd’s death. As National Guard troops deployed in the wake of recent protests watched, a crane lifted the 10-foot-tall bronze statue and workers shook it from...
Trump, Biden win Pennsylvania primary contests amid unrest, pandemic
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania held a primary election Tuesday amid civil unrest, a pandemic, the introduction of new voting machines in some counties and the debut of mail-in balloting that pushed county election bureaus to their limits. The result of the highest-profile contest on the ballot was a foregone conclusion: President...
Police clashes with protesters mark reversal in PhiladelphiaVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Officials in Philadelphia defended their use of tear gas in dispersing protesters who blocked a major highway at rush hour, calling it necessary to defuse “a dangerous and volatile situation,” but civil rights lawyers called it a reversal of recent city policy. The Philadelphia Police Department had earned...
Pennsylvania health officials ask protesters to adhere to coronavirus safety guidelines
State health officials have no plans to alter the timeline of when counties will move to the next phase of Gov. Tom Wolf’s phased reopening plan despite large-scale protests over the death of George Floyd not adhering to social distancing guidelines. Secretary of Health Rachel Levine said health officials respect...
Pennsylvania Turnpike to lay off 500 employees, make cashless tolling permanent
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission this month will lay off about 500 employees — mostly toll collectors — as it switches permanently to a cashless system statewide. That’s roughly a quarter of the commission’s total workforce. The commission originally planned to make the switch to cashless late next year, promising no...
100 new coronavirus deaths, 612 new cases reported in Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 100 new covid-19 deaths and 612 new cases Tuesday. That brings the state’s total case count to 72,894, with 5,667 deaths. Pennsylvania cases by dayInfogram The state considers 616 patients as probable cases, but they are not confirmed. More than half of coronavirus cases...
Pa. gun shop owner shoots, kills man during attempted burglary
PHILADELPHIA — A Philadelphia gun shop owner shot and killed a man who the owner said was among a group that had broken into the store early Tuesday, authorities said. The shooting at the Firing Line Gun Range and Gun Store occurred around 4:20 a.m. The shop owner told police...
Police commissioner defends use of tear gas in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA — Tear gas was used as “a means to safely diffuse a volatile and dangerous situation” when protesters spilled onto an interstate highway in the heart of Philadelphia just before a curfew took effect, the city’s police commissioner said. Police also fired nonlethal bullets into the crowd and halted...
Thieves blowing up, stealing ATMs across Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA — Explosions punctuated the overnight hours as thieves blew up and stole ATMs across the city, police said. At least ten machines were vandalized, mainly at neighborhood convenience stores and gas stations. The thieves mainly set off explosive devices, blowing up the machines before making off with the cash....
Pa. launches covid-19 testing of nursing home residents, staff
The state launched its initiative to test residents and staff at all personal care and nursing homes for covid-19 as the first stage of a sweeping plan for ongoing testing at the more than 1,900 facilities. “We will have to continue (testing) until we have a vaccine” for covid-19, state...
Police fire tear gas, nonlethal bullets in PhiladelphiaVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Hundreds of people protesting the police treatment of black people spilled onto an interstate highway in the heart of Philadelphia on Monday afternoon just before a curfew took effect, leading law enforcement to fire nonlethal bullets and tear gas and halting traffic during the evening rush hour. The...
Pennsylvania reports 356 new coronavirus cases, 12 more deaths
The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 12 new covid-19 deaths and 356 new cases Monday. That brings the state’s total case count to 72,282, with 5,567 deaths. It’s the lowest number of new cases reported in a day since March 25. Pennsylvania cases by dayInfogram The state considers 616 patients...
Demand for mail-in ballots makes for unpredictable Pennsylvania primary
A primary election like none other in state history awaits Pennsylvania voters Tuesday, when those who have not contributed to the flood of mail-in ballots may encounter new machines designed to improve security by creating a paper record. Polling places in some counties have been moved or consolidated to cope...
National Guard deployed as Philadelphia protest turns violent
PHILADELPHIA — National Guard vehicles were stationed around City Hall and other government buildings in downtown Philadelphia early Monday as an overnight curfew lifted following ongoing protests over George Floyd’s death. Philadelphia officials closed most services and business in the city’s center after a second day of peaceful protests over...
83% of Pennsylvania’s 2.4M unemployed have been paid; Greensburg cafeteria worker still waiting
Sharon Sachs lost her job in Seton Hill University’s cafeteria when the Greensburg campus closed in mid-March because of the covid-19 pandemic. Now, she could be the poster child for dysfunction in Pennsylvania’s jobless benefits program. “I have not received a penny since filing for unemployment the week of March...
