Pennsylvania category, Page 208
Pa. House votes to exempt fire, rescue agencies from records law
The Pennsylvania House is giving its approval to a bill that would exempt the state’s volunteer fire and rescue companies from the Right-to-Know Law. State representatives voted 166 to 34 on Tuesday to send the proposal to the Senate. Supporters of the legislation argue the 2008 rewrite of the open...
Pennsylvania House resumes guest chaplain invocation
On Monday, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives resumed its policy of having guest chaplains offer a session-opening prayer following an August reversal of a lower-court decision by a federal appeals court. In 2016, a group of atheists, agnostics, freethinkers and humanists filed suit, arguing against the practice of limiting prayers...
Challenge to victims’ rights amendment heads to Commonwealth Court
A state appellate court will hear arguments Wednesday in Harrisburg in a suit seeking to bar Pennsylvania from counting votes in the Nov. 5 referendum on a crime victims’ rights amendment. Civil liberties advocates say Marsy’s Law, the proposed amendment that has attracted widespread support from victims’ rights groups and...
Stabbing aboard bus on Pa. Turnpike leaves 3 injured, man facing charges
RAPHO — A dispute aboard a bus traveling on the Pennsylvania Turnpike ended with three people stabbed and a man facing attempted homicide charges. The stabbings occurred around 11 p.m. Monday near the Lancaster Lebanon interchange in the eastbound lanes of the turnpike in Rapho. But details about what sparked...
Study: Rail-trails inject $930M annually into Pa. economy
Walking and biking trails developed along railroad rights-of-way contribute $930 million annually to Pennsylvania’s economy, and the regional Great Allegheny Passage trail is an important part of that figure, the Rails-To-Trails Conservancy estimates. According to the conservancy’s methodology, that estimate is on the low end of spending along the state’s...
Pennsylvania representative introduces ‘heartbeat’ abortion bill
Freshman state Rep. Stephanie Borowicz, R-Centre/Clinton, introduced a so-called “heartbeat” abortion bill on Monday alongside Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Fayetteville. House Bill 1977 and its companion legislation, Senate Bill 912, would require all physicians to determine if a fetus has a heartbeat before performing an abortion and immediately stop if one...
Shapiro, other attorneys general detail proposed $48 billion national opioid settlement
The nation’s three largest drug distribution companies and two drug companies have agreed to a tentative national settlement of opioid lawsuits valued at $48 billion, including $22 billion in cash and $26 billion in the form of treatment drugs and delivery services, a team of attorneys general announced Monday. Pennsylvania...
Fire at large garage prompts Philadelphia school evacuationVideo
A raging fire destroyed a large car garage in West Philadelphia and led a nearby high school and day care to evacuate. There are no reports of any injuries and Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel says he doesn’t believe anyone remains inside. However, he says the fire has been dangerous...
Hershey’s Mini ranks as Pennsylvania’s favorite Halloween candy
You can’t keep a good candy bar down. Only two years after coming in third as Pennsylvania’s favorite Halloween candy, Hershey’s mini bars lands at No. 1 this year as the state’s most popular candy treat. Each year, Candystore.com adds up several years’ worth of sales figures — 12 to...
Family: Toddler who was severely beaten improving, still in critical conditionVideo
SUNBURY — Arabella Parker has made significant improvements but continues to fight for her life a family spokesperson said. Sarah Delcamp, the aunt of Parker, told The Daily Item on Saturday the 3-year-old has made huge strides over the last 10 days. Delcamp said doctors have removed various medical devices...
Row home explosion in Allentown, Pa. sparks fire that spreads to other homes
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Authorities say an early morning house explosion in Allentown blew off the front of the row home and led to a fire that spread to nine other homes, but no serious injuries were immediately reported. Allentown fire officials said the 3 a.m. Sunday blast and fire displaced...
11-month-old shot, wounded inside a car in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA — Police in Philadelphia say an 11-month-old boy was shot four times and critically wounded while inside a car. A police release says the baby was shot once in the back of the head, once in the chest, and twice in the buttocks Saturday night. The baby’s stepmother drove...
Lyme groups will rally in Harrisburg to support legislation extending insurance coverageVideo
Advocates for those affected by Lyme disease are headed to Harrisburg to support legislation that would provide for long-term treatment. The PA Lyme Resource Network and Dare 2B Tick Aware will host a rally at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Pennsylvania State Capitol in support of House Bill 629, which...
Wolf, Fetterman travel to NYC for cannabis summit
Gov. Tom Wolf and Lt. Gov. John Fetterman traveled to New York City on Thursday to talk pot with leaders from other states. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo hosted the Governors’ Regional Cannabis and Vaping Summit. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont also participated, as did...
NFL season rockets Pennsylvania to new sports betting record
HARRISBURG — Sports betting in Pennsylvania blew through its previous monthly record with the start of the NFL season. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board said Thursday that gamblers bet a record $194.5 million in September at nine casinos and two off-track betting parlors where sports betting is approved. That was...
Pennsylvania fir selected as White House Christmas tree
A 23-foot Douglas fir from Pennsylvania will be decorated and displayed in the Blue Room of The White House this Christmas season. The tree was planted about 16 years ago at Mahantango Valley Farms in Upper Mahanoy Township in Northumberland County, reports WNEP. White House officials selected the tree Tuesday...
Pa. congressional delegation briefly crossed party lines to scold Trump on Syria
Pennsylvania’s Congressional delegation had a rare moment of near unity this week when members came together to vote 354-60 to condemn President Trump’s abrupt withdrawal from Syria. The 18-member delegation, split evenly between Democrats and Republicans, largely ignored the partisan divide that has polarized the nation. They voted 16-2 in...
911 recording: Boy found hanging in home with sister was bullied, ‘didn’t want to go alone’
ALLENTOWN — Minutes after finding her two children hanging from a support beam in the basement of their Albany Township home, Lisa R. Snyder told a 911 dispatcher that her 8-year-old son was bullied and had “made threats of doing this, but didn’t want to go alone,” a recording of...
Fentanyl test strips should be legal in Pennsylvania, auditor general says
Citing the growing role of fentanyl in drug overdoses, Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale on Wednesday called on state lawmakers to legalize fentanyl test strips. The call was among the top recommendations DePasquale released in a new report, “A Deadly Dose: Fentanyl’s Impact on Pennsylvania.” The two-term auditor general, who...
Aging, thin pipe likely cause of Philadelphia refinery fire
PHILADELPHIA — An aging, failed elbow pipe appears to be the initial cause of a June 21 fire and subsequent explosions that injured five people at the largest oil refinery on the East Coast, federal investigators said Wednesday. The U.S. Chemical and Safety Hazard Investigation Board released a preliminary factual...
2 shot while sitting in car, drive themselves to hospital
PHILADELPHIA — Authorities say two people who were shot and wounded while sitting in their car in Philadelphia were able to drive themselves to a hospital. But it’s not yet known what sparked the shooting, which occurred shortly after 2 a.m. Wednesday. The two victims, a man and a woman,...
Pennsylvania accepting applications for environmental project awards
The state is accepting applications for the 2020 Governor’s Awards for Environmental Excellence from those who participated or led an environmental stewardship project, as well as all schools, nonprofits, businesses, farms, and government agencies. People or organizations that conducted an environmental project may also be nominated. Applications for the 2020...
Governor says Pennsylvania will keep accepting refugees
Pennsylvania’s governor is telling President Donald Trump he won’t be using state authority granted last month to refuse to accept refugees. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf on Tuesday wrote Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to say his state will continue to welcome those facing persecution and danger, including people...
Pennsylvania exceeds national rate of rising STD cases
The number of sexually transmitted diseases climbed again last year in the United States, with Pennsylvania’s rate of increase exceeding the national average. It was the fifth consecutive year that gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis cases went up, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s annual surveillance report. The...
Fish, game commissions warn of spoof license websites
With hunting season ramping up, state Fish and Boat Commission and Game Commission officials are warning anglers and hunters about online scams related to buying a license. Both commissions have received reports of consumers purchasing “licenses” through third-party websites not connected to the state. “Even though consumers didn’t suspect the...
