Pennsylvania category, Page 211
Surviving Three Mile Island nuclear reactor shuts down
HARRISBURG — The money-losing Three Mile Island, site of the United States’ worst commercial nuclear power accident, has been shut down by its energy giant owner. Friday’s end to the 45-year electricity-producing career of Three Mile Island Unit 1 came after Chicago-based Exelon Corp. tried and failed to get financial...
Pa. bill dangles student loan forgiveness for volunteer firefightersVideo
A year after a lengthy report documented growing holes in Pennsylvania’s network of volunteer firefighters, advocates hope a package of bills designed to help recruitment and retention gains traction in Harrisburg this fall. Citing SR 6, a report that found the number of active volunteer firefighters had declined from more...
Penn State professor’s discovery sets off Shakespeare tweetstorm
William Shakespeare and John Milton collided in the Twitterverse this month in a bang-up that set off a trans-Atlantic tweetstorm over a 400-year-old book. The discovery that Milton — he of “Paradise Lost” fame — likely was the owner of a 1623 Shakespeare first folio and made extensive notes in...
Former Pa. senator Mike Folmer colleague ‘revolted’ over his arrest on child pornography chargeVideo
Hearing state Sen. Mike Folmer was charged with possessing child pornography, fellow Republican lawmaker Russ Diamond initially thought it must be ‘fake news’ from political opponents. The he felt like he had taken “a gut punch.” Mauree Gingrich, a former House member, felt a different kind of pain. She thought...
Bill to increase fine for misusing animal traps passes House
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is giving its unanimous approval to toughening penalties for using body-gripping animal traps outside of the waterways for which they’re designed. Lawmakers voted Thursday to send the bill to the state Senate for its consideration. Backers argue the larger penalties may help deter people from...
AP: Age-bias claims cost Pennsylvania $225K
HARRISBURG — Eighteen agents who investigate violent gun crimes for the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office each cashed $12,500 taxpayer-funded checks last year to settle claims they had been subject to harassment because of their age, The Associated Press has learned. The agency this week disclosed the payments to the current...
Study: Pa. college grads have 2nd-highest average student debt load in nation
College graduates in Pennsylvania shouldered the second-highest average student debt load in the nation in 2018, a new survey found. According to the Institute for College Access and Success survey of 2018 college graduates, only Connecticut graduates, who shouldered an average debt of $38,669, fared worse than their Pennsylvania counterparts,...
Three Mile Island nuclear power plant’s shutdown is imminent
HARRISBURG — The final shutdown of Three Mile Island, where 1979’s terrifying partial meltdown became a landmark event in the life cycle of nuclear power in the United States, is imminent. Exelon Corp. officials said the plant will stop producing electricity around noon Friday, following through on a decision the...
Murrysville officials working to develop ordinance for 5G antennas
If 5G antennas are going to begin sprouting in Murrysville, local officials want to ensure they’re not unsightly. “They’re not just a pole out of the ground with an antenna,” Murrysville Chief Administrator Jim Morrison told council at its Wednesday meeting. “They’re permitted up to 28 cubic feet of cabinet...
Passenger ejected from $284,000 sports car in Pa. crash
A man driving a $284,000 sports car rear-ended a box truck on Route 22 early Thursday morning, injuring a passenger who was thrown from the car, state police said. Route 22 westbound has been closed at Airport Road in Hanover Township, Lehigh County, since the 3:30 a.m. accident, with traffic...
Pa. woman drives SUV onto sidewalk, hits man after argument
BETHLEHEM — Authorities say an argument between a man and a woman ended when she drove an SUV onto the sidewalk and hit him, then made a U-turn and tried to run him over again. Bethlehem police say 34-year-old city resident Crystal Legrand faces several counts, including aggravated assault and...
Study: Affordable Care Act dropped uninsured rates in Pa. to 6.5%
A new report shows the number of uninsured people in Pennsylvania declined by more than 5 percentage points under the health care reform of the Affordable Care Act. Conducted by the Urban Institute, the research examined national uninsured rates from 2013 through 2017, using U.S. Census Bureau data. Among the...
Victim advocate seeks statute of limitation input from abuse survivors
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro ignited a firestorm last year when he released his grand jury report on clergy sexual abuse and now lawmakers are learning just how hard it is to clear the smoke with regard to survivors. Pennsylvania Victim Advocate Jennifer Storm announced Wednesday she is seeking testimony...
Pennsylvania lawmaker in child porn possession case resigns
HARRISBURG — A Pennsylvania state lawmaker who is facing child pornography possession charges resigned Wednesday, just hours after his arrest spurred condemnation and calls for him to step down. Sen. Mike Folmer was charged late Tuesday by the state attorney general’s office after agents confronted him, saying they acted on...
Philadelphia resident may have Pa.’s first 2019 human case of West Nile Virus
The first case of West Nile Virus infection in a person this year has been detected in a Philadelphia resident, the state Department of Environmental Protection announced Tuesday. Samples were being sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for confirmation, the department said. State residents are being urged...
Perdue recalls frozen chicken tenders over undeclared wheat allergen
Perdue Foods is recalling about 495 pounds of a frozen, ready-to-eat chicken product because of misbranding and undeclared allergens that were shipped to stores in five states including Pennsylvania, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service announced. According to the recall notice, the product contains wheat, a...
Hospital admissions for opioid overdoses decline in Pennsylvania
A significant decrease in hospital admissions for opioid overdoses across Pennsylvania may have more to do with evolving treatment and the widespread availability of a lifesaving antidote than any major drop in drug abuse, experts said following the release of a report on overdose hospitalizations. Researchers at the Pennsylvania Health...
Pennsylvania lawmaker Michael Folmer facing child porn possession charges
HARRISBURG — A Pennsylvania state lawmaker is facing child pornography possession charges after authorities say a social media website told them the user had uploaded an image using its service. Sen. Michael Folmer, R-Lebanon, was charged after an investigation prompted by Tumblr, an electronic service provider, reported one of its...
Pennsylvania lawmaker Mike Folmer arrested on child porn charges
HARRISBURG — A Pennsylvania state lawmaker is facing child pornography possession charges after authorities say a social media website told them the user had uploaded an image using their service. The state attorney general’s office said Sen. Mike Folmer was arrested and charged Tuesday night. Investigators allegedly found images of...
Pa. wants deer hunters to help control chronic wasting disease
The Pennsylvania Game Commission is seeking public comment on a proposal to more actively involve deer hunters in the fight against chronic wasting disease, or CWD. The commission released a draft report and is accepting comments through Feb. 29, 2020 — in time for implementation in the 2020-21 hunting seasons....
Policy change limits crowd sizes in Pa. Capitol Rotunda rallies
The Wolf administration is moving to limit the number of people at rallies in the Capitol Rotunda and reserving room for others to walk through when it’s crowded. Pennlive.com reported Monday the General Services Department is capping at 450 the number of people on the floor, balconies and marble stairs....
Eastern Pa. city joins Pittsburgh, Sharpsburg in banning wild-animal acts
Following in the footsteps of two Allegheny County communities, Whitemarsh Township officials in eastern Pennsylvania voted to ban wild and exotic animal circus acts last week. The move comes after similar bans enacted in both Pittsburgh and Sharpsburg, and will affect the town of Plymouth Meeting in Whitemarsh, where the...
With Penn State student debt highest in Big Ten, what is the university doing to help?
Student debt is a $1.5 trillion issue in the United States, and Penn State students bear the highest debt load in the Big Ten. In a presentation Friday to the Penn State Board of Trustees, President Eric Barron talked about who is most affected by debt at Penn State, and...
Pennsylvania wine, liquor sales continue to set new records
The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board is toasting a new retail sales record. The agency that operates more than 600 state stores statewide, and licenses more than 20,000 beverage alcohol producers and retailers, posted $2.67 billion in retail sales for wine and spirits in the fiscal year ending June 30 ....
Penn State board approves pay hike for university president
The president of Penn State is getting a 2.5% salary increase and trustees are making it retroactive to the beginning of July. The Board of Trustees on Friday voted unanimously to boost Eric Barron’s base pay to $855,000 a year. He’s been Penn State’s top administrator since 2014. The Centre...
