Pennsylvania category, Page 212
2 men facing charges for murder, leaving body at museum
HARRISBURG — An 18-year-old Pennsylvania man accused of kidnapping another 18-year-old whose body was found outside a Civil War museum has been charged with murder. Pennlive.com reports Tyrese Andre Randolph is facing murder, kidnapping and robbery charges in the death of 18-year-old Torin Dworchak. Both are from Harrisburg. Dworchak’s body...
Pennsylvania Attorney General sues billionaire Sackler family, owners of Oxycontin maker
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro is suing the family that owns Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of Oxycontin — a powerful prescription opioid pain medication that proved to be a multi-billion cash cow. Details of the lawsuit are sealed, but it alleges members of the Sackler family are “personally liable” for...
Woman sitting on front steps killed by stray bullet in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA — Authorities say a woman shot and killed while she sat on the front steps of her Philadelphia home apparently was an innocent bystander struck by a stray bullet. The shooting occurred around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. Authorities say 23-year-old Crystal Roman-Benitez struck in the head. She was taken to...
State board pardons former McKeesport councilman-elect stymied by 25-year-old drug convictions
A state board that reviews criminal cases agreed Wednesday to pardon Corry Sanders, the former McKeesport councilman-elect whose 26-year-old drug convictions blocked him from serving in office despite winning the 2016 municipal election. In a 5-0 vote, the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons recommended clemency for Sanders, 49, during a public...
Pennsylvania DEP to Sunoco: Your pipelines are showing
The state Department of Environmental Protection is ordering Sunoco Pipeline LP to cover up portions of its pipeline network that have become exposed over time. The order follows the discovery of an exposed pipeline in June by the state Public Utility Commission, which then requested that Sunoco report any additional...
Report: Natural gas drilling activity down amid low prices
Permitting activity for new natural gas wells in Pennsylvania is down significantly, as natural gas prices continue to tank, S&P Global reports. Unconventional well permits from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection were down by 23% in August and 14% in July compared to the same months last year, S&P...
Video appears to capture man trying to abduct 3 women in Philadelphia
Philadelphia police are seeking a man caught on surveillance footage apparently trying to abduct three women over the course of 30 minutes Sunday on a city street. NBC10 Philadelphia, which obtained the footage, reported a man tried to grab a 21-year-old woman Sunday morning on North 15th Street. Police on...
Pennsylvania high court asked to throw out death penalty
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court was asked Wednesday to outlaw the death penalty because of what critics call the cruel and arbitrary way it’s applied to poor and black defendants. More than half of the 441 death sentences handed down since the death penalty was reinstated in the late 1970s have...
Sales of Tröegs beer will fund Appalachian forest preservationVideo
Proceeds from the sale of a beer brewed in central Pennsylvania will help preserve a 185-mile swath of forested Appalachian mountains in that part of the state. On Monday, Hershey-based Tröegs Independent Brewing released its Trail Day Pale Ale. Proceeds from sales of the dry-hopped ale will be placed in...
Pennsylvania voters can apply for absentee ballots online
Pennsylvanians seeking to vote by absentee ballot can apply online starting next week, rather than making the request by mail or in person. Absentee voters can apply for a ballot starting Monday, Sept. 16, at votesPA.com/ApplyAbsentee. After approval by the voter’s county election office, the absentee ballot is delivered by...
Pennsylvania to let voters apply online for absentee ballots
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvanians who will not be able to vote in person this fall can apply online for absentee ballots for the first time, officials announced. The Wolf administration said Monday voters can begin next week to use the new process to obtain absentee ballots for the Nov. 5 election....
Justices to weigh discipline for ex-Allegheny County judge for role as PSU-counsel
PHILADELPHIA — Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court considered arguments in Philadelphia on Tuesday over whether the chief lawyer for Penn State when the Jerry Sandusky scandal broke should face public censure. The state’s lawyer disciplinary board recommended that punishment in March for Cynthia Baldwin, who is a former state Supreme Court justice...
Pennsylvania voters can apply for absentee ballots online
Pennsylvanians seeking to vote by absentee ballot can apply online starting next week, rather than making the request by mail or in person. Absentee voters can apply for a ballot starting Monday, Sept. 16, at votesPA.com/ApplyAbsentee. After approval by the voter’s county election office, the absentee ballot is delivered by...
Senate-passed Sunday hunting bill hits opposition in House
HARRISBURG — A proposal to allow limited hunting in Pennsylvania on Sundays ran into opposition during an information hearing Tuesday and a key committee chairman said its final passage in the state House was in doubt. After a contentious informational hearing in the Capitol, Game and Fisheries Committee Chairman Keith...
State College school board rejects Papa John’s pizza bid over ex-CEO’s racist comments
Members of the State College Area School District Board of Directors rejected a controversial bid to purchase Papa John’s delivered pizza for the current school year. The board voted 6 to 3 to reject the bid, with Board President Amber Concepcion, Vice President Amy Bader and board members Dan Duffy,...
Pa. couple charged for spending $120K in accidental depositVideo
A Pennsylvania couple who allegedly spent $120,000 that was mistakenly deposited into their bank account were arrested and charged this week with four counts of theft. Robert and Tiffany Williams of Montoursville made their first court appearance Monday. Authorities said the money was accidentally transferred to the couple’s bank account...
Pa. House of Representatives to pare 63 staffers through buyout
In the category of “let’s make government act more like a business,” PennLIVE reported the Pennsylvania House of Representatives is primed to shed 63 employees under a new buyout deal. Employee buyouts have become increasingly popular in recent years by businesses looking to pare their payrolls. Such deals typically offer...
Soups sold at Pennsylvania Aldi stores included in recall
Roughly 3,300 pounds cans of soup sent to Aldi stores in Pennsylvania and New York were recalled this week for not undergoing import re-inspection, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service said. BCI Foods, Inc., a Quebec, Canada firm and importer recalled the items after the problem...
Pennsylvania gets $75M more in federal aid for opioid fight
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania will receive another $75 million in federal aid to fight the opioid-addiction crisis, money that Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration says will help with treatment, prevention and education. Wolf’s administration said Friday that about $56 million will go to the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs. The money...
‘American Pickers’ seeks Pennsylvania antiques
History Channel’s “American Pickers” will be perusing Pennsylvania this autumn for interesting characters and old items worthy of a TV episode. If you’d like to suggest an antique collection or fascinating old item for show hosts Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz to “pick,” send a photo to americanpickerscineflix.com or call...
Pa. seeks growers for medical marijuana researchVideo
Pennsylvania is looking to bolster homegrown cannabis research by finding more medical marijuana companies to partner with medical schools for cannabis research. The state this week released applications for clinical registrants — entities which grow, process and dispense marijuana for research institutions. Applicants must either have permits to grow and...
Sen. Ward appointed to Veterans’ Center Advisory Council
State Sen. Kim Ward, R-Hempfield, has been appointed to the Advisory Council for the Southwestern Pennsylvania Veterans’ Center in Pittsburgh. Ward, in her third term, was elected to the state Senate in 2008. She said she is anxious to learn more about the center and will tour the facility in...
U.S. investigation of priest sex abuse produces first charges
PHILADELPHIA — Federal prosecutors in Philadelphia have charged a former Roman Catholic priest with lying to the FBI about whether he knew an accuser and his family. The charges against 81-year-old Robert Brennan are the first from a sweeping Justice Department investigation into child sexual abuse by priests in Pennsylvania....
State prison at Retreat could close
Pennsylvania, which has shuttered state prisons in Hempfield, Pittsburgh and Cresson over the last six years, may be on the verge of closing yet another massive state lock-up. Faced with a $140 million budget deficit and declining prison population, Department of Corrections Secretary John Wetzel has proposed closing the State...
Labor Day weekend vehicle crashes down slightly from last year
The Pennsylvania State Police reported 5% fewer crashes on state-patrolled roads over the four-day Labor Day holiday compared to last year. This year’s holiday weekend saw 684 crashes that injured 204 people. In 2018, there were 722 crashes that injured 224 people. Across the state’s southwest region, which includes Allegheny...
