Pennsylvania category, Page 214
Penn State’s new weather data collection system to gather localized information
When it comes to Western Pennsylvania’s recent weather woes, forewarned is forearmed. Those warnings might get a little more accurate and timely with a new Penn State project to install a series of mini weather stations across the state. The Pennsylvania Mesonet — short for mesoscale network — will eventually...
Report finds Pennsylvania entry-level teachers fare well
That first day of school may have been rough, but chances are new teachers are doing comparatively better in Pennsylvania than just about anywhere else in the nation. A study by business.org that looked at average teacher starting salaries across the nation and then calculated the pay gap between that...
Pennsylvania House wins appeal in atheist prayer-policy suit
HARRISBURG, Pa. — A federal appeals court is reversing a lower court decision and ruling that the Pennsylvania House of Representatives’ policy barring atheists from delivering invocations doesn’t violate the U.S. Constitution. Friday’s decision by the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upholds the House’s policy of limiting prayers at...
Huge cat — 26 pounds — on adoption list in Philly goes viral
An animal shelter in Philadelphia tweeted Thursday about “big boi Mr. B” being up for adoption and boy, they weren’t joking. BeeJay — a 26-pound cat — is on the adoption list at the Morris Animal Refuge. Apparently the folks at Morris want to shed light on the fact that...
Jury: Pa. troopers didn’t use excessive force in man’s 2015 death
WILKES-BARRE — A federal jury has decided that Pennsylvania State Police troopers didn’t use excessive force when they shot and killed a man in 2015. Jurors on Wednesday ruled against the family of 21-year-old Derek DeGroat in their $18.7 million civil suit. The family filed suit after three state police...
Pennsylvania priest accused of stealing nearly $100K from parish
DOWNINGTON — A Pennsylvania Roman Catholic priest is accused of stealing nearly $100,000 from his parish and spending it on a beach house and men he met on dating apps. The Chester County District Attorney’s Office says 56-year-old Monsignor Joseph McLoone was arrested Wednesday for theft from St. Joseph’s Catholic...
GOP retains Pennsylvania House seat in special election
HARRISBURG — Republicans easily won a special election to retain a seat in the state House of Representatives in a GOP-leaning district in central Pennsylvania. Republican David Rowe won Tuesday’s special election in parts of Union and Snyder counties by a nearly two-to-one margin over Democrat Jennifer Rager-Kay. The former...
Tax-rate typo creates $900K deficit at Pennsylvania school district
FALLSINGTON — Officials at a Pennsylvania school district say a single-digit tax rate typo created a nearly $900,000 deficit for the school district. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that a school board resolution from the Pennsbury School District in Falls Township incorrectly set the millage rate for the upcoming school year....
Proposed law aims to increase vaccination rate in Pennsylvania
State Reps. Dan Frankel, D-Squirrel Hill, and Bridget Kosierowksi, D-Lackawanna, announced Tuesday the introduction of legislation to increase the vaccination rate of Pennsylvania children. The bill would require parents who seek nonmedical exemptions for their children meet with a doctor every year to learn about the risks of not getting...
23 Chinese Crested dogs, 1 cat seized from filthy Gettysburg home
Animal welfare officers in Pennsylvania say they removed 23 Chinese Crested dogs and one cat from a filthy home near Gettysburg over the weekend. Pennsylvania Humane Society Police Officer Abby Avery says the agency got an anonymous call about the home in New Oxford and responding officers could smell the...
In Indiana County, Trump loyalty seems as strong as everVideo
There’s a reason some people refer to Indiana County as Trump country. It has nothing to do with tony golf courses or glittering resorts. It has everything to do with how voters in the rural county that is home to one of the nation’s largest coal-fired power plants rallied behind...
Elderly couple, 8 firefighters injured in Pa. house fire
BARTO — A fast-moving fire has destroyed a Pennsylvania home, leaving two elderly residents and eight firefighters injured. State police say the fire in Barto was reported shortly before 5:30 p.m. Sunday. Emergency responders found the home’s attached garage completely consumed by flames and smoke billowing into the house. Marie...
Centre County man killed while cutting down trees, death ruled accidental
STATE COLLEGE — Authorities say a man was killed while cutting down trees for firewood in central Pennsylvania. State police in Centre County say the man was cutting trees in Penn Township when a tree fell on him at about 7 p.m. Friday. Coroner Scott Sayers identified the man as...
Philadelphia standoff suspect charged with attempted murder
PHILADELPHIA — A man suspected of shooting six police officers during an hourslong standoff that ended when tear gas caused the man to surrender was charged with attempted murder. Authorities have said that the criminal background of suspect Maurice Hill should have prevented him from legally owning the firepower used...
Weaver patties recalled for reports of gasket pieces in chicken
Tyson Foods has recalled 39,000 pounds of Weaver brand chicken breast patties with rib meat after reports of pieces of a mechanical seal or gasket being found in the product. The reports were limited and did not include any resulting injuries or illness, the company said, but it indicated it...
Gov. Tom Wolf unveils gun violence effort after Philadelphia shooting
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf directed state police and other agencies under his control Friday to focus greater efforts on addressing gun violence, two days after a gunman shot six Philadelphia police officers. Wolf said set up a new Special Council on Gun Violence and gave it six months...
Pa. Turnpike to close for bridge work from New Stanton to Breezewood
Motorists will face detours when a section of the Pennsylvania Turnpike closes for bridge work. The toll road will close in both directions between New Stanton Exit 75 and Breezewood Exit 161 starting at 11 p.m. Saturday until approximately 6 a.m. Sunday, weather permitting. The turnpike commission says the closure...
Gov. Tom Wolf expected to launch gun initiatives
Gov. Tom Wolf is expected today to launch sweeping reforms that tackle gun violence in the wake of Wednesday’s melee in which a gunman wounded six Philadelphia police officers. Calling it a public health crisis, Wolf said he will sign an executive order to make broad changes to executive branch...
Pennsylvania car registration stickers could make a comeback
A Pennsylvania state legislator wants to revive the vehicle registration sticker two years after it was discarded as a cost-saving measure. A bill before the House Transportation Committee would not only bring back the tiny sticker but tie it to state vehicle inspections, as well, according to the legislation proposed...
Philadelphia gunman identified after hourslong standoff
PHILADELPHIA — An hourslong standoff where a gunman shot at police, wounding six of them, as he was barricaded inside a Philadelphia home somehow ended with no fatalities. Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross, who spent hours Wednesday negotiating with the gunman through the phone, said the situation that unfolded “could...
Pa. court ruling opens possible path for old church sex-abuse claims
A year to the day after a statewide grand jury report disclosed seven decades of sexual abuse allegations against 301 Catholic priests, the Pennsylvania Superior Court Wednesday cleared what may be a path for some old claims to go to a jury. An order issued Wednesday by the court upheld...
Study finds huge difference in cost of new voting machines for Pennsylvania counties
Seven of the 31 Pennsylvania counties that purchased new voting machines opted for a system that cost nearly twice as much as one ranked more secure, according to a new report from the University of Pittsburgh and Citizens for Better Elections. Counties across the state are rushing to buy new...
Philadelphia gunman in custody after hourslong standoff; 6 officers woundedVideo
PHILADELPHIA — A gunman who opened fire on police Wednesday as they were serving a drug warrant in Philadelphia, wounding six officers and triggering a standoff that extended into the night, is in police custody, authorities said. Philadelphia police Sgt. Eric Gripp said early Thursday morning that the man was...
Pennsylvania to close 2 centers for disabled over next 3 years
Pennsylvania officials have announced plans to close two centers for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities over the next three years. The Department of Human Services said Tuesday that public meetings will be held next month to gather comment on the plans to close the Polk State Center in Venango...
Man charged in Pa. Planned Parenthood break-in, vandalism
WILKES-BARRE — A man has been charged with breaking into a Planned Parenthood office in northeastern Pennsylvania, smashing glass doors and painting graffiti on the walls. Iain Carberry, 39, is charged in Luzerne County with burglary, criminal trespass, criminal mischief and disorderly conduct in the early morning break-in Monday at...
