Pennsylvania category, Page 217
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...
Gov. Wolf calls for sweeping reforms for charter schools in Pennsylvania
Gov. Tom Wolf on Tuesday vowed to level the playing field between Pennsylvania’s traditional public schools and charter and cyber charter schools. He said the latter lack accountability and transparency and are draining millions of dollars from struggling school districts. Calling the state’s 22-year-old public charter school law flawed and...
Fire chief: There was a lack of smoke detectors at Erie day careVideo
ERIE — There weren’t enough working smoke detectors at a Pennsylvania home day care center where a fire killed five children, the fire chief said Tuesday. There was one detector in the attic of the Harris Family Daycare in the lakeside city of Erie, Fire Chief Guy Santone told a...
22 states sue Trump administration over new coal rules
A coalition of 22 Democratic-led states has sued the Trump administration over its decision to ease restrictions on coal-fired power plants. In June, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency eliminated the its Clean Power Plan and replaced it with a new rule that gives states more leeway in deciding required upgrades...
U.S. appeals court hands truckers defeat in Pennsylvania Turnpike toll suit
HARRISBURG — High tolls on the Pennsylvania Turnpike do not violate the right of truckers and other motorists to travel between states, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday, upholding a lower-court dismissal of a lawsuit against state agencies and officials. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Pennsylvania’s use...
Penn State police K-9 handler placed on leave after report of animal abuse
A Penn State police officer was placed on administrative leave in July after the department received a report of possible animal abuse by one of its K-9 handlers, a university official said Monday. The department immediately referred the report to state police, which is investigating the report, university police public...
Fortnite world champ swatted at Pennsylvania home
POTTSGROVE — The Pennsylvania teen who won $3 million as the first Fortnite World Cup solo champion has been swatted. Kyle Giersdorf was live-streaming on Saturday when his father interrupted the 16-year-old to say armed police were at the door of their Pottsgrove home. Upper Pottsgrove Police Cpl. Albert Werner...
A year later: Pennsylvania report on Catholic sex abuse still making an impactVideo
Mark Rozzi was surprised to receive the first one, and then another letter from the Allentown Catholic Diocese. The letters were a reminder that the deadline to apply for the compensation fund for victims of child sexual abuse was fast approaching. The 48-year-old Berks County Democrat, who has served in...
Nearly 600 priests, lay people have been publicly named in Pa. sex abuse scandal
The 2018 grand jury identified 301 priests who had sexually assaulted and abused hundreds of children over the past several decades. As large as that number is, the true scope is much higher. Last year’s grand jury report has been the largest in scale, covering six of the state’s eight...
Gov. Wolf wants answers on 4 kids separated from families
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s governor says at least four children from his state were recently separated from their parents by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and wrote Monday to demand the agency halt the practice until it has a plan to ensure the welfare of children. Gov. Tom Wolf asked Homeland...
Woman, teens accused of dumping over 300 tires in lot
SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — State police say a woman and two teenagers dumped over 300 tires in a parking lot of a vacant motel in Pennsylvania. The Reading Eagle reports troopers found 61-year-old June Kuzowski and the two 15-year-olds throwing the tires out of a truck and onto the lot on...
5 children killed in fire at Erie day care centerVideo
ERIE — A day care center where children could stay overnight as their parents worked was ravaged Sunday by a fire that killed five and sent the owner to the hospital, authorities said. The victims in the lakeside city of Erie ranged in ages from 8 months to 7 years,...
Workers neutralize toxic chemical at Philadelphia refinery blast site
PHILADELPHIA — Workers have started to neutralize a highly toxic chemical on the site of a massive Philadelphia refinery that’s been shut down since explosions and a blaze earlier this summer. Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Adam Thiel says workers are at the Philadelphia Energy Solutions site around the clock, seven days...
Poll: Majority of Pennsylvanians support additional regulations on gun ownership
Retired steelworker Arthur Flowers of Derry Township is among thousands of Pennsylvanians who have a license to carry a concealed handgun. But he’s also among nearly two-thirds of registered voters in a recent statewide poll who said they favor some type of additional laws regulating gun ownership. A Franklin &...
Pennsylvania Boy Scout sex abuse lawsuit could be first of many
A Philadelphia sex abuse lawsuit against the Boy Scouts of America could be the first of hundreds, according to Abused in Scouting, a coalition of law firms created to pursue cases of sexual abuse. The organization has a list of more than 540 alleged instances of child abuse, including more...
Bedford County man charged with sale of guns stolen from federal custody
A Bedford County man has been charged in connection with the theft and sale of multiple guns from a federal facility. Richard A. Schreiber, 38, of Everett in eastern Bedford County faces eight charges related to the sale of weapons found to be stolen from the National Firearms and Ammunition...
Bloody weekend renews hope of passing new gun control measures in D.C., Pennsylvania
A weekend of bloodshed, bookended by mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, may have moved the needle on gun control measures. U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Lehigh Valley, says he is optimistic the bill he and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., first partnered on in 2013 to expand background...
Pennsylvania school safety tip system fielded 23K reports this year
HARRISBURG — A state report released Monday said bullying, self-harm and suicide were the most common concerns fielded during the first half-year of operation for a new threat reporting system that covers Pennsylvania schools. The 21-page report by the state attorney general’s office said the Safe 2 Say Something program...
Man accused of threats against Temple University, police
TULLYTOWN — A Pennsylvania man has been charged with making threats against Temple University and its police department as he was buying ammunition in a Walmart store, authorities say. The Bucks County district attorney’s office says 29-year-old Patrick Buhler, who has addresses in Morrisville and Mount Bethel, was arraigned Saturday...
Pa. cash welfare program ends, court rejects injunction request
HARRISBURG — A state program that provided $205 a month in cash payments to poor or disabled Pennsylvanians has ended. The program known as general assistance ceased Thursday under a month-old law, while state Commonwealth Court rejected an injunction request that would have kept it operating during a legal challenge....
