Pennsylvania category, Page 220
Pa. adds anxiety to qualifying conditions for medical pot
The Pennsylvania Health Department is adding anxiety disorders and Tourette’s syndrome to the list of conditions that can qualify people to obtain legal medical marijuana. The heath secretary, Dr. Rachel Levine, announced Thursday she’ll be adding them as of July 20. Levine says her decision was based on the recommendation...
Former Pa. Congress members tackle civics education
It might be time to hit the civics books. Citing recent surveys that found only 26% of Americans could name all three branches of government and 37% could not name any of the rights guaranteed by First Amendment, a coalition of former Pennsylvania members of Congress is joining with eight...
Pennsylvania must get tough on crime guns, prosecutor says
The Pennsylvania attorney general’s office says it wants to improve the management and use of firearms-sales databases so that law enforcement can better clamp down on gun violence. Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced Thursday that he wants police departments to enter serial numbers from every crime gun into a law-enforcement...
Court: Risks justify redacting Pa. abortion clinic worker names
HARRISBURG — A Pennsylvania court says security risks for people who work in abortion clinics justify a decision to redact their names and license numbers before making government records available to the public. A three-judge Commonwealth Court panel said Thursday the state Health Department acted properly when it removed professional...
AG report: Unnecessary standardized tests cost Pa. taxpayers $18 million
Pennsylvania taxpayers are paying nearly $18 million a year for unnecessary standardized tests administered to high school seniors across the state, Auditor General Eugene DePasquale charged in a report issued Wednesday. The 18-page report “Where did your money go?” examines the costs associated with the Keystone Exams. DePasquale said his...
Pennsylvania State System universities freeze tuition, Pitt hikes rate
For the first time in 20 years, and the second time ever, tuition will not rise this year at the 14 state-owned universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Basic tuition for in-state undergraduate students will remain at $7,716 for the 2019-20 school year. That comes after a...
Pa. state police report 9 killed in crashes over 5-day Fourth of July holiday
The Pennsylvania State Police reported that nine people died in eight crashes over the Fourth of July holiday, the second deadliest Independence Day stretch in the last five years. Four of those roadway deaths happened in Western Pennsylvania, data for the state police’s five-day enforcement period shows. Three people died...
Casey, Toomey react to plea-deal controversy surrounding Labor Secretary Acosta
Pennsylvania’s U.S. senators disagree whether Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta should resign amid growing criticism over a 2008 plea deal he negotiated with an accused sex offender who now faces new sex-trafficking charges. U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, joined a growing chorus that includes House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California and...
Pennsylvania approves revamped effort to auction mini-casino licenses
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania will try again to award licenses for five more mini-casinos, part of an aggressive gambling expansion authorized in 2017 by a cash-hungry state government. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board on Wednesday approved a motion to restart auctions Sept. 4, under orders by a provision slipped into a...
Report: Pennsylvania had record year for natural gas production
Pennsylvania had a record year for natural gas production in 2018, the state Department of Environmental Protection said on Wednesday. Unconventional well operators produced 6.1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in 2018 — an increase of .8 trillion cubic feet over 2017 and the largest volume of natural gas...
Pennsylvania State System universities freeze tuition, Pitt hikes rate
For the first time in 20 years, and the second time ever, tuition will not rise this year at the 14 state-owned universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Basic tuition for in-state undergraduate students will remain $7,716 for the 2019-20 school year. That comes after a unanimous...
Pennsylvania ranks No. 2 in U.S. student debt
This is a list that Pennsylvania won’t be proud to be high on. The Commonwealth ranked No. 2 in the country in student debt, according to WalletHub research. The report looked at average student debt, unemployment rates for people ages 25 to 34, students with past-due loans and student work...
Patients fear losing health insurance if Trump-backed lawsuit to gut ACA prevails
Janice Nathan’s chronic medical condition dates to nearly a decade before the Affordable Care Act protected her from being denied insurance coverage because of it. Nathan, 62, a speech-language pathologist from Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood, received a kidney transplant in 2001 while on an employer-sponsored health insurance plan. Three years...
Study: Starting a business in Pennsylvania is not easy
Pennsylvania ranks among the worst states in which to start a new business, according to a new WalletHub study. The study, comparing 50 states across 26 indicators of startup success, ranked Pennsylvania 46th overall based on business environment, access to resources and business costs. Pennsylvania’s ranking put it below even...
Pennsylvania orders stronger sex assault campus reporting
Pennsylvania’s colleges and universities have a year to develop online, anonymous reporting systems to receive complaints about sexual assault from students and employees. That’s a requirement of a new law signed by Gov. Tom Wolf, who with the law’s backers say is the first law of its kind in the...
CDC investigates salmonella outbreak linked to dog treats; 2 cases confirmed in Pa.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating after dozens of people across the country have contracted a multidrug-resistant form of salmonella believed to be linked to dog treats. The CDC reports 45 people in 13 states, including Pennsylvania, have been infected with the bacteria. No one has died,...
Get wild with the Pa. Game Commission’s wild turkey survey
The question isn’t so much where are the turkeys, where aren’t there turkeys? The Pennsylvania Game Commission is conducting a turkey survey through Aug. 31 and is looking for residents to report their sighting via website and a mobile app. Observers need only report the number of turkeys, location, date...
Gov. Tom Wolf nixes $90M voting machines bill tied to nixing straight-ticket button
Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed a bill Friday that would have provided $90 million to help counties statewide upgrade voting machines because Republican Senate leaders tacked on a last-minute provision that would have nixed straight-ticket voting in Pennsylvania. Wolf further said that Senate Bill 48, “while purporting to secure elections, binds...
Police: Fisherman finds human leg with sneaker on in river
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia police say a fisherman found part of a human leg with a sneaker on it in the Delaware River. The leg was discovered around 8 p.m. Thursday. But it’s not clear how it got into the river or how long it had been in the water. Authorities...
Agriculture, Pennsylvania’s No. 1 industry, supported through new state farm bill
Whether it’s an experienced farmer who wants to get into hemp production or a young farmer who needs access to farmland, there’s seemingly something for everyone in the new Pennsylvania Farm Bill. Gov. Tom Wolf’s signing of the $23.1 million farm bill — a series of legislative initiatives within the...
Gov. Tom Wolf signs bill to clarify armed school security options
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf is signing legislation that his office says clarifies the options for who school districts and private schools can hire as armed security guards, although Wolf’s administration says it bars districts from allowing teachers to be armed. The bill Wolf signed Tuesday also expands training requirements...
Dept. of Health issues cease and desist order to medical marijuana grower
The Pennsylvania Department of Health has ordered a Greene County medical marijuana grower/processor to discontinue most of its operations after a surprise inspection found numerous violations. The state told AGRiMED Industries of Carmichaels to cease and desist harvesting, cutting or destroying marijuana plants without a department inspector present. During the...
Pa. Senate Republicans issue letter to Lt. Gov. Fetterman over Senate floor chaos
State Senate Republicans issued a letter to Lt. Gov. John Fetterman Tuesday expressing “grave concerns” over what they described as his “dereliction of duty and defiance as the presiding officer of the Senate.” Signed by all 28 Republicans in the state Senate, the letter refers to chaos — shouting, name...
Governor commutes life sentence of Robert Wideman in 1975 murder case
Gov. Tom Wolf on Monday commuted the sentence of Robert Wideman, who was serving life in prison for his role in a 1975 murder. Wolf affirmed the Board of Pardons recommendation issued in May. Wideman, 68, of Homewood, was charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of Nicola Morena....
Ex-Scranton mayor admits to shaking down businesses for bribes while in office
WILLIAMSPORT — The former mayor of Scranton has pleaded guilty to charges he shook down businesses for bribes and campaign contributions throughout his term and a half in office. Bill Courtright’s plea in federal court Tuesday to bribery, extortion and conspiracy came less than 24 hours after he resigned as...
