Pennsylvania category, Page 221
Payments to clergy sexual abuse survivors in Philadelphia, Scranton top $20 million
The meter is ticking as administrators for compensation funds in Catholic dioceses across the state process payments to survivors who experienced child sexual abuse at the hands of trusted priests. Church officials have released interim statements showing the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and the Diocese of Scranton have paid nearly $21.8...
Earthquake reported in central Pa. Wednesday
A magnitude 3.4 earthquake hit central Pennsylvania Wednesday, but what residents felt probably seemed more like a truck passing by, officials from the U.S. Geological Survey said. The earthquake, which rattled parts of Mifflintown in Juniata County around 8:30 p.m., was reportedly felt by residents across the state and into...
Lawsuit: Pa. man had heart attack on Carnival ship, wasn’t allowed off, then died
The family of Jeffrey Eisenman, a 65-year-old passenger on the Carnival Sunshine, alleges in a lawsuit that the world’s largest cruise company wouldn’t let him off of the ship after suffering a heart attack last December. Eisenman died on the way to another port. A representative for Carnival said the...
Earthquake rumbles parts of central Pennsylvania
MIFFLINTOWN — A small earthquake has rumbled parts of central Pennsylvania. The United States Geological Survey says the epicenter of Wednesday night’s magnitude 3.4 quake was about 11 miles southwest of Mifflintown at a depth of nearly 17 miles . No damage has been reported. Some people reported hearing a...
Study: Pennsylvania in lower half of states for life expectancy
Pennsylvania ranks in the lower half of states in life expectancy, and is in third place when measuring the rate of drug overdose deaths, according to a new study. “Life Expectancy In Every U.S. State,” released this week by SeniorLiving.org, is based on reports issued last year by the Centers...
Pennsylvania Senate backs bill to expand role of nurse practitioners
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s Senate is advancing legislation that backers say will help make health care more available through nurses, and less expensive. The Senate voted 44-6 Wednesday to allow certified nurse practitioners to practice independently of physicians. Supporters say 22 other states have similar laws. The Pennsylvania Medical Society opposes...
Pennsylvania court ruling may open door for future clergy sex abuse suits
Lawyers for clergy sexual abuse survivors say a Pennsylvania Superior Court ruling handed down Tuesday could open a path for many old claims previously timed out to go to a jury. Writing in a 38-page opinion, a three-judge panel overturned a Blair County judge’s decision to dismiss a clergy sexual...
Here’s how Pa. ranks in terms of women’s rights
Pennsylvania is pretty average when it comes to women’s rights. A new study, the best and worst states for women’s rights, released by security.org, a company that collects security data, research and studies, shows Pennsylvania ranks 29th with an overall score of over 46% compared to other states, based on...
Pa. Gov. Wolf to veto $100M private schools bill
Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf plans to veto legislation passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature to substantially expand taxpayer support by $100 million for private and religious schools in Pennsylvania. Wednesday’s statement from Wolf’s office comes a day after the Senate approved the bill on a party-line basis. The bill was sponsored...
Pa. Republicans push back on cash Gov. Wolf wants for voting machines
Republican lawmakers aren’t committing to the money sought by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf to back up his demand that Pennsylvania’s counties replace their voting machines by 2020’s presidential elections. Republicans who control Pennsylvania’s Legislature say a roughly $34 billion budget counterproposal they are finalizing this week doesn’t include the $15...
Woman fatally stabbed in dispute over parking space in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA — Authorities say a woman fatally stabbed another woman in a dispute over a parking spot in Philadelphia. The attack happened about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. Authorities say the two women were arguing over the parking space when one stabbed the other twice in the chest. The 27-year-old victim died...
Wolf administration hopes ‘groundswell’ support can pass natural gas severance tax
Officials in Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration hope that packaging a natural gas severance tax with a proposal to address community blight and infrastructure needs will give it a better chance of passing the Pennsylvania General Assembly this year. Several members of the administration Tuesday said there is a “groundswell” of...
Pa. bottle bill would set up deposit program to reduce waste, litter
A proposal to set up a beverage bottle and can deposit program in Pennsylvania now has support in the state House and Senate. State Rep. Wendy Ullman, D-Doylestown, said Tuesday state Sen. Sharif Street, D-Philadelphia, planned to introduce a companion bill in the Senate that is modeled on her legislation...
PHEAA offers low-cost, no-fee private student loans
The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency is reinventing itself as a private lender to fill in the gaps for students who have maxed out on grants and federal loans this year, but still can’t cover the cost of college or approved trade schools. Officials at PHEAA, the embattled agency that...
Pennsylvania nursing homes receive failing grade from advocacy group
Pennsylvania nursing homes received an “F” from a national advocacy group that rates and ranks states on the quality of its care. But the head of a trade group representing nursing homes in the state said the report doesn’t account for the full picture of care, including ongoing funding struggles....
Pennsylvania Senate backs bill to expand armed school security options
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s Senate is backing legislation that supporters say give school districts and private schools more options to hire armed security guards. The bill passed 32-17 on Tuesday, with a handful of Democrats joining the Republican majority to send it to the House of Representatives. The bill would allow...
Convicted Pa. sex offenders targeted in new telephone scam
Telephone scammers have found a new target in Pennsylvania: registered sex offenders. Pennsylvania State Police issued a warning Monday, saying there has been an increase in fraud reports throughout the state from individuals required to register as sex offenders. Police say the sex offenders are being conned into wiring immediate...
Pennsylvania ranked as 8th most ‘fun’ state
Who isn’t up for a bit of fun? But what is fun? We all define fun differently, and that’s the point behind a new survey that ranks our great 50 states in order of their fun factor. WalletHub has crunched a lot of numbers — attractions, restaurants, golf courses, beaches,...
Boyfriend charged in slaying of woman in Poconos
EAST STROUDSBURG — Authorities say a man fleeing a jail sentence in Virginia and arrested in New York has been charged in the slaying of a woman whose body was dumped near a stream in eastern Pennsylvania’s Pocono mountains. Authorities say 43-year-old Gerald Neal was apprehended a week ago in...
Pennsylvania man says rise in tornadoes caused by traffic circles
The Keystone State has had more than the expected number of tornadoes so far this year and explanations often involve El Niño or climate change. But at least one resident of the northeast corner of Pennsylvania is blaming them on something else: traffic circles. A news program on WNEP-TV in...
Lt. Gov. John Fetterman opens State House pool for use by kids
FORT INDIANTOWN GAP — Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor is opening the pool in the official residence he doesn’t use to children who typically wouldn’t have access to one. Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman announced Friday the new access to the pool at the State House. The residence is on National Guard...
State Democratic Party adds to calls for Sen. Daylin Leach to resign
HARRISBURG — Leaders of Pennsylvania’s Democratic Party on Friday added to calls for a state senator to resign over accusations of sexual misconduct. The statement came a day after the Senate’s top Democrat said an inquiry he commissioned into complaints about Sen. Daylin Leach, D-Montgomery, found a “lengthy pattern of...
Pennsylvania ranked 20th in nation for nursing home complaints
Pennsylvania ranked 20th in the nation for complaints per nursing home last year, according to a new study that analyzed federal data for all 50 states. The report by The Senior List found nursing homes in Pennsylvania averaged 8.42 deficiency complaints per facility last year. Washington state topped the list...
Evanchick confirmed to head up Pennsylvania State Police
HARRISBURG — The man who’s been serving as acting Pennsylvania State Police commissioner for more than a year is now in the job on a permanent basis. The state Senate this week voted unanimously to confirm Col. Robert Evanchick to oversee the agency of more than 6,500 troopers and other...
Catholic school worker charged with sex assault of student
RADNOR — Police say a worker at a suburban Philadelphia Roman Catholic high school has been charged with sexually assaulting a student. The Delaware County District Attorney’s office says 33-year-old Christopher Serpentine, listed as a member of Archbishop Carroll High School’s fine arts department, was arrested Wednesday. He’s charged with...
