Pennsylvania category, Page 222
Authorities: Pa. man built bomb to warn about alien threat
MYERSTOWN — Authorities say a man who allegedly put a bomb in a parking lot behind a Pennsylvania hotel told them he did it to warn police about aliens bent on destroying the planet. State troopers responded to the Bahney House in Myerstown on Sunday. They discovered a suspicious package...
2 killed, 3 hospitalized following Philadelphia shootings, stabbing
PHILADELPHIA — A domestic dispute in a Philadelphia neighborhood ended with a man stabbed and three people shot, one fatally. Authorities say the incident may have also spurred another shooting that killed a 24-year-old man. The domestic dispute occurred around 9:40 p.m. Monday. Authorities say a 26-year old man was...
Woodpeckers die when stuck on Spotted Lanternfly traps
Bands of sticky tape installed on trees to ensnare and kill the pesky and invasive Spotted Lanternfly are backfiring and killing some birds, bats and other wildlife that inadvertently get stuck, according to media and other accounts. The Morning Call reports the sticky tape is entrapping woodpeckers, squirrels and other...
Pa. adds Tree-of-Heaven to noxious weeds list, bans sales to combat spotted lanternfly
Members of the Pennsylvania Noxious Weeds Committee are hoping that adding a new species to its list will help address another invasive issue: the spotted lanternfly. The committee has added Tree-of-Heaven to the state’s Class B noxious weeds list. “Class B includes species that are so widespread, it would be...
Pa. commemorates anniversary of women’s vote with document display
One hundred years ago this month, on June 24, 1919, Pennsylvania became the seventh state to ratify the 19th Amendment, giving women the right to vote. As part of Monday’s 100th anniversary commemoration of that event, Pennsylvania’s document ratifying the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution will be on display...
Bills aim to end Pennsylvania’s straight-party voting option
HARRISBURG — Legislation advancing in Pennsylvania’s Republican-controlled Legislature would eliminate the ballot option for voters to simply select a straight-party ticket in elections, although House Democrats are objecting to it. Bills to eliminate it emerged from committee in both chambers this week. The Senate bill is sponsored by Democratic Sen....
Pennsylvania warns of phone scam targeting elderly, disabled
Phone scammers posing as state Department of Revenue employees are targeting senior citizens and people with disabilities in an effort to obtain people’s bank information, according to the state agency. The phone scammers are falsely telling residents they will deposit their property tax or rent rebate checks into their bank...
Pa. woman wins cemetery property rights Supreme Court case
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is siding with a Pennsylvania woman in a case that gives citizens another way to pursue claims when they believe states and local governments have harmed their property rights. The high court ruled Friday in the case of Rose Mary Knick. She tried to bring...
Pa. couple convicted in beating death of 4-year-old who spilled his cereal
WILLOW GROVE — A suburban Philadelphia couple has been convicted of murder in the death of a 4-year-old who was beaten for spilling his breakfast cereal. A jury returned the verdict Thursday night against the boy’s mother, Lisa Smith, and her boyfriend, Keiff King. The Abington couple also was convicted...
No injuries in explosions, fire at Philadelphia oil refinery
PHILADELPHIA — A fire at a 150-year-old refinery complex in Philadelphia turned the early morning sky a bright orange and yellow and awakened startled residents with explosions that shook homes Friday. The fire broke out at the Philadelphia Energy Solutions Refining Complex around 4 a.m., spokeswoman Cherice Corley said. “Refinery...
Disagreements remain as Pennsylvania’s budget deadline nears
HARRISBURG — Top Pennsylvania lawmakers are assembling a budget package that’s due ahead of the July 1 start of the fiscal year, but behind-the-scenes disagreements remain and rank-and-file lawmakers are awaiting details. The first votes on budget legislation are expected Monday. Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and leaders of the Republican-controlled...
Divided Pa. House votes to end $54M cash welfare program
HARRISBURG — Republicans in the state House voted Wednesday to end a Pennsylvania cash welfare program, a year after it was revived following a court decision. The Republican-majority House voted 106-95 to eliminate the $54 million in payments, bundled in the bill with a subsidy for Philadelphia hospitals. The cash...
10 wounded in shooting outside Deja Vu nightclub in Allentown
ALLENTOWN — Authorities say a street shooting in eastern Pennsylvania has left 10 people wounded. The shooting outside the Deja Vu nightclub in Allentown occurred shortly before 2 a.m. Thursday. Authorities say most of the victims had just left the nightclub or were standing on the sidewalk outside when the...
Pennsylvania bald eaglet knocked out of nest days before first flightVideo
A bald eagle parent knocked one of its two eaglets from its nest near Codorus State Park in Hanover when bringing in a fish to feed to its excited offspring Tuesday. The maturing young birds are within just days of taking flight. A live webcam operated by HDOnTap caught all...
Property tax/rent rebate for seniors application deadline extended
Low-income seniors looking for a state rebate on property taxes or rent have a little more time to apply. The deadline has been extended to Dec. 31, state Rep. Joseph Petrarca, D-Westmoreland, said Wednesday. Previously, applicants had until the end of the June to apply. Those eligible for a rebate...
Pennsylvania enshrines recognition of Juneteenth into law
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania is permanently recognizing Juneteenth, the cultural holiday commemorating the emancipation of enslaved black people in the United States. Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday signed legislation designating June 19 as Juneteenth National Freedom Day. Most states recognize it, and Pennsylvania lawmakers typically recognize the day by passing non-binding...
Pennsylvania moves to expand limits on opioid prescriptions
Legislation to further clamp down on powerful painkiller prescriptions in Pennsylvania has the state Senate’s approval, although Democrats tried unsuccessfully to put limits on an exception for major surgery. The Senate voted unanimously Wednesday, nearly three years after lawmakers passed a package of legislation to limit opioid prescriptions to fight...
Pa. Senate vote puts victims’ rights amendment before voters
Pennsylvania voters will decide whether to enumerate victims’ rights in the state constitution, a proposal likely to appear on the November ballot. The state Senate voted unanimously Wednesday to give its final approval, putting the state’s version of Marsy’s Law on the ballot as a constitutional amendment referendum. The proposed...
Wireless carriers’ 5G legislation stalls in Pennsylvania
HARRISBURG — Wireless carriers including Verizon and AT&T are struggling to get a vote on legislation to make it easier and cheaper for them to attach small-cell antennas to utility poles to carry 4G and next-generation 5G services across Pennsylvania. A House Consumer Affairs Committee meeting scheduled for Tuesday was...
Urn with Pa. man’s ashes stolen after funeral
YORK — Family members say someone stole an urn with a man’s ashes after his funeral in Pennsylvania. A service for 42-year-old Sam Abreght was held over the weekend at the Salvation Army in York. His cremains were divided into three urns, one of which was to go to his...
Parole, probation violations crowd Pennsylvania, U.S. prisons, report says
About half of those committed to a Pennsylvania state prison in 2017 were jailed because of a probation or parole violation, according to figures released Tuesday. Around 7,400 people are in state prisons on any given day for a supervision violation, amounting to an annual cost of $334 million for...
Gov. Tom Wolf vetoes $100M private schools bill in Pennsylvania
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf is vetoing budget-season legislation to substantially ramp up taxpayer support for private and religious schools in Pennsylvania. In Wolf’s veto message Tuesday, he questioned why Pennsylvania should expand a tax credit that subsidizes private institutions while the state’s public school system remains underfunded. The Democratic...
Pennsylvania woman bitten by venomous snake while doing laundry at home
MOUNT PENN — Officials say a Pennsylvania woman was bitten on the arm by a venomous snake when she went to her basement to do laundry. The Reading Eagle reports that the Mount Penn woman called 911 Tuesday morning to report that she’d been bitten by a rattlesnake. Authorities say...
Dairy farmers rally in support of returning whole milk to schools
Pennsylvania dairy farmers and their supporters rallied in Harrisburg on Tuesday in support of restoring whole milk as an option for school lunches. The protesters were scheduled to gather in the rotunda of the State Capitol at 11 a.m. Tuesday for the “Dairy Day for PA Healthy Kids” rally, following...
Coroner: Shooter in triple murder-suicide was fired from job
WYALUSING — A man who killed his mother, stepfather and another man before taking his own life in northern Pennsylvania had recently been fired from his job and stopped taking medications, a coroner said. Authorities in Bradford County have said Jesse Lee Northrup, 31, shot Edwin Bidlack, 54, who installed...
