Pennsylvania category, Page 229
Cal U, Slippery Rock to launch new degree programs
Two Western Pennsylvania public universities are launching new programs in physical therapy, veterinary technology and educational leadership and administration as part of an effort to increase enrollment and serve workforce needs. Officials at the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education said California University of Pennsylvania will begin offering both associate...
Pennsylvania’s deer rifle season moved to Saturday after Thanksgiving
After more than 50 years of having the first day of deer rifle season start the Monday after Thanksgiving, the Pennsylvania Game Commission gave final approval to move opening day up to Saturday after the holiday. The board Tuesday voted 5-3 to approve the change. The commission gave a tentative...
Milton man accused of using students to sell marijuana arraigned, jailed
More than 700 grams of marijuana was seized and a Milton resident faces felony drug and corruption of minors charges because police said he used two female Milton students to conduct drug transactions. Craig A. Lytle, 34, is jailed on $40,000 cash bail after appearing Sunday morning before Shamokin District...
Pennsylvania closes the nation’s oldest reform school amid child abuse probe
PHILADELPHIA — Pennsylvania is closing the Glen Mills Schools, the oldest existing U.S. reform school, amid an investigation into child abuse and cover-ups at the Delaware County campus. The state Department of Human Services announced Monday that it was revoking Glen Mills’ license, having found evidence that its employees beat...
Pennsylvania gun violence activists set sights on new bill
HARRISBURG — Fresh from a victory in Pennsylvania last fall, anti-gun violence advocates are turning their attention to legislation to empower family members or police to seek the immediate, if temporary, seizure of someone’s firearms. Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America went to the state Capitol on Monday...
Stars of bear webcam, sow and cub, expected to leave their den soon
The time to watch a hibernating black bear sow and her single cub on a live webcam is running out as they are expected to leave any day now. The Pennsylvania Game Commission launched its first ever live bear webcam this year from a bear den under a porch at...
Bills to combat child sexual abuse move ahead in Pennsylvania Legislature
HARRISBURG — Two related bills designed to help victims of child sexual abuse received favorable committee votes in the Pennsylvania House on Monday and are poised to pass the full chamber in the coming days. The House Judiciary Committee voted overwhelmingly for a bill that would eliminate the statute of...
Ex-inmate hired to lead Pennsylvania Board of Pardons
HARRISBURG — A former legislative aide who did prison time for drug and weapons offenses has taken over as secretary to the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons amid efforts to streamline the clemency process, officials said Monday. Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman announced the appointment of Brandon Flood to the $89,000-a-year...
Historic Pennsylvania barn’s ban on same-sex weddings prompts outcry
ELIZABETHTOWN — A county tourism group is sticking by its decision to hold a meeting at a historic venue in Pennsylvania Dutch Country, despite an outcry of the locale’s policy banning same-sex weddings. The Star Barn is a top wedding spot in Elizabethtown, surrounded by farmland, orchards and vineyards in...
Pittsburgh woman tapped to lead national higher education group for private colleges
No one could have predicted where Barbara Mistick’s story would go when she left college shy of a degree four decades ago. The Bethel Park native’s resume now includes a doctoral degree and stints as an entrepreneur and educator at institutions including Seton Hill University, the Carnegie Libraries of Pittsburgh...
Pennsylvania man gets 3 to 6 years in Russian roulette death
LOCK HAVEN — A man has been sentenced to three to six years in prison on charges related to a game of Russian roulette that killed another man in central Pennsylvania. Fifty-five-year-old Randy Hill was sentenced last week after pleading guilty in Clinton County to reckless endangering and drug counts...
Erie Catholic diocese will open files to priest sex abuse victims
The Catholic Diocese of Erie, which recently settled a $2 million clergy sexual abuse complaint, is making “relevant” internal files available to abuse survivors for the asking, church officials said. The policy has been in effect since the diocese launched its compensation fund for abuse survivors in February, said Pittsburgh...
Pennsylvania’s war on opioid addiction to highlight national event
Pennsylvania’s approach to the opioid epidemic will be front and center Monday at the National Governor’s Association’s Summit for New Administrations in Washington, D.C. Gov. Tom Wolf will address the gathering on Pennsylvania’s multi-faceted attack, which the American Medical Association has highlighted as a national model for battling the opioid...
Bill Cosby agrees to settle 7 defamation cases
Bill Cosby has agreed to settle lawsuits filed by seven women who say he defamed them when he accused them of lying about sexual misconduct allegations. Court documents filed Friday in Springfield, Massachusetts, show the two sides have negotiated a settlement since Cosby went to prison last fall in a...
Pa. inmate suffers brain injuries in attack, remains in coma
EAGLEVILLE — Authorities say a Pennsylvania county jail inmate critically injured his cellmate during an attack in which he stomped on the man’s head more than 20 times. Joseph Hodum faces several counts, including attempted murder, stemming from Saturday’s attack. Bail was set at $1 million for the 38-year-old Philadelphia...
Pennsylvania flu hospitalizations up 62% in 2018
The flu sent more than 8,600 Pennsylvanians to the hospital last season, a 62% increase over the previous season, a new report shows. Released last week by the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council, the report found a wide variation in admissions over the past several flu seasons. The 8,647...
Pennsylvania state universities freed to set tuition
Pennsylvania’s 14 state-owned universities will have new latitude in setting tuition under a policy the Board of Governors of the Pennsylvania State System of High Education approved Thursday. Pennsylvania’s 14 state-owned universities will have new latitude in setting tuition under a policy approved Thursday. Annual tuition rates for the schools...
Pennsylvania’s medical marijuana market growing
More than 100,000 Pennsylvanians now have passports to medical marijuana. Doctors have approved more than 102,000 certifications allowing patients to buy medical marijuana at licensed state dispensaries, state officials announced this week. “Realizing 100,000 patient certifications and seeing the first Phase II grower and processor operationalized is a testament to...
Judge rejects lawsuit over Pennsylvania turnpike toll hikes
HARRISBURG — A federal judge is dismissing a lawsuit over Pennsylvania Turnpike toll increases that are financing payments to help fund transit agencies. U.S. District Judge Yvette Kane ruled Thursday that a truckers’ organization didn’t adequately argue that the scheme violates the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution or the...
Report: Pennsylvania largest net exporter of electricity in U.S.
Pennsylvania was the largest net exporter of electricity in the United States from 2013-17, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. California was the largest net importer during the same time period. The EIA said Pennsylvania sent an annual average of 59 million megawatt hours of electricity to other states...
PennDOT wants to know what you think of its winter work
PennDOT is an easy target in the winter, especially in Western Pennsylvania where road conditions can change depending on which side of the river you’re on. Through May 7, people can grade PennDOT on their winter response in an online survey. The 10-question survey asks how often people travel during...
Pennsylvania among 27 states offering ‘Cyber FastTrack’ program for students
A national cybersecurity program designed specifically for undergraduate and graduate students will launch Friday in Pennsylvania and 26 other states to encourage more young people to discover their talent and pursue careers in cybersecurity. The Cyber FastTrack program is designed to entice more people into cybersecurity as well as bridge...
Pa. senate questions college enrollment numbers
A key Pennsylvania lawmaker Wednesday signaled that legislators will be taking a critical look at how demographics are affecting higher education. Senate Majority Policy Committee Chair David G. Argall (R-Schuylkill and Berks) said the Senate will examine the impact of changing demographics on higher education during a public hearing on...
3 ex-Penn State frat members get jail in pledge’s death
BELLEFONTE — Three ex-Penn State fraternity brothers have been sentenced to jail on hazing charges in connection to the February 2017 death of a student pledging the fraternity. The Centre Daily Times reports that sentences handed down Tuesday to the three former Beta Theta Pi members range from 30 days...
Thousands of chickens killed in Pa. barn fire
UPPER BERN, Pa. — Thousands of chickens have died after a fast-moving fire ripped through a barn in Pennsylvania. Authorities say the fire at A&L Farms in Upper Bern broke out around 7 p.m. Tuesday and tore through a 300-foot-long chicken house. It’s believed that roughly 28,000 chickens died in...
