Pennsylvania category, Page 30
Inside Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s support for private school vouchers
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is being eyed as a potential Democratic vice presidential nominee, but with that attention has come intense scrutiny of...
6,300 University of Pittsburgh staffers gain chance to join Steelworkers union
For University of Pittsburgh staff who watched as 3,400 faculty colleagues gained collective bargaining rights a few years back, what’s coming in the mail soon represents their own moment of choice. The Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board will oversee another union election at Pitt. This time, it’s for 6,300 staff. Ballots...
Sen. Ward says she will work to ensure potential Democratic presidential ticket including Shapiro loses
State Sen. Kim Ward, R-Hempfield, pledged to try to avoid becoming Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor — something that would happen should Gov. Josh Shapiro leave office before his term ends. “I’m going to fight as hard as I can to make sure I don’t become lieutenant governor … that it never...
Trump announces 1st Pennsylvania rally since assassination attempt
Former President Donald Trump has announced his first rally in Pennsylvania since the July 13 assassination attempt at a rally in Butler Township. Trump will return to the state for a July 31 rally at the New Holland Arena in Harrisburg. Trump sustained an injury to his ear after shooter...
Gabrielle Giffords stumps for Kamala Harris in Pennsylvania as campaign for running mate takes shape
PHILADELPHIA — Gabrielle Giffords, the former Democratic congresswoman who was grievously wounded in a 2011 shooting in her Arizona district, took to the campaign trail Thursday for Vice President Kamala Harris, as Harris’ nascent presidential campaign gets off the ground and a parallel campaign to be Harris’ running mate takes...
Listeria outbreak linked to deli meat includes Pennsylvania
A listeria outbreak linked to deli meat has affected 12 states — including Pennsylvania, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Two people have died, and there have been at least 28 people infected, the CDC said. No recalls have been issued. “Investigators are collecting information to determine...
Pa. Democrat leaders talk up Shapiro as VP pick
Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Austin Davis said Tuesday if the state’s chief executive is tapped to run as the Democrats’ nominee for vice president — and wins — he would be ready to step in for Gov. Josh Shapiro. “As the lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, I know I have a job...
Antisemitism runs rampant in Philadelphia schools, Jewish group alleges in civil rights complaint
The Philadelphia school district has failed to protect Jewish students from “a virulent wave of antisemitism” that swept through classrooms after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, according to a federal complaint filed Tuesday. The district, among the largest public school systems in the U.S., has ignored persistent harassment and...
Chancellor of State System of Higher Education announces resignation
Daniel Greenstein, chancellor of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education, is resigning this fall after a transformative six-year tenure that saw controversial campus mergers, a historic jump in state university funding, and no tuition increases. Greenstein notified the system’s Board of Governors on Monday of his intention to leave, effective...
New PennWest president reveals ‘secret sauce’ of W.Pa.’s second largest public university
Pennsylvania Western University’s new president had this to say Monday about the struggles preceding him to merge three century-and-a-half-old institutions with proud histories into one: “Integration is really tough,” Jon Anderson said. But the 50-year-old educator from Utah, who became PennWest’s chief executive on July 1, nonetheless is bullish on...
Father, 2 of his children killed in Pennsylvania Turnpike crash
A father and his two children died in a fatal crash after they were struck by a tractor-trailer on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, according to the Lancaster County Coroner’s Office. Donnell Hickson, 43, and an 11-year-old girl, both of Baldwin, New York, and Decir Hickson, 18, of Pittsburgh, died at the...
Ex-Philadelphia police officer sentenced to at least 8 years in shooting death of 12-year-old boy
PHILADELPHIA — A fired Philadelphia police officer who pleaded guilty to murder in the shooting of a fleeing 12-year-old boy was sentenced Monday to at least eight years in prison. Edsaul Mendoza, a five-year veteran of the force who was fired a week after the shooting in 2022, pleaded guilty...
A Harris-Shapiro ticket? Pa. governor plays it close to the vest during Neville Island stopVideo
A day after President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro deflected questions about whether he would want to be Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate were she to become the Democrats’ presidential nominee. In an appearance Monday on Neville Island, Shapiro wouldn’t say whether he is...
Pa. Democratic delegates vote to support Kamala Harris as nominee
Pennsylvania’s delegates to the Democratic National Convention voted unanimously Monday to support Vice President Kamala Harris as their party’s presidential nominee. The state’s 159 delegates were committed to President Biden. They voted at a virtual meeting Monday afternoon to redirect their votes to Harris. Allegheny County Democratic Committee Vice Chair...
Pa. politicians, party leaders react to Biden dropping out; Shapiro endorses Harris
News of President Joe Biden’s decision to not seek reelection spread swiftly Sunday among Pennsylvania politicians and party leaders, drawing praise and adulation from Democrats and partisan attacks from Republicans. Biden announced that he is dropping out of the race against former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, but will...
Penn State main campus students face tuition hike; price at branch campuses still frozen
Pennsylvanians attending Penn State University’s main campus a year from now will pay 2% more in undergraduate tuition, while in-state branch campus undergraduates will see no increase for a third straight year. The university’s Board of Trustees Friday approved those and other rates in adopting a $9.9 billion budget for...
Electric vehicle owners will have to pay $200 in annual taxes starting in 2025
Twenty years ago, John Belak was watching David Letterman, listening to Tom Hanks gush about his electric-powered vehicle. “He was telling him about how he got an electric car, and he was going to save the world,” the Murrysville man said. At the time, Belak was paying about $40 a...
State System of Higher Education freezes tuition for 6th straight year
Tuition across Pennsylvania’s 10 state-owned universities will not increase this fall as the State System of Higher Education on Wednesday approved a sixth consecutive tuition freeze, this one for 2024-25. During a special meeting, held virtually, the State System’s Board of Governors voted unanimously to keep full-time undergraduate tuition for...
Thousands of Philadelphia city workers are back in the office full time after judge rejects lawsuit
Thousands of Philadelphia city employees are back in their offices full time after a judge rejected a union’s request to block Mayor Cherelle Parker’s requirement that they return. District Council 47 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees had sued the city, claiming the mandate violates its...
Pennsylvania Turnpike warns of ‘smishing scam’ back on the rise
WILKES-BARRE — The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is advising that a “smishing scam” is again being sent to random individuals, aiming to deceive them to share their personal financial information to settle outstanding toll amounts. The texts purport to be from “Pennsylvania Turnpike Toll Services” and center around urgent requests with...
Sen. Bob Casey walks fine line amid Biden turmoil
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey has a fine line to walk. He and other Democrats fighting to hang on to hotly contested Senate seats have seemed jittery about the turmoil surrounding President Joe Biden after his disastrous debate performance. In many cases, they’re trying to minimize any damage to...
Budget sends $500M more to Pa.’s poorest schools, falling short of what some say is needed
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan, and nonprofit newsroom producing investigative and public-service journalism that holds power to account and drives positive change in Pennsylvania. HARRISBURG — After weeks of tense, secretive negotiations on Pennsylvania’s budget, the legislature has approved a $47.6 billion spending deal that falls short of the...
Traveler caught with over $36K in undeclared cash at Philadelphia airport
It wasn’t a loaded gun going through an airport checkpoint this time, but loaded luggage, according to Customs and Border Patrol. Officials reported seizing $36,834 from a Columbus, Ohio, man at Philadelphia International Airport recently after the man claimed to have $15,000. The man, a U.S. citizen, flew back into...
Pennsylvania lawmakers approve sale of canned alcoholic drinks in grocery stores and more retailers
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvanians will be able to buy canned alcoholic drinks, called ready-to-drink cocktails, from a wider variety of retailers under legislation approved Thursday. The state Senate approved the bill, 32-17, and sent it to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s desk. Under the bill, the approximately 12,000 restaurants, bars, beer distributors, grocery...
Pharmacy benefit manager bill headed to Pa. governor’s desk
A bill placing regulations on pharmacy benefit managers is headed to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s desk. The bill, which began in the state House, passed overwhelmingly in the state Senate on Wednesday with some revisions. Those revisions were approved 172-30 in the House on Thursday. The bill sets restrictions on...
