Pennsylvania category, Page 32
Lawmakers advance proposal to greatly expand Sunday hunting in Pennsylvania
HARRISBURG — Hunting on Sundays in Pennsylvania would be greatly expanded under a proposal that passed the state House on Thursday over objections about trespassing provisions and new restrictions on hunting in state parks. Lawmakers voted 129-73 to send the bill to the state Senate. “Sunday is an opportunity to...
School vouchers may make it into Pa.’s budget, but what would they really do?
This story first appeared in The Investigator, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA featuring the best investigative and accountability journalism from across Pennsylvania. HARRISBURG — Few arguments in Harrisburg are as fraught as the one happening now over school choice vouchers, and it features a lot of spin from lawmakers...
Regulations on pharmacy benefit managers pass in state House, head to Senate
Regulations on pharmacy benefit managers — third-party intermediaries who work with drug manufacturers, pharmacies and insurance providers — took a leap forward Friday at the state level. House Bill 1993 would put pharmacy benefit managers under more intense state scrutiny and limit certain practices that pose some of the greatest...
Biden, Trump campaigns amplify Pa. presence ahead of first debate
In the run-up to Thursday night’s first debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, the rivals’ campaigns have boosted their presence in Pennsylvania by holding rallies, ramping up ad buys and opening campaign offices. So far, the Biden campaign efforts are outpacing those of the Trump camp....
A big education fight stands in the way of a Pa. budget deal
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 — How much money to spend on Pennsylvania’s public education system has become a key barrier to a budget deal as lawmakers launch a...
Penn State technical service union members authorize strike — if needed
Members of a union representing about 2,500 employees at Penn State University campuses statewide — including Western Pennsylvania branches — voted overwhelmingly to authorize their leaders to call a strike if needed, the union’s leader said Wednesday. Talks aimed at reaching a deal before the current pact expires Sunday are...
Pa. Senate committee advances bill to expand DNA collection by law enforcement
A bill moving in the Pennsylvania Senate would allow the state to collect and archive DNA samples from people when they are arrested, even if they are never convicted of a crime — a proposal that has generated pushback from both ends of the political spectrum. The Senate Judiciary Committee...
Fetterman taunts Menendez with nickname in hallways of Capitol
Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman reportedly taunts New Jersey Democrat Bob Menendez with the nickname “Gold Bar Bob” whenever the two senators cross paths in Washington, D.C. He’ll presumably continue to do so if Menendez doesn’t step down amid his ongoing legal troubles. Menendez was hit with corruption charges in September...
Bill to ensure access to contraception advances in Pennsylvania, aided by dozens of GOP House votes
HARRISBURG — A proposal to ensure access to contraceptives cleared the Democratic majority Pennsylvania House on Tuesday, drawing dozens of Republican votes but facing an uncertain future in the GOP-controlled state Senate. The bill was approved 133-69, with 14 women among the 32 Republicans voting yes. A spokeswoman for the...
Pennsylvania man charged with threatening state Sen. Mastriano
Federal agents arrested a Central Pennsylvania man on charges of threatening to kill state Sen. Doug Mastriano, a Franklin Republican, in a series of violent posts to Facebook earlier this month, authorities said Tuesday. Among the threatening messages from Richard Little was a post Friday in which he tagged the...
Jill Biden to Philadelphia donors: ‘Let’s talk about age’
PHILADELPHIA — First lady Jill Biden told a room of Philadelphia donors she knew what they were thinking. “I know what’s on your mind, so let’s talk about age this election,” Biden said to about 100 guests at a private fundraiser in Chestnut Hill on Monday night. “This election’s not...
Bill allows for stuffed toys made and/or sold in Pennsylvania to be more eco-friendly
Teddy bears and other stuffed animals sold in Pennsylvania may soon go green. The state House of Representatives on Monday voted 154-48 to send a bill to Gov. Josh Shapiro for enactment that would end a 63-year-old prohibition on the distribution and sale of stuffed toys made with recycled materials...
Conservancy that oversees SS United States seeks $500K to help relocate historic ship
The conservancy that oversees the SS United States has launched an urgent $500,000 fundraising campaign to help cover relocation expenses for the historic ship amid its uncertain future. The 1,000-foot ocean liner, which still holds the transatlantic speed record it set more than 70 years ago, must leave its berth...
Pennsylvania woman drowns after being swept over waterfall in Glacier National Park
WEST GLACIER, Mont. — A 26-year-old Pennsylvania woman drowned after being swept over a waterfall on the east side of Glacier National Park, park officials said. The woman fell into the water above St. Mary Falls at around 5:20 p.m. Sunday. She was washed over the 35-foot (11-meter) tall waterfall...
FAFSA delays continue to disrupt admissions at some colleges
For years, Slippery Rock University has held its own in a slumping student market, and its leaders anticipate another strong fall aided by a third consecutive increase in first-year students. But as that cautiously optimistic forecast was conveyed to school trustees in recent days, one unsettling statistic stood out. With...
RFK Jr.’s campaign files petitions to get on presidential ballot in swing-state Pennsylvania
HARRISBURG — Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. filed paperwork Thursday to get on the ballot for the November election in swing-state Pennsylvania, the state’s election office said. Kennedy’s filing comes six weeks before the Aug. 1 deadline, after which the paperwork can be challenged in court. The campaigns...
Pennsylvania court will decide whether skill game terminals are gambling machines
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s highest court will decide whether the cash-paying electronic game terminals that have become commonplace in convenience stores, bars and elsewhere are unlicensed gambling machines and, as a result, must be shut down. The state Supreme Court said this week that it will consider an appeal by the...
The fight for abortion rights gets an unlikely messenger in swing state Pennsylvania: Sen. Bob Casey
HARRISBURG — Abortion rights, suddenly a potent political force in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to leave such matters to the states, have found an unlikely champion in swing state Pennsylvania. Sen. Bob Casey, who will appear on the November ballot beneath President Joe Biden as the...
Health system wants ex-Penn State football doctor’s $5M verdict overturned
Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and a physician are asking for the court to modify or vacate the jury’s decision that granted a former Penn State football team doctor a $5.25 million verdict. In a 44-page motion filed in Dauphin County Court, the hospital and Dr. Kevin Black...
Pittsburgh lawmaker seeking bipartisan marijuana legalization bill
Pennsylvania is almost completely surrounded by states with legalized recreational marijuana and a Pittsburgh lawmaker is hoping the Keystone State will follow suit before competing states completely overtake the market. State Rep. Emily Kinkead, a Democrat from Brighton Heights, is introducing a bill to legalize recreational marijuana in Pennsylvania. She...
When colleges close, students are left scrambling. Some never go back to school
PHILADELPHIA — Katherine Anderson trekked from Texas to Philadelphia last year for a college program she couldn’t find anywhere else, combining the music business, entrepreneurship and technology. Two weeks ago, she received the startling news the university would be shutting down within days. The closure of the University of the...
Proposed IUP medical school gets $20M pledge from foundation, support from Pa. legislators
A college of osteopathic medicine proposed by Indiana University of Pennsylvania has secured a $20 million commitment from its foundation, the largest gift toward the initiative to date. In announcing the commitment Monday, the Foundation for Indiana University of Pennsylvania said its board is unanimous in support for what would...
Pennsylvania waste company finds $10M in loose change
You know what they say: One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. A waste management company in Pennsylvania has collected about $10 million in coins that’ve been tossed away over the years. Fox Business reports how Ash Processing at Reworld — which is located in Morrisville, Bucks County — “bridges...
Historic SS United States ordered out of its berth in Philadelphia. Can it find new shores?
PHILADELPHIA — The SS United States, a historic ship that still holds the transatlantic speed record it set more than 70 years ago, must leave its berth on the Delaware River in Philadelphia by Sept. 12, a federal judge says. The decision issued Friday by U.S. District Judge Anita Brody...
Remains in former home of man convicted of killing wife identified as those of missing ex-girlfriend
JOHNSTOWN — Authorities say human remains found in the former home of a man recently convicted in the slaying of his wife have been identified as those of his missing former girlfriend. Cambria County Coroner Jeff Lees told reporters last week that the remains of Jilly Todaro were identified through...
