Pennsylvania category, Page 35
Latinos found jobs and cheap housing in a northeastern Pennsylvania city but political power has proven elusive
HAZLETON, Pa. — Latinos seeking jobs and affordable housing have transformed Hazleton, Pennsylvania, in recent decades, but a federal lawsuit argues the way representatives are elected to their local school board is unfairly shutting them out of power. Nearly two-thirds of students in the Hazleton Area School District are Hispanic,...
Josh Shapiro, other governors seek return of residents held on popular vacation island
Gov. Josh Shapiro and the governors of Virginia and Oklahoma are calling on the leader of Turks and Caicos Islands to reconsider ammunition charges filed against a Pennsylvania man and two others being detained in the Caribbean territory. In a letter to the islands’ Gov. Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam, the governors ask...
Pa. man charged after threatening to behead President Joe Biden
A 37-year-old Luzerne County man was indicted by a federal grand jury after he made death threats toward President Joe Biden and his Cabinet members in April before an campaign event in Scranton, the Department of Justice said. Jordan Gee, of Nanticoke, is accused of posting multiple threatening videos online...
Pa. Treasury has $4.5B in unclaimed property — how to find out if some belongs to you
Are you still missing any belongings after searching for years? You might be owed part of the billions of dollars’ worth of unclaimed property held by the Pennsylvania Treasury. According to a news release published Monday, the state treasury holds more than $4.5 billion worth of unclaimed property as of...
IUP prepares for academic overhaul with proposed college name changes
Indiana University of Pennsylvania is poised to undergo an academic restructuring that would include name changes for three of its five colleges, discontinuing low-enrolled programs and identifying areas for future growth. Those moves and others will be reviewed by the State System of Higher Education in Harrisburg in the coming...
Online dashboard helps track tickborne illnesses
The Pennsylvania Department of Health this week announced a new online dashboard that will provide people with information about tickborne illnesses. The dashboard will show people where ticks are prevalent so they can take appropriate precautions while outdoors, officials said. It also will display the latest tickborne disease activity, tracking...
John Fetterman slams Biden over threat to withhold some arms supplies to Israel, calling it ‘deeply disappointing’
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman called President Joe Biden’s threat to withhold military aid to Israel “deeply disappointing,” the latest criticism he has levied at the president over his handling of the war in Gaza. On Wednesday, Biden announced on CNN that he would halt some shipments of bombs and artillery...
Convicted murderer was last person to see Pittsburgh area woman missing from Dauphin County
A convicted murderer was the last person to see a Pittsburgh area woman who vanished from Dauphin County and who is believed to be dead, court records show. Anthony E. Proctor, 59, also was caught on camera using her state benefits card at a warehouse store in mid-February, one week...
Pennsylvania to ban cellphone use while driving and require police to collect traffic stop data
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania will join the majority of states that ban motorists from handling a cellphone for almost any purpose while driving, as backers of the legislation hope to reduce distracted driving accidents and deaths after nearly two decades of pressing the measure. Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office said Thursday that...
Homeless encampment cleared from drug-plagued Philadelphia neighborhood
PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia police have cleared out a homeless encampment in a city neighborhood where drug use has been pervasive for years, but homeless advocates and others have raised concerns about how it was done. The effort, which the city called an “encampment resolution,” started around 7 a.m. Wednesday in...
American river otter returns to Pa. watershed after 100-year absence
An American river otter has been spotted in the Ridley Creek watershed after more than a century of absence. Ridley Creek is a tributary of the Delaware River in Chester and Delaware counties near Philadelphia. The otters have returned to the headwaters of the creek in southeastern Chester County. “This...
Penn State branch campuses will offer faculty, staff buyouts
Penn State University is offering eligible faculty, staff and administrators on its 20 Commonwealth campuses the option to leave their jobs with a lump sum payment and benefits. The move comes as Pennsylvania’s flagship public university works to shrink a multimillion-dollar budget deficit. A number of its Commonwealth campuses, including...
Pennsylvania will make animal sedative xylazine a controlled substance
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro will sign legislation to criminalize the misuse of a powerful animal tranquilizer called xylazine that is showing up in supplies of illicit drugs and contributing to a growing number of human overdose deaths, his office said Wednesday. Xylazine, which is being mixed into fentanyl...
Pennsylvania sees fewer mail ballots rejected for technicalities, a priority for election officials
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania election officials said Wednesday that the number of mail-in ballots rejected for technicalities, like a missing date, saw a significant drop in last month’s primary election after state officials tried anew to help voters avoid mistakes that might get their ballots thrown out. The success of the...
Pa. House Republicans want to investigate DA Larry Krasner over handling of state Rep. Kevin Boyle’s withdrawn warrant
HARRISBURG — Top Republican leaders in the Pennsylvania House said Tuesday that they want the attorney general’s office to investigate how Philadelphia law enforcement bungled a now-withdrawn arrest warrant for state Rep. Kevin Boyle just days before April’s primary election — and whether their actions violated the state’s election laws....
Pennsylvania Senate approves GOP’s $3B tax-cutting plan, over objections of top Democrats
HARRISBURG — Republican lawmakers on Tuesday advanced legislation for a $3 billion tax cut, their just-unveiled counterproposal to Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro ‘s budget plan as each side offers a competing vision for how to use a massive cash surplus sitting in the state treasury. The tax legislation cutting taxes...
Cumberland Valley school director resigns over ‘30 Rock’ actor being allowed to speak to students
Cumberland Valley School director Brian Drapp has resigned his school board seat over the district’s handling of a middle school assembly featuring author/actor Maulik Pancholy. But in an interview Tuesday with PennLive, he said that issue is really a symptom of deeper problems with the board’s operation. “I believe you...
Beaver Stadium renovation plan set for vote by Penn State trustees this month
Penn State’s Board of Trustees will hold a meeting on May 21 to vote on approving the Beaver Stadium renovation plan. The Board of Trustees will meet via conference call at 10 a.m. in an executive session. The board’s committee on Finance, Business and Capital Planning will then hold a...
Where Pennsylvania has lost Democrats since 2008, and what it means for November
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. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — For the first time in at least 16 years, the Democratic and Republican parties in Pennsylvania are...
Crews search central Pa. waterways for Pittsburgh area woman police say was killed
The search for a missing Western Pennsylvania woman last seen in the Harrisburg area and deemed a homicide victim was concentrated Friday along two creeks in northern York County. Susquehanna Township police sent out a thank you via Crimewatch on Monday that expressed “its sincere gratitude for the agencies, organizations,...
Pa. Senate Republicans propose ‘historic’ tax cut to counter Democrats’ desire to spend more
Senate Republicans are proposing a historic tax cut for Pennsylvanians that includes taking the personal income tax back to 2003 levels and lower electric bills. An amendment offered Monday afternoon to a bill granting a tax credit to volunteer emergency medical technicians was approved on 11-5 party-line vote by the...
How often does Gov. Josh Shapiro use Pennsylvania’s state plane?
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. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — The two-engine, eight-seat Beechcraft King Air 350i took off from a small regional airport across the Susquehanna...
Experts say there is no evidence of avian flu strain in Pennsylvania
A strain of avian flu that has infected cattle elsewhere in the United States hasn’t been found in Pennsylvania. But even if it does arrive locally, experts said it won’t affect the meat or milk supply and will likely only cause a cold for cattle. “It poses no issue in...
Penn State trustees advance proposed property sales involving Behrend, Harrisburg campuses
Property zoned for college housing at Penn State University’s Behrend campus near Erie may gain new life as a church, while a Penn State Harrisburg building could be going to that city’s school district. A panel of Penn State trustees endorsed both real estate divestitures Thursday as board members began...
Remains of child found in duffel bag in Philadelphia neighborhood identified as missing boy
A decomposed body found earlier this year in a duffel bag in Philadelphia has been identified as a 4-year-old boy who authorities say was beaten to death. The body of Damari Carter was found March 18 in the city’s Mantua neighborhood by a worker who was cleaning out an alleyway....
