Pennsylvania category, Page 40
What to know about Shapiro’s proposed $10.3M agriculture innovation program
This story was produced by the State College regional bureau of Spotlight PA, an independent, nonpartisan newsroom dedicated to investigative and public-service journalism for Pennsylvania. Sign up for our north-central Pa. newsletter, Talk of the Town, at spotlightpa.org/newsletters/talkofthetown. BELLEFONTE — An open-ended pitch by Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro to give...
Date of Pa.’s presidential primary makes it too late to make a difference, politicos say
Because Pennsylvania’s presidential primary is more than a month away, the state’s influence in determining Republican and Democratic nominees for the White House will once again be muted this spring, according to political leaders. Voters in more than a dozen Super Tuesday states cast ballots this week in what were...
Speed-monitoring cameras are making Pa. highway work zones safer, officials say
The strategic placement of speed-monitoring cameras along Pennsylvania highways helped to reduce speeding and crashes in work zones over the course of a five-year pilot program by PennDOT and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. Now, officials are rebooting speed enforcement with the cameras on a permanent basis with a goal of...
8 teens injured in Philadelphia bus shooting, 4th gunfire incident in as many daysVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Police say eight Philadelphia high school students waiting to board a city bus after classes Wednesday were wounded by gunshots from suspects who jumped from a car and opened fire, the fourth shooting on the transit system in as many days. The previous three shootings each involved a...
Cumberland County man who illegally collected body parts given 2 years probationVideo
A former Enola man who admitted to possessing human organs illegally taken from a morgue as part of a nationwide scheme got two years of probation handed down Tuesday as part of a plea deal. Jeremy Pauley, 41, now of Susquehanna County, appeared in court wearing all black alongside his...
Pennsylvania State Police to expedite body camera rollout after Philadelphia officials excessive force claim
After a Philadelphia city official accused a state trooper of excessive force, the head of the Pennsylvania State Police told lawmakers on Monday that the agency would step up deployment of body cameras. State Police Commissioner Christopher Paris told members of the state House Appropriations Committee that a full investigation...
Teenager dead, 4 other people wounded in shooting at Philadelphia bus stop, police sayVideo
PHILADELPHIA — A teenager was killed and four other people were injured in a shooting on Monday afternoon at a north Philadelphia bus stop, police said. The city’s police commissioner, Kevin Bethel, said about 15 to 20 students were at a bus stop in the city’s Ogontz neighborhood around 3:45...
Lawsuit challenges Pennsylvania’s use of solitary confinement
A lawsuit filed Monday in federal court seeks to ban Pennsylvania’s prison system from holding inmates in prolonged solitary confinement and to eliminate the practice entirely for those who are mentally ill. Filed Monday in federal court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the complaint alleges violations of the constitutional...
Pennsylvania court rules electronic voting data is not subject to release under public records law
HARRISBURG — Spreadsheets of raw data associated with every ballot cast are not subject to public scrutiny, a Pennsylvania court ruled Monday in a case that began with a request for the “cast vote records” by an election researcher whose work has fueled right-wing attacks on voting procedures. Commonwealth Court...
Philadelphia LGBTQ leaders arrested in traffic stop the mayor calls ‘concerning’Video
PHILADELPHIA — The arrest of two of Philadelphia’s LGBTQ leaders by a state trooper during a fraught highway traffic stop is “very concerning,” the city’s mayor said after a video showing some of what happened circulated on social media. Celena Morrison leads the city’s Office of LGBT Affairs and is...
Pa. was deluged by election lawsuits in 2020 and experts say 2024 will be even more intense
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 — Earlier this year, a group of Republican state lawmakers filed suit in federal court to throw out executive actions aimed at expanding voter...
Pennsylvania woman faces life after conviction in New Jersey murders of father, his girlfriend
TOMS RIVER, N.J. — A Pennsylvania woman faces a life term after being convicted of murder and weapons offenses last week in the shooting and stabbing deaths of her father and his longtime girlfriend 2 1/2 years ago in New Jersey. The Asbury Park Press reported that 57-year-old Sherry Lee...
Ballot order is critical for candidates. In Pa., it’s determined by luck.
This article is made possible through Spotlight PA’s collaboration with Votebeat, a nonpartisan news organization covering local election administration and voting. As Sajda Blackwell approached the front of the room, she did a little dance of excitement — a shimmy as she pumped both fists in the air. “All right,...
Authorities capture car theft suspect who fled police outside Philadelphia hospital in Johnstown
PHILADELPHIA — A Philadelphia car theft suspect who fled from police outside a hospital earlier this week has been captured in Western Pennsylvania, federal authorities said. Alleem Bordan, 29, was taken into custody at 2 p.m. Thursday at a home in Johnstown in Cambria County, more than 200 miles from...
Slain pregnant Amish woman had cuts to her head and neck, police say
SPARTANSBURG — Search warrant filings for the Pennsylvania home where a pregnant Amish woman was killed this week said she appeared to have suffered cutting wounds to her neck and head. Two identical search warrants were issued at the request of state police regarding the Monday slaying of Rebekah A....
Pennsylvania sets up election security task force ahead of 2024 presidential contest
HARRISBURG — Law enforcement agencies, civil defense officials and election administrators have begun meeting in Pennsylvania to coordinate how they will identify and fight election threats with the presidential contest just eight months away in the battleground state, Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration said Thursday. Shapiro created the Pennsylvania Election Threats...
Sen. Casey bill seeks to fight shrinkflation at grocery stores
Sen. Bob Casey is fighting supermarket shrinkflation. The Pennsylvania Democrat introduced a bill Wednesday that opposes the practice of shrinking everyday consumer goods such as cereal, potato chips, laundry detergent and toilet paper. The Shrinkflation Prevention Act targets corporations Casey, who is a co-sponsor of the bill, said are deceiving...
Officials describe how gunman killed 5 relatives and set Delaware County house on fireVideo
EAST LANSDOWNE — Four of the five family members found dead in a house fire near Philadelphia were fatally shot by an adult male relative who also killed himself after setting fire to the home, authorities said Wednesday. The youngest victim, a 10-year-old boy, was not shot but died of...
A pregnant Amish woman is killed in her rural Pennsylvania home, and police have no suspects
SPARTANSBURG — Investigators have no suspects in the killing of a pregnant 23-year-old Amish woman inside her home in rural northwestern Pennsylvania, and are appealing for tips from the public to help solve the crime, a state police spokeswoman said Wednesday. Rebekah A. Byler was the victim of a criminal...
Pa. mother charged with abandoning child, 3, at hair salon
WILKES-BARRE — A mother went on an alcohol and ecstasy binge after she abandoned her 3-year-old daughter at a hair salon in the 300 block of South Main Street on Sunday. Rasheedah J. Fields, 42, of Park Avenue Towers, Park Avenue, left the child at the hair salon at approximately...
Federal probe targets organ collection groups for potential fraud
The nonprofit organizations that collect and distribute organs for transplantation in the United States are under federal investigation to determine if they’ve defrauded the government, the Washington Post reported Monday. The probe seeks to determine whether organ procurement organizations, or OPOs, which work alongside hospitals to procure everything from kidneys...
Black Pa. country musicians celebrate the Beyoncé effect, invite new listeners to stick around
This story first appeared in PA Local, a weekly newsletter by Spotlight PA taking a fresh, positive look at the incredible people, beautiful places, and delicious food of Pennsylvania. As Beyoncé’s rootsy new country singles “16 Carriages” and “Texas Hold ‘Em” usher in a new era for the superstar, other...
Officers shoot, kill man who fired at them during domestic violence call, state police say
YORK — Law enforcement officers in Pennsylvania shot and killed a man who fired at them during a domestic violence call, including aiming shotgun blasts at an officer forced to dive off a porch to protect himself, a county prosecutor said. Spring Garden Township police were called to a home...
What to know about Shapiro’s pitch to legalize marijuana, its chances in the Pa. legislature and more
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 — In his state budget pitch, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro called for the Pennsylvania legislature to legalize recreational marijuana. Shapiro is not breaking new...
Student loan forgiveness plan in Pennsylvania wipes out $45.1M in debt for 5,600 borrowers
The Biden administration this week canceled $1.2 billion in student debt nationwide. In Pennsylvania, that means 5,600 borrowers with a total of $45.1 million in debt have had their loans wiped clean, according to the U.S. Department of Education. The agency on Friday released a state-by-state breakdown of where the...
