Pennsylvania category, Page 47
Housing juveniles charged with crimes a growing issue in Pa.
When a 16-year-old charged with second-degree murder fled from house arrest in November, Westmoreland County authorities scrambled to find a place to house him. The county’s juvenile detention center had closed temporarily in June amid staffing shortages. Calls to numerous private and publicly owned facilities throughout Pennsylvania that house children...
Pennsylvania school choice program criticized as ‘discriminatory’ as lawmakers return to session
HARRISBURG — Public school advocates in Pennsylvania are criticizing publicly funded programs that help underwrite tuition at private and religious schools, saying many of the eligible schools discriminate by cherry-picking the students they want to teach. Pennsylvania’s Capitol is already gripped by a broader and mostly partisan debate over how...
Can the Pa. legislature finish the budget before a leaky roof closes the state House for months?
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 — State lawmakers will return to Harrisburg next week in hopes of finally ending nearly six months of partisan deadlock on the last pieces...
Lawmakers consider declaring 2023 ‘Taylor Swift Era’ in Pennsylvania
Taylor Swift’s widespread popularity could soon be commemorated by the Pennsylvania state legislature. Three Democratic state representatives from suburban Philadelphia — Danielle Friel Otten of Chester County, Jennifer O’Mara of Delaware County and Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz of Berks County, where Swift grew up — introduced a resolution Friday to declare 2023...
Liz Magill, University of Pennsylvania president, resigns as antisemitism testimony draws backlash
PHILADELPHIA — The University of Pennsylvania’s president has resigned amid pressure from donors and criticism over testimony at a congressional hearing during which she was unwilling to say under repeated questioning that calls on campus for the genocide of Jews would violate the school’s conduct policy. The departure of Liz...
Repairs to Pennsylvania House chamber prompt 3-month hiatus for lawmakers
After lawmakers leave Harrisburg for winter recess next week, the state House chamber will close for three months as a costly repair is made to its ornate and historic ceiling. While the House will convene on Jan. 2, as required by the state Constitution, and on Feb. 6, for Gov....
Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry makes early witness list in Trump’s Georgia election case
U.S. Rep. Scott Perry is on an exhaustive list of potential witnesses that prosecutors in Fulton County, Ga., have prepared for a potential 2024 criminal trial against former president Donald J. Trump and 14 co-conspirators for alleged attempts to subvert the 2020 presidential vote in that state. The list, first...
Ex-Philadelphia labor leader convicted of embezzling from union to pay for home renovations, meals
PHILADELPHIA — Former Philadelphia labor leader John “Johnny Doc” Dougherty and a codefendant were convicted Thursday of using more than $650,000 in union funds for personal use, marking the second conviction federal prosecutors have secured against the long-powerful figure since a sweeping 2019 indictment. Dougherty, who led Local 98 of...
UPenn president says calling for Jewish genocide allowed ‘in context,’ then issues correction
Embattled University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill is under fire yet again for her problematic response to antisemitic speech on campus, telling a congressional hearing that calling for Jewish genocide is allowed depending on its “context.” Then, after 24 hours of backlash, Magill released a video refuting her previous statement....
Late Homer City astronaut and IUP graduate receives space mission name
Dr. Patricia Hilliard Robertson, a 1985 graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, devoted her life not only to medicine but to the advancement of human spaceflight. She never made it into space herself, dying months shy of a mission. On Wednesday, the space industry became the latest to honor the...
Court filing gives rare look inside FBI seizure of Pa. Rep. Scott Perry’s phone in 2020 election probe
HARRISBURG — Just how hard did some Republican members of Congress work to keep Donald Trump in office after his 2020 election loss? A court case is providing a few tantalizing clues. Snippets and short summaries of texts and emails sent by Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, a top Trump...
Vote to name PennWest interim president to lead West Chester University could happen this month
PennWest University interim President Lorraine “Laurie” Bernotsky is one vote away from being named the next president of West Chester University in suburban Philadelphia, effective in July. The State System of Higher Education board of governors is expected to call a special meeting this month to select the 16th president...
New Pa. House rules sought to strengthen bipartisanship, but insiders say they didn’t work
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 — During the chaotic start to this year’s legislative session, Pennsylvania House Democrats used their new majority to pass a high-profile set of changes...
Pa. adult club owner files $11M lawsuit against borough, officials
PORTAGE — The owner of a Portage Borough adult entertainment club is suing the borough and 10 officials for $11 million. Club owner Gary Vaughn is suing the borough of Portage, all five council members, Mayor Robert Fox, Borough Manager Robert Koban and two police officers, claiming a borough ordinance...
Gov. Shapiro rebukes Philadelphia protesters for chanting outside Israeli restaurantVideo
PHILADELPHIA — Protesters marching in Philadelphia against the bombardment of Gaza chanted about genocide Sunday outside an Israeli-style restaurant, leading Gov. Josh Shapiro to call the demonstration “antisemitic.” In Philadelphia’s Center City and University City neighborhoods, hundreds of people marched to criticize Israel’s military actions in Gaza, The Philadelphia Inquirer...
Man suspected of shoplifting stabs 2 security guards at Philadelphia store, killing 1
PHILADELPHIA — A man who had tried to steal merchandise from a department store in Philadelphia returned 15 minutes later and stabbed two security guards, killing one and injuring the other, city police said. The attack at the Macy’s store occurred shortly after 11 a.m. Monday. Security guards saw the...
Tracking Josh Shapiro’s 11 biggest campaign promises through his 1st year
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 — During his run for governor, Josh Shapiro was boosted by his reputation as a deal-making coalition-builder. That standing ran into a different reality...
Billboards thanking John Fetterman for his support of Israel are circling Pennsylvania Society events in N.Y.
NEW YORK — LED trucks thanking Sen. John Fetterman for his support for Israel are driving around midtown Manhattan this weekend during Pennsylvania Society, the annual glitzy gatheringof the state’s political establishment. The digital billboards have a photo of Fetterman next to an Israeli flag and say, “Thank you Senator...
Prisoner escapes from Pa. correctional facility while on work detail: reports
Police are currently searching for a man who escaped from a Philadelphia correctional center on Thursday. Gino Hagenkotter, 34, was an inmate at the Riverside Correctional Facility, located in the Holmesburg section of the city. He was serving a sentence for drug and theft charges, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer....
Congressmen ask DOJ to investigate water utility hack, warning it could happen anywhere
HARRISBURG — Three members of Congress have asked the U.S. Justice Department to investigate how foreign hackers breached a water authority near Pittsburgh, prompting the nation’s top cyberdefense agency to warn other water and sewage-treatment utilities that they may be vulnerable. In a letter released Thursday, U.S. Sens. John Fetterman...
With generous benefits, Pa. lawmakers could be second best compensated in nation
The base salary of Pennsylvania’s 253 state legislators is the third highest in the nation behind New York and California, but when benefits are added, it likely pushes them into second place. Legislators are eligible for lifetime medical benefits and retirement benefits unlike their counterparts in California but still trail...
With GOP ‘failing’ to win over Pa. voters on mail-in ballots, conservative group launches ambitious plan
Frustrated by state and national Republican efforts to tout mail-in voting, a conservative Pennsylvania group is launching an initiative to personally reach half a million likely GOP voters in 2024. Citizens Alliance of Pennsylvania CEO Cliff Maloney, a Delaware County native and national Republican operative, on Wednesday announced the Pennsylvania...
Charges dismissed against 3 emergency management supervisors in 2020 death
WAYNESBURG — A judge has dismissed all charges against three Western Pennsylvania emergency management supervisors who had been accused of obstructing an investigation into an emergency dispatcher accused of failing to send an ambulance to the rural home of a woman who died of internal bleeding about a day later....
Can Pennsylvania police search my phone during a traffic stop? Here’s what the law says
If you’re driving in Pennsylvania, you might find yourself pulled over by police for a number of reasons. But what happens if law enforcement officers try to look through your cellphone? When you’ve been pulled over, you might feel legally obligated to hand over your phone if a police officer...
Lawmaker helping lead impeachment of Philadelphia’s prosecutor will run for state attorney general
HARRISBURG — A state lawmaker who is helping lead the effort to impeach Philadelphia’s elected prosecutor on Tuesday became the newest candidate for Pennsylvania attorney general, an office that played a critical role in court defending Joe Biden’s 2020 victory in the presidential battleground. Rep. Craig Williams, a Republican who...
