Pennsylvania category, Page 8
Wounded Pennsylvania troopers recovering after chaotic shooting that left gunman, neighbor dead
A man fatally shot his neighbor in rural Pennsylvania and then unleashed a hail of gunfire on first responders, wounding two state troopers, running an EMT off the road and sniping a police drone from the sky, officials said. The chaotic scene unfolded Thursday morning after Thompson resident Lori Wasko’s...
Advocates call for closure of ICE facility near Philipsburg after detainee’s death
A coalition of several local and national immigration rights groups on Thursday called for the closure of the Moshannon Valley Processing Center — the largest federal immigration detention center in Pennsylvania and the rest of the Northeast — after the death earlier this week of a 32-year-old Chinese national. Chaofeng...
Woman killed by neighbor before responding state troopers were ambushed by gunfire, police say
THOMPSON — A 61-year-old man fatally shot a neighbor Thursday in rural Pennsylvania and then ambushed responding state troopers, wounding two while firing dozens of rounds from a semiautomatic weapon, police said. Lori Wasko’s boyfriend called 911 after 11 a.m. from their home near Thompson to report shots fired, state...
Pa. Turnpike execs get 5-figure pay raises, including CEO’s $86K boost
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission approved $367,107 in pay raises for the organization’s chief officers during a closed-door executive session in March. The raises were recommended by a wage study commissioned in February, which offered two options that resulted in the same total cost for salary increases. CEO Mark Compton received...
Gov. Shapiro says U.S. has ‘moral obligation’ to get food to starving Gaza residentsVideo
Gov. Josh Shapiro said Tuesday that the United States has a “moral obligation” to make sure that starving Gaza residents get the aid they need to survive. While saying that the terrorist group Hamas needs to release the nearly 50 hostages it still holds, Shapiro said he also wants food...
Pa. budget impasse reaches 36 days, with sides still at odds on several key issues
As Pennsylvania’s budget impasse reached 36 days Tuesday, the highest-ranking Republican in the state Senate said lawmakers should consider adopting a six-month spending plan that maintains last year’s funding levels for many essential services while negotiations continue on thornier budgetary issues. “If we can’t come to agreement (on an overall...
Most popular meteor shower, full moon to peak soon over Pennsylvania. Here’s when to look
A full “sturgeon” moon will peak soon over Pennsylvania, and residents can also enjoy viewing the peak of a popular meteor shower soon after. This month’s moon is referred to as the “sturgeon moon” because of the abundance of fish typically found in late summer, according to the Farmers’ Almanac....
Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board opens summer whiskey lottery
Nine whiskey lotteries are now open for Pennsylvania liquor connoisseurs. The lottery, run by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, allows consumers to enter into a drawing for the opportunity to purchase special liquor with limited quantity but high demand. Among the bottles up for grabs are two varieties of Blanton’s...
Voting machines rarely malfunction during Pa. elections, new data show
This article is made possible through Spotlight PA’s collaboration with Votebeat, a nonpartisan news organization covering local election administration and voting. Sign up for Votebeat’s free newsletters here. Pennsylvania voters encountered only scattered voting-machine malfunctions that rarely affected their ability to cast ballots in recent elections, according to a Votebeat...
This Pennsylvania city is one of the ‘dirtiest in America,’ report finds
A city’s cleanliness is one of the key components of both residents’ quality-of-life and health, as evidenced by the recent strike in Philadelphia that left trash piling on the streets. Unfortunately for residents in this other Pennsylvania location, their city is one of the top five dirtiest in the entire...
Ohiopyle State Park tops list of nation’s ‘great-value stays’
Nine state parks in Pennsylvania have been listed among the United States’ best when it comes to getting the most bang for your buck. In fact, one topped the list. As conducted and published by HomeToGo, the list ranked Ohiopyle State Park in Fayette County as the No. 1 state...
500K in Pa. face soaring health care premiums as insurers seek rate hikes
Nearly 500,000 Pennsylvanians could see their health insurance premiums spike next year. Insurers selling coverage on the state’s Affordable Care Act marketplace, Pennie, want to raise premiums by an average of 19% for customers who buy their own insurance and 13% for small businesses, the Pennsylvania Insurance Department announced Friday....
Campaign cash already flowing in Pa. ahead of pivotal 2026 midterms
Republican incumbents in Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation outraised their Democratic counterparts by nearly a 2-to-1 margin, on average, during the first half of the year, according to federal election filings. Chris Borick, a political science professor at Allentown’s Muhlenberg College, said the fundraising gap is less of a reflection of any...
Pennsylvania’s new monitoring stations will better alert residents to floods and other weather events
Pennsylvania is on track to install 30 new weather stations across the state by this time next year, allowing meteorologists and emergency officials the ability to better track severe weather and flooding and provide more timely alerts to the public. The upgrade to the Pennsylvania Integrated Flood Warning and Observation...
Gov. Shapiro joins lawsuit against Trump administration over defunding of Planned Parenthood
Gov. Josh Shapiro has signed onto a lawsuit alleging the federal government is illegally blocking Medicaid funds from going to Planned Parenthood and affiliated healthcare providers. The suit centers on a provision of the recently passed mega bill, which enacts many of President Donald Trump’s domestic policy priorities. It bans...
Sen. John Fetterman to release ‘Unfettered’ memoir this fall — looking at political and health battles
NEW YORK — A long-rumored and “unapologetic” memoir by Sen. John Fetterman will be released this fall, his publisher said. Crown, an imprint of Penguin Random House, announced Wednesday that “Unfettered” is scheduled for Nov. 11. The book’s price is listed at $32. In the memoir, the Democrat will open...
Congressional proposal would target spotted lanternfly
Spotted lanternflies, targeted by stomping feet wherever they’re found, have a new enemy: Congress. U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Butler, and three of his colleagues have introduced legislation that would authorize the nation’s agriculture chief to make grants available for lanternfly research aimed at stopping the spread of the invasive insect....
10 lifeguards on hand when girl drowned at Hersheypark wave pool
Ten lifeguards were watching the wave pool at Hersheypark when a 9-year-old girl drowned, officials said. A spokesperson for the theme park confirmed the incident occurred at the wave pool within the Boardwalk at Hersheypark, on Thursday, as reported by NBC10 Philadelphia. At the time of Sophia Subedi’s death, the...
A mother’s fight to save son shows tragic consequences of Pa.’s failure to build better mental health system
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. Editor’s note: Sue, Robert, and Jonathan are pseudonyms. Their names and some details have been changed to protect their...
Will Doug Mastriano run for governor again? He says the decision will be made on his timeline
Doug Mastriano might run for governor. He also might not. However, two things are certain for Mastriano — he’s not going to stop teasing an entrance into the gubernatorial race on his social media accounts, and he’s not going to listen to Republican magnates telling him not to run. Unless...
The challenges facing Pa.’s huge, old road system, and what it means for the budget
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 — Public transit is a key issue holding up Pennsylvania’s budget, but top Republicans have said they don’t want to spend more money on...
Child dies after incident in Hersheypark’s water park, CEO says
A 9-year-old died Thursday after an incident at the Boardwalk at Hersheypark, the theme park’s CEO said. Hersheypark lifeguards immediately performed life-saving efforts after finding the child who was in distress, Hershey Entertainment & Resorts Company CEO John Lawn said in a late-night statement Thursday. The child was taken to...
Philly cheesesteak maker challenged by the ever-rising cost of beef
PHILADELPHIA — Ken Silver knows beef because he knows Philly cheesesteak. He hopes that a summer spike in how much he pays for his restaurant’s main product doesn’t cause heartburn for him or his customers. Silver, president of Jim’s South St. in Philadelphia, said he might have to raise prices...
Pharmacies are disappearing across Pa. as operators blame a broken payment system
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 — Hundreds of pharmacies across Pennsylvania have gone out of business in recent years, data obtained by Spotlight PA show, and pharmacists say legislation...
Pennsylvania Game Commission proposes 10 additional Sunday hunting dates for 2025
Hunters could get up to 10 additional Sundays to hunt this fall under a proposal going before the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s board of commissioners on Monday. The new dates are being proposed by the agency after Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a law earlier this month fully repealing the longstanding ban...
