Pennsylvania category, Page 89
Fetterman trolls Oz with big funds, Snooki
HARRISBURG — Democrat John Fetterman posted a massive $11 million fundraising haul during the second quarter. He’s on an advertising spree that’s made him a near-constant presence on television in Pennsylvania. And he grabs attention with snarky, irreverent social media posts. Most recently, he employed MTV’s “Jersey Shore” star Nicole...
Judge agrees to Penn State’s request to seal entire case concerning search warrants involving student victims
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 regional newsletter, Talk of the Town. STATE COLLEGE — At the request of Penn State, a Centre County judge has agreed...
Pennsylvania funds 3 new state parks, locations yet to be determined
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s governor tweeted he had “big news” on Tuesday, announcing the state budget passed in recent days includes funding for three new state parks. Gov. Tom Wolf’s press secretary, Beth Rementer, subsequently said the park sites haven’t been chosen, but work to identify and purchase the land is...
Here’s what you need to know about Pa.’s new child care tax credit
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf has approved a new, permanent child care tax credit that will allow families to claim thousands...
Panel says more accountability would make policing safer for communities, officers
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. Missed Spotlight PA’s event about the limitations of Pennsylvania’s police hiring database? Here are five of the most interesting takeaways from...
Wolf says he’ll protect abortion seekers
HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf is following in the footsteps of other Democratic governors following the U.S. Supreme Court’s abortion ruling and looking to protect patients who travel to Pennsylvania for the procedure from being prosecuted by their home states. Wolf on Tuesday said in a statement that he would...
Penn State calls on employees to help stop the spread of an ‘invasive insect’
An invasive pest spreading throughout North America is now posing a direct threat to Penn State’s flagship campus, according to university officials. Last week, Penn State reported the discovery of two spotted lanternfly nymphs on its University Park campus. The university is now calling on its employees to take action...
Gov. Wolf, nursing homes come to agreement to boost staff
HARRISBURG — Nursing home trade associations in Pennsylvania said Monday they have agreed to boost staffing levels as part of a deal with Gov. Tom Wolf to increase aid to an industry struggling with high turnover. With Pennsylvania awash in surplus tax collections, Wolf on Monday signed legislation authorizing nearly...
Pa. lawmakers agreed to a big election funding deal — with strings attached
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania lawmakers have agreed to give counties $45 million in new election funding as part of the state budget,...
Man sentenced to prison in rapes of 4 former Penn State students
A man has been sentenced to decades in prison in the rapes of four former Penn State students over a seven-year period. Jeffrey Fields, 38, of Port Matilda was sentenced Friday in Centre County to 29 1/2 to 61 years in state prison in the assaults, which occurred between 2010...
Pennsylvania Senate seeks to declare state constitution provides no right to an abortion
HARRISBURG — Voters could be asked as early as the spring to weigh in on five significant amendments to the Pennsylvania Constitution, including one that would require voters to show ID every time they vote and another that asserts the state’s charter does not protect abortion access. After a contentious...
Acting Pa. education secretary touts funding in IUP visit
Acting Pa. Secretary of Education Eric Hagarty remembers what it was like to shoulder student loan debt. “The average graduate in Pennsylvania has somewhere just north of $30,000 in student loan debt, which is about what I had when I graduated college,” Hagarty told Indiana University of Pennsylvania administrators, staff...
Pa. lawmakers agree to boost education funding, spend billions in remaining stimulus money as part of budget
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania lawmakers have sent Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf a $45.2 billion spending plan that boosts education spending by more...
Hersheypark is retiring a roller coaster, giving fans one last chance to ride
If you want to take one last spin on the Wildcat, you have until July 31. Hersheypark has announced via their Twitter page that the wooden coaster, which opened in 1996, will be shutting down at the end of the month. “Wildcat will close Sunday, July 31 so be sure...
Pennsylvania’s covid phone app ends its run
Pennsylvania’s smartphone app that updates covid-19 cases and deaths will stop operating as of Wednesday. The state health department says covid Alert PA, in use since early in the pandemic, is no longer an essential tool, even though the threat isn’t over. “As we move forward through this phase of...
What is the independent state legislature doctrine, and why does it matter for Pa.?
Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to consider a case that could reshape election policy across the country, including...
Pa. Senate GOP advances constitutional amendment on abortion
HARRISBURG — Republican state senators outvoted impassioned Democratic opposition late Thursday to advance a proposal to add language to the Pennsylvania Constitution stating explicitly that the document does not guarantee any rights relating to abortion or public funding of abortions. The chamber’s Rules Committee teed up the package of proposed...
Pennsylvania budget would leave billions unspent, boost education funding
HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania House, nearly a week into the state’s new fiscal year, began passing budget legislation Thursday to add billions into surplus accounts, significantly boost education spending and fund new environmental programs. The House passed the main budget bill with little debate on a 180-20 vote hours after...
Police officer who killed Tamir Rice leaves Tioga police position amid controversy
The small borough of Tioga in Northcentral Pennsylvania recently hired Timothy Loehmann, the former Cleveland police officer who shot and killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice in 2014. But following criticism from residents and outcry on social media, Loehmann has withdrawn from the borough’s police force, according to reports. Rice’s killing led...
Pa. bill allowing police to seize illegally operated dirt bikes, ATVs heads to Wolf’s desk
The state Senate passed a bill late Wednesday allowing police in urban municipalities to seize dirt bikes and all-terrain vehicles from owners who illegally drive them on roads, and the measure now heads to the desk of Gov. Tom Wolf. The bill passed almost unanimously in the Senate last month,...
Why more Pa. hunters are using crossbows since they became legal statewide in 2009
There’s no doubt that crossbows have grown in popularity when it comes to archery deer hunting in Pennsylvania, but by just how much may be a bit surprising. First allowed in the state’s special regulations areas, and also for use by individuals who had a disabled hunters permit, crossbows became...
Democrat Josh Shapiro picks up Republican endorsements in race for governor
Attorney General Josh Shapiro’s gubernatorial campaign has earned a slew of endorsements from prominent Republicans. Shapiro, a Democrat from Montgomery County, said his campaign has received nine GOP endorsements from across Pennsylvania. In a swing state like Pennsylvania, having crossover appeal can be paramount to success in statewide races. Republicans...
Capitol quiet during 5th day without new Pennsylvania budget
HARRISBURG — Most Pennsylvania lawmakers were absent from the state Capitol on Tuesday, five days into the new budget year without a state government spending agreement in place. Leaders were hoping negotiations would wrap up over the coming days and the House announced voting sessions were scheduled through Friday. Thursday...
Small predator, missing from Pa. for more than a century, might be brought back
The return of the American marten, a larger relative of the weasel and mink, will be up for consideration by the Pennsylvania Board of Game Commissioners when it meets this weekend at the agency’s Harrisburg headquarters. The marten, a tree-climbing predator about 24 to 30 inches long, including the tail,...
Covid nursing home deaths claim is mainstay on Pennsylvania governor campaign trail
HARRISBURG — Doug Mastriano, Pennsylvania’s Republican nominee for governor, has made a campaign staple out of the allegation that Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s policy of readmitting covid-19 patients from hospitals to nursing homes caused thousands of deaths — a baseless claim for which no investigator or researcher has provided any...
