Pennsylvania category, Page 92
Pa. House approves bill to decriminalize fentanyl test strips
HARRISBURG — Test strips to help drug users identify fentanyl and other potentially deadly chemicals would no longer be classified as illegal paraphernalia under a bill passed unanimously by the Pennsylvania House on Monday. The legislation to amend the state’s Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act can help reduct...
Unlikely duo: John Fetterman, Josh Shapiro aim for united front
HARRISBURG — One candidate is unabashedly blunt, willing to embrace progressive positions, doing little to build rapport with party leaders and dominating rooms with a 6-foot-8-inch frame. The other crafts a more moderate image, a deliberate public speaker who became a congressional aide out of college and has carefully cultivated...
The bipartisan push to cut corporate taxes in Pennsylvania, explained
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 — Amid budget negotiations, Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and legislative Republicans are weighing a major tax cut on Pennsylvania corporations....
1 firefighter dead after Philadelphia building collapse
PHILADELPHIA — One firefighter has died after being trapped in a building that caught fire in Philadelphia and then collapsed early Saturday, fire officials said. The fallen firefighter was not immediately identified, but Deputy Fire Commissioner Craig Murphy said he was a 27-year department veteran. “It’s going to be a...
Pennsylvania unemployment rate lowest in nearly 3 years
Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate dropped two-tenths of a percentage point, down to 4.6% in May, according to figures provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. It’s the lowest unemployment rate in Pennsylvania since Oct. 2019, months before the pandemic began. In contrast, the U.S. unemployment rate was unchanged over...
Mastriano proposal would allow school employees to be armed; Pa. teachers union pushes back
A Pennsylvania lawmaker wants to allow K-12 school employees to carry firearms in classrooms in an effort to prevent mass shootings like the one in Uvalde, Texas that killed 19 students and two teachers. The proposal by Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Franklin County, would let employees with a concealed carry permit...
Pa. Senate votes to block charter school regulations from taking effect
The Pennsylvania Senate on Wednesday passed a concurrent resolution that would block Gov. Tom Wolf’s regulatory changes to the state’s charter school law from taking effect. By a 30-20 near party-line vote, the chamber approved the House-passed disapproval resolution which now goes to the governor who is expected to veto...
Pa. state university system adopts enrollment-based formula for distributing state dollars
The stakes over state investment in Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education got higher on Wednesday with the approval of a new enrollment-driven formula for allocating dollars to the system’s soon-to-be 10 universities. The system’s governing board on Wednesday unanimously voted to implement a funding distribution formula that at the...
Poll: Fetterman leads Oz in Senate race; Shapiro and Mastriano locked in gubernatorial battle
Polling released Tuesday shows Democrat John Fetterman with an early advantage over Republican Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania’s high-profile U.S. Senate race, while Democrat Josh Shapiro and Republican Doug Mastriano are locked in a tight race for governor. The Suffolk University/USA Today poll is the first major polling on the general...
Sen. Pat Toomey: Chances of Senate passing gun bill better than 50%
U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey expressed optimism Tuesday that the Senate — where gun control bills long have failed to gain traction — will pass some sort of gun legislation this year. Toomey, a Lehigh Valley Republican, placed the odds at better than 50%. “The fact that we were able to...
Pa. is considering ban on trans athletes; experts say it’s discriminatory and ‘anti-evidence’
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 — A coalition of Pennsylvania lawmakers and activists recently gathered on the Capitol rotunda steps with one mission in mind:...
Fetterman names former Biden Pa. director as new campaign manager
John Fetterman has brought on the former state director of President Joe Biden’s campaign as his new U.S. Senate campaign manager. Brendan McPhillips, who is based in Philadelphia, will replace Bobby Maggio, who served as Fetterman’s campaign manager during the Democratic primary. The move was first reported by the Philadelphia...
Pa. House Republicans initiate impeachment proceedings against Philadelphia DAVideo
Four House Republicans have initiated impeachment proceedings against Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, saying he has shown an “absolute and willful dereliction of duty” that has contributed to lives lost and property destroyed in the state’s largest city. They blame his refusal to hold criminals accountable for their crimes by...
Sen. Doug Mastriano adds Jenna Ellis to his Pennsylvania campaign team
Pennsylvania Republican gubernatorial nominee and state Sen. Doug Mastriano announced the addition of a Trump-world star to his general election campaign team Monday. Jenna Ellis, who became a prominent member of the legal team that, both in and outside courtrooms, tried to put a legal veneer on former President Donald...
Legal but unregulated hemp derivative delta-8 thrives in Pa.’s thorny marijuana landscape
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 and advocates for legal cannabis say uneven access to marijuana has pushed consumers toward a widely available...
Sanctions sought against FBI over Civil War gold dig videos
The FBI either lied to a federal judge about having video of its secretive 2018 dig for Civil War-era gold, or illegally destroyed the video to prevent a father-son team of treasure hunters from gaining access to it, an attorney for the duo asserted in new legal filings that allege...
Pa. State House GOP moves to bottle up 4 gun safety proposals
HARRISBURG — Republicans used a legislative bill-shuffling strategy Monday to voluntarily relinquish a Pennsylvania House committee’s control over four bills that address gun violence. The Judiciary Committee action led the speaker to have another panel take over the bills after Democrats tried to force consideration of the proposals. The vote,...
A fight over public records could threaten novel approach to broadband in rural Pennsylvania
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. HOLLIDAYSBURG — Board meetings of the Southern Alleghenies Planning & Development Commission tended to be straightforward. No one had spoken during...
Pa. lawmaker wants more state control over millions in outside spending on federal elections
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 — Over the past few years, megadonors and special interest groups have flooded Pennsylvania campaigns with millions of dollars in...
Candidates of color say they need more party support, financial backing to be successful in 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 — Neither Omy Maldonado nor Yamelisa Taveras had run for office before May of this year. Maldonado is a U.S....
Pa. bills limiting discussion, materials on sexual orientation and gender identity in schools poised for introduction
An elementary school with gender-neutral bathrooms labelled as “they/them.” School volunteers being permitted to talk to elementary students about LGBTQ issues without parental knowledge. A school district telling elementary school teachers to withhold information from parents about children questioning their gender. Two state lawmakers say they have been bombarded with...
U.S. Rep. Scott Perry asked about presidential pardon after attacks on Capitol, Select Committee leader asserts
It didn’t take long for a Pennsylvania politician to get outed in the opening public hearing of the House Select Committee to Investigate the Jan. 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol. Less than 30 minutes in, U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, a Republican from Wyoming, stated that midstate Congressman Scott Perry,...
Pennsylvania pulls gay pioneer’s marker over 1993 interview
HARRISBURG — A roadside historical marker installed less than a year ago to honor a gay rights pioneer has been removed after a state senator raised concerns with Pennsylvania’s state history agency about the man’s 30-year-old memories of an early sexual encounter with another boy. The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum...
Pennsylvania is sitting on billions in stimulus money. Lawmakers may actually agree on a plan to spend some of it.
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 — As the June 30 deadline for the Pennsylvania Legislature to pass a new budget approaches, support for spending some...
Boycott over Martin’s Potato Rolls’ tie to Pa. governor candidate goes nationwide
A central Pennsylvania company and its Dutch brand of potato bread has rolled into a national controversy over its political ties. Martin’s Famous Pastry Shoppe in Franklin County supplies its pillowy bread products to restaurants across the country, including Shake Shack, the international burger chain. Now customers and celebrity chefs...
