Pennsylvania category, Page 100
Amtrak engineer cleared in trial over deadly 2015 crash
An Amtrak engineer was cleared of charges related to a deadly, high-speed derailment that left eight people dead and hundreds injured in Philadelphia in 2015. The jury acquitted 38-year-old engineer Brandon Bostian of causing a catastrophe, involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment after a little more than an hour of deliberations....
Pennsylvania student scores fell, delayed test results show
Student scores on Pennsylvania standardized tests fell sharply last year in most categories, although state education officials cautioned the numbers were so distorted by pandemic conditions that they are of limited use for comparison to previous years — particularly regarding statewide trends. The Education Department on Friday released results of...
Penn State is relaxing its face mask policy across most campuses
With much of Pennsylvania now experiencing a decline in covid-19 cases, Penn State announced that it planned to officially relax its policy on face masks come Monday. According to the university, face masks will no longer be required in many indoor settings starting Monday — although the requirement will remain...
Ex-officers charged in Philadelphia girl’s fatal shooting held for trial
PHILADELPHIA — Three former police officers charged in the fatal shooting of an 8-year-old girl when they fired their weapons in the direction of a crowd outside a high school football game near Philadelphia were held for trial during a hearing Thursday. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that during the crowded...
Poll: Voters split over selling off Pennsylvania’s state-run liquor stores
About half of Pennsylvania voters surveyed said they support removing the state from the liquor business, according to a new Franklin & Marshall College poll. But the poll released on Thursday also found that if voters had the opportunity to decide on liquor privatization through a constitutional ballot referendum, they...
Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, Mansfield universities to merge into Commonwealth University
HARRISBURG — Three state-owned universities in Pennsylvania will soon be known as the consolidated Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania after a vote by the State System Board of Governors on Wednesday. The board voted unanimously to make the change involving Bloomsburg, Lock Haven and Mansfield universities, although those previous names will...
Philadelphia police: Boy, 12, killed after officers in car fired uponVideo
PHILADELPHIA — A plainclothes Philadelphia police officer fatally shot a 12-year-old boy in the back Tuesday night, moments after a bullet was fired into an unmarked car, police said. Police identified the youth as Thomas Siderio Jr., saying officers took him to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center where he was pronounced...
Justices keep Pennsylvania’s mail-in voting law in place, at least for now
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s mail-in voting law will remain in place, at least for the near future, despite a state judge’s order that would have made it expire in two weeks, the state Supreme Court ruled Tuesday. The justices issued a one-paragraph order that overturned a Feb. 16 decision by Commonwealth...
Toomey calls for tougher sanctions on RussiaVideo
As the war on Ukraine continues, U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey is calling for tougher sanctions on Russia. As a ranking member of the Senate Banking Committee, Toomey holds considerable influence. President Joe Biden has led the international response to Russia’s invasion with severe sanctions targeting the Russian economy and against...
Police say Pa. woman attacked pregnant woman for having to wait for a ride home
A Cumberland County resident attacked a pregnant woman and told her “I’ll kill you and I’ll kill your baby” after she was told she’d have to wait 20 minutes to get a ride home, Pennsylvania State Police said. Margarita Maldonado, 30, was staying with the pregnant woman for a couple...
Pennsylvania moves to divest holdings in Russian assets
HARRISBURG — The Russian invasion of Ukraine is spurring Pennsylvania lawmakers to draft legislation to require the state Treasury Department and the state’s three public pension funds to divest holdings connected to Russia, as some selling off was already underway Monday. The state Treasury Department said it began divesting its...
Fred Keller won’t run for reelection as Pennsylvania loses seat
HARRISBURG — U.S. Rep. Fred Keller of Pennsylvania changed his mind Monday and said he will not run for reelection if he must face a primary election against another Republican incumbent. Pennsylvania’s highest court selected new boundaries for congressional districts last week, and Keller and U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson —...
Supreme Court asked to intervene in congressional maps case
HARRISBURG — A group suing over Pennsylvania’s new map of congressional districts asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday to reconsider whether they are entitled to an emergency order to halt the plan. The petition came three days after U.S. District Judge Jennifer P. Wilson in Harrisburg denied their request...
Eugene DePasquale will not oppose U.S. Rep. Scott Perry in the 10th Congressional District race
U.S. Rep. Scott Perry has just vanquished one major potential foe in his quest for a 6th term in Congress, as former Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale has decided not to seek a rematch of their 2020 race. DePasquale, a Pittsburgh native, was widely considered Perry’s top political threat, with...
Pa. driver opens fire after 2-vehicle crash involving Amazon van
A two-vehicle crash involving an Amazon delivery van was then followed by one of the drivers opening fire on the other. As 6ABC reports, the possible road-rage incident occurred around 12:20 p.m. Sunday in normally quiet Clifton Heights, Delaware County. Police tell the news station the two drivers collided at...
Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board removes Russian-made products from state store shelves
That didn’t take long. Following a strongly worded message from Gov. Tom Wolf urging it to do so, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) on Sunday ordered Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores to remove all Russian-made booze from shelves, in a show of support for the people of Ukraine....
Liquor privatization in Washington state could provide lessons for Pennsylvanians
Another attempt is underway to privatize Pennsylvania’s state-run liquor system and end the monopoly of state-owned stores being the only place to buy distilled spirits. A proposed constitutional amendment introduced by state Rep. Natalie Mihalek is the latest effort in a decades-long campaign by state Republicans to do away with...
No notes, same logo: Dr. Oz’s campaign is like his TV show
NEWTOWN — The banners and big red video screen all said Dr. Oz, the host gave a rousing introduction and in strode the candidate, Mehmet Oz, to take up the microphone and become the center of attention for more than an hour. Welcome to Oz’s campaign for U.S. Senate, where...
CDC loosens mask guidance, Pa. health chief says state moving into ‘next phase’ of living with covid
As the federal government loosens masking guidance for a majority of healthy Americans, Pennsylvania officials said they will follow suit while keeping an eye on covid-related hospital admissions and case counts should they begin to rise again. “Pennsylvania is moving in the right direction,” said Acting Secretary of Health Keara...
Pa. officials address concerns about vaccination data
State health officials on Thursday said there should not be concern over the veracity of federal data they used to tout the state’s covid-19 vaccination rate among adults as 95%. In a release from Gov. Tom Wolf’s office Wednesday, officials celebrated the milestone that a spokesperson said was based on...
Pa. State Police push back on recommendation requiring independent probes when troopers kill, injure
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 — Independent investigations of deaths or injuries caused by Pennsylvania State Police would require a change to state law, the...
PHEAA to trim its workforce by 43 employees
The state’s student financial agency on Thursday advised 43 employees who work in its information technology area that March 11 will be their last day on the job. The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency officials cited the decision to transition out of its role as a federal student loan servicer...
Contest seeks Pennsylvania’s best homebrewers
Are you a home beer brewer? If so, and if you believe you have a winning ale, you can put your drink to the test in a new statewide contest searching for the best homebrewed beer in Pennsylvania. The first-ever Breweries In Pennsylvania Homebrew Invitational will have five regional competitions,...
Report: Pa. hunters, sport shooters spend more than $1.8B on their sports
Hunters and target shooters in Pennsylvania spent more than $1.8 billion on their sports in 2020, according to a new report from the Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation. The report looked at the economic impact of hunting and target shooting at the national, state and legislative district levels. The researchers found that...
‘Reckless’ Amish buggy driver accused of DUI tells Pa. cops he ‘had a couple beers’
The horse-drawn buggy was being driven so recklessly the wheels were throwing sparks, Pennsylvania police said. When they pulled it over, the man driving it told police he “had a couple of beers,” resulting in his arrest for DUI. As WJAC-TV in Johnstown reports, the driver is identified as 20-year-old...
