Pennsylvania category, Page 108
Covid surge: Pennsylvania hospital chain runs out of beds
One of Pennsylvania’s largest health systems has run out of beds because of the latest covid-19 surge, with doctors and nurses practicing “waiting room medicine” on patients who are forced to endure 10- to 20-hour delays in the emergency department, officials said Wednesday. Geisinger is running at 110% capacity across...
Big donor in Pennsylvania high court race eyeing candidates for governor
HARRISBURG — The biggest single campaign donor in this year’s race for a seat on Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court is now aiming to endorse a candidate for governor and, with $20 million in a bank account, it could be a transformative endorsement. Members of the double-digits-deep field of Republican candidates say...
House GOP chooses citizen map for proposed new Pa. congressional districts
This article is part of a yearlong reporting project focused on redistricting and gerrymandering in Pennsylvania. It is made possible by the support of Spotlight PA members and Votebeat, a project focused on election integrity and voting access. HARRISBURG — The long-awaited redistricting process in Pennsylvania kicked into high gear...
Pennsylvania Supreme Court hears arguments over school mask mandate
As Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration has defended its school mask mandate in court over the past three months, it has relied on a portion of the state health code that allows for the “surveillance of disease.” On Wednesday before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Senior Deputy Attorney General Sean Kirkpatrick presented...
Will the definition of ‘fully vaccinated’ eventually change?
Momentum is gaining in some circles to redefine what “fully vaccinated” means now that boosters are widely available and the omicron variant is surging nationwide. Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to the White House and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNBC on Friday...
With snow predicted this week, will PennDOT be able to clear the roads with limited staff?
As snow looms in the forecast this week, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has been trying to fill hundreds of snow plow driver positions across the state to prepare for the upcoming winter weather. And it hasn’t been easy. Currently, PennDOT has filled 40 percent of the 695 temporary operator...
Justices take up Pennsylvania’s deadly force rules for cops
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania’s high court may soon decide whether state law on police use of deadly force during arrests gives officers too much leeway to take the life of a fleeing suspect. The state Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Tuesday on the question, which arose during the criminal...
Don’t get duped when donating to charity, Pa. officials warn
It’s the season of giving, and criminals often want to take advantage of donors’ generosity, according to Pennsylvania state government officials. The Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities and Pennsylvania Department of State are offering tips to help consumers make sure their contributions go to legitimate charitable organizations. Consumers can...
Reach Cyber partners with carpenters’ union to offer online carpentry programVideo
In recent years, school districts have made a stronger push to gauge student interest in trade careers, extolling the virtues of the region’s technical schools and the wide-open job market for skilled laborers. In Pennsylvania, one cyber charter school is looking to add some of those elements to its curriculum....
1st confirmed omicron case reported in Pennsylvania
PHILADELPHIA — Health officials reported the first confirmed case of the omicron variant in Pennsylvania on Friday, a man in his 30s from Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Department of Public Health announced the case in a news release. No other details were immediately available, including whether the man was vaccinated against...
Vaunted Pennsylvania Society weekend loses luster among politicos
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 — For years, Pennsylvania Society has been the marquee event for the state’s politicians and the well-heeled special interests that...
Harrisburg must pay disability benefits to cop who suffered ‘psychological injury’ when colleagues yelled at her: Pa. court
A former Harrisburg police officer is entitled to workers compensation disability benefits because she suffered a “psychological injury” when colleagues berated her for not firing her Taser at a suspect, a Commonwealth Court panel ruled Friday. The decision, outlined in an opinion by Judge Michael J. Wojcik, sinks an attempt...
GOP gubernatorial candidate Jake Corman lays out platform in Pittsburgh campaign stopVideo
State Sen. Jake Corman, a Republican candidate for governor, made a campaign stop in Pittsburgh on Thursday, using a former Pittsburgh mill site being redeveloped as a tech hub as a backdrop. Corman, 57, of Centre County, is in his sixth term in the state Senate, where he serves as...
The Pennsylvania Wilds is known for quiet, but some worry fighter jet training will disturb that
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 proposal that would allow military planes to fly training missions less than a quarter-mile above a section of...
Gov. Tom Wolf adds to mounting veto tally, kills permitless-gun bill
Gov. Tom Wolf followed through on his veto threat Thursday, rejecting Republican-penned legislation to allow people to carry a firearm openly or concealed, without a permit, adding to his total for Pennsylvania’s chief executive with the most vetoes in more than four decades. Wolf, a Democrat, called the bill “dangerous.”...
PIAA is subject to state open records laws, court rules
The Commonwealth Court on Tuesday said that Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association is subject to the state’s Right to Know Law. In a 28-page opinion, the appellate court said it is “undisputed” that the PIAA, which governs high school athletics, is a state-affiliated entity and therefore subject to providing information pursuant...
Dr. Oz calls Keystone State home as he ponders U.S. Senate bid
Dr. Mehmet Oz’s claim to residency in Pennsylvania may be both recent and tenuous, but that won’t keep him off the crowded GOP ballot of contenders seeking to replace U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey. The Associated Press reported that Oz, 61, a longtime New Jersey resident, is planning to announce his...
Lawsuit claims abuse, threats at Pennsylvania church farm
HARRISBURG — A federal lawsuit filed this month claims boys and young men at a church-related farm business in Pennsylvania were subjected to forced labor and punishment that included dragging chains and breaking up rocks with a hammer. The lawsuit by two former residents of Liberty Ridge, an 80-acre farm...
Gov. Tom Wolf will use computer-drawn maps and other tools to help spot Pa. gerrymandering
PHILADELPHIA — Pennsylvania’s new congressional map will help shape political power for a decade — and Gov. Tom Wolf is laying down some rules as it gets drawn. Wolf plays a key role in the decennial redistricting: The Republican-controlled state Legislature will draw a map, but Wolf, a Democrat, can...
Teen shot 18 times while waiting for bus in Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA — A 14-year-old Philadelphia boy waiting for a bus to take him home from school was shot 18 times and killed Monday afternoon, police said. Samir Jefferson was waiting at a bus stop shortly before 3:30 p.m. Monday in a North Philadelphia neighborhood when two unknown shooters fired at...
Sources: Dr. Oz plans to run for Senate seat in Pennsylvania
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Dr. Mehmet Oz, the celebrity heart surgeon best known as the host of TV’s Dr. Oz Show after rocketing to fame on Oprah Winfrey’s show, is planning to run for Pennsylvania’s open U.S. Senate seat as a Republican, according to three people familiar with his plans. Should...
Pa. Latinos work to turn huge population gains into political muscle, but still face barriers
This article is part of a yearlong reporting project focused on redistricting and gerrymandering in Pennsylvania. It is made possible by the support of Spotlight PA members and Votebeat, a project focused on election integrity and voting access. LEHIGH VALLEY — Over the past five years, Victor Martinez has noticed...
Pa. House GOP leader diagnosed with breakthrough case of covid
Pennsylvania House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff, R-Centre County, is quarantining at home after being diagnosed with a breakthrough case of covid-19. Benninghoff, 59, who was fully vaccinated against the coronavirus earlier in the year, developed mild symptoms prior to the Thanksgiving holiday and got tested. On Monday, he received his...
Some states know a lot about vaccinated people who have gotten covid-19. Pennsylvania doesn’t
PHILADELPHIA — Each week in Oregon, state health officials produce a public report documenting how many people have contracted the coronavirus even after getting the vaccine, including data about their ages, races, the counties where they live, which covid-19 variants they caught and how sick it made them. That type...
Pa. deer hunter shot in the head, killed by young relative: coroner
A child hunting with family missed a deer and shot a 71-year-old man in the head, killing him. The tragedy happened around 10 a.m. Saturday in Jackson Township, Cambria County, as WJAC-TV in Johnstown reports. The victim is identified as 71-year-old William Tripp of Elizabethtown. Tripp was hunting with family...
