Pennsylvania category, Page 31
Sen. Bob Casey walks fine line amid Biden turmoil
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey has a fine line to walk. He and other Democrats fighting to hang on to hotly contested Senate seats have seemed jittery about the turmoil surrounding President Joe Biden after his disastrous debate performance. In many cases, they’re trying to minimize any damage to...
Budget sends $500M more to Pa.’s poorest schools, falling short of what some say is needed
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 — After weeks of tense, secretive negotiations on Pennsylvania’s budget, the legislature has approved a $47.6 billion spending deal that falls short of the...
Traveler caught with over $36K in undeclared cash at Philadelphia airport
It wasn’t a loaded gun going through an airport checkpoint this time, but loaded luggage, according to Customs and Border Patrol. Officials reported seizing $36,834 from a Columbus, Ohio, man at Philadelphia International Airport recently after the man claimed to have $15,000. The man, a U.S. citizen, flew back into...
Pennsylvania lawmakers approve sale of canned alcoholic drinks in grocery stores and more retailers
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvanians will be able to buy canned alcoholic drinks, called ready-to-drink cocktails, from a wider variety of retailers under legislation approved Thursday. The state Senate approved the bill, 32-17, and sent it to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s desk. Under the bill, the approximately 12,000 restaurants, bars, beer distributors, grocery...
Pharmacy benefit manager bill headed to Pa. governor’s desk
A bill placing regulations on pharmacy benefit managers is headed to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s desk. The bill, which began in the state House, passed overwhelmingly in the state Senate on Wednesday with some revisions. Those revisions were approved 172-30 in the House on Thursday. The bill sets restrictions on...
Pennsylvania lawmakers pass nearly $48B budget almost 2 weeks late
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania lawmakers ground through a flurry of votes Thursday to approve a budget deal, nearly two weeks into the new fiscal year after being slowed by disagreements during closed-door negotiations over Democrats’ push for more public schools aid. The $47.6 billion plan for the fiscal year that started...
Pennsylvania’s electric vehicle owners soon will have to pay fees of $200+ per year
A bill that would establish a new annual fee for owners of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles to offset the loss of gas tax revenue on those vehicles is headed to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s desk. The new fee, which Shapiro is expected to enact, is seen as a way to...
Bull on the loose wanders around York County before being captured
An escaped Texas Longhorn has been making the rounds in York County near Fishing Creek. A press officer with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation confirmed that the bull had been sighted on the department’s video cameras near exit 36 of I-83. Video of the animal was captured and posted to...
Restrictions on pharmacy benefit managers pass in Pa. Senate with some changes
A bill placing regulations on pharmacy benefit managers — third-party intermediaries who work with drug manufacturers, pharmacies and insurance providers — passed overwhelmingly in the Pennsylvania Senate on Wednesday with some revisions. The new version of the bill now returns to the House to approve the revisions before heading to...
After killing of trans teen, Pennsylvania House LGBTQ Caucus urges hate crime bill passage
In the wake of the killing of a 14-year-old transgender girl in Western Pennsylvania, some state House lawmakers are urging the Senate to pass an anti-hate crimes bill that would expand protections to gender and sexual-orientation classes. “We mourn the death of Pauly Likens and refuse to stand idly by...
Presidential battle could play role in control of Pennsylvania capitol, other swing states
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Two swing districts in a swing county may very well decide which party controls the House in the swing state of Pennsylvania, one of several where pivotal legislative battles are playing out in the shadow of the presidential campaign. Democrat Brian Munroe and Republican Joe Hogan were...
Blamed for Chesapeake Bay pollution, Pennsylvania took steps to clean up. Here’s how it’s going
Pennsylvania has drawn ire from environmental groups, lobbyists and even a lawsuit from Maryland because of its slow pace to reduce pollution flowing into the Chesapeake Bay. In a state where many residents are not connected to the bay and unaware of the upstream impact on the nation’s largest estuary,...
Is there too much Philly in Pennsylvania’s new license plate?
Gov. Josh Shapiro on Tuesday unveiled new Pennsylvania license plate and state welcome sign designs — ahead of America’s 250th anniversary in 2026. One could argue the new license plates have a Philadelphia flavor. The off-white plates contain an image of the Liberty Bell, and the phrase “Let Freedom Ring”...
Pa. great-grandmother who just finished radiation treatments for breast cancer wins $5M lottery prize
A great-grandmother from Pennsylvania who recently completed radiation treatments for breast cancer won $5 million on a scratch-off state lottery ticket that she only bought because a scheduled family trip didn’t go as planned. Donna Osborne, 75, scored the big prize last month when she bought a $50 “Monopoly Own...
French court rules American man detained after ‘So I raped you’ Facebook message can be extradited
LYON, France — A French court ruled on Monday that the American man accused of sexually assaulting a Pennsylvania college student in 2013 and later sending her a Facebook message that said, “So I raped you,” can be extradited to the United States. Ian Cleary, 31, of Saratoga, California, was...
Biden, Shapiro talk it over at Harrisburg coffee shop after stressful campaign day
As the number of Democratic elected officials calling for President Joe Biden to end his run for a second term continues to slowly grow, one key swing-state governor sometimes named as part of a potential replacement ticket - Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro - stayed in the beleaguered incumbent’s corner Sunday....
While Biden campaigns in Pennsylvania, some Democratic leaders in the House say he should step aside
HARRISBURG, Pa. — President Joe Biden urged his supporters to stay unified during a series of stops in critical Pennsylvania on Sunday, even as some leading congressional Democrats privately suggested it was time for him to abandon his reelection bid because of intensifying questions about whether he’s fit for another...
Biden to attend church in Philly Sunday before traveling to Harrisburg
PHILADELPHIA — President Joe Biden will attend a predominately Black church in Philadelphia Sunday morning before traveling to a campaign event in Harrisburg on Sunday afternoon, his campaign announced Friday evening. Biden will deliver remarks after the church service in Philadelphia, his campaign said. It did not identify the church...
Biden cancels speech at teachers union convention in Philadelphia after union staff goes on strike
HARRISBURG — President Joe Biden canceled a planned speech in Philadelphia at the annual conference of the National Education Association after the union’s staff announced a strike and set up picket lines Friday. Biden had planned to speak Sunday, but his campaign said the president is a “fierce supporter of...
Longer happy hours, value meals with an adult beverage coming to Pennsylvania
Inflation-weary consumers could soon see changes coming to their favorite drinking establishments that will be gentler on their wallets. Longer happy hours and combo meals that include an adult beverage are among a number of changes to the state’s liquor code included in a bill the House approved on Wednesday...
Philadelphia’s Temple University hires John Fry as its president from neighboring Drexel
PHILADELPHIA — Temple University has hired John Fry of nearby Drexel University to become its 15th president, concluding a search that had been buffeted by the sudden death last fall of acting President JoAnne Epps, the Philadelphia school said. Fry, 63, has been Drexel’s president since 2010 and will start...
Bill taking Pennsylvania’s same-sex marriage ban off the books clears state House
A bill that would repeal Pennsylvania’s same-sex marriage ban passed the state House of Representatives Tuesday on a bipartisan vote, with proponents saying the change was necessary to protect marriage equality if federal case law was overturned. The measure passed 133-to-68 in the final vote, with all but one member...
Pa.’s health secretary wins Senate confirmation to the post on 2nd try
After 18 months as serving as the acting head of Pennsylvania’s Department of Health, Dr. Debra Bogen is now the state’s health secretary. Bogen, a pediatrician and former head of the Allegheny County Health Department, won Senate confirmation on Tuesday by a 42-8 bipartisan vote. “I look forward to continuing...
Union sues Philadelphia over requirement that city workers return to the office full time
A union that represents thousands of Philadelphia city employees asked a judge Tuesday to block Mayor Cherelle Parker’s requirement that they return to their offices full time as of July 15. The lawsuit, filed by District Council 47 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, claims the...
School board organization could become subject to Pa.’s open records law
The organization that represents Pennsylvania’s 500 school districts would be required to live under the same transparency rules as most other governmental agencies under legislation that passed the Senate on Monday by a near party-line 28-22 vote. The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill, would subject the Pennsylvania School Boards...
